Floral Friday: Lessons from Christian Dior

Christian Dior once said, “A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.” True? Maybe.

Like many people, one sniff of a particular scent (burning leaves, gingerbread, rain on asphalt, Gain laundry detergent) can conjure up a number of lovely memories for me. I imagine the same can be said about one's perfume - it can remind you of something wonderful when you wear it, and it can be something other people remember you by as time goes by.

This Friday, we've rounded up four of our favorite classic and quirky floral perfumes.

A Room With a View. This scent hails from a quirky Brooklyn-based innovative perfume shop, CB I Hate Perfume. Most of the shop's scents tell a unique story and this one is no exception - it is inspired by a favorite passage from the E M Forster novel, A Room With a View, where the two main characters kiss for the first time. "This perfume captures the scent of the hills above Florence - the vineyards, the wild grass, the finocchio, the hot dusty Florentine earth.  And of course a torrent of Violets..." Sounds like a dream, no?

Daisy by Marc Jacobs. This perfume is a classic, and it's easy to see why. It's fresh, feminine, and captures the vintage flavor of Marc Jacob's edgy designs. Notes include Strawberry, Violet Leaves, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Gardenia, Violet Petals, Jasmine Petals, Musk, Vanilla, White Woods. "Always elegant, always enchanting - but not too serious - Daisy is a sparkling floral bouquet, spirited and fresh, wrapped in comfort and warmth." A fun and light day-to-day scent.

Flowerbomb, by Viktor and Rolf. This perfume exudes sensuality and femininity. Perfect for first dates, romantic dinners and honeymoons abroad. Notes include Sambac Jasmine, Centifolia Rose, Cattleya Orchid, Ballerina Freesia, Patchouli. "Magically evocative notes immediately awaken your deepest senses, giving you the impression of living life in your own secret garden, away from reality." Go big or go home, right?

Maine, by MCMC Fragrances. Don't worry, it does not smell like lobster. In fact,  it's makers say it is inspired "...by a day spent on the island of North Haven off the coast of Maine, falling in love." Notes include: Bulgarian rose absolute, local clary sage, wild Somalian myrhh and French seaweed. Certainly on my wish list right now, because this simply smells like summer to me. Perfection.






What are you wearing this summer? Will you pick out a special scent for the big day or do you have a classic you've kept on the bedside for years?

Wedding Snapshot: Jack and Ali

This was an absolutely a lovely late-Spring wedding in San Francisco. The couple started the day at the stunning Argonaut Hotel, tied the knot at the Chapel at Fort Mason and ended with a boat ride to Tiburon for the reception at Corinthian Yacht Club.

Jack and Ali enjoyed a fog-free, blue sky, love-filled day in San Francisco. To match her soft mint, white and yellow color palette, we created her bouquets and arrangements using white china mum, white hydrangea, peach/yellow ranunculus, peony and tulip.

All image credit goes to Lyndsay Undseth Photography:

Wishing you both a hundred honeymoons, congratulations Jack and Ali!

Floral Friday: Mod Squad

This past weekend I was back East visiting family. My parents happen to live in the house my Grandmother grew up in, and have kept much of the vintage accents as they were in the '50s and '60s (so cool, right?).

My Greatgrandmother was one hip lady, and she frequently changed upholstery and wallpaper to match the trends of the day (as evidenced by the lovely avocado and marigold wallpaper and carpeting we discovered on renovating).

Vintage florals were another favorite, and her funky tea towels and kitchen appliance covers are absolutely the inspiration for todays Mod Squad Floral Friday.

Maybe too whacky a print for formal wedding ceremonies but so fun for a bridal shower or groovy vegas elopement!

Just add dirty martinis, kid gloves and a convertible VW bug! So rad.

(Pictures are, clockwise from left, fun mod couple, darling shoes in an LA hotel, the perfect getaway bag, whimsy wrapping paper, fruity cocktails).

Red Alert

Generally when I see red in a wedding palette it's in late Fall and Winter - mixed with deep green holly or rust colored Autumn leaves. But recently I've started to love red as a summer wedding color. It's the perfect accent for a nautical theme or elegant country scheme. For summer, I favor pink reds - watermelon and cherry hues.

See below to see how this pop of color can be the perfect primary or secondary hue to your summer nuptials.

(Pictures are, clockwise from left, adorable wedding photo, wedding party bowling!, iced tea canister, grapefruit and strawberry greyhound popsicles, fun drink display, red table textiles)

Floral Friday: Royal Roses and Cream Teas

Last week I went to London to find my parents an apartment, ride double decker busses and enjoy as many cream teas as possible. A snapshot of my wanders below:

I was stunned and oh-so-excited when I discovered one of my favorite textile and fashion designers, Cath Kidston, had an honest to goodness store. Where have I been?
I'm actually quite picky about floral textiles because they can cross the line from fun to "grandma's handbag" pretty quick. It's a bit of a shock to myself that I'm so attracted to her creations and designs. She famously described her work as giving people a "Marmite reaction", stating "People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us."
I wanted a little bit of it, very much indeed.
Below are some of my favorite pieces which can be ordered from the states online.

So what do you think? Love it? Or is it hurting your eyes?

(Pictures are, clockwise from left, London Scene Cotton Duck, Hampton Rose Pumps, Provence Rose Apron, Folk Ditsy Swimsuit, Royal Rose Overnight Bag)

Floral Find Friday

We're starting a new, weekly post here at A. Hana. Wherever we end up on the internet we always seem to stumble upon the sweetest floral finds. Instead of bookmarking them all for ourselves, we thought we'd gather them all up and share them at the end of each week.

Without further ado, this weeks Floral Finds are from BHLDN (which, by the way, is pronounced "beholden", finally figured this out this week...). A darling banner, lovely cards and a bold, elegant table cloth which would be perfect to add a bit of sophistication to any summer cookout.

We hope you have a fog-free, sun-filled, San Francisco weekend. Happy Friday!

(Pictures are tablecloth, cards, banner)

Here comes the bride...all dressed in...

Recently I've been seeing a number of brides foregoing the traditional white dress in favor of more colorful (and sometimes dramatic!) choices. Check out these brave modern brides:

I adore this dress. I think it's perfect for a black and white wedding and I love that the darker look is softened with the outdoor scenery.

This Aussie bride opted for an amazing beaded pink gown with the most stunning low back. I adore the tattoos against the feminine dress choice and also, that scenery isn't bad either.

I adore the color mint and am really enjoying that it's been so popular this season. Mint looks amazing on almost everyone (look at this cute bride!) and can be paired with light peaches to deep plums. Beautiful.

This lovely bride certainly found her "something blue." The flirty structured dress was the perfect choice for an adorable and oh-so-romantic London elopement.

What do you think? Would you ever not wear white on your wedding?

(Images via oncewed, oncewed, featherlove, stylemepretty, dominiquebader)