We met up with one of our favorite muses, Jennifer Murray, during the final months of her pregnancy to talk about fashion and becoming a mother. We think at 7 months, she’s still a knockout. Here’s what she had to say…
left: Navy, 1 sleeve dress by Tish Cox, necklace by Laurel Patrick
right: Grey wool jacket by Nadia Tarr

left: Black cotton jersey dress by Nadia Tarr
right: Red silk & lace dress by Sir.

There have certainly been times throughout my pregnancy when glamour was the furthest thing from my mind, days when fatigue and discomfort reigned over fashion, or moments when I was so distracted by pending test results and wanting everything to be okay with my baby girl, that I couldn’t have cared less about what I was wearing. But, I’m happy to say that those spells have been few and far between. For the most part I’ve relished every stage of becoming a mother, and have celebrated all of the primal and geometric physical changes that are part of that. My blooming belly reminds me every single day to marvel at the gifts of the human body, to dress it up in beautiful silks and cozy wraps, and to share the joy of what’s happening beneath with pride and sophistication. Whether a mama-to-be hops on a flight to Paris with her partner for some romantic couple’s fun, or stays closer to home and soaks up the sights and sounds of her beloved neighborhood, why not do it in grand style?

Mina Stone’s ethereal pieces at Albertine were recently featured on NBC’s fashion blog Thread NY.  Personal chef and fashion designer, Mina blows us away with her inspired prints.  The results of her special dyeing technique make some of us at Albertine feel like we’re wearing a galaxy when we’ve got one of her garments on.  Not only does one look beautiful in a Mina Stone piece, it can feel as if you’re gazing up at the heavens.

On the left, Mina standing by one of her pieces at Albertine.  We can imagine ourselves in this dress sailing the Greek Islands.

Singer-songwriter Alexa Wilding, Mina’s close friend and muse, joined her at Albertine to play dress-up.  Mina often styles Alexa for her popular gigs, most recently at Mercury Lounge.

Alexa has been a long-time Albertine girl.  Imagine our surprise to find that the two fabulous ladies are collaborators!

For more information about Mina and Alexa, visit their websites: minastone.com and alexawilding.com.

We’re very pleased to announce that every Thursday, Albertine General is now offering a range of fresh flower bouquets by Jessica Stage of Stage Floral Styling!  We’re absolutely besotted with Jessica who is as darling and magical as her floral creations.

After studying fashion design at Parsons, Jessica decided to follow her passion for floral styling and enrolled at the New York Botanical Garden.  Her Catskills upbringing is evident in her whimsical, wild bouquets.

One of a kind bouquets will be available at Albertine General every Thursday ranging from $25-$45. It’s not easy to find unique floral arrangements in NYC that are also budget friendly. We’re super excited to be able to offer such beautiful flowers at an affordable rate to our Albertine clients.

Jessica is also available for consultation and custom work for special events and weddings.  Please call Albertine General to make an appointment at 646 398 9872.

Our friend Kelly Colasanti is a true girl’s girl – a full-time mom, part-time student, consummate host and all-around cool – we can’t think of anyone with more style and grit.  Her home is one of Albertine’s favorite hangouts, warm and inviting and always fun – all this despite losing her husband Chris, her high school sweetheart and father of her daughters, in the tragedy of 9/11.

above: Kelly poses in her vintage sequin top with Kai Aackman skirt in front of a mural closet painted by Albertine alum Virginia Mourneaut.

left: Always seeking the perfect arrangement, here she dons a butterfly print dress by Gary Graham (one of her fav’s at Albertine).
right: Antique faith, hope & charity necklace by Cave Canem and glass heart locket.

left: Fairlight, Albertine’s favorite ridgeback looks on as mommy puts on the finishing touches to her outfit.
right: She shows off a recent purchase, knowing that one of here daughters will covet it in the near future.

Kelly, here with her daughters Cara (left) and Lauren (right), asked us to help select an outfit for the 9/11 memorial where Lauren is reading. We chose this gray graphic Anagram dress that is demure but still edgy, which we think reflects her personality.

Hip hop choreographer, Ms. Vee, took time out of her day to give tips to the dance-floor challenged. In this video she teaches Nancy, who has stepped out from behind the Albertine camera, variations on a simple two-step and shows us some of her ill moves.  Ms. Vee can be seen in the film Step Up 3D and you can take class with her at Broadway Dance Center. Check out her website: www.msvee.com.

As Editor-at-Large at Lucky Magazine, Elise Loehnen, has one of the coolest jobs around, traveling all over the US (sometimes all over the world) compiling shopping reports.  Albertine has had a long love affair with Elise, dressing her on a number of occasions for a variety of events.  We love seeing how she’ll put things together with her distinct artist’s eye.  There’s isn’t an obvious rhyme or reason to her style or what she collects, we just know when we see it we can say ‘that is so Elise!’

A collector of strange and curious objects, she knows what she likes regardless of trends–her quirky personality shining through in how she styles herself and curates objects in her home.  We photographed her at her renovated loft that she shares with her fiancé Rob and their two cats.

left: You can really tell something of Elise’s personality, for example, by how she’s arranged this wall: the whole is more than the sum of its parts.  Even her shoe collection becomes part of the display– notice her love of  neon!

right: What we love about Elise is her approachability, part of that can be attributed to her unique style, like pairing one of her many classic button down shirts with skinny jeans, a geometric necklace and a pair of the aforementioned neon sebagos.

left: Elise wearing an oldie but goodie. Top by M. Bennett.
right: Elise’s jewelry collected over the years.

left: A personal favorite of Albertine’s: bookshelves by Vitsoe. We love how arranging her books by color and with objects tells a story and conveys something distinct about Elise’s travels and experiences.

right: Kyung convinces Elise to take her hair down with a dress she found at H & M.  Elise likes to jazz the dress up at night with layers of necklaces and bright lucite bangles.

left: Pieces Elise has collected, some of it from Albertine General.  As an aside, growing up in Montana Elise has retained her  love of collecting all things horses.

right: A typical outfit Elise might wear at Conde Nast.  We love the camel little boy blazer over the cream blouse with the black skinny jeans and gray ankle boots.

We adored Martha the very first time she came into Albertine with a bag of groceries looking for the perfect date dress.  We love that she’s always willing to try new things and it’s always a party when she visits us–a real friend of Albertine.

For her job in finance, she has to maintain a conservative look.  We raided her closet and helped her adjust her office look to work for a client drink meeting and a fun night out afterwards.