Pourquoi Pas?

Why not pull out your favorite lingerie today and where it just for you? Walk around all day with an air of confidence and power which only you will know its source.

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Stay beautiful darlings!

Amsterdammers

I took a day trip last weekend to Amsterdam with some of my sorority sisters and we had quite a lovely time. I can't say that I can spend more than a weekend there, because there isn't too much to do other than museums, well if you are not looking to partake in the (illegal)legal activities I suppose. But on the whole we had a great weekend and it was nice to visit the Netherlands.

Amsterdam Cool Point #1 is that everyone...EVERYONE rides a bike. The streets are full of parked bikes rather than cars. It was kind of refreshing to see honestly.

Amsterdam Cool Point #2, waterfront city. All waterfront places automatically get my vote. I wasn't born near the beach, it wasn't even our regular vacation spot but for some reason I have an obsession with water. Its relaxing to sit next to, its fun to play on, and its pretty in pictures. Check, check, check.

Amsterdam Cool Point #3, the city seemed pretty lively and exciting. Yes, we did visit on a day of a huge soccer match, so I am not sure how hopping it normally is in town, but I enjoyed watching people run about the city with excitement nonetheless.

Amsterdam Cool Point #4, the people are SUPER friendly. Anytime we got lost which we managed to do many times in one day, someone gladly left everything they were doing to step outside and help us with our bearings. They also did this with a smile and jokes, they were so happy rather than annoyed that someone would dare come visit their city and then not know every street by heart.....ahem...France.

Have you visited Dutch-land mes cheries?

Joyeux Anniversaire

It's a Happy Birthday to me today! I find as I am getting older that with each birthday I can evaluate where I am in life and measure myself up to my goals thus far. This year is a hard one to assess, am I where I thought I was going to be? No. I am happy with where I am? Yes. Am I content to stay where I am? Absolutely not. So, I am very proud for stepping out and literally turning my life upside down to come live in France for a year. I have learned a lot, more than just the language I set out to learn. I have expanded my knowledge of culture, cuisine, people. I have learned how different people are, and at the same time; exactly alike.

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For today I have been saving an American Funfetti Birthday Cake to eat with my friends, and I am very excited! I will probably be seranaded in a Joyeux Anniversaire/Happy Birthday Duo, and there will be more of a grand occasion with champagne and good French wine. I had a Frenchman yesterday explain it to me perfectly, "Like Americans the French only use champagne for Grand Occasions, but the French just happen to find more Grand Occasions!" I love that. I will give it to the French, they definitely have the Joie de Vivre thing down pat!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Sunny Saturday & Giveaway Winner

Cheries I hope you have had a lovely first week of Summer and have even more exciting plans on how to spend the first weekend! Maybe you'll dive into a pool, shop around the city with an iced frap in one hand and a dozen bags in the other or just maybe you'll jet out to the Hamptons for the weekend and catch up on all the socialite parties you've been missing. Whatever you're weekend consists of I hope its fab! And speaking of cities, shopping and the Hamptons, lets see who gets to win her own key into the glamorous city of New York!

Congrats to...

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:1Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Wendy of It's Really Only a Purple World you have just won yourself a copy of Big Career in the Big City, so now you can work on Landing a Job and Getting a Life in New York!

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Have a Sunny Saturday mes cheries!

Shopping Nirvana

I like shopping, I get to browse beautiful things, gain information about my industry, people watch, and get a little cardio in as a bonus! The marketing side of me always really enjoys when a store has been completed successfully. By this I mean, not just a box with things inside and on a rack. I love to find stores that really invite the consumer in, tell a story, and convince you to stay a while. That is a successful store.

On my few visits to Paris I had never managed to get over to the Galeries Lafayette but finally I ventured upon it a couple weeks ago. I was not disappointed. This store puts Macy's, and even Bloomie's, to shame. You walk in and it seems like a normal high end department store. You continue walking toward the center and you stumble upon an escalator? Nope....this:

Yeah, I know. You can close your mouth now. Imagine actually shopping in here, it is just gorgeous. It makes you feel like you are shopping in a castle rather than a store. With a great selection of any brand you may have your eye peeled out for, Galeries Lafayette is definitely how the French do department stores best. Too bad one of these doesn't carry over into every city in France...well that is probably a good thing for my wallet.

What do you think mes cheries?

Where For Art Thou Shakespeare & Company?

