Summer at Tiffany…the book

fashionlawyerblog.com

One thing I love to do when I have time alone is curl up and read a good book. Since, today, my bedroom serves as my “boudoir”, I usually lie in my bed to read. In my dream (and hopefully near future) boudoir (of my very own), I would lie upon something like one of these to read my book or magazine of choice:

urbanoutfitters.com

ballarddesigns.com

This past year, on a trip to Half Price Books, I was walking down the aisle of thousands of books and it was as though the heavens opened up and shone light upon a little blue book (ok, I have to admit, realistically it was probably the “Tiffany-blue” cover that caught my eye). I excitedly pulled the book from the shelf and read the title, “Summer at Tiffany”. What? Could it be? Judging the book by its cover (which I am known to do), it may as well have jumped off the shelf and into my basket. I knew this book was meant just for me.

harpercollins.com

I have to say this was one of those books that I wanted to pick up during every spare moment. It is a true story about a young lady, Marjorie Hart (who is also the author), and her best friend, Marty Garrett’s, summer that they spent away from Iowa to experience New York City where they landed jobs at Tiffany & Co. The story takes place in 1945 and is the next best thing to a time machine for those of us who are captivated by that era and all things Tiffany & Co.

Marjorie Hart harpercollins.com

Sketch of Tiffany & Co. harpercollins.com

Marty and Marjorie harpercollins.com

Here are two fun excerpts from the book:

The choices were staggering when you worked at Fifth Avenue and Fifty-seventh Street, the luxury corner of the world. A glance first at Mainbocher’s entrance (in case the duchess was in town), then to Bonwit’s, and Bergdorf’s, on to the rare-instrument shops, or to read The New Yorker in the lobby of the St. Regis Hotel. Also there was Sheila’s friend who worked at Saks Fifth Avenue. The day we heard that she’d been propositioned by the manager, we couldn’t run there fast enough to check him out. Ohmygosh! He was fat, bald and old……..

Tiffany & Co. sketch harpercollins.com

……..THAT BIG CHANCE came the next afternoon when Mr. Hutchison carefully handed me a long, black velvet case. “They’re waiting for this in the Pearl and Diamond room,” he said, quietly.

Thrilled, I proudly made my way to the paneled door and entered the private vestibule. When I pressed the button on the elevator panel, it opened and I stepped inside. Not since I’d learned to drive had I felt that kind of power. After I pressed the “up” button, the door closed, and the elevator began to ascend. I reached in my bag for the case. I snapped it open……

Marty and Marjorie with their soldier dates harpercollins.com

Marjorie Hart, now 83, went on to hone her skill as a cellist. She went on to a profession in education at University of San Diego, where she was the chairman of the Fine Arts Department. She now resides in La Mesa, California. See more at summerattiffany.com or  harpercollins.com.

Marjorie Hart harpercollins.com

Summer at Tiffany is currently available in hardback only, but will be released in paperback in April 2010. This is the perfect book for a good boudoir read and looks so very pretty with its “Tiffany-blue” cover set upon the bookshelf once you’re finished.

chair…chaise…καρέκλα…sedia…стул…silla…椅子

No matter the country in which you reside, a fabulous chair is a fabulous chair and, oh, I do love what I am about to share. A creation of two things I adore…a chiavari chair and lucite/acrylic furniture.

Chiavari Chair

thechivaricompany.com

+ Lucite/Acrylic

plexi-craft.com


= LUCITE CHIAVARI CHAIR!!!

perchneworleans.blogspot.com

I first found this lucite chiavari chair on perch-home.com, which is a lovely store in New Orleans (more on this at a later date…this place is fabulous). There is also a nice selection of lucite/acrylic furniture at plexi-craft.com and and a wide array of chiavari chairs at the thechivarichaircompany.com.

perchneworleans.blogspot.com

These chairs would be lovely anywhere in your home, but especially in one’s boudoir!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

On a recent emergency trip to my local Costco for bacon (yes…I said, “emergency trip for bacon”…to my husband, if you’re out of bacon it’s an emergency), I came across one of those fabulous “treasure hunt” finds that Costco is famous for. In the center of the warehouse was a road show with mostly art, but they also had these spectacular Venetian-style mirrors. They would be perfect for a boudoir.

Venetian Mirror at Costco

I’ve been eyeing a new mirrored vanity and I don’t know if I love the mirror that matches it. Since that mirror is sold separately, I’m thinking of going back to Costco to get this one instead (see above). Hopefully it’s still there when I go back, because it is a good deal. It is being sold at Costco for $299. Comparable mirrors that I’ve found online can run up to almost $1,000, although I have found some that are decently priced (see some of the neimanmarcus.com photos below).

