May 15, 2012 by Simone
I dropped by one of LA’s chicest little boutiques, Des Kohan, to view the new accessories collaboration, Deer, by my good friend & designer Annie Costello Brown (ACB) and Des Kohan. Annie mentioned a trip to the Met recently where she spent hours in the Egyptian hall, transfixed by the ancient jewelry. The pieces below incorporate vintage pookah shells and turquoise with brass details. These pieces looked so gorgeous layered together.
The small collection is a refined blend of an artists’ touch and a curators vision; each piece can be worn in 3 different ways.
Des created these gorgeous display cases to highlight the jewelry.
The cases are made from antique dollhouses and lined with linen…such a simple and chic way to highlight the pieces.
The collections throughout the story seemed to reference the jewelry.
The details of metals on natural material, finely textured touches, and opulent, hot gold hues were gorgeous.
Even the hand made fixtures reminded me of the collection. I of course couldn’t pull myself away from those Alaia sandals, either.
The talented and beautiful Des & Annie. Stop by the site, or even better, take a trip to the shop in person. Guaranteed inspiration!
here
Tags: ACB jewelry, Annie Costello Brown, Des Kohan
Categories: fashion+style, my life •
March 26, 2012 by Simone
I had the great pleasure of attending the Jean Paul Gaultier retrospective at the De Young Museum in SF last week. We flew up for the pre-show cocktail party which was a treat to behold – the revelers turned it out in a way that is specific to San Francisco and SF alone. This means a healthy mix of throwback gender bending Gaultier from years past (women in fitted pinstriped suits, men in corset inspired bustiers) mixed with Grande-Dame eccentricity (denim couture gowns and ostrich plumes in the hair and bangles up the the elbows) and dapper young gentlemen in bright 3 piece suits and plaid bow-ties. Being from SF, I have a soft spot in my heart for an evening such as this one; the city really does have a unique appreciation for diversity and a personal point of view which was loud and proud that evening. No better city to host this dynamic show
Over 140 pieces of Gaultier’s ready to wear and couture pieces were on display. Spectacular indeed. The grand entrance housed a stunning vision: each adorned mannequin had a video of a living,breathing face projected on it. The grouping of mannequins were in conversation, talking to one another. They reminded me of the work of the artist Tony Oursler. Grouped together these were a vision to behold, and stopped us all in our tracks.
You may know Gaultier is revered for his corsetry (beyond the Madonna cone bra, mind you). This piece is made from hundreds of ribbons, expertly stitched and sculpted by hand.
This fine lady was a favorite piece of mine. She was singing a dramatic opera, and actually brought to me to shed a little tear. Thousands of feathers together created a piece as light as air, only anchored by the metal pailettes stitched to silk chiffon. Can you imagine this piece breezing down a runway?
This piece shows Gaultier’s version of the Matador. Hello, stunner. These works of art take hundreds of painstaking hours to produce; this one took 362 of them…
And what Gaultier show would be complete without a reference to French history of fashion? This Marie Antoinette inspired battalion headpiece is extraordinaire indeed.
This piece is shagreen piece (stingray) and so expertly combines the sturdy panels with the most delicate of silks. A true couture costume.
Couture, crafted from denim…
Gaultier often creates for stage & screen: Madonna of course, Pedro Almodovar and many others. Memorable pieces are exhibited throughout the show. Rarely does anyone ever have the opportunity to see so many couture pieces up close…this show is a must! Are you going, or have you seen it yet?
Tags: couture, De Young Museum, Jean Paul Gaultier
Categories: fashion+style, my life •
March 12, 2012 by Simone
Happy Monday readers! I hope you had a weekend as lovely as mine – we had warm sunny skies, slight breezes all adding up to a weekend well spent int he great outdoors. In LA, that means hiking, a trip to the Farmer’s Market and a trip to LACMA to view In Wonderland, the inspiring show on women Surrealists in Mexico and the US. Dorothea Tanning, Frida Kahlo, Lee Krasner, Francesca Woodman and many more – you must check it out.
So, needless to say, the works of innovative women and their legacy have been on my mind. Who inspires us with their body of work years after they’ve created it? Who is a visionary and what does that even mean to us today? I’m thinking on that one for a little while. So far, I’ve come up with the notion that it’s a mixture of prolific creating, personal point of view and the willingness to step beyond the expected into uncharted territory. Add to that the ability to of filter, reference, and edit one’s inspiration in a finely tuned fashion….and that may just be the magic recipe that resonates. What do you think?
I received this little thank you gift from Chanel the other day and have been thinking about the legacy lady Coco created – a brand of all brands before the term was even in our lexicon. White camelias, the classic Chanel logo and pretty much the ownership of black and white. Moments of happiness can be found in a hand delivered package as charming as this:
This little delivery was timely in that I’ve been pouring over the Chanel Fall 2012 collection as well. Have you seen the collection? Mineral inspired, dark, smoky hues and textures, this collection is as earthy and mystical as Chanel will ever be.
Can we talk about that crystal armor necklace? Talk about a protective shield…
How stunning is this print? It seems inspired by the marbelized prints of the 60′s and 70′s. I love that the fabric looks so comfortable to wear (full length leather gloves aside – but how beyond amazing are those??)
Referencing the facets and colors of minerals in unexpected ways…
That beautiful scarf is on my want list, stat. The diffused knit pattern on the sweater is quite the stunner, no?
here
Tags: chanel, Fall 2012, fashion+style, my life
Categories: fashion+style, my life •
March 8, 2012 by Simone
Today I’m stuck on Isabel Marant’s gorgeous, louche – cowgirl collection for Fall 2012. I pretty much want to wear everything she sent down that runway – from Edwardian inspired bodices to the floral embroidered cowboy shirts. There’s some sort of magic in her touch I’d say, she creates the perfect balance of effortless tomboy and laid back romance. Who knew those two would keep working together so brilliantly?
