Ramadan Style Inspiration

Ramadan is my favorite month of the year. I recharge my faith, I detox my mind as well as my body from all the toxins that have built up physically and emotionaly through out the year by fasting. It brought me so much joy growing up,  it was something my siblings and I always looked forward to as kids.

I always look forward to family and friends gatherings in Ramadan … most of which last very late at night!  … We normaly wear caftans in Ramadan which I’m loving at the moment and am having fun creating new looks!

Today I thought I’d share those 2 images below from a photo shoot taken for vogue in the 70s. It is my insperation for my Ramadan waredrope this year! I love her hair and make up and although I wouldn’t nessesarily wear her outfit,  I do love it! Those images always remind me of Ramadan for some reason and I just find them so insrpiring!  

Talitha Getty, Patrick Lichfield, Vogue, January 15, 1970 … classic!

 

Life Lessons From The Halloween Queen Morticia Addams

 

Some may know the classic television program The Addams Family from the 60s, while others may know the movies based on the show that came out in the 90s. Whichever one you may remember or prefer ( I love the 60s version) you have to admit that this family was nothing less than iconic! However my favorite character in that show is Morticia Addams! I Love that she marched to the beat of her own drum. She thought that others were weird when they abided by the social rules. She lived her life exactly how she wanted to.

She was very intelligent and in my opinion the mastermind of her family. She may have been different, but I think that there are many ” life lessons” to be learned from her zany character:

 Surround yourself with what makes you happy:

Morticia didn’t feel the need to sacrifice her happiness and put herself in                 situations where she was out of her element. She surrounded her self with the people who she most loved and created a home for her self that was her kingdom! She was so secure in who she was and did her own thing while just letting everyone else do their own thing including the kids. She constantly worked on new hobbies and interests in that spooky mansion of hers, made her own potions and spells, always improved on them and never settled for anything less than what she was satisfied with!

 

 

Never loose your cool in any situation:

I love that Morticia sounded a bit of a snob in many funny situations! She always controlled her temper and was always classy and put-together even in the most difficult situations. She exuded self confidence and ruled almost quietly in the background. Everyone turned to her when things went out of control (which they normally did) because she always kept her cool! She ruled her family with grace and careful tact. She always knew exactly what to say and what unorthodox advice to give!

Because of that calm and collected and self-control manner she was the glue that held her family together. She was the strongest and most intelligent member of that household and ruled just like a wise and regal queen!

 

It is ok to be different, belive in your own beauty:  

Morticia was confident in her own skin. She was beautiful, and intelligent. She never changed who she was for anyone. She embraced her looks and never questioned her them. She didn’t put herself or her appearance down. She did’t seem to see other women as ‘prettier’ – only ‘different-looking’. She believed in her self, she believed that she is beautiful inside and out. Gomez fell for Morticia because she had a beauty inside her that she nurtured so it shone out. She didn’t look to Gomez to validate her beauty or intellect. She validated it herself. She was always quietly self-assured and although she so obviously loved and wanted Gomez, she didn’t need him. And that’s what made her so irresistible to him.

 

Family comes first:

Morticia valued her family. She loved her family very much and prioritized them. She always took the time to ensure that her children knew and respected their older. She encouraged the shared interests of the family. You never felt that her brother-in-law or mother were imposing on her life even though they were living in her house.. She was always loving and accepting of her eccentric kids. She raised them to be unique, creative, and honest individuals.

Morticia also made her husband a priority. They’ve been married for years yet still incredibly in love. They always made sure that they spent quality time together, from the occasional waltz to extravagant dinners and romantic evening strolls through the family tombs. She was devoted to him and supported him in all of his crazy ideas and didn’t mind cleaning up his messes. As a result of her loyalty and love to all her family members they learned to love and take care of one another. They always had each others backs specially when faced with outside forces.

