We thought and thought about how we should welcome in 2010.  Champagne?  Did it.  Fireworks?  Yep.  Crazy headgear?  Hm... not this year.  But wait - what about something that everyone loves?  What about a sale?

Yippee - going on in the boutique right now is our first sale of 2010 - our New Year's Sale.  Lots of beautiful, handcrafted things - all marked down 20%.  And - we continue to add more items! 

So, come see us - and shop away for cool "stuff" and great savings.

To whet your appetite:

 

Hm...  Italian pewter wine decanters, crystal champagne sets...  great way to celebrate throughout the year!

        

Farewell to 2009 - Raise your glass to a brilliant 2010!

        

Merry Christmas!

        

Yes, it's my first post in awhile after my journey to Italy and Silversea adventure.  And while there was loads to see and take note of, one of the things that kept getting my attention was the women.  Women in different regions of Italy, women in Croatia, women in Montenegro, and women I was traveling with (from many different countries.)

And I was constantly struck by the style of the Europeans.  Italians, of course, have become legendary for great style; but young Eastern European women are also seen as style setters.  And what do they wear that American women don't?  Scarves and wraps.

OK, I'm putting it out there: what's with American women's refusal to wear scarves and wraps?  Oh yeah, I know there's a small contingent that absolutely wear them.  In fact, I just saw some young women (and a young man) in our local paper being touted as style stars and guess what?  They were wearing scarves.  Even the guy!  And they looked great.

I've said it time and time again: a scarf (or wrap) is about the easiest, and least expensive way to gussy up your ensemble.  You can dress it up, down, or completely change the look with the addition of a simple rectangle (or square) of fabric.  And it's inexpensive!

So, why do so many women seem so resistant to them?  Is it the casual thing rearing it's ugly head?  Or the comfort thing?

I just don't get it.  After all, I saw this striking woman walking down the street in Rome.  She was casual: jeans, simple sweater, boots.  So, why did I take note?  She had a fab Pashmina wrapped around her neck.  It elevated her outfit from so what  to wow, doesn't she look great?  And all it took was a wrap!

So, take the plunge: get a new wrap.  The holidays are just around the corner.  Update and dazzle your wardrobe with an accessory that won't break the budget.  And check out our winter scarves and wraps in the boutique.  They're handwoven, gorgeous and unique.  What could be better?



Eva Longoria and Julie Christie looking stunning.

        

Here on a What's New Monday, we're happy to tell you that this will be our last post for a few weeks.  "What?  Happy?"  Yeah - because we're taking off on an Italian adventure!  Yippee!

And while we're away, we invite you to join us at our sister blog:  Travels With Bella Figura USA.
Over at Travels, we're marking each leg of the journey: from beautiful, mystical Venice to our journey's end, the Eternal City - Rome.  We'll be sharing videos (not ours - not quite yet - but ones we found on YouTube that we really liked) Italian recipes, and a Spotlight Products note - featuring wonderful Italian products for sale in the boutique.

So, come join us on our journey - we welcome your company!

And -drum roll - we have another Bella Figura USA Give-Away on FaceBook coming up.  Last month, our winner received a beautiful Escama Tonia Clutch.  For this drawing, the prize is one of our bestsellers: the Twist Pencil Box.

This box is made of natural hardwoods, accented by a beautiful wood inlay, and topped with a silky smooth hand-poured lacquer finish.  It is a beauty!  And besides its good looks, it's very functional.  Originally designed to hold pens and pencils, it's perfect for cuff links, watches, other jewelry - any of your bits and bobs.

And it's easy to be included in the drawing.  The sign up period is October 5-16.  And the sign up process is the same as last month:

    * If you're already a Bella Figura USA FaceBook Fan and on the boutique's mailing list, just drop us a line at Contact Us and say "include me in the drawing."  Make sure your name and email address match the address you signed up with.