Darlings, I would love to introduce you to one of my favorite places in Paris, The 5th Arrondisement. As you wander around the beauty of Notre Dame why not take a stroll across the street? Among a smörgåsbord of diverse cultural cuisine on a bustling fun street, here you will also stumble upon the world famous hole in the wall bookstore, Shakespeare & Company. Now for any bibliophile, like myself, you WILL be in Heaven. Serving as not only a bookstore but also a relaxing place to read, all day if you'd like, it specializes in English Language Literature and has a fascinating history. Now, as you all know I can't resist a unique boutique, but add a complex and fascinating story like this one and you will easily see why I am in love with this shop!

Originally started by Sylvia Beach, and expatriate from New Jersey, S&Co. has been around since 1919. Not always in its originally cozy corner along the Seine, before the last World War it was on the Rue de l'Odeon, and frequented daily by the greats such as, Ernest Hemmingway, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. S&Co at the time was the center of Anglo-American literary culture and repeatedly housed books that were banned in the UK and America. It closed in 1941 after, allegedly, Beach refused to sell a last copy of a Joyce novel to a German soldier.

But it lives on now, thanks to George Whitman, a Massachusetts boy who merged it with his book shop on left bank after the death of Sylvia Beach in 1951. George calls the bookstore a "socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore". The store also has 13 beds and over the years has housed some 40,000 young writers, called Tumbleweeds, who earn their keep by working in the shop a couple hours a day. George welcomes you to stay as long as you want and prop up your feet upstairs and read everything in the store, the only thing he asks in return is a one page essay about your life, he even provides a typing booth, complete with an old fashioned typewriter for you to tell your story on! At 96 years old, he remains the figure head of the shop but has past the legend onto his daughter, what an incredible legacy to keep alive.

*historic info is thanks to wikipedia and shakespeareandcompany.com*

Pretty amazing isn't it mes cheries?

Links a la Mode

You, Only Better

Edited by: Ann Colville Somma of Holier than Now

It's a strange culture we live in: we're always told Just be yourself!, yet the bestseller list is chock-full of self-help books and memoirs depicting radical change. Finding the balance between total transformation and chilling in our pajamas is difficult, but that's why I love the blogosphere. Here, inspiration is served up one manageable bite at a time. Want to save the world? Start with vintage beachwear - the purchase benefits disaster victims. Hoping your man evolves into a sharp-dressed diaper-changer? Let's begin with a chic- and sustainable- Dad's day gift. Looking for your dream job? Take baby steps by revamping your work wardrobe and taking notes from inspiring entrepreneurs.

Links à la Mode: June 17th

• A la Modest A Uniform Response to Chaos: Janelle Monáe
• Amateur Couture Art-inspired looks
• Awakened Aesthetic Men are notoriously hard to shop for... these gifts are all sustainable.
• Despising Life is So Passe A reminder that no gain is found without work put forth
• Dramatis Personae 10 Things Carrie Bradshaw Taught Me About Fashion
• Fabulous Finds Karl Lagerfeld says the crowd at AMfar is real and Oscar fashion is fake
• Fassonaburu Vyque looks back at five months of trying to follow strict fashion rules
• Grit and Glamour Meet Amanda of Amanda Deer Jewelry
• Holier than Now Rethinking a previously rejected look
• Hundy & Undy Casual doesn't have to be so casual
• Market Publique Market Publique & ModCloth auction vintage beachwear to benefit disaster victims
• M.I.S.S. Interview with IFB founder Jennine Jacob
• On the Racks Finding summer outfit inspiration in the strangest of places
• Style with Benefits Father's Day stylish gift guide by Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man in America
• Stylish Thought How to ban boring business attire from your work wardrobe
• Tale Teller What famous designers said about fashion
• The Greyest Ghost Art meets fashion at the Whitney's 2010 Art Party
• The Seventeen Magazine Project One high school senior lives by the dictates of Seventeen Magazine for 30 days
• Tog and Trappings Les flâneurie: How observation of life can inspire creativity

Pourquoi Pas?

Why not grab a cab to the city in your cutest outfit? Sit outside sipping an iced coffee and capture some summer sun while donning the persona of your favorite Sex and the City gal!

Don't forget the giveaway for your own NYC Life ends Soon!! Enter HERE!!

Angelina's is Heaven

While visiting Paris a couple weeks ago, my Mother and I ventured upon a lovely bakery boasted by a friend of hers to have the best hot chocolate...in the world! This being a pretty large statement, we were of course intrigued to give it a shot. So on the rainy last day of our Parisian adventure we strolled past the Louvre, down the Rue de Rivoli, and into the beautiful restaurant called Angelina.

The interior was beautifully decorated and made you feel like you were slipping into a restaurant for a long lunch back in the days when people still wore hats and gloves as everyday items. Welcomed by a grand staircase, a grand piano, and of course a little patisserie full of their wonderful pastries that you can take to-go!

