Chicago in December. Magical. Although my early December trek through the Windy City was not in the full swing and frenzy of the mass of Holiday shoppers as it would be in late December, the streets were certainly filled with those pondering or embarking upon their Christmas and Holiday lists. The holiday season in the great city of Chicago. Excitement always fills the air when one ventures onto the streets of any city. Yet the holidays seem to bring a different festive spirit that is fueled by the festooned buildings and lighted trees bedecked in holiday greens with twinkling lights…city wonderment, indeed…
Bedecked With Holiday Greens & Lights: The Chicago Tribune Building, Michigan Avenue
The embellishment of crimson red and boughs of pine against the backdrop of Chicago was a stunning view to behold. For certain, I adore this city in all seasons.
Oh, how I love and adore this city and the color red…
Chicago In December
Of the fashion that filled the windows through the city and on the Magnificent Mile? Delightful. Some more festive than others, but each a representational of holiday flare and style. Fashion and its season’s presented in a visual compilation from behind my lens…
I begin with Holiday fantasy behind the windows of Neiman Marcus…Cheers to the mannequin and the artistry of visual merchandising! “A little bit of fantasy…”, indeed…
Fantasy & Fashion: Neiman Marcus EleganceHoliday Elegance Behind The Windows Of Neiman MarcusEnticing Windows Of Holiday Appeal: Neiman MarcusEnticing Windows Of Holiday Appeal: Neiman MarcusLouis Vuitton…Holiday StyleWhite & Black: Winter DelightsMichael Kors: Shiny, Bright & ClassicMoncler: Winter Delights In Tweed & FurPrada: Holiday Delights Of Fashionable AppealHoliday Style: Prada StyleMacy’s State Street: Homage To ChicagoMacy’s State Street: Homage To ChicagoMacy’s State Street: Homage To ChicagoParty Ready At Hugo BossRed, Red Delight: BurberryFrom The Windows Of Burberry…Salvatore Ferragamo: Red & Gold DelightsGolden Treasures: Salvatore Ferragamo“Land Of 1,000 Delights”….Magic Behind Saks Fifth AvenueGolden Delights: Saks Fifth Avenue’s Holiday StyleGolden Palms, Comfort & Holiday StyleMax Mara: An Abstract Holiday
A word about the windows of Max Mara. Typically my favorite windows. Yet unexpected was the abstract Holiday window in unexpected hues. Regardless, Holiday-esque it certainly alludes to. And of the white and black topped hats? A love behind my lens, for certain…
The Fashionable Windows Of Max MaraThe Fashionable Windows Of Max MaraBlack & White Delight: Max MaraBlack & White Delight: Max MaraStyle & A City Reflected: Max MaraStylish Impact: Max MaraStylish Toppers, Max Mara Style
Perhaps beyond the Holiday visual, a visual conjured up of an escape to warmer temperatures behind the windows of Chanel on Michigan Avenue…
The Windows Of Chanel…Walk This Way: ChanelTod’s Circus: Defining Visual Of StyleSnow White Behind Tom FordCrimson Red & Escada StyleFashion Captured From Behind My Lens…In Black & White
From behind the lens my eye will never tire to seek and capture a mere visual of the artistry of fashion and its windows that seek to beckon those that pass by. Onward to another year of capturing fashion and a city ahead. For one who has photographed the fashionable windows of Chicago every single month for over 3 years…onward!
Inspiration and fashion, Onward, indeed…
Onward,
Kristin
“Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past”- Berenice Abbott
Myself Captured in Reflection: Fashion & The Photographer’s Selfie.
Aromatic Delights: Celebrations With A Scented Herb
Rosemary. Termed “Rosmarinus officials”, rosemary is an aromaticwoody evergreen perennial herb native to the seaside regions of North Africa and the Mediterranean. This fragrant herb presents flat pine needle-like leaves that grow on an evergreen bush. Who knew that rosemary joins the ranks as member of the mint family, Lamiaceae? The name “rosemary” derives from the Latin for “dew” (ros) and “Sea” (marinus), or “Dew of the Sea”. Of note, the ancient legend that rosemary grows “where one can hear thesea”. The Rosemary plant itself is also sometimes called anthos, from the ancient Greek word ἄνθος, meaning “flower”. Rosemary is said to resemble lavender when shimmering blue flowers appear in mid-Winter in native climates. The leaves themselves can often appear to be touched with silver. But commonly green and fragrant, this woody citrus offers so much to our world beyond the culinary and herbal health benefits. Beyond its aromatic offerings this fragrant plant that offers us natural beauty when gracing events of our lives and brought within our interior worlds.
