lifestyle… and things that make the heart race…
Spring 2011 RTW… So far… It’s all about the shoes
For some reason, my focus has been much more on shoes during the Women’s Spring 2011 RTW collections. I am not completely sure why they are taking center-stage over the clothing, but I guess with show-stoppers like this, it’s hard to focus on anything else!
Emilio Pucci
Gucci
Prada
Diane Von Furstenberg
To Be Weightless
Years ago, as a graduate student in Women’s Studies In Religion, I considered writing my dissertation on, “The Bathroom as Women’s Sacred Space”. Afterall, the bathroom is a place we (all of us, men included) go to sort things out, where we lock ourselves away when we need to be alone, a place we go to cry, to be intimate with a lover, to escape, the place we go to get clean, to be reborn in a way… In our society, it is one of the only places most of us are truly able to be alone with ourselves and contemplate who we are and the world around us…. It is an immensely important place; therefore, it deserves to have one’s special attention. The bathing vessels below are perfect wombs to cradle you when you need float and let your cares go.
Luxury Babies
I have never been afraid to admit that I am a woman who is not a baby person. I have never had an interest in babies or in anything baby related… However… I do love, admire and respect beautiful design, and my friends who are lovers of babies and have wonderful families. It is with you in mind, that I want to share with you my excitement about the DoDo Bassinet! When I came across this stylish little pod, I had to catch my breath… I cannot believe that a company had the good sense to create baby furniture that is so pleasing to the eye. It’s design is so fabulous that it almost makes me wish I had a baby, just as an excuse to have one in my house! And for all of you parents out there… the bassinet boasts a natural silk lining, a structure that is created from one piece of the finest woods, and it is equipped with 360° multi-directional wheels. Completely hot!
BABY SUOMMO Official Website: Luxury Cots and Design Products for Babies – DoDo.
Makenna Resort
I stumbled upon photographs of the newly constructed Makenna Resort in Itacaré, Brazil. So new is it, that I do not believe it has yet opened. The only thing I can tell you, is that Drucker Architects is responsible for the jaw dropping design. Despite the lack of available information, I could not help sharing these stunning images with you, Dear Voluptuaries.
photography by Leonardo Finotti
Tasteful iPhone Wallets
Let us be frank, the vast majority of iPhone cases are hideous and cheap looking. Most aesthetes I know do not have cases for this very reason…. Well, fear not! Bureau de Bank has designed what has to be the most gorgeous (and practical) case for the iPhone 4. Each leather wallet is handmade, with a moleskine-like look and feel. Now the only question is, which colour to order?
iErnest – Hemingway’s preferred choice in leather iPhone wallets.
In A Veil Of Smoke…
On September 21, Christie’s South Kensignton auction house will hold, The Interiors: Masters & Makers sale. To be included in this sale, is the curiously gorgeous pipe collection of Trevor Barton, a British appliance salesman who died in 2008. His collection of smoking apparatuses is one of the world’s most comprehensive.
At the age of 19 or 20, I toyed with the idea of becoming a pipe smoker, as it seemed terribly fashionable. I never carried through with the idea, yet it has continued to appeal to me throughout the years. After viewing images from Mr. Barton’s collection, I am renewing my interest and daydreaming about which pipes might go best with which gowns and at what events!
“Chic et Pratique”
The holiday season shall be upon us before we can click our heels together three times… And all well-prepared hosts and well-mannered guests are starting to make their lists and check them twice. Why just this weekend Albertine & Odette were discussing host gifts with a chic friend… and so the shopping has begun.
One of the loveliest things to come out this season (not yet available), is the Charles Heidsieck High Life Collector Casket made from Buffalo Leather. Not only is the casket waterproof, it’s design allows for the proper oxidation to occur as it coaxes the aromas and bubbles to a lovely balance. The buffalo leather makes this casket suitable for your most fussy friends! Let us raise a glass to that!
A Love Letter To Mme Émile Straus (1845 -1926)
“At first I believed you loved only beautiful things and that you understood them well — and then I saw that you didn’t give a hang about them; then I thought you liked people, and now I see that you don’t give a hang about them either. I only believe you love a certain kind of life which brings out your intelligence less than your wit, your wit less than your tact, your tact less than your clothes. A person who more than anything loves this kind of life — and who, nevertheless, casts a spell! And it is just because you are enchanting that you must not rejoice and decide that I love you less.”
-Marcel Proust (from Letters of Marcel Proust, Mina Curtiss, 1949)
1960s Style & Charm
The fashions and hairstyles of the 1960s are some of my favorites. There was such a sense of freedom and independence, combined with glamorous decadent femininity. Here are a few inspiring images from my personal scrapbook.
Verushka in Emilio Pucci, 1964
1967 Vogue Magazine
A Fanciful Mila Schoen Dress, Circa 1968
Was There Ever A Better Cleopatra Than Elizabeth Taylor?
Marianne Faithfull, Style Icon
Twiggy... Glorious Ennui
Marianne... Girl On A Motorcycle
Foot Fetishists… I Know What You Want!
Lavin Cutout Leather Pumps
If shoes can be naughty, then this shoe is the naughtiest of them all! The supple leather conceals most of the foot, only to tease and tantalize onlookers with a glimpse of what lies encased beneath. So alluring is it, that when withdrawing the gaze it must tear away the skin… Lavin is right on the mark!
September 27, 2010
albertineandodette
Albertine & Odette 