l'anatomie de l'élégance

Revisiting 'Love on the Left Bank'

2011-04-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

"...She was Vali Myers, the Beatnik gypsy mystical witch who reigned over the rain-soaked streets. With her wild hair, kohl-rimmed eyes, loose raincoat, and cigarette, she offered herself with abandon and self-containment. She mirrored what I aspired to aesthetically—to be unconscious of style, yet style itself. Her subterranean world seemed emblematic of all I hoped to attain: in a word, freedom. These images, shot in the 50s by Ed van der Elsken, melded the documentary with art."
| Vanity Fair |

The Perfect Spring Sweater:

2011-04-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hetterson's Crenelle sweater is made from "superfine organic NZ merino" and hand-dyed with low impact dyes.
| Hetterson |

Bodkin Spring/Summer 2011

2011-04-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Click here for more about Bodkin's sustainability practices.

ORGANIC by John Patrick S/S 2010

2011-03-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

| ORGANIC by John Patrick |

Ampersand AS Apostrophe

2011-03-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

This innovative label re-purposes 100 year old mail carrying duffels into chic convertible purses.
|Ampersand AS Apostrophe|

EDUN S/S 2011

2011-03-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

| full collection |

Sarah Trotter Vintage

2011-03-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

Click here to visit Sarah Trotter's Etsy store

Kora Jewelry

2011-03-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

"Kora merges the worlds of beautiful jewelry and sustainable business development in the belief that both can and will benefit. Our handmade pieces feature recycled materials found and used by local artisans in African developing communities. The long-term sustainability of our producers is important to Kora. By paying fair prices for product we provide the artisans with the crucial capital to build their businesses." more

H&M Conscious Collection

2011-03-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

"Sustainability is a long term trend at H&M and this April as part of the focus on sustainability H&M will introduce the Conscious Collection – The collection which is for women, men and children is made from enviromentally – adapted and greener materials such as organic cotton, Tencel® and recycled polyester. H&M’s designers have been inspired by different shades of white, one of the most important colours this Spring. A minimalist, tailored look is combined with romantic lace, Broderie Anglaise, frills and draping. The Conscious Collection will be on sale in all H&M stores from 14th April." more

Beauty Inspiration: Sophie Vlaming pt. 2

2011-03-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

Beauty Inspiration: Sophie Vlaming pt. 1

2011-03-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Loomstate S/S 11

2011-03-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

Loomstate

Meiling Cheng

2011-03-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Meiling Cheng

Note to Reader:

2011-03-04T09:55:00.001-08:00

For one reason or another I've recently been inspired to live a more eco-friendly 'green' lifestyle. These choices will be manifested in the the foods I eat, the clothing I purchase, and the lifestyle I live. For that reason, the blog will be taking a slightly different direction in that I will be posting healthy recipes, sustainable clothing lines and general tips for 'green' living.

It should be noted, however, that despite the new direction, this blog will maintain a focus on aesthetics. I refuse to exclusively post on green issues because: 1- It's, sadly, limited and boring. 2- I believe in taking inspiration from everywhere. 3- Wearing designer clothing, if consignment/resale/ebay, is far greener than purchasing a brand new organic cotton wardrobe! All 'green' posts will be labeled as such (to denote a 'green' designer for example). So I encourage you all to scout your local CSA, scout Ebay, scout vintage stores, and check out this amazing designer consignment shop I found via Cherry Blossom Girl.

Making Flowers Into Perfume

2011-03-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

"At some point, nearly every gardener has paused over a flower and experienced an epiphany: If I could capture the scent of that jasmine in a bottle, I’d be a millionaire. The next day the petals are gone, and the aroma with them.Thanks for the memories. See you next year. Andrine Olson, however, has a pickle jar in her refrigerator that holds the invigorating scent of jasmine blossoms from her overgrown garden."...
NYtimes

Model's Street Style

2011-03-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

via vogue.it * stockholm streetstyle * elle * theinsider

Back. In Full Effect.

