EmersonMade | Caftan Delight

I was delighted today when this hand-made cloth bag arrived in the mail. When opened, the entire room at once smelled of lavender and inside with my new divine Butterfly Caftan, there was also a thank you note. Yes, a thank you note! There was nothing this beautiful package from EmersonMade was lacking and the caftan inside [from the EM India Collection] is absolutely everything I expected it to be. Emerson and Ryan Fry—the darling husband and wife team behind EmersonMade—are everywhere lately, including this recent interview in The New York Times T Style Magazine. The company was founded in 2009 and aspires to this simple principle:

EmersonMade is a company that believes in celebrating the uniqueness of the individual, the joy of being alive and all the smallness that makes up the Big Beautiful.

And, everything about this charming Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based company is Big Beautiful. My pick for fall is the Emerson London Coat [modeled here by Emerson] and the Emerson Dude Loafers. Perfection.

Make sure to check-out EM Travel Blog and EM Journal. More Big Beautiful!

Royal Heritage Hotel in Jaipur, India | Ryan and Emerson in India

Inspired | Vintage Costume Jewelry

There wasn't much that captured my attention at the flea-market yesterday until I walked by this area chock-full of large, gaudy necklaces [I like to call Studio 54 jewelry] and I was totally inspired for about an hour. It's the kind of jewelry that bodes well against my favorite caftans, black tees and white man-tailored shirts. These bold, graphic shapes and glossy metals were de rigueur in the era of the Tutankhamen exhibition, which took The Met by storm in 1979.

As the 70's became the 80's, our peasant blouses and Mexican silver bangles were traded for silk blouses and chunky, Monet necklaces. Big and bold was THE look.

The necklace [just above] grabbed my attention because it reminded me of the necklace Jenna Lyons and team spotted at a Massachusetts flea-market recently and re-created for J. Crew [just above, right]. Maybe this was the inspiration! Madame Bijoux's jewelry [Annie Webster, proprietor] can be found at Brimfield [in the Pavilions], and also at Connecticut's popular Elephant's Trunk. She travels to quite a few shows in the summer and fall and then heads to Palm Beach in the winter. Her market is largest in Palm Beach with women between 40-95 "who love to wear these bold, vintage pieces."

Ms. Webster's collection is just incredible with one amazing piece after another. A collector from Essex, MA was busy buying Yves Saint Laurent and the more fancy [signed] vintage pieces.

Iris Apfel is reportedly a big customer and this did not surprise me because Webster's collection is rich in history, creativity and cultural icon-ness. She sells inspired pieces by Kenneth Jay Lane, Nina Ricci, Gucci, Guy LaRoche, Lanvin, Monet, Lacroix, Iradj Mioni, Chanel, and so many more!

I bought the necklace [below] which I love for its circular, graphic design and the fact that it moves as you lean forward. It reminded me of Alexander Calder.


I thoroughly enjoyed this hour of amazement and stroll down a big + bold memory lane.

Note: Ms. Webster does not sell online. If you are looking for something in particular, you can reach her here: 413-222-4041.

Sartorialist Splendor

The Sartorialist blog is an amazing place to go, to look + see. And there, I am always inspired by so much:


a color palette


a composition


a face


a haircut


Lapo-style • mix + match


a designer {Celine}


a smile


a scene


a necklace


a shoe


a pattern


a pose


or a vibe.

Just a small sampling of the images that stopped me in my sartorial tracks recently. I hope you see all there is to see at The Sartorialist.

GLOBE-TROTTING WITH TORY BURCH

I am so looking forward to seeing {and buying} many of the pieces in the upcoming Tory Burch Resort Collection. She seems to get so much, so right—the globe-trotting inspired prints, the vibrant colors, the 70s sensibilities, and advertising shoots that are spot-on to the spirit and genre of her style and brand. The inspiration for this globally-inspired collection came from India and Africa. Necklaces crafted from beads and shells accessorize the silks and chiffons. As Burch expands her stores into Asia, this globe-trotting collection is bound to be a big hit. Just love.

Camel + Bright Blue | Fall + Fashion

The color camel and camel hair coats will continue to be popular this fall. I love the color camel and especially paired with a bright, almost periwinkle blue. It makes me long for the blue, washed-silk shirt I bought years ago at Country Road Australia {Remember that store? They're opening an online boutique soon!} and also for the camel hair coat I wore in the 1970s that my father bought for me from The Darien Sport Shop. What a perfect classic that coat was—paired with a little black dress or worn-in jeans and a crisp white shirt. The revolving fashion wheel returns us to classics over and over again, but sometimes with decades in between.

I am now on the hunt for the color camel and blue combination wherever I can find it—it's a lovely duet that blends the summer perfectly into fall. Here is a little palette of fashion inspiration from around the Internet. And, how about turbans for fall? How utterly fabulous!

And, January Jones in a camel hair coat with a cashmere sweater and an Hermès scarf... just mad perfection!



Photos, courtesty: Garance Dore, French Vogue, J. Crew, Jak + Jill, Sartorialist, and Google images