Chic Christian Louboutin Boutique

Since we have a few inches of snow on the ground in New York, I thought this might be a good time to post about warm and sunny Miami!  After the cruise docked, Stefan and I headed to the Design District in Downtown Miami.  In addition to furniture showrooms, the Design District is home to some very chic boutiques.  One that impressed me the most was Christian Louboutin at 155 NE 40th Street.

Miami's beautiful climate means that they can have flowers and greenery all year long.  The store was designed by Eric Clough of 212box architects in New York who created a growing facade wall of orchids that stopped me in my tracks from across the street.   

A peek into the Christian Louboutin window.

The flowers extend into the store as well.

Many of the walls are made up of custom tiles that the architect inscribed with unique hieroglyphics, symbols and braille.  Perhaps this is an homage to Christian Louboutin's home in Egypt.

Miami is also known for its love of art and in the window and entrance are installations by artist Madeleine Berkhemer.  She has created spiderweb like designs using ladies hosiery which is a great compliment to the shoes.

Of course the store was filled with pretty shoes too!  I am loving the stripes and gingham prints for spring.

Not sure who made the bubble glass sculptures but they looked gorgeous next to the colorful shoes. The red carpet also matches the famous red soles of the shoes.

The patchwork furniture is by Bokja and is another interesting complement to the shoes.  

I found the Christian Louboutin boutique immensely inspiring and it's just another great example of how art, design and fashion are all related.  Looking at these photos also makes me wish I was still in warm Miami!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Slow Boat to Egypt

Since I mentioned Christian Louboutin's houseboat in Egypt in my last post, I thought I would share the photos. It's very simply furnished but looks more inviting and comfortable to me than Valentino's glamorous yacht. I can only just imagine how amazing it must be to float down the Nile on this gorgeous vessel and feel the breeze in your hair. I'm glad to see he's used all the money he's earned from selling shoes for something so wonderful!

Photos by Francois Halard

My Favorite Things: Pre-Fall

It was hot today in New York. Like Africa hot. But for me it's too little too late. I'm over summer and have moved onto pre-fall. The new clothes are in the stores here and I've already been picking out what I want to buy for New York and my trip to Paris. There are so many great things to chose from but these are a few of my favorites! Starting with the photo of model Lisa Taylor that was taken by photographer Arthur Elgort for Vogue in 1976 that embodies that feeling of when the weather is still sunny but starts to turn a little chilly.

Before the weather gets cold enough for a real coat, I wear blazers over little tops with jeans and also over dresses. I love this grey flannel schoolboy jacket from J. Crew and especially the gold buttons that dress it up. There is also something about it that makes me want to sharpen pencils.

I am so not a skinny jeans kind of girl but since all the girls in Paris are wearing them, I thought I should try to find a slim pair. J. Crew calls the matchstick jeans "ultra flattering" and I have to agree. I tried them on and actually thought they looked pretty good. Probably not quite as good as they do on the model in the photo but then again, she's probably a foot taller than me. The best part is that they aren't so tight that they cut off your circulation. Well, at least not until you start eating macaroons!

I will also need some shoes to go with my new slim jeans and these Christian Louboutin patent ballerina flats might just be the ones. I originally saw them in grey but now I am loving them in taupe. Truth be told, I actually own this style in gold and they are one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I've ever worn. And comfort will be key in Paris when I am trying to walk off all the macaroons!

This Davina bag by Derek Lam is my wish list favorite item. I swear I hear angels sing whenever I look at it. It's ridiculously beautiful and also ridiculously expensive. But it never hurts to dream. Le sigh.

I already received my advance copy of Jacques Grange Interiors and have been pouring over it! His style is unique to each project and the details are amazing! His own personal apartment in the Palais Royal was once owned by Collete and is of course the most unique. I debated trying to stalk him in Paris until I remembered that my French isn't that good if he calls the police so I think I'll stick with the book!

There are only so many French movies I can watch before I need a break and I can't wait until the second season of Gossip Girl is released on DVD August 18th! They have been filming in my neighborhood this summer and I hear that Ed Westwick was spotted at West Elm buying furniture after Chace moved out. Ed, if you need a decorator, call me!

After a few months in the sun, in addition to bi-monthly highlights and daily blow drying, my hair needs a little TLC so I've already switched back to Technician Color Care by Frederic Fekkai. It makes my hair super soft but not limp and the Color Protecting Glaze makes it shiny but never greasy. They really are fantastic products. Now if I could just get my colorist to stop making me so blonde, I'd be all set!

I am very loyal to my nail polish colors but Estee Lauder's new Black Amethyst polish might give them a run for their money. It actually looks darker in person than it does in this photo and will look great with grey and black clothing for fall. It's actually a limited edition color so I guess my regular polish will come back into rotation after it's gone. Or maybe I should stock up in case I really like it! Bon shopping!