What Women are missing these days… and don’t even know

October 25, 2015August 13, 2016 ~ Château des Rêves ~ 39 Comments

Talking strictly Fashion and Glamour here!

Suddenly I feel nostalgic of a bygone era of elegance and romance, perhaps it is because lately lmy friends and I have been talking about our parents … .Well, we are always talking about our parents actually, reminiscing moments forever engraved inside of us, just a little dusty and hidden in the deep folds of the mind … missing and longing, even for the ones that are still with us, the memories of them, young and strong, stars of their own lives, not yet relegated to the corners by debilitating illnesses or by the darkness of games played by their minds that make them forget everything they once loved, created and dreamed of…

A time when it was ok to be feminine and delicate at the same time of being strong and smart… Vintage Dior, 1963

A time of hats... Vogue 1960 — A time of hats… Vogue 1960

Cary Grant — A Time of gentlemen opening doors and bringing flowers… at least in the movies !

A Time when it was beautiful to have curves and charm…

A time of dancing…. The magic of Fred and Rita!

Glamour! — A time of glamour and more glamour!

A time of seduction and mistery ! Christian Dior 1950

Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in “To catch a Thief”

A time of beauty and femininity! Christian Dior 1950s by Philippe Poitier

Christian Dior, Harper's Bazaar 1951 — Christian Dior, Harper’s Bazaar 1951

Exquisite times! Photography by Gordon Parks

A time of gloves! Christian Dior, 1956 Anybody could wear this right now, without alterations, it is perfection, from color to design. The only thing we wouldn’t see is that horrible linoleum floor!!

Sean Connery, Mr. James Bond — A time when men didn’t shave their chest hair! Thank you.

I know all past times were not necessarily better, but children have a way sometimes to rescue the best of their past in order to continue dreaming… Or in order to survive.

I had to add a few days after sharing that I hope everybody understood that I am talking strictly about Fashion, Style and Glamour! The illusion, the perception, the memories through the eyes of a child. And every time we catch a glimpse of an old movie on reruns, it brings us back to that moment, glancing through our mother’s magazine pages and being in awe of the beautiful ladies in hats and gloves, cladded in fabulous designers’ dresses, dreaming of the time we could wear something as feminine and as glamorous as that! (and only for that reason I’ll add a couple of pictures more… like I need an excuse to use more pictures!)

Fifty Shades of What?!

March 26, 2015September 9, 2023 ~ Château des Rêves ~ 10 Comments

MARSALA

Marsala is the color of the year… Well, even though I like this shade very much, to me it gets too close to Radiant Orchid, Pantone’s 2014 seleccion. Too close but not enough to be able to reuse the accessories of last year with the new shades or tints of the new one. To me last years Radiant Orchid was more in the cooler side, with blue undertones, this years Marsala is more in the warmer side, with earthy undertones like the wine from which it takes it’s name that comes from the surroundings of the Sicilian city of Marsala in Italy . (By the way, I don’t think there is anything in the colder side in Italy! Everything seems to be warm and intense!)

I love this, I've been a fan of lacquered walls and rich tones for ever and that light fixture is awesome

I don’t follow fashion or trends at all, I enjoy them but they don’t dictate anything in my world, unless I happen to fall in love with one of them. What I don’t understand is that they pick the colors too close to each other, in the same intensity…. I would rather have them pick something complementary or a tint or shade of the color, so regular people who follow these things can have a better opportunity to play with what they already have just adding the “new” color, creating richer environments with more layers and personality and cooler wardrobes . Well, I’m not color expert or anything close to that but for what is worth, this is my fifty cents in this matter 😉

I'm a little afraid.... it's still Marsala, right?

I’ve had many people asking me along the years why a particular color, even white, didn’t work with what they had at home or in their closet, when it seemed perfect at the store… Undertones! I won’t get into that, there are too many blogs and too many experts that already do that brilliantly, just trying to give one more reason why the experts at Pantone should pick something complementary or analogous, with the same or compatible undertones, that will work together and in that way make life simpler for people that don’t know much about the intricacies of color but they do know something is not working and they don’t know why! Probably I’m wrong but it’s just my humble opinion… Still, I think they should do that at least two years in a row…

These are gorgeous! They would make any woman feel like a queen.

Marsala, how much I love thee! Seriously, I absolutely adore this colours here!

The title in this post is Fifty shades of … because I wrote another one called “The color Purple and it’s fifty shades” talking about last year’s pick. I’d like to put a link here but I have no idea how… it seems to me that I could reuse some of the images I used there… confusing!

Starting with wine, ending in rose powder..

There is something special about winter weddings... I think

Nothing can compete with nature. It's perfect!

Candlelight, the best light after the sun!

Emma… Thinking about “The Help” one of my favorite books!

Too much of a good thing is still too much! I needed a break of solid Marsala!

I love this photo, I needed the change so bad!

There is not arguing with this one, beautiful! Is this cheating? If we combine the red of the roses with the brown of the branches we get MARSALA! Right?

Mercedes Marsala!.... sounds like a good name for an italian heiress !

http://photo.borisvolck.fr

I love nature, makes everything feel obtainable!

Another one of my favorites! Hunter boots love.

More about Marsala, it should come with wine samples!

What a great combination, the softness of the skirt with the structured jacket..

