Style Icon: Gwyneth Paltrow

It seems like most people either love Gwyneth Paltrow or they love to hate her. I happen to be a fan. Sure, some may think she gives off airs of snobbery. I interpret it as someone who is confident and sure of herself; someone who holds herself to a certain standard. Personality aside, I love many of the style choices she has made.

Wearing a nude gown of silk and voile by one of her favorite designers, Stella McCartney at the 2005 Academy Awards

Chiffon Zac Posen gown at the 2007 Academy Awards

Wearing Valentino, another favorite designer at this year's Fashion Rocks in London

Gwyneth wearing Valentino, with the designer at the 2002 Venice Film Festival

In Balenciaga while pregnant with Moses at the 2006 Golden Globes

Vintage Yves Saint Laurent at the premiere of Running with Scissors in 2006 I absolutely love this dress! I would wear it forever.

Channeling Grace Kelly in a pink Ralph Lauren gown on the night she won her Oscar at the 1999 Academy Awards

Wearing a black button down and Blue Cult's Gwyneth jeans at a Calvin Klein runway show in 2002

I love this casual look. I think her hair was perfect this length.

Simply Fabulous

I found these photos on Popsugar and thought they were so great that I had to share.

Orlando Bloom and model girlfriend, Miranda Kerr at the horse races in Australia. She looks very 1940's, Coco Chanel to me while he is so 1963, Mick Jagger in a suit. I'm not a huge fan of Orlando, Miranda, or Mick for that matter, but I think they look so fabulous here.

Tina Fey arriving at David Letterman.

I love the chic combination of the sleek, black sheath paired with the nude Louboutins.

The Mutual Admiration Society

Ronda, Courtney, Joni, and Me

Carolina, Courtney, Ronda, and Joni

Last night, I had the pleasure of dining with my favorite Houston bloggers, Joni (Cote de Texas), Courtney (Inside the Loop), and Carolina (Carolina Eclectic) as well as Houstonian at heart, Ronda (All the Best) who currently resides in Scotland. We had delicious Mexican food at Armando's in the heart of the River Oaks / Upper Kirby district. Seeing as how I live way out in the 'burbs, I always try to leave the house at a strategic hour in order to be on time. I arrived about twenty minutes early since traffic wasn't as bad as I had anticipated, so I drove around Avalon Place, admiring the beautiful historic homes before going to the restaurant.


I always have such a fun time when I get together with the Houston girls and really enjoyed meeting Ronda. It's fun to hear everyone's perspectives on things and to have so many different personalities together. Joni, a quintessential straight-shooter, is always a riot! Courtney has to be one of the friendliest and most stylish people I know. Carolina is my partner in soft-spoken crime. We both tend to take it all in, though we can definitely hold a conversation. She is such a genuine person. Ronda, is a very interesting woman, a real go-getter. Her drive is truly inspiring.


I've dubbed us "The Mutual Admiration Society, though the girls won't know that until they see this post. I personally admire each of them for different reasons. They are each incredibly talented, generous, and kind. I don't flatter myself to think that they would have any reason to admire me. In fact, I sometimes feel a little out of my league around them! Either way, I think it's wonderful to be able to get together and dish about our lives and our blogs and look forward to doing it again soon.

This Week's Quote

Save the Date: Sex and the City

As we all know, I am a huge Sex and the City fan and am awaiting the premiere of the movie with baited breath. You can imagine my delight when I found this cool little SATC widget! It features a countdown to May 30th, the theatrical trailer, teaser trailer, and clip about the fashion in the upcoming movie, as well as a Sex and the City quiz.

Fire up the TiVo!

Gossip Girl finally returns tomorrow! New York Magazine is calling it "the best show ever" and I agree. I can't get enough! Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy long-awaited return will finally happen this Thursday. Don't forget to watch the Real Housewives of New York reunion show on Tuesday. It's going to be a busy week!

Image from Nylon Magazine

Houston Real Estate: Katie Stassi's Fabulous Home

I like to visit the website for the Houston Area Association of Realtors on a regular basis. I love real estate and houses, so checking the new listings has been a regular habit of mine for quite some time. Yesterday, I came across designer Katie Stassi's fabulous Houston home. It just came on the market for It has been featured in both Domino and Paper City. Katie was recently named one of Domino's Top 10 Designers.

The house, which was originally built in 1960, was taken down to the studs and completely remodeled between 2006 and 2007. The result is decidedly fresh, feminine, modern and traditional all at once. It looks like it should belong in the Hollywood Hills. Upgrades include bleached parquet floors, Carrara marble, and Viking appliances. The one story house is nearly 4,000 square feet in size and is within close proximity to Houston's best shopping and restaurants.

If you're interested, you can see the MLS listing here.

Fantastic kitchen (I think I would need more cabinets, though.)

