Francophile Friday and Festive Fun : Pink Scooter, Louboutins and Festive Fashion

Francophile Friday and Festive Fun : Pink Scooter, Louboutins and Festive Fashion

20.12.19

Christian Louboutin Paris, Pink Scooter and Festive Fashion illustration © Shell Sherree all rights reserved

The year's flown by faster than this pink scooter in Paris with its merry cargo, it seems!

Today's illustration is a blast from a Christmas past and shows our stylish lassie zooming by the window of Christian Louboutin in Paris.  Not only has this past year flown, this past decade has flown, too.  I just realised I've not stopped to reflect yet on the significance of a decade ticking over and 2020 just around the corner.  But really, that's probably a good thing.  Too much navel gazing in the rear view mirror can take us away from living in the today. 

That said, I'm incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life, in the past, in the now and for all those yet to come.  Thank you for your visits here, however frequent or rare.  Wishing you a magnificent Christmas and a contented, peaceful and happy New Year.  And on that note ...

Happy Francophile Friday and Festive Season to you!

PS:  My online store is always open, so pop on over to your heart's content.   No mass-produced items there ... everything you acquire is made to order or one-of-a-kind or made with exceptional care.  Thank you for your support of my artistic endeavours - it means the world to me.  

SHOP SHELL SHERREE

::: Illustrated scarves, fine art reproductions, original artworks :::

Read post

No comments

Feline Friday : Leopard Print Silk Scarf Now Available

Feline Friday : Leopard Print Silk Scarf Now Available

22.11.19

Lovely Leap of Leopards - Leopard Print Italian Silk Scarf © Shell Sherree all rights reserved

Leap of Lovely Leopards - Leopard Print Italian Silk Scarf © Shell Sherree all rights reserved

What's better than one leopard print?  A gorgeous silk scarf illustrated with loads of them!

Today's illustration is a group of lovely leopards, otherwise known as a 'leap'.  These fetching felines will jazz up your tanks and tees, slip dresses and sweaters - and even adorn your hair.  

For the past few months I've been working on creating a beautiful, illustrated silk scarf for you to make part of your life.  Because when it comes to art, why should walls have all the fun?!  And why stop at one leopard print when you can have oodles of them at the one time! 

After illustrating nine lovely leopards and helping them land on their paws into a stylish design, off to Italy they traveled, where these pretty paper leopards were transformed into wearable Italian silk twill ones to put a spring in your step and light up your life. Please click here to order and let your fashion animal run wild. And on that note ...

Happy Feline Friday to you!

SHOP SHELL SHERREE

::: Luxury Illustrated Leopard Silk Scarf, Prints and Original Art :::

Lovely Leap of Leopards - Leopard Print Silk Scarf © Shell Sherree all rights reserved

Read post

No comments

Fashionable Feline Friday : Plaid, Tulle and Toughies

Fashionable Feline Friday : Plaid, Tulle and Toughies

4.10.19

Ella Cat Fashion illustration in Plaid, Tulle and Toughies © Shell Sherree all rights reserved

Plaid coat: check! Tulle skirt: check (but plain, not checked)!  Belt for shapeliness: check!  Toughen up the look with toughie boots: check check!

Today's fashionable kitty cat illustration sees Ella ready to dance ballet, ready for a country stroll, and ready for climbing the Himalayas.  Well, as long as the weather is lovely and they have a champagne tent pitched along the way.  An outfit of marvellous versatility!  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Feline Friday to you!

SHOP SHELL SHERREE

::: Artworks and Artwares to Bring Sunshine to the Cloudiest Day :::

Read post

No comments

Fashionable Friday : Coffee and Haute Coiffure

Fashionable Friday : Coffee and Haute Coiffure

21.12.18

Coffee and Haute Coiffure fashion illustration © Shell Sherree all rights reserved

You can get high on life with coffee.  You can get even higher with haute coiffure!

If you're on the petite side, a voluminous up-do will add inches ~ and more than a few.  Tuck in enough hair pins, you can even shelter a bird or two.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you!

