who's got board shorts?

've got nothing against the lately-set-in-style, short, short board shorts guys are wearing these days, but why settle for the less masculine choice when you can set sail for style in the Giant Gingham Board Short ($55).  eschewing the typical floral print or solid color scheme for a great oversized blue gingham print, these shorts paired with a plain tee and boat shoes can give any guy a maximum effect.

xx

d

diacarta

looking for a more elegant way to plan your days than the iPhone's built-in calendar app?  give Diacarta ($2) a try.  this more-than-chic planing tool offers two 12-hour periods — AM and PM — for each day, users drag-and-drop from a library of more than 50 graphic icons on to screen, and move it around the edges of the central clock to associate it with a particular time.  simple, elegant, and well-designed, it's well worth the two bucks even if your day planning consists of nothing but "grocery shopping",  "pilates class," and "watching your favorite TV show."

xx

d

perfectly pretty

runway inspiration from marc jacobs, nyc.

have absolutely fallen for the polka dots, pretty pastels, iridescent paillettes, shiny lamé, and embroidered lace flowers of marc jacobs' resort 2011 collection, undeniably stylish and perfectly pretty, perfect for stargazing on a midsummer's night. . .

xx
d

desire me badly

HTC EVO 4G — though i love my phone dearly, it may be time for us to part ways.  its battery life is dwindling and the software is lagging like an old computer.  i’d upgrade to an iPhone 4, but not when it’s got more issues than National Geographic. the love affair with Apple might be ending, but a greater one may be just beginning. the HTC EVO 4G phone, available on the Sprint network (NEXTEL network in Mexico) is the first ever 4G phone and looks absolutely amazing.  the display is so vivid that it can actually stream HD video, it’s got two cameras, it can turn into a freaking mobile hotspot, and it actually has a kickstand for easier media viewing! why take a step backward with the iPhone 4 when you can enjoy 4G speeds on a superior phone? 

xx

d

time does not bring relief...

 

 don't read into this,

but i found one of my favorite sonnets while cleaning out school year stuff:

Sonnet II

TIME does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,	5
And last year’s leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year’s bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide!
There are a hundred places where I fear
To go,—so with his memory they brim!	10
And entering with relief some quiet place
Where never fell his foot or shone his face
I say, “There is no memory of him here!”
And so stand stricken, so remembering him!

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950).
Renascence and Other Poems. 1917.

matisse: radical invention 1913 -1917

a couple of days ago, many had the pleasure of attending the preview for the Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and were blown away.  the exhibition is the same one that was on view at The Art Institute of Chicago this year and is the result of a five year collaboration between the two museums.   if my memory serves me right and i am not butchering the teachings of mrs. Nina Eugenia Serebrennikov this period at the beginning of Henri Matisse's career is thought to be one of the most significant chapters in his evolution as an artist,  he was influenced by Paul Cezanne and later the cubist painters including Picasso.  my favorite works are those he painted during his travels to Morocco (pictured above)  including Zorah in Yellow from 1912.  the colors of teal green, blue and orange were especially inspiring.  according to the NYTimes, the absolute highlight of the preview was that Matisse's grandson, Paul Matisse, was on hand for the opening and made a few remarks.  can you imagine being related to Henri Matisse?!  

the exhibition opens July 18 and runs through October 11, 2010.  timed tickets are required so sign up soon!  i can already tell this is going to be a very popular exhibition! i hate myself for not living in the big apple.

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis Est

The EXHIBITION LAB Exhibition

july

dear july,

my heart melts every time i meet up with your sizzling hot days and patriotic grandeur.  

if you were a color, you would be the most brilliant of all reds.

stars and stripes.  

fireworks and fireflies.

sweet summer sunsets. 

you're as classic as red lipstick and swirling lollipops.

 as pretty as pearls.

and boast an elegance all your own. 

perhaps it's your quiet individuality that gets me every time.

there is no other month like you.

you've given me some of the best summers of my life.

thanks for being such such a wonderful month,

-d

gossip girl in paris

while the rest of us are hitting the beach this summer, serena and blair are painting the town red in Paris and by the looks of it, eating Ladurée macaroons! Gossip Girl has decamped to the City of Lights to shoot season 4 and i'm hoping the change of scenery will breathe new life into the series that seriously stalled in season 3. i'm also wondering who those boys are in the photos. they definitely don't look like chuck or nate to me! oh la la!

who wears short shorts: part deux

it's brutally hot again today and one of my male friends confirmed that it's even worse if you have to wear a suit. poor corporate guys around the globe. too bad they can't wear shorts to work like these cool guys! they definitely look chic to me!

