Oh Boy, Oh Boy: The #royalbaby is here!

After spending today

trolling around St. Mary's Lindo Wing 

in the (year's hottest) heat,

we are proud to report:

Viola's arranged marriage 

is officially on track

and we are excited to start 

our play dates at Kensington.

We are now just waiting for Royal approval

(or perhaps, recognition of our existance)

to start the path to the altar.

Cheers to the safe arrival of

HRH Prince Charming.

(Who, at the time of posting, has not yet had his name announced.)

Either way, I have a feeling 

it will go swell with Viola.

Check out a few of the instagrams snapped 

from our day at St. Mary's.

My partner-in-crime, Amber. :)

Someone finally gave up

and wanted to get the heck out of the heat...

But I won't name names. 

And at last-

the news breaks!

It's a Prince.

All around the world,

every little girl's heart just skipped a beat.

Okay, fine... maybe not,

but their mom's did

faster than Carol Middleton can say

"Married Up."

______________

Don't miss out on my next royal "encounter"

(like my time at the Royal Wedding or at the King James Bible Anniversary Service)

follow me on Instagram to keep up with all the fun live.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

It's a Pretty Big Day: Baby Royal On The Way.

Obviously, 

I think the two babies I'm carrying

are the most important children in the world.

I enjoy the world stopping everything

and celebrating the resplendent fruit of my uterus.

However,

with today's big news

coming from St. James Palace,

I'm happy to share the limelight.

WILL & KATE ARE PREGNANT!

image

Who knows when this little bundle of royal goodness is due

(as no due dates have been released yet),

but I think it's safe to say:

I'll be spending my summer

doing circles around Kensington Gardens

trying to shed some baby weight...

and in a pathetically obvious attempt

to bump into the happy little family.

PS. Have you heard the crazy rumor

that her hospitalizing condition, hyperemesis gravidarum, 

is more common in mothers carrying twins?

Well, I had never heard of it before-

which makes me think people are slightly overreacting.

(Remember the whole "peanut butter" absurdity last fall?)

Though, if it were in fact true-

I can't say that I'd be mad to learn

that we were both carrying two babies.

It'd just align our trajectory of being friends all the closer...

and make the two of us, well, twins.

Emotions, screaming, fanfare welcome below.

I want to be cool about all of this, but I'm going to fail miserably.

Downton Abbey: Back in Britain

Some of my stateside friends

were bemoaning the airing 

of Downton Abbey's Season Three premier 

here in the UK last night.

Yeah, sucks to be you America.

I'm totally kidding,

 I love America...

but it is tragic that you won't have it

until several months down the line.

When I am into a series,

whether it is book or film,

I absolutely hate when people drop spoilers.

{Wouldn't that be soooo Edith of me?}

When someone is a step ahead of me in reading or watching 

and starts a sentence with the phrase,

"I'm not giving anything away, BUT.... "

it makes me fussy.

Because, as well all know, they actually DO give something away.

With that perspective in mind,

I'm going to do my very best to keep quiet 

on the weekly happenings of Downton

until my American friends can catch up.

So since I can't tell you any details,

I'll just tell you...

the awesomeness that you fell in love with

from Seasons 1 & 2,

well... it's still there.

My mom was here watching it with me 

and we were in the zone.

You have good things waiting for you.

While you're dreaming of Season 3,

here are some dreamy shots of my favorite, Lady Mary Crawley.

*images sourced via

Di-Namic Duo: Naomi & Diana

So you remember my friend, Holly, that tried on jeans

next to Kate Middleton the other day?

Well, in my excitement over her GAP encounter,

I didn't even mention the fact that 

the night before she posted a picture

of the new Naomi Watts movie

being filmed outside her house.

Typically this would be top priority...

but the Duchess trumps film crews.

It's a fact.

Anyway, they were literally outside her window

shooting a scene for the new movie.

