Tartan Tidings

Here comes Santa!! I've made myself wait until after Thanksgiving to get super pumped for Christmas, and it's finally here!! I always associate tartan with Christmas. It's definitely applicable for other parts of the year, but totally in vogue right now.

Want some tartan on the cheap? Check out this skirt at Forever21. This can definitely get school girl like, but when it's shaped like a pencil skirt, there are no worries:

Gap definitely jumped on the tartan bandwagon for Christmas. Here's a piece from the collection. The little ruffles on the placket add just the right amount of girl:Oh Ralph Lauren, you sure love your tartan. Who knew it could be so sexy? (at Bloomingdales)How badly do you want to be in that chaise right now? Especially if you're here where I am on a rainy cold day like today. I'll take 2 scoops of sugar in that tea, thank you!Such an inviting set-up. I could totally eat some pot roast at that table right now.I really love this lamp. It has just the right amount of juxtaposition with the tartan shade and the glam crystally base.

Hope every one's getting a head start on their Christmas decorating!

I Hear Jingle Bells!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is in full force. Everyone knows I'm having a peacock Christmas, but there are sooo many options for decorating. I loooove to decorate for the holidays. Unfortunately, there's a lot of people out there who take it to the extreme and sadly become tacky. (Emily we had a neighbor like this, no?) In addition, you don't always have to use red, green, and white. Not saying you can't, but just wanted to let everyone know there are other options. Like pink!
Will everyone forgive me if I don't post fashion pictures? I'll blame it on the turkey from yesterday. Actually, I lied. Wear this pink/black Jill Stuart Bustier Dress to your holiday party. Now. (from Bloomingdales) SO chic!

Luxy Leather

Don't worry, this entry isn't going to be all about leather couches and purses. There's definitely other uses for this fabric, and I'm not about to let you miss out on them. Let's start with interiors.

I hadn't heard of this before, until my interior decorating teacher told me about this. Leather tiles for your floor. Crazy! But it actually looks awesome. The only time I've ever seen this put into action was at the hotel I told you about, Gild Hall. Here's another example:

Looks like hardwood, right? Genius.

This leather bed would totally make me dream of royalties all night long:
I have been gaga over this chair for quite some time. It's definitely very manly, which oddly enough is one of my favorite design trends. The first time I saw this Herman Miller inspired chair was in a magazine that answered the question of finding an attractive lazy boy alternative. It'd say it's attractive, in fact I'm thinking about asking him out:

By the way, Herman Miller definitely designed some awesome chairs. I feel like I missed the boat on this whole thing, but of the many chairs I love, they designed most of them!

Leather has always been popular, but has recently exploded in the fashion industry as far as motorcycle jackets go. I think Mike & Chris have really done an awesome job at recreating the leather jacket. They've used leather in a way that normally is used by wool, cotton, etc.

Btw, remember this girl from America's Next Top Model?? I forget her name?

Here's another example of what I'm talking about. A sweet skirt downplayed with leather(by Geren Ford):

And finally, leather doesn't always have to be in blacks/grays/browns. Have some fun (courtesy of my lover, J.Crew):

Let's Be Thankful for Design

With Thanksgiving only 2 days away, it's time to think about what we are all thankful for. Me? Fashion, Interior Design, and blogs!! Just kidding, the usual; awesome friends, amazing family, and the best significant other ever. (and Luigi, my little pom) I'm here to rescue anyone who may either be hosting a party and needs some design inspiration and/or has no clue what to wear for the big feast (and it doesn't include elastic waist pants).

This tablescape is something a little less traditional and way more modern. For some reason, I have a fascination with figs. Don't ask me why.

Here's something a little more traditional. I loooove the idea of using newspaper for place mats (also very economical) and the use of books to add height with the pumpkins.
I could honestly make a career out of tablescapes. They're so much fun to create. In fact, here's one of my Thanksgiving set-ups for (everyone knows it) my Wine and Make your Own Pizza Party:
Now for what to wear. Don't worry, since I put the nix on the elastic pants, I'm not going to suggest a skin-tight dress either. Besides being thankful on Thanksgiving, it's also a time to shamelessly eat your own body weight. I stuck to easy "mall" stores in case you need to grab your outfit at the last minute. Here are some suggestions:

What better occasion than Thanksgiving to wear this J.Crew blouse in cinnamon spice:

I still haven't added a dropped-waist dress to my wardrobe, yet. This one from Banana Republic is super cute and allows some extra belly growth room for all your dinner:

I've been very intrigued by the cape trend lately, and am considering giving this one a try from Gap. At $68, why not? Throw it on over your cute little Thanksgiving outfit and wear it again on Black Friday; they're great for shopping since they're not restricting!
That's all I've got! I'd love to know what you're thankful for!

Another Match!

This blonde chic from the September issue of Real Simple is totally coming through for me with this matching business. Check it out:

There's something so regal about purple and gold together. Sign me up! I agree with the comment on the interior photo (from an Oprah Home magazine which she doesn't publish anymore; it was surprisingly awesome?!) A dark purple is a great backdrop and is applicable to the model's outfit. The dark purple turtleneck beautifully showcases the gold chains. With that said, I'm off to look for some purple in my closet.

