I ♥ Your Style: Carolyn Murphy

I have always been captivated by Carolyn Murphy's classic, California surfer girl beauty. But recently her enviable looks have been even further enhanced by her chic and refined personal style. The pictures below make me only want to wear black, white and camel for the rest of my life, with a touch of gold or leopard thrown in. In my own experience, it took me years and years of trying every look and trend that came out of fashion to come back to the conclusion that simple, well cut and beautifully made clothes suit me best. Seems like Carolyn has been on a similar path.

Fashion flashback: Angela Lindvall for MiuMiu 1997

I woke up this morning thinking about Angela Lindvall in these MiuMiu ads from 1997. I hadn't seen them since the time around when they were published, but that's what happens to you when you work in fashion for so long - certain images just stay in your head indelibly, perfectly catalogued, and the memory of those images takes on greater meaning because of the context. The first picture below made an impression on me right when I saw it in Vogue - Angela Lindvall was a new face and her natural yet somehow haunted beauty stayed with me. Then, weeks later, I met Christopher who 4 years later would become my husband, and he had posted the same ad on a wall in his apartment. To me, it was a weird kind of confirmation of our affinity for each other that we had both responded to the same image.

So when my eyes first opened today, I thought of that image all these years later and wondered, why now? Was it related to a dream I had? I looked to see if I could find it online and there it was, with a few more shots from the same campaign that I had forgotten about. I am still amazed today by Angela Lindvall's unique beauty at that time, but what also caught my attention now was the perfection of the clothes. The streamlined classic pieces shown simply, minimally. Makes me think all I need to own is a great sweater, a perfect white shirtdress and a beautifully cut jacket.

I ♥ Your Gucci loafers

I've been trying to convince myself to like Gucci loafers again. There are some pretty good cases for them below. Young Jodie Foster skateboarding in them? Babe Paley wearing white ones with a matching white Gucci bag? A street style chick in the new studded version? All pretty compelling. But I've already been there once before. As I senior in high school, I took my Palm Beach provenance pretty literally and went through a seriously preppy phase. A pair of brown lizard Gucci loafers with a tassel above the horse bit (bought that the Secacus, NJ outlet store) were the crown of my closet at that time. But as it grew more compelling to subvert my WASPy heritage and find my own style apart from all the girls that looked like me, dressed liked me, and went to the same schools as I did, I left the Gucci loafers behind. Would I wear them again now? Maybe. They certainly look fresh, updated and relevant on other people, but I have yet to find the pair - the color, the material, the style - that make me want to open my wallet. I'd also have to find a new way to wear them, to make them mine. I guess only time - and a trip to the Gucci store next time I'm in London - will tell.

I love the idea of a Gucci loafer worn with a tattoo - just enough rebellion to make them interesting.

This might be my favorite Gucci ad ever. I love the personal vibe with vintage details. 

I took this photo of my friend Bonnie's shoes a couple of years ago. She was wearing these far before everyone else had rediscovered them. I love the ribbon under the horse bit. These are the closest I have come to finding the pair for me. 

I just LOVE this picture. Not sure you could make Gucci loafers look any cooler than this.........

.....unless you are Jane Birkin. And then everything you wear looks super cool.

A modern day take.

I'm not that girl, but I'd love to see someone pull these off.

I've posted this one before, but my love of Babe Paley's minimal lady-chic look is everlasting.

If you are in the market for a pair, go to the 1953 Anniversary collection page on Gucci.com. They have lots of new colors, textures, skins and decorations on the classic loafer shape, included these groovy studded ones. 

Life on the farm: The end of the season

Today is the last day of the hunting season. It was pretty much a non-starter for me. Although I so enjoyed going to the meets, and watching the hunt occasionally come through the farm, my riding is not yet up to hunting standard. I went out on the very first day of the season (on my daughter's very well behaved pony) and lasted for about an hour. It was so much fun, but the adrenaline wore me out pretty quickly. And then I tried again last weekend when Coco was home. It was a disaster for me. I lent my horse Shalom to Christopher to ride for the day because she is an excellent hunter (and I am not), and I rode Petra, the most difficult horse at the farm but the only other one fit enough to ride after a long winter. I figured I'd just hang at the back with all the moms leading their kids on ponies. How wrong I was. Petra was in a neurotic mood (not unusual for her) and once we got going, she never stopped galloping. I left Christopher and Coco in the dust and my arms were killing themselves trying to pull Petra up with no success. Finally Christopher caught up to me, and when we had the chance rode off from the pack so he could escort me back to our farm. When I got home it took three bull shots (beef consommé mixed with vodka) to get me to stop shaking. This summer I am going to focus on increasing my confidence in jumping so that by next season I can join Coco and Christopher in all the fun they've had riding around the fields of Oxfordshire.

The hounds, anxiously waiting in their trailer to be let free.

Off they go!

Riding to the meet in the early morning fog.

