Realistic Chic

Another new series: Realistic Chic. Listen, I'm all for fabulous fashion moments, but what is really amazing and inspiring is how to dress for real life and look amazing. Marion Cotillard is embodying that look here.
The classic chic of opaque black tights, but instead of heels or sleek knee-length boots, she's wearing short crepe-soled boots that achieve practical/cool nirvana. Then there's the casual throw-it-on denim mini and the flourish of the boucle jacket. The fact that she is wearing this outfit while toting around an infant just confirms that it's realistic. I do not, however, see a bag (necessary for schlepping baby stuff), but I'm assuming she has one and it's hidden.

OK I'm obsessed with her boots. What are they? Can any of my readers tell me?

Piggie Luvs Kermie

She Loves His Jazzy Ways

Blog This

Black Sox

I am going to just come out and say it: I like this sock look.

Taken to the Cleaners

This is our other new Moroccan rug. New-to-us, but antique. I sent off both rugs for a cleaning--the place I used actually washes them and hangs them up to dry. They are back and they are so much cleaner, you can see it. They even removed a stain (visible on the middle left side of the photo) that the guy who sold them to us said would never come out. This one is creamy and fluffy like a lamb now. I honestly don't know if they had ever been cleaned before.

Man Ray

Obsession of the Moment. Brass & enamel cuff from St. Kilda. Done.

p.s. she also has an awesome blog.

Luv

J.Crew's not-subtle-at-all copycat machine is still running at top speed, in case you hadn't noticed. And I'm still mad at it.

A new cute yet bland sweater from the Crew (weirdly styled with a red shirt underneath it):



Its older sister, from Sonia Rykiel, who basically invented the intarsia heart:



J. Crew, I love you but you're bringing me down.* Please stop diluting the original great designs and selling them to the masses.

Related:

Shop-o-Matic

I'm introducing a new regular feature, Shop-o-Matic, where I'll point you to unique finds across the interwebs. Let's face it, Christmas is practically around the corner, so here are some items that might be perfect for someone you know.



First up, we have a signed check circa 1982 from Eddie Van Halen. I mean, who wouldn't want this? Available right here from Julien's Auctions, my new favorite website. Also included in the lot is a check signed by Valerie Bertinelli Van Halen for a $27 cable bill. It just doesn't get better than this, folks. Starting bid only $200!



Another priceless gem is Elvis Presley's karate blackbelt 1974 card. Thank you Julien's for bringing the magic. Again, the perfect gift for anyone: friend, mother, brother, lover!

Elevens

Happy Nigel Tufnel Day 11.11.11

Spooky

I do not enjoy "whimsical" fashion moments. Apparently, even the vaulted net-a-porter does.

More unpleasant fashion whimsy, from top perpetrator Moschino Cheap and Chic:



p.s. Happy Halloween, y'all

Oh (Cold) Snap!

NYC is getting its first cold weather of the season!

The Good Life

Speaking for myself, Trader Joe's is quite sufficient for my dried fruit demands. But, if you have more specific needs or perhaps your own organic fruit orchard, why not get an elegant fruit drying rack for personal use? Imagine the possibilities!

Designing Woman

Due to overwhelming feedback, I have redesigned the site. Hope all of my readers are happy with the new (old) look!

Another business matter: This Way to Fancytown is hiring! We're looking for a highly motivated intern, whose primary job will be making mixtapes. Sorry, this is an unpaid position.

R.I.P. Steve

via reference library

Vanity of Vanities, All is Vanity

I've been looking for way too long for a small vanity/dressing table for my bedroom. Yes, there is always that white lacquered Parsons table from West Elm (yawn...), but I'm holding out for something special.

In my ideal world I'd have a perfectly aged mirrored jobber going, but those seem to run over $1400 even for a little one. And I'm not about to go all DIY crazy...I ain't no HomeGoods hollaback girl if you know what I mean. (Do you know what I mean?)



Every once in a while I come across a Midcentury Modern one, but they always leave me cold. (This could be because every fool out there now sells old crap from the '70s and '80s and calls it Midcentury Modern.)

I hit ebay again recently for my futile search, and a few promising photos appeared.

Cute, simple, great color, nice patina on the mirror:



Vintage rattan, which I am a total sucker for. The mirror is a little cutesy but I can work with that:



However, it wasn't going to be as easy as all that. These are dollhouse vanities. I mean....? Perversely I looked a little further anyway. On the upside, these babies often go for $3.50 each.






