The Great Gatsby - 1920's style inspiration

Carey Mulligan who plays Daisy – the 'girl' in the epic love story The Great Gatsby.
 Image courtesy of  wahingtonpost.com

The recent release of The Great Gatsby movie has inspired a resurgence of 1920's fashion. The movie is set to be released in New Zealand soon, and I cant wait! The glamour and decadence of the art deco period is truly dazzling. Think fur, diamonds, pearls, champagne and everything glitzy and sparkly. It is such a gorgeous and glorious decade, I'm pleased that it has made a comeback in fashion.

The "roaring" 20's were a period of social liberation and the fashion and style of the day reflect that excitement and optimism post World War 1. Its the decade that women became allowed to vote and of prohibition (in the USA) which arguably spawned a legendary surge of organized crime and a whole other movie genre.

For fashion the flapper look is what immediately comes to mind; the headband, drop waist dresses, feathers, sequins and a healthy heaping of flashy accessories of diamonds and pearls topped off with fur. Its great to take some cues from this trend, but to avoid looking like you're heading to a costume party I wouldn't put it altogether at once. For tips on how to wear faux fur check one of our latest posts.

For interiors the same thing goes, the look and feel of the time is of extreme opulence and lavishness.  So over the top detailed accessories like chandeliers, gold, silver and bronze, most things reflective and shiny perfectly fit this sort of style. Also think strong graphic designs in wallpaper which have a very distinctive sleek look. 

The star burst mirror and clock are classic art deco along with graphic and decorative wallpaper.
Check this lovely flapper outfit with the turquoise and yellow, very complimentary colors. The headband with feathers along with the long pearls are totally flapperish
Interior image courtesy of skonahem.com
Outfit image courtesy of stylegirljessjames.com

Deep emerald green totally captures the essence of this rich period in time. Alison Williams  from GIRLS wears a very strong structured almost architectural dress with distinctive art deco period contours.
Interior image courtesy of habitusliving.com
Outfit image courtesy of  blog.mangomuseevents.com

Check this modern take on an art deco chandelier, gives a nod to the past but with a modern and contemporary edge. This headband with pearls and feather again ticks all the 1920s glamour boxes, but teamed with a more subtle dress make it more contemporary and less costume like.
Interior image courtesy of design-byproxy.com
Outfit image courtesy of 3d-memoirs.com

Bold and graphic designs like this black and white wallpaper epitomize the art deco period. This dress worn by Blake Lively is so sexy and contemporary, but she wouldn't have looked out of place at one of Gatsby's parties nearly a century ago, timeless beauty.
Interior image courtesy of etsy.com
Outfit image courtesy of sewinglovers.blogspot.com

The darker side of art deco elegance, shimmer and style. Simple but elegant and timeless.
Interior image courtesy of habitusliving.com
Outfit image courtesy of becomegorgeous.com

Glittering, sparkling, diamonds, silver and sequins, as long as it is shiny and reflective its right on our Great Gatsby brief!
Interior image courtesy of decorati.com
Outfit image courtesy of applebaummd.com

Satin and gold, the perfect opulent pairing for this rich and luxurious interior. Kept modern with the white floorboards, contemporary cushions and mixing in with the Moroccan pouf. Sequins and sparklers, how could you talk about the Great Gatsby without mentioning fireworks!
Interior image courtesy of homebunch.com
Outfit image courtesy of Visit pinterest

Graphic wallpaper and art deco style mirrors along with a mirrored vanity, modern yet classic. Carey Mulligan looks so stunning and demure in this pic, the soft pastels are also a strong fashion theme to emerge from this trend. How do you get those finger waves? Try the tutorial here.
Interior image courtesy of Visit decorati.com
Outfit image courtesy of newyorkdress.com

Rich style with rich colours - black, white and gold make for a truly lavish combination that screams DELUXE. Appropriate to bring out these big guns for a special room or outfit for a special occasion.
Interior image courtesy of lifeandstyleonadime.blogspot.com.au
Outfit image courtesy of thebeautyagenteurs.com

Now straight out of the movie, some stunning images to really demonstrate how plush and splendid this trend is...

