american royalty: carolyn bessette kennedy

{all pics via ultimate carolyn}

i stumbled upon this blog devoted to carolyn bessette kennedy style which reignited my interest in this flaxen beauty. she epitomized style and grace and i admire her clean lines and unfussy approach to hair and makeup(minus the high-maintenance platinum blonde hair and red lips). she balanced timeless designers like calvin klein with bolder names like yohji yamamoto. she always appeared effortless and understated, but still savvy. the pictures of her on her wedding day and pictures of her dancing or smiling at john-john just make me weepy. despite whatever the tabloids say, their chemistry was mesmerizing.

i'm so glad i rediscovered her style, especially her cosmetic choices. i just added a tube of face stockholm's cranberry veil in addition to my staple red(face stockholm silk). apparently carolyn swore by bobbi brown's ruby sheer lipstick which is now discontinued, but face stockholm's cranberry veil is a deliciously close copy.

maira kalman speaks...

an excellent, excellent video by maira kalman. such a charming, one-of-a-kind gem.

icon: new york's florent

{all photos from florent's website}

literally counting down the days 'til my new york trip with annette this december. for some reason today i really started to miss florent today. my sister amy branch munn introduced me to this iconic french diner in 2007 just before it closed in '08. my sister made sure to also school me on tibor kalman's legendary firm m & co, where designer-cum-activist-cum-restaurateur florent morellet cut his teeth. it opened a year after i was born and was a veritable hotspot for nightlifers and activists alike.

florent's many noteworthy qualities included round-the-clock fare served to the overserved, bus trips from new york to washington for rallies and marches, a hostess with an exquisite bouffant beehive hairdo, and their theatrical 5 stages of loss to celebrate their tragic closing( due to a landlord's insane rent raising from $6,000 to $30,000).

sorry for the ramble. sometimes( a lot of the times) i like to take a stroll down memory lane. which completely counters monsieur morellet's philosophy, "get over the terrible disease that is nostalgia." funny, nostalgia is one of my all-time favorite things :)

what's in your toolbox: maira kalman



hop on over to design*sponge for my interview with this iconic artist.