Painting of the Day: Grande Odalisque

Jean-Auguste-Dominique-Ingres Grande Odalisque, 1814. Oil on canvas. Louvre, Paris.

Wikipedia

Must Have Summer Item: Boyfriend Jean Shorts

Boyfriend jean shorts are the #1 thing on my list of things to buy for this coming summer season. They literally are perfection and I refuse to settle for the first pair I see; I plan on searching for the next 2-3 months to find THE perfect pair. They can't be too short and not too long, they can't be too light or too dark, they have to have the perfect amount of rips, and they definitely have to be baggy but not the point where it looks like I'm wearing a diaper. As you can tell I am pretty picky with this look and I am determined to find them. I personally love them with a skinny light brown leather belt that's super long where you have to fold over the strap in the front with gladiators or worn out brown leather Sperry's.

Here are a few that are sold on www.shopbop.com



Ever 146.30$


Vince Denim 195$


AG Adriano Goldschmied 165$

***These shorts are a bit more on the expensive side and aren't perfect...I went to Zara today and found some that look just like this (if not nicer) for 50$

Obsession: Anthropologie Intimates

I am in love with the frills, the bows, the lace, and the ruffles that are all over Anthropologie's bras, panties, and pj's. Have a look!

http://www.anthropologie.com/

Music: Duffy

I am obsessed with this song. Ever since I went to go see An Education this past weekend (which by the way was amazing) I cannot get this song out of my head. The horrible thing is that I can't find it anywhere on Limewire or Frostwire....I would buy it on iTunes but my mom has my credit card under hostage. Oh well I'll just keep searching, but for now I'll settle with YouTube.

Compagnie de Provence

Compagnie de Provence is a French company created in 1990 that sell, in my opinion, the best soap in the world. The scents are rich and natural with an olive oil base mixed with different notes of lavender and rose. Not only does it smell amazing, but the designs are clean, modern, and fashionable. I bought some eau de toilette and soaps for myself and my mother when I was at Le Bon Marche in Paris. I bought the Original line, but I am dying to try the Summer Grapefruit and Wild Rose scents from the Pure line. I am not sure exactly where they sell this brand in Montreal...I'm assuming Holt Renfrew and some other little boutiques, but my mother did say that she once saw them at Winners (shocking!). Anyway here is a link to the USA website, which I find much more helpful than the French website: http://www.lcdpusa.com/

Incense Lavender Liquid Soap - 28$

Wild Rose Liquid Marseilles Soap - 23$

Restaurant Review: Le Comptoir (Paris)

When I was in Paris last June my parents told my brother and I to go eat at a little gem that they loved called Le Comptoir de Relais Saint-Germain. We ended up catching the metro one late evening to make our way to the bistro that is just north of the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was really busy when we arrived and we asked this older scary looking woman if they had room for us and she started yelling at us for absolutely no reason! We were in shock and people around us were reassuring us that she's just a bit crazy that she does this to everyone who comes in. She finally found a seat for us outside and I was watching her yelling at other customers and her staff who would literally bow down to her...I was in shock and instantly gave her the title of The French Soup Nazi. A couple sitting next to my right said that they have been coming to this restaurant for years and that she is mean to you at first, but then warms up to you as the night progresses, in other words to not worry that beneath her rough exterior she is a sweet heart. This was hard to believe but by the time we were eating dessert she was laughing with us and joking and smiling and finally gave us a kiss goodbye as we left...I am assuming she was bipolar. Anyway the restaurant was so cute and very tiny and you could tell it was a very special place since it was evident that most of the people dining there were local Parisians.We drank loads of wine, ate an abundance of cheese and bread, and for my main meal I had cow knee stew....yes the knees of a cow in a stew...it sounds a bit crazy but it was actually the best meal I have ever had in my entire life...and I've had a lot of good food in my lifetime. We chatted more with people eating around including a fabulous young couple to my left who were gorgeous American tennis lovers who travel the world. We had an amazing time with them and I completely regret not telling the woman about my Conde Nast internship when she told me that she worked for LVMH....damn! That would have been a great connection. We finished the night off with crème brûlée and a nice coffee then said farewell to the friends we made that night and headed off into the metro to go back to our hotel to rest for our next fabulous day in Paris. I miss it there so much and I cannot wait to go back and visit The French Soup Nazi :)