    * If you're not a Fan - become one now on our FaceBook Page.  Then click on over to the boutique's Home Page, and sign up on our Mailing List (box in the upper left side.)  That's it - easy as pie!

The drawing will take place on Monday, October 19, and we'll announce the winner on the 20th.

We'll be looking for you over at Travels and FaceBook.  Andiamo!

        

It's Thursday, time for our Style Source Faves segment, and since we're now officially in autumn, I'm thinking about the dropping temperatures.  Yes, we're still having warm weather here in northern Virginia, but we've had a couple of mornings that were downright chilly, and a couple evenings when Pashminas were in order.

Which brings me to today's style source fave for your outdoor space:  Stone Age Fireplaces.  Cutesy name, but cool product.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have a very personal interest in this product.  You see, there's been a raging debate in my house for several years now about what to do with one prominent spot in the back garden.  The original plan was to put a big fountain in the area.  But because of the close proximity to a dining table, I was worried about "splashage."  Yikes - the last thing you want when it's on the cool side is to find yourself wet!

So, I started arguing that it was the perfect spot for a fireplace.  After all, in the warm months it would be a beautiful (allbeit expensive) focal point - candles on the stone mantel, on the hearth, etc., and in the cold months, it would make the patio an appealing place to be.

Well, outdoor fireplaces don't come cheap - no two ways about it.  But then I discovered some videos all about Stone Age Fireplaces.  Now, let me forewarn you, the first video is an ad for one of the distributors. Period.  But it gives great information about the product, and the exciting thing is this: these fireplaces come in kits.  Imagine!

In fact, on the manufacturers' website they say that experienced masons/handymen can put a kit together in 2-4 hours.  And a do-it-yourselfer  can pull it off in 1-2 days.  Hm...  sounds a little rosy to me.  At my house, 1-2 days could easily turn into 1-2 months.  But regardless - it's a kit!  And you can have it finished in any style so that it matches your home - or whatever you want it to match. 

Here's the first video - good information about  fireplaces in general, and the Stone Age product:

        

Today for our Home Decor Thoughts segment, we're veering off course, just a bit.  Instead of focusing strictly on interior design (or garden spaces) we're looking at architecture.

I found this video, made by an architecture firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I was intrigued from the start since I lived in Albuquerque for several years.

In the video, architect Eric Spurlock talks about designing a custom home for a client.  He begins with a lovely thought on the meaning of a home:  A home is not merely a shelter, but the essence of our personalities.  Well said.  Even when a home is not the owner's "dream house," you can still learn a lot about the person who lives there just by being in the space and observing.

Now, let me say upfront - the homes shown in the video are grand, luxe spaces.  There's nothing small or "not so big" about them.  But despite their size, there's good information for home buyers and potential architecture clients.  After all, if you've never thought about site design on a lot before, you will after watching this video.

        

Here we are on a Tuesday, which means it's time for our They Get It segment.  And today, our pick could be called a blast from the past - except she's still very much in vogue.

We met her in the 80's - she was one of the first honest to goodness super models.  And she was the girl that was not only stunning, but so nice, and normal.  Yes, the beauty everyone loved: Cindy Crawford.

But Cindy was not just some vacuous model; no, this smart cookie quickly became Cindy, Inc.  And the savvy businesswoman is still in the thick of it today.  She recently announced her new line of home furnishings which are being sold through JC Penneys.

Yes, we love her: beauty and brains personified!  But she's our pick today because of her style: always chic and always appropriate.  Whether she's at the beach, out shopping, with her kids or at a Red Carpet-type event, Cindy is stunning.  After all, this is a woman who is so gorgeous she could probably get by in the proverbial potato sack.  But not Cindy.  She always looks amazing.

Check her out for yourself:

 



       

Totally Euro-chic with husband, Rande Gerber.  And with her two beautiful kids she's everyone's pick for most stylish Beach Mama.

  

And a little bonus: here's Cindy, just a couple of weeks ago, talking with the ladies on The View.  Mid-interview, she talks about how she's more comfortable with how she looks at 43, than she did when she was younger.

