A Pastel Dream: Let Them Eat Lace!

It's no secret that pastels are having their day in the sun thanks to designers like Louis Vuitton's pastel carousel and Prada's retro-riffic video. This photo shoot called "Let Them Eat Lace!" embodies all the trends of the season with a strong dose of rococo flavor thrown in. Here are a few of my favorites by photographer Nicole Patricia Malina but you can see the full photo set HERE!

Victorian Photo Dump

Mr. Anachronistic Style is a photographer and can't resist bins of old photos when we go antique shopping. I want to share proper scans of the photos we bought last month in Delaware, OH. I love how dapper everyone looks! That corseted waist, those sleeves, that ermine stole, that cane! I delight in every detail!

Margarita Bloom's: Retro Vintage Beauty & Skincare

I've been on a virtual shopping spree for hours, delighting in the website design and hundreds of beauty combinations offered by Margarita Bloom's. The site is comprised of classic paintings, inspiring quotes, and delightful illustrations. Angelfood cake scrub, french milled soap, raspberry lime pinktini soak, and rich drizzle body oil have all made it into my imaginary cart. I'll be imagining opening my parcel and delighting in the scents and packaging that is Margarita Bloom's until my next payday. Has anyone else tried this lovely brand?

Style Diary: A Christmas Carol!

The Ohio Historical Society opened their Ohio Village for a storybook evening straight out of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Mr. Anachronistic Style and I bundled up to enjoy our first Christmas-themed moments of the season. It officially feels like the Holidays!


There were real carolers! You'd have random encounters while wandering the village and they'd even take requests!


The post office was offering reproductions of the first Christmas Cards. Apparently the first cards focused on themes of charity and giving and were very secular.


Quick shot while in line for cookies in the candy store. We never got cookies since we carry plastic like non-Victorians.


Real chestnuts roasting over a real open fire!


Inside the dress shop you could try on Victorian fashions of the period, I was too bundled up to try them on though. You can see a little girl getting dressed in the mirror behind me.


Pretty dress illustrations and dress making supplies on the counter.


Outfit Breakdown:

Hat - kate spade
Scarf - Gift from Italy
Coat - Banana Republic
Purse - Cynthia Rowley
Muff - Banana Republic
Skirt - Limited
Socks - Target
Mary Janes - Clark's (similar here)

Mechanical Dolls

I love antique dolls and Pierrot-inspired photo shoots, thus I love this recent editorial for Vogue Italia October 2011 by Tim Walker. The mix of dolly-kei, victorian, and gothic circus is completely fabulous and there is not a spot of pink to be seen! (See? I can diversify!)

Viva La Juicy Ad Campaign

I love pretentious perfume ads--there's nothing quite like getting dressed in 19th century lingerie and making love to a giant perfume bottle while a French woman whispers to the camera.



There are a lot of things I do like about the ad. I like seeing women in their beauty routine, there is something about the transformation process that speaks to me. I love the unkempt French-girl aesthetic. That bottle with its perfect pink bow. Lastly I love the fantasy of the ad, after all isn't that what pretentious perfume ads are all about?

Daily Dose of Pretty: Christian Louboutin Fall 2011 Lookbook

I've always been a bit of an art buff so I flipped when I saw Louboutin's Fall Lookbook! I love the juxtaposition of his iconic shoe with classic portraiture, a perfect marriage of fashion and high art! The inspiration for these advertisements was pure genius. Sit back, contemplate each image, and enjoy the pretty.