If ever there was a CD that served as a soundtrack to my life - this is the one for today. Café de Flore. Why, oh why can I not buy it on iTunes?

It reminds me of Cafe del Mar, Hotel Costes and the like. All of which I find fabulous.

The great thing about being a new mom is the parade of new bags you get to enjoy. And, lest you shudder in fear, today's diaper bags are pretty fabulous.

Here's one I spied today...

Or the perennial Heidi Klum favorite, the Nest Whipstitch bag. She loves it in black, but I like this metallic version. A little bit rocker, very fabulous.

It does have a design flaw... it comes with this weird teal lining I don't care for (the pattern is great, but the color is a bit odd in photos), but it is stunning nonetheless.

But I do love my JP Lizzy bags. They look like fab handbags and aren't huge. The Cate is probably  the best of them in my opinion.

Anyway, just a post on the great bags out there for anyone looking!

Few things are as desirable as a heavenly place to relax and unwind. I've seen city dwellers make a welcome retreat with a scant balcony and modest square footage. I've seen suburbanites take full advantage of their ample lawn, creating a backyard oasis worthy of a spread in Architectural Digest. But nothing quite does it for me like a waterside cabana. I'll admit it, that's pure heaven.

So Kim Vallee had me drooling today when she showed off these luxurious options for lounging. Apparently Henry Hall takes his play as seriously as he takes his work. God bless him.

And while the above samples might be of the hammock-meets-cabana fusion variety, it reminded me of last week's great coverage of those new Z Gallerie cabanas. So fabulously covered by both Elements of Style and Material Girls. My huge thanks to all of you lovely ladies for getting me in the mood for summer. Bring it on, baby. Bring it on.

I can't help but giggle when I see opulence like this. Don't get me wrong. It's gorgeous and functional (that's 1G in there, baby). And yes, I'd happily use it if one arrived at my doorstep (Phillips, if you're reading this, I will gladly furnish you with my address). It is absolutely gorgeous. But it makes me chuckle to see such unapologetic excess. What a great world we live in indeed. I dig it.

(Source: Luxury Portfolio)

Yes. Yes. Yes. The look of Cannes. I've got regular emails from Vivre luring me back to this magical destination. And let me tell you, no begging is necessary - this just isn't the opportune time for me to go on a trip. So in lieu of jumping on the next Virgin Airlines flight, I'll be living vicariously through a virtual closet. Yes... what I'd be rocking if I were there right now.

Let the runway show begin!

First, let's set the tone with some memorable footwear. These are amazing.

And would look amazing with this fab clutch. Oui!

I'm not really a kaftan girl, but with skinny white pants this would be great for day.
Au revoir!

This morning I uncovered this villa for sale on the Côte d'Azur going for €70,000,000. A waterfront estate with a panoramic view of the French Riviera. 11 bedrooms, 14 baths, yadda yadda yadda. But then I noticed a mortgage calculator on the page.

Hmmm.... it strikes me as incongruous that the VHNWI that could afford such a lifestyle (after all, you need to afford the accompanying lifestyle, not just the villa) would need a mortgage - or a mortgage calculator. He would 'call his people' and they'd run the numbers. Although I suppose if the rate of interest on that loan falls short of his rate of return on this and other investments, then it may be the savvy thing to do.

But this had me thinking of cultural differences, whether at home or abroad. I've lived and visited many places and noticed a few things:

