Living in the Past, in the Present

I've had a bit of a British week and indulged in marathon sessions of Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs. Both cover pre-war Britain before the first and second world wars respectively. I've always loved those eras and the interior design and fashion that go along with them. It's incredibly elegant, with the occasional hints of playful whimsy. I can't get enough of it and am happy to announce both will return for season 2 in 2012.

Downton Abbey

Upstairs, Downstairs

Photos from: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here

Links à la Mode: The Weekly Roundup

One of my entries was chosen for the IFB links à la Mode roundup. Check it out and take a peek at some of the other fab links.

Edited by Vahni of Grit & Glamour

It’s been a while since I’ve done a LALM roundup, and it’s nice to be back! You’ve been busy little bloggers—some trend reporting here, a little schmoozing backstage at Salvatore Ferragamo there, and a lot of DIYing. You’re veritable blogging animals, with fabulously-spotted hides to match! Yeah, the animal trend—prints, furs, style stalking, what have you—with this round of posts, consider it done. And well-done, I might add.

THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: OCTOBER 13TH

• Aquí: A special collaboration: Alexander Wang + Sally Hansen
• Beyond Fabric: Unveiling menswear myths: #1—dressing up in warm weather.
• Boyish Chic: How to make a fancier dress wearable for every day.
• Cosmolawlitan: Reebok’s toning shoes do not tone as advertised
• Dress Code: High Fashion: Backstage at Salvatore Ferragamo S/S 12 and what I learned there.
• Dress With Courage: Does your actual appearance match what you see in the mirror? Why women overestimate their size.
• Fashion Dynamite: How I mixed two fall trends in my OOTD—faux fur and ankle pants.
• Fierce: Keeping that ego in check.
• Grit & Glamour: What V wore: purple, reigned in* (plus midi-length tips).
• Haute Americana: Get in the Halloween spirit with American-made Halloween-esque essentials.
• My So-Called Corporate Life: How to wear the fall 2011 snakeskin trend to the office.
• Pretty Quirky Pants: DIY Lace tier Scallop Skirt
• Semi-Sweet Style: Meet a style icon: Christine Centenera.
• Smart n Snazzy: Pretty n punk: DIY studs n lace shoe refashion.
• Thanks I Made It: Getting to the point: DIY spike necklace.
• The Complex Media & Design Blog: Fashion for good: The Body Shop continues fight against sex trafficking with STOP bag.
• The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower: Lessons from Tom Ford to an unlikely fashionista.
• The Style Project: In the red—colored corduroys.
• Tickle Me Chic: Taking a walk on the wild side: mixing prints and taking chances.
• What 2 Wear Where: What to wear: animal prints for NBC New York Live

PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE.

SPONSOR:
Sunglasses at Shopbop: Stella McCartney, DITA, Tom Ford, Ray Ban, Karen Walker, The Row, YSL, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Williamson, Gucci, Carrera, & Cloe.

New Additions, Welcome to the Family

A warm welcome to my two latest shoe purchases. I've been looking for ankle booties for a while now, especially since I've finally admitted to myself that fall is coming.

I originally had my eye on the Isabel Marant ones, but my current funemployment situation means I can't spend $$$ on a single pair of shoes. So, I got something similar instead. The black pair are Steven by Steve Madden (here) and the tan pair are DV by Dolce Vita (here). I got them shipped overnight via Zappos VIP which is beyond amazing. Both shoes are so comfy and the heels are just low enough that I can wear them all day long.

Death by Chocolate Cake

I love to bake, and for once I actually managed to get photos before devouring the entire thing. I wasn't able to get a shot of the entire cake before slicing into it, perhaps next time.

The recipe is a slight variation on the classic Brooklyn Blackout cake. Some purists may not like my little twist, but I felt the traditional pudding frosting would make it too chocolate-y. Besides, I'm a sucker for cream cheese frosting.

The end result is delightfully moist and rich chocolate cake with the lovely tang of cream cheese.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake (from here):
8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), plus extra for greasing pans
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, pre-sift before measuring, plus extra for dusting pans
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup strong black coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees
2. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl
4. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan, misk in cocoa powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute
5. Turn off heat and whisk in coffee, buttermilk and sugars
6. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, then slowly whisk in flour mixture
7. Divide batter between the two pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs stuck to it
8. Let cool 10 minutes before flipping cake onto cooling rack. Then cool completely for 1 hour before frosting.

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
16 oz Cream Cheese
Powdered Sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Cream together butter and cream cheese
2. Mix in vanilla
3. Flavor with powdered sugar.

Note: Lots of recipes put a precise amount of powdered sugar, but I prefer going by taste and texture. I like using less powdered sugar, unless I need the icing to be stiffer. 

Meet a Style Icon: Christine Centenera

I haven't been able to shoot outfit photos of my own, so I'm looking at other people's.

Harper's Bazaar Australia's fashion editor Christine Centenera has been a style darling for a while now, but I've only caught wind of her unique look recently. There's something about the laid back ease with which she wears even the trendiest clothes that draws your attention to her. Christine mixes recognizable pieces from the top collections with up and coming Australian designers like Dion Lee.

I would seriously kill for access to this woman's closet. Like my other style love Miroslava Duma, Christine isn't one of those model-like editors and instead stands at a comfy 5'3-ish according to other fashion blogs.

Photos: The Fashion Spot