Before my beloved Gossip Girl was on our screens, we had The OC. Although some friends of mine boycotted it with the argument that, “it’s no Dawson’s Creek”, I absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait for my weekly fix of Orange County extravagance… not to mention the will they/won’t they Seth and Summer romance. Summer was head and shoulders above Marissa (just as Blair is to Serena) in every way, but when the show ended everyone expected Mischa Barton to become the new Hollywood darling. Well, we all know what happened there… she discovered every unflattering piece of clothing known to man (honey, culottes are not your friend), lost her hair brush, and was last seen clinging on to celebdom, à la Tara Reid, at Whisky Mist. At the same time we witnessed the blossoming of Bilson, perhaps not in the movie world (unless you count Jumper… which I don’t), into a Chanel muse and all-round uh-may-zing fashionista. So here’s how you too can look like our fave OC-er (especially if you carry around a My Little Pony called Princess Sparkle):

{1. Debenhams red linen jacket – £40 / 2. Republic tribal necklace – £9.99 / 3. Marc B quilted bag – £39 / 4. Lipsy tunic dress – £25 / 5. Belle by Sigerson Morrison nude peeptoe bootie – £162}

{1. Great Plains white shirt – £15 / 2. Miss Selfridge denim shorts – £30 / 3. Luella Heart wayfarer sunglasses – £45 / 4. A/wear croc bucket bag – £25 / 5. Dune strappy wedge sandals – £85}

{1. Oasis crop jacket – £70 / 2. Accessorize chunky necklace – £7.50 / 3. Matt by Matt & Nat wallet purse – £39.20 / 4. Dorothy Perkins cream floral maxi dress – £24}

Friday is here and I’m looking forward to another wedding tomorrow! It seems like it’s quite the weekend for weddings… three years ago it was my brother’s wedding (happy anniversary Tim and Alex!), then this weekend sees the nuptials of Kate Moss and Prince Albert of Monaco. Separately, of course. Yesterday we saw the wedding of Abbey Clancy and the man-giant Peter Crouch – I thought she looked beautiful, albeit a little WAG-y with the red nails. So I’m Essex-bound today and praying that we keep this beautiful weather for Lucie and Jamie’s big day.
Now, I didn’t win the big money prize on Tuesday’s EuroMillions, but neither did anyone else it seems, since tonight’s jackpot is an unbelievable £136 mill. I mean, where would you even start with that kind of dough?? After my ‘objects of desire’ earlier on this week, I’ve been thinking on a slightly grander scale. Real estate. As well as interiors, I’m slightly obsessed with houses in general (Escape to the Country, Location Location Location, Fantasy Homes by the Sea – you name it, I watch it), so here are a few examples of the types of property I’d invest in if when my numbers come up. My choices include beach houses, New England style, colonial, French country estate… and there simply must be jaw-droppingly beautiful pool:

{images via Architectural Digest, Elle Decor & Pinterest}
Tell me, dear readers… what would you spend your winnings on if you scooped the jackpot?
I settled on ex-MTV presenter Donna Air as my look of the week, wearing neon yellow Roksanda Ilincic Resort 2011 at the Serpentine Gallery’s Summer Party. Paired with the green peep-toe sandals, it’s such a fresh and summery look perfect for the event she’s attending, and is it just me or does this girl never seem to age?! For my room of the week, I picked this gorgeous kitchen since I’m a sucker for white subway tiles and white cupboards, and the antique rug works so well on the herringbone floor.

{images via Pinterest & prphotos}
I hope you have a beautiful weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…

The sun is out for Friday! About time too after the ridiculous weather we’ve been having lately… but looks like our fortunes could be changing, as it’s set to hit 30 degrees in London on Monday (not so good news that the A/C in our office has conked out, but what can you do). I’m jealous of anyone heading to Wimbledon to watch the tennis – I’ve been a few times, having just queued up and watched whichever matches had free seats… it’s a great atmosphere and feels so wonderfully British with strawberries and Pimms, and everybody clinging to umbrellas waiting for the inevitable! This weekend will be lovely and quiet, sandwiched between weddings and hen do’s running into July. With the gorgeous weather expected I must drag myself away from the laptop screen for a portion of the 2 days at least, and take a walk in the sunshine and maybe have a meal on a pavement café whilst watching the world go by. Do you have any plans for this weekend?
I know, I know, I’m Kate Spade obsessed, but it’s really not my fault when every time I visit their ‘new in’ section, it makes me dribble all over the keyboard (apologies for over-share). I mean, take the mint satchel for example… so amazing that if it were a person I would happily marry it. Their colour of the month is gold, and they have some serious glittery goodness going on right now. Please take a look at their new arrivals and tell me that you share my fixation, so I know it’s not just me:

