Audrey Hepburn, a Funny Face

I haven't seen Hepburn's movie Funny Face in years, but a gown in the Spring 2010 Oscar de la Renta bridal collection reminded me of Hepburn's wedding costume in the movie. For those of you who haven't seen Funny Face, it's one of the best "clothes films" out there.

A brief plot summary: Boy (Fred Astaire) meets girl (Audrey Hepburn). Boy likes girl. Girl does not like boy. Boy, who is a photographer cum dancer, talks girl into casting aspersions upon her "higher" beatnik ideals and becoming a fashion model in order to gain a trip to Paris to meet a professor whose pseudo-philsophical teachings she emulates. Typical casual romance!

Along the way, a lot of spectacular outfits happen. Also, some sing'n and dance'n (whence the musical number, Think Pink!). Hubert de Givenchy dresses everybody, and eventually, they all dance delightedly into the sunset, which is precisely what any sane person would do when wearing 1950s Givenchy. The styles in this often-overlooked movie are so iconic, they continue to inspire today.

The Oscar de la Renta gown.

Wheeeee!!! Doesn't this make you want to spin around in circles until

you're silly?

Hepburn in the Louvre on the stair before the Victory of Samothrace - the locations

are nothing to sniff at. And this burning red prefigures Valentino's luscious gowns.

"99 Luftbaloons..." This classic photography sequence with Hepburn modeling

around Paris is breathtaking - and also, highly inspirational to certain modern designers

like Vuitton (Bazaar) and Proenza Schouler (in a Vogue shoot in 2008). Similar idea, no?

A few more scenes:

The famous bird of paradise costume.

As Anna Karenina (la steam!)

The movie poster, featuring the breathtaking costume she wears when

meeting Professor Flostre.

Bridal on runway. Dancing with Astaire. Red gown and Karina (in color). Balloons and black and white Karenina shoot.

Vogue image. Bouquet photo. Bird of paradise costume. Movie poster.

Jardins en Fleur

Over at Guilt Gilt Group there's a sale on Jardins en Fleur accessories - a segment of their line of Asian French influences rendered in bright ceramics. If you love the items below, be sure to visit the company website, which offers hand painted silks and some stunning furniture. I'm really a fan of their pieces; aside from the silks and wallpaper, most of their creations have a strongly zen aesthetic, relying on form and function rather than pattern. If you've been reading this blog for any time at all, you know I have nothing against pattern, but sublimely simple pieces are essential for balance in any room.

A Jardins en Fleur still life.

I'm loving this nesting set of lotus plates in cinnabar - how fabulous for parties? $83 for 3.

A glass glazed finish garden stool - fashioned to serve as a seat or a plant holder (but not actually for outdoor use - natch).

Try it with an orchid or a pile of gorgeous books.

Foo dogs in a gorgeous cream glaze to add a bit of whimsy to your hall table or vanity.

They abide by the Basic Principle of Dog Appeal: if it's ugly, it's cute.

Did you think they looked familiar?

All images, giltgroup.com and jardins en fleur.

(Dead) Magazine of the Year

Et tu, Brute?

Speaking of magazines (and I was, just yesterday), Huffington Post has a special on all the magazines that have gone boom and then bust in recent years. 2009 could be known as the Inky Massacre: more than 400 titles have gone to the big forest in the sky since last January. Yikes. Titles "gone too soon" include Southern Accents, Metropolitan Home, Gourmet, and Cottage Home. Vote for your "most missed" (sniff, Domino, sniff), and then, as the British say, pull up your dirty socks and get back on your bicycle. Oh, those British. They've murdered off their fair share of periodicals this year too.

Loving Lonny Mag

Interior design and fashion combine at the Kate Spade 5th Avenue flagship.

*GASP* *GASP* *GASP* No, that's not the sound of a fish falling through space. That's me, reading the latest installment of Lonny Mag, the super hip, super awesome, wish-it-were me online-only shelter magazine. The new edition features the new J.Crew Collection Store (YES!), Kate Spade!, Kelly Wearstler! ...and lotsa lotsa gorge photography. One of the fabulous advantages of paperless pictures is that no one begrudges you trees (or dollars) to publish them. I get the feeling flipping (scrolling?) through Lonny's generously pictorial pages that the aesthetically-inclined staff are giddy about good photos. No picture left behind! Which means there are a number of lovely exterior shots too:

Entrance to the Hotel Keppler, Paris.

I hate to keep beating the Domino drum (not really, but if anyone out there is tired of hearing about Domino, consider this my official pretend apology). Anyway, like Domino, Lonny is adept at finding ordinary people decorating extraordinary homes and apartments. The "normal folks" are balanced equally by a crew of designers (who are never normal, by any definition) displaying their own spaces. Heaven. What could be better than the inside scoop? Touring their abodes is like finding out where your hairdresser gets HER tresses done. Top Secret Stuff.

Inside the Parisian flat of textile designer Lisa Fine.

For anyone still struggling with the idea of online only, I have two words: wish list. Tell your techno hubbie (yeah, the one who suggested your wedding march down the aisle would sound great on Sony speakers... until you explained the string quartet would be live) to beat it down to the Apple store pronto, because all you want for New Year's/Birthday/Valentine's is a nice big flatscreen monitor. He'll be so delighted it won't hit him until later that you're reading an online magazine where products are available for purchase with just one click. And be sure to mention in February that you were kidding about the Valentine's part.

An interior at the Hotel Keppler, Paris.

Same colors, new place: the bathroom at the J.Crew store, Upper East Side.

The wall design is identical to Jenna Lyons' own at home.