2011-02-13T08:22:00.001-08:00

I'm not entirely certain that anyone is reading this blog anymore, but I am committing myself to updating it more frequently. Starting now...

Kate Moss' silk jumpsuit!

2010-09-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love the Deco feel to this outfit!

Nina Ricci Pre-Fall 2010

2010-09-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

Detroit From My Mind

2010-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

“The following poem is the Detroit from my mind. The Detroit that is in my heart. The home that encapsulates and envelops those who are truly blessed with the experience of living within its boundaries.” — Jack White

'Courageous Dream's Concern,' by Jack White

I have driven slow,
three miles an hour or so,
through Highland Park, Heidelberg, and the
Cass Corridor.
I've hopped on the Michigan,
and transferred to the Woodward,
and heard the good word blaring from an
a.m. radio.
I love the worn-through tracks of trolley
trains breaking through their
concrete vaults,
As I ride the Fort Street or the Baker,
just making my way home.

I sneak through an iron gate, and fish
rock bass out of the strait,
watching the mail boat with
its tugboat gait,
hauling words I'll never know.
The water letter carrier,
bringing prose to lonely sailors,
treading the big lakes with their trailers,
floats in blue green chopping waters,
above long-lost sunken failures,
awaiting exhumation iron whalers,
holding gold we'll never know.

I've slid on Belle Isle,
and rowed inside of it for miles.
Seeing white deer running alongside
While I glide, in a canoe.
I've walked down Caniff holding a glass
Atlas root beer bottle in my hands
And I've entered closets of coney islands
early in the morning too.
I've taken malt from Stroh's and Sanders,
felt the black powder of abandoned
embers,
And smelled the sawdust from wood cut
to rehabilitate the fallen edifice.
I've walked to the rhythm of mariachis,
down junctions and back alleys,
Breathing fresh-baked fumes of culture
nurtured of the Latin and the
Middle East.
I've fallen down on public ice,
and skated in my own delight,
and slid again on metal crutches
into trafficked avenues.

Three motors moved us forward,
Leaving smaller engines to wither,
the aluminum, and torpedo,
Monuments to unclaimed dreaming.
Foundry's piston tempest captured,
Forward pushing workers raptured,
Frescoed families strife fractured,
Encased by factory's glass ceiling.
Detroit, you hold what one's been seeking,
Holding off the coward-armies weakling,
Always rising from the ashes
not returning to the earth.
I so love your heart that burns
That in your people's body yearns
To perpetuate,
and permeate,
the lonely dream that does encapsulate,
Your spirit, that God insulates,
With courageous dream's concern.

Gary Graham Fall 2010

2010-04-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

full collection

die by the drop

2010-03-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Lake & Stars F/W 2010

2010-03-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

shot by Tom Hines

Mark Vadukul

2010-03-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Mark Vadukul

Burlesque by Craig McDean

2010-01-31T13:27:00.000-08:00

Côte d'Allure by Horst Diekgerdes

2009-12-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

More Wendy Bevan...

2009-12-02T18:28:00.001-08:00

Random

2009-12-02T09:37:00.001-08:00

Current Beauty Inspiration: Eva Green in Cracks

2009-11-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

Cracks (2009)

Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing

2009-11-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

1. Listen to the birds.
That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.

2. Your guitar is not really a guitar Your guitar is a divining rod.
Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.

3. Practice in front of a bush
Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush dosen't shake, eat another piece of bread.

4. Walk with the devil
Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.

5. If you're guilty of thinking, you're out
If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

6. Never point your guitar at anyone
Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.

7. Always carry a church key
That's your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He's one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song "I Need a Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty-making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it.

8. Don't wipe the sweat off your instrument
You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.

9. Keep your guitar in a dark place
When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.

10. You gotta have a hood for your engine
Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.

Serge & Jane introduisent La Décadanse

2009-11-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

Daisy Lowe + Chanel

2009-11-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

A Single Man

2009-11-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

Wendy Bevan for Marie Claire 11/09

2009-10-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

I wa wa wa wa wonder...