        

Another Monday, another What's New segment.  (And for you who are wondering whatever happened to the Monday This Makes Me Crazy segments - we just haven't experienced anything in awhile that made us crazy!    )  So, on to the "new."

Do you love leather?  Leather is everywhere this season - in all the shops, in all the catalogs.  And wouldn't you know it: at the Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2009 RTW Show, there was lots of leather on the runway.

Now, I'll admit right off, I've been a St. Laurent fan since my college days (a LONG time ago.)  I became a fan because of one of my roommates.  She was a lovely girl, and just happened to be a fashion merchandising major.  And she was the one that introduced me to YSL.

The introduction was pretty hilarious, though; and had nothing to do with fashion.  She came into the apartment one day, obviously vexed, and threw her books down with disgust.  And what had happened to cause her troubled state?  Well, it seems that they had been studying the venerable St. Laurent, and a number of girls in the class kept referring to the French designer as "Yives."

That's right, lovely readers: not "Eve" but "Yives!"  Well, she was in a tizzy, and I was doubled over laughing.  Yes, Yves St. Laurent, spoken with a thick east Texas accent is something to behold.  "And furthermore," she sputtered, "if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't be anywhere near the fashion business."  Well, after I managed to stop laughing at her indignation (it was hilarious, just imagine the beautiful French vowels reduced to: Yives Saint Lorent) I asked her to show me some of the clothes.

Oh my...  the silk smoking jackets, the velvet bustiers... the stuff of dreams.  And that did it for me - I was a fan.

Of course, Monsieur St. Laurent passed away last year, and Stefano Pilati is the designer for the House that Yves built.  Here is the video of the 2009 RTW Show.  Enjoy:

        

Hallelujah - it's Friday!  And today for our Free For All segment, we have a treat for everyone who loves great style - and Grace Kelly and Whitney Houston.  That covers a pretty wide spectrum!

Just for fun - the stunning Grace Kelly, one of our favorites, in a video tribute, with the added pleasure of a soundtrack by "The Voice" - Whitney Houston.

To a good weekend everywhere!

        

Back in July I chose the book Villa, by designer John Saladino, as a Thursday Style Source Fave selection.

Well today, I'm going back to the well as they say. Yes, the pick is a previous book (published in 2006) by this illustrious designer: Style.

In Style, our Master Teacher shows how lessons from the classical world can be implemented in contemporary design.  After all, this is a designer who opens his book describing his first exhilarating visit to Villa Rotunda, one of the most famous houses by 16th century architect, Palladio.  And as many of the designer's fans know, after graduating from the Yale School of Art and Architecture, Mr. Saladino went to work in Rome with architect Piero Sartogo.  So, he knows of what he speaks (and writes.)

John Saladino has a passionate crowd of devotees.  If you've ever flipped through a shelter magazine and seen his work, you'll understand why.  So, if you need some design inspiration - and - want well written lessons on applying design priciples to your own home, you'll love this book.

As always, you can find the book at Amazon.com

        

(Oh my, what a time we've had trying to get a post on this blog.  Yesterday was a "sick day".  Yes, sniffles, coughs and H1N1 all around us - ugh.  And today...  well, the server hasn't been cooperating.  Double ugh...  So, we'll see how this goes...)

It's Wednesday - time for our Home Decor Thoughts segment - and today we have a bar to show you.  (Yeah, after all our woes we need a drink!)  And this is a truly special bar.

But first, let us tell you a bit about the house it's in.  Located in Dallas, the house is owned by lovers of old Spanish Colonial and Spanish-Mediterranean architecture; and they requested that the architect and designer give them that  look and feel.  So, architect Eric Smith and designer David Easton (both of NYC) created a beautiful Mediterranean Revival style home.