My brother and I at Le Comptoir

Swedes Have Style

It's official...Swedes have THE craziest style....whether I'm on LookBook or Stockholm Street Style I am amazed by how they have no boundaries in their fashion. They wear whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want and don't follow any rules. I have realized that they do not have the simplistic, classic, chic, quality conscious style that the Italians or French possess, but rather eclectic, crazy, h&m style that screams individuality and originality. Here is a look at some Swedes with super sweet style ;)

Alexander McQueen

In tribute to the death of Alexander McQueen I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the artists revolutionary creations.

Rest in Peace xox

Music: Dear John

I just came back from watching Dear John starring Channing Tatum (*sigh*) and Amanda Seyfried which was really really sad...I couldn't stop crying. I won't start rambling on about the movie because I don't want to ruin it for anyone so instead I am going to share the beautiful songs that were played throughout the movie. Here are some of my favourite...enjoy!

Andrew Wyeth

I thought I should share with you one of my favourite artists of all time named Andrew Wyeth. Even though he is seen as a realist painter, there is something much deeper and profound in his creations, just like the affect that abstract art can have on a viewer. There are underlying issues throughout most of his work that deal with rural living and social issues, especially when analyzing the continual theme of man versus nature. His paintings are seen as a reflection of what America is to most people, but it makes one question what exactly makes it American and if his portraits and paintings of landscapes are accurate to what America is as a whole. Even though he is seen as being one of the greatest artists of the past century, it was unfortunately difficult to recognize by many critics when he first appeared in the industry with his more traditional take on art, only because he emerged when Pop Art was in the spotlight. Wyeth was not only known for his skill for using the tempera painting and his grand influence from nature and the loved ones surrounding him, but also for his eye of shadowing. What helped him create and master his love for shadowing was the tempera paint that made his paintings unbelievably detailed and made his paintings so realistic to the point where they could easily be mistaken for a photographic image. His father opened his eyes to a whole knew world where beauty can be seen in all regards and Wyeth became a true romantic in that he understood the love a man could have for nature. His works contained much deeper levels of thought, consideration, and symbolism than just a painting of a landscape or a portrait. There was a reason for what parts of either a landscape or of a body he decided to paint; he wanted the viewer to purposefully focus on certain areas of what he was painting. Wyeth wanted the viewer to capture the same senses that he was feeling when painting and wanted his creations to be an experience that would hopefully reach into the more natural side of the viewers existence. He wanted you to feel serene and boost your creativity and imagination like you were a child again playing in nature. However, he most importantly wanted to the viewer to keep guessing when analyzing his painting to wander through the canvas and ask questions. For example, if Wyeth were to do a portrait of someone he would never make the model look directly at him, but instead wanted them to look away at something in the distance, to make us wonder what they were looking at and what there was in that present moment when he was painting that we cannot see.






Most of these painting were taken artnet.com

BLACK

http://stockholmstreetstyle.feber.se

A Single Man

This movie was impeccably done filled with flawless Tom Ford style. I went to go see this movie over a week ago and I still cannot stop thinking about it. The story line, which was based on the 1964 novel A Single Man by Christoper Isherwood, was about a Professor named George (played by Colin Firth) grieving the loss of his long time partner (played by Matthew Goode) in 1960's California. It is esthetically one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen from the perfectly tailored suits to the Brigitte Bardot inspired hairstyles. Tom Ford definitely paid attention to detail which is standard to everything Tom Ford; the beautiful set, the granularity in the films texture, the amazing purple cigarettes, and the abundance of alcohol and drugs all contribute to making this film perfect. This was definitely one of the most handsome, graceful, smart, and beautiful films I have seen in a while and I recommend this film to anyone who appreciates Tom Ford style.

Might I just add that this was in my opinion Colin Firth's best performance ever.