31 July 2008
Chic and Charming is all about...
30 July 2008
Tracy Reese for Keds
Are you a fan of Plenty Frock by Tracy Reese? I am! She makes the most darling dresses. Tracy Reese has recently teamed up with Keds to make a line of cute little shoes, inspired by her other designs. I can't wait! I've been needs some new stylish, yet sensible footwear! The line will be available in March 2009 at keds.com. All styles will be under $85.
Image from fashionweekdaily.com
Labels: chic and stylish, shopping, trend spotting
29 July 2008
James McAvoy
Image from collider.com
If you build it...
28 July 2008
27 July 2008
Movies with Style: Penelope
Penelope is a cute movie with serious style and a sweet message. It is entertaining enough for the kiddies, but stylish enough for those of us who have long since graduated from primary school. I really want Penelope's hair and wardrobe, which looks like its been lifted from Anthropologie and given an extra shot of whimsy. Even my husband enjoyed Penelope, his favorite part is when she gets drunk. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, personally I am going to purchase it the next time I am at Tar-jay to add to my collection of stylish feel good movies. I suspect it will be in heavy rotation. I may even dress up as Penelope this year for Halloween.
Images on flickr
Labels: chic and stylish, decor, design, film
26 July 2008
Adventures in Real Estate
In which Sophia details the trials and tribulations of purchasing your first home.
MP3 File
A pinch of glamor
I was completely inspired this morning by tres lola's post, "How To Inject Glamour Into Your Day." She asked her readers to leave comments with how they add glamor to their days, and I had too many ideas to leave in a comment, so I'm writing a little post with my ideas for a few ways to be more glamorous:
- Indulge in a body cream or bath wash that smells like your favorite perfume
- Bring in a photograph of interesting makeup from your favorite magazine to Sephora and have them do your makeup to match...take your new look out on the town for drinks.
- Silk lined, elbow length leather gloves
- Take swing dancing lessons
- Own the sidewalk
- Be fabulous
- Drink Classic Cocktails
- Monogrammed high thread count sheets in pure white
- Wear hats when you dress up
- Wear seemed stockings and a silk slip
- Keep fresh cut flowers in the house
- Travel extensively and fill your wardrobe and home with things you've pick up abroad, for example hang a vintage silk kimono from a flea market in Tokyo on your living room wall. Can't travel? Cruise ebay.
- Go to the opera
- Invest in real artwork, have it properly framed
- Wear an apron to cook
- Eat vosges truffles and drink champaign
- Chanel a style icon: Holly Golightly, Amlie, Cher
Labels: babble, charm school
24 July 2008
Mad Men's Peggy
Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) kind of got the shaft in season 1 of Mad Men. Sure, she was promoted to copy writer from secretary...but her clothes were no where near as cool as the other women on the show and she was kind of prissy and hormonal. This was primarily because she gained tons of weight...due to a pregnancy she knew nothing about until the baby popped out. I wonder what happens to the baby in the season two?!
Image Sources on Flickr
Labels: chic and stylish, chic women, tv
23 July 2008
Mad Men's Betty
Labels: chic and stylish, chic women, tv
22 July 2008
Scarf 101
Labels: chic and stylish, styling
21 July 2008
Mad Men's Joan
Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), the office manager, is my favorite character on Mad Men. She is a little slutty, super saucy and terribly glam. I'm pretty positive when Roland Mouret designs his famous curve hugging dresses he envisions Joan's curvaceous figure. In my opinion Joan is by far the sexiest woman on TV today.
Labels: chic and stylish, chic women, tv
20 July 2008
Mad Men Obsession
After watching the entire first seasons of Mad Men on demand last week, I am feeling inspired to do a series on Mad Men style. Look for some super stylish character style profiles over the next few days.
Image from getkempt.com
Labels: chic and stylish, tv
19 July 2008
Offer Accepted!
I am currently in the process of purchasing my first home! Fingers crossed that everything works out. Here is a sneak peak...
17 July 2008
Make that Two Etsy Designers!
Image from etsy.com
Etsy Designer on Project Runway!!
So, I had a wee bit of insomnia last night and so I flipped on the TV around 1:30 AM and found there was a new episode of Project Runway on my DVR...yay!! As the new designers were introduced I learned that an ETSY designer had made it on to Project Runway. Not only that, but one of my friends owns one of her pieces, which she purchased on etsy! The designer is LeAnne Marshall and her line is Leanimal which is availible on etsy and her website. Frankly, I've been kind of obsessed with her immaculately constructed jackets for months, which are feminine and a little Victorian. *le sigh* Well, I will never be able to afford one now!!
I know I'll be tuning in with renewed vigor to root for LeAnne! Good Luck! I hope you win!
Images from etsy.com
Labels: chic and stylish, etsy, tv
14 July 2008
Free False Lashes
Image from Shu Uemura
Labels: chic and stylish
13 July 2008
Perfect Gift
Friends, Lovers, Children, Teachers...everyone will love to have their name or favorite word spelled out in one of these creative works of art from Sticks and Stones.