SHOP SHELL SHERREE

Custom pet portraiture and custom illustration enquiries

Prints (framed and unframed) and canvases 

Cushions, totes, travel mugs, phone cases

Stationery cards

Read post

No comments

Fashionable Friday : Camels, Kitties and Kate Spade New York

Fashionable Friday : Camels, Kitties and Kate Spade New York

17.3.17

Fashion illustration : Of Camels, Kitties and Kate Spade New York (Illustration © Shell-Sherree)

Ask this camel for directions and you'll end up at Kate Spade New York.  It's an oasis for your inner fun lover, you know.

Water isn't the only essential in life.  Not taking oneself too seriously is right up there, too.  Today's fashion illustration draws inspiration from the Spring 2017 campaign of this whimsical brand.  I'm not sure how alluring it smells, but it's cute, it's bright and full of smiles.  Open one of those bags and you might even find cubes of sugar and a glass of mint tea. Come, sip a while with me.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you!

Read post

2 comments

Fashionable Friday : Out of Africa-ish

Fashionable Friday : Out of Africa-ish

15.4.16

{Fashion and Fluffballs illustration: Vintage Camera Romance © Shell-Sherree}

Not quite Out of Africa, but from the looks of that fence, this could be our definition of a weekend with the big cats.

Call me old-fashioned but there's a certain romance about old cameras and the careful consideration called for when capturing a moment in time without the ease of digital indulgence.  And don't get me started on dark rooms.  Is a kiss stolen while gently swirling paper and watching an image come alive under the ripples more breathtaking than a smooch exchanged over a computer screen?

Let us compose ourselves and sip G&Ts with a slice of finely-Laguioled lime while we ponder on the meritous possibilities of hipsters trading fudge brownies for Box Brownies.  Perhaps not a moment too soon.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

Read post

6 comments

Fashionable Friday : Vintage Vixens

Fashionable Friday : Vintage Vixens

2.4.16

Fashion and Fluffballs illustration: Muddled Lilac and Vintage Vixens  © Shell-Sherree

The penny farthing has dropped that I'm increasingly taken with illustrating vintage fashions {and not overly flash at knowing in which era penny farthings were invented.  Insert shrug of insouciance here}.

This led me to thinking ... is it time to sashay into the world from a film reel of glamorous day-to-day dressing times and see if it catches on?  Faux fur and feathers obligatory but nary a bone of corsetry in sight?  Could we have just one day a week in which vintage vixenry is the norm, or would the world wobble off its axis as surely as a penny farthing rider with a bee in his bonnet?

Let us lower our fluffy stoles, imprint lipstick on glasses of sherry and draw seams on our legs as we wonder.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you!

Read post

4 comments

Fashion and Fluffballs : Tongue Out Tuesday

Fashion and Fluffballs : Tongue Out Tuesday

15.12.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration: Chase the Blues © Shell-Sherree}

Some days, the easiest thing to do is poke out one's tongue.

Childish, yes.  Effective?  Pretty much so.

Chez Shell, mercury conveniently aligns itself with our wardrobe mood rather than the tedious practicalities of ambient temperature. So we shall opt for something fluffily snug and grand for our stroll in the park, and I will not bust one bead of perspiration at the very thought of it.  En garde, Australian summer!  Hot toddies are on speed dial, and wait ... is that the sound of chestnuts roasting on an open fire?  Lead on, sweet Frenchie!  And on that note ...

Happy Fashion and Fluffballs to you !

Read post

6 comments

Fashionable Friday : Hello, Hugh. Faux Insouciance is Futile

Fashionable Friday : Hello, Hugh. Faux Insouciance is Futile

5.12.15

{Fashion and fluffballs : Au Casuale and Fluffy Chops Cuddles © Shell-Sherree}

Well, hello, Hugh.  Bless your fuzzy, gorgeous, warm, huge exuberant heart for coming to town. When you make your entrance on stage, I'll be a gooey mess of smittendom on the inside.  If you're taking requests, I can see you 'Singin' in the Rain' in a very fetching way. Excuse me while I fan myself.

On the outside, however, can I possibly wear an air of nonchalance? Insouciance? Will an off-the-shoulder top signal the sartorial equivalent of an off-the-cuff remark?