However, the past precedes this coveted plant. It is noted that rosemary held a strong association with ancient Greeks and Romans. “As early as the Fifth millenium B.C. references to rosemary were found written in cuneiform”(the earliest system of writing of wedge shaped slash marks) on stone tablets. Ancient appreciation of an herb, indeed. Coveted for what was believed mystical and healing properties, it was the Roman armies who would eventually bring this herb to Britain. From there, this scented herb would travel through Europe and eventually reach the New World…
“As for rosmarine, I lette it runne all over my garden walls,
not onlie because my bees love it,
but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance,
and, therefore to friendship . . .” -Sir Thomas More,(Aka Saint Thomas More, (1478-1535) English lawyer, author and stateman
*
A “rich crown of stone and pearls set with rosemary in her hair”
-English royalty, Anne of Cleves,King
Henry the Eighth’s fourth wife /1540
Long associated with remembrance of romance and matrimony, rosemary has been used for centuries in courtship and weddings. Oh, the beauty of tradition. In fact, French legend holds that “if a man didn’t like the scent of rosemary, he would be an inferior lover”. Who knew? Empress Josephine is said to have asked Napoleon to wash in rosemary water before entering her bedchamber. The power of an herb, indeed. Interesting that rosemary is said to have been Napoleon’s favorite fragrance. A love affair, indeed.
French Royalty: Josephine & Napoleon
As for this scented aromatic herb traditionally appearing during the holiday season, perhaps its history can be linked to the entertaining in the Middle ages. It is said that rosemary was spread on the ground so its fragrance would fill the air when guests would walk upon it. The belief was that those would smell rosemary on Christmas Eve would have a year of health and happiness. A tradition of celebration with nature, for certain. It is no wonder that rosemary would continue as a traditional embellishment during the holidays.
In appreciation of the rosemary herb and the adornment of and celebrations of an herb of visual and fragrant delight….
Tabletop Delight With Sprigs Of RosemaryA Woody Citrus: Rosemary Within The InteriorNatural Tabletop Inspiration Of Scented Delight: RosemaryWedded Infusion: Scented RosemaryScented Affairs: Rosemary As DecorationEvents Of A Lifetime: Rosemary InfusedCelebrations Of Memorable Moments: Infused With RosemaryWedded Delight With Rosemary SprigsWedded Adornment Of Natural Appeal: RosemaryWeddings Graced With Nature: Rosemary In DecorationCelebratory Sprigs Of Memorable Visual Appeal: Rosemary“Moments” With RosemaryScented Needles Of Fragrant Appeal: Celebrations With RosemaryRosemary: Scented DelightsRosemary & Events: Scented & Visual delightsDecorating With Rosemary: Tabletop DelightsTabletop Additions With A Fragrant HerbTabletop & Decorative Delights In Sprigs Of RosemaryHoliday Embellishments With RosemaryThe Scented Herb: RosemaryNature’s Gift Of Scented & Herbal Delight: Rosemary
Consider the natural delight of the fragrant and distinctive herb, rosemary. Nature’s bounty offers us the scented delights with which to appreciate. Beyond a mere herb, rosemary will certainly grace our worlds in simplicity with natural beauty. Scented and natural appeal, indeed. Onward to the celebration of life’s moments with the tradition of a fragrant gift of nature…
Onward,
Kristin
“There’s Rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember”
The word “Celebrate” means to “commemorate, observe, mark, keep, honor, remember and memorialize”. A perfect word to end the year with. On the brink of a new year, perhaps there is no better time than to celebrate the joys that we have experienced during the year which is soon to end and celebrate the possibilities in the New Year ahead. A New Year. Onward.
May this New Years Eve bring you gratitude and joy in the celebration of the past and the excitement for the future.
Cheers to another New Years Eve…and another brand New Year ahead!
“A diamond shines no brighter
than that lovely Christmas star.
