Mary Frances handbags....... and my favorite shoes.

While in the beginning stages of an overdue closet purge, I came across a few of my older Mary Frances handbags that are definitely not on the purge list. Then I thought I would go take a look at her new ones, anything to delay being purge-decisive and something definitely more fun. You might want to go pick a couple of your favorites as well and add them to your wish list. I have gifted Mary Frances purses (what we call handbags and clutches here in Canada) a few times and can tell you it is always a special gift choice to give or receive. Looking at pretty purses got me thinking about my all-time favorite pair of dress shoes that I have had for several years now. I wear them any chance I get, which isn't nearly enough. I almost feel I should apologize to them.

Mind you, I do get almost as much pleasure looking at my Lualdi shoes as I do wearing them. They are one of my most comfortable heels which is saying alot these days and with the mix of chartreuse, blue, pink, gold, rust and............

                                                                                           

................an unexpected red heel, these Italian beauties go with just about anything in my closet. You can see they have been well-worn..........

..........and they are certainly well-loved. I am sorry I don't wear you more.

Top images from Mary Frances/Bottom 3 photos by Sande Chase ~ A Gift Wrapped Life

My Gorgeous File ~ every Monday

Roger Vivier ~ Haute Couture 2009

Dior Haute Couture

I keep a blog photo file simply called Gorgeous. It's full of all things I find gorgeous, girly-girl, pretty, glamorous, inspiring, and in their fanciful manner they often lift my spirits on Monday when I open my files for the upcoming week. So I've decided to gather these together in a random fashion every Monday to share their sheer beauty in the hopes they will do the same for you. We all need a little of that! I've had my eye on this little Dior Haute Couture number for many months, it was one of the first fashion photos I posted on my blog sidebar a few months back. I simply think it is one of the loveliest creations I have ever seen. So does everyone else, the frothy creation has practically become iconic for a number of reasons. You must pick up the latest issue of Vanity Fair and see the photo spread with actress Emily Blunt (of Devil Wears Prada fame) wearing all manner of haute couture. Not only does the photography by Michael Roberts take your breath away in all it's feminine glory, the article written by A.A. Gill makes a valid larger-picture point to the place of couture in these dismal times. He also answers a fashionable question.....Why do men's and women's buttons do up differently?

Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci . Lace Fan by Defrise ~ Paris

This photo didn't make the Vanity Fair issue but it is on their website. Note the exquisite court-like shoes by Roger Vivier with the fanciful pink bird detail shown in glorious detail above. You must go to the Roger Vivier website {click here} the interactive website is worth a visit. This link will bring you directly to the Haute Couture section where you can watch how the shoe-and-purse illustrations of creative director Bruno Frisoni turn into finished product. Just click on any of the illustrations. Then visit another visual treat on the same site.... the Ines Little Diaries written by Ines de la Fressange and follow her video shopping diary. The former- model-then-turned muse to Karl Lagerfield at Chanel is now the brand ambassador to Roger Vivier and takes you along as she explores hidden shop gems located on Paris streets a bit off the beaten track. The direct link didn't work so just watch the right corner of this interactive site on the main page to see a page corner flip over and then click to get to her section.

Emily Blunt reclines in suggestive style wearing a Christian Lacroix frock (saying dress just seems so inadequate in this case) on a settee that captured my attention. Note the silk flowers and you are going to see a theme here that I can't help but notice going in more than a few stylish directions. I love it when that happens.

Ingrid at Fashion Is My Muse has been blogging about the historical use of lace. She must love this delicate Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci. I have a feeling we're going to see more lace, floral, and petals......maybe ribbon?


When I saw the satin ribbon, the rose quartz , the delicate lace-like creation from jewelry designer Ranjana Khan....I knew I was going to have to borrow this incredible necklace photo from Judith over at the blog Paris Atelier to sit amongst all these lovelies. I don't think she will mind, she shares gorgeous so well.

It isn't just the couture that makes this photo shoot so incredibly perfect. The talented Vanity Fair Senior Style Editor Jessica Diehl deserves a loud but ladylike round of applause for locating the perfect backdrop located in Le Raincy outside of Paris, but putting those chairs in a random fashion...... a stroke of styling brilliance.


Do you see a connection? Exquisite paper flowers by paper artist Jo Lynn Alcorn adorned this staircase setting by designer Amy Lau in this year's Kip's Bay Showhouse in New York. She worked with designer Amy Lau and Maya Romanoff Wallpapers to create this floral application that has everyone going crazy at this year's designer showhouse. The showhouse is open until May 13th.

Though based in New York, paper artist Jo Lynn Alcorn does a great deal of work in Japan where they have a cultural affinity for her paper creations. Visit her website {click here} to see more of her incredible art.

Though she works in vibrant colour as well (see her green flowers for the Harper's Bazaar-Japan cover in her portfolio) I love her white or tone-on-tone renditions, here's a daisy creation backdrop she did for a Marc Jacobs ad campaign.

I saw this photo on the blog French Blue today {click here to read more}. She has paper art on her radar (and her beautiful blog banner) so her blog is always full of this gorgeous craft. Paper artist and teacher Jeffery Rudell did these fanciful wigs in handmade French paper for the Tiffany window "Queen for a Day" displays in New York. I'll see if I can find out more about his "papercut" talent.

"Couture is a promise to the future from the past: There will be entrances and orchestras again, carriages and candelabra again, parties and seasons again. Throughout the history of civilization, doom, doldrums, depression, and disaster have descended to paint the town gray. But they will also recede, leaving little but a shudder. What is left, what abides, is beauty.

A.A. Gill - Vanity Fair ~ May 2009

Metallic Luxe

I have a fabulous pair of fairly high, brushed silver metallic shoes with a delicate ankle strap that I wear to death. I'm not know for a delicate foot or ankle and I'm a bit mature in age, so the ankle strap originally put me off. Beautiful, but not so lovely when I'm on the floor with the ankle strap around my head, I'm not known for a graceful glide either. It was likely the sale price that eventually changed my mind, my Italian soles have paid for themselves many times over and are my most comfortable dress-up shoes, ankle strap and all. What's my point? Well, neutrals can go the distance and other than that.............. I just wanted to tell you about my favorite shoes! But this is a gift wrapping blog so lets just say they inspired me to experiment with a metallic presentation for new product which just arrived.

Metallic gift wrap, either gold or silver, is another "neutral" gift wrap choice that might be worth stocking up on. I tend to think of gold or silver when the wrapping needs to be more conservative or during the holidays, but also tend to think I was wrong. I'm guessing that most of us put the metallic gift wrap away with the Christmas tree, and back out it comes next December. I used a soft pink ribbon to coordinate with new product, but I can see the gold with a bevy of pastel colours that might be otherwise too sweet for some. Picture the gold (or silver)with pastel blue, lavender, peach, or aqua and you can see how too-sweet becomes most elegant. Adding a bow on this presentation somehow didn't feel right, so I experimented with a layered ribbon treatment that cooperated nicely. I like the effect and will figure out how to show you this very simple technique in an upcoming post. In the meantime, try something you think won't work..........it may be a lovely surprise.

Top Photo from P. Archard/ Bottom photo by Sande Chase/Product by OoohlalaCadeau