Blog

Mrs. Lilien (aka Kelley Lilien) is the graphic designer, stylist, and blogger mastermind behind The Mrs. Lilien Styling House, our website of the week (http://blog.mrslilien.com). Mrs. Lilien: "applauds luxury and anything red-letter. She delights in the good life, because it's just better. With boundless enthusiasm and an exuberantly sunny disposition, she just might knock your socks off with her MRS intuition." We're hooked already.

This blog stands out not only for the content, bright colors, and diamonds (love!), but also for the awesome rhymes. Mrs. Lilien, unlike any other blogger we've ever seen, writes her posts exclusively in rhymes. Like this post (below) about hair styling - it reads: "I consider myself a bit of a vanity ritualist - in other words, a serious beauty habitualist. There are few things as satisfying than holding court at the vanity - and playing the '...who's the fairest of them all?" fantasy. Mirror questions aside, this ritual is rather paramount - it's honoring the pleasures of beautification on every account. I have my coveted pleasures, some of which I'll share - these ones in particular are centered around my hair." How awesome is that?!

The look of each post is fantastic. The entire blog looks and feels fun, professional, and stylish - and like a single post may have taken HOURS to research and create. Having a blog of our own, we really respect that! It's a time consuming process to maintain a blog, and to keep it looking fabulous. Our hats off to you, Mrs. Lilien!

And who can forget her home site, www.mrslilien.com? Although the blog is more fun, we love the look of her styling site (and all the work she's done!). Major kudos to NYC based Peniferella Creative for the website design. We love it!

All images via Mrs. Lilien

Digital printing has become a very popular technique for high-end designers in the last year. In the past, complicated prints were usually done using screen printing - a long, labor intensive process that could take weeks to produce even one piece. Digital printing used to be used mostly for putting photographs on cheap t-shirts, but with better technology that has improved the quality of the printing process, it has been adopted by the fashion world as a fast, cheap way to make custom, luxury-quality prints. Designers can now use literally anything as inspiration for a print - as long as they can take a photo of it (even with an iPhone).

 As far as designers that specialize in digital prints go, our favorite is duo Basso & Brooke. Celebrities like Michelle Obama and Katy Perry have been seen wearing their bold, abstract designs, and we imagine they're about to get a lot more popular.

Images via

1, 2,& 4. Style.com  3. Elle  5. First Lady of Style blog  6. Whos Dated Who

To read more about digital printing in the Wall Street Journal, click here.

It's (finally) getting a little colder in Los Angeles, so here are our Fall Fashion MUST HAVES (especially that olive Lindsey Thornburg coat)!

Counter-clockwise, from top left (click the brand to shop):

1. Top: Organic by John Patrick - Boxy Chambray Shirt, $195

2. Belt: Rilleau Leather - Knotted Belt, $125

3. Pants: J.CREW - Bennett Chino, $79.50

4. Boots: No. 6 - 5" Shearling Boot, $370

5. Bag: BAGGU - Small Black Bag, $120

6. Coat: Lindsey Thornburg - Mid Length Cloak, $2,300

Totokaelo (TOH-toh-KYE-oh) derives its name from the Latin phrase "toto caelo", meaning "reaching to the edge of the stars." What began in 2003 as a small boutique in Seattle, Totokaelo.com was launched by owner Jill Wenger in June 2008. According to the website, Totokaelo serves two purposes: SHOP and TALK. 

SHOP: Its purpose is to source the strongest artists and thinkers in the fashion world today, editing the collections they carry to represent their aesthetic, always choosing pieces that are timeless, versatile, and well crafted. 

TALK: They encourage the free exchange of information through a private community of like-minded individuals. Through Totokaelo.com, community members have access to women who share an interest in the same designers.

We love this idea as much as we love the look and feel of the website itself. 

The site is very simple, clean, and shows off the clothes well. Product pages have multiple views of each piece, relevant measurement details, the size the model is wearing, and the measurements / usual sizes of the model. The "Comments and Questions" section is displayed right there on the page with no need to click through to see it, and has information about the items that members have shared.

We're also loving the community aspect of the website. You can actually create a member profile, and members can interact with each other both within and outside of the website. Members come from all over, including internationally, with perhaps a little less than half hailing from the boutique's home base of Seattle.

Finally, Totokaelo makes sure to showcase the designers they carry. Each designer has his/her own page with a short bio and photo. Especially important for up and coming young designers, these pages help to understand the story of the person behind the clothes we love. Not only are the stories inspiring, but they help foster the sense of community Totokaelo has worked hard to create. We're in love!

In addition to the Chanel Spring 2012 RTW show, we also loved the nature inspired Alexander McQueen collection just as much. Although there was less of a "set" that inspired the feel of the show like at Chanel, the clothes themselves at McQueen were so exquisitely detailed that a flashy set design really wasn't necessary to sell us on Sarah Burton's designer genius. The color palate was exquisite, with translucent hues of white, cream, lilac, and blush, accented with bold metallics of gold and silver. Texture was also a major theme, complete with acres of complex ruffles, beading, lace, and unique architecture that makes this collection stand out from the others shown this season.

Images via Vogue

It's Paris Fashion Week and our favorite show is easily Chanel's Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear show. Chanel mastermind Karl Lagerfeld transformed the Grand Palais into an enormous underwater inspired set (almost exclusively in white), complete with corals, stingrays, and a giant clam shell that Florence + The Machine lead singer, Florence Welch, stood on to perform her new song, "What the Water Gave Me". We're loving the creativity, art direction, and unique delivery of this show - Lagerfeld is never afraid to push the boundaries of what is considered "typical" for a fashion show.

Images via:

1, 2, 5, & 6. Chanel   3. STYLE.COM   4. Harper's Bazaar

See more Henry Clarke photographs here

Like the Duchess of Devonshire, we too aspire to one day feed our chickens in such style. If it was us, we would choose this fantastic Rodarte evening gown (1), Geoffrey Good Ice Necklace (2), and Celine pumps (4) to feed our colorful Phoenix chickens (3).

The Duchess and Her Chickens postcard via Tarazod Blog

HBO's Boardwalk Empire is one of the only shows on television today (besides AMC's Mad Men) that is set in a different time period. We're inspired by the custom designed, 1920's suits from Empire's costume designer, John Dunn. We love the authentic feeling he has created for the show by staying so true to the actual fashions of the 1920's - especially the now rarely seen club collar, as seen on lead actor Steve Buscemi.





To our surprise, we also found a recent photo of a very stylish gentleman sporting a club collar in Milan on The Sartorialist blog. Even gangster fashion from the 1920's can repeat itself today!



Images via
1. Millie Deel  2.  Esquire  3. SheFinds.com  4. Xfinity  5. The Sartorialist

We're absolutely loving French fashion house Chanel's Spring/Summer 2011 campaign. Photographed by one of the most influential men in fashion, Karl Lagerfeld has created a series of romantic garden scenes with just enough edge that make us want to run out and buy the entire collection. The muted, unsaturated tones create a look that falls somewhere between black & white and full color; one that is subtly reminiscent of another era. More "art" than "ad", Chanel's campaign definitely stands out from the rest.





Images via Silence Nation