It shines in all its brilliance;
it’s seen from near or far…”
-Unknown
May you linger in the appreciation of the gifts of what surrounds you that are not wrapped.
May you dwell in the joy of the gifts of life and the appreciation of those that are in your life.
Hold to the realization that every day is a gift. When you revere the day and each and every day with appreciation, perhaps you will shine like a brilliant star…
The familiar and woody pine cone. The distinctive display and array of pine cones within our interiors or holiday displays certainly add an element of natural, traditional Fall & Winter decor, of au naturel appeal. Found in a variety of shapes and sizes, the natural beauty of these abundant icons of Fall & Winter deserve our appreciation. Natural & traditional elements of striking appeal.
The pine cone has held itself as a symbol of longevity, wisdom and peace. In fact, throughout the span of recorded human history, pinecones are said to have served as a symbolic representation of enlightenment and as sources of “illumination” in the church. An iconic element of nature, indeed. Botanically, the pine cone is known as strobilus, which is derived from the shape that some of these woody emblems of nature hold. The geometric cone shape is the “archetypal” pine cone, although whether conic, cylindrical or egg shaped (referred to as ovoid) the pine cone is a masterpiece of nature. The structure of these woody emblems of nature vary between the Pines, Spruces, Firs, Cedars and Larches (a few of these conifers that hold these cones of delight high above us). Nature’s wonders. These pine cones of evergreen delight seem to even resemble small trees of wonder. Thus, it is no surprise that the holidays beckon this iconic element within our personal worlds…
Nature’s Woody Appeal: The Delightful Pine Cone
Of interest, pine cones hold “plates” that overlap and protrude, referred to as “scales”. It is the “flexing” of the seed scales in which the “plates” open when they are dry and close when they are wet. Of interest, pine cones go through many cycles of opening and closing. Alas, when the older cones fall to the forest floor on the ground that surrounds us, the delight of an object of nature to embellish our interior and exterior worlds awaits. Whether tiny or oversize pinecones fill your interior or exterior world, their additions will surely bring natural appeal…
Interior Delights Of Nature: Pine ConesPine Cones As Natural DecorEmbellished With Natural Appeal: Pine ConesHoliday Appeal: Bedecked Appeal With Nature’s Pine ConesDecorative Delights Of Nature: Pine Cones
The inclusion of these elements of nature as decoration and as bouquets of distinction in grand moments of life is certainly worth acknowledging in appreciation. Nature inspired lifetime events that provide enduring bouquets and elements that represent pivotal moments in time…
Blissful Occasions With Nature: Pine ConesWedded Bliss With Natural Style: Pinecones As DecorationCelebrations With Nature: Pine Cone EmbellishmentsPine Cones As Embellishments Of Memorable EventsGlittered Or Natural: Pine Cone Appeal
Consider the natural appeal of the pine cone. Not a simple element of nature but one with distinction of woody delight. Perhaps viewed as a common natural detail, the pine cone and its layers of delight deserve our focus. Even if its coated in glitter, the pine cone is an emblem of nature that will endure to link the exterior world within our interiors. Nature and its gifts will never cease to amaze for those of us that care to linger in the wonder and beauty of its offerings. The simple pine cone is not simple at all, but a wondrous & venerable object of woody distinction, indeed…
Kristin
“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself”
-L.W. Gilbert
“I go to nature every day for inspiration in the days work”
-Frank Lloyd Wright
“Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better”
-Albert Einstein
Chicago in December is magical and enchanting. Swathed in holiday flair. Perhaps there is nothing like a city embellished with the spirit of the holidays. A city truly does become magical. Chicago certainly glows with trees swagged in lights overhead and Christmas colors of red, green, silver and gold that embellish the buildings. Festive, indeed. And of the windows of fashion? They seem to beckon even further with their proclamations of festivity.
