Giveaway Ending Soon...

A pencil skirt helps infuse even the coziest of outfits with secretarial sex appeal. That vintage pencil necklace I blogged about would certainly be the Joan Holloway finishing touch, no?

 The Francine Pencil Skirt from Shabby Apple, featured with the Pumapard Blouse & Dusted Tights from Anthropologie, Dainty Square Ring from Banana Republic, Faceted Button Post Earrings from Express, Pewter Metallics Skinny Belt from Eddie Bauer, Fossil Vintage Reissue Leather Weekend Bag from Macy's, and Emmie Flats from Piperlime

Only a few more hours left to win the Shabby Apple Francine Skirt, and your odds are pretty darn good! Head over to the original giveaway post and follow the steps to enter- I'll draw the random winner at noon.

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And the winner is... Kathy! Congratulations!

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Giveaway: Shabby Apple

Remember my very first giveaway at Shock the Bourgeois? Well, I'm sticking to my guns: a curve-hugging pencil skirt is the staple every girl should have in her closet. So, with the help of Shabby Apple, I want to give another lucky gal a little gift (that already has a bow on it).

The Francine Pencil Skirt from Shabby Apple, featured with a Veronica Beard Tuxedo Blouse from FarFetch, Fossil Rivoli Toggle Bracelet, Kenneth Cole Rose Gold Watch, & John Rocha Waterford Champagne Flute from Macy's, Studded Shimmer Bracelet & Cabled Tights from Anthropologie, Glamour Pearl Clutch from Forever21, and Sam Edelman Marina Pumps from Piperlime

I styled "Francine" for a glamourous occasion, playing with the concept of a deconstructed tuxedo. I stuck to a black and white palette- but imagined pushing up the sleeves to reveal unexpected sparkle at the wrist. As for the bow tie- well, that comes with the skirt!

Shabby Apple has a wonderful selection of women's dresses and skirts in flattering shapes and basic colors- pieces that are easy to accessorize and make your own. Want to make this skirt your own? Just follow three steps to be eligible to win...

• "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook.
• Tell me how would you wear the Francine Pencil Skirt this winter in a comment on this post.
• Be sure to include an email address so that I can notify you if you've won!

You can receive additional entries for doing any of the following (just leave a separate comment for each)...

• "Like" One Must Shock the Bourgeois on Facebook.
• Become a follower of the One Must Shock the Bourgeois blog.
• Follow me on Pinterest, and pin this image.
• Tweet about this giveaway and follow @ShockBourgeois.
• Blog about how you'd style your new pencil skirt.

I'll randomly select the winner next Wednesday, December 21st at noon PST. Remember to check your email before the holidays- you might be receiving a belated gift from Shock the Bourgeois!

Good luck, ladies!

The fine print: This prize cannot be shipped outside of the US, and is not eligible for return or exchange.

This giveaway has ended. Thanks for entering!

Bedroom in Progress

There is a closed door in the WarLock house that hides a shameful secret. Adam's insane pyromaniac first wife? Far worse, I'm afraid. A bland, undecorated bedroom. Ahhhhh, the horror!

Not for much longer. Over the last few months, our embarrassing bedroom has undergone a slow transformation. First we swapped mismatched dressers for a pair with gorgeous Regency styling. Then I painted the dingy walls with Behr's soothing "Misty Morn" (a big step for a girl who's a bit color-shy).

I removed clunky shuttered closet doors and bent-up old window blinds and upgraded to simple bronze curtain rods. Menswear-patterned drapery panels accessorized with gold clip rings will add texture and give our low-ceilinged hovel the impression of height. I'm considering a coat of blue paint on the ceiling to add to this illusion.

There isn't much wall space to work with, but I'd like to frame and hang our print of a vintage skull illustration. My vanity will get a chic new mirror as soon as budget allows.

But first, we can't ignore the biggest thing in our tiny room: the bed. And this is where I need your input. Is this fabulous, or is Adam's first wife actually crazy?

We'll be using a gift card to purchase the stripe sheet set in feather gray from West Elm, which is both affordable and practical. I'd originally thought that I'd want to top the bed with a plain gray duvet, but then... I fell in love with the Heirloom Rose comforter cover and shams from Garnet Hill. I'm mad about the combination of stripes and oversized floral. The gender-neutral color palette prevents the roses and ruffles from getting overly romantic, and the mix of pattern and scale is so bold. 

