I adore this hat

I was watching Charade last night and I had this image of Audrey Hepburn wearing a crazy veiled hat and I just could not remember what movie it was from. I knew it was kind of wacky...and I knew the getup was worn to a clandestine meeting in a more obscure movie...which made me think Love in the Afternoon, no dice. Think Think Think...then it hit me! How to Steal a Million...lucky for me the hat/mask I had in mind was in all the publicity shots, I guess someone else thought it was a fabulous look too. First thing after Thanksgiving, I WILL me making myself one of these masks!

Image from easyart.it

Oh Darlings! I am Obsessed!

Behold, my answer to late night insomnia, virtual paper dolls by J. David McKenny. These designs are beautifully executed with plenty of creative period clothing options for four different decades. I find something incredibly soothing about picking out virtual outfits, especially when it comes with top notch fashion illustration, one of my passions.

I first discovered the 1950s virtual paper doll, and I have to say she is probably my favorite. The face brings to mind the Mom in the movie Pleasantville and there are some definite Betty Draper outfit options in the this bunch! What probably really made me fall in love with this set are the marabou shoes and the hold up stockings, if only she came with a garter belt. I want those little white gloves!

The 1960s outfits might be my least favorite because of the lack of variety in terms of outfit bottoms. The little blue booties are super cute though!

How much fun is this 1970s diva? Roller skates! So much fun! Perhaps my outfit choice is a little boring...this could just as well be a modern day girl, but if these sets show anything, it is that there are always timeless options. It also shows that there have been a lot of ugly shoes over the years.

And last, but not least, the 80s. I would DIE to own those boots...why, oh why, can't they make thigh high boots available to the general public? It seems like every time a designer comes out with them they never make it beyond the models. I think this decade also has my favorite hair, love those early Madonna curls!

All images from jdavidmckenney.com

Joan would have to go naked...

Dramatis Personae wrote a post about Joan Holloway yesterday, and it reminded me of something that I had been wanting to write a post on for a while. Designers everywhere have been gushing about Mad Men, the inspirational clothes, the inspirational sets, the inspirational characters. Vintage Office Chic has made a comeback in a major way, and I could not be happier...well, almost.

You see, I'm actually shaped like Joan, well perhaps like Joan and then a little something. At any rate while many new fashions are inspired by Joan, very few of them would actually fit Joan. This is supported by the fact that designers never send Christina Hendricks fancy dresses for events and premieres becuase she is not tiny enough to fit their runway designs. I was somewhat inspired when I followed the links Ashe Mischief shared for stealing Joan's style and found plus sized options...sadly these will probably still have the problem of proportion. I, and many girls with a similar shape, will still have the problem of pencil skirts that fit at the waist but are too tight through the hips, and dress shirts that don't fit my chest *le sigh* I guess in some ways its a good problem to have....but only if like Christina, you like to walk around naked on the weekends, otherwise you either end up looking like an over stuffed sausage or a frump wearing a sack.

Image from AM New York

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GG2B Weekly Reads!

• The Big Piece of Cake hates this chair


• Flutterbyblue shares Justin Timberlake in a Leotard


• Sophia Charming has a very frustrating experience installing a West Elm Pendant Lamp


• The Charming Dandy advises guys on a few gift card GoTos for the ladies in their lives


• Chic and Green loves this Organic Baby travel bib set


• Boston Betty partied like a rock star Radius's 10th Birthday Bash

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Image from GirlsGuidetoBlogging.com

West Elm Globe Pendant Lamp Nightmare

We recently purchased the West Elm Globe pendant lamp for our living room. The design is beautiful and I was SUPER excited to install it. Unfortunately it came with ZERO instructions and a nine foot cord. My husband and I have been tinkering for hours trying to shorten the cord to a reasonable length. We found the assembly instructions online, and they said nothing about shortening the cord. We called the help line, they were no help. They actually told us to hire an electrician, becuase people who spend $130 on a lamp from WEST ELM really want to hire an electrician to install their pendant lamp?! We are about two hours away from returning this damn lamp and buying something from Home Depot or Lowes, where I have had much better luck with customer service.