 

Happy Halloween In advance 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wanna Run In Those Heelz

 

Those Knife stretch-knit thigh boots and the Knife spandex sock boots from Balanciaga both make me feel like the wicked witch of the west! Yet I love them and can’t help but think ” I wanna run in those heelz!”

 

Carolyn in the Fall

Fall always reminds me of Carolyn in New York… Remembering her always makes me sad … you see Carolyn shaped the way I dressed from a young age! I remember looking at those photos in some tabloid magazine and thinking I just love her style… I feel lucky that I found my style icon or someone to look up to style wise from a young age…. Her style made more sense to me and reflected my style. She never followed trends yet always was up to date fashion wise! I loved how creative she was with classics … how strict  she was with adding new items to her wardrobe! Her style looks easy but is actually very hard to do because you could very easily look out dated or old which she never did! Her style might be boring for so many (most people I know) but I always got exited seeing her wear her black coast in a new ways!

 

I also loved it when she wore something more daring like that red Prada coat That she’s been photographed in so many times or even the leopard one that she got at a vintage shop in Paris!… They were daring and modern coats yet so classic because they would still look great today!

I still love her fall looks, no one till today does fall better than Carolyn! Here is one of my favorite looks that to me defines her style! A black turtle neck, tan corduroys and a black birkin! I remember that she used to carry her gym clothes in that bag! How extravagant yet chic and simple is that?

I must say that John didn’t look so bad either! .. They looked so good together…

New York + Carolyn + John always made the perfect match!

Photos via Rememberingcbk

The Classy Daphne

Daphne Guinness in Vogue Italia
October 2009

Was going through my archives and found a bunch of pictures I saved … This is one of my favorite editorials … They titled it The Classy Daphne … I loved that she looked classy and timeless yet still had that edginess that only Daphne would have! Thought that it was very creative.

Photography: Steven Klein
Styling: Patti Wilson

 

Restored by the Fords: The Collins Family Home

Last week I started watching Restored by The Fords and couldn’t stop watching it till I finished the first season in 2 days…

The show follows siblings Leanne and Steve Ford as they restore houses around Pittsburgh, their home town, and transform them into design showpieces.
Leanne, the younger of the Ford siblings, is an interior designer who spent years working in the fashion industry (which you can see from the stylish way she dresses) . She splits her time between Pittsburgh and LA and is charge of creating the design and floor plans for the properties on the show. Steve, the older brother, is a licensed contractor (and the owner of Surf Pittsburgh) is in charge of executing Leanne’s designs and maximizing the functionality of those outdated properties while making sure that everyone is sticking to the budget.

The Fords spend at least two months on each property, with other projects going on at the same time. I can’t wait for season 2 to premiere in Jan. It will consist of 15 episodes; almost double the amount of season 1 which was only 8 episodes.

For todays post I decided to share one family home. It is one of my favorites from season 1 and will have a different post for my other favorite from the same season!

The home I’m posting about today belongs to the Collins family. This project actually consisted of 2 phases ( in other words 2 episodes). The Collins loved phase 1 so much they brought back the fords to finish the rest of the house. Phase 1 was the living room, family room and kitchen and phase 2 was the master bedroom, the kids bedrooms, the 2 bathrooms and the pool area.

Anyone who knows me knows my love and obsession for mid-century modern furniture and architecture. I loved this home even before renovations began. I thought that his house is extra special because the architect who designed it was one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s students.  I was so worried that the renovation will completely take away the house’s identity and style but the Ford siblings did an amazing job restoring this home. They respected the history of this house, while turning it into a home that totally reflected its new owners!

I love this living room. It’s my favorite room in this house… I love that they kept the stone fireplace, and added carpet. I know that a lot of people hate carpets but I really love them!. I also love the wooden walls which I’m glad they kept. They did paint them though to make the place feel brighter and more spacious which I think was a good plan because it did. I love how that Vladimir Kagan sofa is so clean and sleek and how the wooden vintage console table behind it is so old. Nothing matches yet everything works so well together!