You know, the one where Naomi Watts 

is attempting to relive the tragic last two years

of Princess Diana's life.

Those are some dyed-satin pumps I would not want to try to fill.

But have you seen the pictures of Watts in character?

It's pretty amazing.

Hopefully, the directors and writers are paying as much attention to detail

as wardrobe is at accurately recreating Lady Di's last few years.

I can't wait.

And in the meantime,

since the movie won't be released until 2013 ,

I'll be stalking my friend Holly 

just in case she bumps into anymore amazing situations.

*images via

Heads or Tails? Karl Lagerfield vs Pippa

It's time for a little celebrity-royal gossip.

Did you hear what Chanel's Karl Lagerfield said about Pippa Middleton?

In a recent interview the UK's Sun,

he gushed on the Duchess of Cambridge's silhouette

and being "the right girl for that boy."

But her sister didn't get the same affection from the famed designer.

"On the other hand, her sister struggles," Chanel's famous designer said to the sun.

"I don't like the sister's face. She should only show her back."

Oh, Karl.

(Said in a Harriet Winslow voice.)

When will you learn?

After slamming Adele for being "a little too fat" early this year,

you would think you would have picked up a lesson.

One thing I can guess for certain after this that you won't see

the Duchess of Cambridge sitting cozy with Karl's beloved, Victoria Beckham,

 at any Chanel shows in the near future.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Personally, I actually think it's lame how Pippa 

runs around town like she is a big-time celebrity after doing... well, nothing,

but I'm not sure that is entirely her fault.

Until the public made her butt an topic of international attention,

she was cool playing it quiet on the sidelines.

Now it's your turn, go.

images via NY Daily News

Happy Anniversary Will & Kate!

Happy First Anniversary, Will & Kate!

It seems like just yesterday that I was camped outside Westminster Abbey

standing for 8 hours without a break to rest my legs,

watching people act like total fools....

but oh man,

it was worth it!

I will never forget watching the Queen pop out of the car in canary yellow dress,

William and Harry grinning to each other as they arrived for the service,

and Kate turning and waving to us before walking down the aisle.

The whole day felt like Christmas...

the atmosphere was electric

& I still can't believe I got to witness it firsthand.

For a trip down memory lane,

click back to see the photos from my day at 

The Royal Wedding!

PS. I'm still waiting for us to become best friends...

I know it's been hard with me being in France. 

I'll be back soon though & we can get down to business.

Marion Cotillard- FOURSALE

Women here in France have such great style.

Where some people might attribute "messy hair" to Pinterest,

I credit the streets of Paris.

There is just an intelligently-disheveled look that I like very much.

Floppy buns tied messily into hair,

with faces shining simply with lipgloss.

Corduroy coats with toggles up top,

and opaque tights with worn flats below.

All together it creates a look that feels like Hermione Granger gone indie....

And it's awesome.

The girl that does this best {in my eyes} is Marion Cotillard.

Sure, she can look pristine on the Red Carpet....

She can look stunning in advertisements....

But my favorite look,

is the look that I first started liking in "The Good Year."

Perfectly simple. Perfectly French.

And how can I channel her loveliness? 

Well that might be impossible, 

but you better believe I'm going to try.

Miss Dior Cherie, $80 | Bioderma Make Up Remover €15.25 | TopShop Striped Dress, £15

Paris Versus New York, $20 | Guerlain Parure De Nuit Powder, $67

And today, I'm offering a FOURSALE of my favorite French cosmetic product....

BIODERMA Crealine H2O Make-Up Remover.

I bet you've heard of it, haven't you?

I first learned about it from Gwyneth on GOOP, 

and have been a believer since I furiously ran out and bought some.

This pink-capped bottle is legendary here... 

and only here, as it not widely sold outside of France.

It's like putting water on your face, it's seriously so gentle.

No stinging eyes. No oily residue. 

Just a perfectly clean face.

