One Fur You...One Fur Me

Lately I have seen a fashion trend reemerging - faux fur - and with the cold weather finally upon us I thought it would be a good idea to shine the spotlight on this trend and the various options available, from full on to just a touch in the realm of the faux furrier.

Most of us can recall a time when real furs were the rage and the animal rights activists took a stand against those furry little critters that were being skinned and sold to make elegant adornments.  This was in our most recent history, but dating back to the dawn of man, animal skins were used to keep us warm, cover our houses, and sold/traded for food and items needed for survival.  

With the advent of modern aristocrats came the need to cast oneself in items of material wealth, and this was when furs became a symbol of status and money.  Remakes of classic movies and novels adapted for the big screen have all demonstrated this material wealth connotation and with that, fashion designers in the 19th and mid 20th century found a way to make furs a necessary staple in many affluent homes.  With the rise of the anti-fur movement in the 1980s-1990s, people saw a shift from this desire to demonstrate wealth by the skin of an animal and instead made a conscious effort to produce syntheitc furs, and to have them readily available to the general public thereby shifting the notion of material status to a common fashion trend.

Modern faux fur trends have improved in look and quality over the years and these days you can still go from head to toe in faux fur from coats, stoles, hats and gloves or you can add a touch to your outfit by sporting a fur vest, cardigan trimmed in fur or just opt for the simple accessory to complement your outfit.  No matter what you decide to don make sure that you keep it stylish and classy and most importantly faux!

Here are some items that I selected to help inspire you on your next trek to the shops - à la Anna Karenina:

Now how was that for some options!  There are literally thousands of items that have full-effect fur or just the trim and you can get them in a range of colours and patterns...so get out there, grab a furry accessory and keep warm this winter!

Happy Shopping!

Courtesy of:
Danier
Express
Banana Republic
The Gap
Old Navy

Ornamental

With December right around the corner and for those of us who have artificial trees we will most likely begin adorning them soon (at least I know I will), so I thought that now would be a good time to discuss the various options available out there in the Christmas Tree ornament department.  I personally LOVE the smell of a fresh pine tree in the home, but with the watering and the pine needles falling all over the place I decided many years ago to purchase an artificial tree so as to avoid this constant monitoring.  In fact I have two trees, one 6.5 footer and a 4.5 footer.  The reason for my dual tree situation is that I found over the years that I have become enamoured with the fun, funky, adorable and downright hilarious ornaments which don't fit in with the theme of my more "traditional" adorned 6.5ft tree.  Now this is just my personal preference and there should really be no rules about the decoration of your tree (or trees) in one or multiple themes, so go with your gut and do what makes you smile and be happy.

I'll narrow down some ornament options for you in the realms of traditional, modern, and fun/funky.  The ornaments that I've selected can border on the traditional-modern or even modern-funky, but overall they are a general reflection of the "style" of ornament.  If you've decided to go with a themed tree, make sure that you decorate the remainder of your house in this theme for all over cohesiveness. 

Traditional

I've selected a number of ornaments that have a more traditional style with red and green, blue and white, and of course metallic's.  I also threw in a few reminders of my Christmases growing up with the wooden toy and glass hansel house ornaments.  These days, lighting up real candles on the tree are most certainly a major fire hazard so the glass lantern (with available monogramming at Pottery Barn) can house a flame less tealight to give that warm glow, and for good measure I threw in a snowy white owl to perch atop your tree branches. Whether you're feeling nostalgic for the classic 1950-1960s glass ornaments or that homespun European flare, the traditional look is always a good go-to for your Christmas Tree.  



Modern

For those who've decided to move away from the more traditional Christmas Tree/decor either having renovated your home or just have more of a taste for the modern I've selected a number of ornaments in this style to help adorn your tree.  Whether you have a penchant for the feathery or a flare for the colourful, there is something for everyone!  The laser cut snowflakes, martini glasses and chandelier ornaments would make charming additions to a snow white tree.  The animal prints and Walter Bosse inspired woodland creatures are more of a funky-modern approach, but would look lovely scattered into your modern tree.



Fun/Funky

As I mentioned earlier, I have a special tree dedicated to ornaments like those pictured above.  These fun/funky ornaments bring a giant smile to my face!  Whether you opt for the chubby penguin, the sequined lobster, the pickle (see below for an explanation of this tradition), or the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation station wagon you really can't go wrong!  These ornaments are meant to bring lightheartedness and joy so be sure to include some even in your traditional or modern tree to bring a smile to everyone!


Whether you decide to stick to one style (traditional, modern or fun/funky) or a combination of styles just be sure to make your Christmas Tree your own.  Who knows, maybe this year you'll start a new family tradition that can be passed down from generation to generation.



Happy Shopping!

Courtesy of:
Anthropologie
Crate and Barrel
West Elm
Pottery Barn
Pier 1


Tradition of the German Pickle Ornament

According to German tradition, the pickle brings good luck and was the last ornament placed on the Christmas tree. On Christmas morning the first child to find the pickle was rewarded with an extra little gift left by St. Nicholas.

This German tradition encouraged the children to appreciate all the ornaments on the Christmas tree, rather than hurrying to see what St. Nick had left for them.

(Source: http://www.germansteins.com/pages/Tradition-of-the-german-pickle.html)

Who's the Fairest of them all?

The Christmas season is multi-faceted and on the one hand you have glitz and glam and on the other you have traditional and reserved but somewhere in the middle is fun and funky and hey, what would Christmas be without some hilarity!  One of my personal faves apart from the ugly Christmas sweater with it's parties and contests, is the Nordic Fair Isle pattern.  To me, this is the quintessential Christmas sweater pattern.  The beauty about the modern Fair Isle pattern is that they come in two tone, two to three colours or full-out traditional multi-coloured gloriousness - yup, that's a word!  Here are some sweaters I hand picked to show you the multi-dimensional Fair Isle pattern:

I'm so thrilled about the selection available out there and as you can see you can have a little or a whole lot of this pattern.  You can easily adapt this pattern for work or play so don't be afraid to spread a little Christmas cheer.  You can sport just-a-touch or go big and make it a full-on Fair Isle attack!  After all, you know who's the Fairest of them all - you!

Happy Shopping!

Courtesy of:
Anthropologie
H&M
Joe Fresh
The Gap
J. Crew