Another view of the kitchen

Breakfast Area

Sitting Area right off of the kitchen

Living Room

Gorgeous Master Bedroom
(Is that a real zebra skin rug? I think I'd like a faux one better. This one makes me sad.)

Master Bathroom

Office complete with seagrass carpet

Lovely playroom

Beautiful little girl's room. It reminds me of Apple's room in Gwyneth Paltrow's Hamptons House.

Another Secondary Bedroom

Saline pool and très L.A. awning

These images are from the MLS listing. It's interesting to see how different it is styled when compared to the images from Katie's website.

This Week's Quote

I totally need this right now...

Eye Candy: Alejandro Paul Typography

I stumbled upon Veer yesterday for the first time ever. How did I not know about this? Anyhow, my heart was sent aflutter upon seeing Alejandro Paul's "Feel" font (above and below). It was so pretty and feminine, so me if I were lucky enough to have handwriting that beautiful. I went on to look at the rest of Alejandro's work and I was instantly smitten. I can't tell you how many times I went back to look at his portfolio. So many gorgeous fonts, so much personality!

Alejandro's brief biography on Veer says "Alejandro is passionate about typography. While technically masterful, he focuses on the art behind the form – on capturing the essence of an era or style. He’s won several awards for his designs and is co-founder of the Sudtipos project, the first Argentinean type foundry collective. Alejandro teaches graphic design and typography at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. Alejandro’s work is available exclusively at Veer."

When describing the time it took to develop the "Feel" font, Alejandro had this to say:

"By now you probably know that for the past three years or so, I've been courting early 20th-century American calligraphy like a dazed lover, an utterly taken disciple. She takes my imagination places I've never been. She makes my brain pump endless streams of serotonin. In her presence, my eyes glaze over and my shoulder blades turn to wings. She's been to me the mistress about whom no wife can ever complain." The man should consider being a writer. He has a beautiful way with words.

I'm seriously in love with his work. Is that not ridiculous? I am in love with fonts. Any ideas on how to convince my husband that we should buy the $5,999 Umbrella Font Collection which includes all of Alejandro's beautiful work?


Most of Alejandro's fonts have an enormous amount of personality and really seem to embody specific eras. I can honestly imagine the type of person who would have written in each style. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Feel": Girly and charming with a retro feel, think Rita Hayworth or Doris Day

"Sudestada": I picture this as the handwriting of a lovelorn woman several centuries ago.

"Burgues": Regal and elegant, perfect for a beautiful wedding invitation

"Fajardose"- The perfect fairy tale font

Milonguita - To me, this would be the handwriting of a beautiful poet in 1960's San Francisco

"Ministry Script": Think glamorous 1940's secretary addressing invitations to her company's big, New York gala

"Miss Lankfort" - I imagine Miss Lankfort in a Jackie O suit complete with pillbox hat. She is prim and proper, but gets a little carried away at times. I can't decide what I like more, the font or what the letter says.

"Miss Stephans": I honestly don't picture this being someone's handwriting, but I love it. It looks very Downtown New York to me.

"Buffet": Fun and whimsical, it reminds me of the font used to spell Bewitched in the intro to the 1960's show.

"Affair": A very romantic font

Make sure to visit Sudtipos. You can test each font by entering any word(s) you like.

J.Crew Luggage

J.Crew recently debuted its collection of Italian leather luggage. The luggage is made by luxury Italian leather house, Dell'ga which has been frequented by Italian society since the 1800's. The collection is composed of the Lugano Suitcase, Lugano Valise, and Lugano Garment Bag which come in bright colors to set them apart from the sea of black nylon at the baggage claim terminal. The pieces are beautiful, though hypothetically speaking, I'm sure that I would shell out that kind of money on J.Crew luggage. I guess they really are trying to take the company in a new direction.

Style Icon: Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson is known for her hippie-chick, boho style. Though she's had a few misses in my book (at least she takes risks), she usually looks amazing on the red carpet. Kate often opts for long, strapless gowns, playful colors and patterns, and always accessorizes with her gorgeous, tousled blonde hair and mega-watt smile. She is a California girl with a penchant for glamour.

With her mother, Goldie Hawn

At the 2008 Elle Style Awards wearing Derek Lam

Not so mellow yellow: Dior Couture

At the opening of Tom Ford's store in Manhattan

Gorgeous chocolate colored Atelier Versace Gown at the 2005 Golden Globes

I love her hair in this picture.

Wearing Valentino at the 2003 Golden Globes

In Versace at the 2003 Academy Awards

Bicycling in Australia in 2007 - I love her jewelry here. She manages to look chic even though she is only wearing a swimsuit, cover-up, and flip flops.

With son, Ryder in Boston

I really like the combination of the navy dress and camel boots

At the 2008 Super Bowl

I love all of her accessories and the color of her scarf is gorgeous.

Images via Style.com and Popsugar