The Simply Luxurious Life

Just Released . . . JENESEQUA – Issue #8

2012-05-24T17:16:00.001-07:00

Jenesequa has just released the newest issue (#8) which is Parisian inspired. After all, spring is a wonderful time to dance through the streets of Paris. Okay, anytime would be the perfect time to visit the City of Light. Either way, this issue is full of fashion, lifestyle, beauty and decor ideas.

Remember, even if you don’t have an iPad, you can now view on your iPhone – click here to download the free apps.

Below is a list of my contributions:

~Featured Article~ “How to Have Poise”

~Fashion~ “May Style Inspiration”

~Fashion~ “6 Ways to Add Pastel”

~Lifestyle~ “How to Become Fit and Fabulous” – a profile of Nell Stephenson and her new book Paleoista

Style Inspiration: Details

2012-05-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

(Shop Tory Burch "Caroline' ballerina flats here)

Over the weekend, I began going through my closet, trying to pare it down to the 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe that Jennifer L. Scott writes about in Lessons from Madame Chic.

After eliminating anything that either didn’t fit, was worn out or didn’t mesh with my signature style any more, my closet had much more breathing space, and I had a few extra hangers. More important than that however, was that I had zeroed in on what worked for my figure, my lifestyle and my skin tone. I then went on to make a list of anything I still needed (which was actually a lot less than I had expected), and what I discovered was that my foundational wardrobe simply needed touches of unique and fabulous accessories – scarves, earrings, belts, handbags, necklaces, shoes, etc.

So with that in mind, today’s Style Inspiration focuses on the details. Paired with quality foundational pieces that fit and best flatter you, you are able to have less in your closet, but always look chic when you mix and match with different accessories that speak to your personality and adhere to your signature style.

Images: (1) fortheloveofpretty.net (2) fortheloveofpretty.net (3) wintercouture (4) mirnah (5) fortheloveofpretty.net (6) globalstreetfashion (7) fortheloveofpretty.net (8) what-do-i-wear (9) theblondesalad.com (10) fortheloveofpretty.net (11) metro-p0litan (12) fortheloveofpretty(13) lucianalucas (14) fashiion-gone-rouge (15) spruced.us (16) girlsack (17) pinterest (18) pinterest (19) simplebuttasteful (20) serramarina.blogspot.com

Why Not . . . Stop Competing with Others?

2012-05-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

“If you get yourself too engrossed in things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things over which you do have control.”

–John Wooden

Listening to yet another lecture on TED (my new favorite app), I came across John Wooden’s advice on true success. And toward the beginning of his speech I heard him state the following, “You should never try to be better than someone else.”

Believe it or not, this advice was instilled in John Wooden (the successful and well-respected UCLA basketball coach - 949-1975) growing up from his father growing up on a small farm in Indiana.

What? How can a coach (and a successful coach at that – 10 NCAA Championship) follow such a mantra? And then he explained.

“Never try to be better than someone else, always learn from others, and never cease trying to be the best you can be because that’s under your control. And if you get too engrossed and involved and concerned in regard to things over which you have no control, it will adversity affect the things over which you have control.”

A bit of a paradox most certainly. When you choose to only compete with yourself and not others, you place the responsibility of success on your shoulders, and at the same time allow yourself the opportunity to discover great contentment upon reaching your goals.

Today I’d like to take a look at why we should all strive to only compete with ourselves and leave others out of the game (figuratively speaking) per John Wooden’s advice.

1. Forces You to Take Responsibility

“How you run the race - your planning, preparation, practice, and performance - counts for everything. Winning or losing is a by-product, and aftereffect, of that effort.”

One of the creeds I try to live by (and I’m sure I’ve contradicted myself a time or two) is to not complain unless I have a solution and am willing to implement it. I place complaining and blaming in the same canoe, and if I could, I would shove them out to sea to be lost for eternity. Why? Because neither one is productive. Each one points the figure away from ourselves and towards other people whom we have no control over.

When you decide to compete with yourself, you are not keeping an eye on the competition. Instead, you are taking control of what you can control – yourself, thus putting the odds in your favor that things will get done and for the better.

What you have control over is your work ethic, your stick-to-itiveness, your passion and perseverance. Take responsibility, put forth the extra hours, the prior planning and get to work. In the end, it will be the journey that will dictate your fate. If you remain focused, prepare yourself adequately, you have the opportunity to see much more promising results, but if you don’t choose to do the legwork, you have only yourself to blame.

2. Eliminates Unnecessary Worry and Stress

“Do those things necessary to bring forth your personal best and don't lose sleep worrying about the competition.”

Too much time can be spent worrying about what other people have and what other people have accomplished which causes an insecure individual to exhaust themselves trying to keep up. When in reality, each of us should be focused on creating a life that is inherently congruent with our passions and values. If we spend time worrying about others’ actions, we are not spending enough time contemplating how we would like to spend our own lives.

In other words, focus on what your talents are and foster them. By doing this you will be using your finite amount of energy for good rather than wasting it worrying.

3. Realize Your Full Potential

“When you give total effort - everything you have - the score can never make you a loser. And when you do less, it can't somehow magically turn you into a winner.”

While you may be inspired by others’ success and accomplishments, what you need to focus on is continuing to better yourself. See what is possible, but push for your own personal successes. They will be unique to you and your abilities. And what you will discover, if you keep working and refuse to give up, is that you are more capable than you ever imagined, thus allowing you to reach your true potential.

