Daily Quote Dose

"There is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion, an interpretation, of one's self, the very meaning of one's soul." 

- Edith Wharton

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Style Inspiration

I've mentioned The Sartorialist blog and my love for it before, and yesterday when perusing per usual I was really inspired by this sunshine ray of a lady captured on the streets of Milano. With her burst-of-color skirt, metallic thread slouchy sweater and (gasp! am I really giving into this trend?!?!?@!) nude clogs, this lady looked playful and chic... and her helmet matches her ensemble... she really got it right.

Hot for Haute Hippie

The fur vest! The Sequined skirt! The thigh high socks! The maxi dress! The stripes and sequins combo! The fringe bag! 

Shopbop's Haute Hippie Lookbook is chalked full of my favorite things. I completely adore the mix of glamorous pieces (fur, sequins) with rougher elements (men's shirt, heavy boots). I will definitely be channeling some of the looks this fall.

Daily Quote Dose

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” -Dolly Parton

True Grit Trailer Is Here (Go Hailee, Go!)

As you may remember from a previous post, my dear family friend Hailee Steinfeld is the star of the newest Coen brothers flick, "True Grit," opposite Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin.

It was amazing to watch Hailee, Bridges and Damon in action on the Austin, Texas set and my memories were revived when I caught a glimpse of the first trailer that debuted today. The internet is already abuzz with Oscar predictions for the Coen brothers, Bridges and Hailee and the trailer only substantiates predictions. I'm totally smitten with the opening sequence and the song played throughout the piece. Enjoy the trailer below!

Good News!

I'm excited to announce that I'm now a contributor for The Budget Fashionista website! I will be writing weekly posts on frugal fashion finds for the site which is full of awesome style guides and inspiration. I will be updating (see: self promoting) all with new posts to come, but in the meantime- look! they gave me a bio! Do you think I summed myself up well? I left out the part describing my love of macaroni and cheese and reality TV because, sigh, I am so sophisticated.

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Daily Quote Dose

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Daily Quote Dose

"A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future." -Coco Chanel

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Tabletop Pop

I love to entertain. There are few things better than a dinner party with good friends and copious amounts of wine. And to make things just a little glamorous, a chic tabletop instantly ups the festive factor. I've never been one to spend much time worrying about the table, but the images below have inspired me to put in the extra effort for my next soiree. I'm thinking, homemade gold glitter paper (that will be messy but everyone likes to be glittered up, no?), plastic gold silverware (since I am of the "no kitchenware of my own demographic") and bright colored plates, with mixed patterns.

Image 1 via Aubrey Rd; Images 2, 3 & 4 via Coco + Kelley


 

Daily Quote Dose

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Daily Quote Dose

"In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd." -Miguel de Cervantes

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

I Want To Live Here, Please.

I recently discovered English decorator and writer Rita Konig's Greenwich Village apartment on the MyDeco blog. As I peruse the images all I can think is, "I want my apartment to look just like this! And I want to have an English accent! And I'd fancy some tea right now!"

The space is whimsical, charming, personal and eccentric and if it were a cupcake I would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner... and dessert.

Daily Quote Dose

"Few of us write great novels; all of us live them." -Mignon McLaughlin

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Tuesday's Top Ten, My Personal Top Ten Songs

I am the sort of girl that loves to spend hours aimlessly clicking around on iTunes and discovering obscure (or at least new to me) tunes and old classics. And so, today's top ten is a compilation of ten of my all-time favorite songs. It's impossible to narrow it down completely but these are my tried and true classics that have been loved since my first boom box.

1. Hotel California by the Eagles. Reminds me of warm air, road trips and driving around in the desert in my grandparent's golf cart.

2. Lovefool by the Cardigans. My go-to song for solo dance-in-your-panties parties.

3. Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton. Up until about age 15 I genuinely believed this song was written for me.

4. Slow Dance by John Legend. A song that makes your soul dance.

5. Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. Makes me cry, in a good way.

6. Rich Girl by Hall & Oates. Reminds me of best friends, margaritas and Lake Havasu.

7. With A Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker. The theme song from my favorite childhood show, "The Wonder Years."

8. Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill. Poignant and catchy lyrics that make you bounce.

9. Turn Me On by Norah Jones. My grandmother refers to Norah Jones as the "moaning lady." I adore her. This song is also in "Love Actually" which makes it doubly amazing.

10. It Had To Be You by Harry Connick Jr. A tune from my favorite movie "When Harry Met Sally."

Daily Quote Dose

In life as in dance: Grace glides on blistered feet.
- Alice Abrams

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Daily Quote Dose

"I used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night — there must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I'm not going to worry about them. I'm dreaming the hardest."

— Marilyn Monroe

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Eye Candy

The Audrey Hepburn Complex tumblr account is chalked full of beautiful pictures, and yesterday two images sent my heart into a frenzy.

Behold, the gorgeousness of James Franco and John Krasinski. I'm not one to have celebrity crushes often (Timberlake in sixth grade might have been the last) but Franco and Krasinski just make me swoon. Maybe it's because both also seem intelligent and funny as well (if you have information to the contrary do not burst my bubble). And, bottom line, they are nice to look at.