2009-10-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Del Shannon (December 30, 1934 — February 8, 1990) was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.

Jennifer Tzar

2009-10-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

official website

Boudoir by David Bellemère

2009-09-29T04:45:00.000-07:00

scanned by Diciassette (17) @ TFS

Jo Ratcliffe

2009-09-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Alphabet

Random

2009-09-25T20:50:00.001-07:00

From Paolo Roversi's Dream Sequence

2009-09-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

J'adore...

2009-09-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

My Marc Jacobs boots:

Isabel Marant Fall '09

La Garconne Fall '09

The Impossible Cool

Stranger Than Paradise

Zara

Under.Ligne by Doo.Ri

2009-09-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

under.ligne

Random Inspiration

2009-09-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Flora Hanitijo

2009-08-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Flora Hanitijo

via Glamour Français

2009-08-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

'60s

2009-08-22T10:27:00.001-07:00

FUCK YES!

2009-08-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Dead Weather: An Oral History

2009-08-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious. Plus they're at the restaurant where my rehearsal dinner will take place - I knew I had good taste! (and yes, I'm getting married!)

They Need No Introduction...

2009-08-18T04:11:00.001-07:00

Cool Tattoos!

2009-08-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Random:

2009-08-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

2009-08-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

H&M Fall 2009 = Love

2009-07-31T05:43:00.000-07:00

Random Inspiration

2009-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Current Obsession: Folklife

2009-06-30T15:36:00.001-07:00

Folk Glamour
Neil Young
Karen Dalton
The West

Inspiration: Uschi Obermaier

2009-06-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Atmosfere Neorealiste...

2009-06-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

scanned by Diciassette @ TFS

One of the few US ELLE editorials I actually like...

2009-05-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

Cate Blanchett by Karl Lagerfeld

2009-05-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Cate Blanchett by Karl Lagerfeld

2009-05-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

scanned by rox_yr_sox via TFS

Le Meurice Revelation by Philippe and Ara Starck

2009-05-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Inspiration: Ara Starck

2009-05-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

My Vintage Vogue

2009-05-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

My Vintage Vogue

Irina Lazareanu for Electric Feathers

2009-05-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

Electric Feathers

Lady Lafayette

2009-05-25T09:36:00.001-07:00

Numero # 102 by Greg Kadel

The Obligatory Jane Birkin Post

2009-05-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

thanks to iluvjeisa from TFS for the last picture

If The Shoe Fits...

2009-05-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

“Turn to me and laugh,” Karl Lagerfeld can be heard saying as his camera records model Lara Stone trying on clothes in a five-minute movie that just went live on chanel.com. In “Fitting Room Follies,” also featuring model Baptiste Giacobini, Lagerfeld employs a freewheeling filmmaking style common in French cinema in the Fifties: with abrupt cuts, continuous takes and the director’s presence felt throughout — verbal instructions included. “You can move, you can do whatever you like,” the designer calls out to Stone in his rapid-fire parlance, as she tries on tweed suits, two-tone shoes and costume jewelry from Chanel’s pre-fall collection. After fiddling with a pearl necklace, jazz humming in the background, Lagerfeld intones: “And now you remove it, and let it fall to the floor.” - WWD

Julia!

2009-05-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

scanned by ladyflash via TFS

l'officiel april 2009

2009-05-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Inspiration via FFFOUND

2009-05-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Go See The Kills NOW NOW NOW!

2009-05-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

The greatest music video ever & incidentally the sexiest live show I've ever seen

styled by Marine Braunschvig pt. I

2009-05-02T21:15:00.001-07:00

Larry Fink: Social Graces 1972-1983

2009-04-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

So fucking excited...

