Now that summer is around the corner we should embrace all the colours of the rainbow.
photo: Colleen Kohse – Amalfi Coast, Italyphoto: d. king – Victoria Falls, Zambia
Because life is more than black & white
photo: Colleen Kohse public sculpture, Brittany, Francephoto: Lisa King – Stone Town, Zanzibar, Africaphoto: d. king taken from a closed car window – Salt Lake City, Utah.
Nothing like sourcing beautiful body care & fragrance products from beautiful locales where lives beautiful women with a knack for looking after themselves. Which brings me to this place:
Santa Maria Novella, Florence – one of the oldest pharmacies in the world! They carry products with a meaning. They come with tradition and historywhich in my books makes them extra special.
photo: d. king
In all fairness I didn’t know about this until my good friend came back from Florence and gifted me with an elegantly wrapped package of what appeared to be some amazing skincare…made in Italy. I could tell right away these were exceptional from the tasteful ribboned box they came in and even the bag. Of course I couldn’t wait to open it up and try them.
And the best part is their story (I love a good story)….
THEN:
The long name is Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. It was established in 1221 by Dominican Monks shortly after their arrival in Florence. The friars began cultivating medicinal herbs in their gardens to prepare medications, balms and ointments for their convent’s small infirmary.
Once fame of their extraordinary products spread beyond Italy, it became opportune, in 1612, to open the pharmacy to the public.
The ingenuity of the formulas developed by the apothecary fathers, in the 18th century became renowned and crossed numerous borders reaching Russia, the Indies, and as far away as China.
NOW:
They have a tea room
Today the tradition is perpetuated and renewed. They use the highest quality natural raw materials and follow the artisanal procedures first established by the Dominican fathers.
The Officina is particularly attentive to the herbalist’s art which has triumphed since the enterprise began, basing all its preparations on herbs and natural lipids, with nothing tested on animals.
Each of the products has its own peculiar history. For instance one of the products “Acqua della Regina”is an essence that was created especially for Caterina de’ Medici (a noblewoman, crowned Queen of France after marrying Henry II).
There are other ancient recipes that deserve mention but perhaps that is the most popular perfume.
The original Via della Scala premises, where production took place until just a few years ago, while still a store, are genuine museum rooms. The museum’s purpose is not only to educate people about the Santa Maria Novella’s products but to benefit visitors who simply wish to see a “museum of tradition.”
The products are available in Florence.Address: (Via della Scala, 16, 50123 Firenze, Italy) and major cities in Italy. They have travelled to France, Spain, Belgium and England and a few locations in the United States.
In North America you can find them at:
Address: 285 Lafayette St #2, New York, NY 10012, United States
Phone:+1 212-271-0884
Address: 8411 Melrose Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90069, United States
Phone:+1 323-651-3754
Address: 9700 Collins Ave, Bal Harbour, FL 33154, United States
Whenever you get a label that reads “made in Italy” you immediately feel an element of understated elegance, refinement and quality.
photo: Colleen Kohse. Colleen just visited their store location in *Capri, off the Amalfi Coast. She is killing me with her enviable photos.
The clothing is usually a cut (excuse the pun) above the rest. Mostly you feel an attention to detail, design and fit. And I gravitate towards a cut that is simple and sensual.
The Flavio Castellani label is a reflection of the “made in Italy” style of sophistication mixed with a fun look for the feminine and modern woman. The brand is the outcome of the combined creative spirit of fashion designer Rita Ricci and the management skills of Flavio Castellani.
La moda e’ eleganza e raffinatezza.
La moda e’ arte e questa e’ la mia passione.
Fashion is elegance and refinement . Fashion is art and this is my passion. Flavio Castellani
An Important Italian History Lesson:
One of my favourite kind of pants to wear once the weather starts to warm up is capris. Thanks to a designer by the name of Sonja de Lennart who invented *Capri pants in 1948. The pants’ name derives from the Italian isle of Capri, where they rose to popularity in the late 1950s and early ’60s.Grace Kelly was among the first movie stars to wear capris on the island. There have been many more since. Audrey Hepburn immediately comes to mind. To me they are the perfect pant – comfy casual with flats and a Tee but can be dressed up with heels and a nice shirt.
How about you? Do you believe the “made in Italy” label is more special?
photo: Colleen Kohse – Limoncello Coccinelle bags to brighten up your day
This is a LifeStyle blog. Are you getting tired of hearing the term “Lifestyle?”
It has become such a common catch-phrase so I looked up the word in Wikipedia just to make certain of the meaning and know that I’m on the right track. According to them, the term denotes the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of the person (in this case me, the blogger).
So this blog focuses on things that matter to me on a wide variety of subjects about things that attract my attention, pique my interest and what I find personally inspiring…with an emphasis on style with everything from food to fashion or just plain fun.It tends to attract a certain following of like- minded people. I do not have the following of Gwyneth Paltrow or Martha Stewart yet so I gravitate towards tasteful subjects of interest and try to put a personal element into the story whenever possible, which is fairly often, and without controversy. It encompasses my aesthetic of living in general…which I think is pretty simple…for the most part.
In a perfect world I would probably spend my life outdoors. As it stands, whenever the weather allows for it I do exactly that. Luckily I have close to 1,000 sq. ft. of outdoor space which I try to make feel as comfortable as possible to enjoy. This is my perfect lifestyle – doors wide open…indoor/outdoor living. And dogs are very important! As soon as we got an early surprise summer I scrambled to plant a few geraniums, set out pillows, get fresh flowers and get it together.
Now I’m trying hard to pair down and keep things simpler but at the same time so many things have been collected from various travels (including many rocks & shells) and they’re hard to part with because of the memories. I’m one of those people who finds it hard to let go. Almost everything is from somewhere else and has a meaning. And I’m not traveling so much these days. I’m just a homebody who wants to feel like I’m still traveling.
