Met Ball 2013: My favorite looks

For the first time in 10 years, I didn't spend Met Ball Monday getting my dress steamed, my hair and makeup done, my shoes and bag picked out, my jewellery delivered, my mani/pedi color perfected or the car service ordered to deliver my husband and me to the bottom of the big steps on Fifth Avenue at 83rd Street. Instead, on the warmest, sunniest day we've had in England this year, I took my son for a two hour horseback ride, made a big lunch of oil-poached halibut and blood orange salad, helped my kids with their homework, wandered around the farm with my daughter and our dog visiting the baby lambs along the way, had an early evening swim in the pool and then enjoyed our first summer supper outside, joined by the kids' grandmother. Life is good. But the day wasn't without a bit of nostalgia for the excitement of the Met Ball - the choosing what to wear, the people watching, and even just the thrill of being included. But mostly I was looking forward to waking up this morning and seeing what everybody was wearing. I wouldn't say that punk was the most flattering, or easy-to-pull-off theme The Met has ever chosen, but many of those who approached it with restraint, a new perspective, or just ignored it completely (Anna Wintour being at the head of hat pack) got my vote.

Carey Mulligan wore my favorite look of the night, hands down. Polished, clean, simple with just a hint of punk in her Balenciaga dress.

The brilliant razor blade chandelier at the entrance. Photo by Steven Kolb.

I also really loved Taylor Tomasi-Hill's Thom Browne gown. It's beautiful, flattering and not without a bit of the punk spirit. Thom's on a roll, and so is she. 

Antony Vaccarello is one of my favorite new designers, the only trouble being that you need to look like a supermodel in order to wear his clothes. Who better to impersonate a supermodel than Gisele?

Kate Bosworth seems to be more of a fashion icon than an actress these days, but not without good cause - she has great style. I love her in this Balmain mini, and she reminds me that in most cases there's nothing better than a simple black pump to wear with a party dress.

I love how much Sofia Coppola and Marc Jacobs are just themselves. Sofia always looks chic without looking like she's seeking attention (despite being every fashion girl's favorite style icon), and Marc always looks chic while seeking maximum attention. You can see why they're friends. 

I wish Gwyneth had done something more interesting with her hair and make-up, but the Valentino dress is inspired. 

There's never been a year when Bee wasn't on my Met Ball best dressed list. She always finds the perfect dress for her and never falls prey to a kitschy theme.

The flower-lined, flag-adorned main staircase in The Met entrance. The pink lighting at the top makes it. Photo by Steven Kolb.

The brilliant Olympia LeTan clutch Michelle Williams carried. Photo by Olympia LeTan.

Anne Hathaway looked great. I love the vintage dress and the Edie Campbell-inspired blonde hair.

Amazing Blondie. Every time I see her I can't not think of those pictures of her at CBGB which are among my all-time favourite style moments. Photo by Amy Astley.

What a pretty dress! Of course it's Nina Ricci - Peter Copping is the king of the pretty dress. And who better to wear it than Carolyn Murphy? I love how classic and simple her style has become.  

Giovanna Battaglia wears Dolce Gabbana better than anyone. The ornate style suits her, and she knows how to put it all together, including the safety pin crown. Gorgeous! Photo by Giovanna Battaglia. 

Alexa Chung always finds a way to look like herself - sexy and cute at the same time. She looks flawless here - dress, hair, shoes, bag, hair are all working.

It's easy to be annoyed by the Brant brothers - they are ridiculously precocious and always seem to be out on the town way past a normal teenager's bedtime. That said, they always look good. I especially love Harry's makeup here. Photo by Selby Drummond.

Thank god Vogue still appreciates New York society girls Like Dr. Lisa Airan and Marina Rust who dress way better (no stylist needed) than most celebrities do. While Lisa always looks good, I am particularly taken by Marina's feminine and romantic minimalist chic.

Another supermodel - this time Anja Rubik - in an otherwise impossible-to-pull-off Antony Vacarello dress. I love the lips and shoes matching the dress so perfectly.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Julianne Moore's dark green Balenciaga by Alex Wang dress. However, this is where the theme can lead a girl astray - I wish she hadn't tried to punk it up with her hair. 

Lauren Santo Domingo will go down as one of the great beauties of our day, and I LOVE her Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda dress. (I just wish it was two inches shorter!).

The look inside The Met. I love all the pink. Photo by Steven Kolb.

Cara Delevigne's Thakoon dress and punk-inspired makeup, hair, and jewelry is just the right dose of  rebel-chic.

I am so taken by Leelee Sobieski's modern take on minimalist style. Her embroidered tulle Dior gloves add just the right dose of the unexpected to an  otherwise toned-down look. 

I love these two. Lena Dunham looks so pretty with her slicked down hair and sexy makeup, and the Erdem dress is pretty and sweet and suits her beautifully.

My only regret for The Met Ball, without having even been there, is that they didn't get PSY to perform!!! I would have loved to see the fashion world get their Gangnam Style on. Still, it must have been so fun just to see him there in his stylish red checked tux and get a photo for your kids.

Life on the Farm: Snapshot

Now that the weather is getting more appropriately spring-like, and I won't be needing to use the wood-burning stove in my office so much, I'm wondering how I'm going to keep my soup warm at lunch time?

Chanel: The Rare and The Wacky

Although Chanel is, still today, most famous for being the very definition of elegance and chic, Karl Lagerfeld has certainly not lost his sense of playfulness and humor when it comes to creating novelty in each collection. I have a little file in my inspiration folder where I tuck away Chanel's most unusal and/or wacky accessories. Some I would love to own, and some I wouldn't be caught dead in but would likely appreciate on someone else. I would definitely lean more in the direction of the unusual over the wacky. Perhaps, I'd wear the needlepoint tote if I found it for a good price. But mostly, they just make me smile.

