Spring To-Do List

Have you ever tried to type into Google the phrase "Spring To-Do List"?
All you end up getting is advice about how to spring clean your closets.
Well, instead of re-organizing your wardrobe, here's some advice for re-inventing it: pick the suggestions that fit your personality and transform your style!

- Wear a cloche hat, a beret or a fedora.

- Buy a canary yellow dress (but instead of calling the shade 'yellow', call it 'tournesol'), and wear it on a grey, rainy day.

- Wear fashion like it's yours, Comme les Garcons style: own your look, and don't look uncomfortable - you look great.

- Pair an arrogant grass-green t-shirt with a chunky white necklace.

- Wear a scarf that makes you feel like poetry in motion.

- Cover your arm in bracelets, and when you think you're done, add 3 more and go out the door.

- Buy the outrageously expensive new rouge Dior in a petal shade.

- The next time you see that pair of rain boots in that outrageous hue and crazy awesome pattern, go ahead and buy it: don't worry, it'll look good with absolutely everything!

- Replace all of your plastic hangers with some in wood. Better for your health.

- Get a beautifully intricate henna tattoo. If you change your mind at any time, you can easily wash it off.

- Ditch the chamomile tea. It's been a long winter. Have some espresso shots: time to wake up!

Spring is all about rebirth and reinvention, so don't go back to the same old habit of diving back into your closet and not finding the burst of 'awesome' you were looking for in the first place.

Instead of spring cleaning, throw a 'Welcome back, Spring!' party!
Then throw on a scarf that complements your much adored rain boots,
and embrace the joie-de-vivre of spring!

the Rose

Dreaming of Summer

With all of the snow pouring down, it’s hard to remember summer, and the lazy afternoons spent in hammocks or exploring sunlit meadows seem ages ago. Fear not! Here are a few ways to remind yourself that warmer days really are coming and block winter out of your mind for a few days:

1.       Make yourself a summer box! Select a box with a size that is appropriate for your use. It could be big enough to serve as a display on your coffeetable, or small enough to sit on your desk and remind you of balmier days while you work. Then, cover the base of the box in sand from some beaches you’ve explored (if the beach is not your thing, adapt to suit your personal vacation taste). Fill with whatever shells or mementos you’ve collected from pleasant summer days. Imagine the tang of the ocean and the smell of sunscreen in the air. Enjoy.

2.       On a snowed-in day, take out all of those souvenirs from summer escapades. Whether pressed wildflowers from the peak of a mountain to preserved lavender sprigs from lavender fields, pictures of the wonderful places you’ve explored or maps to faraway lands, tickets from the vaporetto in Venice or ticket stubs from buses in New York, take them all out. Then sort through them; decide which ones are meant for being scrapbooked and which could decorate a wall of your home. Bask in memories and make plans for the future.

 

 

3.       Organize your spring wardrobe. Prepare the light trenchcoats, the floating, light-as-air scarves, and all of your glorious sunny clothes! Look out for the smell of a fresh spring breeze.

the Rose

Keeping chic in the cold snap!

With the cold snap still raging, why not take advantage of this excuse to get glamorously warm? Here are a few tips to help get you started: 
- opt for silk underwear: tres chic, and much warmer than cotton.
-cashmere or wool clothes are now much more affordable than they were before. To update this look and prevent it from becoming too "classic", try layering with wonderful fabrics and fibers like Irish wool, boiled wool or French sailor's sweater type thick wool. 

-Think subtle colours like: oatmeal, chocolate brown and light gray. This year, creamy, peachy off-white light cream is in!
-Bright scarves to bring a pop of colour and warmth!
-Indulge in angora wool or cashmere socks in your winter boots. Your feet will thank you!
-If you wear a hat, it should match your coat or shoes.

And while we're at it, there's no better way to ward off winter's chill than to curl up with a luscious hot chocolate and an excellent book! Here's the recipe for a cup of the perfect french hot chocolate:

Break up a square of the best french dark chocolate you can find (preferably fair-trade too, but more on that later!) into small pieces. Melt on low heat, and add milk slowly. Stir. Cuddle up and enjoy!

the Rose