Yeah, I better keep looking.

Victory is Mine

After much delay, and even a plea for help, I managed to secure the rug of my dreams.



It's big (about 6' x 11") and beautiful. Finding it involved many hours in a dusty Moroccan rug shop located in, of all places, Southampton. Not exactly the souk but close.

...speechless...

So you've got a newborn. Just a little thing. You want to capture his or her cuteness at the fleetingly brief newborn stage. Something beautiful, peaceful, and simple. You hire a professional photographer, prop the poor helpless infant (who is mercifully asleep) in a weird totally un-babylike pose, and while you're at it---why not top the whole thing off with a giant pink giraffe hat?

Too garish, you say? Well then how about a crazy elephant with freakishly giant eyelashes?



If you do this to your child and they legally emancipate themselves at a young age, you will know why.

Can't....Talk....

This is troubling and confusing on so many levels:

#TIGERBLOOD

from here

MM6

Martin Margiela, I admit that there are times I do not get you either, but the rest of the time I really love you and this is one of those times.

Alexander Wang FW2011

Alexander Wang, I do not get you.

File Under: Things I'd Buy If I Were Thin

Stella McCartney, you've done it again. Very chic (although ill-fitting on this Yoox model and the "pant overall" description is not sexy), and very Wallis Simpson on her wedding day.

Fighting the Hot

Erin Wasson, you're gorgeous, but please stop wearing all those rings. They make you look like a creepy grifter hanging out in a bus station. (The old shearling and finger tattoos aren't helping, either....finger tattoos!?!?!)

Is It Me, Or....

This is the very living definition of fashion victim:

Help a Sister Out

I need a rug like this one...just like this one....which despite being prominently displayed on the Imports from Marrakesh website, was sold (probably a long time ago, I'm guessing). I need to know about some other sources for bright colorful Moroccan rugs. Anyone? Anyone?

Up in Smoke

Those crazy kids over at Wary Myers deliver again with this charming handwritten Bong Contest flyer circa 1976:



It drummed up fond memories of my first glimpse of the classic apple bong about 20 years ago. Apparently it's the bong Charlize Theron would have submitted to the contest:

Swizzle Me This

Call me crazy but I absolutely love this kind of thing. They perfectly embody the 1970s country club cocktail era. (Did such a thing even exist?) Very WASP chic. I have a bunch of different kinds, and even though they only cost about $3, I have a hard time using them because I love them so much. Weird, I know.

Case Study

We are finally, finally getting our new massive bookcase built this month. If I were a cartoon character I would be loudly chattering because I am totally nervous about how it will turn out. It's HUGE...as in nine feet high and 11 feet wide:



I am considering it a bookcase but it's also a storage unit, cabinets on both sides and along the bottom. In order to make the storage useful, we have made it much deeper than a regular bookcase. As in 20 inches deep, instead of the usual 12 inches or so. Yeah it's huge and I just hope the proportions work.

And although our loft is very very white, I just felt that white cupboards would end up looking grubby. I'm really not a person who likes a lot of color on the walls, I prefer to keep it neutral so I can have bits of color and pattern everywhere else. So anything too "colorful" was out. Again, nervous, but I am 99.9% settled on a dark blue shade--despite the name it's definitely blue, and it has a warm tone to it:



The runner-up color was Hale Navy, more of a true navy:



Looking at these on the white screen, I'm wondering if the Hale Navy is better, less colorful?

The final bit to decide is hardware. I want to use oil-rubbed bronze so that the hardware blends into the dark paint color. I love me some unlacquered brass and even some shiny chrome, but I think better to keep the hardware subtle.

Baldwin Round Cabinet Knob:



Rejuvenation Peg:



Rejuvenation Mushroom



Ringpull

The Royals

Not sure I'd wear these Donna Wilson gloves but they are pretty genius:

Bedazzle Your Own Self*

Someone should buy this hilarious Sonia Rykiel bag. It's quintessential SR, flashy in a sort of classic/retro/ironic way. Metallic leather? Check. Leopard print lining? Check. Chain link straps? Smattering of zippers? Strategically placed bow? Check, check, check. I think this hot number would be great with a humdrum outfit, to add some pizazz.

*The title here is a tribute to Clementine's way of shutting me down. If I ask for a snuggle and she isn't in the mood or is trying to send me some sort of message, she tells me "Snuggle your own self".