• My Californian friends have always made it a point to share that they don't 'own' their home unless they truly own it outright. In Chicago, you say you 'own' your home, even if technically the bank owns it and you are simply paying on the mortgage.
• On the East Coast (what those of us in other parts of the country would call) condos are referred to as apartments.
• In the midwest, an apartment is certainly not a thing of glamour. It means you negotiate and sign a yearly lease, pay rent, can't paint your walls anything other than white, must patch the nail holes in the walls when you leave and you can bet that the neighbors you least want to see in their bathing suits will surely be the ones at the pool come summer. College students live in apartments. Successful adults do not. In fact, those of us who no longer live in apartments are very clear about the fact that we live in a condo or home, not an apartment.
• What used to be called a 'cluster home' in the states is now called a villa. These are also called 'attached homes' since you share at least one wall with a neighbor. (But villa sounds so much more fabulous, doesn't it?) And while these are always quite fetching in the looks department, we all know that abroad 'villa' takes on an entirely new meaning indeed.
• In Texas, every community was gated - whether fabulous or not. Seriously. I lived in San Antonio and every single neighborhood I visited or lived within was gated. Apartments, homes, condos, all of them. So much so that I wondered who was out there we were protecting ourselves from? Was it the plastic surgeons driving by in their BMW's and Mercedes each morning on their way to their private practice? Surely it had to be. I didn't see any danger anywhere I looked. But in other areas of the country, 'gated community' indicates (and rightly so) a level of exclusivity and grandeur that differs from non-gated communities.

Oddly enough I had a huge list of such examples before I began typing. You know how it is. If you think of any yourself, I'd love to hear them. I find these subtle differences fascinating.

Still moving files over to my new computer. Thought you'd get a kick out of my trip down memory lane. These pix are from our honeymoon. Please to enjoy...

The picture above was taken in Mammoth Park in Barcelona. I'm very petite, but look downright minuscule next to this mammoth's leg. No clue as to why we thought it was funny to take a photo by his booty. I hated those shoes. My husband swears by Ecco shoes. They are (let me say it slowly so I don't get nauseous) sensible. I dislike sensible shoes, but we walked 8 or more hours each day, so they were a necessity. I didn't wear them on the next trip. They reside in their box in my closet.

I love this photo. It epitomizes me in some ways. Always moving. This was us entering our hotel suite at the AC Diplomat in Barcelona. It was ultra-mod. So much so that it took us a few minutes to determine how the lights worked. How the shower worked. Where to put our clothes.

It was fabulously chic, and they hid all of the electrical operating components to add to the sleekness of the space. it reminded us of that Expedia commercial where the woman envisions her parents in a 'too modern' room being attacked by spray jets in the shower. Yeah, it was a lot like that.

Me blowing a kiss to my husband.

Sometimes you just don't have time to park, I suppose. Or maybe he was missing a kickstand.

And no trip to Barcelona is complete without full exploration of the works of Gaudi. We certainly had our fill of jawdropping architectural facades.

I'm transferring files from my PowerBook to the new MacBook Pro today. Ran across our travel photos and had to share a few...if you look VERY closely you'll see a bizarrely rare photo of me in flats. Yes. In my normal waking life I am always in heels unless at the gym or home (where shoes are unnecessary). But when we travel I wear my good walking shoes.

An afternoon at the forum...

at the museum...

me begging Jim to take the photo more quickly so we could get our afternoon espresso on our way to the Via Condotti...

An iconic shot of Rome in my opinion. I loved every archway leading to a courtyard. Each one we came across begged me to trespass.

My husband playing chess with an older, distinguished cavaliere Italiano one afternoon. I loved seeing him have such a great time. Those gentleman played every afternoon, and this man in particular shared stories of his past, including living in Rome during WWII. I'd love to teleport Jim back to those afternoons. He loved playing chess with such a great companion.

Have a great day!

Lately we've had much discussion on the 'watering down' of luxury. Girls in 5th grade carry designer handbags... high-end fashion and accessory designers make collections for target. So what defines true luxury?

For me it comes down to craft (how was it made?) exclusivity (does everyone own it?) and ease of acquisition (is it too available?). And in other cases brands seem to want to seem more pedestrian, as if apologizing for their high quality.

