big retro fantasy hair styles with a modern twist

i am a very nostalgic person. i am drawn to decades past. i am also drawn to fantastical things. hence why the images above have been floating around in my mind. i love the mix of retro styles with modern, dramatic flair. i think i may have to try one of these out for an event i have tonight. i will take plenty of pictures if i do!

also, i spent last night around the city with my friend lydia of pierogi picnic. it was fantastic! we ate thai food {our favorite!!}, walked to a fashion event, took pictures of graffiti, filmed cool things...and guess what?! i am going to work out my new blogshop video skills with it this weekend! can't wait to make something semi-awesome for you to enjoy!

images...clockwise from left::

one // two // three // four // five

jayson home :: spring 2012 catalog

as a chicagoan, one of my favorite things to do is visit jayson home in lincoln park. i feel like a kid in a candy shop every time i'm in there. their store specializes in scouring the globe for both modern and vintage furnishings that are a slightly edgy and always elegant. their store oozes with eclectic, well-traveled goodness.

during one of my visits i fell in love with a giant, turn of the century luggage case for a harp. it had aged international travel stamps layering the outside leather. it was simply amazing and had such a wonderful history to share.

so needless to say i suppressed a shriek when i received their new online spring 2012 catalog. some of the furniture in there was INSANE! my two favorites being the ones pictured above - both very different styles but equally intriguing. and much like their store, every item in the catalog's layout was meticulously and deliciously curated as you can see in the second picture above.

looks like i will have to make another visit very, very soon! view the entire catalog here.

bedford street laundry:: marvelous shapes and shades

you can find amazing things in the most unlikely places.

like when you follow friday people on twitter and then they retweet with some of their faves. well, that's how i found out about bedford street laundry and holy cow am i ever glad!

bedford street laundry is a ny based label created by the adorable jessica yuen {a native new yorker herself} in 2009. the label is named after her family's former laundromat in greenwich village. let me tell you, this girl's got quite the resume:: studying at parsons both in ny and paris, interning at donna karan, ohne titel and alastair mckimm, styling for ny times, oh yeah and working directly with diddy and kanye west.

i am just enamored with all the different hues yet all related in the family of color it just makes such a statement. and the shapes - good god - those shapes. i seriously just want to drape myself in these clothes.

you seriously need to check out the rest of her collections because they are all seriously stunning. like f//w 2011...uh, yes please.

an afternoon with :: new obsession

gosh, i am just dumbfounded by this amazing project: an afternoon with from the amazingly talented photographer michael mundy. here's what he had to say:

"this is a project about people. it is a project about our space and the things we keep and the things we don’t throw away. it is a project about looking for and finding connections we all have. it is about seeing yourself in these spaces. every picture is a portrait of the owner –  be it a room, an object or a view. every portrait in the end becomes a self-portrait. so in the end this is a project about me." 


i really believe as humans it's in our nature to be curious about other people and how they live their lives. it's a bit like peeking into their souls. i think that's why i love this project so much. and it isn't about how many fancy things you have in your home like so many other blogs; it's about the people in them and how they're represented in their home - from messy to downright eccentric.


kiel mead and sarah boatright's apartment in brooklyn was one of my favorites though because it's so rich in color and findings that your eyes need minutes to take in everything going on in each room. i love how unexpected, yet fitting, each piece of decor is. very bohemian with their mix of vintage findings and really modern pieces. it's truly a feast for the eyes.


i hope michael keeps these tours going because i just can't seem to get enough!

bangarang!! baby bonsai treehouses

how incredible are these bonsai treehouses created by takanori aiba?!

they're mind-blowing.

learn more about him and his amazing work here.

no fine lines between fashion designer and artist

i was stunned when i saw images of this installation piece comprised of a lit wax sculpture of a woman sleeping in a bed. the details in the shadowing and precise texturizing of the piece have caused audiences to be both fascinated and disturbed by such a realistic portrayal.

as i looked further into this erie piece, i found out that the artist {or shall i say artists} is//are none other than the belgian fashion design firm a.f. vandevorst. the sculpture was displayed at the 2011 arnhem mode biennale.

it certainly takes a beautiful mind to conceptualize wearable art let alone conceptualize and then execute something like this.

abstract patterns

hello there and happy monday! 

i have been visiting lots of museums lately and i must say that i absolutely LOVE dressing for a day at the museum. i will usually wear something that's a bit victorian vintage to history museums {or at least something retro} and i like to wear really modern or deco///nouveau prints for art museums and galleries - believe me when i say that they're a dime a dozen in chicago - which is actually really nice.

i came across this lovely lady and stylist shirley kurata thanks to the house that lars built and was nothing less than inspired by all of the graphic prints she boldly wears. i have also been eyeing these lovely bags by tarco. the abstract design mixed with those colors and embroidered textures makes me want to just jump for joy.