Touchdown

I’m stuffed with homemade veggie chilli, wings, cornbread and nachos, but I still made room for one of my football cookies...

Pink + Green

The stunning spring blooms in the Four Seasons lobby here in Toronto remind me of a pretty interior by Annie Selkie - it's just so happy and fresh!

Happy a lovely weekend!

Black, White, Floral and Dorothy Draper All Over

It’s no surprise blogland collectively gasped over the amazing Dorothy Draper-inspired wedding decor featured in Elegant Bride -- the black and white striped table cloths, gold flatware, elegant tapered candlesticks, bursting bouquets of blooms and relaxed antique-looking louis chairs were refreshingly creative and unexpected in a world of chiavari chairs and white on white!

While browsing on netaporter, I did a double take upon seeing this  Stella McCartney frock -– it is as if the wedding decor was transposed into dress form!

Inspired by the decor-to-fashion swish, I decided to build upon the tablescape and create a quick scheme that can be used in your own home for that hit of unexpected eclectic Draper style:

 

clockwise: floral rococo cream fabric by lee joffa, black and white wallpaper from creative wall coverings, Godinger Harmony Candlesticks, Murano red cased glass vase from Buck House, Baker’s oval x-back dining side chair, matte gold crackle ceramic lamp, Benjamin Moore’s 2002-70 Pink Cadillac

My Dust Has Been Ruffled

How rich and sophisticated is this luxe oro dust ruffle by Dransfied and Ross?

Paired with an understated coverlet and shams like the virginie collection by Leontine, it would totally pop!

An American in Paris

One of the most beloved and celebrated of all classic Hollywood films, An American in Paris is a visual masterpiece featuring some of the most stunning dance numbers you will ever see. Directed by Vincent Minnelli and starring the genius Gene Kelly, the film won six academy awards and is a continuous source of inspiration to me.

In addition to the infamous ballet at the end, my favourite sequence is where we are introduced to the many facets of Lise, a young French woman who expresses her personality to the audience through dance.  As each of her traits is discussed by her older beau, Lise, played by the exquisite Leslie Caron, dances in the respective style contrasted against monochromatic set designs.

First she is an “enchanting girl” wearing  a pale pink dress that pops against a royal blue set. The monochromatic set, despite being saturated in the deep blue, is overtly traditional with a vignette of a console with cabriole legs, an ornate mirror and heavy acanthus sconces.

Next Lise is an “exciting girl” in a bright violet dress against a demure pale pink set, complete with lush swagging drapery, skirted table  and an open-back dining chair.

Then she is “sweet and shy” dressed in bright yellow pleated dress while dancing with a bouquet in a rich green living room, complete with an ornate mantel, panelled doors and many types of frames.

In the most sparse of the sets, Lise is “vivacious and modern” as she kicks up her heels in white fringe against a spicy red backdrop.

She “reads incessantly” in a preppy black unitard with a sharp white collar against a pale yellow library set, which includes a massive desk, oversized mantel, built-in book shelves and heavily carved columns.

Finally, she is “the gayest girl in the world” as she pirouettes circles in a sky blue tutu around a lavender set with feminine detailing, including an armoire, oversized harp and curved settee.

All these traits come together at the end in one final flourish that reconciles all her traits into one – what fun!