When the concert comes, there's a good chance I'll be as cool as a blow-torched cucumber and channelling my Bay City Roller fan days, minus the tartan but still most inelegant.  In the meantime, however, let us practise our best Parisian shrug and count the hours.  Limitless TimTams and lamingtons will fuel our endeavours, floating by on golden trays powered by energy harnessed from Hugh's dazzling smile.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

PS:  Yay, there's a quick special on at the time of posting on all ShellSherree merchandise including cards {champion the magnificence of handwriting!} and prints: free shipping worldwide and 20% off everything.  Lovely for Christmas gifts! There is one catch: you need to order post haste using this special link, which will expire with a burst of pink and gold bubbles at midnight PT 5th December 2015. 

Read post

13 comments

Fashionable Friday : Totes Adorable in Paris

Fashionable Friday : Totes Adorable in Paris

23.10.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Totes Adorable in Paris © Shell-Sherree}

To the Paris Daydream-mobile !  We have a casual weekend ahead.  While we are wandering the cobblestones in the comfort of ballet flats or white Converse, our stilettos shall be buffed and tended by a team of mice in tutus.  Toting our kitties is therefore an essential.  Our chihuahua, on the other hand, can laze around in bed instead.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

PS:  If you'd like a totes adorable Shell Sherree tote for toting your toteables, please click here to browse and procure.  Disclaimer:  kitties are for styling purposes only. 

Read post

5 comments

Fashionable Friday : Agent Violet and the Harlequin Hat Box

Fashionable Friday : Agent Violet and the Harlequin Hat Box

12.9.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration :  Agent Violet and the Harlequin Hat Box © Shell-Sherree}

Having safely negotiated a glass of pink champagne and wardrobe change, Agent Violet left her 600 gsm luxe monogrammed calling card by the bed and and exited the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris.  The harlequin hat box was secured.  It must be an extremely valuable asset to have warranted Sir Percy's sudden request for a clandestine meeting under her Scarlet Pimpernel alias, thereby causing undue pressure on her dry cleaner.  For this, she would have to pay, and quite probably at a most inconvenient time.

The afternoon had turned grey and her travelling companions were growing tetchy.  And to worsen the situation, the parachute mechanism of her parasol was overdue for its safety check.  This would never do.  Violet gave the harlequin hat box another glance.  It was light and made no sound when she gently shook it.  Empty? Filled with fairy floss?  Damn.  Now she needed a pastry. 

Will Violet succumb to a classic chocolate éclair and risk being late for her assignation with the poodle groomer? What's so fascinating about the hem of her coat.  And why did Sir Percy caution her to make the appointment with The Groomer before picking the gold hat box lock?  Let us ruminate and have another glass of Chambord muddled with organic single-origin cacao nibs.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

Read post

10 comments

Fashionable Friday : If the Jeans Fit ...

Fashionable Friday : If the Jeans Fit ...

22.8.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration :  If the Jeans Fit © Shell-Sherree}

It's time for a casual respite from our usual glam ruffles, shimmers and fluffiness.  They'd look very much at home here for the sake of a flight of fancy, but those park benches are hellishly wicked when it comes to organza and tulle.  

It's also time for me to take the whole 'denim on denim' trend for a half-hearted, heel-dragging spin.  I've been choosing to ignore it, but it's not going away yet, so let's keep one jeans-clad leg on each side of the fence and tuck a different shade of denim under our arm ~ purely in case of a rodeo flash mob emergency.

Big fashion stretches require big sunglasses, big puppy dogs and big hair to boost one's bravado.  There's a hair teasing station a few hundred metres along in case we need to put more 'up' in our 'dos.  I hear a ukelele, too. Banjos are so yesterday.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you ! 

Read post

10 comments

Fashionable Friday : Hang Onto Your Hats, the Fur is Flying

Fashionable Friday : Hang Onto Your Hats, the Fur is Flying

8.8.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Hang Onto Your Hats © Shell-Sherree}

It's that time of winter when I'm starting to hit the wall.  Hopefully one more cold snap at the most then Hello, Spring!  Come to Mama.

