CHARM & MAKE BELIEVE

“There seems to be within all of us an innate yearning 

to be lifted momentarily out of our own lives 
into the realm of charm and make believe." 

-- Dorothy Draper {interior decorator, fabulous hostess} 

Isn't that what the best parties do? 

Image via Erin Woolsey on Pinterest.  Original source This Is Glamorous.

A CITRUS STORY guest post by Mary Swenson

Don't you just love when your travels on the internet take you to something fresh and wonderful?  That's how I felt when I came upon Mary Swenson's blog.  Her mix of good writing paired with gorgeous photos is just my kind of thing. To share her talent and taste with all of you, I asked Mary to produce a guest post for Style Maniac.  My requests were something with flowers that would look good with the citrus tones in this month's theme.  I just love the bright and pretty "Citrus Story" she came up with--and I'm definitely stealing some of her easy tips.

Mary Swenson is a freelance photographer and writer who lives with her husband in a historic Massachusetts seaport. She's a self-taught shutterbug and her favorite subjects are flowers, food, and still-life vignettes. She writes, styles, and shoots projects for various online publications and for her blog. 
For more information, visit Mary's website mary-swenson.com.

LADIES, Cast Your Votes

 

 

 

 

For tonight's Academy Awards (aka Style Maniac's Super Bowl) I'm heading off to my movie group's "Ballots, Bubbly & Bling" party.  So instead of posting my usual recap tomorrow, I thought I'd let you share in voting on our group's most popular category, which you won't find on the official Oscar ballot. Ladies, please cast your votes for Sexiest Male Movie Star Ever.  Above, some of my top contenders for the prize. Write-ins welcome.

Images via Google.  Conversions to black & white by me.

RED, SHE SAID

"Girls in red dresses?" he said
"With new social networks and couture fashion houses," she said.
"Romance and flowers?" he said.
"Stacks of books, abstract art, movie idols, chic sunglasses," she said.
"Wonderful blog posts to bring us from winter to spring?" he said.
"Red," she said.

{This month, on Style Maniac}

Photo here and in February masthead:
Gordon Parks for LIFE via My Vintage Vogue

BEHIND THE CURTAIN with The Pennsylvania Ballet

Pennsylvania Ballet principal dancers Zachary Hench and Riolama Lorenzo in Christopher Wheeldon's Swan Lake. (photo: Paul Kolnik)

We sit in the audience, and the show onstage enthralls us:  the swirl of costumes, the pulsating music, the mystery of lighting in the darkness of the theater.  Astounding moves look effortless and dancers seem to float on air.  A world of fairy tales and feathers and thwarted romance unfolds and we are transported.

Ah, but what drama unfolds behind the curtain?

Perhaps I’ve seen too many movies, because what I expected was not at all what I found when I got to peek into the studios of one of the world’s premiere ballet companies, The Pennsylvania Ballet.

TOP: Principal dancer Arantxa Ochoa. MIDDLE: Arantxa with soloist Francis Veyette and (2nd row) soloist Barette Vance with corps de ballet dancer Andre Vytoptov. Artists of The Pennsylvania Ballet. (photos: Alexander Iziliaev)  BOTTOM: Soloist James Ihde in rehearsal with corps de ballet dancer Evelyn Kocak and onstage with principal dancer Riolama Lorenzo in Jerome Robbins' In The Night. (left photo: Doreen Creede / right photo: Paul Kolnik).

My first surprise was the athleticism behind the artistry.  Up close, in the bright lights of the rehearsal studio, you see the sweat streaming down Barette Vance’s smiling face as she flits through Balanchine; feel the reverberation of Francis Veyette’s muscled legs pounding into the floor, with the thinnest slipper as “protection;” wince as James Ihde’s rippling arms swoop a sitting Evelyn Kocak straight over his head, as if she weighs no more than a pillow.  You think back to that awkward ballet class you took at the age of six, and realize that for every million little girls who dream of being a ballerina, perhaps one actually makes it her career.  Or to put it in terms my husband would relate to: this is the NFL of the dance world.

