Land of the Golden Sun

April 29, 2012




This weekend was my brother's college graduation and it was absolutely beautiful in Santa Monica and Malibu. I finally got to see the Santa Monica Pier and bought an awesome Marc by Marc Jacobs dress for prom! But seriously, major beach traffic aside, I would love to live in Santa Monica one day. Everything there is so lovely.

Me with Santa Monica beach as my background
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Beach
My little brother made it to the top of the ropes at Muscle Beach!
Pepperdine graduation overlooking the ocean. Absolutely breathtaking.

Friday, I'm In Love: Kate Spade

April 27, 2012



Lately I've been obsessed with Kate Spade's magazine-style tote bags, so imagine my surprise when on my birthday my mother revealed this fabulous Kate Spade tote with tennis players on it. Could it be more adorable!?!? It is perfect for summer and I cannot wait to bring it with me everywhere, starting this weekend in Santa Monica!

Dancing in the Street

April 24, 2012

Tara Jarmon sweater
Dress from Anthropologie (birthday gift!)
Steve Madden boots

Desert Flower

April 22, 2012

As "friends" post annoying Facebook statuses about "COACHILLIN' AT COACHELLA!!! XD" and how knowledgeable they are about music (and then rave about Snoop Dogg...really??) I must calm myself by looking at pictures of celebrities at the Mulberry Pool Party and know that when I do go to Coachella I will wear cool clothes like these girls and not rave about the big name -aka mainstream- acts on social media sites.

Of course, the styles of the desert music festival can always be applied to summer fashion, so take a look and channel your inner hippie goddess in the warm months to come!








 








(images from various sources, not mine)

zou bisou bisou

April 19, 2012

Everyone has been raving about someone on Mad Men singing the song "Zou Bisou Bisou" and so while on iTunes yesterday I checked out the song and fell in love with Gillian Hills and then I promptly went on a 60s French pop music spree. The music just rocks, you know? and it makes you want to get on your feet and dance, let your hair loose, and dream of looking like Brigitte Bardot. Even the French version of "These Boots are Made for Walking" sounds better because, you know, it's in French.

Brigitte Bardot
The French in the 60s were just so stylin' and they really had a great mix of classic early 60s styles (small waists and the whole 'bombshell' look) and mod fashions not to mention timeless French chic classiness. So break out the records, tie a scarf haphazardly around your neck, and celebrate all that is 60s French pop music!


LINDSEY'S FRENCH POP PLAYLIST
  1. "Zou Bisou Bisou" -Gillian Hills
  2. "Ca Plane Pour Moi" Plastic Bertrand
  3. "Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher" -Eileen
  4. "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" -Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin
  5. "Rentre Sans Moi" -Gillian Hills
  6. "Ca Pourrait Changer" -Brigitte Bardot
  7. "Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi" -Jacques Dutronc
  8. "C'est Si Bon" -Yves Montand
  9. "Une Petite Tasse D'anxiete" -Serge Gainsbourg & Gillian Hills
  10. "Moi Je Joue" -Brigitte Bardot
Jane Birkin and Gillian Hills
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
Femmes de Paris record
Francoise Hardy



What a Girl Wants

April 16, 2012



Cannot believe my eighteenth birthday is on Saturday! 
A few things that are on my wishlist, because a girl can dream!

The 'New Look' at Dior

April 9, 2012

RAF SIMONS, the new designer at CHRISTIAN DIOR; Alexander Klein/Agence France-Presse -Getty Images

As you probably already know from various sources, the New York Times has announced that Raf Simons (the until-recently head designer at Jil Sander) will take the reigns at Dior. The fashion world has been holding its breath as Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, the luxury fashion conglomerate that owns Christian Dior, has struggled to find a successor after former head designer John Galliano's much-publicized anti-Semitic remarks led to Galliano's termination last Spring.
Jil Sander Spring 2011 -style.com

Marc Jacobs was for a long time the obvious first choice, but he fell out of the running, along with several others, due to arguments over compensation. A few other names that have been named as possible successors: Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, Christian Lacroix, Haider Ackermann, Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, and those are only a handful of the speculated choices.

