Bloomsbury & Battle

strap fantastic

February 14, 2019

I’d say whe have 3-4 more weeks of major winter weather here in Dallas. Part of me wants another sweater or two to get through the rut that is February (save me from the d*mn repetition!) but I’m going to stand strong and hold out for warmer weather / spring shopping.

One of the first things on my spring shopping list is a pair of barely there strappy sandals. The kind I’m seeing are minimalist and oh-so-1990s. These strappy sandals will look just as good with jeans as they will with a midi dress for a spring wedding. The first redo of the 1990s strappy sandal came to us via The Row and, while they’re pretty much perfect, I can’t get past the price tag. Ouch. Luckily I found some less pricey options that I love just as much. Now all I need is a fresh pedi and some sun on my winter self and I’ll be baring all (of my feet that is!) come spring.

A few of my fave strappy sandals and inspiration pics are below.

happy n’ strappy!

-Laura

John Derian’s East Village Dream

January 31, 2019

…I’m back. Did you miss me? Life got in the way for a few weeks – I blinked and BAM, two weeks went by without posting. To be honest I wasn’t feeling like myself and needed R&R after work instead of B&B. Side note: If you’re looking to binge watch a yummy historical series, look no further than Vanity Fair on Netflix. Two words – Tom. Bateman. Look him up.

Speaking of rest and relaxation, though, John Derian’s East Village apartment would be the chicest place to Netflix and chill on a snowy winter night. Featured in the February issue of AD, it’s everything a downtown New York apartment should be. Guys, if this was what my apt in New York looked like back in the day – with every inch decked out in wares from John Derian’s E. Vill shop – I would 1,000% still be living there. Jordan and Ina would be city folk too and the three of us would meander over to Abraço on E 7th for Saturday morning lattes.

I’ve been a fan of John Derian’s shop for years and adore his aesthetic – eclectic, relaxed, and collected not decorated. It’s just what I want my house to feel like.

Enjoy the pics below [all via Architectural Digest].

Meet me in the E.V., won’t you?

-Laura

girl with the pearl earrings

January 10, 2019

Did anyone else get a pair of pearl earrings when they were growing up? The pearl earring gift seems like a rite of passage, at least when you grow up in the south. I misplaced my circa 2000 pearl studs somewhere along the way [sorry mom!] but all isn’t lost – pearl earrings, and all pearl jewelry for that matter, are back and BETTER THAN EVER. These aren’t the stuffy solitaires of yore either. The pearl earrings I’m seeing are unusual and fresh, literally fresh using more organic looking freshwater pearls. I love that these earrings look vintage, like you swiped them from your mom’s high school jewelry drawer, but with a modern twist.

Below are a few of my favorite pearl doo-dads. I can’t wait to wear a pair with a striped tee and jeans or, even better, a bikini come summer.

Show off those pearls, girls!

-Laura

On the Radar: HORROR VACUI

January 4, 2019

I love the shopping site Matches. Whether I can afford half of what’s sold on there is beside the point. Matches carries so many up-and-coming designers, usually from Europe, that haven’t hit it big yet in the U.S. One line they carry that I haven’t seen elsewhere is HORROR VACUI. To tell you that I am in love with this brand doesn’t even begin to cover it. HORROR VACUI’s tops and dresses, created by German designer Anna Henrichs, check every box for me. Floral? Check. Feminine? Oh yeah. Unusual? Very. Versatile? Absolutely.

HORROR VACUI is a Latin phrase meaning the fear of emptiness. In psychology and art it relates to the human urge to decorate and fill empty spaces with detail. [Note: So me.] HORROR VACUI’s maximalist aesthetic is a sight for sore eyes: exciting colors, floral patterns, and elaborate sewing techniques abound. Henrichs is inspired by historical nightgowns and costume details found in old portrait paintings. A mix of old and new? That’s what Bloomsbury & Battle is all about. I hereby nominate HORROR VACUI for official blog uniform!

My favorite HORROR VACUI pieces are below (some on sale!) along with a pic of the top I snagged for myself.

In ruffles we trust!

-Laura

Musings on a New Year

December 31, 2018

In years past, the start of a new year either hasn’t registered on my emotional radar (likely due to too much NYE bubbly) or has made me a little sad thinking about time flying by. This year I feel different though. I feel happy and excited for 2019 in a way I can’t explain. True, every year has its ups and downs but the downs in 2018 were, I’m not going to lie, way down there and sometimes it felt like the ups were few and far between. On the bright side, this year I grew in ways I didn’t expect and for that I am grateful.

This pic of Loulou de la Falaise, muse and right hand (wo)man to Yves Saint Laurent, on her wedding day in the seventies sums up my outlook and aspirations for 2019. Here she is confident and content, creative and basking in the joy of being herself. I want my work on this blog (the unexpected baby I created in 2018) to be filled with as much creativity and confidence as Ms. Falaise exudes here. I hope my year, and yours too, is dripping with jewels, tied up in a turban, and downed with a glass of champagne.

Toast to a new year!