Here are some of the other mirrors that they had (sorry for the poor photo quality…they were taken with my BlackBerry):

$299

$199

$149

And here are some that I found online at neimanmarcus.com:

$965 neimanmarcus.com

$295 neimanmarcus.com

$299 neimanmarcus.com

$795 neimanmarcus.com

Olive Oyl Royale (part II)

This is a continuation of the post from January 6, 2010 titled Olive Oyl Royale (part I). Below I have listed many additional nautical looks that range from Old Navy to Louis Vuitton.

Chanel elle.com

Chanel elle.com

louisvuitton.com

louisvuitton.com

victoriasecret.com

ralphlauren.com

ralphlauren.com

Louis Vuitton elle.com

lanebryant.com

katespade.com

katespade.com

oldnavy.com

gap.com

Jessica Simpson Collection elle.com

katespade.com

nautica.com

Jessica Simpson Collection elle.com

fablesbybarrie.com Hampton Suit

fablesbybarrie.com Hampton Suit

fablesbybarrie.com Yacht Suit

fablesbybarrie.com Sailor Suit

fablesbybarrie.com Sailor Suit

Even without these modern day nautical looks, Olive Oyl still won her man. It just goes to show you that good looks and fashion alone won’t get you where you need to be, but a good soul does it every time (the good looks and clothes won’t hurt though, right?) 😉

Who’s that handsome sailor?

I will exit today with this fun fact…

One of the actresses who voiced Olive Oyl’s cartoon was Mae Questel, who also provided the voice for Betty Boop (who was no shabby looking sailorette herself).

Mae Questel wikipedia.com

Betty Boop stamp-search.com

La Vie en Rose

Call it what you want…snow globe, music box, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it is fabulous and I love it. This was a gift from my best friend (since the fourth grade) so it is very special, and it compliments my boudoir perfectly. She purchased it a few years back at (you probably guessed it by the pink and black) Victoria Secret.

L.O.V.E. it!

It plays La Vie en Rose (which is French for “life through rose-colored glasses”). La Vie en Rose was made popular by Edith Piaf in 1946, but my favorite version is by Marlene Dietrich.

Marlene Dietrich

Olive Oyl Royale (part I)

In 1919 when Olive Oyl first donned her gold bauble earrings, red sweater, yellow striped black skirt and brown boots (the prequel to Uggs), she probably never guessed nautical fashion for women could be so glamorous. Although, I’m sure today her heart would be throbbing (like mine) for the nautical looks that are coming this spring.

Olive Oyl

I must say that regardless of the seasonal “trend”, I always adore a classic nautical look. It really is a timeless style that has been worn throughout the ages, from Coco Chanel to Brigitte Bardot and Goldie Hawn to Gwen Stefani.

Coco Chanel (Chanel by Francois Baudot)

Brigitte Bardot (imtheitgirl.com)

Goldie Hawn in Overboard (solarnavigator.net)

Gwen Stefani

In the mail yesterday, I received the January 2010 issue of Elle magazine. The Elle Fashion First Look on pages 31 and 32 inspired me to write this post and share with you both looks from the magazine as well as some others that I’ve found. Here is a teaser of what is to come. Check back for more looks in my next post “Olive Oyl Royale (part II)”.

First Look (Elle Jan. 2010 p.31)

Chanel bracelet (elle.com)

Harajuku Lovers leather slingback (elle.com)

Louis Vuitton golden brass, resin and rope necklace (elle.com)

Madison Harding wooden heel (elle.com)

2010…Year of the Barbie

As a girl, my absolute favorite thing to do was play with Barbie dolls. I would spend hours in my bedroom playing. As an adult, I don’t love Barbie any less, our relationship has just evolved.

Each year it is important to me to find the right calendar. I almost always select one of black and white photography, whether the subject is a city or a celebrity. Although, this year found one in color.

My 2010 choice was the new Barbie calendar. It is full of fashion illustrations by Robert Best.

I bought it at my local Costco warehouse and in the package was one large calendar (that I keep at work) and and one small one (that I keep at home in my boudoir). I can’t seem to find the one I purchased anywhere else, but there is one close to it on calendars.com. There is also a neat Christian Louboutin one on barbiecollector.com.

Here are some of the illustrations for your viewing pleasure.

