Blogging about blogs

I'm sure by now you've noticed all those links leading to other sites on the side of my blog. Not only do I link to all those sites, I actually visit them on a weekly basis!

So, what makes me put a blog on my "have to read list"? Great photography, original content, and a personal voice. Whether it's grouping together themed images, styling elaborate scenarios, or simply posting beautiful photographs, all the blogs I visit have something special going on.

I wanted to point out two of my favorites. First, because they both have such strong photography, and secondly, because they have such individual voices.

First, is Clothes, Cameras and Coffee by the gorgeous Roz, who lives in rural England. With a penchant for vintage, a brilliant knack for concepts and styling, and parents who are surprisingly skilled at photography; each of Roz's posts read like a well-orchestrated editorial spread. Pretty impressive for someone who just turned 15 . . . Another thing I like about Roz is that her writing has a very personal voice. The stories that accompany the photos are thoughtful and well-written. She always takes the time to explain her outfits and her inspiration.

Here's a selection of my favorite photos Roz has posted.

What a perfect dress to wear by the ocean . . .

A gorgeous cape she got off eBay.

I just love this skirt made of newspaper.

Roz always seems to have some cool inspiration for her shoots. Here she is as a modern Little Red Riding Hood.

This was an equestrian inspired shoot.

Doesn't she look straight out of a vintage Vogue here!?

The second blogger I can't get enough of is Luxirare. Not only does she have incredible taste in cutting-edge fashion, she also makes her own clothes . . . and bags . . . and jewelry . . . and shoes! I would seriously quit my job to be her intern.

She actually made this chain embellished dress.

Amazing detail . . .

And she made this bag . . .

And this jacket . . .

Oh, and not only does she blog about fashion, she has killer food posts as well. This is the most amazing looking BLT I've ever seen . . .

Or how about a little pumpkin pie that's made from a mold of a real pumpkin?

Does her creativity know no bounds?!

Luxirare even manages to make a simple apple peel look like haute couture. Just gorgeous.

Reading blogs like Luxirare and Clothes, Cameras and Coffee on a weekly basis is a real treat and a definitely source of inspiration for me. Calling them "blogs" almost seems like a misnomer, because they're so far from all the "check out this link" blogs that populate the internet. The limits of blogging are pushed so much on sites like these, that you feel like you're traveling away from the internet and into a little fashionable world.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

(I'd love to hear which blogs you can't live without, too!)

(All photos from Clothes, Cameras and Coffee & Luxirare)

Summer Style

I've recently noticed that my wardrobe changes drastically from season to season. Where my Winter clothes are sophisticated and 90% black, my Summer outfits are brighter in color and more bohemian in spirit— colorful dresses, airy white blouses, strappy sandals.

I also find myself wearing a lot of Vintage in the Summer. There's something about teal Lacoste polo from the 80s or a simple printed dress that just brings me back to the firefly-catching, sprinkler-jumping Summers of my childhood. I can picture my mom making pasta salad in a terry cloth top with Dr Scholl's sandals on her feet.

This dress is one of my favorite Summer pieces. I picked a few years ago at a great Vintage store in Astoria called Loveday 21. It's from a Hawaiian label called Tori Richard, and judging from the label, is probably from the 1970s. I can totally picture my mom wearing a dress like this at a family picnic, so of course I had to pull out my Dr. Scholl's sandals to complete the outfit.

My mom's original Dr. Scholl's are long gone— borrowed to death by yours truly in the few short years we wore the same shoe size— but happily the company is still going strong. I love how my sandals are a higher heeled version of the original style my mom wore (which are still available for an affordable $49).

Sitting in a metal-framed lawn chair on my roof in an outfit like this makes me feel about as Summery as it gets. All I need is a homemade popsicle and a bowl of pasta salad.

(Summer Style photos © Littlehouse of Style)

Do you take these shoes?

My good friend Lindsey got married last weekend. And when a good friend gets married, it's customary to offer one's help. If you're a baker, you make a cake. If you have a nice voice, you sing. So, being a graphic designer, I offered to design her invitations. I also offered/begged to help pick out her wedding shoes.

We talked a little bit about what she was looking for— heel height, color, shape, platform, etc— and then I started emailing her links. And sending her picture messages. And calling her from Lord & Taylor . . . and Bergdorfs . . . and Barneys . . .

Here are just a few of the shoes I sent her.

Of course Lindsey had good feedback:

I think those may be too glittery for me. I'm boring!

These are a little boring for me. I'm glittery!

Through a process of elimination, she decided she wanted metallic shoes with a hidden platform to walk down the aisle. (She also got sequin flats for dancing).

It was really fun hunting down options for Lindsey (and of course throwing in the occasional red herring . . . )

Only $332.50 on Net-a-Porter! . . . You don't like it . . . ? I thought it was totally you. : (

Of course, the shoes she ended up liking the best were totally elusive, but she eventually tracked them down.

I couldn't resist snapping off a few photos of the winning pair while Lindsey was getting her hair done.

The shoes fit all the qualifications she was hoping for, and above all else, she was totally in love with them.

(Wedding graphic and wedding shoes © Littlehouse of Style, Product shots from various websites)