Am I this bold? Can I commit to this look without being committed? I'm 99% sure that I can, but I want your opinions!

Happy Friday

A pink peony, a bowl of berries, some summer fashion inspiration... I'm ready for the weekend!

 

I so want to be that girl... crisp and lady-like, with no-fuss hair and chic black & white adornments. Forget bright colors and barely there bikinis, this is my idea of classic summer beauty.

xoxo

Elizabeth

Wedding Inspiration: Dusty Lace

What says romance better than the delicate touch of lace? I love it especially in muted gray and shyly blushing pink, looking very much like a "something old."

Images: Jenny Bowker Makeup, Martha Stewart Weddings, here via Pinterest, Tim Walker & Rhea Thierstein via Pinterest

About Time for Summer

Here in the Bay we've got flip-flopping weather, but not flip-flop weather. Get it together, June, it's about time for a bright pedicure and new sandals to show it off!

Photograph via Pinterest, Dolce Vita Dress from Ruche via Pinterest, Whitney Smith Pottery photographed by StB, Essie Nail Polish in Super Bossa Nova, Seychelles Chirp Sandals from Piperlime

You know the weather is rotten when even I, the black turtleneck devotee, am craving pastels and pink. Is it raining where you are too?

Tablescaping for a Tea Party

We modern girls are so accustomed to gulping down our caffeine on the go, out of a paper cup, no less!

Wouldn't a tea party be a luxurious change of pace? 

My great-grandma's good china is fussy (and fragile!) so I cobbled together a more casual tea service out of eclectic white ceramics. A flea market tin offers tasty hamentaschen and Adam's vintage toy milk truck is loaded up with condiments with for a witty way to pass the cream. 

It isn't terribly difficult to find an excuse to sip Earl Grey and savor conversation. Book club? Client meeting? Set the table with pretty paper placemats and a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils for jotting down notes. Keep the water hot and the refreshments at hand, and linger over good ideas.

Do you have an occasion that needs some tablescaping inspiration? Email me at shockthebourgeois@mac.com!

The WarLock Wedding: Pinning Our Summer Ceremony

Are you all on Pinterest? I sure am, curating boards for everything from posh pads to furry critters. Pinterest has been a fabulous tool for organizing my thoughts for the wedding. The creative portion of my wedding planning is gradually winding down, which would be sad if I didn't have another little event to style! Because our priest of choice wasn't available for our big day in October, Adam and I will have a private chapel ceremony with immediate family and a few friends this Summer. It'll be a casual affair, but you know me- I have to fuss over things!

I pinned a few pretty things to show you my vision for a very modest Summer ceremony.

Dolce & Gabbana Pleated Dress from HauteLook, Pearl Bauble Bracelet from Kate Spade, 

Floral Centerpiece featured on Martha Stewart Weddings, 

Giselle Flower Fascinator by Velvet Owl on Etsy, Enzo Angiolini Martini Pump from Nordstrom

Planning a similar occasion? Why not create a look reminiscent of a polished-but-sweet retro courthouse wedding. The coral-colored pumps aren't the only thing that could reappear in your wardrobe. A shorter hemline (or a faint flush of pink) means that your wedding dress could later star as a night at the theater dress, a champagne brunch dress, or an anniversary dinner dress... certainly a selling point for the practical or budget-conscious bride. Wear great-grandmother's pearls, or a new piece that exudes excitement- like this bracelet, clustered with seed pearls and rhinestones. A small-scale ceremony becomes much more intimate when dressed with personal details. Cut flowers from a summer garden have extra charm when bundled in ruby pressed glass goblets (my Cape Cod glass would suit nicely, no?).

Our circumstances allow me to indulge in two very different wedding aesthetics: playfully retro in the Summer, neo-Victorian by candlelight in the Fall. Lucky me! And lucky you, since I'll have many more projects and posts to share...

Ending Soon...

Only 3 more days to enter my Shabby Apple giveaway! I'm loving those answers so far- there truly are unlimited options for a modernized classic like the Tess Skirt. 

So many, in fact, that I couldn't help sharing another variation on the outfit I posted. By swapping the accessories, I've got an outfit suitable for my favorite weekend activities: sipping a vanilla-bean soda at the Elmwood Cafe, browsing a bookstore, scouting estate sales. I played with sexy shapes in casual fabrics. Sandals and a headband in beachy jute, a fancified canvas tote that can stash sunscreen and farmer's market produce, and a faded floral jacket with a rounded hem to frame the Tess Skirt's adorable bow.