Today's illustration was drawn under the influence of wishful thinking. Some pretty icy winds usually blow in during this coming week while our Royal Queensland Show is on.  But Chez Shell, the fashion parades are unseasonably warm, thus enabling us to go sleeveless while wearing compensatory gloves as a nod to the frostbite we are politely declining.

Our two mascots will need some brushing prior to judging for Best in Show, but once coiffed and pawdicured in the grooming lounges to the tune of J S Bark and Purrcell, they will be on top of their game.  Come, let us pick up our gilt-edged boar bristle brushes and commence without further ado.  Cucumber sandwiches and a nice pot of tea await our pleasure.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

Read post

6 comments

Fashionable Friday : My Fair Ladies

Fashionable Friday : My Fair Ladies

12.6.15

{Fashion illustration : Eliza and Dover - My Fair Ladies © Shell-Sherree}

With Royal Ascot preparing to enter the mounting yard next week, today's fashion illustration honours a well-loved and long-retired but never-to-be-forgotten favourite.  The expression,"Rooster one day, feather duster the next," was certainly not made for Audrey Hepburn or Eliza Doolittle ~ even though some bemused men folk might wonder if the hat is a combination of both.  {They know not what they do.}

Not so long ago, I illustrated Audrey Hepburn in a different costume from the Royal Ascot scene in My Fair Lady.  It's lovely and all ~ but nothing can rival this breathtaking magnificence Cecil Beaton concocted especially for her ... somehow primly elegant and wildly extravagant all at once.  There's a rare gift in successfully combining both.

We feel we must apologise for inflicting hat hair on you yet again, and indeed, it is a requirement of Royal Ascot's official style guide that we do.  But we have arranged for distractional brandy in sterling silver hip flasks should one's hat come adrift at any point in proceedings.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

CANTER OVER TO MY PETITE BOUTIQUE HERE

Read post

8 comments

Fashionable Friday : Carry-On Your Valuables

Fashionable Friday : Carry-On Your Valuables

6.6.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Have Carry-On, Fluffballs Will Travel © Shell-Sherree}

Travelling with everything you need in your carry-on luggage is light. Carefree. And oft much envied !

Wearing a classic black maillot during the day with jeans and a dash of Hermès jauntily knotted at one's neck sounds peachy.  For an elegant dinner, team it with a black pencil skirt, trade the scarf for a statement necklace and you're guaranteed to use every piece of cutlery correctly before a modestly-partial disrobe and champagne-fuelled moonlight dip. Master the art of tying your Hermès as a bandeau, a belt and a halter-neck. Add in a white shirt and several strings of faux pearls long enough to wrap around your waist, and you can see out a week without wearing the same thing twice !

Of course, if you take your most valuable thing with you ~ something along the lines of today's illustration ~ this elegant theory is completely blown out of the water and relegated to a suitcase ~ in which case, you might as well opt for excess baggage, boots and all.  So let us find a fleet of gold-plated trolleys and be on our way.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

ROLL OVER TO MY PETITE BOUTIQUE HERE

Read post

14 comments

Fashionable Flashback : Royal Ascot and Almost-Audrey

Fashionable Flashback : Royal Ascot and Almost-Audrey

19.5.15

{Fashion illustration : Royal Ascot and Almost-Audrey © Shell-Sherree}

When this Audrey Hepburn inspiration leapt out at me, I illustrated first and asked questions later. 

This felt like My Fair Lady ~ but didn't seem right.  I turned to my Golden Age of Hollywood 'go to' person and she came up with the answer, as I knew she would.  She's modest, so I'll leave her to put up her hand if she wishes ~ meanwhile, "Thank you again, my sweet !"

Turns out Audrey is modelling a costume from the Royal Ascot scene ~ but it wasn't one of her costumes in the movie.  Cecil Beaton {designer, photographer, illlustrator and generally artistic bod} asked her to model his other creations, to the chagrin of director George Cukor or so the story goes.  Mr Beaton's designs are exquisite and even more so on Audrey, so it's easy to forgive his mildly eccentric request. 

One of these days, I will illustrate Audrey in 'the real costume' from that scene, in all its iconic magnificence.  Meanwhile, let us move our bloomin' proverbials onto a spot of tea and cucumber sandwiches.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Flashback to you !

