swoon-worthy small screen: downton abbey

I have a confession to make, an especially shocking confession given my involvement in the Entertainment Industry career-wise.  Here goes... I barely watch any television. at all. Honestly, apart from (once in a blue moon) switching CNN on in the background while perusing the internets and, of course, watching my beloved MadMen (but even that is via Netflix!) it is an increasingly rare thing to find me watching actual live TV.   I'm not even sure why we have cable apart from the Brit needing his English "football".  I suppose, it is the security of knowing it is there should I need it. For example, say I become obsessed with a new show accidentally?  Which, funnily enough, is exactly what happened to me a week or two ago when I discovered the English series Downton Abbey. 

The series (created by Julian Fellowes...writer of Gosford Park, among other things) centers on a manor house called Downton Abbey and the trials and tribulations of it's inhabitants. Namely, the aristocratic Crawley family who owns it and their (dozen or so) servants.  The show takes place in the early 1900s and, similarly to MadMen, historical events occasionally have an effect on the storyline - which is part of what drew me in from the first episode. I am lover of history and historical fiction.  But wow... the costumes definitely did not hurt. They are, in a word, incredible...

The millinery alone is worthy of its own post! I do love a good hat.  I found myself literally gasping at the costumes in every other scene.  They are pure Georgian perfection which only adds to the beautiful / tumultuous narrative unfolding in Season One. 

It nearly killed me when I found there were only seven (hour long) episodes in the first season but they are shooting Season Two as we speak! Still, I'm bound to be revisiting a few episodes down the line.

OK! I have to stop myself here because I don't want to spoil it for you but there are so many costumes that I loved and couldn't find photos of!  Again, all of Season One is on Netflix and the new season starts this fall in the UK (on iTV, I think?) and PBS in the US but not until January (boo...)

photos via here & here.

the shields are left to rust

Vintage shawls and kimonos have always been an obsession of mine – though, in truth, I only actually own a few.  None the less,  I remain fan of romantic layering so I've been pleasantly surprised to see these sorts of things popping up in more modern stores lately. 

Case in point, I found this kimono-esque top at (probably the worlds biggest) Forever 21 in Las Vegas and my mother was nice enough to buy it for me.  Something thin like this is perfect when summer layering proves tricky and/or sticky. It's light weight enough to breath but keeps me warm when the evenings cool off.  The other positive is that the color will definitely fit in with my wardrobe ideas for Fall - it's the perfect rusty autumn hue.

 outfit details:
top: xxi
tank & shorts: h&m
tights: cynthia rowley
shoes: vintage
puppy head: lola the chihuahua

PS: I hope all of my east coast lovelies made it through nasty old Irene and that you are sitting comfortably at home with electricity buzzing in the wires and water running in the pipes!

and speaking of water...


musical notes: what the water gave me - florence + the machine's new single...

DJRD Presents: A mini-guide to Las Vegas

I have been wanting to do a travel guide post for a very long time.  I love to travel and it is always helpful to read about places you are going beforehand - especially if the suggestions are coming from someone who you know has similar taste or whose opinion you trust - like bloggers you follow, friends, locals, etc. So after our little trip last weekend I figured I would do a "mini-guide" to Las Vegas and take a moment tell you about some places I like to shop/visit while I am bumming around the Nevada desert with my family!  Do keep in mind that this is not going to include clubs, bars & restaurants (though I do know a handful so email if you really need that type of advice!)  these are just things that might be different to your typical visit to "Vegas"...

Vintage/Antiques

I don't get to vintage/thrift shop in Las Vegas very often but this past weekend I did drag "the Brit" with me to a couple of places I used to frequent back when lived there...

THE ATTIC - 1025 S Main St (downtown)

Visiting the Attic is a bit like invading the actual attic of someone's eccentric/hoarder grandmother but you can find some really cool things amongst the oddities.  

The shop recently moved across the street from it's old location and it doesn't quite hold up to its former glory but is still definitely worth a visit.  It is located in a industrial area that backs up against the "Art District" in downtown but it is very near the Strip and fairly easy to get to!

CHARLESTON ANTIQUE MALL - 307 W Charleston Blvd (downtown LV)

This is a fairly large antique mall also very near the Strip - sidenote: when I lived there it was called Red Rooster Antiques and painted red which is a bit classier if you ask me... no one did.  The "mall" is separated into different sellers stalls/rooms and while there is a lot of old retro junk and memorabilia (for example, the Brit almost bought an Elvis watch) you can find some pretty great things (clothing, accessories, nicknacks, furniture) at decent prices. 

 I wanted this old vintage display elephant with original rings intact. Alas, the Brit didn't think we had a place for it :(  and he's probably right.

Be sure to find the Tiki Room. It's like a time-warp straight back to the 60s - has it's own soundtrack too!