This is a recent limited edition from the Paris-Moscow collection. I am such a sucker for anything military-inspired, and I think the bright red is so chic. 

I love the handcrafted feeling of these jeans with the crocheted trim. I usually wouldn't wear such a big, obvious logo, but since these are obviously vintage (you can tell by the cut) I actually think its funny here.

I'm surprised we haven't seen Rihanna wearing these Chanel comb/sunglasses yet.

Maybe it's just because black and white stripes are the big look of the season right now, but I think this classic bag in the bold yet classic stripe is very chic.

I'd never seen this shape or the smaller scale quilting before, and I LOVE it!! Of all the things on this bag, this is what I covet the most.

I wouldn't wear these myself, but I girl in my freshman year art class at Brown had these boots, and I was obsessed with staring at her from across the room. I just couldn't believe that someone would wear Chanel boots in college!

I love nearly anything that is needlepointed and crafty-looking, so you can imagine how I love something that is needlepointed, crafty-looking AND Chanel. It's probably one of those things that I wouldn't carry very often but would make me happy when I saw it hanging in my closet. 

I'm always on the fence about suspenders. I feel a bit affected at the idea of wearing them, but then love it when I see them on someone else. I'd especially like to see Alexa Chung rockin' these.

A metallic metal clutch is such a chic thing to wear in the evening. I have a Calvin Klein one in textured copper that I carry again and again. I love stampings on this one, and the fact that the other side just has the hammered quality without the markings, in case you want to be more discreet.

As most of you know, my daughter's name is Coco. I would love get this bag for her, but I probably wouldn't. It just doesn't feel appropriate for a child or even a teenager to carry a Chanel bag. 

I have a thing about not carrying bags that are cumbersome to carry, and I certainly wouldn't employ a wristlet, but I do love this as an object. It would look great on my dressing table or on a bookshelf. 

I love how classic this bracelet it. It reminds me of the chunkier ones Celine recently did.

God I love the shape of this backpack - so unusual and with beautiful hardware.

The hand-carved work on this pin is very pretty. It would make a great ring.

The ombre coloration on this 2.55 would be so great on someone, just not me. 

Genius.

Life in England: My Favourite Houses, Part 2

The abundance of great houses, both big and small, formal and rustic, untouched or newly restored continues to capture my attention here in England. We make whole day trips to go see a house or a garden, have a picnic, let the kids run around and hope that they absorb at least one thing they learned from the adventure. My 11 year old has just begun to take an interest. When we drive around now, she comments on houses she thinks are special or beautiful or that she thinks I might want to take a photo of. I think it's important to teach kids about inspiration - the idea that we can be excited by things we don't have to buy, the idea of developing a visual vocabulary, and the idea of sharing opinions - sometimes agreeing, sometimes not. It's fun!

I drive by Cornwell Manor on my way to drop the kids to school everyday. Even though I have been to the house may times (our friends live in it),  I always slow down to take in this view of it, and the reflection of the house in the pond, from the road. 

My kids are much more excited by the dovecote at Cornwell. Every day as we pass it on the school run, they crane their necks to see how many doves are visible on a given day. I just love the idea of a "bird house" being built in to match the architecture or your garden or house. Theirs is next to the stable yard as you can see.

Riding on bridal paths and going to hunting meets is also a great way to see beautiful houses. This is the huntsman and his hounds waiting for the day to began at Fifield.

I pass this cottage every morning on my daily run. It is one of my many dream houses.

Every time I drive into Oxford I take a different route so I can all the beautiful college buildings I haven't seen before. This residence is one of my favourites.

This cottage with the river running under it is along the path of a great, long walk I took recently. Could you live this close to the water? I think I could, but certainly not with little kids. 

In most English towns, there is a large house right in the middle of the village. Often it's a bit set back from the road and usually has quite a lot of land behind it, but it still feels part of the community. I find this idea very reassuring, to have space and privacy, but be close to other people.

Badminton is one of the more well known houses in England, particularly because it hosts the horse trials every spring. We recently went to stay with friends that live on the estate, and so enjoyed going on long, wintery walks in such beautiful surroundings.

The gatehouse at Badminton is the prettiest one I've seen.

St James' Palace is my favourite Royal residence. It looks more approachable and cozy than the other much more formal palaces around London.

This little cottage near Rousham with the twig porch really moved me. I can imagine having a very simple, idyllic childhood here.

This is another grand house in the middle of a village. I'm not sure exactly how the layout works, but the facade is just stunning.

So many of the perfect little cottages I see around England remind me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They make me want to go inside, eat a bowl of porridge, sit in a comfy chair, and then have a nap!

Discovering Sleepy Jones

Anything Andy Spade does gets my attention. He is a branding and marketing genius with a healthy sense of humor and great taste. His latest project is called Sleepy Jones. It's a collection of classic, colourful and relatively affordable lounging clothes, including pyjamas, underwear, robes and bathing suit cover ups. What also captures my heart is the written ethos behind the brand and the "journal" of photos that inspired it. When I come to New York in May, I can't wait to stock up on some Sleepy Jones for summer.

Snapshot: Robert Mapplethorpe's Belgian Shoes

I only like Belgian loafers on unlikely people. Robert Mapplethorpe is at the top of that list. Even less would I expect him to have his monogrammed!

Image courtesy of Patti Smith in "Just Kids."