All photos by The Sartorialist

who wears short shorts

i was working on a post about looking chic in shorts when i came across the photo above on The Sartorialist. Of course, the photo was taken in Paris where everything looks chic but i love how pulled together she looks. the temperature is supposed to reach over 100 degrees these summer days so looking and feeling cool will be a challenge but maybe shorts are the answer! enjoy!

 olivia palermo and hot boyfirend

she is the queen of shorts

Vivianna Volpicella

Gwyneth Paltrow

 Rachel Bilson and Kate Moss

 Jennifer Aniston

 Miranda Kerr

the source of all trouble

they make my world go round.
xx,
-Miss D.

pretty

 xx
-d

stop, order and go... ? perhaps not so.

i was for an eency bit,  a PDX resident and there was quite a yummy food cart scene up in my neighborhood.  i’ve been thinking about doing a post on mobile catering options (aka food trucks and carts) for ages but i hadn’t managed to get it together until now. 

from what i've gathered, the food truck scene is pretty out of control in many cities.  ANYTHING you want to eat can be delivered via food truck to any given street corner or parking lot, which had me thinking that these delicious mobile eateries would make exceptional caterers for a wedding.  and one would think they’d be less expensive than plated dinner service, plus loads more fun.

the original upscale taco truck from LA: Kogi. they started the food truck revolution here by tweeting their location as they arrived. the lines used to be INSANE, but now that they have 4 trucks and a brick and mortar home at the Alibi Room, it’s a little more manageable to get your mitts on Korean BBQ tacos.

 then there’s Potato Champion in portland 

if i ever understood the portland scene right, these carts are more permanent fixtures in their locations, which had me thinking that some place like Moxie Rx would be an adorable place to host a low key welcome/rehearsal dinner.  it’s got to be one of the cutest spots around.

and it would be impossible to do this post without including IN-N-OUT.

and if you don’t want your main course to come from a truck, there are so many cute dessert options to choose from.  here's a collection of a few from NYC, LA, and PDX, plus a gem from Kansas City, which i learned about from a friend.

starting with the old fashioned ice cream truck, some of my faves are Coolhaus, King Kone, and VanLeeuwen Ice Cream.

then there’s cookie and dessert trucks, like Street Sweets and The Treats Truck.

and finally, two of the cutest options out there, with coincidentally the same adorable little trailer: Fresher than Fresh sno cones,  and Enjoy Cupcakes.

 there are countless other options out there to choose from.  in LA alone they have a dosa truck, a grilled cheese truck, a sushi truck, a fry truck, a green truck. the list goes on.   and following in Kogi’s brilliant foot steps, they all tweet their location as they arrive. which means you can track them at la.truxmap.com and follow all of them at once @foodtruckla.   Food Carts Portland keeps tabs on what’s happening up that way.    Find NYC Food Trucks keeps an up to the minute log of where to eat in manhattan.  all of these sites are good places to start if you’re looking for an interesting catering option for your wedding. or party! why limit all the fun to weddings?

anyone have a favorite they’d like to share? always up for recommendations on where to find delicious food, mobile or not.

xx

-d

{Image credits (photos from official websites are not credited):  Kogi: Serious NY Eats, Potato Champion: Yelp, Stretchy Head, In-n-Out: Laist, Dwell, Gourmet, Flickr, LA Magazine, Enjoy: Jose Villa, Moxie Rx: Susan Seubert, Truck Food Nation, NYC dessert trucks: NY}

the wind beneath their veil

a couple of my besties are getting hitched oh-so-very-soon. and as much as i would love to keep them all to myself, i know they are marrying wonderful men who undoubtedly will make them happy, very happy.

plus... i am a bridesmaid for each of them, so i get to feel extra special for being a part of their BIG day. 

nicole hill photography

don't you love this picture?

cause after all,
you can go off and marry your dream man,
but you'll still need your best girlfriends to keep you straight.

xx

-d

if you forgot to send a birthday pesent my way...

i'd be happy to have this.
it makes me want to go out to the beach and play.

thank you in advance.

xx

-d