Darling or Daring?

Photo courtesy of StyleFrizz.com

Flipping through my November Elle, a certain ad grabbed my attention.  Lacoste's new limited edition design by Brazilian duo Fernando And Humberto Campana is the fourth holiday collection spun out from the classic company. The uber-exclusive line only boasts 20,000 pieces, but I'm a tad torn. Part of me  is envisioning a perfect new shirt for class (men's size, lassoed with my J. Crew gold skinny belt over skinny Hudsons) and the other half can't shake the creepy, march-of-the-ants vibe I feel.

Thoughts?

The Girl Gets It Right

I follow her on Twitter. I ripped out a magazine photo her Louis Vuitton fashion week ensemble. I have bought a lot of headbands since September 2007. (Let's be honest, her character Blair Waldorf is single handedly responsible for skyrocketing Jennifer Ouellette's line.) So I was a pretty happy girl when this email popped in my inbox this morning...

From WhoWhatWearDaily.com

Whether she's crowned in a power headband or wearing scads of oversized pearls, Leighton Meester's primetime alter ego—Gossip Girl's peerless Blair Waldorf—is adored for her prep-princess look. But while Meester is well known (and rightfully worshiped) for her screen-stealing character's fantastic outfits, frankly, the actress's personal style is much more intriguing. Though she works her character's amped-up UES look very well, in real life, Meester consistently demonstrates her ability to execute edgier ensembles with sophisticated flair. In fact, Meester manages to dance upon the fine line between directional and disappointingly trendy—a very difficult balancing act, indeed—without ever veering into fashion-victim territory. Plus, and perhaps most of all, we appreciate the way she consistently supports emerging talent, opting for designers like Christian Cota, Christopher Kane, and Emilio De La Morena for her red-carpet moments.

Jump to keep reading...

Bodegeda.

Weagle, weagle, war eagle....

November Issue of Southern Living

So I may be tucked behind the collegiate pearly gates of Samford University, but I've got my sources. Okay, so honestly I just visited the Southern Living offices yesterday because I missed my fellow intern Katie. Anyway, she tossed a hot-off-the-press November issue my way and it's beautiful! And was far more interesting to thumb through than my Mass Media Law notes.

With the SL redesign in it's second full-issue form, there is plenty to look forward to this month:

1. Following the October launch is another instillation of Made by Southern Hands: 8 items that are southern born-and-bred. Big surprise, I fell for the Leontine Linens monogram.

2. Annette's story on Seagrove Pottery from North Carolina. I unpacked the pieces we used to shoot in the studio: velvety soft and stunning.

3. I. Love. Architecture. LOVE it. Blame it on having a building contractor father and artistic mother. Jen Cole's story about Montpelier's restoration was drool-worthy.

4. Gawk over a most attractive 29-year-old Kasey Kahne (NASCAR driver) and read about his Charlotte picks. (I've been reading SL since elementary school. The male-gawking thing was an SL first for me. Helloooo, Mr. Kahne...)

5. The 2 centerpiece ideas that I'll be adopting on pages 12 and 53. Perusing Greatstuffbypaul.com for containers is a fab idea by SL.

6. Dear SL Homes Department, I'm feeling a Domino vibe. Thanks for filling the void. Love, Me

7. I'm looking for my inhaler because I stopped breathing. An 1852 Georgia farmhouse spread is pretty darn close to what I want my house to look like. This will be promptly ripped and put in my Clips I Can't Ever Lose binder.

8. Annette's gorgeous Everglades well that finished up marvelously!

9. A Holiday Dinners guide. The sorority kitchen may soon be in use.

10. A Carolina Livings story about Lexington's Red Bird Brand Peppermint company written by a certain intern. Shameless, shameless. Indeed I have no shame.

Have you gotten your glossy November copy yet?

Crew Love

J. Crew email from Monday, August 17:

Last night at 11:42 p.m. I caved to flashing yellow declaration. A follower of the "only buy it if it's love and bonus points for on sale" mantra, I knew that their were a couple of items that I'd been clicking over to more than once.

Won't this be a nice surprise when I get back to the campus mail room? Too bad that wraps up my back to school budget allotted by my parents.

Images courtesy of J. Crew

Hey J. Crew fashionistas, have you seen this?

• Article about creative director Jenna Lyons in August's Town & Country.
• Follow J. Crew on Twitter: JCrew or JCrew_Insider
• Or Facebook.
• J.CrewAholics and J.Crew Afficionada. Am I just finding these blogs?!

Break for Ruffles

Back at college, there is a crew of four best girlfriends I claim as my own. Two are tomboys, two of us are, well, definitely not tomboys. (I'll let you take a gander at which category I fall under.) Nicknames quickly ensued to label each pair: ruffles and cleats.

Eating Freeze Pops on the quad last May

So I'll admit: In all my ruffle splendor, and after my first May to August summer of working 8 to 5 (and many a late night) at Southern Living as an unpaid intern, I was in need of a reward.

