Valentine's Inspiration

I have put together some looks to inspire your Valentine's Day attire.  I was inspired by colors other than the traditional Valentine's Day red and hope you like what I've put together for you.  But, of course, I had to include a red outfit too!

I Believe In Pink 

Je T'aime

Sugar Plum 

Ooh Laa laa 

For the Love of Red 

I hope these help to inspire you!  I had such fun putting them together.  You can find any of these items by clicking on their links and it will take you to my Polyvore page.  And, while you're there, if you haven't done so already, why not follow me.

Jackie Kennedy's Jewelry

Jackie has been both touted and taunted in the media for her excessive clothing and meticulous attention to both jewelry and fashion. She was always, always a trendsetter, from the hats to the hand bags and most importantly the jewelry.

A lot of Jackie’s jewelry pieces were gifts given to her from JFK, Onassis, or gifts of state.  But some of the jewelry Jackie commissioned and designed herself.  She had an amazing style and her jewelry lives on in the replicas created by Camrose and Kross. From watches to rings to bracelets galore!  Their Jacqueline Kennedy Jewelry Collection is exact jewelry in every detail including the weight of the piece - reproduced in faux materials.  Let’s take a look at some of their pieces.

Jacqueline Kennedy had many sets of pearls, but this was the one she wore and enjoyed the most. It is believed that she inherited it from her mother. Jackie was a fan of designer Coco Chanel, who had designed this style of pearls where the three lengths are not uniformly set. The inner string has a larger space than between the two lower strings, so she could pull the lower string up and over the upper string for a more sophisticated look. Chanel also believed the clasp is an integral part of a necklace’s design and should be worn where it could be seen. On this versatile necklace, the three strands will strike off in different turns for a unique look.

A Mother's Day Gift from JFK for the Birth of John F. Kennedy Jr. (November 27, 1960). Along with her Wedding Bracelet, this pin is one of Jackie most prized possessions. The Berry Pin is kept at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, behind bullet-proof glass. Though he was organizing his new Presidential Administration at the time of his son's birth, JFK found the time to go to New York to have this gift made to order for Jackie. The pin was presented to a pleasantly surprised Jackie on January 10, 1961, ten days before he took office. Jackie would sometimes wear the pin, which she now called "My Berry Pin", with the berries up and sometimes with the berries down (as you see above). She was so proud of the pin, and its special charm, that she wore the pin on her first trip abroad as First Lady, to Canada in May 1961. This pin, though on permanent exhibition at the JFK Library, is still owned by Caroline.

This ring was a stunning gift from JFK to Jackie to commemorate their 10th wedding anniversary in 1963.  John had the ring made to order by Van Cleef and Arpels in NYC. It has ten stones, one for each year of marriage, and emerald for the Emerald Isle, Ireland. The stones were set in a continuous circle as an "eternity ring". Jackie wore it next to her wedding band. The original ring was modified in 1972-73 when Jackie had two stones removed and made into two solitaire rings for Caroline and John Jr. John Jr. gave his ring to Carolyn Bessette on the night of his wedding. Caroline now owns all three rings.

In August of 1963, Jack and Jackie lost their child Patrick. By all accounts, the experience drew the couple much closer, spending much more private time with each other and with their children. As they healed from this great loss, John became optimistic about the future, particularly about his life spent with Jacqueline.  In October, John decided to order an extra special gift for Jackie for the upcoming Christmas holidays. He visited Van Cleef and Arpels in New York and had them make a large kunzite ring with twenty diamonds. He knew Jackie loved pink, and he felt that the stone's dynamic color captured his new optimistic spirit. The twenty diamonds symbolized the first ten Christmases they had celebrated together, and the next ten he was looking forward to sharing with her.  The ring was delivered to the White House in early November. John wrote Jackie a letter and gave it and the ring to his secretary for safe keeping. He would never get the chance to deliver it, as he was assassinated in Dallas only weeks later. After his death, Mrs. Lincoln delivered what Jackie knew would be the last gift from her beloved husband. Although Jackie was in mourning for a year and wore almost no jewelry, she kept this ring with her at all times.

This is just a very small sampling of the Jacqueline Kennedy Jewelry Collection by Camrose and Kross.  They have earrings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, watches, handbags and scarves and even Jackie's iconic sunglasses.  You can purchase these pieces, which come with a certificate of authenticity, through their website or you can find them at such places as QVC or The Kennedy Center.  I, personally, do not own any of the collection but do have many pieces on my wish list.  It's all just so beautiful, it's hard to choose just one!

