image via luxist

I am positively giddy over the latest fashion designer/luxury hotel collaboration….

We’re talking Diane Von Furstenberg and London’s tony Claridge’s folks.

image via luxist

image via luxist

Claridge’s, a symbol of timeless glamour, is an art-deco style hotel in the heart of London’s Mayfair.  Von Furstenberg is a long-time guest and friend of the hotel so the collaboration was an easy decision — especially as many of her collections were inspired by the hotel.

“One of my fondest memories was when I was in London as a young, independent businesswoman and stayed at Claridge’s.  I knew I had made it.” — Diane von Furstenberg

Von Furstenberg, the designer of the iconic wrap dress that was the de rigeur uniform the modern woman of the 70s, is known for her use of wild prints and unique color palettes, so definitely expect to see that flair incorporated into the design of the rooms.

“To me, Claridge’s is the most glamorous hotel in the world; I regard it as my home away from home.  I am honered to become part of the hotel’s legacy and rich design history.” — Diane von Furstenberg

Part of the “rich design history” DVF references is Claridge’s collaboration with Viscount David Linley, who recently redesigned or restored ⅓ of the suites in the hotel.
The DVF-designed suites will premiere in June of 2010 and should generate buzz for her forthcoming line of bedding, bath, tabletop and home accessories for Spring Globalthat will be in stores January 2011.

“Babe Paley had only one flaw; she was perfect.  Other than that, she was perfect.” — Truman Capote

Born Barbara Cushing in 1915, she was known as “Babe, — the daughter of a prominent brain-surgeon, she and her two sisters were raised to “marry well.”  Babe was working as a fashion editor at Vogue Magazine when she met her first husband, oil heir Stanley Grafton Mortimer in 1940.  Babe had two children with Mortimer before their divorce in 1946.

photo via getty images

Her work at Vogue gave her access to designer clothes and designers were eager to dress her because of her high profile and glamorous image.

image via getty images

Babe met William S. Paley, the chairman of CBS Television in 1946 and were married in 1947.  Mr. and Mrs. Paley were avid art collectors and their collection included Picasso, Cezanne and Jackson Pollock.  Babe’s influence in the art world helped ensure the success of many leading modern artists of the era.

Babe’s style said that she was rich, but didn’t need to flaunt it.  She was widely known for her beauty, manners and kindness — qualities that unfortunately are in short supply of late.

She was able to start a fashion trend without even trying — have you ever tied a scarf to the handle of your purse to emulate a look you saw in a magazine or on a celeb?  Well, you have Babe to thank for that — she was in a rush to get out of the house one day and hurriedly tied her scarf to her purse handle.  She was photographed with the scarf on her purse and boom! The look was picked up by fashion editors and a trend was born.
Babe was also known for wearing “junk” costume jewelry with haute couture — her friend Slim Keith said her style was “perfection in an era of casual convention.”  Vogue described her style as “effortless chic achieved at great effort.”  Babe popularized pantsuits and showed women that it was ok to let a little gray hair show.
In fact, after she was named to the International Best Dressed List a record 14 times, she was inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1958 — the first person ever to receive lifetime status on the list.  The aphorism “You can never be too rich, or to thin” is often attributed to Babe Paley.

babe and bill paley at their cottage in round hill, jamaica | photo:: slim aarons

Invites to the Paleys’ many parties were sought after items — they were famous for entertaining at their apartment in the St Regis Hotel, their estate Kiluna Farm in Manhasset on Long Island, Kiluna North on Lake Squam in New Hmpshire (the site of 1981’a On Golden Pond), their cottage in Round Hill Jamaica (now owned by Ricky and Ralph Lauren) or Lightbourne House in the exclusive enclave of Lyford Key on Nassau in the Bahamas.

Truman Capote and Babe Paley in Paris in the mid 1950s. image via aesthete’s lament

Gloria Guinness, Bill and Babe Paley at the Truman Capote's Black and White Ball, 1966| image via hotel de ville

Babe Paley was one of Truman Capote’s “swans” along with Slim Keith, Gloria Guinness and CZ Guest.  Despite her image of perfection and confidence, Babe was really quite shy and Truman Capote was her confidant and close friend and shared many confidences with him, despite warnings from her other society friends.  She famously said that Capote was the only one she let in close enough to hurt her, and hurt her he did.
Capote bit society’s hand that fed him when he published “Answered Prayers,” a collection of stories in which he thinly disguised the identities of his friends.  The story “Le Côte Basque” tells the story of a drunken lunch at the exclusive Manhattan eatery.  During the lunch, the participants gossip about the other restaurant patrons and Capote included a story about an indiscretion committed by Babe’s husband Bill and made little effort to conceal Paley’s identity.
The story became the talk of the country and the Paleys, along with all their Social Register-type friends cast out Capote.  Many believe this event was the beginning of Capote’s downward spiral into alcoholism.
Babe succumbed to lung cancer in 1978, but ever the impeccable hostess she planned her own funeral right down to the food and wine selections that were to be served at the funeral luncheon.
She also allocated her jewelry collection and personal belongings among friends and family and wrapped each piece in colorful paper and filed them in a detailed filing system with directions as to how they should be distributed after her death.
Babe’s influence has not abated since her death — New York Magazine recently named her number 7 in their list of the Top Twenty Socialites of all Time.  Babe and the other “Swans’ exemplified a young, attractive, and affluent class that many Americans still aspire to join.

