One of the places I was most excited to stay while I was recently in London was the new London Edition Hotel. It’s a collaboration between Marriott hotels and hotelier and Studio 54 founder, Ian Schrager. There are bits of it that remind me of the Public Hotel in Chicago that Mr. Schrager also designed […]

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. – Edith Sitwell Photo of my apt via instagram

New York woke up to six inches of snow blanketing the city today.  Seems like a perfect day to stay in bed and watch movies and read. If you didn’t receive new pajamas for Christmas, I suggest some of these chic options. Some of them are even nice enough to wear on the street should […]

Thank you so much for all the kind words about my New year’s post and Paris apartment rental suggestions. I’m even more excited to get starting planning my extended stay now. And speaking of Paris, I found some new photos of Diane von Furstenberg‘s Saint Germain apartment.  I posted some images from House & Garden […]

While 2013 wasn’t the worst year ever, it certainly was not my favorite.  I felt out of sorts and adrift for most of it. I also feel like I didn’t really accomplish anything of note.  As one of my wise friends pointed out, some years are about planting the seeds to be harvested later.  It’s […]

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. – Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850 Wishing you all a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve! I’ll be back on New Year’s Day with my annual “Write […]

If you’ve been checking out Instagram this week, you’ll notice that everyone is either relaxing on the beach or skiing on the slopes.  Talk about “fear of missing out.” And because everyone is off enjoying themselves somewhere, it’s clear that many less of you are reading blogs.  Due to this fact, I’ve decided to save […]

The love of learning,the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow As much as I love reading on the beach in the summer, there is really nothing better than snuggling up with a good book in the winter.  Yesterday, I stopped by the Strand Bookstore in the newly renovated […]

I have a bad habit of falling in love with very expensive sandals. Since you only get to wear them a few months of the year, I can’t justify paying full price.  Lucky for me, a pair of Chloe Sandals I was admiring just went on sale at Barneys. It’s a great time to take advantage […]

I hope you all had a great holiday. A great last minute Christmas present for me was finding the new January/February 2014 issue of Elle Decor on the newsstand.  It’s the International Issue and my favorite home featured was a 19th-century house in Normandy designed by Franz Potisek.  I won’t ruin it by posting photos […]

Wishing you a chic and Merry Christmas!

Christmas came early to Habitually Chic. Yesterday, I received a copy of the book Jacques Henri Lartigue: A Sporting Life.  In French, the title is Chic, le sport ! which obviously, I find amusing. I was first introduced to the book at a press preview at Hermès whose 2013 theme for the year was “a sporting life” which […]

I know many of you have seen these photos before but they deserve to looked at every holiday season which is what I do.  They are of Aerin Lauder‘s house in the Hamptons decorated for Christmas that was featured in the now discontinued House & Garden magazine in 2007.  Even after six years the look remains […]

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,  and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  – Norman Vincent Peale All photos by me via Instagram

Finding out who designed a room you found on tumblr is like a treasure hunt.  But sometimes it’s worth the effort.  I love the Christmas decorations that David Phoenix used in his 2011 dining room at the Greystone Mansion in Los Angeles.  Most of you who don’t live in the big city can probably find […]

Fashionista.com featured old Christmas covers from the magazines on their site and I thought some of them were worth reposting. They are charming and sweet and make me wistful for the days before celebrities started staring out from the newsstands.  Happy Holidays!