friday faves: 7.8.11

back to friday faves, my lovely readers!  and oh boy do i have some good ones this week!

design/decor

chic nook

this lil nook by designer melanie coddington is my idea of perfection - classy, simple, feminine, relaxing.  i could absolutely see myself curling up here and reading the day away...

 found on design*sponge

kitchen window nook

more nooks!  clearly i'm obsessed :)

that green color, the cream everything else, and that thick cushion that looks oh-so-comfy.  want.

from my home ideas

fashion

elle fanning in marc jacobs

the girl can pull off couture like no other youngin' and i just love her retro-pretty style.  plus she's just so pretty! {think if i compliment her enough she'll let me borrow this gorgeous dress?!  hey, worth a try!}

picture from getty images, via

SJP channels her animal side in D&G

at the 25th anniversary of "annie" where she presented an award

not always the biggest animal print fan, but when it's done right it's amazing.  and if anyone can "do it right," it's the superstar-fashionista sarah jessica parker herself!

{sorry, best pic i could find.  from rcfa}

p.s. the gown helen mirren wore a few months back was also animal print and also dolce + gabbana - they must be on a roll!

etc

le petit prince journals

all-time fave book in journal form = love

{you can buy it for me - and make my day!! - here}

i want to be a monkey

if i could be any animal, i'd be a monkey.  i would climb trees and enjoy still having fingers and show love by cleaning my friends... and hug little girls like this.  and be happy :)

i mean really, who wouldn't want to be a monkey?!

found on best week ever blog but first posted on cute overload
**correction: this is a sloth not a monkey!  but i would still be a monkey.  and i would still hug little girls and it would still probably be just as cute as this.

giveaways

i'm back to spreading the word about some GREAT giveaways in the bloggy world - whoo hoo!  here's a few ending soon soon soon, so get on it!

preppy personalized platters

 

by dani notes, selection found here.  the always fabulous kiki's list is offering up this giveaway.  if i were lucky enough to win, i would choose the prettypretty platter pictured above.  then again, i would be just as happy if one of my sweet readers one so head on over to enter for yourself :)

fabulous flower accessories

wild & precious always highlights the cutest things!  this time it is the etsy shop the lovely poppy, who makes truly lovely headbands and necklaces and other cute accessories with bright and pretty flower accents.  i definitely encourage you to check out this etsy site and to go to wild & precious to enter for the $20 gift certificate!

have a lovely lovely weekend!

i'll be spending it with my lovely friends downtown checking out a blues club i've never been to, then off to waverly island soaking up the sun.  oh, and then sunday at the office.  can't ever totally get away from my workaholic ways!

xx, kait

 

fashion: LBD + leopard print scarf

annalynne mcord was spotted out and about shopping in L.A. and i'm completely in love with her casual style.  the LBD in question is super laid-back (not the traditional audrey-esque LBD we are used to, but i still want to add it in that category) and she paired it with comfy looking matching black flats, but what really pulls me in is the long leopard print scarf she added to give the look a pop.

now what is really drawing me in to the scarf is the way she is wearing it.  i'm a major scarf fan myself but i usually tie it more around my neck.  i know that the way annalynne is rocking her scarf is one potential way to do it, but i never really considered it for myself.  well, now that i've seen this particular look, i'm desperate to try it out for myself!  i'm not sure i have one quite long enough, but i really do want to try it.  i also have a cotton black dress that would look great with a scarf tied like this.  hopefully the outfit turns out as chic as hers!

p.s. from the back view you can see just how pretty and laid-back this dress is ::

pictures via the vogue diaries; dress and scarf labels unknown

friday faves: 4.22.11

how the heck is it friday already???  don't i get more time to prepare?  or relax?  [also, i just now realized that i completely skipped over wedding wednesday.  i promise, i'll make up for it next week!]  ohhhh boy...  but anyways, here is a small sampling of this week's prettiest of the pretties ~

design/decor

~ dream kitchen organization ~

remember when i posted about that pretty rental the other day?  i began designing it from a dirty mess to what i envision to be one day a gorgeous retreat.  and it would be organized as beautifully as the above picture.  oh yes, yes it would.