 

 

Daily Quote Dose

"I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart."
e. e. cummings

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Tuesday's Top Ten; Ten Reasons You Know You Were in A Sorority

1. When riding any sort of bus you feel an urgent need to break out into vulgar songs.

2. You don't know what to wear on gameday without the option of your matching sorority gameday tee.

3. When people ask if you have any sisters you say, "yes, around 200."

4. Any time you're dressed up and taking pictures with a date you think, "it's just like an invite!"

5. You have perfected the multi-level squat in group pictures.

6. You're not phased by binge drinking before any sort of event (you're also not phased by tagging forty of your "best friends" in one picture).

7. You walk over to the apartment next to you in your towel and ask if you can borrow a dress because you just "have no clothes right now." You then realize your neighbor is a seventy-year-old woman that eats canned cheese and has cats. You feel uncomfortable.

8. You are the master of mass emails.

9. You enjoy reading announcements hung on the bathroom stall door.

10. The phrases "rush," "pinning," "Monday night dinner," "deliveries," "handle," and "exchange" mean something very different to you than the normal person. 


Image 1 via Giant Electric Penguin, Image 2 via Retro Space

Daily Quote Dose

"Dreams are illustrations... from the book your soul is writing about you."- Marsha Norman

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Dailly Quote Dose

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."  -St. Augustine

(Photo via Audrey Hepburn Complex)

Think Pink

Though I'm going through a bit of a phase with the purple pout obsession, pink will always remain my tried and true hue. From backpacks to nail polish, highlighters to panties, pink has always been there for me. And now, my trusted friend is looking like a gussied up version of the bubblegum shade I once knew. When paired with animal prints, stark whites and popping prints, pink evokes a very stylish vibe.

Image 1 via Elements of Style, Image 2 via Decor Pad, Image 3 via Design Darling

Daily Quote Dose

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles." —Audrey Hepburn

Photo via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Daily Quote Dose

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."
-Harriet Van Horne

(Photo via Dress, Design & Decor)

Tuesday's Top Ten; Ten Things to Like About Men

My newest series, "Tuesday's Top Ten" will feature ten things to love about a variety of subjects. This week I decided to focus on one of my favorite topics: men. Love 'em or hate 'em, (this distinction often depends on the time of the month) they do have some endearing qualities.

1. They smell good... like spicy, woodsy, musky (in a good way) creatures.

2. They eat the leftovers.

3. They open the door (the good ones at least).

4. They're easy to please: ESPN, cold beer, hands snuggled securely near balls = happiness.

5. They pick up your luggage at the airport.

6. They know it's a good idea "just to look" at the dessert menu even when you insist you're too full.

7. They're generally oblivious to smudged make-up and bad hair days. 

8. They're good for heavy lifting (or they will at least make a valiant effort to lift that sofa before concluding it must be "glued to the ground... or something").

9. They pee standing up... which is cool and convenient and impossible for women (sigh). 

10. They say what they mean. When they tell you "nothing is wrong"... nothing is wrong. When you say "nothing is wrong," you mean, "I'm pissed because you're late and you're wearing that ugly shirt again even though I hinted that I hated it last week by telling you I thought it was 'interesting.'"



Image via Occasional Superheroine

Wall Power

I have a long time love affair with collages. My happy place has always been: my room, Christmas music on, a stack of magazines, scissors and a glue stick.

And now, as I consider decorating my own "big girl" space, my attentions have turned to the beauty of a wall covered in art. Though the execution is slightly more sophisticated, the same principles of complimentary colors, varied sizes, interesting finds and artistic placement apply.

The following images particularly tickled my fancy and inspired my personal "grown-up" art collage.

Image 1 & 3 via Simply Seductive, Image 2 via Aubrey Rd

Daily Quote Dose

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."  -Leonardo da Vinci

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Hey, I'm Not Going to Judge You...

1. If you lower your standards (just a tad) for men with accents. That jobless Australian? ... 'ello mate!

2. If you believe you too could look just as good as any celebutante if you also had a personal trainer, chef and extensive hair and make-up crew.

3. If you're secretly happy when the barista flubs your order and gives you the full-fat latte instead of your non-fat skinny alternative (if you didn't order the calories, they don't count).

4. If you love little kids, but also love giving them back to their parents when they start crying or filling their diapers.

5. If you try to make every Halloween costume just a little bit sexy. "Yes, I have a frightening mask on, but look- here are my boobs!"


6. If you consider boiling cooking.

7. If you agree to go golfing with your boyfriend only because you've mentally planned an adorable, preppy ensemble.

8. If you start thinking about what you want for Christmas... in September. It's generous of you to give advance notice. 

9. If you act candid when the camera comes out even though you're positioning your arm in it's "casual skinny" pose.

10. If you still call your mom when you can't find things at the grocery store.

(Photo 2 via Leecothran, Photo 3 via Forbes)