 I really could spend hours in there and half expected to bump into Don Draper.

Flashy new things...

FASHION SHOW MALL - 3200 Las Vegas Blvd S.

I have been going to this mall since I was a small child and it keeps getting bigger and better, and looks more and more like a spacestation from the outside (see above photo - not taken by me).  I was also green with envy when I noticed that they are getting a TOPSHOP! Other shops include... Nordstroms, Saks, Neiman Marcus,  Zara, the world's biggest Forever 21 (seriously huge - it used to be a whole department store), J.Crew, Kate Spade, Betsy Johnson and loads more which you can read about here.

Forum Shops at Caesars Place where you'll find Agent Provocateur, H&M, Marc Jacobs, Anthropologie, Juicy Couture, Intermix as well as designer places I do not allow myself to go into...Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Dior, etc.  I think it is also important to note that the Forum was the first of the "hotel malls" in Las Vegas and the first to have a faux-sky ceiling that changes from day tonight. Credit where credit is due, people.

Honorable mention...
Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood  because they have an H&M, Urban Outfitters and Sephora. 

a few of my favorite hotels to visit...

the Bellagio 
the Cosmopolitan  
the Wynn
Caesar's Palace

Off the beaten path...

If you are looking for a little escape from the Strip here are a few of my favorite things:

 Neon Bone Yard where old Las Vegas signage goes to die - also a pretty interesting museum.

Red Rock Canyon a national park with hiking trails, camping, etc. Best to visit in the spring/fall since it gets supremely hot in the summer time. (photo via)

Also in the Red Rock area is Spring Mountain Ranch where you can tour Howard Hughes' Ranchhouse.  Howard Hughes (yes, of the Aviator fame) was an important figure in Las Vegas history. He also owned at least half the land in the area at one time or another. This house was a little getaway for he and his wife at the time and is still filled with little eccentricities including a secret room or two. (photo via)

Hoover Dam (photo by ansel adams) is about a 40minute drive from the Strip. Fun facts: it was constructed in the 1930s, over 100 people died trying to build it, and is located right smack dab between Nevada and Arizona state-lines on the Colorado river.  It is really hard to explain how impressive this is.  It is something you really should see for yourself. You can even take a tour inside the damn which I think I did in, maybe, the 3rd grade but really want to do again.

Well, that is it for now.  I hope you enjoy!

all you need is...

"The Brit" and I just got back from a little mini-break to visit my family in Las Vegas.  As you may or may not know, I lived in Las Vegas from basically kindergarten until age 17 (ie: most of my childhood). And while it is, I suppose, a strange place to call home, my usual visits consist of normal family-time activities (catching up, eating, movie-watching, shopping, pool swimming, eating again). This trip we got a little surprise...my Mom had arranged tickets for us to go see the Beatles LOVE!   I have always been a huge Beatles fan, basically since the womb, and I was pretty excited to see what the show was all about.  So, on Friday night we put on our best Las Vegas-show-going outfits and skipped over to the Mirage hotel.

As we approached the theater the atmosphere became a bit more, ehem, multicolored!

With some time to kill before the show started, we headed for the gift shop where we had way too much fun playing around with Beatles swag and fun-house mirrors...

 

 I bought a couple of things for my fellow Beatle-loving-friends and we headed into the theater.

Sadly, there was a strict "no camera" policy inside the theater so the proper camera had to go away... 

BUT I did manage to snap a little of the theater (pre-show) with my trusty iphone camera...

And, as the show ended, I also caught some of the aftermath...

 

I wish I could have taken just a few photos during the show for you but trust me when I tell you... it was a magical experience.  My favorite parts mostly involved confetti, bubbles and, of course, the aerial performers swinging from the rafters because I secretly want to be a trapeze artist ;)

(*top image via  | the others by me and/or "the Brit")

some thursday ramblings

Hello lovelies...This is apt to be a scatter-brained post but there are a few things I've been meaning to post about and I don't want to sit on them any more so...I thought I'd just do a post about them all in one go!

Firstly (and if you follow me on twitter you may have seen this)...  last week I was featured over at Chévere Vintage answering a few questions. You can find that here!

Second... I got to see miss Sandra last weekend and she did a post about some of our adventure here.

Third...  I somehow missed this gorgeous editorial from Marie Claire AU back in April but thanks to Sally Jane Vinage I discovered it! (top photo is from this Ed)

I may as well mention that I have been posting some outtakes from Reckless Daughter Wardrobe posts on my tumblr occasionally, among other inspiring fare! So feel free to see for yourself.

And last but not least, IT'S MY 3 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY! Hard to believe, isn't it! Anyhow, I just want to say thanks to all of you lovely visitors! You help make this blog what it is and I love you for that! xoxo DJRD

Now, I'm off on a little mini trip but I'll be reporting back shortly!