Summer Lovin': Bold Brights From Vanessa Bruno, Tom Ford, and Alexandre Birman

Spring has just barely sprung in NYC and I'm already looking forward to summer. With it will come summer Fridays and June weddings, outdoor films and concerts in the park, flea market food stalls and popsicle stands, and a reprieve from the NYU students who make the lines long at my neighborhood spots (I know, the school was here first). One of the things I'm most excited to welcome is the return of bright, beautiful color. Not that I'm ditching my standard, year-round palette of black, white, grey, and navy, but I'm eager to liven things up with a dash here and a dash there of eye-popping brights -- particularly electric hues of orange and teal.

On my wishlist:

I'm trying to hunt down this Alexandre Birman wedge in this lovely teal hue so that I may treat myself to them upon the replenishing of the bank account, post-Eurotrip. So far I've only encountered it in brown. Word of any local sightings would be much appreciated.

Okay, so I haven't actually smelled this one yet, but I looooove the look of it. Just picture it classing up your medicine cabinet or vanity table. Ignore the fact that it's currently making headlines for the provocative ad on display at Selfridges. Tom Ford Neroli Portofino unisex body oil, $70 and currently on backorder at Neiman's.

I hardly ever wear coral, but for this lovely stretch bracelet, I'd be willing to take the leap. Vanessa Bruno beaded stretch bracelet, $90 @ Otte.  Also available in white.

I could never pull off a coral blazer (even if it's as impeccably cut as this striking number, also by Vanessa Bruno), but the adorable Rachel Bilson sure can. Pairing it with a pale, flesh-tone neutral sets it off perfectly. Love.

Photos:
1) www.style.com
2, 3) www.refinery29.com
4) www.stylesalad.com via Getty images

A Single Man: The Best $12 You'll Spend This Week

I'm aware that Tom Ford's debut film, A Single Man, has already been blogged to death, but after seeing it last night I feel compelled to inform you that it lives up to the hype and then some. Please go see it. Not only is it visually arresting (which is to be expected, being that it is, after all, a Tom Ford vehicle) but it really showcases the formidable acting chops of stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore (whose hair, I believe, should have been credited with it's own role -- fierce to the nth degree). I've always been sort of lukewarm on Firth, but his nuanced performance left me speechless and I quickly came to realize that the reason this film was so enjoyable for me was due largely to his talents.

Detractors and critics have argued that the meticulous styling takes away from the story, but I'd have to disagree. I think Firth owned the role to such a degree that his beautiful possessions became an extension of him and only served to emphasize his character's personality, tastes, and neuroticism. Though it certainly showed us a world more handsome than the one we live in, its loss and pain were made all too achingly real by Firth's performance. That being said, there was certainly tons to drool over, and I expect the styling will be hugely influential in the months to come.  As details about the wardrobe and props emerge, I'll be looking forward to seeing Ford's next feature.

Some images:

Apartment Therapy LA has stories on the homes of George Falconer (Firth) and his gal pal Charley (Moore), and it turns out George's John Lautner-designed house is actually on sale! Click through to see the listing.

A house of glass.

 

Love the large brass knobs on the front doors of Charley's Hollywood Regency home, her headboard, and her pink filter cigarettes. She's all hair and eyeliner and fabulous gowns.

 

The Isherwood novel is next on my reading list.