Fantasy French Farmhouse via The Countrypolitian

Have you found The Countrypolitian blog yet?

Check out her post on this lovely house that belongs to the owners of Domaine de Mourchon

Thank God, this magnificent country house isn't actually for sale
because I would covet it so.

Tom Cruise on W - I'll Take What He's Having

Have you seen the new issue of W Magazine with Tom Cruise on the cover?
How can it be that the middle aged Cruise looks like he's 18 years old in the cover photo
if not younger?
Surgery? Photoshop? Top Secret beauty products?
I want to know.
Whatever his beauty routine is, I want to get in on it.

And, on the topic of age
Slate has yet another article on pre-teen runway models.
When Did High Fashion Models Get So Young

In recent years, the debate over underage fashion models has reached a fever pitch. Ondria Hardin starred in a sultry Prada ad at 13. An Australian modeling agency recently announced that it wanted 13-year-olds because 16-year-olds were “too old.”
when did 16 year old girls become too old to model?

Imagine Doutzen Kroes being too old...or too big...for Prada.
“I probably fit a sample size once, when I was 11 or 12,” the Dutch model Doutzen Kroes has said, explaining why she left high fashion to work for brands like Victoria’s Secret. Who but an undeveloped teen could fit a skirt with a 33-inch hip?
who indeed?

But read the article all the way to the last paragraph.
You will be amazed to read the justification for why t'ween models are in demand.

Pinterest versus Blogging

Do you love Pinterest as much as much as I do?
Where else can you find photos of everything from clothes to recipes, jewelry to gardens.
It's like twitter but with gorgeous images and without the silly tweets.

I like to look at pretty things on Pinterest
especially pretty gardens like in this image

But La Dolce Vita blog asks today: Is Pinterest Hurting The Blog World?



I don't think so, but I am a reader who enjoys a cleverly written post.

Are you on Pinterest?
Do you think that it is hurting the blog world?

Around Town - The Los Angeles Garden Tour

Today we had a perfect sunny day for the annual Los Angeles Garden Tour

sponsored by the Friends of Robinson Gardens



Most of the ladies at the event were in floaty flowery frocks and big hats
but I dressed down for the occasion
in a khaki cotton suit by Nine West ($24.99 at Ross!),

and hot pink Escada loafers and Celine bag, both vintage 2001

After seeing my my belted khaki suit...perhaps more appropriate for an African safari...
(yeah...as if I had my own Denys Finch Hatton to take me big game hunting...and then wash my hair alfresco)
my daughter kindly asked me where my bolt action rifle was.
I responded by accessorizing with vintage jewelry rather than buck shot.

like this antique Victorian diamond flower brooch in 18K
appropriate I thought for spending time some of the prettiest gardens in the city

and these adorable diamond earrings in 18K

and in the spirit of keeping it simple
a Cartier watch and a diamond line bracelet in 18K.

I would have posted some images of the amazing gardens that I walked through today
but we were not allowed to take photos on the tour in order to protect the privacy of the homeowners.
Fair enough. 
The last garden on the tour, which I missed because I had to get back to the office,
was at the Playboy Mansion.

I heard that it was amazing with mature redwoods, the famous grotto, peacocks and even a zoo!
Apparently, there were no bunny sightings on the property.

Donna Summer RIP

So many of our generation are sad today about the passing of Donna Summer.I've enjoyed reading the many tributes to her in the blogosphere today.
For an excellent post on the brilliant Donna Summer
check our Stirred Straight Up With A Twist




She was an amazing talent.