The rooms are filled with handsome architectural details - beams, fabulous millwork, wide planked floors, plaster walls.  There are limestone fireplace surrounds, French chandeliers and Aubusson carpets.  The color palette is full of rich golds and ivories, burnished coppers and browns, blue and green accents.  Very European chic.

Then you get to the bar.  A vision out of  Africa.  Lamps, lanterns, tile, and even a painted ceiling - all from Morocco.  Check out this beauty:



This room is just luscious.  With a custom banquette, Moorish ottomans, and Syrian coffee table, it is a wonderfully romantic spot. 

Can't you see yourself escaping to this bar for a cool libation?  Or a rich coffee?  And then sitting back and dreaming of rose scented air and wind swept dunes under star filled skies...

Architecture:  Eric J. Smith
Interior Design:  David Easton
Photography:  Peter Vitale

        

I have a love-hate relationship with Prada.  I find myself sighing with contentment over many of the shoes and handbags; but often, I truly hate the clothes.

Having said that, one of my favorite dresses is a super chic black Prada cocktail dress I bought for a song several years ago.  So, go figure...

But then I watched this video - snippets from the Prada 2000 RTW show.  I found myself not only liking most of the pieces, but LOVING several of the suits and jackets.  The collars and necklines are some of the most beautiful and flattering I've seen.

So, for this Monday's What's New segment, check out  the latest Prada for yourself. 

        

September 11 - hard to believe it's been eight years since that other September 11th.  No doubt you have a story about where you were - how you heard.

As for me, I was sitting on a plane at National Airport waiting for take-off.  Suddenly, they kicked us off the plane (didn't say why) and  told us we had to leave the airport grounds.  As we walked through the glass doors to the outside, the smell of smoke was immediate.  To our right, a huge black cloud was in the sky.  It was the Pentagon - burning.

The memory is still fresh.  As is the memory of making my way down a crazy, crowded street to a friend's condo.  There, a mere block from the Pentagon, she and I watched the TV in stunned silence as the towers fell in NY. 

It wasn't until late that afternoon that I was finally able to get back to my house.  I'd been gone for about nine hours; but in that time, the whole world had changed.

But I'm one of the lucky ones.  I didn't have any family or friends killed in the attacks.  And for that, I've been forever grateful.

But for all those who did - we remember you, and your loss.  Thoughts and prayers to all.

        

Today is the beginning of Fashion Week in New York.  Of course, the clothes showing on the runways are for next year - Spring 2010. 

But now, with a nip in the air (in many places) and autumn calling, it's the perfect time to check out all the runway shows that took place last winter - yes, the shows that were filled with clothes for - now!

So for this Thursday's Style Source Faves segment, I have a video for you.  I loved this video from the Chanel show.  The signature black and white is throughout the show; and personally, I loved all the gorgeous black suits. 

Chanel is expensive - no two ways about it.  But look carefully at the clothes, not just the jackets and skirts but the sweaters and jewelry.  And then think of all the much less expensive pieces you can find in the shops and catalogs right now.  Yes, the House of Chanel created the designs, and then the knock-off artists, um, lesser known design companies zoomed in and put together their own versions.

But oh, it's nice to see the originals, in all their glory.

        

 It's a Home Decor Thoughts Wednesday, and we thought this video was entertaining.

It's just a short little piece with interior designer Candice Olson.  Yeah, we love Candice's show Divine Design, and she's our favorite judge this year on Design Star.

But bottom line - she's a very savvy, and creative, designer; and in this video she talks about working with a designer and how the end result should always look like YOU - not the designer.

        

For the past two weeks I've been coughed, sneezed and hacked on.  Ugh!

The spreaders of disease and pestilence abound - and they have invaded my own home.  Yet, I have managed to blissfully sail above the fray - the hacking fray, that is.

Until yesterday morning.  Upon awakening - uh oh, what's up?  Is that a scratchiness in my throat?  What's wrong with my head?  I'm feeling slightly fuzzy and disoriented.  Uh no, there it is - a definite difficulty in the simple task of breathing through the nose.