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Upcycling: Chanel Perfume Bottle to Oil Candle

 

(MyLittleBoudoir.com)

This is a do-it-yourself (diy) project that I thought of a few years back. I had some empty Chanel perfume bottles that I could not bear to throw away (or recycle), so I decided to upcycle them instead and display them in my boudoir. While I would find it perfectly suitable to simply display the empty bottles in ones boudoir, turning them into candles is even more “boudwonderful”!

 

(MyLittleBoudoir.com)

To make the Chanel perfume bottle candle here are the steps to follow:

1.    Wash out empty perfume bottles taking care not to get the labels wet (you may want to tape some plastic over the label to ensure it stays dry)
2.    Purchase some glass wick tubes, wicks (the kind for oil candles) and candle/lamp oil
3.    Using a tiny funnel pour the candle oil into your empty (and dry) perfume bottle
4.    Insert Candle wick holder with wick inside (make sure that the wick is long enough to be fully submerged into the oil so that the wick absorbs the candle oil before burning)
5.    Light the wick and place on table or shelf and enjoy

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A few other reminders:

1.    NEVER leave a lit candle unattended
2.    Always put the candle out (preferably with a snuffer) before leaving the room
3.    Take great care when working with fire and flammable substances

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Enjoy!

Boudoir [boo-dwahr]

I find the name My Little Boudoir perfectly suitable for this blog, which I hope you will adore as I do. You see, all of my life my bedroom has been a very sacred place for me.

As a child, I would stay in my lovely pink floral room for hours (by choice) playing Barbie dolls, baby dolls or dress-up (ok I admit, sometimes it would go there when in a “time out” or to pout {see below}).

my room as a child

As a tween I spent hours listening to cassette tapes gazing at my New Kids on the Block posters.

As a teenager, with my walls plastered in pages torn from Vogue and posters of Marilyn Monroe and Madonna, I spent hours in front of my vanity mirror trying different make-up styles, talking on my phone and looking at books about old Hollywood.

my room as a teenager

Throughout my life, I have cherished the time I spent alone in my bedroom; the place where I could get away from it all and dream about whatever my heart desired.

As an adult though, things changed. I began to have the responsibility of keeping the entire home, a full time career and a family (which also meant sharing my bedroom). I have since come to realize how vital it is for a lady to have her own Boudoir. Yes, I called it a Boudoir. Maybe that sounds pretentious, but I don’t think so at all. To me, it’s part of the dreaminess that comes with having a room of your own. So while I must admit, I still share a room with my husband (which I’m happy about too), I can’t wait for the day when we upgrade to a larger home where I can have a second bedroom all to myself, my little boudoir.

On mylittleboudoir.com you will find posts about the kind of things that I enjoy or daydream about while in my little boudoir. Not all things are done in the boudoir, but while there I think of many things to enjoy outside of the boudoir. Welcome to My Little Boudoir!

In case you’re having trouble envisioning the idea, here are some further definitions (courtesy of Wikipedia.com and Dictionary.com) and some images to get your imagination going. What would your Boudoir look like?

lajoliemaisonette.blogspot.com

Boudoir [boo-dwahr, -dwawr]
[n] – a lady`s bedroom or private sitting room*

Bou·doir” noun [ French, from bouder to pout, be sulky.] A small room, esp. if pleasant, or elegantly furnished, to which a lady may retire to be alone, or to receive intimate friends; a lady’s (or sometimes a gentleman’s) private room.*

1777, “room where a lady may retire to be alone,” from Fr., lit. “pouting room,” from bouder “to pout, sulk,” which, like pout, is probably of imitative origin.*

theparisapartment.blogspot.com

A `boudoir` is a lady’s private bedroom, sitting room or dressing room. The term derives from the French verb `bouder`, meaning `to pout`.*

atlantahistorycenter.com

Historically, the boudoir formed part of the private suite of rooms of a lady, for bathing and dressing, adjacent to her bedchamber, being the female equivalent of the male cabinet. In later periods, the boudoir was used as a private drawing room, and was used for other activities, such as embroidery or entertaining intimate acquaintances.*

theparisapartment.com

*References: Dictionary.com and Wikipedia.com

A little blue box…the way to a woman’s heart (ok, not really, but it helps)

Tiffany & Co. porcelain box

This Tiffany & Co. porcelain box is a lovely gift that I received from a co-worker a few years back. I absolutely love it and have deemed it a must-have for the boudoir. I don’t see that they are still selling this size on the Tiffany & Co. website, but they do have a mini one as well as one made of crystal. Having it displayed in your boudoir evokes that feeling that only a “little blue box” can bring…