Think Pink

 I have been obsessed with the color pink lately, all shades of it really. And ever since I saw that picture from Fashion week of That Girl in the hot pink suit I knew I needed to find some perfectly Pink pieces.  Then one day out of the blue, at my local Anthropologie a woman returned this hot pink chiffon maxi skirt in my size. And yup, you guessed it I snatched it right up.

Camilla and I went shopping in Santa Monica this past Friday and stopped off at Zara for some great finds. 

Wearing her new eyelet cropped cami from Free People and denim shirt and jeans from Urban Outfitters.

We found this amazing pink dress and shoes. 

If you are wondering why Camilla is covered in band aids, it's because she took a tumble on her bike, her last week at school.

  Camilla ended up buying these perfect fitting hot pink pants.

And I found the pink blazer I had been looking for in a cotton pique fabric so it almost looks a bit vintage.

 I am also loving my new Navy Leather Jacket my husband picked up for me last weekend at the Alpine Stars sample sale

Sorry, but we had to end by putting up this video from the movie Funny Face.

It was a little too fitting for the post and Kay Thompson's character as the editor of a high fashion magazine was most obviously inspired by Diana Vreeland of Vogue.  

Funny Face 1957

Have a great week

XX

Something old Something new

Just a few of our favorite must have products, some are old stand by's and some are new additions but we love them so much we wanted to share our most favorite products with you.

The Clarisonic face brush is the best for keeping your face smooth and clean. We have been using this brush for about three years and swear by it. It leaves my skin smoother and reduces pores. Believe me it's worth every penny.

This is just about the most amazing product on the market and NOW they have Morocccan oil LIGHT for finer hair. I absolutely love this stuff!  It makes my hair smooth and believe it or not, feel thicker. You need less than a pea size amount to rub through wet hair then style.   I think it's better than all the hair smoothing products out there.

Our newest love are these two nail colors Chanel's "Khaki rose" and Deborah Lippmann "waking up in Vegas". I can not tell you how many complements we have gotten while wearing these. I don't even know which one is better because they both look so great on BOTH of our skin tones and are perfect neutrals for fall.

Have a great day!

 

Feminine Finery

Light, sheer, airy chiffon feminine at it finest. Wear it for every day, mix it with denim.

Chiffon with a baby bump = feminine perfection.

via stockholmstreetstyle

Ruffled and Ruched Chiffon even more lovely.

 These Photos from Stockholmstreetstyle show just how to wear you chiffon in the day. 

 Photo Jamie Nelson photography

Camilla and I did a shoot of this vintage chiffon dressing gown back in December. If you weren't following us then you can see the entire post HERE. We are so loving chiffon right now especially for day wear. To me the perfect chiffon blouse paired with denim or a sheer chiffon long dress or maxi skirt worn with just a body suit (only if you have the body to rock it) or short slip so as to not cover too much skin is the ultimate for summer dressing.

  Available at Free People for $98 is this sheer maxi slip dress. You can get your sheer day wear started without too much cost and not much searching. How cute is this with boots and a short slip?

Well, we know it's been forever since our last post. I guess we needed a little break. Things were very busy for a while and we had family here for a week all packed into our tiny house. So with all that, then the dreaded "June Gloom" took over our tiny beach town with temperatures in the 60's, it felt more like December than July. I guess we fell into a state of shock and took a little Vacation.

I needed to end this post with David Hockney because of his swimming pool paintings that came about on his visit to Los Angeles back in the 60's. With all this "June Gloom" I needed to end with sun and pools.

 "Style is something you can use, and you can be like a magpie, just taking what you want. The idea of the rigid style seemed to me then something you needn't concern yourself with, it would trap you."

David Hockney

Enjoy

XX Valerie and Camilla

Photos via fashiongonerouge, wildfox and knightcat

Q is for Quail

This past Thursday Camilla and I went down to Long Beach to meet Michelle Williams the young and fabulous designer of Quail. We had a complete BLAST with Michelle!  She is such a beautiful girl and inspiration.  We got to hang out, chat and shoot some pieces from her Spring 10 and new Fall line. Then after all that fun she let us in her stock room for a little shopping.

