Stomping Ground

When this Paris street style shot popped up in my reader via The Streethearts, I felt she had that special something that warranted a bookmark. The perfect haircut and shade of red lip, a bow possibly made from sweatshirt sleeves (!!), and then the shoes. THE SHOES you guys.



If you have any clue where these came from, please let me know!! Of course it's likely they are vintage, but these platform lace-ups are like a golden hybrid of tranny, rough-around-the-edges New York, and hardware store and the green laces were all they needed to put them beyond the "I'm dying" meter.



*EDIT

Thanks to a quick reader tip, I learned the platform boots are by Charles Anastase- they are from Fall '09 so best bet is special order if any are left, but here's some spiked variations of the "dungeon" boots in action on the runway to whet your appetite.






pc: style.com + elle.com

Rocky road

I dedicate this post to my bud Jess who always posts the BEST pics of rocks and minerals and cleverly ties them into her daily experiences. I realized in a matter of a few days, I had bookmarked all these rock-related things so it must mean something! Rocky days ahead? I'm going to have mountainous adventures this summer? I have a hard head? Whatevs, this stuff is cool beans to me.


Cosmic Wonder Light Source made these awesome aquamarine stone necklaces that can be found at Doshaburi.

I love the print on this Wood Wood "biometry" tee. It's from a few seasons ago so it's marked down to a sweet price now (bummer shipping to the US is so much though).

I recently came across artist Carly Waito who does these stunning detailed oil paintings of colorful mineral specimens. You can see more on her flickr, and Carly recently outlined her process you can read about here. She let me know she is currently making new stuff for a show opening at Narwhal Art Projects in Toronto this summer so keep an eye out for that.


The rope used in these sandals looks similar to what a rock climber uses! They are from the latest Bernhard Willhelm for Camper Together collection you can see in action during the Spring 2010 show and I'm considering scooping these up when they hit stores.

The grass is greener...

Ahh you can almost smell the scent of freshly cut grass just looking at this dress by Zero + Maria Cornejo. I'm reminded of the 80s classic Honey I Shrunk The Kids, where most of the movie centers around their shrunken adventures dodging giant blades of grass and flying around on bees.

To top it all off

Karen Walker SS09

Karen Walker makes some sick shades- hopefully you've picked up on that by now! But have you noticed the past few spring seasons her shows have also included some seriously adorable toppers for your head? The hats that made appearances on just a few of the white prairie dress looks in Spring '09 (above) were undoubtedly unique and awesome but the less exaggerated style of bucket hat Walker used in her 60s seaside Spring '10 collection (below) would get a lot more use I'm sure.


Karen Walker SS10

I've been on the lookout for this style of summery bucket hat for awhile now, and stoked to see the Walker hat available now at Creatures of Comfort. It's too bad I can't try it on in person since the store is on the west coast, but rumors that an NYC store could be in the works could change that by the end of the year!


pc: style.com & Creatures of Comfort

Shady lady

So I got my "color therapy" glasses in the mail over the weekend and put them on immediately as it was an unseasonably warm & sunny day in NY and I was feeling jazzy. I got the red and the green and so far I'm favoring the red and already considering a few more colors. Not that where I live is the least bit boring or anything, but it's a happier place seen tinted in skittles colors, let me tell you! Of course these are all nighttime indoor shots, go figure.


photobooth/japanese grocery store


dress, Gomme; cardigan, Comme des Garcons

Yesterday I managed to make it to the site of the former Slow and Steady Wins the Race shop-in-shop at the 14th St Urban Outfitters thanks to a tip from Tiffany. What was left of the SSWTR range was all $10 (originally $100!) so I picked up a cute tote bag that zips halfway open, a coated linen t-shirt that I'm hacking since it didn't fit properly, and the LAST pair of SSWTR shades. Luckily they were the least awkward shape for my face, although if you've seen all the SSWTR sunglasses, none of them are what I would call "normal" silhouettes, but that's what makes them the dopeness.




dress, Poti Poti; glasses & bag, SSWTR; ring, Surface to Air

Drunken butterfly

One quite poetic collection I somehow completely overlooked when it was showed in the fall is Meadham Kirchhoff. Maybe it's better I didn't soak it in until now as it's much more relevant and inspiring seeing a spring range during the season it was designed for. London-based Ed Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff showed the kind of girl that's hopped over some fences and simultaneously ripped her dress and put slits in her knees, braided her hair the night before and rocked the resulting fuzzy waves the next day- it's t-shirts WITH dresses, dresses WITH pants. Who says you have to decide? I like the girl these clothes are for- she knows who she is and figured out how to look floaty and pretty without sacrificing her inner tomboy. And somehow, the stiff glitter t-shirts (which Susie had the pleasure of investigating) don't look out of place at all. If anything, they were the needed dose of sunshine to these emotional, worn looks.