One a day filled with blue skies and crisp, Wintry air, I embarked once again upon the city streets of Chicago in search of visual inspiration. Camera in hand. The inspiration that beckons from the fashionable windows from Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile” is always thrilling. Visual merchandising that awaits me with anticipation. Paired with my love of fashion and the artistry created from those that set the stage creates a visual feast for those that choose to linger upon the magic presented. Immeasurable inspiration. The energy of life that one immerses themselves into when walking through the city streets and the appreciation of the visual gifts set before one is certain to inspire. For me, the joy of capturing from behind my lens the changing fashion scenery from behind the massive panes of glass is thrilling. Of course, it is not just the scene set behind the glass pane that excites. It is the added impact of the city scene reflection that appears in the images that adds further delight to me. For the love of a city, indeed…
Fashionable Inspirations In ChicagoHoliday Embellishing: Fashion’s Windows In December
The windows of Neiman Marcus immediately captured my attention with the visual delights presented. A revolving scene of magical allure. With November’s preview of a similar scene, the windows changed again in December with unveiling of more visual delight. Unexpected delights. Neiman’s launch of ‘The Heart of Neiman Marcus‘ is stated as Neiman’s “first nation-wide corporate giving program dedicated to raising money in support of arts experiences and education for young people.” A wonderful cause that is matched with distinctive display consistent with Neiman’s creative edge. The windows were certain to create an impact…
Magical & Intriguing Display: Revolving Holiday Visions Behind The Windows Of Neiman MarcusFestive & Artful Display Behind The Windows Of Neiman MarcusNeiman Marcus: Windows Of Creative Display
Chanel’s windows, although not embellished in festive holiday adornment, perhaps remained tried and true to timeless elements of desire. Pearls and the iconic cuff bracelet. Embellishments of distinction. Either way, the distinction of Chanel remains…
The Windows Of Chanel, December 2014Winter Fashion Embellishments Behind The Windows Of ChanelChicago’s “Magnificent Mile” In DecemberTimeless Icons Of Style: Cartier & Tiffany’s, Michigan Avenue/ChicagoFashionable Inspiration On The City Streets Of Chicago
Consider with appreciation the windows of fashion that surround you. Changing visuals of fashionable presentations that are meant to inspire, captivate and pique your interest. Consider the delights of the city or cities that surround you and the magical scene that cities take on during the festive holiday season. Inspiration is everywhere. Dazzling and bright, festive and magical, cheers to the fashionable windows of Chicago in December…and cheers to the great city of Chicago!
Kristin
The “Magnificent Mile”: Chicago’s Michigan Avenue In December, 2014
“Those that don’t believe in magic will never find it”
-Roald Dahl
PS: Appreciate the magic of what surrounds….linger in it, if but for a moment, with appreciation…
In the world of entertaining, there is no better basic foundation than the white platter. Of course, selecting the elements of the table, such as the linens, glasses, cutlery, dishes and even the centerpiece are key. Yet the platters that hold the culinary creations deserve our focus and attention. Alas, the serving platter. White is always right. A foundation of entertaining, for certain. The year round usefulness of these objects of function as serving pieces also provide an elegant visual of white when paired with any theme your table sets before your guests. The form and function of these serving pieces offer a “blank slate” background that showcases and enhances the culinary delights that are offered upon them…
White Platters: The Perfect Background For Culinary Delights
Chefs create artistry within the culinary world and part of their artistry involves the art of “plating”. To a chef the three elements of plating are the plate, the food and the arrangement of the food. The goal is always that the platter or plate does not detract from the delight placed upon it. Simple elegance. That said, presentation is everything. It is no surprise that white is the choice in plating the pleasures of culinary world. Alas, white truly is always right…
With the many shapes and sizes that are offered the choices are vast. Whether decorative and embossed, formal or simple in basic design, the visual of white platters laid out on a table in presentation style is an elegant delight. Perfection in entertaining, for certain. The world of white dishes and serving platters go far in offering a surface that showcases the dish and adds uniformity to the serveware. Even if the shapes and style of various white platters (and bowls) are different, the fact that they are all one color unites in classic style. A visual delight in white…
Stacked & Layered Serveware On DisplayEntertaining Basics: White PlattersFoundations Of Entertaining: White Platters
Consider the foundation to entertaining. Whether laid out upon a table or stacked in waiting and ready position, white platters (or any white serveware, for that matter) offer perfection in entertaining. In support of adding entertaining elements of form and function to your world and your tables, consider the value of white platters. Purpose & versatile function with a stackable form that offers visual appeal. A foundation to the delights that await, indeed. Ease in elegant entertaining awaits. White is always right, indeed…
House Appeal 