My next surprise was what I didn’t see:  No drama.  No divas.

During rehearsal, when a “take” [my word] didn’t work, the ballet mistress and dancers had a calm, collaborative discussion.  At a reception after an In-Studio Show, dancers ranging from veteran principals to new young corps de ballet members got along as though a happy family and made us visitors feel like welcome friends.

Perhaps the camaraderie is because company dancers spend more time together than most families, training nine hours a day, five days a week, 10 months a year.  Or perhaps it’s that a quarter of the company literally is family:  three couples in the Pennsylvania Ballet are married, one engaged.

But I think it’s something else.  I think it’s the joy that comes from making a living by every day doing the thing you truly love. The positive energy in those unadorned rehearsal rooms--lined with storage boxes, lights glaring overhead--was simply infectious.

(photo by Alexander Iziliaev)

AT THE MOVIES: The Black Swan Connection
Given the hype, you probably think the movie Black Swan inspired this post.  In fact, it was a letter from my friend Janis Goodman, chair of the board of trustees, that piqued my interest.  Not until later did I discover that 14 of The Pennsylvania Ballet’s dancers appeared in the movie and that the Company will perform Swan Lake this March, followed in April by the premiere of a new work by Benjamin Millepied, Black Swan’s choreographer and Natalie Portman’s fiancé.

ONSTAGE: The Pennsylvania Ballet's Spring 2011 Season
(Unbelievably, tickets start at just $20.)

February 3-6  Classic Innovations
(includes: The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude; Polyphonia; In The Upper Room)

March 3-13  Swan Lake

April 14-17  Building On Balanchine
(includes: Agon; a yet-to-be-named world premiere by Benjamin Millepied; and Who Cares?)

June 2-11  La Fille Mal Gardee

Artistic Director: Roy Kaiser  |  paballet.org  | 215-893-1955

BEHIND THE LENS
The contrast of Paul Kolnik’s flawless performance pictures and the natural beauty of Alexander Iziliaev’s studio shots completely captivated me.  Then came my third surprise of this post: photography is a hobby for Alexander.  His longtime "day job" is principal dancer with The Pennsylvania Ballet.  

That's him, at left, in Balanchine's Agon.  Talk about talented!
(Alexander's photo by ... you guessed it ... Paul Kolnik)

A LOVELY BRUNCH: Camparis on Crete

The first in a mini-series of warm and wonderful brunch places around the world.  This one's pure fantasy for me, as I've never had a Campari, never been to Crete and it is after all a Tuesday.  But I trust the Barefoot Contessa, and her Campari Orange Spritzer recipe, suitable for daytime; and the recommendations of the stylish Eleni from My Paradissi, who calls Crete home.  Imagine coffee on that terrace, followed by a leisurely all-day picnic on the shores of Triopetra Beach.  Or spend the day at Pagopoieion (Ice Factory) in Heraklion, where a brunch can easily extend to an afternoon and evening of food, music and mingling with friends.  Shall we all book a flight right now?

Have a favorite brunch spot you'd like to share?  Please email me (click on Contact in the sidebar).  Your selection and site link may appear in a future post.  Next month:  Best Brunch in Brooklyn.

Top photo from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.  Terrace photo, Marie Claire Maison;  Triopetra Beach photo courtesy Eleni, both via My Paradissi.

A PARIS REVERIE

Daydreaming of Paris in winter, soft sepia-toned scenes and a suitcase of satins; leisurely lunches in tobacco-stained bistros and long strolls along the snowy Seine .... Oh, who am I kidding?  I'd be wrapped in polar fleece, Goretex and shearling, scurrying from one warm haven to another, just as I am here.  Still, as I tromp through the gritty aftermath of several storms in my city, postcard-pretty pictures dance in my head and I think:  If it has to be winter, why not winter in Paris?