Image from createsticksandstones.com
12 July 2008
Live The Fabulous Life of Amélie Poulain
Amelie's Home:
- Red chair
- Wall mounted bathroom mirror with shelf under
- Red fitted sheets, orange quilt, white pillow and top sheet
- Couch: Red velvet embossed with a design and matching pillows
- Green TV
- Green horse statute
- Michael Sowa Artwork
- Blue lamp
- Red bell shaped Christmas light strands, strung along the living room wall
- Baroque patterned red wallpaper
- Iron bed frame
- Red wallpaper with gold swirls, as well as yellow and red polka dots
- Candles
- Random collection of slightly garish lamps with frilly shades
- Pig sculptural base, wearing green bathrobe, holding up lamp/lamp shade
- Red beret
- Black Dr. Marten type shoes with black socks
- Little black book for recording information about current schemes
- Red shirt with subtle stripe
- Dainty slip, white cotton with lace trip, as night gown
- Red mid calf skirt with embroidered trim
- Burgundy jacket, slightly big (perhaps a sweater jacket with brown cloth covered buttons)
- Deep Red v-neck sweater
- Military inspired brown jacket, perhaps velvet with priest collar and slight flair in the back
- Red v-neck sweater with interesting texture and pattern-slight yarn color variegation
- Black, large collar satin trench coat with large lapels
- Green v-neck short sleeve button down shirt-tibbed, very thick lace neckline and sleeve trim.
- Black mid calf skirt with high waist
- Black half apron
- Red sweater with lace and one button/attachment, long dot pattern, pockets
- Black dress with small white polka dots, 2 inch straps, square neckline
- Zorro costume
- Pink shirt, black polka dots, ruffle bottom
Amelie's Associates:
- Ex-Army Doctor Father who worked at a spa before retiring
- Her childhood neighbor's comatose wife
- Blubber, the goldfish
- Suzanne, the cafe owner, and her boss
- Georgette, the Tabbaconist
- Gina, her coworker
- Hipolito, an out of work writer
- Joseph, Gina's ex-lover
- Philomene, photographer of garden gnomes
- Philomene's Cat
- The Glass man: Raymond
- Madeleine, the scorned wife of a rogue who ran off to South America
- Lucien, the grocer assistant, who treasures nicely formed produce
- Blind metro panhandler
- Nino, the eccentric collector and unpopular child
- Canal Saint-Martin
- The Metro
- The two wind mills
- Raymond's apartment
- Photo booths
- The fresh market
Amelie's Favorite Things:
- Looking back at people's faces in the dark of movie theaters
- Noticing details no one else notices in movies
- Dipping her hand in sacks of grain
- Cracking creme brulee with a teaspoon
- Skipping stones
- Surprising strangers by returning their lost goods anonymously
- When people don't watch the road when driving in old movies
- When people lie to her about the tragic results of her picture taking
- When people make fun of others who can't defend themselves
- Dominque Bretodeau's secret Santa
- Revenge on mean spirited neighbors
- Waitress at the Two Windmills
- Giving blind men verbal tours
- Match maker
- Letter forger and mail tamperer
Labels: chic and stylish, chic women, film
10 July 2008
Old Married Couple
In which Sophia discovers she has become one half of an old married couple
MP3 File
Comme des Garcon for Louis Vuitton
09 July 2008
08 July 2008
Spotted...Blair Waldorf Diamond Initial Neckalce
Image from Overstock.com
Labels: chic and stylish, gossip girl, tv
06 July 2008
03 July 2008
Bookworm Meme
1. Pick up nearest book
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the next 3 sentences
5. Tag 5 people, and acknowledge who tagged you.
The Bombshell Manual of Style
The excerpt (a little more than requested, but there were not exactly sentences on page 123):
From a list of "The Twenty-Four-Hour Bombshell Soundtrack:"
Xavier Cugat, "Mambo No. 5"
Ella Fitzgerald / Louis Armstrong / Eartha Kitt, "Let's Do It"
Frank Sinatra, "Come Fly with Me"
Dramatis Personae
The Tagged:
Labels: babble
02 July 2008
Indirectly ask Sophia
Two searchers would like to know: "Do women was their arms?"
Yes...sometimes they do. Personally, I do not.
One searcher queried "Dust your Sweetie"
FYI: after looking around online, I discovered this is the product name for edible body powder.
My response to "Hairless Male Actors" is to tell you that while Mario Lopez (Slater from Saved by the Bell) claims to be naturally hairless...word on the street is he actually waxes. By the way, the most popular page on Charming Dandy is currently my article about if men should wax their body hair.
"How did high waters become fashionable?"
In terms of male fashion, I point you towards Thom Brown.
In response to the search for "Khaki Tuxedos:"
BACK AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER...
"Male Actors' Armpit Hair" is not something of personal interest to me, so there is not really much I can say on that subject.
Finally, "Men Waxing in Champaign" leaves me totally speechless.
Labels: babble, charming blogs
MK
Labels: babble, chic women
01 July 2008
Yum! Yum! Haagen Daaz
While I was on the Haagen Daaz website grabbing this picture I ran across a few other interesting tidbits. First, they have caught on to the "snack size" craze and make some scrumptious looking coffee, almond and chocolate ice cream bars. Second, Haagen Daaz has also taken on the plight of the honey bees, which have been suffering a great deal lately.