 Michelle started Quail in the Fall of 2007. Her concept?  

"I wanted to design clothing for the everyday girl whose style is ultra feminine with a dash of tomboy grit."  

Since then Quail has grown leaps and bounds. She has accounts coast to coast including Canada, Asia and Europe.

Camilla is modeling the Florette dress in Periwinkle from the Spring collection and is available at Urban Outfitters

An Illustration Michelle has hanging in her studio that her friend drew for a Tee shirt she did a few seasons back. A man is feeding her LIES! We Love it!

Camilla and Michelle in her Studio. Camilla is wearing a dress from Michelle's new Fall collection.

The dress is a silk chiffon with nails printed on that kind of remind me of swords. It is cut so you don't have to wear a bra which is fabulous because I mostly hate bras. There are two layers of chiffon in the front with a sheer back, that almost make the dress look like a flirty skirt and blouse instead, but also very sexy.

Follow the rest of the story with the READ MORE to the left to see  A LOT more of Michelle's studio and her flirty fun line.

Welcome to the weekend

It's been a long time since our last post and we are terribly behind in commenting back to all of you who have left a comment in the last weeks.  Life has been a bit crazed lately and we needed a little break. We have been repainting the house inside and getting our patio and deck ready for summer. Lots of decorating and chaos of stuff all over while we redo the rooms. Family is coming in for a week at the end of the month so we have been in over drive trying to get it all done before they arrive. But we are loving our new little home and looking forward to enjoying the weekend. 

What I'm looking forward too is wearing a beautiful caftan while relaxing on my back patio drinking my morning coffee and listening to the sound birds singing while my kitty's play and roll in the grass.

Caftan and beach cover up from Calypso-Celle. 

I just Love huge sun Hats! I recently read that wearing one makes you look old at the beach. However, I'm afraid to say that it's the beautiful sun that ultimately ages you and a perfectly big straw beach hat is elegant and always fabulous.

The hanging chair and my absolutely favorite coffee cups ever from Anthropologie.

I drink from my V cup every day it's the perfect size for a cup of coffee. 

Dream destination or Heaven if you'd rather.

Last week we visited a talented young designer and shot some pieces of her collection.  We can't wait to share it all with you! We also just received some amazing pieces from another design company that we are planning a photo shoot for. So stay tuned and we promise to comment back to all of you fab bloggers this weekend who thoughtfully left us a note.

Happy weekend

XX Valerie and Camilla

Wonderful WANDERLUST

What is WANDERLUST, you may be asking?
Wanderlust is a clothing company designed in Cambodia by American designer Elizabeth Kiester, and let me tell you it is fun and fabulous and screaming summer. Elizabeth had been working in the fashion industry very successfully as a fashion director for various top magazines and top design companies when she  decided to quit her high fashion job in NY and followed a calling to Cambodia where she opened up SHOP. On top of that she is doing a collaboration with Madewell , it's in stores NOW and selling out fast. I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with her via email where we exchanged fun stories about working in fashion during the 80's and 90's in NYC and hear more about Wanderlust! 
All I can say is she is an awesome inspiration and TOTALLY COOL!

 Here is a bit of our conversation about Wanderlust so you can see for yourself just how cool she is.

So tell me all about Wanderlust!

Well, I don't know where to begin with my story. Its quite a long one, although it's been very short in terms of actual time. I guess I am someone who gets things done.

Well then, how did you end up in Cambodia?

I went to Cambodia initially to do a volunteer vacation through a US based non-profit. I needed a vacation desperately and yet, the idea of sitting on a beach didn't appeal to me. I wanted to do something more and get out of my own head. I was really burning out and so exhausted and spent months circumnavigating the globe for my job.  So off I went to Siem Reap for two weeks and installed water pumps in a rural village, painted a pagoda and taught English in an orphanage, and something inside me changed. It is something i can't explain.

