I was so busy enjoying my extra day off on Monday in Paris that I didn’t get a chance to post until late.  Better late than never I guess.  Bastille Day is known in France as Fête Nationale du 14 juillet or just let quatorze juillet.  It’s their Independence Day and they celebrate it with gusto […]

I was aware of the photographer Vivian Maier because the publisher of my book Habitually Chic: Creativity at Work, powerHouse Books has published two books of her work, Vivian Maier: Self-Portraits and Vivian Maier: Street Photographer. I wasn’t aware that her recognition as a photographer only came posthumously after I saw the trailer for the documentary […]

The weather was absolutely beautiful in Paris today so I decided to explore Le Marais. During my walk, I stopped by the holy grail of bookstores, Comptoir de L’Image. The petite space is packed with vintage books and magazines from every decade. It is popular with fashion designers like Marc Jacobs and every blogger known […]

I was just talking about Jean-Louis Deniot yesterday and today I noticed that he has a book coming out this September, Jean-Louis Deniot: Interiors.  I appreciate that his design style always seems to be suited to the client and the architecture. This particular apartment on the rue des Saints-Pères in Paris that he designed for an American […]

I’ve been having a lot of conversations about chateaux in relationship to my upcoming trip. Seems I’m not the only one who dreams of buying a fixer upper in France.  When that time comes (after I win the lottery) the first person I will call for advice is designer Timothy Corrigan. He purchased his 18th-century […]

When I walking to Bergdorf Goodman in a snowstorm in 2004 to have Mrs. Herrera sign a copy of her book Carolina Herrera for me, never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine I would be giving her a signed copy of my book ten years alter.  But that’s exactly what happened today when […]

When I visited my dear friend Alice Ryan at her home on the North Fork last summer, she laid out a beautiful table with her blue and white china for a casual late lunch.  I told her that she didn’t have to go to any trouble for me when she politely informed that she sets […]

There is nothing I love more than finding a photo that leads you down the rabbit hole of discovery.  I came across an image of a French room that turned out to be from a Vogue Living Australia feature on French entertaining tips from cook and author Jane Webster.  Jane is Australian and visited France […]

When I saw the trailer for The Two Faces of January, I thought it reminded me of the film Talented Mr Ripley. Then I saw the movie poster which confirmed that the firm is based on the 1964 book The Two Faces of Januaryby Patricia Highsmith, the author of The Talented Mr. Ripley. The Two Faces […]

I thought I had a lot of books but my collection doesn’t hold a candle to the over 400 vintage and new books owned by Tom Mora, the head of women’s design at J.Crew. You can see some of his favorites on the J.Crew tumblr page here. I hope we get to see the rest […]

The love of learning,the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow As much as I love reading on the beach in the summer, there is really nothing better than snuggling up with a good book in the winter.  Yesterday, I stopped by the Strand Bookstore in the newly renovated […]

Christmas came early to Habitually Chic. Yesterday, I received a copy of the book Jacques Henri Lartigue: A Sporting Life.  In French, the title is Chic, le sport ! which obviously, I find amusing. I was first introduced to the book at a press preview at Hermès whose 2013 theme for the year was “a sporting life” which […]

I had an appointment with Ralph Lauren Home at the Ladies Mansion this morning, more on this later, and spied a very chic book for sale. I have been trying to get my hands on a copy of Life and Work: Malene Birger’s Life in Pictures for years but it was sold out.  I’m happy […]

I’m often asked to recommend books on interior design especially for those just starting out. My new recommendation is Howard Slatkin‘s new book Fifth Avenue Style: A Designer’s New York Apartment. In it, he chronicles the almost three year renovation of his magnificent apartment on upper Fifth Avenue from purchase to completion which even includes before […]

I mentioned the house that Karl Lagerfeld called “the chicest house in America” in yesterday’s post and now the pics are up on Town & Country.  I highly recommend running out to buy the October issue to read the whole story.  These photos makes me even more excited for Stephen Sills’ new book Stephen Sills: […]

I’m either going to have to build more shelves or move in order to accommodate all the new books coming out this fall. Lots of fabulous design books are about to be published from some your favorite decorators, as well as books by a few first time authors whose names you will definitely recognize.  I’ll […]

If you haven’t picked up the September 2013 issue of Elle Decor, you are missing out.  I’ve been so tired lately of magazines that keep featuring the same homes and people and this issue delivers nothing but newness. The Left Bank Paris apartment designed by François-Joseph Graf for a mystery client is my favorite and […]