Nice day for a white wedding... Or off-white... Or gold.

This is a lovely Papilio dress. I love the Grecian style mixed with the exquisite beading!

My niece got married just over a week ago, so I have had wedding dresses on my mind. It is my firm opinion that a woman can never be too old, too young, too single or too married, to enjoy looking at beautiful wedding dresses. There is something so etherial and elegant about a gorgeous wedding dress. And it's not just what the dress symbolizes: Marriage, Family, Happily Ever After. It is THE dress. The quintessential garment that will live forever in our memories, and possibly everyone else's (especially if it is particularly beautiful and unique).  

I love the chiffon mixed with the lace. And those sleeves are amazing! (Another Papilio dress.)

Plus, it is the one time in an average girl's life where she can spend a ton of cash on one garment and not feel guilty about it. And all eyes are always on the bride, wondering what her wedding dress is going to look like. It's kind of like the Oscars Red Carpet, only whiter and with more lace. So, I have decided to post some pictures of some current wedding dress designs that I hope you will enjoy! And in honor of my niece Afton, I wish you all the best on your journey ahead!

These three beauties are designed by Ersa Atelier.

This is one of my favorites, that's why I included two pictures.  That lace detail at the top kills me! And I am in love with the overall silhouette! 

I am a sucker for well used lace! This is a very sophisticated dress that maintains femininity.  Plus, it's very timeless!

I know many of you will scoff at this, but I am a big fan of 70's flowey dresses, and also pleats. So, to me, this is a match made in heaven! Plus the high, detailed collar is the perfect contrast to the rest of the dress! (I don't know who the designer is on this one.)

You can never go wrong with Vera Wang. Those ruffles are simply divine!

Another Vera Wang, I must say that I really like the collar, even though it's a little crazy and definitely unusual.

These next two are Ida Sjostedt. I love this one for it's simplicity and I also love the sleeve length. It's just an overall, dreamy dress!

The beading on this cape/jacket is mind-blowing! I want one of these to wear to church!

These next two are Alexander Mcqueen (the same who designed Kate Middleton's famous wedding dress). I like these because they stray from the wedding dress formula, but maintain the same level of loveliness. The gold beading here is perfect! She looks like a statue!

Some may say that these three are bordering on crazy, but if you throw out the horns and really look closely, I think you'll see just how amazing they are! The middle one makes me want to faint actually. I think if I had to choose an overall favorite, that would be the one! It has many costume and period-like elements, but still manages to seem modern and simply extraordinary! The one on the left is opulent andI love the ruffles on the right!

The Barrymore Dynasty

John, Ethel & Lionel Barrymore, early 1900s. Isn't Ethel's blouse lovely!

As you might have discovered by now, I have a fascination with the 1920's - the fashion, the films, the culture, everything. Well...something put me in mind of the Barrymore's the other day. They are iconic. So I thought I'd share a few pictures of them with this blog.

We'll start with the children. I could start with Maurice Barrymore & Georgiana Drew, but I don't really know much about them, and this post is already in danger of being very long and full of pictures as it is! Suffice it to say, Maurice & Georgiana were also actors.

So, we'll start with Lionel Barrymore, the eldest of the Barrymore children. When I was a child, I knew him only in his role as the horrible Mr. Potter in "It's A Wonderful Life". I didn't get the concept then that people were in lots of films (I still remember my surprise when I realised that Clark Gable had other roles beyond Rett Butler!). I have since then seen Lionel Barrymore in some wonderful films. I think my personal favourite is "A Free Soul" (with Norma Shearer, Clark Gable & Leslie Howard. What a cast!).  He began working in films around 1911, and despite being confined to a wheelchair later in his career, he continued film work until 1956.

Lionel with his second wife, Irene Fenwick, early 1920s. Though not as handsome as his brother John, there is a somewhat dashing quality to him in his younger years. 

Ethel Barrymore was the second Barrymore, born a little over a year after Lionel. Ethel had a solemn-eyed, Gibson-girl type beauty in her younger years. Winston Churchill fell for her charms and asked her to marry him.

Sporting the fashionable large hats and fur of the early 1900s, circa 1905.

circa 1905-1907?

Ethel definitely had style, and even as an older woman retained poise, dignity & beauty.

Ethel, 1920s.

Ethel in "A Portrait of Jennie" 1948. One of my favourite films.

John Barrymore is, I feel, the most infamous of the siblings, perhaps because of his drinking problem, and the fact that he is Drew Barrymore's grandfather (I often excitedly tell people that Drew Barrymore's grandparents were silent stars. They don't usually appreciate it as much as I want them to!). John also starred in silent films, and all throughout his career played very different roles. He was adept in both serious and comic roles ("20th Century" and "Midnight" leave me in stitches). He was also roguishly debonair. 