Leonardo is so hot in that suit, surrounded by the decadence of those cakes and flowers its a great image.
Image courtesy of cinemastyle.blogspot.co.nz

Men in black suits and bow ties - check, sparkly dress - check, fur - check, sparkly headband  - check, swinging party scene - check. Roaring 20s party scene 100% confirmed.
Image courtesy of thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/

You can't forget the diamonds and champagne!
Image courtesy of thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com

What a great scene, statement chandelier, enormous statement rug and I think that room is round, a distinctive architectural style of the art deco times.
Image courtesy of living.msn.com

Here are some flapper fashion ideas to get ideas on how to bring this trend into your wardrobe...

Image courtesy of  fashionstylemag.com

Pastel feminine softness is one way to capture this trend - contract with some geometric patterns and you've arrived.
Image courtesy of fashionstylemag.com

Ralph Lauren flapper influenced collection, flowy with a hint of feathers throughout.
Image courtesy of fashionstylemag.com

A beautiful example of a vintage graphic wallpaper print with beautiful vintage accessories.
Image courtesy of  your4walls.co.uk

The art deco mirror is a simple and effective way to bring the 20's style into your home.
Image courtesy of  your4walls.co.uk

Introduce some 1920's, Great Gatsby luxury into your life. So forget casual, get glam and go for everything that glitters and sparkles, shine on!

The faux show

Fur throw over bed end - pic by favim.com

I am in love with faux fur!  Sometimes I get a really strong sense for a trend and after styling a shoot recently I had that 'I want it' moment with faux fur.  It was a fur stole to be exact but the model happened to be wearing a vintage dress of mine for this particular shot and that dress combined with the photographers 'prop' - a faux fur stole just took it to a whole other level. so I've been in love with the idea of faux fur ever since.  So much so that I've dedicated this whole post to it!

Fur capelet by kollabora.com

Faux fur in an interior sense (or faux anything) is always hard to get right as it can come off looking too fake or just plain inappropriate for the setting.  I think the key to getting above this wee challenge in any case is always to go for quality and that doesn't necessarily mean spending exorbitant prices from a high-end boutique but merely thinking outside the box, looking in secondhand stores or online auction sites.  If you were wanting to create your own  faux fur stole for instance, just visit any second hand store for a fur collared jacket and choose one that would be easy to disassemble the collar from the jacket as often this is easy to do.  See the tutorial I have posted below from Transient Expression.

Fur collar tutorial and image from transientexpression.com

How to transform a jacket with a faux fur collar tutorial

Fur collars are so luxe - so they can really take what would otherwise be a non differential jacket or dress to something that oozes interest and sophistication. They also photograph well.  I especially love the idea of contrasting textures - as in leather and fur.  We are coming into Winter here so I'm always looking at ways to make the transition cheaply (as in using what I have) while giving people a new perspective.  This year that new perspective might just be a faux fur collar or accent.

Image by creatorsofdesire.com

Leopard accents - image by luxereport.blogspot.com

I love these leopard print accents above.  I think the interior designer has done a great job of staying under the line of being too OTT by keeping everything from the lampshades to the furniture both light, sleek and modern so that the personality of the print can shine.

Cosy fur bedspread and image by nikjillb.blogspot.com

Despite the fact that one of the bedside lamps is on the bend in the pic above (only just noticed this!) I really like (again) that everything is white and light in the bedroom above and yet the faux fur animal print bed spread gives it a warm, inviting and interesting feel.  Imagine how much colder the room could feel without it!  We have a guest room that gets no light during the day so everything is going to be light and white but I'm worried about the room looking cold, so this is great inspiration for that bedroom!

Image by candycake12.blogspot.com

In fashion, as with interiors.  One solid contrasting colour (think black, white, red) is all you need and then your faux fur jacket, throw or collar will do the rest.  I mean, how chic does this woman look in all black and leopard.  This kind of look never gets old in my book.  Actually this also demonstrates another tip, that if you want to look coordinated from top to toe, try matching your shoe to an accent colour that you're wearing, (the less predictable the better).  She has chosen the nutty brown of the middle of the leopard print to accent in her heels.  She could have gone black but I love the contrast here.

In a funny coincidence, my husband and I are trying to declutter 10 years worth of personal belongings and we uncovered a shaggy fur throw from 5 years ago that I fell out of love with but you'll be pleased to know I am so in love with it again.  I guess because we are in a new place but I can see so many new possibilities for it in our interior space so 'it stays'.

Til next time, go faux!

