Winter Wonderland

Taking its inspiration from from the newly reworked classic Alice in Wonderland, Spencerlacy's Winter Wonderland 2010 collection features gorgeous colours of shimmering silver, purple ash and charcoal grey. This luxurious loungewear is perfect for relaxing at home or in the great outdoors with the range including basics such as cardi's, chemises and leggings in fine knits, soft cashmeres and lustrous silks. Spencerlacy definitely makes leisure time much more chic. Visit www.spencerlacy.com to view the collection and shop online.

One Enchanted Afternoon

If you have a copy of our current issue you would have already seen our issue #14 spring 2010 fashion feature, however if you haven't yet seen it here it is. There's something truly beautiful about black and white photos. I think our photographer Claudio Raschella captured the shoot perfectly. I love every single one of these pictures and I have to say I was estatic to hear that Collette Dinnigan was personally blown away by her gown and how we featured it. Such inspiring feedback! The lovely Chris Geracitano did such a super duper job of hair and makeup. Genius!

Alluring Illusions

When Annabelle and I were last in Sydney, we walked past this amazing shopfront that really caught our eye - the Brad Ngata Hair Salon. Its terrificly tricky trompe l'oeil style panels (French for 'trick of the eye') and beautiful colour palette really got us thinking about the possibilities for not only upcoming photo shoots, but for wedding styling in general.







Designed by Sydney architect, Scott Weston, this salon is a clever mix of illusion and reality. Read all about Scott, and the Salon at the Design Files' excellent blog. It will surely get your imagination fired.

Fiesta Time

I love this styling shoot Emily from Once Wed and Ashley from The Flashdance did for Design*Sponge, so fun and fresh and lots of ideas to get inspiration from. Click here to see more images.










Whilst on the Mexican theme this DIY invitation using mini paper banners (papel picado's) from Casa Bonampak is a fun idea. If you love pattern and colour then why not think about incorporating some papel picado's at your wedding?








These papel picado's are from Ay Mujer's Etsy Store and you can even get customised ones with your names. You can choose the colour to fit your colour scheme.





The below invitation is made by Parrot Design Studio and fits the theme perfectly!

Hip, Hip, Hooray

For those of you who haven't been following the impressive rise of Cafe Cartolina, you may not have heard that all of their products will be soon be available here in Australia at David Jones from June. I am totally enamored with the beautiful illustrations and colour palettes.



Keep your eyes peeled, I know I will. And if you haven't visited their wonderful blog, you must – it is a wealth of inspiration and ideas, it's one of my all-time favourites.

Pin Up Girl

It's exciting times here at Style Guide, the Winter Issue is on the press as we speak, so now it's time to pack up our 'little' office, as we like to call it ready for the move to our fantastic new headquarters! Finally we are moving to our beautiful new offices complete with a fabulous photographic studio....we are so excited about the move and the chance to make our new creative space full of inspirational loveliness! Last night I was searching for some fantastic office and stationery inspiration when I found these adorable Paper Source Thumbtacks in Prairie Flora at USD$8.95 for a pack of 25 + shipping, they are perfect for a quirky, vintage theme - I can just picture them used to pin up seating cards on a display board, or maybe even to finish ribbon or fabric used to bind the stems of your bouquets. The Prairie Flora pack features a variety of hip floral fabric designs in pink, white, orange and green. These tacks would be a perfect fit for our 'A Little Bit Country' story which we featured in Issue 7 of WSG.



They are just perfect for our 'A Little Bit Country' Story!

Fab Flats

Elizabeth Syer, our girl in the know in London, sent me an email this morning alerting me to these fab flats that are taking the UK scene by storm - Coco Rose. A great idea for brides wanting a bit of relief from mile-high heels towards the end of the reception. Specially designed with a split sole, they can be easily folded and tucked into the smallest of bags. They would make a gift idea for all the girls in the wedding party.

A Sweet Setting

As the months turn cooler, we have started to think of warm, cosy colours and comforting settings. We are reminded of our Fruits of Favour story from Issue 11. Instead of elaborate floral displays we used an abundance of fruit in gorgeous red and plum tones coupled with single blooms set at each placesetting.




Three spreads from our Fruits of Favour story.

Annabelle suggests "When dressing your reception tables remember that keeping it simple can sometimes be the key to a stunning effect - an extravagant floral arrangement can often be overpowering, where as an individual bloom, set at each placesetting is perfect in its simplicity. When nestled in a sweet vessel the combination is a divine keepsake for guests, which will also add a stunning finishing touch to your tablesetting."

It's a Wrap

Every now and then I see an idea and think 'why didn't I think of that?' - this great fabric gift wrap from Chewing the Cud in one of those things. It makes so much sense to wrap a gift in something that can not only enhance the gift inside, but can be used again and again. There are a number of different designs on their website - mini fabric wraps would make a nice touch for table-placed favours. Wish I'd thought of that!

I Wish For...

One of my favourite lifestyle boutiques in Sydney would have to be Becker Minty. Specialising in luxe homewares, gifts and mens and womens clothing it's the perfect place to shop for that unique, timeless and super trendy gift. A long time in the making, Becker Minty have now opened their online store. Featuring a wishlist option which enables friends and family to see exactly what you've got your little eyes on, you'll never need to give another hint again. More than just an online store, it also acts as a great gift (and rather swanky if I might add) registry option. With gorgeous gift wrapping and delivery here and overseas there's no excuse to receive gifts you don't love! To experience the Becker Minty online shop visit www.beckerminty.com.







If you're looking for a wedding gown, maids dresses or even gorgeous suits make sure you pop in to Becker Minty to view their gorgeous collection. Becker Minty Woman has a beautiful range of Aurelio Costarella pieces, one of which we've featured in our current issue #14. We also featured a simply luxe men's Etiqueta Negra black velvet jacket. Too suave for words!

Colour me Coral

There's something about Oscar de la Renta's garments. They're exquisite, made to perfection, the benchmark of glamour. There's also something simply divine about this coral bustier dress. If you're looking towards summer for a vibrant wedding this could be the perfect colour for your maids. I'll admit this particular dress is not considered a steal, however it is considered beautiful. Available online at www.net-a-porter.com or visit www.oscardelarenta.com for collection and stockist details.

Go Gilbert Go!

It's a well known fact I love Australian designer Rachel Gilbert and her simply ah-mazing pieces. There are so many of her pieces on my wish list it's a little bit ridiculous. I was thrilled today to learn that Rachel Gilbert is now available to buy online at www.rachelgilbertshop.com. A blessing for all those time strapped, shop-a-holics like moi! See below a sneak peek from the new spring/summer 2010 collection. Pretty as a princess!

Zed & Bee

We were delighted to receive a lovely letter in the post today from the talented Sydney based sisters Zoe and Billie introducing their stunning stationery company Zed & Bee. Their website has lots of beautiful images showcasing their designs. My favourite is the kitchen tea invite which included Grandma's family apple pie recipe printed on a tea towel - what a great idea! I am sure we will be seeing a lot from them in the future.

Pretty Perry - Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2010

Australia's king of glamour, Alex Perry, wowed the crowd at his highly anticipated Fashion Week show. As expected structured dresses of silks, organzas and tulles were sashayed down the catwalk. Super soft violet's and apricot's were the standout colours. Short hems teamed with billowing tulle trians were well and truly in. A modern choice for a fashion forward bride, however great pins are a must! Visit www.alexperry.com.au for couture and ready-to-wear collection details.










Photos courtesy of Vogue.com.au