Out East Down South

Designers
May 23, 2013

Over the past 10 summers I have spent a great deal of time out East. And over the past 10 summers I watched as the local stores closed and larger, more expensive retail chains took over. Goodbye local store, hello Gucci. And the thing was, I probably wouldn’t have complained as much had the new retail stores been anything that I was interested in shopping. (This obviously does not go for JCrew). Of course, now that I have left NYC, and my frequent visits to Long Island, a store that I would love to peruse on summer weekends has opened in Wainscott. To toast Serena & Lily’s opening, here are some of my current favorites.

Despite the fact that these Fouta Towels are in fact bath towels, I might be inclined to bring one on the beach. Although I will miss summers on the East End, and won’t get to see the Serena & Lily store until later in the summer, it is already full on beach weather here in Charleston – and I have a tan. Good trade, don’t you think?

Photos courtesy of Serena & Lily

Surrounded by Books

Books
May 15, 2013

Penguin Books. Just looking at these brightly bound classic paperbacks brings on a sensory overload. I smell the old paper, mingled with sun and sand, and I see the light filtering through the windows of the tiny library on the Floridian Island where we used to visit my grandparents. If I close my eyes, I can even feel the air in that little library. There is something about these little Penguin books that stir up memories in all of us – feelings that you want to surround yourself with as often as one can.

Penguin Books published its first ten paperbacks in 1935. For the first time, classic titles were available to the public for the price of a pack of cigarettes. No longer did reading require a library card – you could now buy your books at the newsstand. In this respect, Penguin Books stood out from its other publishing house counterparts with their expensive, overly decorative hardcover books. The famous paperback covers were designed by Edward Young, a 21 year old office junior, who would later go on to become Penguin Books’ Production Manager. Fun fact: the different colors on the covers have significance; orange is fiction, blue is for biographies, green is for crime novels, and so on.

Wallpaper! Now you don’t even have to go to a bookshop or a library to get that Penguin Books sensory overload. This Spring, Osborne & Little, Britain’s premier wallpaper and fabric house, has released Penguin Library wallpaper. Featuring tons of different classic titles, such as Wuthering Heights and others, now you have the ability to surround yourself with these classic books in any room of your home.

Like a Pantone color chart, these books breathe life into any space they are assembled in. And what a cocktail party conversation they would make! I can imagine having a few drinks and wandering around the room looking at the titles. Might also be wonderful in a kids play room – it might encourage your children to read! I wish I had a place for this wallpaper, because I think it is absolutely wonderful, don’t you?

Photos courtesy of Osborne & Little & Stephen Small on Flickr

Island Time

Life
May 1, 2013

Do you all see a theme here this week? Does it seem like I am ready for the beach? Well this weekend it will be our one year wedding anniversary, and to celebrate, we are headed to one of our all time favorite places … Jamaica Inn. It is just outside Ocho Rios in Jamaica and it is absolute perfection.

Jamaica Inn has been open to guests since 1950. Pictured above are Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller on their honeymoon at Jamaica Inn in 1957. According to the Jamaica Inn, icons such as Katherine Hepburn, Errol Flynn, and Noel Coward have stayed there. Ian Fleming, whose famous home Goldeneye is nearby, was often to be found at the bar drinking the rum punches that the Jamaica Inn is so famous for. Teddy, the bartender at Jamaica Inn, has been mixing rum punches there for fifty-four years.

In the photo above, Jamaica Inn’s longtime mixologist Teddy is on the right, and Rupert, the resident croquet expert, is on the left. Grabbing a rum punch from Teddy while getting a croquet lesson from Rupert is always one of the highlights of our trips to the Inn. In getting ready for our trip, I thought I would highlight some of yesterday’s birthday shopping finds – clearly I had the beach in mind.

First, this Sail to Sable Blue Buoy tunic. Now in its fourth season, Sail to Sable was founded by a classmate of mine from Darien High School, and I am constantly impressed by Jennifer’s designs. In the photo above, this tunic is being modeled by a dear friend of mine – isn’t she beautiful? Looking forward to throwing on my Sail to Sable tunic for a quick game of croquet or a stroll to the bar for one of Jamaica Inn’s famous rum punches.

Next, these Trina Turk Monie pants. Dinner on the terrace? I think so.

Finally, this Lilly Pulitzer Sea Island Tunic. On their website, Jamaica Inn is described as a place of “relaxed glamour and timeless elegance.” I think this just about fits the bill – don’t you?

In 1959, All the Best in the Caribbean had this to say about Jamaica Inn, “Jamaica Inn, with its secluded beach setting … has won itself a reputation for friendly exclusiveness, if you accept paradoxes.” Yes, yes I think I do.

Photos courtesy of Jamaica Inn, Sail to Sable, Trina Turk & Lilly Pulitzer

For more information on Jamaica Inn, visit www.jamaicainn.com