 Inside one of her shops. I have the Wanderlust Jones now and need to get my hands on her cute cotton dresses they are prefect for beach life and summer.
Follow the read more to see and hear the rest of her story!

I GOT TO TALK ON THE PHONE WITH CHANEL IMAN!

Okay so...the craziest, most amazing, most unexpected thing happened to me today! My mom had told me yesterday that Chanel Iman and her mother China, had opened a small boutique called the Red Bag Boutique in Culver City. Because where we live is so close to Culver City, we both decided it would be worth going up to check out their new store. Worth it was right!!! The boutique was just lovely! Filled with vintage finds by both China and Chanel, a good handful of the clothes were either picked out by Chanel herself or were designer pieces that she had been given throughout her career as a model. Some of the clothing even had Chanel's signature on the tags! Since my prom is coming up in two weeks, I thought I might be able to find the perfect earrings with their unique selection. I was looking around and I spotted this ADORABLE lime green mini dress, so I just had to try it on. And as I came out of the dressing room China was on the phone and she says "Here Chanel, I have a girl in the store right now I think you should talk to her." And as she hands me the phone she goes  "She should talk to one of her biggest fans."  I ALMOST DIED!!! Here I am in Chanel Iman's boutique and now I get to talk to my favorite top model ever? On the phone? Like I know her personally? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I answered the phone like a retarded little mouse: "hhheelllooo?" and preceded to tell her how she was my all time favorite model and that I couldn't really believe I was talking to her! Basically I sounded like a little doofy fan...but oh well! She was so gracious and sweet on the phone. She asked me what school I go to and when my prom was going to be and she asked me to leave my information with her mom so she could send me something. AGGAAGAGAAGA!!!AHHH!!! I handed China the phone and just stood there in a state of pure shock!

Although we didn't get the sweet little mini dress, I ended up walking out with earrings for prom that I was really excited about and my mom got a dress that she and I will most likely end up sharing! It was an amazing experience and I drove all the way home on cloud 9! I mean, it's not like you get to have a phone conversation with your most favorite top model every day!

Me right after I got off the phone with Chanel in a state of shock.

 

I have put together a little compilation of photos I have of Chanel

Polkadots & Moonbeams

Saturday Camilla and I went to visit our friend Wendy at her two stores Polkadots & Moonbeams. One is a Vintage store while the other sells new designer clothing and accessories.  I hadn't seen Wendy in a while so when I bumped into her at a friends holiday gathering we had a chance to catch up.  She told me she was really into her Vintage store at the moment, she had recently found some great pieces but what she was really into was taking vintage dresses and shortening them into minis. She said they were selling like crazy and the girls loved them. Plus she was loving picking out the right dresses to alter into the new mini look. I told her about Camilla's and my blog and that we vintage shop all the time but most of the time end up altering the pieces we buy. I thought the idea to be able to shop vintage and have the dresses already cut to fit was brilliant. Wendy also keeps a seamstress on hand at the store to alter what ever you like. Ms. Moonbeam herself as an incredible eye when buying vintage or new so her stores are merchandised impeccably. You defiantly can't walk out without buying something because she covers it all and has prices points to suit every level. Camilla and I loved so many things in both of her stores we had a hard time deciding on what to get and ended up buying two dresses and the cutest little hat ever. So if you are ever in LA you need to stop by Wendy's store, she also has quite a celebrity following like Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon and Demi Moore to name a few.

Welcome to Polkadots&Moonbeams 

 

 

 

 

 

  

All clothing and accessories are from the vintage store. Boots are Camilla's own.

After a few hours in the vintage store we headed up the street to Wendy's  "Modern" store where Camilla found this adorable hat.

 

As you can see the stores are so fun and worth the trip.

Thanks Wendy you are awesome!

 

 

Don't worry we haven't forgot about the give away and we are also playing with  the idea of a shopping site so we will keep you posted.

XX Valerie & Camilla