-Laura

with a bow on top

December 19, 2018

‘Tis the season for party after party after party. All this merry making requires some extra pizazz in the wardrobe dept! One style I am loving this holiday season? The tie neck aka pussy-bow blouse. We have Alessandro Michele of Gucci and his grandma glamour (see above pic) to thank for the current pussy-bow resurgence and I dig it.

For starters, you know I love a button down but I am particularly piqued by a button down with a bow. Pussy-bow blouses are v. elegant and can literally be worn with everything. Wear one under a blazer for your office Christmas party… pair one with straight leg jeans (these are the gold standard) and metallic heels for your last girls night of the year…leave one undone and opened low, maybe with a hint of this, for sexy, Kate Moss vibes. Anything goes, for real.

Now the only question is whether to splurge or save. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite pussy-bow blouses below.

Prrrfect!

-Laura

Isabel Lopez-Quesada: At Home

December 4, 2018

I like to add to my collection of art and design books by buying a book every month. I don’t notice the cost when I buy one at a time (1 book = 5 oat milk lattes) plus it helps me to stay on top of the latest and greatest so I know what book to buy next. I just ordered Isabel López-Quesada’s first book – Isabel López-Quesada: At Home – and can’t wait to study every page.

Isabel López-Quesada is a Spanish interior designer based in Madrid who’s worked on projects all over the world. She’s been published in pretty much every design magazine you can think of and is one of Architectural Digest’s prestigious AD100. Her look is all about the juxtaposition of contemporary and traditional with antiques and modern pieces side-by-side. It’s feminine but funky using lots of textures and subtle colors. Her rooms appear airy, light and infinitely livable.

I’ll post more pictures on Instagram once I’ve poured over my copy of Isabel López-Quesada: At Home but for now here are some of my favorite images of Isabel’s work.

Enjoy!
Laura

print power: printed tablecloths

November 30, 2018

Jordan and I spent our first Thanksgiving in Dallas and, while we were sad to be away from our families, it was a really relaxing few days. We ran the Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning then spent the rest of the day cooking and eating a feast à deux. One of my favorite parts of the day was setting the table with cherished wedding gifts – china, vintage crystal, and serving pieces from our nearest and dearest.

Hosting a dinner party, even if just for two, is a good way to test if you have the essentials to entertain on a larger scale. After setting my Thanksgiving table I made a little list of some of the things I’m still missing… a silver ladle for gravy, festive water glasses, a punch bowl (so fun for big parties) and a special tablecloth! It’s the tablecloth that really got to me last week. I LOVE the look of printed tablecloths layered with patterned china for an eclectic, collected vibe and the cream linen I used on Thanksgiving just did not cut it. I’m officially on the tablecloth hunt! Here are some of my favorites and how I would pair them with patterned china.

[richard ginori plate, simrane tablecloth]

This pattern, Oriente Italiano by Richard Ginori, is my everyday china and it is so dang versatile. I’m a bit of a china fiend and have collected a few different patterns but if I could only have one, it might be this because you can use it all day, every day. I paired it with a block printed floral tablecloth from the AMAZING French textile company Simrane. Every Simrane print is perfection – see more examples below – but I love that the dusty rose of the plate is picked up in the cloth’s floral without being too matchy matchy.

[mottahedeh plate, simrane tablecloth]

Sacred Bird and Butterfly by Mottahedeh is a famed Chinese export pattern that was used in Charleston’s Nathaniel Russell House in the early 1800s. I think it’s the quintessential china for Thanksgiving. Here I paired it with another Simrane floral (you literally cannot go wrong with these) that adds a fun, festive element to the Thanksgiving table. Keep napkins simple, maybe in a light blue linen, and litter the table with leaved clementines and votives – DONE.

[haviland plate, heather taylor tablecloth]

Dammouse by Haviland is my overtly feminine and floral china that leaves me giddy with love when I use it. It can read formal or even old lady – what can I say, I’ve got an 80 year old’s taste in interiors – so to keep things casual I’ve paired it with a simple plaid tablecloth by Heather Taylor Home. My girl crush Amanda Brooks stocks Heather Taylor linens in her store Cutter Brooks (more on that gem here) and they’re carried at the lovely L.A. interiors outpost Nickey Kehoe. I think this combination is perfect for a summer soirée… just pass the rosé!

[royal copenhagen plate, simrane tablecloth]

Royal Copenhagen = the chicest china on the planet. Beyond being my twin sister’s china (Dabs is super chic herself!) it’s graced history’s most stylish tables for over 200 years! It is beautiful on its own but here I thought why not make it live la vie bohème? It’s paired with a Simrane tablecloth that kinda looks like the batiked tapestry you’d find in a Deadhead’s dorm room…if that Deadhead studied in Paris and dressed in Heidi Slimane. I imagine it in a dining room painted in Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back with the lights dim and a roaring fire nearby.

[royal crown derby plate, heather taylor tablecloth]

Old Imari by Royal Crown Derby can feel very formal and traditional. I brought the formality down a notch by pairing it with a peach gingham (also by Heather Taylor Home). Use these al fresco for one lovely picnic.