After being seated we ordered Le Chocolat Chaud L'ancienne also called "L'african" with deux croissants and un cafe. The waiter came with our breakfast on a silver platter (literally) and the presentation added even more to this wonderful experience. The hot chocolate comes in 3 carafes, melted chocolate, cream, and milk. You get an empty cup to mix in the ingredients as you see fit and then a bowl of whipped cream (Creme Chantilly) to add a dollop on top for the topper.

The mix was actually plenty for two full cups of hot chocolate. AND being that it was morning, coffee was definitely a necessity, but we added some of the melted to chocolate to the cafe for a wonderful mocha! All in all it was a great girl's breakfast, and followed by a trip to see the Monet's at L'orangerie, my Mother was in Heaven! I read a sign on the way out that talked about Angelina's history since it was founded in 1903, and it has served the likes of Coco Chanel herself along with a plethora of other designers that I would have drooled to have dined with!

Now you have a stopping point on your next Paris trip mes cheries!

Introducing: The Blush Label

I officially have the new line for Embellished up and running. Welcome to The Blush Label darlings, a high line level of chicness. Each piece has been carefully designed and executed to exude elegance. Most pieces are made with hand picked vintage French material which was very fun shopping for in hidden vintage stores, and all pieces have been hand sewn with care.

Pulling inspiration from pop culture, history and everything in between,

I hope you revel in the beauty of Blush.

*all photos property of Embellished please do not use w/o permission*

There's even more to check out on Embellished, go take a stroll!

What do you think mes cheries?

Links a la Mode

Discover new blogs full of fun Fashionspiration darlings!

Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup, June 17th

Posted by holierthannow • June 17th, 2010 • Printer-friendly

You, Only Better

Edited by: Ann Colville Somma of Holier than Now

It’s a strange culture we live in: we’re always told Just be yourself!, yet the bestseller list is chock-full of self-help books and memoirs depicting radical change. Finding the balance between total transformation and chilling in our pajamas is difficult, but that’s why I love the blogosphere. Here, inspiration is served up one manageable bite at a time. Want to save the world? Start with vintage beachwear – the purchase benefits disaster victims. Hoping your man evolves into a sharp-dressed diaper-changer? Let’s begin with a chic- and sustainable- Dad’s day gift. Looking for your dream job? Take baby steps by revamping your work wardrobe and taking notes from inspiring entrepreneurs.

Links à la Mode: June 17th

• A la Modest A Uniform Response to Chaos: Janelle Monáe
• Amateur Couture Art-inspired looks
• Awakened Aesthetic Men are notoriously hard to shop for… these gifts are all sustainable.
• Despising Life is So Passe A reminder that no gain is found without work put forth
• Dramatis Personae 10 Things Carrie Bradshaw Taught Me About Fashion
• Fabulous Finds Karl Lagerfeld says the crowd at AMfar is real and Oscar fashion is fake
• Fassonaburu Vyque looks back at five months of trying to follow strict fashion rules
• Grit and Glamour Meet Amanda of Amanda Deer Jewelry
• Holier than Now Rethinking a previously rejected look
• Hundy & Undy Casual doesn’t have to be so casual
• Market Publique Market Publique & ModCloth auction vintage beachwear to benefit disaster victims
• M.I.S.S. Interview with IFB founder Jennine Jacob
• On the Racks Finding summer outfit inspiration in the strangest of places
• Style with Benefits Father’s Day stylish gift guide by Esquire’s Best Dressed Real Man in America
• Stylish Thought How to ban boring business attire from your work wardrobe
• Tale Teller What famous designers said about fashion
• The Greyest Ghost Art meets fashion at the Whitney’s 2010 Art Party
• The Seventeen Magazine Project One high school senior lives by the dictates of Seventeen Magazine for 30 days
• Tog and Trappings Les flâneurie: How observation of life can inspire creativity

Happy Father's Day

I hope all the Father's are having a wonderful day of breakfast in bed, filled with gifts and family hugs! I was so happy to get to see my dad when my parents visited me a couple weeks ago in Paris. I am just like my Dad in many, many ways and it is hard to not be able to go have dinner with him and just hang out. I will Skype him today of course and his present will unfortunately arrive a few days late, its just so hard with an ocean in between. I will be able to spend mucho quality time with him and the rest of the fam in a few short months and will be very happy too!

My Dad is my role model in so many ways, and I highly respect his opinions and experiences. He has traveled almost everywhere on this planet and is still not done, I definitely get my wandering soul from Him. So this post is for your Dad, I love you so much and couldn't have come all the way to France and done anything else in my life without your love and support. I cannot wait to see you at home again!

Happy Father's Day