Which included making these simple summer salads:
(L) Grape|Tomato & baby Bocconcini with torn Basil & Balsamic Glaze. (R) Kale, Yam, Feta & Sundried Tomatoes in a light vinaigrette.
Anyway, this turned out to be a random post because the last four days have been busier than usual with some last minute plans – which are sometimes the best. I ended up with a ticket to the Who concert on Friday which was so much fun (who says guys in their 70’s can’t rock!) and time spent with girlfriends and last minute brunches/dinners, a committee meeting and a fundraiser. And I have no clue what I’m going to write next. But know this….some exciting things are about to take place…..
It’s always an adventure one way or another
These napkins are very hard to come by – they invoke memories of time well spent.
There are a whole bunch of myths involving unlucky superstitions for Friday the 13th and their origins…. but that depends on where you live.
In Spanish-speaking countries it is Tuesdays (hopefully not every Tuesday), not Fridays, that hold superstitious omens. Their belief is also held by the Greeks, who consider Tuesdays as dominated by the influence of Ares (the God of War).
My brother was born on Friday the 13th which according to my parents was very good luck because they wanted a son after having me.
Not to worry because life is already a never-ending string of inexplicable events so don’t sweat over one little day! Make your own luck!
Having said that, just in case…..because you never know don’t let a black cat cross your path and don’t go under a ladder. And here’s a little recipe to calm your nerves:
We love natural beauty products but how about…edible?
It is believed that most women end up eating their lipstick (not out of hunger, more by accident) so maybe edible makeup is a good idea, although I’m not so sure how palatable it will be.
Leave it to clean living, health conscious Gwyneth Paltrow to collaborate with JuiceBeauty in developing a line of 78 plant-based products, from foundations to shadows. Like Juice’s main collection, it’s organic, but the difference is she expanded the range of colour choices, focusing more on saturated hues extracted from fruits and plants, like purple carrots and crushed rose petals. Can’t wait to sample some of these products!
If there’s anything the Chanel Resort Collection 2017 spectacle taught us aside from how to throw the ultimate party, it’s that accessories like pearl-studded berets, floral-trim fedoras and spectator shoes (aka the oxford or two-toned brogue) look mighty cool worn with almost anything – especially a killer attitude.
Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to achieve the unexpected and the spectacular.
It appears that each Chanel show is outdone by the next and this latest example was really something extra special. For Resort 2017 Lagerfeld chose the intensely beautiful cityscape of Havana; a locale at an historic turning point in international relations, and a collection that was relatable, wearable, exquisitely made, and joyfully youthful.
I visited Havana with a friend when I was living in Jamaica and we really felt transported back in time. The people were vibrant and full of life and eager to make us feel welcome. As tourists we visited all the touristy places including all the Hemingway hangouts but we also met locals who told us where we could find a very good authentic Cuban (off the beaten path) restaurant which we loved. Cuba held more allure for me since becoming friends with a close relative of Che Guevara; someone I met overseas. It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. Of course the Mojitos were the absolute best.
The Chanel Resort Collection 2017 – May 2, 2016 (my picks from a ton of photos)
You cannot mistake this look
The American fashion press who flew into Cuba for the Chanel Resort show landed two hours before the first U.S. cruise ship to have docked in Havana in nearly 40 years. The passengers of the Adonia had no idea what to expect when they set foot on the dock; in the event, they were surrounded by crowds of Havana residents, high-fiving greetings. The historic thawing of relations between the Castro regime and the United States was palpable, a warmth that was stoked to fever level.
Seven hundred guests of Chanel were taken to the open-air street show in a multicolored convoy of the city’s open-top Buicks, Cadillacs, and Oldsmobiles. The owners tooted their horns through the streets of Old Havana, while people came out to line the streets, crowd dilapidated balconies and rooftops, wave and laugh. It could easily have gone the other way—who knew there could be such a welcome in a poor, communist country for a super-luxurious brand and the wealthy women who wear its finery?But it was the people of Cuba who set the atmosphere running—a sense of exuberant excitement that involved everyone from the models to the normally impassively unimpressible members of the press.
With guests sitting on park benches in the open air of the tree-lined Paseo del Prado, the models strolled naturally in flat brogues, flip-flops, and slides. Here was Chanel at full range—black spencer jackets over wide-legged cuffed pants; “debutante” dresses with swirly skirts hitting calf length in lace or organza; skinny long tube dresses in macramé or tattered tweed; huge floaty dresses, neatly belted, in ’50s car prints. The Chanel embroiderers had pulled out all the stops, decorating sleeves with dense layers of tattered fabric (a subtle homage to Hispanic ruffles, surely) and sequin-encrusted little dresses in the peachy-pinks, lemony-oranges, and greeny-blues you see in every direction in Havana.
Take a bow
It was Chanel that started the new lark of traveling Resort shows—immersive summertime trips to evermore far-flung locations—and Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci have been joining in. Occasionally, it has to be said that descriptions of spectacular locations can overshadow collections that aren’t so worth writing home about. But with this show, Karl Lagerfeld achieved it all.
What made it work, in essence, was the easy styling, with T-shirts and flats, a casual attitude that the models clearly felt happy in—so happy that the end of the show broke out into an anarchic kind of carnival where the girls and the audience and the local band all got mixed up together, dancing.
It tends to attract a certain following of like- minded people. I do not have the following of Gwyneth Paltrow or Martha Stewart
Like Juice’s main collection, it’s organic, but the difference is she expanded the range of colour choices, focusing more on saturated hues extracted from fruits and plants, like purple carrots and crushed rose petals. Can’t wait to sample some of these products!
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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