4. Discover Authentic Fulfillment

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” –John Wooden

Success defined by society often depends on how many people you have risen above, but striving for such an outcome leaves you relying on things you have no control over. You have no control over how much someone else works. You have no control over someone else’s God-given talents, so therefore, you will never be able to change those facts. But what you do have control over is what you do. You can choose to only give 50% or you can choose to give it your all. That is what you have control over. And no matter what the outcome is based on what society sees shouldn’t matter. What should matter is knowing you gave it your all – every last ounce. And knowing that induces a very sound night’s sleep.

A few years ago, The New York Times Magazine included John Wooden’s original Pyramid of Success. Wooden’s pyramid was the careful selection and arrangement of the habits that are the fundamentals of his definition of success, which is "peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming." In other words, focusing on your abilities and maximizing them without regard to others’ talents or productivity.

After all, there is a lot in life we haven’t control over, but what we do have control of, we should pay attention to and fine tune in order to live up to our full potential, which ultimately will help us each reach contentment.

Images: (1) pinterest (2) pinterest (3) pinterest (4) hipsterical

Ideal Closet Decor – May’s Houzz Ideabook

2012-05-22T19:15:00.001-07:00

I mentioned this week that last weekend you would have found me in my closet, tossing, deliberating and eliminating anything that did not fit my signature style.

My goal was to pare down to in order to create a 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe, and while I am not at ten yet (per season), I am much closer than I was. What was reaffirmed through this task was that quality is something to pay attention to. And as Jennifer L. Scott states in her book Lessons from Madame Chic, if you keep less in your closet, only shopping for items that adhere to your style, flatter your skin tone and figure, you will find that you buy less which means you save more. So when you do go shopping, you can invest in quality pieces that will last.

For this month’s ideabook for Houzz, I shopped around and gathered together twenty items to help create and decorate an ideal closet that would not only look chic and stylish, but would also properly take care of the investment items in your wardrobe. From a garment steamer, linen organizing trays, customized hat boxes for storage and beautiful French benches and chairs, have a look to see what you too might want to incorporate into your closet, no matter what the size.

~Posts found on The Simply Luxurious Life for closet inspiration:

*A Luxurious, Yet Simple Closet (essential items for an ideal closet)

*A Tailored Shop at Home (images to inspire)

Image: Jenna Lyon’s Brooklyn townhouse closet

This & That: No. 8

2012-05-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

With guides for traveling to LA, an app to help traveling around in a new city easier and shopping inspiration for your closet and your home, this week’s This & That is something to take a look at . . .

~Shopping

~T by Alexander Wang twill shorts

Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly sale begins tomorrow, May 23rd, for women and children, and the only thing left on my summer shopping list is a pair of quality shorts. In a brilliant cayenne color, Alexander Wang’s version certainly caught my attention. If you’re a frequent Nordstrom shopper, happy shopping this week!

~Website/Blog

~Via Los Angeles

Jamie Lee Reardon, Madison Chertow and Daniela Hummel have created a go-to website for all things to do in and around the Los Angeles area. Having recently had the opportunity to meet Daniela, I was charmed and impressed by her poise and chic appearance. Choosing not to adhere to the stereotypical “sexy” style of Los Angeles, she exuded class and femininity, which I absolutely adored. If you will be visiting the LA area soon, be sure to view their blog with pages covering the specific topics of fashion, beauty, travel, dining and everything in between.

~Pret Moi Paris

An American in Paris is where the founder of Pret Moi Paris blog Melissa Ladd derives its inspiration. For everything Paris – food, fashion and the beautiful sites Paris is best known for as well as undiscovered gems, Melissa is enamored with the City of Light and her passion can be found in her writing.

~Service

~Uber

If you are ever in a major metropolis area, don’t want to have to worry about having enough cash on hand and want to be certain you will arrive where you are supposed to, call Uber taxi service. Now available in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Paris, London, Toronto, San Francisco and Washington D.C., this hassle-free taxi service arrives quicker than your traditional cab, utilizes luxury town cars and SUVs, charges your credit card (including tip) so that you don’t have to worry about paying cash and is available 24 hours a day.

Simply upload their free app into your smart phone, call for a cab and based on where you are located it will come and pick you up. Base rates in major US cities range from $7-$8, charging $3-$4 per mile. While a bit more expensive than a traditional cab, you will always ride in style, and it’s an easy and dependable way to get around in a city you aren’t familiar with.

~Blog post

~Summer Essential #4: Floppy Sun Hat Joanna Goddard

Summer is nearly here and one of the most certain ways to protect your face from the sun (aside from staying out of it) is to wear a large sun hat. Joanna Goddard, founder of Cup of Jo blog does some of the shopping for her readers with options of striped, classic, large and small brim hats.

~Magazine

Style at Home

One of Canada’s leading home decor magazines, Style at Home is full of interior design inspiration. Just last week, I discovered a beckoning Vancouver home with French inspired decor. While I subscribe to Elle Decor and House Beautiful, this publication appears to be another one to consider picking up each month.

Oscar de la Renta – Resort 2013

2012-05-21T20:14:00.001-07:00

Full of shimmering golds, radiant reds, crisp blues and refreshing greens, Oscar de la Renta’s 2013 Resort collection remained true to its feminine brilliance. With behind the scenes snapshots shared on Oscar PR Girl’s pinterest page as well a handful of runway looks, enjoy perusing through the most recent and my favorite designs from the collection. (Click here to view Oscar PR Girl’s pinterest page.)

Images via OscarPRGirl

Why It’s Okay to be Boring

2012-05-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”–John Maxwell

A handful of times throughout my adult life I have been accused of being boring. Initially, such statements stung because I, like so many others, have been conditioned to believe that “boring” was negative and something to aspire not to be. But then, after much contemplation, I began to consider the source of the statement and then consider the context in which the statement was made. Having analyzed both aspects, I have come to own my boringness.

And here is why: