A Classic in Mini

Rollneck Bag Charm

 

I posted recently that J.Crew has come out with a miniature bag charm version of its iconic rollneck sweater. I got one of course and it is absolutely darling in person.

Nautical Navy

Sconset Eyelet Fish Dress

Navy blue is my favorite color for my wardrobe and it is such a classic. It looks great all year round but especially in the summer with its preppy nautical vibe. Here are some favorite picks and they are all on sale.

A Summer Classic

Maxine Button Back Dress in Linen

 

This J.Crew staple for spring and summer is back with new colors and on a fantastic sale. This great linen dress is super comfortable and comes in wonderful colors and can be dressed up or down. Get more than one at this price. 

Classic Wicker Is Forever

Serena and Lily

 

While much of the country is seeing white in the form of snow, this is my idea of white - classic white wicker.

The Shift Dress

Maxine Button Back Dress in Linen

 

The shift dress is such a classic style and so perfect for warm weather dressing. It has been a staple in the wardrobe of well dressed women for decades.

Jackie Kennedy

Audrey Hepburn

The Pedestal "Garden Stool"

Studio McGee Plaster Accent Table

 

The longer I live in Florida, the more I love using white in my home. I love color, but white, whether walls or furniture, is such a perfect backdrop for any and every color. The exterior of my home is white stucco, my walls in my home are white, and I am using more white accent pieces in my home.

The Classic Beach House

Grant White - Architectural Digest

This grand room in a home in the Caribbbean's Mustique combines classic and beachy elements. On a wall of the great room hangs two engravings of Trajan’s Column by Piranesi. A pair of 19th-century museum models of whales, flanked by antique cachepots filled with coral, rest on an 18th-century English side table. The silver bowl is from Christie’s.

Madras

J. Crew Patch Madras circa 2007

 

Many of us grew up wearing madras in the summer - I recall having a patch madras one piece swimsuit, a madras Bermuda bag, and a madras wrap skirt that I loved. I have been wanting to find a madras piece or two for my summer wardrobe. I love these pieces from J. Crew many years back.

Madras refers to a colorful and lightweight cotton fabric, woven into distinct combinations of horizontal and vertical stripes. To oversimplify - madras is the warm-weather cousin of the wintertime staple, tartan. 

Authentic madras comes from a region in southeast India that was once called Madraspatnam, which is known today as Chennai. Cotton yarn is hand-dyed and then hand-spun. The yield is cloth that is the same on both sides with tell-tale bumps that result from the yarn being too fragile to be combed or carded. 

Madras has been a preppy classic for decades.

J.Crew Limited Edition Long Patch Madras Skirt - circa 2007

Blue and White Stripes

Midi Dress in Striped Taffeta

Preppy, nautical, and classic, blue and white stripes are the essence of spring and summer dressing. I have rounded up some favorites I love....

Classic Blue and White

Eileen Kennedy Design

 

This is such a pretty example of a blue and white room - traditional but modern. Chinoiserie touches include the pair of Chinese Chippendale chairs, the blue and white Chinese garden stool, and an orchid in a blue and white Chinese bowl. I love that they kept the grandfather clock. The backgammon table is by Oomph.

Blue & White Stripes

Heather Chadduck - Southern Living

 

A beautiful and inviting front porch with wicker, seashells, blue and white striped indoor/outdoor curtains, blue shutters, and blue and white Chinese garden stools. The shutters are painted Benjamin Moore Narragansett Green HC - 157. Blue and white stripes are such a classic and work so beautifully with chinoiserie, especially blue and white Chinese porcelain.

Classic Chinoiserie

Mark D. Sikes

A pair of blue and white Chinese garden stools and framed Chinoiserie panels adorn this classic interior.

The Chinoiserie Dining room

Cindy Rinfret

Chinoiserie wallpaper and a pair of red pagodas add Chinoiserie flair to this classic dining room.

Timeless Chinoiserie

Eric Ross Interiors

A classic living room with blue and white Chinese porcelain lamps and a collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain. A beautiful skirted table is a perennial favorite of mine.

Classic Chinoiserie

Ralph Lauren

Quintessential Ralph Lauren with a collection of blue and white Chinese porcelain, gleaming wood, an antique Persian rug, and a wicker basket piled with firewood.

Classic Chinoiserie

Pinterest

Lovely example of old school Chinoiserie from the framed Chinoiserie panel, Chinese Chippendale trellis wallpaper, blue and white Chinese garden stool, rattan slipper chairs, and Chinese style coffee table.

Classic Chinoiserie Updated

Brunschwig & Fils

One of my all time favorite Chinoiserie prints - Brunschwig & Fils Xian - in new colorways,  paired here with Brunscwig & Fils Bromo velvet.

Chinoiserie Vignette

The Kellogg Collection

A wonderful blue and white vignette at a long time favorite store of mine - many items in my home have come from there over the years.

The Classic Entryway

Rosa Bernal

A classical and symmetrical entryway with gilded oil paintings and sconces and a stunning pair of blue and white Chinese garden stools.

Ebony

Brooke Shields - Architectural Digest

Blue and white Chinese porcelain pops against the ebonized floors, staircase, and furniture.