Treasures from Brimfield

My very first Brimfield was cool, rainy, and muddy. We left the house at 6:15 in the morning and I was decked out in my Hunters, Burberry trench and went searching for treasure. The first part of the morning was long with poking into cramped booths and finding nothing but nil. We waited for one special field, "Dealer's Choice," to open and that's where we found a few things. We went looking for art and objects; any pieces that could be used to accessorize our home and built-ins, once they're built. We found old Spalding juggling pins (with perfect patina), a pair of George Nelson oversized cast iron jacks, and a huge light bulb. Not wanting it to break, I carried the light bulb around like it was a bouquet of flowers. It got a ton of looks, and one guy asked what I was going to do with it. My friend Sheri told him that I "have a really big lamp."

One bit I wasn't expecting were the buyers from Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and J.Crew. Sheri warned us about them, telling us a story of a vendor with wire lockers, and J.Crew had swooped in at 6:30am and bought all 500-something of them she had. You can bet you'll see one in a store near you. We saw the Ralph Lauren guy making a deal on furniture. He'd buy it at whatever price was being asked (takes all the fun out of negotiating) and then a troop of guys would follow around to pick it all up. "This is going to Europe tomorrow!" we heard. That's nice.

Ika(n)t Live Without Ikat

Once I get an idea in my head I become absolutely fixated. Another design obsession that's been on the back burner of my mind for at least the past year is ikat. Say it like this: eee-kaht. I want to wear it, I want my home to wear it, Molly Cat should wear it too. I find it especially attractive when it looks worn down by love, like a diluted watercolor. What is so attractive to me about the design pattern is that it reads what I'll call, "folk-art-sophisticate." I treated myself to a silk tunic on my birthday last year and I want to treat my boudoir to a rug this year.

Men, Cars and Love

The most important men in my life not only love me, but they love cars too. It was normal to park at the back of parking lots so we'd never run the risk of door dings. My dad once asked me if I wanted to go look at, "toy cars." Expecting a new Barbie doll, I was majorly disappointed to be driven to a dealership and not the toy store. My grandpa has a small collection of old cars and would drive me around in the powder blue Karmann Ghia convertible that was originally owned by my dad. Michael loves cars too but is more intense about everything from detailing to having a rare model. Typically his work schedule conflicts with all the summer shows, but we've had two opportunities to attend in the past couple months. In June the Volvo 1800 won runner up at a show in Portsmouth, RI and today it won it's class AND Best in Show for Swedish Car Day 2011 in Brookline, MA. Hooray!

Photos (top to bottom)

1964 Volvo 1800S, BMW Z4 M Coupe, 1969 VW Karmann Ghia, BMW Z3 Coupe

An Introduction to Design

Last year on September 1, 2010 I made a commitment: a mortgage partnership with my main squeeze. For months we searched high and low, far and wide for the perfect space to make our home. To put in plain terms: we are particular. Very, particular. We wanted to buy a place that hadn't been updated in a while so we could make it over. Why pay for someone else's butt-ugly flip-renovation just to rip it out and start over. Last fall was phase one and this fall we're entering phase two. With the resurrection of the blog edition of theluxdelux, I'll share the design story.

Back and I've got the Sweat(s)

Can you believe a sweatshirt has brought my blog back from the dead? My life has changed big since my last post a year ago but who really cares when all I can think about is a $1,195 Jason Wu wool sweatshirt with baroque lace applique? It seems to be the item of the moment with Marc Jacobs and Givenchy contributing to the laid back sweaty style that will put us back $1000+. If this isn't luxury, what else is?

All I can say is that I've been fighting the urge to splurge on the Jason Wu rather than putting my money towards the second phase of my house renovation. Luckily for me and my mate, my Midwest practicality kicked it and I'll make do without.....the sweatshirt, that is. Hanes has never been so glam.

Photos top to bottom: Jason Wu, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs

The Dream Lives On

Alexander McQueen Resort 2011. It's not the same, but I love it still.

Back to the Berkshires

Friday evening we drove both cars out to the Berkshires. The Tanglewood season doesn't start for another week and a half, but we had access to the house early and had a great weekend of R&R. Went for a jog around the neighborhood, enjoyed some nice meals, and most of all enjoyed each other's company. I just wish we didn't have to come back to the city so soon.