Sticky Wicket

The croquet set that I saw at The Upper Rust makes me wish a had a flat lawn, or any lawn for that matter.  It would be fun would it be to host a croquet party on a lovely summer day.  Argyle optional of course.

The Upper Rust Vintage Croquet Set

Chuck Bass playing croquet on Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl

George Harrison and John Lennon

George Harrison and John Lennon

Croquet at The Parker

Photo by Paul Costello

J.Crew

Croquet Lawn

Betty Grable playing croquet

Fairfield Croquet by Slim Aarons 1991

Darryl Zanuck at Howard Hawks house by Slim Aarons 1955

Heathers

Heathers

Martha Stewart

Olivia de Havilland

Louis Jourdan and friends by Slim Aarons

Princess Diana

The croquet lawn at Winston Churchill's old home.

Gossip Girl in Paris

While the rest of us were eating hot dogs and watching fireworks this past weekend, Serena and Blair were painting the town red in Paris and by the looks of it, eating Ladurée macaroons! Gossip Girl has decamped to the City of Lights to shoot season 4 and I'm hoping the change of scenery will breathe new life into the series that seriously stalled in season 3. I'm also wondering who those boys are in the photos. They definitely don't look like Chuck or Nate to me! Oh la la!

Surf's Up Upper East Siders!

This season of Gossip Girl has been less than stellar but it's still my Monday night guilty pleasure. The season finale is tonight and I'm hoping that I can make it home in time to catch it. But even more exciting is that on Wednesday, the new June 2010 issue of Vogue will hit the stands with Blake Lively, aka Serena van der Woodsen, on the cover. Seems that she and Hamish Bowles take surf lessons together. See last photo for proof. I cannot wait to read what I am sure will be a hilarious account if it's anything like his wilderness adventure! XOXO!

Phillip Lim at Home

I'm a huge fan of fashion designer Phillip Lim's clothing and jewelry and have always wanted to see inside his home. The New York Times Magazine gave us a little peek this weekend along with a question and answer feature. I love the floor to ceiling shelves above but still dying to see more. I hope another magazine will give us the full tour soon because these few pics were definitely not enough!

Blair Waldorf is also a fan of Phillip Lim and has worn a few of his fabulous frocks on Gossip Girl. As excited as I was to see inside Phillip's apartment, I'm even more excited that GG is starting back up tonight. It had just better not be as boring as the first half of the season or I think some fans are going to go all Georgina Sparks on the writers! XOXO!

Photos by Adam Krause for The New York Times

My Favorite Things: Pre-Fall

It was hot today in New York. Like Africa hot. But for me it's too little too late. I'm over summer and have moved onto pre-fall. The new clothes are in the stores here and I've already been picking out what I want to buy for New York and my trip to Paris. There are so many great things to chose from but these are a few of my favorites! Starting with the photo of model Lisa Taylor that was taken by photographer Arthur Elgort for Vogue in 1976 that embodies that feeling of when the weather is still sunny but starts to turn a little chilly.

Before the weather gets cold enough for a real coat, I wear blazers over little tops with jeans and also over dresses. I love this grey flannel schoolboy jacket from J. Crew and especially the gold buttons that dress it up. There is also something about it that makes me want to sharpen pencils.

I am so not a skinny jeans kind of girl but since all the girls in Paris are wearing them, I thought I should try to find a slim pair. J. Crew calls the matchstick jeans "ultra flattering" and I have to agree. I tried them on and actually thought they looked pretty good. Probably not quite as good as they do on the model in the photo but then again, she's probably a foot taller than me. The best part is that they aren't so tight that they cut off your circulation. Well, at least not until you start eating macaroons!

I will also need some shoes to go with my new slim jeans and these Christian Louboutin patent ballerina flats might just be the ones. I originally saw them in grey but now I am loving them in taupe. Truth be told, I actually own this style in gold and they are one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I've ever worn. And comfort will be key in Paris when I am trying to walk off all the macaroons!

This Davina bag by Derek Lam is my wish list favorite item. I swear I hear angels sing whenever I look at it. It's ridiculously beautiful and also ridiculously expensive. But it never hurts to dream. Le sigh.

I already received my advance copy of Jacques Grange Interiors and have been pouring over it! His style is unique to each project and the details are amazing! His own personal apartment in the Palais Royal was once owned by Collete and is of course the most unique. I debated trying to stalk him in Paris until I remembered that my French isn't that good if he calls the police so I think I'll stick with the book!

There are only so many French movies I can watch before I need a break and I can't wait until the second season of Gossip Girl is released on DVD August 18th! They have been filming in my neighborhood this summer and I hear that Ed Westwick was spotted at West Elm buying furniture after Chace moved out. Ed, if you need a decorator, call me!

After a few months in the sun, in addition to bi-monthly highlights and daily blow drying, my hair needs a little TLC so I've already switched back to Technician Color Care by Frederic Fekkai. It makes my hair super soft but not limp and the Color Protecting Glaze makes it shiny but never greasy. They really are fantastic products. Now if I could just get my colorist to stop making me so blonde, I'd be all set!

I am very loyal to my nail polish colors but Estee Lauder's new Black Amethyst polish might give them a run for their money. It actually looks darker in person than it does in this photo and will look great with grey and black clothing for fall. It's actually a limited edition color so I guess my regular polish will come back into rotation after it's gone. Or maybe I should stock up in case I really like it! Bon shopping!