Everything Ombre

These ombre walls and curtains add such a lovely softness to the room. There is something about the gradual tonal changes that just feels soft and relaxing. This girl is so totally ombre by doing the ombre dress AND ombre hairstyle.
Interior pic courtesy of Happiness Is
Outfit pic courtesy of Beauty Moves Me

Ombre is a French term meaning “shaded”. The effect is usually achieved by a multicolored stripe, with colors graduating from light to dark. Its a trend that if you Google right now will come up with a lot of hairstyle images from celebs who over the past few years have been rocking the dark roots that slowly get lighter at the ends. Apparently the celebs have now abandoned the two toned hairstyles, but in fashion and interiors; ombre can be a lot more timeless. In fact ombre is a color style that works not just on interiors and fashion, but also on cakes, lips and nails and has even shown up in a lot of wedding styling. The 'dip dye' style is very similar in terms of the visual effect it creates of which there are quite a few DIY tutorials to try out.

Google ombre and you will get hundreds of these sorts of celeb hairstyle pics. From left to right Rachel Bilson, Drew Barrymore and Khloe Kardashian.Images courtesy of theberry.com, andazelenca.com and franaq16.blogspot.co.nz

What I love about ombre is the softness and gentleness. It has a calming feeling to it, from a dark rich color to softer more pastel tones and all the way to white.

These are more subtle gradient ombre examples. They also demonstrate that blue on blue on blue can work, you don't have to be afraid to be too matchy matchy.
Interior pic courtesy of apetycznewnetrze.blogspot.com 
Outfit pic courtesy of weheartit.com

A great example of the sweet softness of ombre. Pale pink and turquoise, too cute.
Interior pic courtesy of blog.jelanieshop.com
Outfit pic courtesy of pose.com

A DIY project you can ombre paint a set of drawers for a fabulous visual effect. Gwen Stefani was stunning in this John Galliano wedding dress way back in 2002 before ombre became a hairstyle sensation.
Interior pic courtesy of creamylife.comombre-desk 
Outfit pic courtesy of wedding-darling.com

Dip dye denim blue, has a chic easiness to it that feels very down to earth.
Interior pic courtesy of etsy.com
Ombre denim shirt courtesy of etsy.com

Orange in your wedding dress is probably even more outrageous than pink, but its cute and it works. This simplistic art piece demonstrates that ombre is beauty and art in itself.
Ombre Sunset Pic courtesy of etsy.com
Orange ombre wedding pic courtesy of beforethebigday.co.uk

There are no limits to this trend, even your lips can have this crazy extra dimension.
Interior pic Courtesy of  Happiness Is
Make-up pic courtesy of  Tumbler.com

Wedding cakes and crazy couture are all ombre friendly
Image courtesy of savvyinteriordesign.com

There is something hippy and cool about both these examples, but I wouldn't try the pink hair unless you were in your early 20s.
Interior pic courtesy of anordinarywoman.net
Pink hair image courtesy of tammyleighsblog.blogspot.com

Sunshine yellow ombre is very easy on the eye and soothing to the soul. Such a cheerful color in such a peaceful tone takes me to my happy place.
Interior pic courtesy of Happiness Is
Outfit pic courtesy of i612.photobucket.com

Check some ombre and dip dyed ideas below for the avid DIYer and a whole lot more ideas here.

Make your own dip dyed napkins via a great tutorial from A Beautiful Mess

Give more interest and beauty to some retro furniture. Image courtesy of budgetdecorating.about.com

Ombre doesn't have to be crazy colorful shades. Grey is a great option for neutral beauty. Image courtesy of countryliving.com 

This is a great tutorial on how to paint an ombre wall, see full instructions here

Finally some ombre fashion examples...

Ombre on the runway. 
Image courtesy of designsbykf.blogspot.com

Ombre on the red carpet. 
Image courtesy of fromthefloor.nordstrom.com

It is true you could ombre just about anything, and with any color so have fun with this trend and get "ombreing".

Nautical - life's a beach

Nothing says nautical like navy and white stripes.  Sunhats, sailboats, shells and sunshine are also highly complementary.
Interior image courtesy of Tumbler
Outfit image courtesy of A Positively Beautiful Blog

My new home at the beach has inspired this post as I've been quite taken by the nautical theme. I've never owned a house by the beach, so I now feel quite entitled and even obliged to introduce some sense of a nautical feeling into my home decor. Complimentary

The navy blue and white stripes are of course the classic combination, originally called the Breton Stripes which were the design of the French seamen's uniform. Coco Chanel then popularized the signature style and took it mainstream with her stripe shirt and palazzo pants combo, which is where the nautical craze all started and has been going strong for decades. For more on the history of the beloved nautical style check this article Stripes Ahoy!

