Submerged Soles

Posted on October 23, 2012 by StyleAspirations

Photo credit: PacificCoastNews.com

As I was speed walking up Madison Avenue the other day, this delightfully provocative shoe display at Barneys jumped out at me. Although Barneys adjacent display of 500 stilettos racing around a multi-level track, aka the “Barneys 500,” certainly caught my eye, it was this “Swimming with the Louboutins” display that really stole the show. It’s difficult not to notice highly sought after, sky high Christian Louboutin heels submerged in a tank of pink goldfish.

These displays play on pop culture references- the Indy 500 and a memorable quote from The Godfather, exemplifying Barneys traditional tag line, Taste, luxury, humor, (or wit, depending on your personal preference). One of the fashion world’s favorite styling strategies in the past few years has been employing a combination of high and low priced items into one ensemble. Perhaps Barneys is creating its own high-low ensemble by advertising a high priced product with what New York Magazine, publisher of a weekly approval matrix that discriminates between high brow versus low brow, would likely deem a low brow cultural reference?

Visit Barneys to view videos of these fantastic displays, or, better yet, visit in person.

Barneys: 660 Madison Avenue, New York, NY

Have any store windows or other forms of advertising caught your attention recently?

What are you feelings about these displays? Do you have any insight into the meaning behind the displays?

In your opinion, does using a “low brow” cultural reference to advertise a “high brow” product diminish the prestige of that product or does it make it even more desirable?

How relevant is the creativity and humor/wit of a product’s advertising to your decision to purchase a particular brand?

Pieces of Art

Posted on October 21, 2012 by StyleAspirations

These two items made their way into my home tonight. I didn’t realize until later this evening, when I was jogging around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, how appropriate they are together. The first is a card that I picked up at an antique and gifts store. The quote is inspiring and encapsulates what I aspire to achieve with my appearance.

And if I wear this lovely vintage costume bow pin, from yet another antique store in my neighborhood, I think I will live up to the quote. As readers will come to know, I’m a sucker for bows. This piece is reminiscent of Chanel jewelry and I plan to wear it as part of a Chanel-esque ensemble: with a black boucle jacket and perhaps a strand of pearls or two.

I looked at the vintage bow pin twice tonight before it ended up at home with me. I caught a glimpse of it as I was making my way up our street, but the price tag was hidden. I returned later on in the day and asked to view it. At $22 and in perfect condition, it could have been a guiltless impulse purchase. Except today, it wasn’t. Despite the affordable price tag, as I tell myself, a purchase is still a purchase. And with my vacation starting this Friday, a vacation that will undoubtedly include a good measure of shopping, I hesitated. I have certainly spent more on impulse purchases, but I didn’t feel inclined to make this impulse purchase tonight. So I went home and I told my husband about the pin; I even showed him the blurry photo of it that I snapped on my iPhone. He didn’t urge me to buy it when I told him about it, so I decided to let it go for the time being. Part of me hoped that he would purchase it for me.

Not even a couple of hours later, my husband handed me something small wrapped in a white paper towel and scotch tape. I instantly knew that it was the bow pin. Even though I have received wonderful gifts from my husband that cost exceedingly more than this pin, I was incredibly moved by his thoughtfulness. He listened and he bought me something that I really love. Something that will bring me joy each time I wear it, for both my simple love of the design and the memory of his thoughtfulness.

This pin is a good reminder that the price tag (and I believe this to be true in either direction) is irrelevant when you find something that you really love, of course, as long as you can afford it. An item does not have to have a special brand or provenance; it simply needs to be like a piece of art, whose value is subjectively determined by the person who owns it. To put it simply, if you love something that you own, that’s all that matters.

I realize that my personal taste will not appeal to everyone as we all have our own unique style. What I hope to do with this blog, however, is to offer something beyond exploring my personal styleaspirations. I hope to engage my readers in discussions about what material items really mean to us in our lives, why we choose particular items to wear and to bring in to our homes. Thus, I hope to encourage you to surround yourselves with items you truly love and enjoy, your own pieces of art.

Enough about me. Have you ever received an unexpected gift that moved you? What was it?

Assuming that you can afford the item, do you believe that price tag is irrelevant when you find something that you really love?

What would you consider to be a piece of art that you can wear?

Luxe Lather

Posted on October 20, 2012 by StyleAspirations

My best friend from college spent a semester studying abroad in Firenze. Lucky for me, she returned bearing a gift of three Santa Maria Novella soaps, each beautifully wrapped in the SMN’s embellished boxes and wrappings.

For the past seven years, these soaps have been on display in the various apartments in which I have lived. I thought they were too pretty to use. Recently, however, I was faced with the predicament of either using the SMN soap or my husband’s earthier drugstore soap. I decided I had waited long enough to enjoy the SMN soaps. I reasoned that since there’s a SMN outpost in NYC, I could replace the bars if I wished. I started with an almost spicy scented bar, which I found fragrant and decadent. When that bar disappeared, I moved onto Santa Maria Novella’s olive oil bar. I could use this soap every day for the rest of my life. The scent is subtly alluring and the texture of the soap is creamy. Using this soap elevates my shower experience.

SMN has a history as rich as the quality of its product. Founded in Florence by the Dominican Friars in 1221, and later opening as a pharmacy sponsored by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, SMN credited with creating the first “Eau de Cologne.”

At $25 a bar, this soap truly is a luxury. But we’ll see how long my gifted bar lasts. Don’t be surprised if I’m soon hopping a downtown train to Soho for another one.

Vacation Dreams

Posted on July 14, 2011 by StyleAspirations

I love to travel, and given the vacation time, I’m game for traveling anywhere. Lately, however, my wanderlust has morphed into a bit of a hobby. I’ve noticed that I spend free time and my lunch hour trolling websites of exotic locations and hotels. Each day I feel an even greater need for an escape. With my next vacation not on the horizon until November, I’m teasing myself. But I can’t help it. There’s a reason why they call it wanderLUST.

Most of my fantasy trips involve a luxury hotel overlooking the Mediterranean. Capri is my #1 destination. I spent a day there years ago and decided it was the most magical place to which I had been. Who could be unhappy with a backdrop of turquoise sea, fragrant, colorful flowers, chic architecture, streets smelling of freshly baked gelato cones, and couture boutiques in a quaint European atmosphere? Stylesetters like Jackie O. have been traveling there for years. (I’ve come to learn that in style and in life, if Jackie O. liked it, then chances are, I will too). I dream of spending leisurely days outfitted in white exploring the seaside island on foot, stopping to sniff flowers, sip a cappuccino at a cafe, or eat my second gelato of the day. Meals are the grand Italian affair that they should be: soup, salad, fish, pasta, then dessert (and coffee after). I languish on the beach and read novels while trying to make sense of the Italian being spoken around me. I pop into chic boutiques and buy a piece here and there. Mostly, I long to be in Capri because it’s a place where life is savored rather than simply spent.

Another one of my top travel destinations right now is decidedly more American. It’s the quintessential American preppy beach town. Martha’s Vineyard was lovely when I was there years ago, but I’d also settle for Cape Cod, Nantucket, Block Island, or even Montauk. I crave the classic aesthetic of the shingled homes, locations where I can play croquet, sip G&Ts in a glorified lawn chair, and feel fashionable in my polo shirts.

The common denominators of these two destinations? Simple, classic aesthetics and a relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of a bygone time. Each country’s take on classic luxury.