The Chicness That is Black and Gold

If you recall, in last Friday's post I mentioned my love for black and gold. Of course this got my wheels turning about some interiors. I'm designing a space in our now clutter-free basement for my home studio/office. I'm leaning towards using black and gold with accents of ivory and a certain shade of green who's name escapes me at the moment. I'll definitely be posting my progress on the redesign. Anyway, back to today's post. Black and gold, ahhh sooo pretty:

Love this door knob!I wish I had a convex mirror :( They're so expensive!

I could totally see this office on Wall Street:

And now for the fashion. Milly is quickly climbing their way to the top of my fav designers list. Look at this amazing dress. I would LOVE to wear this for a holiday party. There's no doubt that I will be stalking Neiman Marcus' website for the sale. Click here to check out the back of it. (btw check out the sale section for Milly's peacock collection!)

This is still in my shopping cart. I don't know what to do, since it's a little pricey. I can't stop thinking about this clutch. It's by Anya Hindmarch and it's from her Fall 08 collection. I know I would use this for every special event possible:

Who doesn't love David Yurman? If I could afford his lovely baubley rings, I'd have one for each finger:

Have an awesome weekend everyone! And wear some black and gold if possible.

Fashion and Interior Match

Check out my latest interior design/fashion match! I really love gray and orange together. Gray is such a soothing color, and the perfect back-drop for a pop of orange.

P.S. I still love high-waisted pants. Always will.

Parisian Design

Though I love Italy more than anyone could imagine, I have to say I am completely enamored with Parisian designs, both interior and fashion. I have 11 more months before I am off to my honeymoon there and cannot wait. I'm already planning outfits in my head. Ridiculous, I know.

I could spend all day looking at Parisian street fashion. It really is true how effortlessly fashionable these women are.

Even the little ones are insanely chic! I still haven't purchased this book yet, and I'm not quite sure why? You cannot come across a Parisian's house without a chandelier somewhere in the house. It's just impossible.

Let's all take a moment of silence to admire this room. I am awe-struck:

Lily's Living Space

I am soooo excited! My very first decorating job complete! (it still counts even though it was for my good friend, Lily, and that I didn't get paid) I hope she doesn't kill me for posting the before pic, but in her defense, the space came with all the furniture when she moved in. Check it out:I don't know why the picture came out so tiny, sorry! A major dilemma we had with this space was Moose's monstrosity of a dog crate. It was definitely an eye sore. I came up with a creative solution to hide it. We stuck it in the other corner, where guests don't normally enter the room, and put a small bookcase and chair in front of it. Wallah, no more dog crate! In addition, Lily had painted one accent wall a beautiful shade of blue. If you know Lily, you know her personality is very colorful and bold, so we decided to really convey that by painting the whole room blue, and leaving the wall at the t.v. tan. I think it came out awesome. The third element we needed to address was that she needed room for all her plants to come in for the winter. The living room receives the most light, which meant they all needed to live there. I love how they add to the look!

I can't take all the credit, Lily had a lot of creative input as well. I just kept her on track! (Lily, do you recall the pink mirror argument?) I also have to give her props for taking the photos. She did great! Here are some additional pics of her new space!

Pictured below is a reading corner we decided to create. The space is extremely long, so it's always a great idea to create little separate living spaces within a large one. It's also great to pull up when extra guests come to visit.

Lily found this beautiful rug from Anthropologie and I knew it had to go in this room:
Can you find the dog crate?

Lily had a really awesome desk that wasn't in the best possible area before. We created a little work area, without it being totally removed from the space:

Of course I had to think of an outfit that conveyed the same vibe as Lily's Living Space and here she is:Thanks again to Lily for letting me come into her home and letting me practice!

Tendenza Fashion & Interiors

Back in the summer, I blogged about the opening of my company, Folino Design. WELL, since then things have changed a bit. After much thought about the business, I've decided to open Tendenza Fashion and Interiors. This is my logo!:
Tendenza means "trend" in Italian. The company is basically a spin-off of Fashionable Interiors. I plan on marketing myself locally as an interior decorating company, but in addition, opening an online boutique selling apparel and home goods next year! So excited!! This will be my website: http://www.tendenzafi.com/. Let me know what you think of the logo! Be sure to check back tomorrow for photos of my first job as an interior decorator!

Somethin's Fishy

Fish scale patterns are so interesting. They have that scalloped feature to them that adds just the right amount of texture. And lucky for us here at Fashionable Interiors, it's a pattern that's applicable to both of my favorite worlds. Check it out: Such a beautiful ring. How have a gone through life without it??

I would have preferred this purse to have better hardware action, but nonetheless, cute.

I heart black and gold. I don't know what it is about this color combo, but I constantly find myself gravitating towards it.

I practically live in flats all week. I think I could get some serious mileage outta these babies:

Now for some interior elements. I swear, any possible accent pillow you can dream up, it's out there:

I believe this wall covering is something that's used more often on the exterior of a home. How awesome is this idea to use it as wallpaper?

I was so excited when I found this chair. It's almost like a mullet; serious in the front, party in the back:

This floor covering is really interesting. I'd prefer to use it in a small space, like a powder room. Also would be great in a beach house.

Have a great weekend everyone!