How about you ... what escapes fill your daydreams?

Paris photo via Pinterest.  Original source, fittingly enough: Reverie Daydream.  Suitcase via Design Elements.

CHIC TREAT: Stylish Blogger Award

What a wonderful way to start the new year: a Stylish Blogger Award bestowed on Style Maniac by the charming mother/daughter team of Beth and Kristy at Design Chic and also by the sweet Danielle of Fresh Quince!  Thank you, ladies, this is truly a chic treat.

Along with the award comes the request to pay the compliment forward as follows:  {1} Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award. {2} Reveal seven things about yourself. {3} Bestow the award on ten great bloggers you have recently discovered. {4} Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award.
And so ...


7 THINGS you may not know about me: As a little girl I kissed anything purple ... Sappy commercials, cheesy TV moments, sad movies, poignant novels: I cry at all of 'em ... When absorbed in a book, blog or design project I can go hours without food, drink or sleep and not even notice ... Often when I smile I have lipstick on my teeth ... A career test once advised "General in the Army" as my ideal profession ... I'd rather eat French Fries than cake ... I'm continually surprised and delighted to find my obsession for words, images and all things lovely shared with so many fabulous women  around the globe.

10 STYLISH BLOGGERS all highlighted on Style Maniac for the first time and each with her own unique sense of style.  Listed in no order other than how the photos looked pretty one after the other.

You all probably know of The Decorista. But I'm giving this award to 

Ashlina's Decorista Daydreams on Tumblr. Chock full of glamour.

Preppy + Hippy = The Prippy Handbook. TG's always smart, always fun.

Oscar PR Girl.  Can you say dream job?

 The pretty posts by Beth & Kristy from Design Chic would have put them on

my list if they hadn't sent me the award, so I just had to include them.  

{don't expect you ladies to repeat the post, though!}

Danielle at Fresh Quince.  As above already on my list, for her knack at 

uncovering stylish treasures at rock-bottom prices.

Maria at Design Elements imbues modern design and
dramatic travel shots with warmth and soul.

On Pinterest, my newest way to spend a snowy Sunday,
Eve Wang curates the most fabulous photos.

Eleni of My Paradissi always features something fresh and lovely under that gorgeous logo. 

Plus she lives and works on the isle of Crete. Le sigh.

Elizabeth is an event planner whose own wedding is one of the prettiest I've seen. 

The definition of Boho Chic ... just like her blog, Peacock Feathers.

Jessica at My Vintage Vogue has gathered an incredible collection of vintage fashion images.  That's where I found the 1960s Mark Shaw/Vogue photo at the top of this post.

Hope you enjoy visiting all these Stylish Bloggers and exploring their lovely sites.

A DREAMY ESCAPE

Snow came again to my Northeast city last night.  As bitter winds slap ice-encrusted branches against my office window I dream of jetting off to a secluded cove, wiggling my toes in soft pink sand edged by turquoise waters and sipping a frothy colada while a balmy breeze rustles my hair. Oh how lovely it would be ...

Thank you to the wonderful Roni Polisar and Rebecca Withers of the Smithsonian's Hirshorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, who in mere moments helped me identify this photo.  It's one of photographer Christian Chaize's series on Praia Piquinia, a  slice of heaven on the coast of Portugal.

OH SO PRETTY

Last year I faced winter head on, with a series called Surviving Winter With Style.  This January, though, I'm escaping into the soft and lovely, seduced by dreamy photoscapes and alluring art, smitten by balloons and beaches, seeking cozy spots for brunch and perhaps peeking behind the curtain of the ballet.  And then there's a certain blog birthday at month's end, for which we'll need streamers and sparkly wrap and some presents, of course.  And perhaps along the way a virtual visit to Paris and other magical stops, courtesy the whirling and wonderful blog carousel.  It's going to be oh so pretty.

Feathers & Sequins image discovered on The Paris Apartment.  Adapted by Doreen Creede for this month's masthead.