The Tess Skirt from Shabby Apple featured with the Cropped Wisley Blazer from Anthropologie, the Vince Stripe Favorite Tank from Piperlime, Tory Burch Platform Sandal from Nordstrom, Jute Rhinestone Headband from Ann Taylor Loft, a jeweled bracelet by Rappaccini's Garden, and a Sequin Strap Tote from Gap.

Better catch this giveaway on its way out... I'll accept entries (as  comments on the original post) until midnight PST on Sunday, and announce the lucky winner on Monday!

Happy weekend,

Elizabeth

Giveaway: Shabby Apple

If you heaved a major Monday sigh when you opened your closet to get dressed this morning, I have just the thing for you: a giveaway of Shabby Apple finery sure to wake up your wardrobe!

This is my very first giveaway, and Shabby Apple is the perfect fit for my vintage-inspired taste. I picked the Tess Skirt, a go-with-everything, hourglass-figure-making pencil skirt in practical olive canvas twill.  I can't enter my own giveaway (drat!), but I sure can dare to dream about how I'd style the Tess Skirt. A few links of chain and some bossy stripes to toughen up the feminine silhouette, an artsy cropped cardigan to show off the fabulous bow, snakeskin and a silver skull to shock the bourgeois...

The Tess Skirt from Shabby Apple, featured with the Elizabeth & James Tari Sandal from Piperlime, a jeweled bracelet by Rappaccini's Garden, the Tea & Roses Cropped Cardigan from Anthropologie, the Vince Stripe Favorite Tank from Piperlime, and the Claire Cross-Body Bag from Banana Republic

Envisioning your own outfit? Make it happen. Here's how you can enter to win...

• Click "like" on the Shabby Apple Facebook page (what's not to like about a free frock and exclusive access to year-round discounts?)
• Leave a comment on this post telling me how you would wear the Tess Skirt. Be sure to leave your email address!
• If you tweet or blog about this giveaway, leave me the link- it'll count as an extra entry!

I'll announce the winner on Monday, April 18th- so get your entries in by Sunday at midnight PST.

Only one lucky gal can snag the prize, but everyone's a winner: Shock the Bourgeois readers will receive 10% off of their purchases at Shabby Apple with coupon code "shockthebourgeois10off"

Good luck!

The fine print: This prize cannot be shipped outside of the US, and is not eligible for return or exchange.


*This giveaway is now closed!*

Springing Forward at Rappaccini's Garden

The necklace I listed last night...

... happens to be the first item from Rappaccini's Garden featured in an Etsy Treasury! 

Doesn't this look like a lovely dream? Thanks to inameliart for including the Draping Foliage Necklace.

I'm back to blogging and back to beading. Rappaccini's Garden soon be bedecked in Spring blossoms- and those who follow on Facebook will always be the first to know when I add an item or trim a price.

Inspired Buy

I bought myself a little present, inspired by the delightful "E" I posted earlier this week...

The sculptural, scrolling door grille reminded me of the Iron Floral Cookbook Stand at Wisteria, a pretty thing that I'd long ago put on my wish list. It's an uncanny match, but here's where it really gets weird: the day I bought it, it was 50% off! Meant to be, I think.

It doesn't just prettify my kitchen, it holds the largest of my cookbooks and keeps the pages from getting mussed when I'm trying out a messy new recipe. Just the thing for a aesthete/foodie/bibliophile like myself.

Next week I'll be in Seattle to meet with florists, catch up with my Matron of Honor, and get fitted for my wedding dress! I promise to tweet all about my wedding planning adventures in Seattle, but I've also got a slew of posts in queue, starting with my recipe for Bacon Jam shortbread. You read right, bacon-lovers, Bacon Jam shortbread. Happy weekend!

Bright Things for a Gray Day

It's a lucky thing that I've got such an affection for dim, rainy days- because Berkeley has treated me to three in a row. I love an excuse to wear galoshes, or to snuggle up with a cat and listen to the rain. Of course, washed in all of this gray light, my neutral decor and wardrobe could look awfully cheerless. When the weather is somber, I seek out happy counterpoints: my ruffly chartreuse trench coat, peachy lipgloss, pastel ranunculus.

Just as the rain will bring a green crop of clover to my little yard, all of my time spent indoors will bring fresh flowers to my neglected etsy shop! In the meantime, it's time to make room for new blooms at Rappaccini's Garden. I think that this Hot House Specimen ought to be gracing someone's pretty neck this Spring, so I've marked it down by over 20%... isn't that bright news on a gray day?