{all products available at Kate Spade}
H&M Home are having quite the party at the moment… picnics are their ‘theme du jour’, and I fell in love with this image of a colourful spread on a lazy summer afternoon. Oh, and look, there are trunks in there… what a coincidence! Doesn’t this make you want to pack up a cooler bag and head to a field (and when I say ‘field’, beach/park/back garden/festival all work equally well) with a bunch of friends and some kind of ball game?

{all products available at H&M Home}
Currently on my coffee table at home I have the most beautiful bunch of pink peonies in a vase, and whether they’re closed or in all their ruffled glory, there’s something about them that makes me so happy. I love the image of the ones in the mason jar especially, the colours complement each other perfectly:

{images via pinterest}
Again, I gotta say, my favourite look of the week wasn’t the easiest to find. The red carpet had another so-so week (apart from Rosie H-W who is having a whale of a time parading a variety of dresses slashed dangerously high and making us mere mortals step away from the Krispy Kremes), so it was a casual high-street look that caught my eye. Rochelle Wiseman, from the girl group The Saturdays, opted for a Topshop playsuit for a trip to the recording studios, and paired it with a skinny belt and trusty YSL Tributes. If she was looking to grab some column inches from her bandmate Mollie King, who has turned into a bit of a fashionista lately (also doesn’t hurt that she has David Gandy on her arm), then she may have just succeeded! Onto the room of the week, and check out the colour pairing of the moment, purple and orange (or ‘porange’ as renamed by Heat magazine), and some framed sketches to add interest… I really love how this bedroom has been styled:

{images via prphotos & Elle Decor}
I hope you have a superb weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…

Dear Justin (cousin of Louis) Theroux,
So we hear that you’re our Jen’s new boyfriend, and yesterday we clapped eyes on this shot of the two of you on a date. Now, as the general public we may not know what goes on behind closed doors in your relationship… but looks? Looks, we know. And this one says S-M-I-T-T-E-N in full swing. So please don’t break her heart, because she deserves a nice boy who will make her happy, call when they say they will, and stroke her hair when she’s feeling down. I don’t think that’s asking too much. If you don’t, you will have the general public to answer to. That is all.
Kind regards etc.

{image via Terry Richardson’s Diary}

Friday at last, my friends… so happy. And this weekend I’m really excited to be heading to Gloucester, to the wedding of a very good friend whom I used to work with. My boyfriend and I are West Country-bound this evening – sushi for dinner at the station, a train ride, a stack of magazines and maybe a cheeky glass of white… it’s the simple pleasures in life! Sometimes the glamour in my life is overwhelming. Ahem.

So this week I got around to something that I have been meaning to do for aaaages. Pinterest. Finally I created my own boards, and if you think that just looking through the site is addictive, then having your own boards to tend to takes it to another level. The concept of Pinterest is a genius one, and if you’ve yet to visit it then it’s basically the online version of cutting and sticking pictures that inspire you, or you just plain fall in love with, into a scrapbook. Below are the eight boards I’ve created so far… I’ve only just starting pinning, so I’m sure they will grow and many more board ideas will spring to mind!
Are you a fan of Pinterest? What kind of images inspire you the most?

{click HERE to see my Pinterest boards}
To round off the week, my favourite look belongs to Rose Byrne, star of the movie Bridesmaids (which I’ve heard SO many good things about – need to see it asap). There were a lot of overly fussy looks on the red carpet this week (I think that Lively needs to tone it down a smidge – haha, as if she needs fashion guidance), but this Christian Cota dress appealed to me in its shape and simplicity, and it fits her to perfection. Finally, I’m finding myself (re)obsessed with chevron patterns, so this bathroom was the obvious choice for me. Loving the calming paint choice as well:

{images via prphotos & Design Indulgences}
I hope you have a fantastic weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…