[mottahedeh plate, les indiennes tablecloth]

Two of my favorites girls use Mottahedeh’s Tobacco Leaf china so it has a very special place in my heart. I know it’s a busy pattern but I think it would look charming on top of a blue and white block print for a casual ladies lunch. This one is Les Indiennes.

Happy Pairing,
Laura

Layer Up

November 7, 2018

We finally have crisp, cool fall days here in Dallas and I am so relieved – if I had to wear a mi golondrina dress or flat sandals one more time (in OCTOBER!) I was going to scream. I love my summer stuff but it needs a rest! Anyway, am I the only person who looks in their closet when the season changes and thinks “what the hell am I going to wear?!” Somehow I got myself dressed last winter but in what I am not sure. My winter wardrobe’s state of affairs means it’s time for a refresh!

It doesn’t get THAT cold in Dallas (compared to my years living as an icicle in NYC) so yes, coats are great but even in the dead of winter there are days we don’t need them come lunchtime. Because of this, basics like thin sweaters and layering turtlenecks are the work horses of my winter closet. Also, the special somethings are great (more on that here) but you can’t build an outfit on just stand out pieces. You need the basics to add a classic touch to the unicorns in your closet.

Winter layering is an art form but SO CHIC when done well. Here are the basics I’m stocking up on, with tips on how to style them, as the weather turns chilly.

[uniqlo button down]

So good I ordered two! Size up for a boyfriend-y fit. Roll up the sleeves, pop the back of the collar ever so slightly. Half tuck into jeans. Tie at the bottom and wear with midi skirts. Rinse. Repeat.

[uniqlo merino turtleneck]

I loved a particular J.Crew black wool turtleneck for almost a decade. It’s neck finally succumbed to old age and drooped instead of scrunched so I searched for a replacement. I’m mainly pleased with this Uniqlo option (esp. the price!). Wear the neck unfolded, slightly scrunching it and the sleeves. Layer under button downs, dresses, anything and everything.

[j.crew perfect fit turtleneck]

I think J.Crew has serious work to do and could write a weekly blog post on the misfortunes of their current selection…but these turtlenecks are standbys. Buy black and light grey and replace yearly. Wear as an even thinner layer under you name it. A fitted cotton turtleneck just makes me feel like a kid again.

[everlane cashmere v neck]

I hear you can’t go wrong with these $100 cashmere sweaters. I’m buying a black v neck and sizing up so that the v hits in just the right spot. Slightly sexy when oversized and worn with a hint of a lacy strap showing. Also the opposite of sexy, but still right up my alley, worn with a grey cotton turtleneck underneath. I’m debating getting the camel crew neck too because camel = classic.

[wolford turtleneck bodysuit]

Wolford’s stretch is perfect. Seamless. Long lasting. You just feel like a million bucks in their stuff. It’s not cheap but I think the cost per wear justifies it in no time. Very celeb approved, google if you don’t believe me.

[cami nyc lace tank]

I know this could read circa 2004 going out top but stay with me. Layer this under a jacket or over any of the above and it feels so fresh. Just a pretty little thing to jazz up the everyday.

[jungmaven tee]

I’m constantly on the hunt for good quality tees that aren’t a hundred bones. One of my Insta crushes Jessie Randall (founder of these faves) swears by Jungmaven tees. I’m getting the black and white long sleeve to start out then will add a few short sleeves come spring. I’m thinking they’ll be perfectly oversized and will look great knotted with high waist jeans.

Bundle up!
-Laura

B&B Favorite: Le Manach Palmyre

October 18, 2018

I have have quite a few favorite fabrics. Dabney and I store our fave samples in one big box at her house in Atlanta then trade them back and forth, putting together design schemes when we’re bored. [side note: does fabric scheming not sound like the worst kind of torture for our poor husbands, who are either with us during said scheming or can hear our endless phone convos? They are sometimes ~~the center of our attention~~ slightly deprived when we’re together.] Of all my favorite fabrics, one at the top of the list is Le Manach’s Palmyre.

Le Manach is a luxury French fabric house founded in 1829 and acquired by Pierre Frey in 2014. Le Manach fabrics are the ultimate in style and sophistication – proof: Lee Radziwill (Jackie’s sis and most stylish woman alive) used Le Manach’s Mikado in several of her famous living rooms. Vibrantly colored chinoiseries, ikats, and florals are the brand’s calling card and all designs are historically based, some from as far back as the 17th century!

Palmyre is a cotton chintz that was first printed by Le Manach in 1931. Similar floral patterns were popular in the 19th century, one shown in the Ingres portrait below. Palmyre is Obama’s White House decorator Michael Smith’s favorite chintz because of its many layered colors. I agree – Palmyre’s twisting florals absolutely explode with color and make my heart happy.

I’d love to see Palmyre on the headboard of a girls room or mixed with wicker and eclectic antiques in a living room. I’d put it on a settee, cost be damned, and let it be the focal point. With a fabric so special, a room doesn’t need much more!