elegance: le fin

Here are two gorgeous, vintage beach shots to end my posts on Elegance.

Voila!

Le fin.

elegance: trois

This lovely lady is showing us how to go from the boardwalk to the beach in what was called “beach pajamas.”

According to this book, “Worn since the war by both sexes as casual, indoor clothing, pajamas appeared at the beaches and casinos in 1929 and received their popular name in the summer of 1931. Ridiculed, sung about, and prohibited by the church, pajamas were finally accepted when the courtiers thought to feminize them and erase any hint of ambiguity.”

This photo screams badass.

elegance: deux

With the weather in Chicago still cold and rainy, I’m yearning for Spring to come back — better yet for Summer to be here!

To continue with my favorite photos from “Elegance: The Seeberger Brothers and the Birth of Fashion Photography,” here are some fun beach photos.

This first photo is by far my favorite from the book. This woman has such grace and style. I don’t know where she’s going but watch out world here she comes!

Check out these kitschy shades…

elegance: une

The 1920s-1940s had an elegance to them that I don’t see very much nowadays. That’s precisely why I love watching black & white movies — for the fashion and gorgeous sets.

I recently picked up one of my favorite books “Elegance: The Seeberger Brothers and the Birth of Fashion Photography.” According to the book they were the first fashion photographers. The photos chronicle high society ladies, mostly in France, from 1909 through 1939.

I wanted to share some of my favorite photos but there are so many so I’m doing it in sections. This is partie une. These ladies are all wonderful examples of how timeless fashion can be. From the fabrics to the cut of their suits, I can see woman of today wearing any of these outfits.

… and of course the ultimate star of this time — and to this day.

parisian sidewalk art

Talk about making lemonade out of lemons. Artist Juliana Santacruz Herrera patches up cracks in the street with colorful yarn. It’s such a unique and amazing idea.

I put this in the same vein as street art, what do you think? I love all forms of public artistic expressions.

hipstamatic: a toy story

I took these hipstamatic shots at a recent trip to Target. I love the way this app seems to add life and personality to these toys.

white spaces

I love white spaces! They are so crisp and clean — and seemingly unrealistic to maintain — that they make my heart skip a beat.

Here are a few of my favorite rooms. Using white as a main color in your room makes it easy to freshen the look up with colorful accessories. Brilliant!

girly girl

I never thought of myself as a girly girl until a few years ago when my best friend was describing someone and said, “well, she’s not as girly as you are.” Me? Girly? I had to look behind me to make sure she was talking to me. Not that I thought of myself as a tom boy, I guess I just never thought about it at all.

My idea of “girly” was someone who wore lots of make up and jewelry, and always wore pink and floral prints. I guess the word high-mainenance came to mind — which is NOT me.

But, the fact that I love this photo of pink tutus, dance, fashion, flowers and kittens makes me a girly girl. Since then, I’ve learned to embrace my femininity and inner girly girl!

peek-a-boo

The sun is out and the smell of spring is in the air. I feel like this little guy, peeking out of my hibernation to feel the sunshine on my face.

 

 

style inspiration

I saw this photo on The Sartorialist last fall and fell in love with this girl’s relaxed yet stylish look. I held on to it all winter long excited to copy it once the warmer weather came.

I love shopping for spring clothes. I have sort of an eclectic style but if I were on a deserted island and I could only choose one store to bring with me, it would be a hard choice between J Crew and Anthropologie. But I think J Crew would be the wiser choice.

Here are a few of my favorite outfits from this season’s catalog.

This photo doesn’t do this jacket justice. Last month I saw a girl in New York wearing this and it is gorgeous in person. It has that  classic”Chanel” look that I just LOVE.

 

I’d like to show up at our next video shoot looking like this please.

 

Now, I can totally get with this 80s-esque look. Remember buttoning the top button of your shirt and topping it off with a broach? BTW, LOVE her glasses!

 

No outfit is complete with out a pair of comfy wedges. I’ll take one of each please.