the other big royal wedding

with all the fuss about kate and will's upcoming wedding, we royal fans can easily forget that there's another important nuptial coming up this year - the wedding of prince albert of monaco to charlene wittstock.

i doubt there would be much of a fuss made, except prince albert's mother is of course the late princess grace, aka grace kelly, a fashion icon and legendary actress. while albert didn't inherit his mother's good looks (i'm sorry, it's true!), he will inherit monaco, a principality that is home to the richest of the rich in europe. basically it's a spec on the map with millions of millionaires.

anyway, charlene, who is south african, will become the princess of monaco and will bring back some of her late-mother-in-law's glamor, if their engagement photo is any indication. things haven't always been easy for albert - his sisters are a bit wild, and there's the whole two illegitimate children he fathered with two different women, but charlene seems to be very down-to-earth and poised. did i mention she's 20 years his junior?

their wedding will be on july 1, and i can't wait to see how shocking her dress is compared to kate's. remember - kate wore a long-sleeved dress to her engagement photocall (with a low cut, but still). charlene goes for a backless halter. here's hoping for the first royal sleeveless dress!

update: it's armani for charlene's dress!

if i was going to the golden globes

...this is what i'd wear.


oh sigh. fucking gorgeous.

gown by monique lhuillier, spring 2011 rtw

26

it sounds older than it is. at least it does to me. 25 sounded so young and fresh and green. 26 is over halfway to 30.

i was lamenting about this to one of my friends, who is past 40, and she looked at me and said, "honey, it only gets better. your 30s will be so much better."

it's nice to hear. even if i don't believe it (yet).

image: lady gaga for british vogue

music diversion: mumford & sons

i went to a wedding in august and got into a slightly wine-induced argument with an old friend about one of my favorite bands, sigur rós, and their penchant for singing songs in a made-up language. he couldn't get over this idea and after listening to a link i sent him, grudgingly said they "weren't as bad as i thought they would be." yeah, whatevs. then of course he had to throw in a band of his own for me to sample. the song was "little lion man" by mumford & sons.

this isn't a new band or even a very unknown one - several of their songs from their first cd "sigh no more" have been featured on popular shows (including one of my favorites, "grey's anatomy"). it took me five months to download the entire album, and it's probably one of my favorite cds - ever. it's easy to listen to, but emotional and engaging, the lyrics personal and beautifully written. one of my favorite lines comes from "winter winds": "and if your strife strikes at your sleep/remember spring swaps snow for leaves." i love the soft piano, trumpets, sweeping melodies and loud crescendos of their songs.

it helps they're british. come on, an accent never hurt.

an ode to my readers

...all three of you.

i realize this blog doesn't have a lot of interaction by way of comments, and i want to change that. considering i didn't realize until last week that i actually had comments - amazing!

so thank you to annie, gretchen, lauren and shannon, my amazing readers who have left comments thus far. i am one of those people who gets excited when people comment on my facebook status. blog comments are thus epic. so thank you for reading and caring.

to all of you out there who haven't commented - say hi, tell me i'm crazy, ask me questions. i want to hear from you. and thanks for reading.

the newest princess (to be)

kate middleton might be the most envied girl around right now - and i'm not just talking about the prince whose shoulder she's leaning on. she's beautiful, she's about to become even wealthier than she already is, she has an incredible sense of style and she seems like a lovely, genuine person.

the wedding details are trickling out slowly, but what we know so far is obvious: this couple is modern and wants to keep the circus that will be their wedding as minimally-crazy as possible.

one of the biggest strays from tradition (and yes, it seems silly) is that kate will be arriving by car, not by glass carriage as has been the royal tradition since 1902. it also sounds like they're not going to leave the church in an open carriage, but rather in a covered one. i have a feeling this will change due to public pressure.

my prediction for kate's gown: illusion short-sleeves (see ivanka trump's for an idea), much more fitted than we've seen on royal princesses, and classic classic classic. i'm also guessing she may do some sort of illusion low-cut, as she seems to favor this style. i think lace will be used, but it won't be a fussy gown - elegance without trying too hard seems to be her motto.

my nonexistent-never-to-happen royal engagement photocall outfit

not that i'm dreaming or anything...

but if i was marrying a royal? here's my formal portrait look:

boom. kate spade be dazzled deanna dress, ivory fitted sheath with gold overlay embroidery. chic, yet classic.

i would totes* go with hunter wellies for the informal, and maybe a cashmere comfy sweater. not that i think about random things like this or anything. ha.

*"totes" is my new fave word to use in place of "totally", which i believe has had its moment.

out with the one-shoulder corsage. in with the gray.

it's only been popular for now two seasons, but i'm already kind of over the random-giant-corsage/pageant-sash-one-shoulder wedding dress look. i think it's the puffy sleeves of this decade - all my friends' daughters will look at their mom's dresses in 20 years and scream, "you WORE a one-shoulder dress?!" bring something else back! where are the illusion-lace-short-sleeved dresses, à la ivanka trump? that's a classic look i can get behind.


dress by morilee, 2011 collection

yeah, i do think it's trendy, and yeah, like the mermaid wedding dress, i do think it will be around for a while. but i do not endorse it, yo.

dress by elie saab, fall 2010 couture

what i will get behind is the gray wedding dress. ever since i read katy perry wore a gray elie saab (pretty sure it's the one above. i am obsessed. don't you just LOVE it?), i am dying to see this color in more stores. it fits in with the vintage laces and old-hollywood styles in stores already. if brides can do champagne, they can do gray.


dress by vera wang bridal, spring 2011

apparently kp isn't the first hollywood-bride-in-gray. supermodel natalia vodianova wore a gray gown by tom ford for her russian wedding in september 2002.

pawprints in the snow

i write a lot about clothes and fashion and crap i can't afford, so much so that i sometimes hang my head in shame for the seemingly wasteful vanity i feel i sometimes exude. i don't mean to come off that way. i just love clothes too much. i am a clothes whore. the only reason i throw clothes out (aka, donate them) is so i can make room in my (way too small) closet for new clothes. this week i was going to drop more money (that i don't have) on clothes (that i don't need - but when has it ever been about needing clothes with me? although i do currently need black pants and patterned camis. ugh, anyway....) but i'll have to wait with that purchase that would have admittedly made me very happy. but happiness is not this adorable cashmere sweater (in baby blue) or this beautiful kate spade birdcage necklace (that i saw in person in soho last month and so i can indeed vouch for its adorableness. yes, i did just drop a soho reference. i'm a dork like that.).


happiness is this face, healthy and happy, snuggling next to me. it wasn't a happy ending for me two years ago, coming home from the vet without the dog i had only had for two weeks. but i never felt my love for animals more than when i was deep in despair for the doggie i had lost.

i love his smell. i love his smile. i love it when he does the beagle wiggle in excitement. i love his little snores as he floats in doggy dreamland. i love that face, those adorable ears softer than velvet, that spotted belly that turns pink when he snuggles deeper in the blankets. i love that it took the worse to make me realize how lucky we are, this beagle and me, to have found each other and take this road together.

finding the elusive perfect tuxedo jacket

1. it has to be lightweight
2. it has to be semi-shiny (or feature a shiny lapel)
3. it has to be price-friendly*

*or not

this one by j. crew is pretty damn close. but the price - oh, the price! but i love it! but it costs almost two cable bills! but i love it! but i need a new sink and medicine cabinet! but i love it!

damn you, j. crew.