Polyvore & Courtney from Barefoot in Boston

Speaking of raising the bar, I've showcased a number of recipes from Courtney and she's still my favourite chef although I'm starting to feel strong enough with my cooking to branch out a bit.  Her meals are delicious, made with easy to find ingredients, healthy... and I'm going to reveal something here... I've lost 25 lbs.  So you can imagine why I'm a big fan.  However, there is more to Courtney than just her cooking.  She's a beautiful woman with impeccable taste in everything.  Through her blog I recently found out about Polyvore.  Surprisingly I wasn't really aware of it before.  Her taste in clothing is showcased here and once again it's done with taste and style. 

A Lady of Leisure by Court1127

What time is it? #5 with Classic Accessories for Gwyneth

I watched "A Perfect Murder" the other night and admired the classic, elegant style of Gwyneth Paltrow's character in the movie.  Classic tailored shirts, cashmere, suede, shearling and great accessories.

Cartier Tank Watch

Mikimoto Pearl Necklace

Tiffany's Diamond Solitaire Stud Earrings

Classic Hermes Black Kelly Bag

Tiffany's Diamond Solitaire Necklace

Hermes Silk Scarf

A Perfect Murder - 1998

Directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. It is supposedly a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, though the characters' names are all changed, the characters of Halliday and Swann are combined. Loosely based on the play by Frederick Knott, the screenplay was written by Patrick Smith Kelly.

Excerpted from Wikipedia

Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Douglas

This movie has enormous style both in decor and in costumes.  I love the style of Gwyneth’s character and love the international decor of their New York penthouse apartment.  The entire set was a sound stage with panoramic images all around that they altered for different times of the day.  All of the marble in the apartment is photocopied images of real marble that they used to make it look real.  It certainly fooled me.  The art work are reproductions designed to look like the real thing.  (There must be some really good forgers in Hollywood).  It's really well done.  It's an interesting twist to the Alfred Hitchcock Dial M for Murder movie, with a more updated and current feel.  I'd love a walk through her wardrobe for this film. The costume designer for this film is  Colleen Atwood who also designed the clothes for Angelina Jolie in the tourist.  She can redo my wardrobe anytime.

Different Take on Tradition

Speaking of Grace Kelly – this is a different version of the traditional Kelly bag...

The handbag is created from a calfskin and covered with wicker. The name of this new super-expensive exclusive bag is “Picnic Kelly”. Even though the handbag looks like a picnic bag it has a significant lack: it is very heavy due to the natural wicker.

Except from HQ Replica.com

Wardrobe Updates - Hérmes Scarf

I’ve decided I need a scarf to go along with my new Birkin…

Ever wonder why a Hérmes scarf is so expensive?  Each scarf is crafted using a multi-step process that can require up to 800 hours of engraving and thousands of colors in a single scarf.

This one in particular I love.  Look closely at the diamond patterns in the centre of the scarf. 

Hérmes

Wardrobe Updates – The Ultimate Hérmes Handbag

A timeless classic…

Hérmes Birkin 35 cm handbag Leather Black

“The bags are handmade in France by expert artisans. The company's signature saddle stitching, developed in the 1800s, is another distinctive feature. Each bag is hand-sewn, buffed, painted, and polished, taking several days to finish. An average bag is created in 48 hours. Leathers are obtained from different tanners in France, resulting in varying smells and textures. Because of the individual craftsmanship, other details of the bags may not all match. The company justifies the cost of the Birkin bag, compared to other bags, based on the meticulous craftsmanship and scarcity.” – quote from Wikipedia

Too expensive for me I'm afraid.  I'll just add this to the "Only In My Dreams" listing.

That said, if you’ve ever really examined their leather goods and other products you can see why Hermes consider themselves artisans.  They’re products are beautifully made with only the best materials.  They’ve developed a new style recently since bringing on Jean-Paul Gaultier whose last show was Spring 2011 ready-to-wear.  I’ve never been a huge fan of his, but I will admit that some of the new artistic looks for the ads are really amazing.   These ads pay homeage to the artisan tools it takes to create these products and have a Zorro like theme that I thought would tie in nicely with the last post.

all ads - Hérmes

There is an interesting history or profile for Hérmes on New York fashion magazine.