 

 

Can you tell that Leanne loves white and neutrals? I think her colour scheme (or lack there of ) really suited this house. Look at that white Carrara in the kitchen are, I love it! I also love those acrylic barstools… its added seating without looking cluttered. Talking about seating I love how Leanne used those Norman Cherner dining chairs with that old painted vintage dinning table.

 

 

 

Now, I know that a black pool isn’t for everyone … but I think that it works for this house. Leanne and Steve took a trip to visit Falling Waters House  by Frank Lloyd Wright for some inspiration, and thats where the pool insperation came from. “I wanted to paint it black so badly… which turns out is kind of hard to do… but of COURSE we figured it out and brought the pool up to par with the rest of the beautiful space” Leanne wrote in her blog. I think she is right… painting that bright blue pool black almost makes the pool look like a pond rather than an added pool!. I love it because it works so well with the house…   but also because it reminds me so much of the black pool at my grandparents farm house!

 

The master bedroom wall had “fake styrofoam style stone” on the walls which just looked so dingy and fake. They kept them for added texture and just painted them. I have mixed feelings about that… but it works with the house nonetheless.

 

The master bathroom spa! It looks like a spa and feels like a spa… Leanne put a bathroom island right in the middle of it! I love the way it looks but have mixed feelings about that too.. but it’s only because I like to be close to my mirror when applying creams etc!

 

I think this is my favorite kids bathroom of all time! The design is so smart. The floor tile was a budget friendly solution yet looks exxpensive. They used two different colors of hex to create some interest in there. Then used black fixtures and white concrete finish on the ceilings and walls… This is a bathroom that the kids wont out grow!

So what did you think of this house and what do you think of the Ford Siblings restoration of this place?

Pictures via leanneford.com

 

Céline

When the news of Céline creative director Phoebe Philo’s departure broke I panicked… It is so hard to find a brand that fully reflects your style. Céline was my go to brand for many years… I hate being negative in general but I especially hate being negative in this blog because this is my happy place! But after yesterdays fashion show I could not stop thinking how horrible it was and what a great loss Phoebe is. Philo had held the role since 2008, and over the course of the last ten years she not only redefined Céline but she redefined what it meant to be a modern woman. Her pieces were unfussy and minimalist. She understood exactly what we wanted to wear even before we did. She understood that not all women wanted to dress in everything that shines and glitters! She was conservative, and I loved her for it.

She changed the way we thought about clothes. She made us look at quality again, and changed the way we look at comfort in clothes! From high-waisted wide trousers with trainers to turtlenecks with oversized coats, Céline became the brand that gave us luxury without disregarding comfort. It was finally possible to be chic and comfortable at the same time!

Since I’m writing about Phoebe today I thought I’d list down a few iconic moments that made so many of us love her Céline :

• Joan Didion for Céline – Do you remember that campaign? I do , I couldn’t imagine a better campaign star for Céline than Joan Didion at that time. The writer embodied the brand.

• Stan Smith – When Phoebe took a finale walk after her fall/winter 2012 collection, she had those Adidas Stan Smith’s on, her hair was tucked into her turtleneck. It was the look that preceded the Stan Smith craze and launched a thousand hair tucks!

 

• BLACK AND NAVY –  Philo obviously did not come up with the black and navy combo, but she did make it fashionable again. The dark neutrals were the signature color combo of her Fall-Winter 2010 collection.

•  LEATHER T-SHIRTS – Leather t-shirts, perfectly cut wide-leg trousers, and an ease in silhouette  became one of her staples. My daughter and I loved that leather T-shirt look a lot. Last year for her prom my daughter wore a black leather top and an off white long net skirt. She looked stunning …. it was a classic look yet really fun and modern at the same time.