image via canadian interior design

photo :: horst

image via the daily beat

image via flickr:: sacheverelle

photo :: john rawlings for Vogue | via aesthete's lament

illustration :: kenneth paul

Have you ever been around a designer, or a designer-type when they start throwing around words like “enfilade” “ensuite,” “bobéche” or the like?  Did you feel like a cartoon character with a huge question mark floating over your head?  Have no fear, db is going to teach you about the secret language of designers through a new series called “Sound Like a Designer.”

Unless you live under a rock, I’m sure you have heard

the design and fashion flock all aflutter over Ikat.

Pronunciation: \ˈē-ˌkät\

Function: noun

Ikat means “to tie” or “to bind” in Indonesian.  It is a style of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process (similar to tie-dye) before the threads are woven to create a design.  A Double Ikat is when both the warp and the weft are tie-dyed.

Ikat is common in Central and South America in countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico.  You will also find the technique in use in Central Asia in Uzbekistan and South East Asia in India and Japan.

Ikats are viewed as symbols of status, wealth, power and prestige.  Some cultures believe the cloth is imbued with magical powers!

Ikats are still showing up on runways — these looks below are from Gucci’s Spring 2010 collection recently showed in Milan:

Photo :: dan & corria lecca | harper’s bazaar

image via the daily telegraph

Even the runway graphic is ikat-inspired!

As you can see by the images below, the pattern can be incorporated into just about any decorative style in as big, or as small doses as you like!

Despite their distinct appearance, ikats combine beautifully with other patterns and they also can bring a dose of worldliness into a room.

threads by lee jofa nirvana ikat in granite colorway

image via la design concepts

photo:: miguel flores-vianna | elle decor

image via the material girls

design :: katie ridder | photo:: william waldron | elle decor

"java" large platter from home james

image via the material girls

photo:: house beautiful

photo :: house beautiful

photo :: house beautiful

:: image via modmen ::

Rachel Ward and Kate Spade’s latest collaboration is on display at the designer’s SoHo flagship store.

This isn’t Spade and Ward’s first time working together, if you recall, I wrote about the installation Ward created for Kate Spade’s newest flagship in Tokyo Japan.

The SoHo installation debuted with a cocktail party (natch) during New York Fashion Week.  As in Japan, the chosen medium was hot pink and neon yellow tape.  Rachel Ward’s architectural approach, not to mention the precision of the tape application, still blow me away.  Putting up painter’s tape straight is often a big challenge for me!  Check out this video over at Kate Spade’s website to see Rachel Ward and her team bring the installation to life. {I wanted to embed the video, but there was no link.  Darnit!}

:: image via kate spade ::

:: image via modmen ::

:: image via kate spade ::

The best part of the party was The Tape Bar — leave it to the playful minds at Kate Spade to come up with this kind of interactive creative genius.  Guests were encouraged to decorate blank journals with the brightly hued adhesive.  Some even went so far as to decorate their clothing with the tape — my personal favorite was the tape-as-pocket-square sported by one dapper gentleman at the soirée.

:: image via kate spade ::

If you are in New York, head to SoHo to check this out for yourself

(and tell me all about it!!!!} But hurry — the installation is only up

until July 1st.

After taking a look at this wallpaper, is there any wonder where I got my love of color and crazy patterns?

Above is a photo taken in the breakfast room of my childhood apartment in NYC — I have many fond memories of this room as it is where my Dad and I would spend hours playing with Lincoln Logs after he got home from work. It’s also where he taught my brother and me how to properly crack open a peanut.  I’m pretty sure I stole one or two gin martini soaked olives from Dad’s glass in here too.  It was also the setting for many brother and sister fights and standoffs  with parents or babysitters when I didn’t want to clean my plate.  Many episodes of Threes Company and Little House on the Prairie were also watched from our perches in the breakfast room.  Ahhh…. the memories.

A year or so later, the breakfast room was re-done and wallpapered with ducks, what good WASP doesn’t have some duck décor in the apartment?  LOL.