via vintage home tumblr [original source unknown]

~ dream house in SF ~

truly a kait-dream of a home.  just head on over to desire to inspire to completely fall in love.

fashion

~ zhou xun wears my fave chanel flapper-esque dress ~

i'm still totally in love with this dress - i mean, this is the THIRD post it has made its way on to! [see: 1, 2]  not to mention that i love chinese actress zhou xun's styling for the 2011 hong kong film awards about 1,000,000 times more than the model's runway look.  gorgeous.

image via red carpet fashion awards

~ helen mirren is a baller ~

and my current fashion icon for being able to pull off this look.

clearly i'm still loving the look of dress + leather that i included in last week's friday faves.  and man does helen mirren rock this leather jacket over a flowy leopard print dolce & gababana gown!  seriously blown away right now...  [found on RCFA]

~ pretty pretty necklace ~

worn by amanda seyfried at the red ridding hood premiere in london.  

necklace by by tom binns.  [via the vogue diaries]

etc.

 ~ super cool merchandising ~

found in the store of Perrin Paris, via haute design by sarah klassen

definitely something to stow away in my "maybe one day" book . . .

 giveaways

~ barberry & lace store credit ~

one beautiful item from barberry & lace, in honor of creator/blogger miss leigh ashley having 800+ followers!  whoop whoop!  so head on over to her blog to enter & also take advantage of one of the many ways to get extra entries ~

p.s.  if i won, i would get one of her gorgeous new headbands!  swooooon.

~ jewelry set by ten things ~

... that i am absolutely in love with.  daydream lily is hosting this incredible giveaway where one (very!) lucky winner gets both the earrings and the necklace - my personal fave - shown above, by the etsy jeweler ten things.   i am majorly crossing my fingers for this one!

one last thing...

~ i won! ~

the adorable cake holder i included in last week's friday faves giveaways section.  all i have to say is thank you thank you to both cassie over at moon face for hosting the giveaway, and to the etsy shop stands for all seasons for offering it!

i think i'm going to end up putting my fave perfumes in it or something because i definitely want it in my room, not the kitchen.  it all depends on how large it ends up being... i'll keep you all updated!

well, that's it for this week.

a bit briefer than usual, but hopefully still enough to add some color and inspiration to your life :)

pretty pictures: heidi mount for georges rech

~ a couple of my fave images from this gorgeous [all b&w!] spring 2011 ad campaign ~

 love the b&w photography from this campaign

... and it successfully makes me want these sexy georges rech dresses!

see all ten great photos here

fashion: addy van den krommenacker - PaP 2011

i love how fashionising describes this collection, shown at Amsterdam fashion week, so pithily: glam warrior.  i think this dress proves this phrase perfectly ::

the article's writer, linett kamps, continues her description, saying that "the designer [is] opting for a stronger design aimed at women who are willing to show off their figure."

what i personally love about this collection is that it is different.  typically i go for looks that are feminine and classic with a touch of quirky.  sometimes vintage, sometimes a little fashion-forward, regardless, i still have a fairly defined fashion aesthetic.  this particular collection is just different than my usual.  prints, shine, somewhat random ruffles, interesting hemlines and layers - it just pulls me in.  most of these looks would be considered a bit risky for a celebrity to wear on the red carpet - hello, sequin polka dots! - but i sincerely hope i get to see some of them soon [alexa chung, carey mulligan, leighton meester -- are you listening up?!].

here are some of my fave looks ::

minis ~

gowns ~

what i'd most likely wear in my real life [at a wedding, party, etc.] ~

well, minus the train.  it's pretty, but just not practical.

what i'd most likely wear in if i went to galas and red carpet events [dream] ~

oh and i gotta say, i love these models' facial expressions!

 so rarely do designers allow models to show this sort of personality -- love it!

congrats, AdvK, i love your collection!

all images via, where you can also see the entire collection [although i included nearly all of it!]