From the movie "Coco before Chanel" Audrey Tautou does a brilliant job of playing the fashion pioneer.
Image courtesy of falconeri.it

I've always liked the nautical look, I think it is classic and has this New York Hamptons, old rich,  Jackie Onassis sophistication about it, but maybe that's just me or maybe I watch too much Revenge!

For interiors it opens a whole world of boat themed accessories like ropes, buoys, ship steering wheels, anchors, nautical maps, oars, flags, etc. But as per our previous post 5 Fashion and Interior Design Fails you can take a theme too far, so I wouldn't recommend you get all of the accessories listed unless you want to make people feel like they're actually on a boat!

White is the best starting point for all things nautical then add a splash of navy stripe, a lifesaver, maybe a captains hat and a nautical map and you're away sailing....
Interior pic courtesy of Tumbler
Outfit pic courtesy of Pinterest

Another twist on Nautical - taking the basic stripe to a chevron. Go wild and put that stripe on an angle!
Interior image courtesy of House of Mood
Outfit image courtesy of Chictopia

Nautical is not just about navy, but red can give you just as much of that sailor sensation. Check the beautiful and rustic link chain table legs the rope ornament and the basket lampshade. Its these touches that give that nautical feel to this very contemporary and stylish interior.
Interior image courtesy of Mylalifestyle
Outfit image courtesy of Shabbyapple

I find the blue glass buoy so special. I've tired to find  some vintage glass buoys to decorate my home, but it is nigh on impossible here in New Zealand. But I've managed to find some replica glass buoys from Freedom Furniture which are a good substitute and have placated my yearning for these beautiful items. The red pumps are a perfect complement to this nautical outfit, with the classic Chanel stripe top and skinny black jeans.
Interior image courtesy of livetheemma
Outfit image courtesy of Iwantbigcloset

I LOVE this nautical wallpaper. This would be quite a commitment stylistically and I don't know if I could do it, but RESPECT to those that can pull it off. I also love this hipster retro styling for the nautical look. A sentiment to how timeless this style is, you can make it work for you whatever your age.
Interior image courtesy of Bambinogoodies
Outfit image courtesy of Pinterest

So more of a beachy look pulling back a bit on the stripe. Check the oar coat rack, what a great weekend project!  A simple white dress styled for the beach can be very fun, relaxed and pretty.
Interior image courtesy of Design is Mine
Outfit image courtesy of Fashionsalade

The round ship window is also a stunning nautical touch to your interior. We've painted our floorboards white and I can't wait to see how I can start decorating on this blank canvas.
Interior image courtesy of Saltwaterliving
Outfit image courtesy of Pinterest

Now just plain beachy I can't go past a good bikini. These ceramics from ENDEsign on Etsy are so modern and unique. Moontide is a wonderful New Zealand swimwear brand that produce high quality togs (as we call them in NZ).  We here in the southern hemisphere are heading into winter and these images are a bit of a sad farewell, but none-the less enjoyable.
Interior image courtesy of Etsy
Outfit image courtesy of Moontide

Nautical map wallpaper can make a great backdrop for your nautical scene. Don't forget to accessorize  but as Coco would say "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory".
Interior image courtesy of Pinterest
Outfit image courtesy of Be Cinderella

Now ropes are one of my favourite nautical accessories, rustic and beautiful. These light clusters would add wonderful character to a living area or kitchen. This necklace is pretty intense, but there are quite a few ways to wear it, check it out at Bec Brittain
Interior image courtesy of Etsy
Outfit image courtesy of Bec Brittain

Ropes and knots can make an interesting and unique wall display. This necklace from Etsy is a bit more delicate than the previous example, the colour and unique texture make this quite a statement piece.
Interior image courtesy of Tumbler
Outfit image courtesy of Etsy

Now for some nautical DIY projects, from nail art to a rope ottoman get creative! I have a Pinterest board called "DIY Dreams" because I'm quite conscious of the fact that the I'll never get around to it, but it still doesn't stop me from adding pins to my board and dreaming...

The Rope Ottoman is perfect for the beach house, looks easy, but its probably quite complicated... - diy-craft.com

DIY nautical nail art, you'll need a steady hand for those stripes! Image courtesy of pshitt

One last thought...

Image courtesy of Society 6