I went to grab a bottle for Helena the other day,

threw in a bottle for myself...

and thought that some of you might want some, too.

It's seriously fantastic... and the bottles are really big.

{I just finished off a bottle after 1 year.}

As always, first come... first served.


{Update: SOLD OUT.}

*image 

Downton Abbey- Your New Favorite Thing

I always assume everybody already watches Downton Abbey;

however, I have grown increasingly alarmed

to learn that some of you still have not jumped in to the series.

Here's the deal...

you need to.

You, just, really do.

Watch this clip

and I double dog dare you to resist

the lure of Downton.

The fabulous plots,

the costumes,

the gorgeous English backdrop...

Maggie Smith's hilarious one liners.

Everything about Downton Abbey is just so perfect.

It's like Pride & Prejudice meets Sophia Coppola meets The Titanic.


If you thought Will & Kate brought England back on the style map,
this is going to be the next (and dare I say, larger?) wave of English style
to sweep the pop-culture scene & re-establish the British Empire.

The final straw to convince you that you need to watch it?


It's reportedly the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge's favorite show.

A Day with The Queen... & A Smile from Charles

I admit that some of the things 

I get to do are completely ridiculous.

Life in England has given me the chance

to partake in some amazing moments & celebrations...

and I haven't lost the hunger to try & find them.

One of the more memorable of these came today,

the day the Queen & I crossed paths.


(And for real this time... not across the street like at the Royal Wedding.)

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the translation

of the King James Bible.

Today in Westminster Abbey,

the Queen, Prince Phillip, & Prince Charles

came to celebrate this event

that was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

And, gosh darn it, I did, too.

My friend, Grace, inherited some tickets

that an old friend won in the lottery 
held by the King James Trust.

When Grace's husband couldn't leave work,

I got to play second fiddle...

and was the happiest fiddle in the world.

Grace, being responsible & prompt,

got there early when the doors opened 

and scored seats on the front row.

I, being late & a maniac,

was happy to see her prime location upon arrival.

After about an hour,

the crowd grew silent...

the scene from outside the door illuminated in camera flashes...

and the party started.

The Queen walked past & nodded hello.

Prince Phillip walked past and nodded hello...

but when Charles walked by and saw two euphoric, grinning Americans,

 broke his composed face and smiled at us.

I pretty much blacked out after that.

The End.

Actually, I do remember the service.

It was gorgeous

and a great tribute the huge impact

that this translation has had on the world.

The choir was, in the most cliche terms, angelic 

and we listened to the thoughts & prayers 
of some faithful leaders of the Anglican church.

Afterwards, the Royals all processed out

and, so kindly, nodded at us once more...

We made our exits from the Abbey with the crowd...

and glowed all the way home.

I'm not sure if this would be your cup of tea...

but it sure was for my taste!

The BBC news clip is here... 

*Around the 1:32 minute mark, you'll see my big white flower in the bottom right. :)

*crappy iPhone pics by me

*gorgeous real photos by Grace Glendinning

A Hump Day Treat

Looking at these people is like standing before fine art.

They might be in black in white,

but with cheek bones & faces like theirs...

we get the picture.

Olsen twins, Diane Kruger, Kate Moss...

Robert Downey Jr, Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper...

Honestly...

 I just can't handle the all the pretty DNA in one place.

*images via

Three Continents. Three Weeks.

It's been nearly three weeks since I returned from India,

 the day after returning from an amazing trip to Italy...

Today I've found myself buried with work today

(yes! I actually do work!)

and with a last minute flight to the states on Saturday.

My body is getting rocked with jet lag this summer.

As an olive branch to you,

dear blogging friends,

for putting up with my silence, neglect, and absence 

over the past, present, and future weeks.

I present to you...

cute pictures of

Prince Harry.

I hope it suffices...

because it's the best this time-starved blogger has to offer.

To all the rest of you paddling hard to keep up this week,

keep going. 

You can do it!

images via