All in a Day's Work

                   Bookcase organised by colour                                      New boots bought

                 Recently acquired painting hung                              Library books returned

Nicolex

Find Of The Day

This very sweet pink cherend pear from Brisbane boutique Jessie Lauren.

It's $24 over here where there is also a lovely ginger jar I am toying with getting for the kitchen.

Nicolex

At Home: Ali Wentworth

The other night while catching up on some blog reading I enjoyed Fabiana's living room quiz over at Ciao Newport Beach.  Of course I found a favourite which turned out to be from the Washington DC home of Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos.  Naturally I had to go searching for more photos of their home.

Now as previously confessed, I am not a lover of purple but something about this room really works for me.  I love the built-ins, the contrasting white mantle and of course the grey velvet sofa.  The cocktail table is a vintage army cot topped with glass and Ali used fabric dye to create the patterns on the wool rug (just thought you should know this as it's rather ingenious don't you think).

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I love how Moroccan pouffes work just as well in a sophisticated space as they do in a bohemian one.  If you love their look, you can pick them up here in Oz from Ada & Darcy and Table Tonic or from John Derian in the US.

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OK so I personally can't come at all the shells and coral but they are a collection Ali has been adding to since childhood, so I get it.

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Quite a masculine but very warm family room.  I love the wall panelling.

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The other end of the family room.

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There's a lot to love about this dining room - again the built-ins, the wall colour, another beautiful mantle (and is that a Juju hat I spy Louise), the chairs (!), the old table...

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The faux python console was found on eBay.  I seriously heart eBay!

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The chairs in the office are flea market finds.  I think sadly my obsessive personality would not cope with the stuffing falling out of one like that but I want the wall colour for my very own, it's Winter Solstice by Benjamin Moore.   Yet another great mantle adorns this room (that's 4 so far peeps).

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Love the bedside table and upholstered bench seat at the end of the bed here in the main bedroom.

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Ali and her daughter Harper in the living room.

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If like me you missed the original article you can see more pictures and read it here.

Nicolex

Royal Tour Fashion: Day 10

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive for a charity polo match in Santa Barbara earlier today.  Kate is wearing a hand-painted silk dress by Jenny Packham.

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It was LK Bennett again for the shoes (this time the Sliver Sandal in dark taupe) and the now quite familiar Natalie clutch.

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Two different versions of the Jenny Packham dress on the catwalk last year.

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I thought Prince William deserved a special mention here as he does look rather spiffy in his polo gear, don't you think.

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Then in the evening Kate wears Alexander McQueen to a Bafta event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.  

  

  Image from here

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The well-heeled sparkle provided by a pair of silver Jimmy Choo Vamps is bound to silence the the naysayers who have been seriously distressed with some of her mummsy shoe choices to date.  Just for good measure, the Ubai clutch is Jimmy Choo as well.

Now, for those of you who are as exhausted as I am with my royal tour fashion posts (as much as I do love the fashion, it is seriously changing me reporting on this everyday!), rest easy as the tour is almost over!

Phew.

Nicolex

Artist Adoration: Anne Harwell

A few months ago I saw this post on Anne Harwell's blog and thought what a delightful idea to have a painting of the the tiny (5 pews either side is teeny tiny!) chapel we got hitched in by candlelight a couple of years ago.  I wasted no time getting in touch with Anne who was effortlessly easy to work with (seriously people send her the photo and she'll send you the painting) and before too long I was excitedly unwrapping my order.

I'm sure most of you are well acquainted with her fabulous work but just in case you aren't (where have you been?) here are some prints from her etsy store, including the Orange Chair Silhouette that hung on the wall in It's Complicated, (as per Nancy Meyer's request no less!).

I rather like this one too.

Courtney's Favorite Things

Thanks for my lovely painting Anne, I love it and can't wait to have it framed and add it to the picture wall in our room.

Nicolex

Royal Tour Fashion: Day 9

Kate arrived in California wearing a grey Roksanda Ilincic dress which beautifully complimented the red, white and blue posey handed to her by the Governor's wife when they arrived.

Image from here

Image from here

For a reception at the home of the Consul General she changed into easily my favourite outfit of the tour so far - a gorgeous lawn Maja dress by Diane von Furstenberg.  Loved it so much, if it had still been available in my goal (dream?) size I would have bought it tonight here.

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100% silk woven with flat gold-brushed buttons down the back.

 

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Was momentarily tempted to buy it in an even smaller (but available) size (forget dream size we're talking fantasy size) but was fortunately jolted back into reality by the sane thought that it was perhaps a little too much money to put down for a dress I may never (nor should I!) fit into. 

Nicolex

Fashion Friday

This week in fashion:

Brit model Kate Moss married Jamie Hince wearing a wedding dress created by disgraced designer John Galliano.

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Princess Mary and Sophie, Countess of Wessex,  were fashion stand-outs at that wedding in Monaco.

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UK Vogue released this image from a photo shoot with the Crawley sisters from Downton Abbey.

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Leighton Meester was a vision of perhaps too much colour (yes, methinks it is possible) on the set of Gossip Girl while Amanda Peet could probably have used a little more as she attended the Valentino show in Paris.

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Elie Saab launched his fall-winter 2012 couture collection.

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Lady Gaga channelled Marge Simpson at a press conference in Singapore on Wednesday.

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A decidedly casual Katie Holmes launched her clothing label Holmes & Yang at Harvey Nichols in London.

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Emma Watson was whimsical in a Oscar De La Renta frock for the FINAL premiere of a Harry Potter movie in Trafalgar Square before changing into a shorter Elie Saab number for the after party.

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As we know Kate stepped out in Alexander McQueen a couple of days ago BUT that means you have to let me pay homage to Sarah Jessica Parker who wore the same frock in 2006 when her husband received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Sorry to say Kate but Sarah Jessica's navy runs rings around the white (and I did love the white) and then wearing it with those red shoes, well, that's just fabulous.

Nicolex