WHAT WILL YOU BE WEARING NEW YEAR's EVE?

Peacock plumes ... blue ball gowns ... slinky black ... snow white spangles ... glittery gold. A dusting of fantasy, a sparkling of glamour.  Whether heading out or celebrating in, I say let's dress up for New Year's Eve.  How about you?  What will you be wearing?

credits:

{blue velvet} Rachel McAdams photographed by Michelangelo DiBattista via Peacocks Garden
{black} Jean Patou gown illustrated by Rene Gruau via hprints

{gold} mini photographed by Benjamin Kanarek for Harper's Bazaar China via Fashion Copious
{peacock plumes} on avatar created by Cajsa Lillihook via Flickr

{tunic & leggings} Chanel pre-fall 2011 via Style.com

{ombre}Kate Hudson, Harper's Bazaar 2007 from Style Maniac's files
{frothy blue} Arthur Banks ballgown illustrated by Ruth Freeman and
{white spangle} dress by David Downton from 100 Years of Fashion Illustration

A GLORIOUS MESS

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the
mess created in the living room on Christmas day.
Don't clean it up too quickly."
- Andy Rooney 

After all the planning ... buying ... wrapping ... rushing ... it all comes down to spending time with those you love and enjoying every small moment.  I'm off to do just that and I hope you are as well.  First, just want to thank all the bloggers and photographers who have brightened my month--and year--with beautiful inspiration, images and words. And thanks to each of you, dear Style Maniac readers, for visiting, commenting and sharing here.  It's a wonderful gift you give me every day.  

See you just before New Year's Eve.  Merry Christmas.

Quote discovered on Belle Maison. Gold Glitter image by Shandi-Lee via Flickr.

GIVE A GIFT TO THE ARTS ... and enjoy a dazzling delight

What could be more delightful than a gift that combines togetherness, awe, entertainment, laughter and amazement?  And can be arranged with just a few clicks on your keyboard?  That's why tickets to a show, play or performance ranks as one of my favorite gifts to give, receive--and enjoy myself!  It always fits, can never be duplicated and lasts in your memory forever.  Plus it supports an entire world of dancers, actors, craftsmen, choreographers and local venues.  (Exactly the spirit of our mall-free, hassle-free, pour a glass of bubbly and enjoy the season gift guide.)

With a bit of advance planning--or last minute luck--you could arrange to see a classic such as The Nutcracker during the holiday season (as of this morning the Pennsylvania Ballet still has some tickets available).  But you could also choose from the entire year of performances, giving you something dazzling to look forward to in 2011.

Whether it's enjoying a dazzling performance yourself, volunteering your time, donating money or giving tickets as a gift--what arts organizations do you love to see and support? Please share your favorite, with a brief description & link, in the Comments section here and on the Style Maniac Facebook Page.

Pennsylvania Ballet Company Member Meredith Reffner in George Balanchine's Nutcracker photographed by Alexander Iziliaev.  With thanks to my friend Janis Goodman, an avid patron of  the Pennsylvania Ballet's performances, operations and fundraising efforts.  For more on how to support the Ballet visit www.paballet.org

THE SKIRTED ROUNDTABLE

I don't know many other interior decorators in real life.  So it's always a pleasure to pull up a virtual chair at The Skirted Roundtable and find out the inside scoop on decorating fees, common designer dilemmas, blog happenings and shelter magazine shake-ups.  Hostesses Megan Arquette, Joni Webb and Linda Merrill's lively podcast interviews with women like top designers Charlotte Moss, successful blogger Anna Spiro of Absolutely Beautiful Things and magical movie set creator Beth Rubino (Someone's Gotta Get Her) manage to simultaneously entertain, educate and distract me from the drudgery of house cleaning.  What could be better?

Elise Daniels & Monique in Schiaparelli Hats at Cafe Flore, Paris, 1948 by Richard Avedon.

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