{wedding inspiration : parisian gowns by rime arodaky}

. . . and if there were enough hours in the day, would spend so much more time enveloped in letters & emails, but happily, there happened to be a few moments when parisian rime adrodaky's lovely note & portfolio landed in the inbox, filled with the most startlingly lovely gowns; the one-time designer for sonia rykiel's designs are an enchanting mix of sexy and modern, with plunging backs, silk bodices, layers of tulle, and beribboned lace . . .





[{p.s.} wouldn't the little lace jacket at the end be stunning with jeans?] x

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{hope you've had a beautiful weekend + a few lovely links}

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{favourite five: sasha plavsic, founder of ilia}

"I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick."

~ Audrey Hepburn

Perhaps every girl's first makeup memory is trying on lipstick as a child, in an attempt to rush into the world of grown-ups: a whirlwind of galas and coffee dates and afternoons spent shopping -- all while donning a stunning crimson rouge à lèvres . . .


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{style inspiration : melancholia}

. . . have yet to see melancholia, directed by lars von trier and starring kirsten dunst, charlotte gainsbourg and kiefer sutherland, but have become completely mesmerised and madly enchanted by the wedding dress kirsten dunst's character, justine, wears at the beginning of the film -- strapless and corseted, and layers upon magical layers of tulle, and most of all, a stunningly romantic circlet of silk roses dancing about bare shoulders . . .













{p.s.} the film premiered at the cannes film festival // the costume design was by manon rasmussen // trailer // soundtrack


{images: via miss at la playa via clothes on film}

{colour inspiration: warm summer whites}

. . . a million and one wonderful things still left to do this week, business trips and summer weekends away, projects & plans and letters & emails . . . and so, a few moments to collect thoughts and get lost for a short while in late-spring things -- glossy pages to flip through, a box of chocolate truffles tied with ribbon, the sound of crashing waves and the beautiful silence of warm summer whites . . .

{p.s.} exciting news a little later


{images: one | two | three | four | five | six | photography by andy crawford}

{the royal wedding: with this kiss}

. . . must confess, still a little caught up in the romance of it all, the stolen glances and secret smiles, the horse-drawn carriages and chantilly lace, the balcony kisses and moments so breathtakingly lovely, can barely stand it . . .




prince william & catherine, the duke & duchess of cambridge




detail of the exquisite wedding gown, put together by hand by sarah burton of alexander mcqueen, it is a perfect intermingling of tradition and modernity, with a bodice of ivory satin made of hand-cut english lace and french chantilly lace, over ivory and white satin gazar {a sheer, lightweight silk organza with a glaze-like sheen and moderate stiffness}; individual flowers were hand cut from lace and hand-engineered onto the ivory silk tulle to create the design, which features rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrocks, the national flowers of england, ireland, scotland, and wales; 58 gazar & organza covered buttons ran up the back




the eight-tiered royal wedding cake was decorated with 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers, including 17 different blooms and foliage for their meaning and symbolism, known as the language of flowers


the veil was made of layers of ivory silk tulle and trimmed with hand-embroidered flowers, sewn on by the royal school of needlework at hampton court palace



the bridal bouquet included myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, hyacinth and sweet william blooms; in keeping with royal tradition, stems from a myrtle planted by queen victoria in 1845 were also added; according to tradition, the bouquet of a royal bride will be left on the tomb of the unknown solider in westminster abbey; the late queen mother began the ritual by leaving her wedding bouquet at the grave in 1923 in memory of her brother, fergus, who was killed in the first world war






. . . and of course, with all of this week's talk of tiaras . . . kate's 'something borrowed' was the cartier halo tiara, made in 1936 and purchased by king george VI for his wife queen elizabeth {the queen mother} three weeks before he succeeded his brother as king; the tiara was presented to princess elizabeth, now the queen, by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday; the new princess catherine matched the tiara with earrings by robinson pelham, a gift from her parents inspired by the new middleton coat of arms

{p.s.} for the royal wedding reception, catherine changed into a second alexander mcqueen gown, and her sister pippa changed out of the stunning mcqueen into temperley london


{credits: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven}

{wedding inspiration: lovely, lovely lace}

. . . and suddenly, a longstanding love affair with lace that has been {unknowingly} not fully realised until now . . .

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{image: elizabeth fillmore bridal via one lovely day, more of this collection at a glamorous little side project}

{photographer: patric shaw}

. . . positivity enchanted with these photographs by fashion photographer, patric shaw . . . the softness of light with its dreamy cast on every billowy pleat and ruche of delicate tulle, turning bare shoulders and cheekbones into gold, the insanely lovely pinkish lavender walls and the utterly perfect play of light and shadow . . .

{p.s.} the first dress is j.mendel & the second is chloé


{roza gough by patric shaw for vogue russia brides, S/S 2011 via oh fashion models}

{ribbons, ruffles and . . .}

. . . yesterday was one of those days were it seemed as if inspiration was always just nearly out of grasp, and while coffee & a moment of repose, a late lunch date and a little fresh air seemed to help, when all else fails, {with the exception of a flight to paris}, there are always ribbons, ruffles, and tulle, tulle, tulle . . .

{p.s.} what do you do when you're in search of inspiration?


{images: marchesa via the wedding chics}

{happy st. patrick's day & spring things}

May you have warm words
on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill
all the way to your door.

~ irish blessing

. . . a little wish for this stunningly beautiful, warm and sunny day, and whether you're traipsing about in quaint and charming pubs or have plans for a quiet and cozy night, wishing you a happy st. patrick's day, and hope you're having a lovely week so far xo

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{images: 1 - country living via french by design; 2 - saipua for sunday suppers; 3 - scan by this is glamorous, ad campaign: claudia schiffer for jones new york from vogue; 4 - photography by katie quinn davies; 5 - lopp; 6 - mixr; 7 - a glamorous little side project; 8 - bloom magazine via pinterest; 9 - lappen; 10 - zara; 11 - house & garden may 2006 via habitually chic; 12 - a glamorous little side project}