This is my favorite type of prarie look – silk Edwardian inspired bodices with tiny covered buttons.
Love the navy and black combo with floral embroidery…
She showed this piece as the top below and also as a black dress. Love that the details are applied like the bodice of a corset. Brothel inspired, anyone? Oh, and I think I must cut my hair like hers.
Okay, with Isabel, it somehow always boils down to the boots. How gorgeous is her take on the cowboy boot?
here
Tags: Fall 2012 collections, fashion+style, Isabel Marant, style, swedish designers helena horstedt fashion
Categories: fashion+style •
February 27, 2012 by Simone
It’s no secret that the world at large is inspired by bold color right now. It seems that all I want to wear these days is powdery lavender mixed with midnight blues or hermes orange mixed with bougainvillea pink. All colors are a go – case in point, below…
While been pulling together some color inspired pieces for a client gift this week (from some fab cherry red wedges to t-shirts that in hues of periwinkle that won’t quit), I came across this killer collection below from Holst + Lee. These hand made beauties are made to order and I think are worthy of a little collection building, wouldn’t you say? Perfect for pulling out when you’re looking for some bold color statements to brighten you up. Gorgeous, no?
here
Tags: gift guides, Holst + Lee, spring 2012
Categories: fashion+style, gift ideas, our projects •
February 23, 2012 by Simone
I’ve been through the Perrin Paris collection lately and wanted to share with you some beauties from another French house that is loved for their leather craftsmanship. Although I’ll always pay homage to Hermes (hello, of course), I’m convinced that there’s room here for all of our creative talents, and Perrin has many. Founded in 1893, the Perrin house prides itself on elegance “à la française” in a contemporary context, with each piece being hand-crafted to perfection. As you can see in the pieces below, the craftsmanship is something supreme….
The quelle heure est il glove is quite a masterpiece. This sleek pair was originally designed in the 30s for Greta Garbo, and features a handy opening for peeking at your favorite timepiece. It has a surrealist feel to it, don’t you think? I can imagine this as a Elsa Schiaparelli and Dali collaboration.
The origin besace bag below was inspired by Summer trips to Brittany. I love the humble simplicity of the rope strap mixed with the sophisticated craftsmanship of the bag.
The white sceau shoulder bag is the ‘city’ version of the bag above. Note to self: no Campari drinking while carrying this goatskin beauty.
The croisiere tote inspired by a pattern used in leather perforated baskets on the legendary ocean liner, the SS France. Tailored and relaxed all in one, wouldn’t you say?
And here it is in sleek black. What do you think?
contact here for inquiries
Tags: leather, luxury, luxury purses, perrin paris
Categories: fashion+style, just because •
February 20, 2012 by Simone
Have you been checking out the Fall 2012 collections? I am stuck on the beauty of Matthew Williamson’s collection this season. No one does global chic quite as well as he does, and his take on it this season it feels pared down, grown up and…contemporary. Citing inspiration from the interior worlds of Russian czars, embellishments of “crumbled decadence” and fragments of Faberge eggs, their is much to covet this season. I’m also thinking of interiors inspiration when I see this palette; dusty periwinkle with acid pops of yellow, rust and teal. What do you think, an inspirational bit of eye candy, no?
here
Tags: Fall 2012, fashion+style, Matthew Williamson, style
Categories: fashion+style •
February 15, 2012 by Simone
I put together quite a few gifts yesterday, one of them being this darling Lanvin Icon Faces set and journal collection below. Have you seen it? I’m a fan of stationary sets in general (clever kits make for sweet gifts), add to that the beautiful grosgrain in those chic, saturated hues and you have yourself something delightful. The journal on its own is a great gift as well if it fits within your budget.
The journal is a perfect handheld size…
Colorful pencils with tongue in chic sayings…
Grosgrain in lust-worthy colors…
And the gold embossed signature looks lovely next to the contrast stitching. What do you think?
here
Tags: icon faces set, lanvin, stationary set
Categories: fashion+style, gift ideas, our projects •
February 8, 2012 by Simone
I’m having a love affair with the charming jewelry collection from St. Kilda jewelry, just in time for Valentine’s Day of course. It started for me with this gold and enamel tipped match stick brooch. Quite a little conversation starter…
And continued when I came across this elegant LOVED ring. This would be quite lovely stacked, wouldn’t you say? They come in rose (my favorite), white or yellow gold my dears.
The cookie ring in rose gold with black diamonds is a sweet stunner….
Or, simply shower yourself in Man Ray inspired kisses!
here
Tags: jewelry, Man Ray, st.kilda, valentine's day gift
Categories: fashion+style •
February 6, 2012 by Simone
You may have heard the unfortunate news of the recent passing of Japanese designer and art director. Stateside, she was known primarily for her extraordinary costume design for films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula and The Cell. Her work was truly spectacular; surreal, sculptural, innovative and otherworldly. I recently finished reading Eleanor Coppola’s autobiography Notes on a Life in which Ishioka plays a big role. She and Coppola were very close, and there are many great anecdotes and recollections on the behind the scenes costuming of Dracula. You can read more about Ishioka and her many talents and contributions here.
The incredible photos below were shot by Brigitte Lacombe on the set of Ishioka’s last film, Mirror Mirror. The film is directed by Tarsem Singh, who Ishioka collaborated with on The Cell and The Fall.
Tags: costume design, Eiko Ishioka, Mishima, Tarsem Singh
Categories: art+artists, fashion+style •
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