I love a good vintage find, and for years I have collected unusual & exotic accessories. I love to comb through estate sales and flea markets, kicking up ago-old dust and digging through boxes where no one really cares to look. 
It's the 'not so neat' places where I find the most gorgeous pieces. These rare finds deserve a second chance!

Like the clutch bags above. These two, found about 12 years a part. It was the color that attracted me to them. The bottom one was full of thick dust, it was absolutely filthy, but the swipe of a wet wipe revealed its true beauty, so I brought it home and cleaned really well. 

The top one, with a brass closure, had a better life. Nestled in the massive closet of a stunning home and in its dust bag. 
Both now equally loved the same. 
Beautiful textures with a splash of vibrant color, perfect for the chic collector who loves to show off their vintage with style!

Persian Bride

Manolo Blahnik

Vintage Wallpaper . Love

HGTV Home

Aloha from the landlocked! 🏝. 
What’s the theme this eve? 
TROPICAL! . 🌺 .

To persevere through difficult times, one must remember to keep the chin up! .
This evening, my sis & I are on a stayca vaca in the backyard, enjoying the perfect Spring weather in Atlanta! I made a super delish island punch using one of my faves @rivuletliqueur (recipe on their website at rivulet.com!) .

It’s easy & delish! . @sugarbonen made a lovely roasted jalapeño dip with flour tortillas. ! 🔥 #yummy .

We are ‘sheltered in’, however, you can find Rivulet at one of your local fine beverage retailers & drive thru to pickup, or simply order & have it shipped or delivered to you! .
This luxe artisan pecan liqueur is a must have on every bar! . Made in Kentucky, it’s slow aged, small batch distilling, fair trade & always an eye on sustainability, it’s the spirit with spirit! .

Hey Hey, New Day . 👋🏾 .
It’s Monday . Yay! Yay! .
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Reminder Time :

Here’s something to start with, try to do the very best you can, with what you have & forget the rest. . . You have no control over other’s lack of follow through, slow response or any lack thereof.
Wishing will never assist with the outcome of something. .
The best thing to utilize is your own best abilities. .
RELY ON YOU. YOU ARE YOUR OWN SOURCE OF POWER. 🙌🏾❤️🙏🏾 .
.
#meinanutshell 🙌🏾 Duly noted . .#alwaysmotivated .
.

Cheers from the Covid Quarantine Cocktail Confines . 🍋🍋🍋 .
.
My brother @lexlucazi & sister @sugarbonen made a lovely limoncello over a year ago, combining fresh lemons, simple syrup, Tito’s vodka & sealed in a jar, it has been sitting on the bar fermenting ! .
Behold! . A new recipe! .
. 🍋🍋🍋 .
Limoncello & Thyme Gin Cocktail . See below! .
1 oz Hendricks Gin .
3 oz @fevertree_usa Tonic Water .
1.5 oz of Limoncello made with @titosvodka .
1 Lemon Slice + 1 sprig of fresh Thyme .
#mixstirdrink .
.
.
#worldcocktailday #drinkstagram
#limoncello #cocktail #gin #tonic #hendricksgin #cheers #ralphlaurenhome #crystal #prettycocktails #chicliving #homesweethome #stayhome #makedrinks #stayhomestaysafe #alfrescoliving #yummy #drinks #cocktailhour #drinkrecipes @pinterest @capitoldebeaute #cocktailchronicles #cocktailsofinstagram #capitoldebeautecocktails  

I, like most of you, know the feels behind thwarted travel plans due to Covid. 🛫🗽 .
Delta just pinged my check in & flight status to New York this morning & I almost burst into tears.
What would have been day 1 & the beginning of our @fginyc Regional Director’s Conference & 12 days of visiting Family, Friends & Colleagues in New York & New Jersey, turned into the unimaginable.
My heart wrenches thinking about our status right now. Every morning, upon waking, I pray for the wellness of all & try to remain as positive as I can. This morning was hard.
THEN! I walked out on my porch & there sets a box. 🤩 Thank you Irene @trvldesign for my beautiful travel cosmetic bags . They give me hope for future travels & they arrived at the most perfect time . You know I love stars! This makes me so happy & hopeful! .
I can’t wait to take them on an adventure! . In the meantime, they will keep all my pretties organized & cozy!