POST SCRIPT: We figured it out. You need an incredibly small flat head screwdriver to remove the cheap and fragile white plastic screw from the tubular piece that screws into the canopy (the unlabeled piece below F and above G on the instructions). If you find my instructions via Google, our little white plastic screw is cracked from all of our attempts to remove it, hopefully yours will fare better.

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• West Elm Globe Pendant Lamps

I so wish I lived In NYC

I so wish I lived In NYC...becuase then I could take advantage Madison Avenue Spy to find out where the best sales are located!

Christmas Guide: Stockings

These stockings are totally adorable. I love the little hint of leopard print peaking out the top. There are a couple of other patterns available as well. Even better, this design set is on sale! Fab!

Images from Ballard Designs

Considering giving C&C another little facelift...

Image by markoturso via FlickrHello Darlings,
I'm considering redoing Chic and Charming...perhaps even taking the plunge and migrating to word press. Is there anything that you would like to see on Chic and Charming? Anything that you would be totally depressed about if I removed it? Let me know!

Kisses,
Sophia

GG2B Weekly Reads

• The Big Piece of Cake shares a guest post from herself at age nine.


• The Charming Dandy writes the most extensive "of the month" gift guide EVER


• Boston Betty is starstruck by Boston Chefs


• Kicking couture girl shares her favourite an up and coming model


• Chic and Charming shares a new favorite artist


• Chic and Green is loving some steampunk earrings


• Flutterbyblue brings us some fantasy fashion

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I think this will be my fave Target Accessories Collection

Based on the pictures, I think the upcoming Hayden-Harnett collection for Target is going to be the best one yet. I am personally obsessed with this umbrella and their cloth totes. I've given up hope already on the "leather" bags...nothing makes me sadder than faux leather.

Image from Racked

Sadness!

Dear girl carrying an obscene number of Comme de Garcons clothes at H&M,
I hate you. Please send me a tuxedo jacket and maybe I'll reconsider.

Kisses,
Sophia

Image from NY Magazine

Kind of Obsessed with...

Kind of Obsessed with...CanCan Dancers!!! My new muses.

Image from draphsor

I love you Amy Mebberson

Amy Mebberson is a super talented artists with an artistic sensibility that I just adore. I grew up in Orlando, so I have a major soft spot for Disney. I also adore all things super girly, especially pin up art (no big surprise there...). Mebberson's series of Disney fan art pinup girls is currently gracing my laptop desktop, and hopefully her beautiful pinups will one day be adorning my bed room walls. You should check out her etsy shop if you also find yourself enchanted, even more exciting, she has recently published a book!

Artwork from http://mimi-na.deviantart.com/

H&M Comme Des Garcons launch?

Anyone have news on the H&M Comme Des Garcons launch? I AM DYING to know :). I sent my cousin on a mission to buy the tuxedo jacket...fingers crossed!

Image from NY post

Santa Baby...Etsy Hats

Dear Santa,
There are too many fabulous milners on etsy to choose a favorite! I've selected some incredible hats, which I would just ADORE to find under my tree this Christmas. The first, the headband with the curly feathers is Gillespie by Feather Brain. The fabulous little piece with the red leather rose is Noelle by Vie Moderne.

The last two little hats that I'm loving are both by House of Telsa. They are oh so romantic, but I think I like the pink just a bit better!

Kisses,
Sophia

Photos on etsy

Santa Baby...Custom Bonzie Jacket

Dear Santa,
I adore the etsy artist Bonzie. I would love you forever if you commissioned a custom bolero jacket in black with white pearls, hot pink flowers and a patterned lining.

Kisses,
Sophia

Image from etsy

Top Ten Sophia Loren Quotes

1. "Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful."
2. "Sex appeal is 50 per cent what you're got and 50 per cent what people think you're got."
3. "If you haven't cried, your eyes can't be beautiful."
4. "The two big advantages I had at birth were to have been born wise and have been born in poverty."
5. "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."
6. "A woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view."
7. "For me, it is good to be vulnerable. It makes me nice…weak sometimes, but in a good way, not a tragic way."
8. "Being beautiful can never hurt, but you have to have more. You have to sparkle, you have to be fun, you have to make your brain work if you have one."
9. "You give but little when you give of your possessions.
   It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."
10. "It is well to give when asked but it is better to give unasked, through understanding."