This month Lonny covers a number of your favorite store interiors: J.Crew and Kate Spade, as above, as well as Haus Interior. Shops I'd love to see in the next issue? Bergdorf Goodman's luxurious displays, the recently restored Ralph Lauren store in NY, and especially, the Tory Burch flagship.

Heels under glass at J.Crew.

Despite being a design magazine by some great talents in the industry, the feel on each page is approachable, attainable. The "if I read a few more design books and really think this through I could pull the look off" attainment - not, "I need to rob a bank, hire Miles Redd, and move to Malibu." Although, if you ever do that, please send us pictures.

Lonny is on "newsstands" now (and free). Visit at LonnyMag.com.

All images, Lonny Mag.

Perfect in Plaid

Next in our tour of Christmas colors: Christmas plaid. With an abundance of reds and blacks, it reminds me of the English hunt and is the perfect Christmas decor look for a traditional home, or a great effect for a man's study or boy's bedroom. No girlie frills here! Of course, you can also experiment with plaid in the brilliant hues of Feliz Navidad, as below, or wear it out of the house, just like the J.Crew skirt pictured here. And if that's all too much, just try a little at the dinner table, with charming seasonal fabrics from Williams Sonoma. Either way, you'll be perfect in plaid!

This last plaid piece is decoupage - Eddie Ross pointed it out on a shopping tour in Atlanta earlier this year. Did you know he's back in town in early January? It's true! Atlantians can get the scoop at the designer's blog.

Plaid throw and tree, countryliving.com, Outdoor tree, houseandhome.com, Gifts, www.horsegift.com/horse_gift_wrap_tags.shtm, Red and white plaid, countryliving.com, Ribbon cords, jars, counter display, countryliving.com, Christmas crackers, www.olddurhamroad.com/product/2145/celebrations, Plaid skirt, www.hellogorgeousblog.com/2008_10_01_archive.html, Plaid bed set, kellyedwardsinc.com/blog/page/2/, Plaid tablecloth, www.williams-sonoma.com

White Christmas

We're baaaaaack! Daily (literally, daily) frantic calls to the Mac store and several harried technicians later, I once again have my magic box back safe and sound. It occurred to me that any object which causes me to feel pangs of separation akin to lost love ought to have a name. Suggestions? She's a white Macbook. Her favorite color is grass green (currently clad in a green tinted protective case). Favorite design style: chinoiserie. Favorite art form: ballet (wallpaper is NYC Ballet's Nutcracker). Hobbies: surfing design blogs, sitting at Starbucks, shopping at Net-a-Porter.com and Gilt Group.

More Christmas fun to come!

xoxo Sanity Fair

Image.

On the Lookout

On the lookout for better things, by Rodney Smith.

It's been a rough week here at Sanity Fair. My beloved Mac is in the shop, and I am attempting to EDIT ON A PC. For those of you unfamiliar with the great Mac/PC divide, I find this experience slightly less discombobulating than drawing pictures with a pencil between my toes. To make matters worse, I have file folders brimfull of gorgeous Christmas things I'd love to share with you. Keeping all this holiday fun to myself is akin to eating up an entire pecan pie without giving any to anybody else. I have style tummy ache.

But, the weekend is coming, and we soldier on. What'll I be doing, when not haunting the corner where my laptop normally sits, attempting to play itunes and watch hulu in thin air? Christmas decorating, some last minute gift getting (and wrapping), and enjoying my latest exciting discovery: a local radio station that plays 24-7 Christmas music. :)

xoxo Sanity Fair

The DREAM LIST

This Christmas season, I haven't thought it right to celebrate with great pomp and excess- the simple pleasures of family and friends are precious in challenging times. But it occurred to me this week, what with all the lovely things in the world, why not construct a dream decor list? My dream self could enjoy it in my dream house, guilt (and cost)-free! What a deal. So here, especially for this season of wishes, my dream Christmas list. Come along and enjoy!

First, to illuminate my abode: a chandelier constructed from a Chanel silk scarf, and hung with real gold beads and pearls. By Suzanne Fellman, this bespoke piece is style incarnate (and so very subtle). Cold? One of my dearest little girl-heart wishes as a wee tot was for a rabbit fur coat (sartorially doomed from the beginning, it seems). On a cold winter day, there are few things that feel more luxurious than snuggling up under a fur throw.

Have a seat on this unique piece by Baker: the Thomas Pheasant Collection bench. Modern and traditional together, with nailhead and tuft accents. It will suit my palatial foyer just fine.Kelly Wearstler has paired with Pickard to create her signature china, available in four gorgeous abstract patterns: Hillcrest, Pickfair, Trousdale, and Mulholland. Inspired by sea anemones, Hillcrest is my favorite - but while we're dreaming, I'll take all four! Why not?

A relaxing sitting spot for two, with lounge chairs covered in Aeonium collection fabrics from Missoni textiles. Note that the yard is also mine. More lemonade? If it's getting a bit nippy outdoors, we'll step inside and shelter on some seating like the Starck Mademoiselle lucite chair, with leopard print upholstery. Not really that unattainable, but I'm not sure I'm daring enough to do a set in leopard! Enjoy them - there are no design mistakes in dream-land. I have some exquisite gifts to wrap - but no Scotch stuff for me! I'll be using this lovely Iomoi tape dispenser to snip off the sticky while decorating presents in my own private giftwrap room. What's a house without flowers? A year's worth of weekly deliveries from New York florist Bloom is true luxury - I'll have a bouquet for every room, please! My dream house is full of ever so many lovely things. What'll I store all these lovelies in? Why a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk of course - I'll need several.Finally, my four walls and a roof will be papered in de Gournay wallpaper, pretty as can be.

What will your Christmas decor dreams be?

Top image, Garland.