I heart Jonathan Adler

                           How awesome is Jonathan Adler?? A few years ago I was visiting my mom while she was doing some re-decorating. She was looking for unique pottery for her bathroom, so we headed off to one of our favorite home decor spots, Magnolia in Tampa. Magnolia has an eclectic mix of furniture and home accessories, and had just begun carrying a few pieces of Jonathan Adler. I remembered visiting the JA store in New York sometime after graduating from college, and was excited to share such a fun designer with my mom. I can't remember if she bought anything that day, but he definitely stuck with her. A few months later, I was moving and doing some decorating of my own. My mom was on vacation in Chicago and visited the new JA store there. I clearly get my shopping chops from my mom- she called me at work to tell me that she had found the perfect pillows for my apartment, and to ask me if I wanted her to have them sent. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I said YES!! Ever since, the pillows have been a huge topic of conversation in our house, and I have certainly kept my eye on Mr. Adler. He recently came out with his new line of pottery, the Santorini collection. I can't help but remember the Greek area of the museums I visited on school trips as a kid. Of course, the protocol then was to laugh at all the imagery painstakingly drawn onto each piece. With fun names like Iris, Artemis, and Persephone these pieces elicit that fun feeling of being a kid in the museum, with nothing to do but laugh at the silly old art. For a girl on a budget, the Santorini collection is a great was to bring some whimsy and fun into your home without spending a fortune!

Coffee table books... another of my many obsessions.

 I love coffee table books. Perhaps it stems from the fact that my father ran a coffee business. More likely it's the fact that they have beautiful pictures of the clothing and accessories, and the amazing places I've had the good fortune to visit. Some of my coffee table books are art pieces in themselves, so I've decided to share them. 
The two to the left are my absolute favorites. 


Taschen's Paris has beautiful photographs of the best hotels, restaurants, and shops in Paris. Incidentally, the purse-sized version, given to me by one of my very best friends before my most recent trip to my favorite city, came in handy with its easy to follow illustrated maps. I love to read through the massive book and remember walking along the rue Saint-Honoré (and shopping, too, of course). 


The Chanel book was given to me by a friend, and documents the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 2005. I particularly love the cover, illustrated by none other than Karl Lagerfeld. It's been on my table ever since I received it, and is always a big topic of conversation.

 

The suit to the left is from 1986, but would easily fit in on Park Avenue today. The brooch to the right is from the 60's, but the shape and style would work as a pendant or on a cuff with any outfit I own... Oh, how I wish!

Flipping through Taschen's Paris makes me yearn for another trip to La Ville-Lumière and my cozy room at the Hotel Saint Vincent in Saint Germain des Prés (another find of the lovely Mrs. Martin and her blog, GOOP). And, as luck would have it, just as I finish this post the Sex and the City finale, aptly titled "An American Girl in Paris" is just beginning. A sign? I think yes. Which means I will continue to save my pennies and blog about shopping rather than actually spending, and will be saying Bounjour, Paris before I know it!

A shoestring budget doesn't mean a life without Fab finds!!

As a fashionista on a seriously restricted budget, I am always looking for deals and steals. I recently came across a new members-only online shopping community thanks to my dear friend Gwynnie and her blog GOOP. OK, so maybe Gwynnie is of the Paltrow variety and not my friend in real life, but her blog is fantastic, and I have used it as a source for everything from an affordable (and amazing) hotel room in Paris to my current workout regiment. When she recently sent out a survey to her readers asking about online shopping sites, I had to investigate. Gilt and RueLaLa were already faves of mine, so on to FAB.COM I went. A day later I was accepted as a member and discovered that unlike Gilt or even furniture sights like One Kings Lane, Fab had a very unique blend of modern furniture from yet-to-be-dicovered manufacturers, to hand-made wood jewelry, and finally my absolutely favorite fab find, the glammed up, punk inspired clutches from Lost City Products. The handmade, one-of-a-kind bags normally retail for $145, but were $94 on Fab. Of course, I snatched up the Clash (yep, named for the band), and literally had to pull myself away from the computer screen to avoid purchasing a second. Upon further investigation, I discovered that the company, known for their interesting, forensic lab-inspired pillows, was started by an F.I.T. grad and hires artisans who would otherwise lose their livelihood thanks to the easier and more cost effective practice of mass producing everything. I think I've found my go-to clutch for everything from cocktail hour to after-hours. Hey, every girl can use a little rock-and-roll in her life, right??

Another thing I'm obsessed with...

I love Ruben Toledo. Those Nordstrom ads began catching my eye years ago, and I made it my mission to keep tabs on him. My best *free* fab find was the Ruben Toledo plate I received as a complimentary gift at a Nordstom store opening. I use it on my dresser as a catch-all for jewelry, keys, spare change- you get the idea. Since then (and a Style Dictionary and three Nina Garcia/Ruben books later), I have been randomly googling Ruben to see what he's been up to. Well, imagine my surprise when I recently came across his partnership with Penguin Books! He re-designed covers for some of my favorites- Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and The Scarlet Letter to name a few. I don't know how I missed it since the partnership began in 2009, but I quickly felt my wave of disappointment fade when I realized there was an opportunity for savings involved! I was so excited to see that the entire set- 6 books all together- were on sale for $76!! CHECK IT OUT! They are paperback, and I am much more of a hardcover sort of girl, but I couldn't resist. I can't wait for them to arrive in the mail! My old, ratty high school copies are for reading- these are purely decor, ma chérie!

I seriously have a problem...

Today I was online shopping, as per usual, and came across these FANTASTIC yellow Kate Spade ballet flats. LOVE them!! I mean, really, have you ever seen a more perfect fall shoe? All I imagine is the perfect fall skirt (dress?), some super cute patterned tights, and these absolutely MUST HAVE fall flats. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a flat-aholic. I just can't get enough. Of course, I'm a girl so you know I love a good heel, but for work, dinner, movies, drinks, or just be-bopping about, there's nothing I like more than a fab flat. I am totally obsessed with them- perhaps by the time fall actually rolls around they'll be on sale? Here's hoping the goddess of fashion shines her shimmering gold favor on me!

These pretty awesome booties aren't too bad either. Slim jeans, a cute dress; the possibilities are endless. I really never jumped on the booty bandwagon, especially not with peep toes. I generally think they cut you off in a pretty unforgiving spot unless you're an eleven foot tall model. Still, these caught my eye when I was perusing the Bloomie's website. There's something about the nude color and patent/suede combo that just screams "sophisticated fall go-with-everything shoe". So, these are on the list as well. Ever since I received my first nylon Sam bag for Christmas in high school I've been hooked on Kate- leave it to her to get the one fall trend I didn't really like right on the money!