Bon Voyage

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By the time you read this, my friend Stefan and I will be hitting the high seas.  After this awful winter, I don't have to tell you how excited I am to get away to warmer weather.  Thank you to everyone who sent me recommendations for Miami and Nassau.  If you want to follow our adventures in real time, you can always check me out on Twitter. But don't think I've left you high and dry.  I have written lots of fun posts that will upload while I am away.   Bon voyage!

Photos by Pamela Hanson

Habitually Chic Hits the High Seas

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I've never really fancied myself a cruise person.  Especially not after all the stories I've heard of people gaining ten pounds after eating at the buffet twelve times a day.  But when someone asks you if you want to take a cruise on a brand new ship with fabulous interior design, custom fabrics from Kravet, a Canyon Ranch Spa, a restaurant by Jacques Pépin, and much more, what else could I say but pass the Dramamine and sign me up!  So I will be taking a trip to Miami (February 5-10) to board the new Oceania cruise ship Marina on its maiden voyage to Nassau, Bahamas.  I can't wait to experience this floating boutique hotel and get some sun!  Joining me on this trip will be my good friend Stefan Hurray of Architect Design.  We'll also be staying in Miami for a few days after the cruise so if anyone has suggestions on what to do or see, please feel free to let me know.  Same for Nassau.  And for those who've already asked, I will definitely be posting my outfits!  That's the best part! Anchors Away!  

Chic Christian Louboutin Boutique

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Since we have a few inches of snow on the ground in New York, I thought this might be a good time to post about warm and sunny Miami!  After the cruise docked, Stefan and I headed to the Design District in Downtown Miami.  In addition to furniture showrooms, the Design District is home to some very chic boutiques.  One that impressed me the most was Christian Louboutin at 155 NE 40th Street.

Miami's beautiful climate means that they can have flowers and greenery all year long.  The store was designed by Eric Clough of 212box architects in New York who created a growing facade wall of orchids that stopped me in my tracks from across the street.   

A peek into the Christian Louboutin window.

The flowers extend into the store as well.

Many of the walls are made up of custom tiles that the architect inscribed with unique hieroglyphics, symbols and braille.  Perhaps this is an homage to Christian Louboutin's home in Egypt.

Miami is also known for its love of art and in the window and entrance are installations by artist Madeleine Berkhemer.  She has created spiderweb like designs using ladies hosiery which is a great compliment to the shoes.

Of course the store was filled with pretty shoes too!  I am loving the stripes and gingham prints for spring.

Not sure who made the bubble glass sculptures but they looked gorgeous next to the colorful shoes. The red carpet also matches the famous red soles of the shoes.

The patchwork furniture is by Bokja and is another interesting complement to the shoes.  

I found the Christian Louboutin boutique immensely inspiring and it's just another great example of how art, design and fashion are all related.  Looking at these photos also makes me wish I was still in warm Miami!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Oceania Cruises: They had me at Ahoy!

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This cold weather is definitely making me wish I was still sailing on the Marina.  I don't think Stefan and I could have had a better first cruise experience and we owe it all to Oceania Cruises.  This was an inaugural christening cruise and there was copious amounts of music, dancing, champagne, fireworks, sunshine, and food!  Entertainment Tonight corespondent Mary Hart was on hand for the festivities as she was the godmother of Marina.  You can read her account here.  We also got to meet chef Jacques Pépin who has his own restaurant on the ship and enjoy the Canyon Ranch Spa on board.  These are just some of photos of the outside of the ship and our room.  I can't wait to also share the fabulous public areas and rooms decorated with fabric from Kravet and Lee Jofa and suites designed by Susan Bednar Long for Ralph Lauren Home and Dakota Jackson.   Enjoy!

When we arrived in Miami it was 80 degrees!

Cute sailors!

The chefs and other staff lined the decks during the christening ceremony. 

The Marina weight 66,000 tons and can carry 1,250 passengers.  It bills itself at mid-level luxury but it felt very luxurious to us!

They really do break the champagne bottle against the ship but I missed that moment.

There were fireworks over Miami harbor to celebrate our voyage.

Very chic crest on the front of Marina.

Loved the nautical flags.

So glad we had great weather for the entire cruise!

The very popular pool area.

The dark area houses the glass enclosed elevators.

You can choose from regular deck chairs or lounges.

It was hot outside but I was glad I had my cardigans for inside.

It's very windy on a ship and this is how my hair looked most of the time but nine times bigger due to the humidity!

They really did have shuffleboard!

They also had croquet as demonstrated by Stefan.

The clock stated it was made by Scandinavian Marine Time. 

In case of emergency!

The Terrace Grill is located on the back of the ship and was where we loved to eat lunch.  This is a view of Nassau when we were docked.

There is artwork everywhere even outside.

We had a room on Concierge Level Deck 9 that included a chair upholstered in Kravet fabric  #26119 – 512.

Stefan pouring the bubbly.

Each room has its own private terrace.

We also had a lovely sitting area with pretty pillow made of Kravet fabric #28931-516.

The linens were 100% Egyptian cotton. I miss having someone make my bed everyday!

The closet contained luxurious robes and life jackets.  I was hoping we'd only need one of these items!

We had a mandatory lifeboat drill and had to report to our muster stations one morning.

We were a little disappointed that we didn't have to don the life jackets so we practiced in our room and took photos. Can you tell that I was hoping the life jacket wasn't messing up my hair?

This is what you saw when you looked down from your terrace.

In the end, the staff could not have been nicer and represented over 50 countries.  The food was amazing.  The weather perfect.  The company amusing.  And most importantly, the sunsets were absolutely gorgeous! I can definitely say a good time was had by all!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic