Equestrian Interiors

Me and Crystal 1997

Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet

Like many little girls I grew up fascinated by horses.  My heart would beat a little faster if I spotted even an old nag in an abandoned field.  I loved the movie, National Velvet and have memories of setting my laundry hamper in front of the TV and riding along with the Pie and Velvet Brown.  My chance came in high school when I was able to have riding lessons and compete.  I worked very hard to pay for those lessons and I was never happier.  There is something in my blood that connects me to all things equine.

There is also something about equestrian style that just feels right for the fall.  Maybe it is the high contrast neutrals, or the rich wood tones. I am in love with these looks, and always have been.  I seem to go back and forth between light, bright and airy, and high contrast-so I do both! And why not?  I like how equestrian marries both traditional and modern elements with nature.  Equestrian style places an emphasis on creative display and use of equine essentials like trophies, saddles, bridles, and stirrups.  Designers such as Ralph Lauren have kept the equestrian aesthetic in the public eye for many years, and I believe that it is only becoming more popular.

I love over-scaled horse prints. It makes it modern yet timeless.

Classic equestrian--Ralph Lauren

creative art-shadow box with show ribbons.

A small touch of equestrian for any room.

Equestrian hook

Beautiful and dramatic equestrian dining room.

Example of equestrian painter John Ferneley's work.

Perfect equestrian kitchen.

Antique English saddles as art.

leather bridle tables. Fabulous!

This display is beautifully executed.

Modern equestrian sketch.

Beautifully designed equestrian modern chair.

More equestrian interiors to come!  One post is just not enough....

What I'm Wanting Now

Twice now I have seen necklaces that purposely sit off to the side of the neckline.  I don't remember where I saw the first one; the second was on the new WB show, "Hart of Dixie," via the character of Rachel Bilson.  (On a separate note, I'm loving her wardrobe on that show, with all of the striped shirts, wonderful neutrals, and other gorgeous pieces.) 
Anyway, I love the look of an off center charm, because I think it can add a little bit of whimsy and playfulness to a structured outfit.  This style is definitley on my want list.

Arrowhead station necklace

The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect author to remember this time of year.  He was the father of the macabre and  a master of the short story but he was a serious literary critic as well.  He was born in 1809 and died in 1849, and in his short life he wrote astonishing number of works.  Walt Whitman's essay entitled, "Edgar Poe's Significance" aptly proclaims Poe's genius, "Poe's verses illustrate and intense faculty for the technical and abstract beauty, with the rhyming art to excess, an incorrigible propensity toward nocturnal themes, a demoniac undertone behind every page...there is an indescribable magnetism about the poet's life and reminiscences as well as the poems."

Poe's short story, "The Black Cat" is fantastically gruesome!  Even though it was written in 1845, it is scary and so much more.  You've got to love the narrator (unreliable and unstable), the beauty of the language, and a look into the dark side of human nature.  I had fun re-reading this tonight!

     

The Black Cat

The cat has the last word in the story and these clothes are the last word in fashion for the coming season:

1950's cat eye glasses

2011

Marie Claire China 2011

Holiday 2011

Holly Golightly and her cat mask from the 5 and dime.

 Reinaldo Lourenço's tribute to Elizabeth Taylor
Meow!

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Next up on my reading list is a book I picked up today while out running errands.  It is called Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson.  I'm a fan of the movie, but I have to admit, I have never read Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's.  And once again I picked up a book based primarily on its cover, but can you blame me?!  Another reason I think I was drawn to this book is because around this time of year, as I'm deciding what I am going to dress up as for Halloween, I always consider going as Holly Golightly.  I love the costuming in this movie, and I've always thought it would be so much fun to get dressed up in her most iconic look, with the black elbow length gloves, the up-do with a mini tiara, the fabulous necklace, and of course, that perfect little LBD with a gorgeously detailed back.

 

Givenchy dress

Simple but gorgeous

I love this coat!

Classic trench- timeless!

~Lori

I Fancy The Details

"Trifles go to make perfection yet, perfection is no trifle."~Michelangelo Buonarroti 1475-1564.

Every room in the house deserves beautiful finishing touches.  Brackets, corbels, hooks, knobs and pulls are all useful elements, but they can also be unique and decorative, after all, I far prefer a beautiful thing to be placed for a purpose.




Corbels and brackets are perfect in a kitchen as support for shelves or an island overhang.

salvaged corbels

bronze flower bracket

Cute door knobs are a fun statement.

enter/exit door knob

This little pup holds open the door.

dog doorstop

I can see this pull on a desk or in the kitchen

library pull

Ideal for a gorgeous statement in the kitchen or bathroom

transitional bar pull

Dress up a simple piece of furniture.

glass pull

Classic kitchen pull--my favorite!

classic cup pull

Fun and whimsical.

clock knob

Perfect for a dresser

glass knob

I could see this shelf in a bathroom.

Yellow shelf with hooks

glass knob hooks

Type-set letter hooks

School house number hooks

Kid's room hooks

giraffe hook

Crown hooks

antler hooks

octopus hook

Star hooks