John Barrymore, 1920.

Since I'm including Drew Barrymore in this post, I thought it was only fair to say something about her grandmother, Dolores Costello, who also came from an acting family (her father Maurice was an actor). Besides, she was beautiful!

Dolores Costello. Look at that dress!

John & Dolores, 1928.

Again, ostensibly for room, I am skipping Drew Barrymore's parents (as I don't know much about them, and they had their prime in - to me - fashionably boring time) and heading straight on to Drew Barrymore. I think most of us know of her troubled past, which she has overcome remarkably well. I like Drew Barrymore as an actress. She's pretty and likeable in most of the roles I've seen her in. As well as acting, she has directed, she owns her own makeup line, and she just gave birth to her first child. 

I like the sort-of 60's mod look on her.

This seems to echo a 1920's look, which I think also suits her nicely.

Drew Barrymore, 2013. I think she definitely has a Barrymore look to her. 

Fanning the Flames

I think their beauty is completely timeless. This could be a picture from the 20's.

I think we all know Dakota Fanning, from her early movies like: I Am Sam, War of the Worlds, or Man on Fire (my personal favorite or hers).  Most recently she has been seen in the Twilight series, though not by me (I have only seen the first movie in the series, which she is not in).  But I have no doubt she was an asset to that particular movie franchise.  She is now 19, and turning into a promising young actress.  I am excited to see where she takes her career!

Elle on top, Dakota on bottom.

I'm not sure if everyone is aware of her younger sister Elle, who is now 15.  She also has quite a film resume, though her movies haven't been quite as prominent as her sister's.  You may have seen her in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Somewhere or We Bought a Zoo.  But I must say that she made a fan of me for life when I saw her in Super 8.  She was absolutely sublime and ultimately perfect for that role!

I've gotta say, if I had to choose, I would go for Elle's!

That being said, I have found that these two sister's are budding fashion figures.  I love all of their personal and red carpet fashion decisions, and the editorial pictures of them are simply divine.  Some of them are practically frame-worthy.

I want to wear every piece of clothing in this picture. And look, gloves!!!

And so, I leave you with a plethora of beautiful pictures of the Fanning sister's.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Even when they are a little scruffy, they still look adorable! 

Oh look! More gloves!

Completely angelic!

I love how the younger sister is taller than the older.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I have been thinking a lot lately about the power behind a good ad campaign.  Sometimes, while perusing through my favorite magazines, I am struck by one particular photo and cannot stop looking at it....can't stop thinking about it.  A great photo, with beautiful products, can really strike a cord.  Here are a few of my favorite ad campaigns:

This is a fairly new campaign from Belstaff.  I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Ewan McGregor is in this photo!

He is very easy on the eyes!

I just love the photos from this ad campaign.  The clothing is amazing and the mood of each photo grabs you!

This next one is from Saint Laurent, Paris.  I absolutely love this outfit!  It is simple, yet very sexy.  The hat, the hair, the blouse, the shoes....I love it all!  

Another great photo from Saint Laurent, Paris.  And another great outfit!  I love the hats!

I love this.  It reminds me of the costumes in "To Sir With Love" with Sidney Poitier.  A great look!

I thought I would end (Saint Laurent) with this amazing photo of Beck.  He is so awesome, I just love this pic!!

I will end with one of my favorite designers.....Christian Dior.  The actor, Marion Cotillard, is a model for Dior.  I think it is a perfect pairing; a striking woman with beautiful, classic clothing.

How amazing is this photo?  I think it is very 1920's with just the right amount of sex appeal!

I remember the first time I saw this photo.  I couldn't stop thinking about that amazing red blouse!  I want that blouse!  The setting of this photo, with the city in the background, is so alluring.  You feel as though you are there with her.  Perfection!

 Divine.  Exquisite.  Gorgeous.  Elegant.

I adore this dress.  And the shoes.  I wish you could see it more clearly, it really is marvelous!

I don't love Jennifer Lawrence, but I think these photos are wonderful!  Love the turban!

I will end with this iconic image: the infamous "Bar" suit and jacket from Dior Haute Couture (Spring/Summer 1947).  The sloped shoulders, nipped waist, the full pleated calf-length skirt, the articulated bust and padded hips.  It is, in a word, stunning.  In 1947, Christian Dior presented a collection of wasp-waisted and hip-padded designs. The American press immediately dubbed it the "New Look."  The "Bar" suit was considered the most iconic model in the collection.

I hope you have enjoyed a few of my favorite things!