 

• There were the bags, of course, the box bag was my favorite.. still is.
• The double cuffs – they complemented every minimalist wardrobe!
• Over sized coats – A staple for comfort. Once Phoebe wore it over her shoulders, that’s how everyone else started wearing their coats as well.
• High waisted wide pants – oh I’m going to miss those pants! No one does pants the same way!

 The list could go on and on ….Céline without Philo? ….  What were they thinking? it’s an end of an era!

 

Max Mara Spring Summer 2019

Max Mara is known for their beautiful Classic coats and sets. For this summer collection they reinterpreted thier own designs from the 80s, reworking styles with padded shoulders and asymmetric drapes and made it more contemporary. This collection reminds me of Caroline Bessette Kennedy for some reason…Maybe its the clean cuts or maybe it’s those sheer gloves… I remember she wore sheer gloves on her wedding and I loved them then… still love them now! … Need to get myself a pair!

 

The Catroux Style

One of my main inspirations for my personal style as well as my home style has been this single picture you see above of Betty Catroux taken in her home in Paris in the 70’s.  The apartment was designed by her husband François…. That picture to me is everything. It could have easily been taken in the 70s, 80s, 90s or even today…. Catroux’s interiors from the 70s remain timeless because he knew how to mix the modern classics with warm or rustic pieces of furniture in a modern yet eclectic way.

Recently Catroux redid their apartment … I am not sure whether it was a full renovation or he just added on to the apartment because I recognize a lot of art work and furniture pieces from their 70s pictures that I came across on the net!.. I love that I can’t tell exactly what he did and where he did it… the revamped apartment feels like its continuing their story rather than trying to make a new one!

Here’s the living room, do you see what I mean? It looks so eclectic and modern. Again this could easily be a Catroux apartment from the 70s, 80s, 90s or even today!…

As always he not only mixed styles and periods but layered them in a way only he could do!  There are pieces that the couple had for decades, such as the rustic colossal African mask and the 1995 portrait of Betty by Philippe de Lustrac.

I just love Betty’s office. François designed the built-in cabinetry all around the room. I love that she put a casual photograph of her late best friend Yves Saint Laurent in front of another photograph.

The painting above the sofa is by Emmanuel Gondouin from the 1930s. That Noguchi coffee table is one of my favorite tables. It’s so timeless and so fit for this beautiful library. 

Even though that first picture will still be closer to my style than the current apartment, this is still my favorite home. It’s my favorite home for many reasons ( which I stated above) but mainly because it’s simply a home of a couple who have been married for 50 years (1968) who with the new renovations seems to be looking forward to living together for many years to come!

 

 

Laura in Doctor Zhivago: Movie Waredrobe

 

Doctor Zhivago (1965) is one of those classic movies that never gets old…. Omar Sherief and Julie Christie looked so good together and acted so well….  But since this is a style post I will not focus on Omar Sharif’s brilliant performance, nor will I focus on the beautiful cinematography and how the director David Lean framed that white crisp snow so perfectly to provide the right backdrop for his drama!

The movie’s wardropes was designed by Phyllis Dalton. But I want to spacifically focus on Julie Christie’s wardrope since it is one of my favorite movie wardropes. That fur hat that she wore towards the end of the movie is beautiful… She looked stunning in every frame.

The wardrope was full of fur coats, hats, white shirts …. Phyllis Dalton’s  somehow managed to add modern looing items yet still managed to make Julie look feminine …. He created the “Zhivago Look”. Designers started using fur trimmed collar and cuffs on their winter coats again and boots came back into fashion. Its said that Marc Bohan (Christian Dior’s designer at the time), and Yves Saint Laurent’s collections that year were influenced by the film’s style.

Below are a few of my favorite looks :

    Above, a gray oversized military coat and sable hat.

Even her nurse outfit was in the rightstyle and color.

In an oversized large sweater and fingerless gloves.

Almost all the coats and sweaters that Julie wore in the movie were oversized. So we have Julie Christie and Phyllis Dalton to thank for the oversized look that they created and that still looks good today!

 

SaveSave