Images from telegraph.co.uk, quote text from allgreatquotes.com

Sephora Friends and Family Code

SAVE 20% on Sephora Makeup until November 10 with this code: FF2008

There are so many fabulous things to buy! The Holiday Collections are out, so you have plenty of ways to put this discount to good use!

• Stila Step Out And Shine - Color Collection And Clutch
• Benefit Primpcess - Glamorous Eye Primping Kit
• Stila Purrfect Eyes - The Talking Palette
• Sephora Perfect Ten Brush Set
• Stila Blockbuster Set
• Shiseido White Lucent Brighten Up Kit
• Bare Escentuals Extreme Glimmers Kit
  
• Stila Paint Your Pout Red
• Smashbox's Blockbuster Kit
• Bare Escentuals Nine Alluring Eye Colors
• POP Hello Gorgeous

Image from Sephora, code from Martini Life Style, Beer Budget

Design*Sponge under $100 picks

Design*Sponge writes a regular column for Domino Magazine online featuring products under $100. So far there have been articles featuring tabletop items, decorative hardware, international color, outdoor decor, under $10 finds, bath accessories, home decorating essentials and eco-friendly home decor. Each list is full of interesting, affordable and well designed treats, which you would, of course, expect from Design*Sponge! Many items on each list would make fabulous holiday gifts.

Image from Domino

Must try...

Black Tie Optional by Lipstick Queen, purchase online here or go check it out in person at Barneys. OBSESSED!

Image from Lipstick Queen

Victorian Fan Language

My favorite part of the movie A Good Woman is when Mrs. Erlynne talks Robert Windemere into purchasing a gorgeous antique fan for his wife for her birthday. She goes through the highlights of the Victorian fan language, and is so charming that she makes everyone want to go out and purchase a fan. Unfortunately, as it turns out, there is very little evidence that anyone in the Victorian period actually used the fan language. Honestly, I still kind of love the idea. The rules seem to vary slightly. Here is one example. My favorite symbols are the ones that seem intuitive. Hiding coyly behind a fluttering fan to mean "we are being watched," uplifting your face and pointing to your lips with your fan "you may kiss me." These signs are most like body language, and would not require gentlemen to learn some complex language.

Image sources on flickr

Girls Guide to Blogging Community Links!

Join Girls Guide to Blogging and then Submit your favorite post for next week's edition!

Chic and Charming previews Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale







Flutterbyblue share a hilarious Obama/McCain Dance off




Lollie Shopping advises on how to stay fashionable during a recession



Broke and Beautiful writes about dreamy personal style, with beautiful pictures



A[tipp]ical Thoughts by Tipp experiments with vblogs



The Glamazon Diaries writes a post about champagne for the Examiner



Inspire Me shares the Rubitone




The Love List has featured Gwyneth's Living Room as a Room du Jour



DC is my Manhattan shares my love of the Gilmore Girls



Parlez vous Moo discusses what the US Election means in Kenya



Marianne in Paris is now a private blog :(



Life in Pink shares some pink electronics



Luxual shares some to die for boots



You are flawed if you are not free amuses us with a story of stolen panties



What Liz Said writes about SATC



Livin' Golden gives ideas for things do to on a crummy day



Tomorrow is another day ponders a promotion



The Modern Gal writes about eating healthy and being Frugal



Your Style Star Presents Perfect Party Dresses



Half Deserted Streets presents a Halloween Bachelorette party




Relentlessly Reading shares pictures of a small flood in her town



Coming up Short answers personal questions on the Sunday Survey



Carrie Lea shares her everyday makeup



SoMi || learning :: exposing :: sharing is organizing an intriguing project, "blog secret"



Twenty Something and Clueless has moved!



New Mommy Rant uses the flylady system to get organized