Jazz Up your Look by Experimenting

Jazz UpFEATURE YOUR LOOK BY

Experimenting

Wby Michelle Beck, Owner, Purple Clover Boutique ith the holidays over and the weather still cold, now is the time to experiment with different fashion trends to add some luxurious touches to your wardrobe!

It isn’t as hard as you might think to turn your everyday fashion into something just a little more special. One of the easiest ways to add a touch of luxury is a pair of gold hoop earrings. It’s no secret that gold is the color of the moment and elevates any outfit! You could be wearing sweats or workout clothes, but if you wear a pair of gold earrings your look is changed completely. If you are fortunate enough to have long hair, a lovely claw clip made of tortoise shell or even one covered in beautiful fabric is the way to go. They are easy to wear, work great for second day hair and are subtly elegant. The perfect pair of sunglasses can make anyone look like they just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. The look of the moment is an oversized rectangle, but many different shapes and styles can work. Just find one that works with the shape of your face. The good news is that you no longer have to pay a premium price to find a stylish pair.

Amplify Luxury WITH SPLENDID WALLPAPER

T

he range of associations we have with wallpaper are just one indicator of its staying power.

From quaint country kitchens to grand ballrooms in mansions, wallpaper has been setting the tone for our homes for centuries. It’s a classic design tool that never went away and has seen a big resurgence as we look for ways to make our interiors more engrossing and atmospheric as we spend more time at home.

Advances in technology and continued reinvention from artists and designers are giving us more options than ever to create new moods and worlds at home by decking walls in exciting colors, textures and graphics — don’t relegate imagery to an accent wall, let it envelop your rooms in wonder and whimsy.

BOTANICALS ARE BIG Florals have always been predominant in wallpapering and there’s no stopping their comeback, but the tradition is being expanded to include vines, stems, seedlings, berries and anything else you find in the great outdoors.

Trees can create the popular jungle look, bring the forest outside your window inside or evoke a riparian system. Large-scale prints add volume and depth to large rooms while smaller ones add detail to more intimate spaces.

WARM THE ROOM Deep, saturated colors are fantastic for creating an inviting glow within a room. The renewed interest in warm neutrals and earth tones is making that easier than ever.

Look for prints with stripes, florals or botanicals that have a gold undertone or, for ultimate luxury, find wallpaper with touches of gold leaf to get that inimitable radiance that will stick with your family and guests whenever they leave the house. GET GRAPHIC If floral or botanical patterns don’t interest you, there are a lot of geometric patterns out there for an angular alternative.

Rectangles, cubes, triangles, hexagons and many other shapes are showing up everywhere, in many cases arranged in tunnels and 3-D designs that play with space and help the room appear larger.

Others have a cheerfully retro midcentury vibe that evoke Space Age progress and optimism.

TEXTURE GIVES CONTEXT Wallpaper that incorporates texture, whether through its composition or by imitation, is growing in popularity. This can have a more subtle effect than a printed pattern but is no less effective.

The feel and look of linen, grass cloth, raised leaf or other details can be created by heavily embossed sheets that lend a homey ambiance or printed wallpaper simulating wood grain, brick or other materials.

SILKY SOPHISTICATION “Silk wallpaper” can be one of two things: any sheet of any kind of fabric that’s paper-backed or authentic silk applied to a wall, either with some sort of adhesive or after being stretched across a frame.

Given its fragile nature it’s difficult to successfully apply silk directly to a wall, but “silk plaster” is a paintable form of wallpaper containing natural fibers including silk, cotton, cellulose and other eco-friendly substances, offering a seriously sophisticated look that’s free of artificial ingredients.

Sumptuous Touches CREATE YOUR OWN Luxury Hotel Bedroom

Many of us love spending nights at upscale hotels and resorts for the perfectly firm-yet-soft mattress, the freshly washed zillionthread sheets, the heavenly comforter, the thoughtful décor, the perfectly calibrated lighting, the extra touches like fresh flowers or a carafe of water on the nightstand. It’s just so much more relaxing than home. There’s no reason you can’t drift off in that blissful setting every night after investing a little of your thoughts and funds. SPLURGE ON YOUR MATTRESS Your memory of your hotel room is directly related to the comfort of the mattress, so spend enough time and money to find one that’s going to please you and anyone you share the bed with.

Start with such quality companies as Saatva, Nectar and Helix and figure out whether you’re most comfortable on innersprings, foam or a hybrid construction. Or, you could cut to the chase and order one directly from Ritz-Carlton, Westin, Kimpton or wherever you had your last best night’s sleep. CHOOSE SHEETS BY TOUCH Regardless of the thread-count joke we just made it shouldn’t be your only criteria when you’re shopping for sheets. Higher thread counts indicate material that’s denser and more durable, but touch a sample of the sheet if at all possible to ensure that it feels right to you.

Crisp percale offers more breathability and natural comfort while sateen is adored for its silky-soft feel, slight sheen and wrinkle resistance.

If you’re ordering them without sampling them first, you can’t go wrong with iconic Italian labels like Sferra, Frette and Mascioni. KEEP LIGHTING UNDER CONTROL Indirect lighting from lamps with soft fabric shades or those requisite bedside wall sconces will give you the soft, moody lighting that’s conducive to sleep and other nighttime activities.

Ideally this is all you’ll need as many sleep scientists recommend doing anything that requires more exertion away from the bedroom. If you do need stronger lighting, rely as much as you can on natural light and install a dimmable ceiling light fixture so you can dial it down as soon as you need to.

TOP DESIGNERS

You love your designer clothes, handbags, belts and shoes. It’s important to look good and surround yourself in luxury when you can. But don’t forget your pets.

After all, they deserve it for being such loyal companions. And designers are finally recognizing how important our pets are to us, and how important it is for them to shine. From Versace to Hermés, Fendi to Gucci, there is something out there for your cat or dog to put a confident bounce in their step. If you’re looking to dress your pup in style for the winter, Prada has added a line of dog puffers and coats to keep them warm and fashionable. The Gucci Pet Collection offers a broad range of products designed for dogs and cats. Items include collars and harnesses in plain leather, GG canvas, web stripe or the herbarium or all-over geometric G print and embellished with details like the interlocking G logo or studs. There’s no question your pup will be turning heads. Leashes, bag holders and even air tag cases are available in the same motifs to coordinate. Fendi’s luxury pet collection, sporting the signature FF pattern, includes a leash, pet carrier, dog coat and collar. Collars are adorned with FF pendants to add elegance.

Outfit YOUR PRECIOUS PETS Iconic label Hermès jumped into the trend with a pet collection containing a blanket, flying disk, dog bed, leash, harness and even a stylish food bowl. Crafted from oak, the bowl is imprinted with the French house’s Chaine d’Ancre motif and has a stainless-steel bowl that stays in place with magnets. Pet carriers are made with waterresistant and breathable fabric in the colors of the Hermès equestrian line. If you’re in a Breakfast at Tiffany’s mood, Tiffany & Co has designed collars, leashes and bowls in the distinctive teal hue to pamper your pooch or feline. Even Donatella Versace has designed a pet line to pamper her own Jack Russell, Audrey. And now you can indulge your pet with a bed in the line’s barocco print or a gold-studded Medusa logo leash set with matching collar. The line even includes a pet bath robe in black with gold trim, a shirt with the Medusa logo and a leather pet waste bag holder with a Medusa charm. Finally, no wardrobe is complete without a bit of Louis, and that includes your pet’s. Louis Vuitton now carries collars, leashes and a pet carrier, all in its monogrammed canvas.