The Romantic Lifestyle
Monday, February 21st, 2011
Lady Violette cocktail from The Mansion
I found this cocktail on the web. It looks delicious! I love the idea of floating an orchid blossom in the drink! Lovely!
2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce lemon
1/2 ounce creme de violette
1 ounce simple syrup
1 egg white
edible flower for garnish (optional)Shake all ingredients vigorously for 30 seconds in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with edible flowers of any variety if you like (an orchid is used here).
Monday, February 21st, 2011
Scarf Styled by Tricia James
This is a large off white gauzy raw silk scarf. It is a 3 ft x 6 ft rectangle. It is artfully draped and tied by my friend, International Scarf and Accessories Stylist, Tricia James.
Tricia has endless ideas and techniques for using the accessory pieces you already have and those you might buy! She is an absolute wizard when it comes to tying scarves.
We are embarking upon documenting her styles in photographs and video. And we will be writing instructions on how to do it yourself. She created 6 looks for me out of this one white scarf! She also showed me how to use other items I already have to accent it and create different looks. In this particular case – the white silk flower pinned to the shawl with a pearl headed corsage pin.
This is so light, airy and romantic! I just love it! Perfect Lady Violette Styling! It also reminds me of a romantic poet’s shirt! And that is a look I have always loved!
This week I will make 6 different blog posts showing this scarf in each of it’s different renditions. Tricia is returning on Wednesday and we will write instructions illustrated with photographs on how to wrap and tie this or any similar large rectangular scarf or Pashima to achieve this stunning effect. You can try it then and let me know if it is clear to follow and works.
We are achieving these elegant photographic effects in my kitchen corner nook! The only place in the house with strong enough natural light! Sometimes I actually enjoy the challenge of seeing how nice I can make something look with the most limited or restricted of resources – such as a completely bare bones photographic set up or a very inexpensive item picked up in a thrift shop and made to look amazing, original and expensive.
In this case the white scarf we have used came from a thrift store. It was $2 and was completely clean. It looked as if it had never been used. The silk flower was $7.50 at my local sewing supply store. I believe beautiful items like this scarf end up in thrift stores because people receive them as gifts or buy them without understanding how to use them. Sometimes, as in this case, this becomes a lucky find for the clever thrift store shopper. That illustrates the thrill of the hunt!
Consider this photo a little preview of things to come! More scarves, more ideas on how to wear them, more technical advice on how to wrap and tie them. And more from and about the scarf styling expert! Tricia James is Scarfgenie.com
Sunday, February 20th, 2011
Dorothy Lamour Lounging in Tropical Floral Sarong with a Large Flower in Her Hair!
Singer and actress Dorothy Lamour was as famous for her personal style and use of flowers as for her talent and her beauty!
Her signature looks included sarongs, dresses and gowns featuring tropical flower prints in bright floral colors and tropical print swimsuits.
Dorothy often wore her long wavy brown hair decorated with real flowers. She also wore leis as necklaces regularly. Large flowers were used to great effect as accents in many Hollywood Glamor studio publicity photos taken of her.
She continues to inspire us today with her feminine grace and elegant taste.
Her costumes are a great source of ideas for styling vintage inspired fashion looks today.
I am determined to learn to tie scarves into halter tops, scarves into long skirts and sarong “dresses” like she did in time for the upcoming summer! I find that putting a picture like this up inspires me to think about finding an appropriate piece of floral patterned fabric or a large silk scarf and practicing my scarf ties!
I will be asking my friend Tricia James, the International Scarf Stylist, to show me tips on tying and wearing sarongs soon! And of course I will post them so we can all wear them this summer!
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
Mademoiselle Coco Against Mondrian Color Blocks with Beautiful Hair Clips
“Did Mondrian paint this Color Block golf shed? ” wonders Mademoiselle Coco her intense gaze fixed directly on the camera while she concentrates on channeling Picasso’s portrait of his Diaghilev Russian ballerina wife Olga with her dark hair pulled back and pinned with beautiful flower hair clips.
Mademoiselle Coco’s Spring 2011 Resort Collection Pour Le Sport is inspired by the artists, dancers and intellectuals of the Diaghilev Ballets Russes in Paris 1909 – 1929 seasons.
The romantic and feminine collection features le style sportif focusing on body conscious base pieces over-layered with ruffled and tiered dancer style skirts, wrap around tops and tie on aprons. The peasant influences seen in costumes for Le Sacre de Printemps, Les Noces, and other folk theme infused ballets are visible in flower embroidered blouses and tunics colorfully trimmed with embroidery and ribbons.
In keeping with the peasantly balletic theme the model’s hair is decorated with flowers. We especially like the new way of using all the flower hair clips you have, all at once, all of the time! It is the fresh new take on flowers in the hair for spring and everyone will be doing it!
Mademoiselle Coco and Lady Violette advise: “If you want to look fresh, and you do nothing else this spring, wear lots and lots of flowers in your hair!
Ribbon Hair Flowers Clips are designed by Lady Violette for Mademoiselle Coco. This spring the designer, Lady Violette, continues to explore Mondrian’s belief that the artist should “discard all non-essentials” and “restrict your work to natural forms of beauty” as this pertains to caring for, dressing and designing the hair. In other words, keep things fairly simple. Just wash your hair with a delicately perfumed floral shampoo and wear some flowers in it!
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
Golfing Costume by Coco Pour Le Sport for Her Resort Collection Spring 2011
The perfect ensemble for Golfing and Vogueing from Mademoiselle Coco’s Pour Le Sport Spring 2011 Resort Collection features a classically styled black cotton knit dancer’s leotard paired with a full and feminine vintage inspired pale pink cotton gauze three tiered skirt, a la Marie Laurencin. It’s topped off with Coco’s must-have fashion accessories of the season – beautiful fancy flower hair clips hand made from satin ribbons worn in multiples across the head.
Hair clips designed for Mademoiselle Coco by Lady Violette. Leotard – vintage Danskin. Skirt – from model’s own vintage collection.
In this Spring 2011 Coco Pour Le Sport Resort Season everything is about being frilly and girly while having fun doing it with a respectful wave to the classic beauties of the past!
A Worldly Paris Left-Bank Expression finishes the look!
This work by Violette de Courcy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at ladyviolette.com.
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