Most Powerful Women

The former CEO of Martha Stewart's company, Lisa Gersh (L- above), just got scooped up by Gwyneth. That's right, Gwyneth Paltrow's scaling company, GOOP, the online lifestyle startup just scored a big player, in an effort to expand the business. If that little tid-bit is of interest, perhaps you'll find the below intriguing: Today, I'll spend a decent portion of my day watching the live stream of Fortune's annual "Most Powerful Women Summit" (MPWS). Yesterday marked the first day of the annual event and will include panel sessions with speakers such as Tracy Anderson, fitness to the stars and founder of The Tracy Anderson Method, Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Julia Hartz, Co-Founder and President of Eventbrite, Jane Lauder, Global Brand President of Clinique and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Carolyn Everson, VP, Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook, and Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors.

The event was started in 1999, with the intention of gathering prominent women in business to engage in proactive discussions regarding global business issues, leadership challenges, industry trends and the modern day successes and conflicts women in particular face in such a landscape. Monday marked the launch of Fortune's digital Most Powerful Women Channel, which serves as a platform to share such topics from an insider's perspective. To see a complete list of speakers for this year's MPW summit, click here.

Just Right

Ordinarily, I don't gravitate toward contemporary interior design, however I've warmed up to such elements in recent years. I've always appreciated the art of the narrative some traditional and antique pieces offer, and I suppose, contemporary pieces can certainly hold their own too. The above photo is a living room designed by Sara Story for a Manhattan family, part of a city project she completed in 8 weeks, a swift timeline dictated by her clients' interest in finishing before their children came home from summer camp. The high gloss gray walls, Will Rizzo coffee table and lush velvet textures on the sofa and rug make this room its own sophisticated hideaway. See more below. Photographs via

Do You?

Do you follow your horoscope? I do. I'm hoping this won't jinx it, but this month is looking swell for us Aries folk. The above and below were taken from Tory Daily and her collaboration with Susie Cox. Libra Happy birthday, lovely Libra! Your planet, Venus, is in the sign of Libra from September 29th until October 23rd. Make sure you do some serious self-pampering during those dates, maybe even a trip to the spa is in the air.

Scorpio Mercury will retrograde in Scorpio from September 27th until October 10th, when it goes back into Libra. Tend to your affairs while it’s visiting Scorpio and straighten out any financial matters that may need to be fixed.

Sagittarius Mars is moving through your sign of Sagittarius and will be forming a positive angle to both Jupiter and Uranus from September 25th until October 19th. Good luck will be your friend during those magical dates.

Capricorn The first week in October is your week. Plan important business meetings at that time and you will be set for the entire month. If only all months were this productive.

Aquarius Your sign always thinks big, but this month you will see the world with an even larger view. Be daring and know this is your time to expand your horizons.

Pisces Pisces is full of inspiration and on October 5th you will be even closer to your source of creativity. Then on October 6th, your creative venture will become real. Plan to do something that you can finish in a couple of days.

Aries This is a big month for you! The total eclipse of the moon is in Aries on October 8th. An eclipse in your sign is the time to look at your life and decide what to release to open up space for new opportunities.

Taurus To be successful, plan to negotiate with authority figures on October 10th and 11th. They will listen and you will realize you have influence over them instead of the other way around.

Gemini If you are the Gemini who likes to write and communicate, this is your month! Pull out that manuscript you’re working on and polish it up, because you will be even more brilliant than normal.

Cancer Being the caregiver of the zodiac, you will feel extra emotional around October 15th. Family issues could arise, but never fear, you will be the perfect person to smooth out the wrinkles.

Leo You strut your stuff better than any other sign, and the weekend of October 17th and 18th is your time to shine. Get dressed up and throw a party for your outrageous friends. Yes, you can go over the top!

Virgo You are the most organized sign of the zodiac, but on October 5th and 19th, you will feel like you are floating in space. Maybe relax and don’t work too much, because you probably won’t be very productive anyway.