But that's not the case with one designer. Aviva Stanoff focuses on a philosophy she calls "Deliberate Luxury." Her handmade silk textiles and other accessories for the home are incomparable. There is no mass manufacturing. No lack of originality. Her patterns and designs are all one of a kind. And if that's not enough, she will make a pattern or a product that meets your exacting specifications. That, my friends, is luxury.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Aviva this week. Here's what this talented designer had to say:

I love the focus on "Deliberate Luxury" in your collection. How did the concept (or the phrase) come about?
Deliberate Luxury is a mindful decision in purchasing products.  I think it came about when I was “negotiating” space with my husband in our tiny apt. I realized that I had to be very choosy in what I brought in-   not only with decorative items, but shoes, even pots and pans!  It’s a space issue mainly…  In addition to that, I think consumers are exposed to so many options today.  When they come across something special, their eyes know it, their hands feel it… We are hand – made, hand – printed, hand –sewn.  All this is done locally.  When you put this type of product next to something mass produced offshore, it’s a deliberate decision – Deliberate Luxury.

You've clearly married the livable elegance of modern American design with the rich qualities visible in Japanese textiles. Is it ever difficult to achieve that balance?
This I have my parents to thank for – I’m half Japanese, half Russian..  Every year up until my early 20’s I summered in Japan – in a town called Okayama.  We are temple people – my grandfather was a Buddhist priest, and now my cousin runs the family temple.  We grew up going to Festivals, wearing Summer Kimono’s and running all around.  They would send us to flower arranging or calligraphy classes to keep us out of trouble – these lessons in subtlety and aesthetics sink in. Imagine us little sunkissed California girls helping grandma prepare flowers for morning and evening services – everything in was just so, nothing more, nothing less.  The beauty is in the Japanese aesthetic, it carries onto floral arranging, gardening, tea ceremony – textiles is just one layer…

You cite Christian Dior and Takashimaya among your clientele. Did you envision your hand made pieces being such an international success, or does it take you by surprise?
I am surprised – I’m surprised I survived in NYC this long… its so busy here – there’s not a tremendous amount of time to savor these things… there are deadines!  We are always running from one project to the next.  I feel like I’m living in a watercolor painting – one project flowing into the next.

Globetrotting plays a major role in the lives of most designers. What locations offer you the most inspiration?
I try to enjoy every city I go to – I’m the girl on vacation sketching, collecting, sifting through old books, fleamarketing, etc…every where I go.  Its hard to turn off!  Recently I’ve been inspired by  Jaipur, Tianjin, Chang Mai, Paris, Santa Cruz ( California), the area around the Volcano Arenal in Costa Rica, even Brooklyn!…. There’s beauty and inspiration to be found everywhere…

Brooklyn is enjoying a creative explosion right now. How are you and your Brooklyn-based team influenced by the neighboring creative community?
I am proud to represent Brooklyn and its fearless world of design, and art.  Our neighbors are furniture makers, fine artists, recording artists. Being part of this energy makes it easy to be fearless.  You’re not the only one staying late and painting – whether on fabric or musical notes on paper – we are all here – being creative.  The general energy alone is hugely inspiring.  It feels like home – remember playing with all the neighbor kids near the house your grew up?  It feels like that – like a fun adventure.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love creating things that inspire people to be appreciate nature, art, and handwork. I also love representing Brooklyn.  Our product is a bit different – we press real objects into fabric… one at a time – to order…. I like seeing the wonder in their eyes when they see the collection and hear how its done….  I’m sure they think we’re a bit crazy…

Any upcoming releases studio from your you'd like us to be on the lookout for?
We are working on Holiday and Fall Winter 2008 Collections right now.  It will be a bit more playful than usual – our studio is experimenting  with Origami, Snowflakes, and Orchids…  Did you know that if you fold 1000 origami cranes, a wish comes true? Its true.  Our new colors will be Calypso, Silvers, and Ivoire…

For those of you seeking genuine luxury for yourself or for savvy clientele, Aviva offers just that. And if you happen to be in the NYC area this weekend, be sure to stop by and see the collections up close at BRKLYN DESIGNS. Add yourself to the mailing list as well to receive her catalogue and be added to the newsletter.

After all, we could all use a little more deliberate luxury added to our lives.