2009-03-28T08:07:00.001-07:00

Le Cravat

2009-03-10T19:52:00.001-07:00

Woeste Hoogten

2009-03-09T18:18:00.001-07:00

scanned by SlovesNY @ TFS

The Outsiders by Beau Grealy

2009-03-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

scanned by blackangel41999 @ tfs

2009-02-18T17:24:00.001-08:00

Ernst Haeckel

2009-02-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

Haeckel (left) with Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai, his assistant, in the Canaries, 1866."Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (February 16, 1834 – August 9, 1919),[1] also written von Haeckel, was an eminent German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor and artist who discovered, described and named thousands of new species, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms, and coined many terms in biology, including phylum, phylogeny, ecology and the kingdom Protista..."
Ernst Haeckel - Wikipedia

Camille Bidault-Waddington by Serge Leblon

2009-02-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

Martin Vallin

2009-02-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

Vintage

2009-02-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

Michael Caine & Natalie WoodMademoiselle France Gall

Denise Grünstein

2009-02-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Jacob Hashimoto

2009-01-29T15:39:00.000-08:00

Odds and Ends - 2008
Bambù, paper, nylon, acrylic, dacron and plexiHodge Podge - 2008
Bambù, paper, nylon, acrylic, dacron and plexi
more

Sofia Coppola pour Louis Vuitton

2009-01-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

Clutch $1450Handbag $4580 Clutch, $1450, shoes, $785 Clutch $1450Clutch $1290

Founding Member of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Quits

2009-01-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

"Mick Harvey, Nick Cave's longest serving musical collaborator, has quit the Bad Seeds, citing "a variety of personal and professional reasons". Multi-instrumentalist Harvey has worked with Cave since the pair met as teenagers at Melbourne's Caulfield Grammar School. They then played together in the Birthday Party, before forming the Bad Seeds in 1983.

According to a statement issued today, January 22nd, Harvey says the split was an amicable one, and that he wanted to leave the band on a high. The full statement reads:

'For a variety of personal and professional reasons I have chosen to discontinue my ongoing involvement with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. After 25 years I feel I am leaving the band as it experiences one of its many peaks; in very healthy condition, and with fantastic prospects for the future.'"
"Founder Member of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Quits" - The Quietus

From the wonderful folk at Bird Production

2009-01-16T09:41:00.001-08:00

Lars Botten Clarisse CanteloubeCamille VivierErnst Fischer Stylist: Cristina Casini
Bird Production

Charles Anastase S/S 09

2009-01-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Chris Craymer

2008-12-16T19:00:00.001-08:00

Chris Craymer Photography

Enjoy the Silence

2008-12-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

"A glamorous, big-budget short film of the silent variety will premiere in Paris this week, and it’s all due to Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld, who donned a director’s hat and let rip his encyclopedic knowledge of Gabrielle Chanel’s early years."
"Lagerfeld's Silent Film Homage to Coco Chanel" - WWD

Random Inspiration: Ingrid Bergman

2008-12-02T19:33:00.001-08:00

On the set of The Visit (1964)

Inspiration via Dirrtyglam

2008-11-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

shot by Michael Oats

J'adore...

2008-11-18T21:02:00.001-08:00

Vera Wang Fall 08

Tim Burton & Helena Bonham Carter

2008-11-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

from the illustrious mind of Tim Walker
via skywire @ TFS

Numero April '02

2008-11-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

I've always adored this shoot. I only posted part of it as I didn't want to bombard the blog with nudity. I adore the mansion, the lush textures, and the decision to execute in black and white. Does anyone know who styled this? I would be eternally grateful!

Ikeliene Stange's Spring '09 Backstage Diary

2008-10-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Vivienne Westwood S/S 09

2008-09-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

2008-09-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Autumn Has Officially Arrived...

2008-09-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

and despite not having air conditioning in sweltering Chicago, I can't stop thinking about fall nostalgia: crisp leaves, cool breezes, pumpkins, Hallow's Eve, and the sharp pungence of burning leaves...
Anyways, sartorially I'm finding fall fashion inspiration from Jarvis Cocker and the following:

Dirrty Glam

2008-09-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

from the July issue