Happy Friday!

The Finishing Touch

Just as jewelry lends sparkle to an outfit, this pillow could certainly dress up my settee...

Jaime Pearl Pillow from CB2 (Thanks for the tip, Ann!)

On the positive side, a classic, Fornasetti-esque illustration. On the negative, Adam would probably hate it!

Dare to Dream: Downton Abbey Attire

Have you all been watching Downton Abbey on PBS?

Downton Abbey is marked by the perfectionistic attention to detail, historical accuracy, and vibrant rendering of characters that I've come to expect from Masterpiece Theatre productions. Add to that the superb Dame Maggie Smith, dashing young gentlemen on horseback, and a plot of household drama (upstairs and down)... and I can hardly wait for Sunday night.

The intrigue isn't the only thing taking my breath away. I'm absolutely swooning over the costuming. 

Lady Mary may grumble about her black mourning attire, but I thought it was stunning! There aren't many occasions in my dull life when it's appropriate to be swathed in black lace and dripping with jet crystals, but a girl can dream, right?

Care to Decadence Dress from ModCloth, Necklace from eBay

How do you suppose Adam would feel if I started "dressing for dinner?"

Under the Tree: Victoriana

Another installment of fabulous things Elizabeth got for Christmas. This time, presents with a Victorian flourish from my Mother. As I've shown you before, she truly is a masterful giver of gifts.

This quartet of tiny embellished bowls will certainly do my table proud. Standing on swirled pedestals, they're like miniature stages for Adam's creative sauces and garnishes. 

However, they're also a brilliant match for another gift I received...

Isn't that bracelet gorgeous? Moody cameos in shades of fog and inky black, and feminine trimmings on brassy chain. It couldn't have been more "me" if I'd made it myself!

Don't they seem made for each other? Now I'm tempted to leave one dish on my vanity desk to catch stud earrings and charms!

Dare to Dream: A Better Light

When I'm grumbling about my apartment, one of my favorite topics is lighting. Our space came with ceiling lights that our landlord must have found on deep discount in 1989. They've got shiny yellow-gold  trim and a glass bowls that are impossible to remove, but always filled with dead bugs (seriously, how do they get in there?). They're really not doing much for my complexion either.

I'd like to imagine that everything would take on a more glamorous aspect under the glow and sparkle of a chandelier. Our large television would become a miniature theatre, I'd start calling my living room my "salon," and late morning coffee in my robe and slippers would clearly be more aristocratic than unemployed, right?

These unusual chandeliers are among my favorites at Lucca Great Finds in Seattle. They're on my wish list (along with the extra foot of ceiling height I'd need to make them feasible in our apartment...).

Darkly Romantic

As I prepare for my grand opening I've been utterly immersed in the haunting and beautiful garden of Dr. Rappaccini. Perhaps that explains my obsession with vibrant flowers against inky black...

Photograph from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Scanned by Shock the Bourgeois

There's something transformative about the combination. 

Modern interiors get moody.

Home of Abigail Turin & Jon Gans Photographed by David Duncan Livingston, Scanned by Shock the Bourgeois

Pale peonies show a sultry side.

Photograph by Bonnie Tsang via Snippet & Ink, Floral Design by Flowerwild

And even the simplest dresses seem to mimic works of art.

Never a Wallflower Dress from ModCloth, Still Life Painting by Antoine Berjon

Oh, so romantic! Makes me want to transform myself- maybe with a box of black hair dye and one of these.

Decorating for Two: Heavy Metal Duet

If I were to say to my boyfriend, "I think we need more metal in our apartment" he'd probably respond by cranking up Tool on the stereo. Not exactly what I have in mind. 

As we've learned in previous experiments, sometimes Adam and I are just singing different tunes when it comes to home furnishings. His version of metal decor is heavy and industrial, like the rusty circular saw blade that he once rescued from the street and hung on our wall. As for me, I'm all about Victorian iron curlicues and delicate wire forms. 

You'd think our styles would clash...

Home of Fred & Wendy Testu in San Francisco Style

Photographed by David Duncan Livingston, Scanned by Shock the Bourgeois

But then again, there's something dull and matchy-matchy about harmony, isn't there? This bedroom is a fugue of masculine and feminine notes, riffs on a theme of patinated metal. It's just discordant enough to keep things lively- and isn't that what every couple wants?