The Clamor & Construction That Is Pacific Heights

Growing up, I would visit my Father at his job sites, watching contractors pour concrete or landscapers planting around a new terrace with the clamor of nails and heavy machinery around us. As a builder and developer, my Father educated me on the many intricacies of new construction, green construction, heating and cooling systems, inspections - you name it. He would point and pry, introducing me to the engineer, architect, electrician - everyone under the sun. This world is one I feel comfortable in. Yet, given my familiarity, I am constantly enamored by the sheer volume of construction in Pacific Heights. Yesterday, I went for one of my typical walks in the neighborhood and could have counted 20 different construction projects on Vallejo Street alone. I'm not talking a new sidewalk and a few cosmetic improvements, I'm talking about stately buildings completely demolished down to the bedrock to accommodate newly appointed, state of the art single-family homes. The neighborhood is alive with construction crews, cranes, workmen on their lunch breaks - it feels almost surreal, as if you're walking through a movie set.

As most of you know, Pacific Heights plays host to some serious real estate. As evidenced by SF Curbed, some of these home owners pay close to half a million in real estate taxes annually. If you walk the neighborhood in the evening, you'll notice that a handful of these homes are empty, including the Pincus' home that was just listed for $18M. As inventory is limited, pockets are deep and demand is high, it will be interesting to see how the neighborhood changes throughout all of these projects - a subject of true fascination.

C&C Profile: Mark D. Sikes

I couldn't be more thrilled to share with you a fun Q&A with Mark D. Sikes. I've followed Mark's lifestyle blog for ages and can confidently say he is a true connoisseur of chic. His daily record of "chic people, glamorous places and stylish things" is part of my morning reading routine and Mark's narratives and imagery always make my heart pitter patter. His home in the Hollywood Hills, one of my personal favorite interior and exterior spaces (and also above), was featured in Veranda Magazine's 2014 July-August issue (including the cover!). Stay connected to Mark by subscribing to his blog, following him on Pinterest and Instagram. Read-on, below: C&C: For starters, Mark, I love your blog! We both know that it takes a lot of work to curate and compile content, but that’s easy with being inspired. Tell us about your methodology in collecting content for the blog.

Mark: Well, I really don’t know if there is a method to the madness, I just save images and ideas as I find them, my desktop on my laptop is quite full! I do read a lot and I do stay on top of everything in design, fashion and news daily- I have come up with a daily routine that seems to work….

C&C: You studied finance and economics in college with the intention of having a career in international business. By the looks of it, that career path didn’t exactly take shape! When or how did you discover you had a different path ahead of you? (Was there an “aha” moment?)

Mark: When I got out of college, I started to look for jobs…I was living in Nashville with my parents…I got a few part-time jobs, one at a fashion retailor and another as an assistant at an interior design firm…I enjoyed both and felt connected…when you love what you do, you are happy…from there things fell into place…I guess that was my “aha” moment- it’s truly been a beautiful and fun journey!

C&C: One of my favorite components of your blog is the “MDS Interviews” feature. I won’t ask you to pick your favorite interviewee…any hints as to who might be on deck for your next feature?

Mark: There are a few interior designers coming up, If I tell you who they are that will spoil the surprise, and then a few ladies whose style and elegance I admire…. And who knows there might soon be some actors, actresses and editors coming up too…

C&C: You write about your favorite “Glamorous Places”. If you were to magically slip into a scene from one of your most cherished glamorous places, where would you be and with whom?

Mark: Most definitely to La Colina, Bunny Williams and John Rosselli’s home in Punta Cana…it’s the most beautiful place…it’s my ideal…and I would want to be there with dear friends….

C&C: Is there a particular (fashion) item you are looking forward to coveting this Fall?

Mark: I guess just more navy and grey cashmere crewnecks… I kind of have a uniform, I tend to collect more of the same…boring I know, but I love what I love….

C&C: I swooned over the photographs (and cover!) of your home in Veranda’s July-August 2014 issue. Is there a particular space in your home you adore most?

Mark: To be honest I love every room, we use every room, but if I had to pick one it would be the tented library…the room is full of all my books and magazines. There is a day bed in the middle of the room, I find myself in there a lot….. it’s a space that I feel inspired in!

C&C: Those that know the true essence of Mark D. Sikes are well aware of your affinity to all things blue and white. I’ve asked you to share with us some blue and white items from your Instagram account you so adore (photos above).  Can you please speak to those pieces and your connection to each one?

Mark: I’m mad about antique blue and white ceramics, I have a very large collection, I love blue and white Portuguese tiles, and there has never been a blue a white stripe I didn’t love- I love to wear blue and white stripes and I love to decorate with them!