If you've missed any of my posts in the Jackie Kennedy series, click on the button in the side bar to catch up.

Nautically Themed - Part Two

When I think of nautical inspired clothing, I think of airy cottons, twill, stripes, anchors, sailboats, rope, and red, white and  navy hues.  In Part One we explored just these things, but in this post I wanted to share some non typical nautical inspired clothing, or at least it doesn't spring to the fore front of my mind when I think nautical, but they all have a nautical theme, none the less.

1)Here  2)Here  3)Here  4)Here

I love how all of these sweet dresses are sporting a turquoise color instead of the typical nautical navy shade of blue, but they all have sailboats calling you to the water.

1)Here  2)Here  3)Here

These two dresses have the typical color scheme, but not the typical graphics.  Here we have fish or sharks on one dress and a very art deco looking swimmer on the other.  Too cute!

1)Here  2)Here

The dress on the left has the typical red, white, and blues but has a very abstract pelican print on it.  The dress on the right has varying shades of teal or turquoise with seashells and stars, or a very under water scene.

1)Here  2)Here  3)Here

Here we have two beautiful dresses with a sailboat and seascape border.  And I have added these yellow wedges for a pop of color.

1)Here  2)Here  3)Here  4)Here  5)Here

And finally, we have what I think is the best set.  These darling silhouette dresses feel very french and subdued to me, but upon closer inspection you can see the nautical theme.  The first one has a print of flamingos, the second has sailboats and lighthouses, and the third has schematic drawings of planes.  What do planes have to do with a nautical theme, you ask?  Well, the Wright Brothers did their experiments at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina - of course!

Well, there you have my favorite nautically inspired fashion.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  I did not purchase any of them for our trip but I do feel several of them calling my name.  Oh, who am I kidding, I want them all!

What do you think, any favorites?

Nautically Themed - Part One

Next week is the Mister's birthday and to celebrate we are going to spend a week on the East Coast.  I had started looking for some new outfits to wear on our trip and was inspired by all of the nautical themed clothing out there.  I thought it would be fun to share some of them with you, but there are so many that I have decided to break it up into a couple posts.

1) Here 2) Here 3) Here 4) Here

I love this cute casual outfit with the cropped pants, just begging to wade out into the ocean waves.

1) Here  2) Here  3) Here  4) Here  5) Here  6) Here

I am crazy about a red, white, and blue color scheme.  Not only are they patriotic colors but they lend themselves perfectly for a nautical theme.

1) Here  2) Here  3) Here  4) Here  5) Here  6) Here

Isn't the print on this bathing suit darling?  Perfect beach wear, and this bag is big enough to throw some beach towels in and go.

1) Here  2) Here  3) Here  4) Here  5) Here  6) Here  7) Here 8) Here

This yellow purse would add just the right splash of color to either of these ensembles, and what about those adorable macrame shoes.

1)Here  2)Here  3)Here  4)Here  5)Here  6)Here  7)Here  8)Here  9)Here

Stripes, stripes, and more stripes.  Perfect for lounging around on the deck of a yacht, dining on lobster or just combing the shore for seashells.

♥ ♥ ♥

Generally, when I think of nautical, I think of a casual setting, but the trend in nautical fashion these days lends itself to a more professional setting, and many of these outfits could be worn to work as well as the beach.  I think that nautical fashion shows a look of sophistication and style that makes it perfect in any situation.  What do you think of this nautically inspired round up?  Which is your favorite?

Stay tuned for part two.

Hearts Inspired

Recently I was perusing ModCloth in search of a new dress to wear on a Valentines Day date with the Mister and I was inspired by all of the heart related items that they had, so I thought I would share them with you lovely ladies.

They have a ton of adorable dresses that incorporate hearts into the design, either by the print in the fabric, heart shaped buttons and pockets, or cutouts in the actual dress.

They also have a lovely assortment of tops, sweaters, and accessories that have a heart design.

And we can't forget about shoes and purses.

I haven't chosen my date outfit as of yet, but I'm sure with such beauties as these, there is one out there for me.  What about you, do you have plans for Valentines Day and if you do, what are you wearing?