Beau Soleil

My friend pointed me towards Beau Soleil's website this afternoon and I have to admit, I'm in love. Soleil's clothes are effortless, pretty, and eco-friendly. A woman named Anne Salvatore Epstein named the line after her favorite oyster (cute!). The line "uses fabric made out of bamboo, a sustainable material, vegetable-dyed organic cottons and vintage, tencel, which is made from eucalyptus tress, as well as recycled leather trim".

Right now, there are a lot of cute dresses on sale over at Shopbop, and on their own website under "Fall 2007". (And I'm pretty sure that's Melrose from ANTM in those pictures...)

Here are my favorites from the Spring 2008 line:

beau babe - $275

beau boat - $250

beau sun - $250

Cute, no?

-K.B.

Polyvore

Here are some Polyvore sets various users have created that I found today. The last is my favorite, though, a la Blair Waldorf. (When will I stop being obsessed with her style?!)









-K.B.

Better than calculus

My calculus midterm is this Friday (blah) but instead of trying to remember how to find critical numbers and use the second derivative test, I decided to look through my Nylon that came yesterday.

One of their articles featured Made in Heaven (MiH) jeans, a brand that I had never heard of before. Originally founded in the late 60s, the label is now being revived by Chloe Lonsdale--godchild of MiH's founder.

Each pair looks super comfy, and the brand is known for their signature flattering cuts. While not available in stores stateside, there are a few pairs currently available on Shopbop and ilovejeans.com.

Here are my favorites:

London 5 Pocket Boot Cut - $220 (Shopbop)

Marrakesh High Waisted White Wash - $273 (Ilovejeans.com)

Oslo Slim Leg - $220 (Shopbop)

-K.B.

Lusting for Air

My parents recently asked me if there was anything particular I wanted as a graduation gift. "A NEW MACBOOK PLEASE" I replied quite quickly. I've been thinking lately, Apple, when will you come out with a new laptop?

Steve Jobs seemed to answer this question when I saw the new MacBook Air featured on Apple's site this afternoon after school. After watching the guided tour, I am a bit skeptical; however, the positives still seem to weigh out the negatives: less than 1"?! 13.3" wide screen?! full keyboard?! three pounds?!

My two main concerns: the price of $1799 (which, like the iPhone, will hopefully drop down), and the lack of a DVD drive. Um, hellooo Apple, you can't expect everyone to "virtually rent movies" from iTunes, or install a program using another computer. That just seems pointless.

-K.B.

My sewing stint

After the boy asked me to mend a sweatshirt pocket for him today, I figured I could whip something up for myself too! I bought this t-shirt as an impulse buy during a visit to Kentucky three years ago. Over the years, one of the sleeve seams ripped so it got thrown into my "I-will-reconstruct-these-shirts-one-day" drawer. (Today seemed like a good day to start on this overflowing drawer.)

I first cut the sleeves to cap sleeves and the neck into a scoop neck. Then I chopped off the bottom hem and sewed it on to create a new collar. All in all, this one was a quickie! I still feel like something is missing, but I can't quite figure out what.

-K.B.

Quick DIY

After an inspirational trip to IKEA this afternoon, I finally decided on the colors I wanted to decorate my room with: maroon, black, white, gold, and brass. For months I have been moving around furniture and gradually getting rid of things I no longer need but needed that extra kick to start the actual redecorating process. I have been inspired recently by rooms with a glamorous, Gothic (Gothic as in romanticism, not as in heavy eyeliner and white foundations) feel.

I bought this plaque and three knobs over a year ago on sale at a local craft store on the basis that the knobs matched my bed frame. It finally got painted this afternoon by yours truly, and now is being put to work as a long necklace hanger.

-K.B.

The Blues

While fashionistas all over the world are waiting patiently for their turn to paint their fingernails with Chanel’s La Vernis Blue Satin nail polish (or buying it for $65 on eBay), I found a nail polish "knockoff" at my local drugstore the other day. N.Y.C.’s Skin Tight Denim Crème is a mere 99 cents, and so incredibly similar. Other bloggers have been claiming O.P.I.’s Russian Navy is a match, too. So although a Chanel nail polish may be more luxurious than one by N.Y.C. or O.P.I., you won’t be waiting for a package in the mail, and you won’t be set back so much money.

(Picture from here.)

-K.B.

i WILL keep these

Photo by rkr806 on Flickr

Here's my own set of resolutions for 2008 that I will be happy to keep.

I will...

• learn to walk in high heels- as of right now, I walk sort of wobbly in them. I plan on practicing regularly and hopefully by graduation, I'll be a pro!
• keep a daily sketchbook and/or blog- I really want to regularly sketch in my sketchbook, or post on here. or both!
  
• stop procrastinating!!!- since the hectic Christmas season, I've been getting better at this. I refuse to give up on this main resolution; my life will be much more free of stress if I learn how to plan things out instead of waiting until the last minute.
• keep a money diary- my main concern currently should be saving for college; however, buying a latte or new shirt is so much more appealing. keeping a diary of every cent I spend will help me see my cash downfalls on paper, and will hopefully influence future spending.
• clean my room daily- this goes along with not procrastinating (if I let things pile up, cleaning will just take that much longer in the end).
  
• read more & learn something new every day- to expand my knowledge :)
  
• exercise regularly- ...to stay happy. I feel as though putting weight loss & exercising together makes it so much more serious. but after I exercise, I feel so much more energized and happy! the half hour of sweat and pain is worth it for that happiness.
• do something for myself once a week- this includes little indulgences such as buying a new nail polish or watching a new movie that I usually wouldn't make time for.

What are your resolutions?

-K.B.