NO!!  I don't get sick.  I'm not a sick person.  I get the once in a blue moon head cold, I haven't had the seasonal flu in almost twenty years.  Surely it can't be the much talked about, much dreaded N1H1 virus. 

So, if Ms. I Don't Get Sick is getting sick (thank you all you sneezers) it's time for drastic measures:  time to break out this season's most important accessory.  You guessed it: the baby blue surgical mask.  Yeah, I know they've said it won't totally eliminate the spread of obnoxious germs.  But I look at it this way - if I see you wearing one, I'm going to give you a WIDE berth.

And if you see me with a mask on, I'm sure you'll do the same.  Then just maybe, the pesky germs will stay a bit more contained.

Yep, the mask - the season's must have accessory.  Who knew surgical gear would ever be so in vogue?

        

It's Free For All Friday, and we're heading into the Labor Day weekend - and the beautiful end days of summer.

With that in mind, I have a gorgeous music video for you.  Do you remember the movie Summer of 42?  (I just barely do.)  But what I do remember vividly is the beautiful theme song by Michel Legrand and Marilyn and Alan Bergman: The Summer Knows.

So, to take us into this Labor Day weekend, the golden voice of Johnny Mathis, singing the theme song.

Happy Labor Day!

        

It's Thursday, time for our Style Source Faves segment.  And today, I'm going to highlight a company - a company I just recently became familiar with.  The company's all about fabulous, completely unique hardware.

"Hardware?" you ask.  "What the heck?  That's a weird thing to be talking about at Savvy Style."

Ah, but this isn't just any old hardware.  No, this is hardware from the creative artists at Rocky Mountain Hardware.

And why should this interest you?

Even if you're not planning an addition, or renovation of any kind to your home, one of the easiest ways to freshen up a dull bathroom, or kitchen, is a coat of paint and a change in hardware.  Do you ever watch any of those "sell it now" shows on HGTV?  Invariably, the designer goes in and changes the hardware.  It make a difference - in some cases, a HUGE difference.

But check out these pieces.  They are swoon-worthy:

 

And an "inside look" at the beautiful vessel sink pictured above left:





Rocky Mountain Hardware makes beautiful sinks (both bath and kitchen) lighting, cabinet hardware, door hardware, and more.  And even better,  they'll create custom pieces just for you.  How can you go wrong with that?  So, be sure and check out their website - even if you're not in the market at this time for new hardware, get acquainted with this fantastic source for great style for your home.

I'm getting a high just dreaming about all that beauty!

        

My windows are open this morning and the wind chimes hanging just outside are tinkling away in the breeze.  Friends just called to say they got last minute reservations for a beach house this weekend. Labor Day at the beach - one of the last hurrahs of summer.

I love September.  The days are pleasantly warm, but mornings are cool and crisp.  The air conditioning can finally be turned off, and for a few wonderful days, windows open up to let in the fresh air.

And then there's the light - even the light has subtly changed from the hot, humid days of August.  It's bright and clear - brilliantly clear - as though you'd been looking through dirty glass and now, suddenly, it's been wiped clean.

So on this Wednesday, the second day of September, I'm highlighting some bedrooms for our Home Decor Thoughts segment.  Three bedrooms, all in a beach house on the Gulf Coast, that remind me of late summer - and water - and beautiful blue skies - and the last heady days of warm sunshine.

Check out this lovely room with its capiz shell art hanging above the headboard:



And another bedroom with a daybed dressed all in white.  I love daybeds; I have one in one of my own bedrooms.  They are wonderfully versatile, and this one is ultra charming with it's casual canopy of netting.



And finally - the "ocean" above the bed, seagrass underfoot, "driftwood-like" lamp bases:



Capiz shells, mosquito netting, seagrass, driftwood - and a blue and white color scheme throughout - it doesn't get much better looking than this, as we head into the Labor Day weekend!

Interior Design:  Georgia Carlee
Photography:  Colleen Duffley