C&C: Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to decorating or manners?

Mark: I don’t have many pet peeves when it comes to decorating, I have my own rules, but that doesn’t mean they are right or wrong, and you know rules are made to be broken…everyone has there own taste, that’s what makes the world interesting and beautiful. In regards to manners, just be thoughtful, considerate and kind, it’s not hard!

C&C: What’s currently on your nightstand at home?

Mark: A picture of my partner Michael and lily (our French bull dog, better known as HRH Lily), there’s always a stack of magazines, possible a new design book, hate to say it but my phone and computer charger is always present, a carafe of water, fresh cut flowers, an ivory shagreen box with a pen and post its- I make lots of notes in the middle of the night!

 Images above are from Veranda Magazine, Mark's Instagram and property of Mark D. Sikes.

C.Z. Guest: Lettuce-Inspired

From the 60s - 80s, Palm Beach based artist and potter Dodie Thayer produced a collection of lettuce and cabbage style porcelain ceramics. As depicted, the pieces are naturalistic in subject but whimsy, vibrant and bold in personality. Akin to Lily Pulitzer dresses in their hay day, these ceramics became staples when entertaining. Women that incorporated these pieces into their table ware were far from shy and often females that to this day, are muses to lifestyle brands and mavens such as Aerin Lauder, Oscar de la Renta and Tory Burch, all of whom have their own table ware collections. The photograph above showcases C.Z. Guest's collection, one that she had in her Long Island home and utilized at her legendary parties. Todd Romano, a New York decorator who attended one of C.Z.'s lunches, was a fond admirer. He is now one of the largest collectors of the lettuce-inspired ceramics and has sold portions of his collection to clients such as Tory Burch. In 2012, New York socialite Brooke Astor's 218-piece Thayer collection sold for $75,500 with Sotheby's. Impressively, the collection included 41 dinner plates, 15 butter pads and six pepper shakers. Other collectors included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the Duchess of Windsor and Frank and Barbara Sinatra. Table wares were also widely produced in England and Europe throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, however some of the prettiest and most widely photographed collections stem from America. Be sure to add this book to your coffee table stack, as it gives a further glimpse into C.Z.'s charmed life, lettuce-inspired and all.

Magnificent in Milan

The Sartorialist captured this beauty on the streets of Milan. Sensual, confident and feminine, thumbs up in my book.

Baubles, Bangles & Beads

  One of my favorites: "Baubles, Bangles and Beads", the popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet, later recorded by Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim. It seems fitting for these lovely tassel earrings from Oscar de la Renta's jewelry collection. Akin to the song, they are dreamy, glittering and fluttering along with great ease, like a butterfly along the coast of Capri. They require a classic beauty, perhaps adorned with a summer tan, wispy locks, wearing with confidence, a dress made for a great love affair. Shop here.

Getting it Right: Typeface

Garance Dore just gave her blog a facelift thanks to the fabulously french talents of Colorz, a digital strategy agency. In true Hermès fashion, they have brought play and style to e-commerce. Their graphics and font provide a well-rounded web experience. Meredith Melling and Valerie Boster's creative consultancy has a sharp but concise web presence. I suppose that is to be expected for the former Vogue editors...

The chic San Francisco interior design firm Elizabeth Swift Design just launched their site and I'm loving the graphics and font on their "contact" page.

I'm working on a new project for a client and love exploring different typefaces. Typography, the art and craft of arranging and designing type to make the written language most alluring, can have a dramatic influence on how the brand or product connects with the consumer. Above are a few typefaces and designs I'm currently coveting.

Helmut Newton: Photographs for Playboy

I often get high-fives from my male friends when I post content such as the above and a few eyebrow raises from my family. I truly think the female figure can be an alluring art form and Helmut Newton makes my case. Although some of his photography can be particularly explicit and warrant the said eyebrow raises, I love studying the the many ways he captures the predominately unclothed female form. The above photograph is one of many that is open for bidding this morning via Christie's Auction House (online auction only). Titled 'Playboy', the photograph was taken in Los Angeles in 1986 and part of a series of pictorials Helmut Newton took for Playboy. It is estimated this lot item will sell for between $15,000 and $25,000. See the entire collection here. Disclaimer: You might want to view from your "home" computer...