une citation

"The hall was arcaded, with a gallery supported on columns of pale yellow marble. Tall clumps of flowering plants were grouped against a background of dark foliage in the angles of the walls. On the crimson carpet a deer-hound and two or three spaniels dozed luxuriously before the fire, and the light from the great central lantern overhead shed a brightness on the women's hair and struck sparks from their jewels as they moved."

-Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth

chez caroline

I spent yesterday afternoon at my friend Caroline’s adorable bungalow in Silver Lake. While sipping tea + flipping through the pages of Domino Quick Fixes (which was discovered at Whole Foods, of all places), we became inspired to do a photo shoot of our own! Caroline is a talented actress with amazing style, as clearly demonstrated in the above photos. Her Los Angeles bungalow is beyond darling, don’t you think? She and I are kindred spirits indeed :)

(photos + styling by yours truly) 

recent acquisitions

Sometimes, one needs to treat oneself to a vintage book shopping spree. This is exactly what I did at 11pm last night (whilst in bed + eating spoonfuls of Trader Joe’s moose tracks ice cream straight out of the carton... talk about “treat yo’ self”!). I first found Images by Cecil Beaton on sale for a cool $32 – I’d never seen this book before and have no idea as to its contents, but its gorgeous cover drew me in. Next, I discovered a pristine first ed. copy of Zelda by Nancy Milford for $10 (it's been on my wish list for years). Finally, I bought Royalty in Vogue by Josephine Ross for a whopping $4. Eek! I can't wait to get these puppies in the mail. Snippets of these books will surely be coming to a blog near you (hint: mine) in the next few weeks. Stay tuned :) 

the beaton track

While picking up an iced latte at King’s Road Café (who, by the way, serves the strongest coffee in LA!), I stopped to peruse the amazing magazine stand located just around the corner. A headline on the February issue of World of Interiors stopped me dead in my tracks: “The Glamour Gang’s Getaway: Jackie Kennedy’s Secret Holiday Hangout." I picked it up and promptly devoured. The said cover story highlights a rather remote estancia located in the provence of Córdoba, Argentina. The estate, dubbed San Miguel de Cárcano, has been visited by the likes of Jackie and Cecil Beaton (he wrote about it in detail in his diary, which was later published as The Parting Years) and at one point was only accessible by mule. Love. As expected with anything that runs in World of Interiors, it's a wonderful piece. My one complaint? I would have died to know the details of Jackie's visit - what did she do? wear? eat?! But I guess that's what made this destination so attractive to someone of her caliber... what happens in San Miguel de Cárcano, says in San Miguel de Cárcano :)

(photos by Ricardo Labougle)

an interview with tim walker

It's been almost two years since I discovered fashion photographer Tim Walker - I was instantly obsessed, of course. Since then, I've devoured anything and everything that I can find about the man, though I’m sad to admit that I’ve yet to purchase his book (tsk, tsk). Anywho, this short film is my most recent discovery. I’m thanking my lucky stars that the film’s director included a few stills of Mr. Walker’s scrapbooks, which the photographer describes as “a cupboard full of ingredients.” Walker saves everything that intrigues him and pastes them in these books – they later serve as inspiration for the fashion shoots we readers swoon over. I’d die to peek inside his scrapbook archive… But who knows? Maybe someday they’ll be published à la Cecil Beaton. One can only hope!