GEE-UP TO MY PETITE BOUTIQUE HERE

Read post

6 comments

Fashionable Feline Friday : Of Aqua and the Orient

Fashionable Feline Friday : Of Aqua and the Orient

15.5.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Aqua and the Orient © Shell-Sherree}

A beautiful globe.  This will be my geographical saviour.  I know my strengths and to date, geography has not been one of them.  {History was scratched long, long ago for refusing to even get into the starting gates.}  But I have visions of a glorious globe in cream and gold, with lots of aqua and pink ~ and should I find this inanimate creature of loveliness and bring it home, I'm sure a whole new world will be awakened.  Unless it's a vintage globe, in which case an old new world will be awakened.  Be ready for anything.

Anyhoo, that was a long way of saying today's illustration has an oriental flavour, but I'm using the term loosely.  I don't yet have The Globe.  Inspired by this gorgeous creation in orange, I leave that colour to my vibrant mum who wears it spectacularly ~ it never wears her ! ~ and I shall opt for one of my signature shades for this weekend's adventures.  But there's a rack of these in every colour you fancy, so the choice is yours.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Feline Friday to you !

RIDE A MAGIC CARPET TO MY PETITE BOUTIQUE HERE 

Read post

12 comments

Fashionable Friday : Netting a Cat in the Hat

Fashionable Friday : Netting a Cat in the Hat

17.4.15

{Fashion illustration : In the Pink with Netted Hat and Cat © Shell-Sherree}

Uh-oh.  It's hat hair time again.  Just when you thought you were off the hook.  Surprise !

Today's fashion illustration indulges my current state of Jean Shrimpton smittendom.  Here's the original inspiration ~ and if you ask me, there was more than a dash of Cat in the Hat behind that. 

So, let's all have hat hair together this weekend.  It's been pretty breezy here this afternoon, so we might need luxury-length hat pins, but old school glamour does not come without sacrifice.  And we're at risk of getting something caught if we bat our false eyelashes too heavily under that netting, but I'm willing to take one for the team if you are.  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

NET SOMETHING PRETTY at my PETITE BOUTIQUE OF ART PRINTS

Read post

14 comments

Fashionable Fancy : Round Midnight Blue

Fashionable Fancy : Round Midnight Blue

1.4.15

{Fashion illustration : Round Midnight Blue in a Sea of Ruffles © Shell-Sherree}

Round Midnight is one of my all-time favourite songs, written by Thelonious Monk in the early 1940s.  As my Ella is named after Ella Fitzgerald, I'm putting this rendition onto the playlist first. {Forgive me, Thelonious, for choosing this over one of your recordings ... just as I hope you forgave me for calling you 'Theolonious' well beyond when I should have known better.} 

Today's fashion illustration is inspired by vintage Dior from a Lillian Bassman photo in Paris for Harpers Bazaar 1949, so we're roughly in the same era.  The original gown clearly wasn't midnight blue but it's my colour of choice for tonight's twirl around a terrace under the moon and stars. White tuxes for the men, but of course.  Shall we dance?  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Fancy to you !

RUSTLE OVER TO MY PETITE BOUTIQUE OF ART PRINTS HERE

Read post

6 comments

Fashionable Friday : Double Trouble, Fluff and Cuddle

Fashionable Friday : Double Trouble, Fluff and Cuddle

28.3.15

{Fashion animals illustration : Double Trouble, Fluff and Cuddle © Shell-Sherree}

You could be forgiven for thinking you spent too long at the pink champagne fountain during our last post  {after all, Hugh was there ...}, but fret not, you aren't seeing double. 

Today's fashion illustration is inspired by another walk down Jean Shrimpton memory lane ~ and I couldn't help but think a couple of kittens would enjoy fluffing around amongst the froth and feathers.  Not to mention it takes away the ever-present conundrum of what to do with one's hands when being photographed. 

You'll be glad to see we're wearing flats today, though it looks like we aren't actually walking anywhere ~ so I could have brought out the stilettos big-time. Say, we could go-go dance in situ while the going is good !  What do you say ~ are we game?  And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

FLUFF ON OVER TO MY PETITE BOUTIQUE OF ART PRINTS HERE

Read post

8 comments