With dad's worn oversize Polo t-shirt on my back and Greek letter flip-flops on my feet, I sleepily trekked over to Montgomery's L'Esprit Salon Da Spa this morning for a hot chocolate pedicure and manicure. (Can't explain, you'll have to believe me.)

With Essie's ballet slippers pink on my pampered nails and toes, I'm back and ready. Return to the blogosphere? Starting senior year? This ruffle's ready.

September Issue of Southern Living

Alas. Three days and counting until I take down the photographs, birthday cards, notable Words-of-the-Day hanging in my Travel and Livings department cubicle here at SL. But before I depart, here are my top 10 reasons to get excited about the September issue of my favorite magazine Southern Living (hey, what can I say? I feel a little ownership.) Can I get a "go team South?"

1. Kentucky’s Bourbon Country guide written by an editor/fellow ADPi three doors down from my cube. As a new 21-year-old, I could stand to learn a thing or two.
   
2. Best hotel lobbies in D.C. I was actually in Annette’s office yesterday and she mentioned that The Williard’s claim to fame is coining the phrase “lobby.” Learn something new every day...
   
3. Designer of Hotel San Jose Liz Lambert spills creative décor tips. “I think of the Rolling Stones in the early 1970s. It’s beautiful decadence,” she says.
   
4. Maybe I’m just fresh off the shrimp-boat from visiting my friend on Plash Island (victory picture with a catfish to prove it), but Wanda McKinney’s story about the Alabama Gulf Coast nudges nostalgic pride for Stallings summers in the South.
   
5. A list of walks through D.C. compiled with help from yours truly, le intern.
   
6. In Homes, two antique chandeliers hang from a swoon-worthy pristine white kitchen’s celing. This page shall be torn out and preserved from when I’m out of college.
   
7. A list of 12 divine salvage ideas for your home—cue old barn matierials, antique lanterns, and the like.
   
8. Stunning photography from a Roswell, Ga. home where weathered meets sleek.
   
9. Six New Ways With Corn Bread? The baby chef within me delights. And then I found a Spiked Arnold Palmer recipe. I’m anxious to try as I’m always the girl at the restaurant: “Can I have half lemonade, half sweet tea, please?”
   
10. A guide on how to start a running career on the right foot. (Sorry. Had to.)
    

If you are a reader in one of these states, look forward to some homegrown stories:

Mid-Atlantic Living The architecture-lover in me was thrilled about a blurb on FLW’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pa. (snaps for Katie my fellow intern for writing it)

Carolina Living Wilkes County residents turned a underutilized space into Yadkin River Greenway—grab your Chacos and check out this green mecca.

Florida Living Colombia native Beto Perez launched a new Miami work-out trend: Zumba. Now where can I take a class in Birmingham?

What sounds appealing to you?

Bromberg's: The Perfume Diaries

On my dresser in a monogrammed tray, no less than eight perfume bottles stand like a skyline of personalities. Out my door, down the street, and after one left turn, a selection of dazzling perfumes similarly stands proudly, guarded by another perfume aficionado.

Nestled in Mountain Brook Village is an art deco building known statewide as one of Alabama’s finest luxury brand since it’s 1836 founding. Now at Bromberg's, tucked alongside the glittering diamonds and pristine china patterns is a new endeavor for the store: Eight women’s scents and five men’s scents dance behind glass cases, all hand-selected by Bromberg’s consultant Howard Koch.

“Fragrance is a fulfillment of wishes and dreams,” Howard said. “We already fulfill dreams of couples, so this is a natural addition.” Yes, I nodded in understanding with glazed-eyes. This makes perfect sense indeed...

Continue reading my story on MyScoop.us.

What's In a Name

A few weeks ago, I posted about surnames doubling as first names--common in the South among other places.

Never one to read the end of the book to see what is going to happen, I surprised myself and skipped around in my Word-of-the-Day calendar. I ran across the word "fletcher" which had a fascinating meaning:

On of a number of English words that once commonly referred to occupations but are now better known as surnames, “fletcher” comes from the Anglo-French noun fleche, meaning “arrow.” (Our verb “to fletch” can mean “to furnish [an arrow] with a feather.”) Other names for occupations that are now used as surnames include “cooper,” a person who makes or repairs wooden casks or tubs; “collier,” a coal miner; “chandler,” a person who makes candles; “sawyer,” a person who saws wood; and “wainwright,” a person who makes wagons. Of course, there are names such as Baker, Carpenter, and Miller whose origins are more or less self-explanatory.  

Heard in the Halls: "They just killed Southern Accents."

Today it was announced that Southern Accents will close. The Septemeber/October issue of the magazine will be the last luxury Southern glossy publication of its kind.

While the beautiful website will live on, news from Sylvia Auton about the sophisticated bi-monthly magazine's news arrived in my work inbox this morning. Already, media websites are a-buzz with reporting. 

Newsday
Baltimore Sun
Gawker
The New York Post

It's a harsh lesson in Southern Progress Corporation interning when the magazine the floor above you closes due to the economy. And this is the industry I'm trekking into...

Photo courtesy of Southern Accents