Hopeful Olympics!

May 15, 2012

You know how much I love Vogue, right? Well, how excited am I about the June feature on America’s top athletes who are preparing for the London Olympics? A Silver Lined start to the day (and will hopefully be a motivation for my upcoming hike!). Hope Solo, Soccer Ryan Lochte, Swimming Serena Williams, Tennis Ashton Eaton, Track & Field Dwyane Wade, Basketball Jonathan Horton, Gymnastics Ryan Lochte, Swimming Bryan Brothers These are some of the most beautiful images I’ve ever seen in Vogue, just sayin’…Annie Leibovitz has outdone herself!

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Silver Lined Office

May 14, 2012

I’m a big fan of office space. Beginning when I was a little girl and sat at my dad’s secretary’s desk on Sunday mornings, I have been enamored with all things office-related. There’s something very inspiring about offices and work space…perhaps it is because they are the birthplace of productivity, creativity and ingenuity. Plus, I may as well admit it, I’m a huge geek. Going to The Container Store or Office Max is an exercise in self-control (though it barely ever works…the control part, that is!). I was super excited to see Architectural Digest’s article on Aerin Lauder’s new office in New York. This space is home to her new company, Aerin, which is launching this fall. Located in the Fuller building in midtown, the eight-room office is a former art gallery (how’s that for some inspiration?). I’ve always been a big fan of her style and look so forward to …

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The Costume Institute Met Gala 2012

May 8, 2012

If ever there were an Oscars of Fashion, the annual Met Gala would certainly be it! Always held on the 2nd Monday in May, last night was the night! When the ball first began in 1948, it was a midnight supper in December at which society ladies paid $50 to wear Costume Institute gowns. As with many aspects of the modern fashion industry, it didn’t turn into the amazing event that it is until Anna Wintour got involved in 1995. Anna Wintour oversees both the benefit committee and the guest list. Ms. Wintour has turned the Gala into a major, major fundraising event (last year the party raised $9 million, a fabulous Silver Lining, especially in this economy!). For the first time in it’s history, this year both Vogue and The Metropolitan Museum of Art did a live stream of the red carpet arrivals. Having attended the event 2 years ago (a total goosebump-inducing experience if ever there were one!), I’d …

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Lulu’s Lovely Designs

April 23, 2012

Artist and textile designer Lulu deKwiatkowski is a favorite of mine. I especially love her bright colors and lively designs. They are wonderfully chic and playfully childlike…yet refined enough for any room. I’m particularly excited about her new line of kids’ fabrics for Schumacher. In the collection, she mixes oversize hand-drawn motifs with tiny prints which is simultaneously sophisticated and kid friendly (Silver Lining). Check out all the fabulous fabrics by Lulu DK for Schumacher here. For a house to be successful, the objects in it must communicate with one another, respond and balance one another. – Andre Putman

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Silver Lined Style: Altuzarra for J.Crew

April 19, 2012

I’m super excited that the first of the 2011 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund collaboration collections will be available today at one of my all-time have shops: J.Crew. Joseph Altuzarra’s 7 piece collection for J.Crew consists of a lot of fashion Silver Linings, including stripes, denim, gingham, shift dresses, and very fun “vertiginous” espadrilles. This collection is perfect for in-between season dressing… in other words – buy now, wear now. Inspired by “Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez,” this high-low collaboration is one to get your hands on quickly…I have a very strong feeling that it is going to sell out super fast.

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Apartment Drool

April 18, 2012

As you may know already, I am quite a looky-lou when it comes to admiring the way people live in their homes. The Vogue profiles always provide a source of inspiration…and drool. In the April issue of Vogue, L’Wren Scott’s Left Bank Parisian apartment is showcased. Wowsy Bowsy, is it ever beautiful! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do (Silver Lining).

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Jason Wu Does it Again!

I am super excited about the Jason Wu collaboration with Canvas Home Collection. What a Silver Lined talent he is! I was introduced to him back in 2007 by an chicster girlfriend who promised, “Jason Wu is going to be HUGE.” She was spot on! Wu was born Born in Taiwan. He learned how to sew by designing and sewing for dolls, and went on to study sculpture in Tokyo. What an interesting combination, right?!? Wu continued this career path at sixteen by learning to create freelance doll clothing designs for toy company Integrity Toys under the lines “Jason Wu dolls” and later “Fashion Royalty”. He launched his ready-to-wear line of clothes with earnings from his years of doll designs. His first full collection debuted in 2006. In 2008, he won the Fashion Group International’s Rising Star award. Oh, and then he dressed Michelle Obama at the Inauguration. His star continues to rise…very brightly! The Canvas collaboration collection consists of eight …

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Megan Simon is the “Body Whisperer”

April 14, 2012

A major Silver Lining of the day was receiving an email from my friend, Megan Simon, announcing her profile in tomorrow’s Sunday New York Times magazine, T. I love the description of her as “The Body Whisperer”…couldn’t be more perfect! I’ve been getting facials at A Beautiful You (the salon she co-owns with her equally fabulous sister, Melanie) for years and my skin never fails to thank me (profusely!) for putting it in the care of Megan and Melanie. By the way, in case you’re wondering, Megan is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside (major Silver Lining)! In the article, Megan offers trade secrets, product recommendations, food & supplement suggestions as well as her “personal bests”. I’m especially fascinated by her recommendations of eating krill (“the next big thing. It’s full of antioxidants and omegas.”) as well as kelp and shirataki noodles (“they’re a virtually calorie- and …

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Style Inspiration: Grace Kelly

March 26, 2012

Everything about Grace Kelly-her talent, her beauty, her style, her confidence, her grace-ness-was extraordinary (Silver Lining). Most people know the story of the young, beautiful woman from Philadelphia who made her mark in Hollywood as an Academy Award winning actress who at age 26 married her prince and became The Princess of Monaco. It’s a great story, right?!? I especially love the Vanity Fair piece on Grace Kelly that describes her “rare beauty and stunning self-possession that propelled her into the Hollywood pantheon, onto the Best-Dressed List, and ultimately to Monaco’s royal palace [as] more than captivating-they were completely genuine.” Grace Kelly’s beauty (both internal and external), strength, wisdom and kindness emanated to the outside world. She leaves an aspirational and inspirational legacy. Grace Kelly’s sophisticated elegance and refinement are certainly missed. I would like to be remembered as someone who accomplished useful deeds, and who was a kind and …

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Add Flair to Your Life!

March 22, 2012

One of my favorite people on the planet is Joe Nye. He is a decorator (he prefers this description over interior designer). We became good friends a couple of years ago, which was a major Silver Lining in my life! He is not only incredibly talented, but also hysterically funny, charming, smart, capable, and impeccable with his word. Yes, impeccable. He does EXACTLY what he says he’s going to do when he says he’s going to do it. Oh, and he has the best manners you’ve ever seen. Oh, and he was named one of America’s top 100 Designers by House Beautiful! I was so thrilled when he published his first book, Flair: Exquisite Invitations, Lush Flowers, and Gorgeous Table Settings, last year because it is a wonderful opportunity to share his talents with the world. Thanks to Joe’s insistence (I mean encouragement) I now use our fancy china and silver …

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