Simons was among the speculated group as well, though many considered his minimalist streak at Jil Sander to be conflicting with the opulence and extravagance of Dior and thus disregarded him as just another name thrown into the ring. I myself was rooting for Christian Lacroix, who seemed most fit to handle the couture aspect of Dior, and whose creations I have always found absolutely tantalizing, but it seems I have been mistaken.

While the fashion world eagerly waited, we entered into Fall 2012 Fashion Week, and the rumors began swirling once again. With Marc Jacobs out of the running by this point, Dior's mystery designer was anyone's guess. The recent shuffling around of designers from house to house added new names to the already long list of possibilities, and while Raf Simons was still one of the top contenders, he was only one in many names to be considered.

Then the news hit: three days before the Jil Sander Show, it was announced that Raf Simons had been fired and replaced by the brand's founder, who was staging a comeback. The Fall 2012 show, therefore, was bittersweet, as it was possibly Simon's best collection to date. At Jil Sander, Simons has become one of the leaders in minimalist fashions, and so it was somewhat shocking to see blush pinks, feminine cuts, and modest hemlines grace the catwalk. It was decidedly vintage and, looking back on it now, reminiscent of the "New Look" that Christian Dior himself made famous in 1947. Was Simons perhaps giving us a hint of what was yet to come?

Jil Sander Fall 2012 -style.com
With Simons out of a job and the Dior position still wide open, his name of course soared to the top of the list, and his latest collection sollidified the belief for many hopefuls that Raf Simons would be finally named the new head designer of Dior. Now, finally, we can rest peacefully knowing that Bill Gayten will not have to create another awful couture collection for the celebrated French couture house.

It will be quite interesting to see how Raf Simons manages to do couture, as the Fall 2012 Couture show will most likely be his first for Dior. Here's hoping for the best!

What are your thoughts on Raf for Dior?

Friday, I'm In Love: Sprinkles Cupcakes

April 6, 2012



I've always been a fan of cupcakes because they trick you into thinking that they are healthier than a slice of cake and they are just so darn cute, so I'm always willing to try out a cupcakery when I get the chance. We have a small cupcake store where I live, but the cupcakes aren't all that spectacular. This Wednesday, however, after a long morning of hiking at the Torrey Pines State Reserve, my friend and I drove over to Sprinkles Cupcakes and took a few of these cute pastries home for dessert. 

They come in a dazzling variety of flavors, and the cupcakes are presented in a rather minimalist fashion that only adds to the charm of the store. From a design point of view the displays are breathtaking, and if you don't give a hoot about the aesthetics of it all, well, the mini cakes still taste pretty darn delicious.

Even if you don't have a ticket...

...you can still enjoy the idea of Coachella. I myself have never actually been (though I came extremely close to going this year) but I almost like it that way, like I have this idea of what a three-day music festival in Indio should be like and that's kind of enough to satisfy my eagerness to actually go. A lot of people have told me that while the music is great and the festival is so much fun there are a lot of things that detract, like running out of water and finding parking and turning into a puddle of sweat in the heat- you know, real things. So for now I have this perfect image in my head of all the wonderful things and I can ignore everything else.

It doesn't matter if you are making the pilgrimage out to the desert this year, because there's one thing we can all learn from the festivities in the valley: how to dress for the summer. Seriously, dudes, the girls at Coachella always impress me. Maybe they are fairies that don't sweat and can therefore manage to look adorable in 100-degree weather, but somehow these chicks always rock the festival like they are on the main stage.

Everything is very eclectic and yet you secretly know those girls spent hours curating the contents of their hemp suitcases before making their way to the desert. The Coachella goer almost always packs the following:

  1. Denim Cutoffs- shorts are necessary to stay cool in desert heat, preferably if they are unraveling at the hems, full of rips, and stone-washed to a pulp
  2. Cross-body Bag- you want a bag that can function when you are moving around, something small enough that it won't weigh you down, but also something that can hold all your necessities
  3. Maxi Dress- embrace the "New Age Woodstock" vibes and make like a hippie in a light, flowy dress
  4. Sweet Shades-When you are out all day in the bright sun, your eyes need some stylin' sunglasses to keep your eyes protected. Ray-Bans are always a hit
  5. Gladiator Sandals- You want sandals that will stay on your feet even when you are rocking out to the Black Keys, so straps and buckles are your new best friends
And some more of the essentials:

 (Coachella images from Harper's Bazaar; Clothing items from net-a-porter)