Wellness prayers!
xo, melanie
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ .

About Patrick Herning :
How a Tech Entrepreneur pioneered change in the fashion industry. 

Patrick Herning takes a truly modern and thoughtful approach to brand marketing and influencer engagement. From a robust, multi-level project to an intimate activation, Patrick immerses himself in a brand, becoming an organic extension of each client and their internal team. His impressive background spans from business development during the initial tech boom of Silicon Valley to fashion, lifestyle and philanthropic clients, projects and major marketing initiatives throughout the country.  

From 1996 to 2006, Patrick was one of the first 50 employees at Cybersource in Silicon Valley responsible for business development for their partner channels. After the company he helped build and grow IPO’d, he held two other business development positions at leading technology companies in Silicon Valley, ultimately culminating in VeriSign’s acquisition to PayPal. From there he relocated to Los Angeles where he formed Fathom Event Strategy, a marketing and communications agency.  

After building a successful boutique brand, global communications agency HL Group acquired Fathom. Now, after heading up business development efforts on the West Coast at HL Group for over 5 years, Patrick combined his vast experience, talent for business development and extensive client and influencer relationships to form PMH partners. 

In his influencer marketing and engagement practice, Patrick considers his clients, vendors and colleagues to all be true partners. He remains close to the work, understands the cultural nuances of each opportunity and undoubtedly leaves his mark on every project with which he is involved. 

FORTUNE

Why Fashion Designers Are Finally Starting to Stitch Up High-End Apparel for Plus-Size Women

BY
KRISTIN LARSON
November 11, 2019 6:30 PM EST

It took cult fashion blog Man Repeller profiling Katie Sturino, founder of Megababe beauty products, for the body-positivity influencer to finally see that when it came to finding clothes that fit, her size was not the problem—the fashion industry was the problem.
“I was reading the comments on it and women were saying how nice it was to see someone with their body shape represented,” said Sturino, who uses social media to encourage women to wear what they like and to call out fashion companies that offer a limited range of sizes.
Sturino's Instagram has 389,000 followers, and she runs recurring features like #supersizethelook, which shows a celebrity fashion look and the look recreated in a larger size, and #makemysize, which shows selfies of the influencer trying on too-small clothing in retail dressing rooms.
Historically speaking, luxury fashion has always been about exclusivity, say analysts like Marie Driscoll, managing director, luxury and fashion at Coresight Research, a global research and advisory firm.
“Luxury has had to incorporate inclusivity into their DNA and part of the way they’re doing that is through plus-size apparel,” said Driscoll.
The U.S. women’s plus-size clothing market will be worth $30.7 billion in 2019, growing around 4% to reach approximately $31.9 billion in 2020, and increasing by 3% to hit $36.3 billion by 2025, according to Coresight Research.
Even though the average size of U.S. women is 14 and above, luxury fashion apparel remains the market most resistant to plus-size fashion, making up just .6 % of luxury clothing sold online compared to plus-size mass-market fashion at 11%, according to Edited Retail Data. The firm defines plus-size as any size 14 and above.

“There has been a huge push for inclusivity in all areas of retail, whether it's dress sizes in apparel or skin tones in lingerie and beauty,” said Kayla Marci, market analyst at Edited. “Apparel is integral to day-to-day life and all consumers want to feel included. Demand for size-inclusivity has ramped up in recent years and it's only going to continue to grow.”
Diane von Furstenberg, maker of the iconic wrap dress, was the first brand Sturino called out on #makemysize. The designer listened. On Nov. 5, DVF celebrated the launch of her extended-sizes collection with retailer 11 Honoré and Sturino co-hosting the event.
And DVF isn't the only luxury brand that stepped up its attention to plus-size consumers. This year, Italian luxury house Dolce & Gabbana announced it would extend its sizing, joining the growing company of fashion designers offering size-inclusive fashion like Tanya Taylor, Carolina Herrera, Veronica Beard, Jason Wu, Christian Siriano, and Adam Lippes.