Some days I'll be sitting in my house writing, and suddenly I'll hear the hounds making a racket in the nearby woods. I throw my boots on, make sure Ginger is inside, and watch the whole hunt come through the farm yard. It's always a welcome break from my day, and watching it never gets old - it's like living in another century.

The huntsman and two joint masters surveying the scene from up on the hill. 

Of course I love all the old school guys who wear very traditional clothes like top hats and wool jodphurs.

The field riding up the hill leading to our cottage. 

The huntsman leads the pack.

This fence is in the field behind our house, and there is another even bigger one right after it. When I showed Coco this picture, she was inspired and jumped it the next time we went out, just to show herself that she could. Her jumping is miles ahead of mine. I wouldn't dream of jumping this.

My favorite subject 

Christopher and Coco heading to the meet.

Young riders. I love the tattersall stocks tucked into the tweed jackets. 

The meet at our farm was fun and games for the whole family.

Leaving the farm through the old entrance.

The last of my smile - sheer terror ensued shortly after.

Lessons learned from "fashion month" street style

While I do love fashion shows, what I love even more is seeing how people integrate all those beautiful clothes into their everyday lives. I enjoy witnessing how the inspiration handed down from designers works its way into someone's own personal style. It is for this reason that I look forward to sitting down at the end of fashion month and reviewing what everybody wore and how. Now let's be honest here - looking at street style photos isn't a realistic cross section of real-life fashion wearers. In most cases, the people we see represent everyday fashion at its most sophisticated, and often attention seeking extreme. But still, its fun to look at, and I often gain many lessons about my own style from witnessing others' sartorial triumphs. Here's what I learned this season:

I never thought I liked Delvaux bags until I saw this one. Delvaux is a Belgian heritage leather accessories brand, and this is their most iconic style. Having only seen it in a larger shape and in very expected colors like brown and black, I struggled to see what the fuss was about. But this little one, in the two tone, with that amazing skirt and those incredible shoes? Chic as hell.

I was in the Celine outlet the other day (yes, I live near a Celine outlet, despite living on a farm in the middle of nowhere!) and they had these pants. I tried them on uncuffed with very high heels. I wanted to like them but just couldn't get my head around the shape - they were too voluminous. Now I see how they look best - cuffed and with flats. Wish I'd seen this picture a week ago.

Sometimes a great haircut is more important than the clothes you put on your body.

When in doubt, wear leopard with black and tortoiseshell. The combo couldn't be more classic or beautiful.

For me, this look is about the details, and the fact that I don't know where her coat came from . I love the vintage military pin, the red nails, and that stunning croc bag. She gets a lot of points for originality.

This oversize faux fur looks like it provides all the comfort and coddling you need to counter-balance running around in heels in the freezing cold 13 hours a day. 

I never really feel I can carry off the coat-draped-over-your-shoulders look. Especially during fashion week when you are carrying your life in your handbag and people are brushing past you all the time. Julia makes it look so easy here. Jenna Lyons is a pro at this look too. Maybe I'll try it again at night when I just have a tiny clutch to contend with.

I am always a sucker for fresh flowers in the hair, and here the red roses with the incredible coat are just making me swoon. 

There's no doubt this Celine coat is an attention-seeker but with the fuzzy pink hat, Miraduma manages to bring something unexpected to the look. And she's just so cute, how can you not love her?

I LOVE this proportion, and the classic simplicity of her clothes. And she's pulling off the coat-over-the-shoulders thing too. Love her.

I wonder if this is Shala with the Prada coat, the kooky bag and the Repossi rings? I love the confident eccentricity of her whole look.

Wouldn't you love to take your dog with you to fashion shows? Everyone would be so much happier and relaxed if they had a furry friend with them.

This is my favorite real world interpretation of the Op Art stripe trend so far. I love the flash of skin (not that I could or would do that!) and the tie-dye denim Chanel bag, not to mention her adorable smile. 

You could only match your brightly colored shoes to your brightly colored skirt if they matched exactly, which in this case they do. I love it. 

Have you noticed how Lauren has embraced her American-ness and classic beauty recently? It's as if becoming a mother made her feel stronger in the woman she is. Or maybe I'm just projecting my own evolution onto her. Either way, I'm really enjoying her toned town, sportswear focused looks as of late. I would notice her anywhere, in any crowd in this elegant and glamorous outfit.

I'm pretty much a sucker for anything that Gaia wears. Here, her mixture of black and white patterns, and the Celine-inspired bandana scarf around her neck are really working for me.

Going to try this hairstyle as soon as my hair gets a little longer. I think it's so pretty.

I love how Lilly toned down the contrast of her stripes with white shoes, a brown bag, a neutral trench, and tortoiseshell shades. 

Sarah's pattern mix within a simple, classic color story is very chic.

The combo of the country-chic coat with the edgy jewellery and the glam red nails is inspired. It should be obvious by now that I love red nails with just about everything!

It takes so much confidence and sophistication to be so inspiring in such simple clothes. Is it effortless or effort-full? I wonder.....

I don't usually love complicated outfits, but in this case she gets the color, pattern, texture and proportion so spot on that I cant help but be inspired.