I find swimsuits and bigger bikinis more attractive than tiny ones

Downton Abbey Inspiration, Holiday table and a little help for my friend

December 6, 2014September 5, 2015 ~ Château des Rêves ~ 10 Comments

LE ROUGE ET LE NOIR…. red and black

Yesterday I was playing around with tablescape designs, preparing ideas for a friend who asked me for help with a Christmas dinner party she was having at home. She was a little nervous, it was going to be a semi-formal event and she couldn’t afford the time or the expenses to go shopping just for that. Even though I had to put together something with the few things I had, it shows once again that we can do a lot with what we have at hand, an example of that is the throw I brought from the livingroom to use as a tablecloth, at the moment I had red apples and that is what I used in addition to a leaf pulled from the mantel wreath. I know it’s not perfect or ideal, but I was trying to show her how to put together something pretty with a little imagination. The napkin was actually a hand towel….

Gold, red and silver, and the living room throw!

It is amazing the way we can communicate with each other nowadays, instantaneously, with images and sound that rival those of cinema! We can even add enhancements or erase blemishes if we choose to do so, all this in the comfort of our homes and in our pajamas!

My friend was really happy with the results. We “toured”, or to use the interior design lingo, we “shopped” her house and put things together in a way she never had imagine possible, now I am sure, next time she’ll be able to do it by herself.

It is hard to know if all is good about this mind blowing technology but it sure has some unbelievable advantages. I don’t want to go into that now and talk about the problems associated with it either… Overall I believe it is like a dream come true, it brings us all together, makes the world even smaller, show us how alike we are, broaden our markets without limits, keep us connected to our families, helps us create new ones and rediscover old friends. To me it is like if the Harry Potter’s books I used to read to my children at bedtime, had come to life, it appears that magic has sipped through the books’ pages and became one with reality… just fascinating…

As always I talk and talk about everything! Ok then! I was only going to share the first tablescape inspiration I made for my friend and I did. Tomorrow I might have another one if necessary. In the mean time I’ll include some gorgeous images that always inspire me and I hope they inspire you to have some fun and create one of your own. Have a great friday night!

We can do the same thing in different scale, still keeping the beauty of it — We can do the same thing in different scale while keeping the beauty of it

How beautiful can this be? I almost never wear read anymore but I can appreciate it in other people — How beautiful can this be? I almost never wear red anymore but I can appreciate it in other people

I wish I had all this beautiful stuff to work with... — I wish I had all this beautiful stuff to work with…

Napoleon's Dining Room, Le Louvre — Napoleon’s Dining Room, Le Louvre

A little Downton Abbey to put us in the mood! So elegant..

THE VICTORIAN TABLE! THEY NEEDED ALL THAT... — THE VICTORIAN TABLE! THEY ACTUALLY NEEDED ALL THAT INDEED.

A princess dress — Lady in red, a princess dress

I wonder if one day we'll be able to travel in time... — I wonder if one day we’ll be able to travel in time…

HISTORY... WHAT CAN I SAY! IT ALWAYS SHOWS US WHERE WE CAME FROM AND HOW FAR WE HAVE GONE.... OR NOT — HISTORY… WHAT CAN I SAY! IT ALWAYS SHOWS US WHERE WE CAME FROM AND HOW FAR WE HAVE GONE…. OR NOT

THIS COLORS ARE SO RICH THAT MAKE THE TABLESCAPE FEEL REALLY WARM AND WELCOMING — THE COLORS ARE SO RICH THAT MAKE THE TABLESCAPE FEEL WARM AND WELCOMING

HOW ROMANTIC! 1904 NOW WE KNOW WHY THEY ALWAYS PUT THAT WEIRD LOOKING FISH FORK! THEY NEEDED ALL THOSE FORKS AND KNIVES FOR ALL THE COURSES THEY SERVED, OF COURSE THAT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE ARMY OF MAIDS AND BUTLERS THEY USE TO HAVE…

Remarcable — The Butlers… the wizards of all ! (That was good!)

What a table! Cristal Room, Baccarat, Paris

more Downton Abbey — More Downton Abbey! Majestic..

R.M.S MAJESTIC MENU – SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20TH 1890. Broiled Kidney?!!!! Calves Liver?!!!! Somebody help me please! Disgusting.

The contrasts inevitably... — The contrasts inevitably…

I FEEL SICK JUST READING THE MENU… I’M SO GLAD I WASN’T BORN DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA…

And with that I say good bye! xx

The Color Purple and It’s Fifty shades

September 17, 2014June 3, 2015 ~ Château des Rêves ~ 6 Comments

Pantone’s Color of the year, RADIANT ORCHID is finally on it’s way out and I’ve put some pictures together to remember it’s kindom, even though most of these photographs are older than 2014! … What brings me to the reason I am writing this post, classic Design is Timeless, either in Fashion, Architecture or Interior Design. Classic lines, impeccable taste and quality materials can make some pieces last almost forever or at least a really long time.

Accessories are the key to update a look. Use accent pieces to refresh your decor and wardrobe and to bring color and a little bit of an edge to your spaces and your closet. A few pillows, a throw, some books, flowers and pieces of art will be plenty if you feel the need to follow the “new” fad, the new trends … A belt, a Scarf, a piece of jewelry, a pair of shoes, even your make-up can bring a breath of fresh air to your wardrobe without looking overdone or like everybody else. Always use the new color sparingly, as an accent, never all over. We are talking about colors, not neutrals, a monochromatic color palette and an accent color is always a winning combination.

Karlie Kloss by Alexi Lubomirski for Vogue Germany

Wall Street, Purple light — Wall Street in Purple light

Elegance feels effortless and natural and always should have your personal touch!. It’s something you create and develop throughout the years. Start small, add just a few pieces at a time, don’t get something you don’t absolutely love… or at least we should all aim at that!

For the sake of Harmony and Flow, I did not follow my own advice in this post while putting together all the images. You are in for a PURPLE RAIN overdose and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks for stopping by.

– CAROLYNE ROEHM