pc: style.com

All natural

When I think of Robert Clergerie shoes, my mind tends to go to his black architectural boot styles first (much like these). I mean that's why I love the guy's shoes so much! A complete change of pace for spring though are these "Naya" raffia platform flats I recently came across on Zappos, which Clergerie originally released in 1990! They look like the perfect non-sandal summer shoe, comfy as hell, and because they are made from raffia (a species of palm), they are cruelty free too.



*Edit
Not long after I posted the shoes above, I learned via Twitter that Clergerie has collaborated with Opening Ceremony on some equally sweet footwear, with the same raffia platform! It looks like there's 4 colors up on the site now (unless more styles are coming?), but I'm set with the polka dots...top of the wish list, thanks OC!

How they wear it

Swatch goes down in history as the coolest watch brand of all time. Ebay is filled with endless varieties and here they are beyond their mid twenties mark still keeping up with the Joneses. Maybe you heard about their newest "Colour Codes" collection where they decided to go back to their roots and create 10 shiny and 10 matte solid colorways to feast on. I dig all the colors, but especially the more muted ones and the white! To help promote these juicy plastic beauties, they challenged a bunch of "uber cool glossies" to use their skills in a way that will make us want to run out and buy a Swatch. You can go vote for your favorite shoot here and they'll be picking 100 folks who voted for the winner to receive a free watch (which means, go vote for whoever is winning, duh, although that would be NYLON and they aren't my top pick). My favorites are below... I really wish they had larger views of the spreads!

Pop






Wallpaper







Dazed & Confused







There's also a Facebook component to this little campaign (of course!) where you can submit a picture of yourself rocking the Swatch. Although it's more work than just voting for a magazine, if you do win, your efforts will be rewarded with the whole collection- that's 20 watches man!!

Snakes and pearls

Most of my rings are simple polished silver pieces that quietly do their job, staying out of my way in the process. I prefer to not think about whether a ring matches or is too ornate for an outfit- I'd rather throw on a few of my faves I can always count on. Miami-based jewelry designer Nektar De Stagni changes the game for me though. His organically formed rings use combinations of sea sand, natural pearls, sterling silver, smoky crystals, bone and pyrite that result in little sculptures for your fingers. It's almost like each one was rescued from the bottom of the ocean just for you.

Color therapy

I think the red dripping Ann-Sofie Back glasses reawakened my childhood excitement over tinted sunnies. Seeing the world tinted in color makes even the the grayest of days literally a little brighter, and way more fun. This moment of pondering led me to these cheap "color therapy" sunglasses that come in every color of the rainbow, and in a few different styles (although I prefer the round shape). They go for about $10 on ebay and if you are a color fanatic you can get the whole rainbow in a set. Red and green are on their way to my door and I consider the moods each color creates when worn pretty interesting. Red is associated with "energy, power, courage and self-confidence" and green will turn me into a hippy (OH big surprise) as it's the color for "harmony, healing, peace and love."

Great lengths

My man Yohji did not disappoint for the autumn season. I can't imagine some of the stress and turmoil he must have endured when designing this collection in the midst of his resurrection from bankruptcy last year. Yamamoto is a designer I can count on for a signature style revolving around conceptual tailoring and extreme volume that noone, save his daughter Limi Feu, can hold a candle to. I fell in love with the looks that were long, generous, and screamed comfort with an attitude.



This pleated dress is KILL-ER. It's like a Catholic schoolgirl uniform turned on its head!



The total look here is dopeshow but I love the main event: this loose overall jumpsuit has so much outfit potential.



Head-to-toe knit is admittingly a little craze but I would rock this in the dead of winter, and then sleep in it....and do it all over again?



Nicole Phelps' style.com review noted the face profile coats were "the only things that fell flat." Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but clearly I disagree! The coat IS flat but definitely not boring- the oversimplified silhouette keeps the focus on the stitched face, which is where it belongs.



You might call the hair at Yohji a blue & red splattered "rats nest" but it's a beautiful one at that, especially flowing out of a rad fedora!

Put this with that

I really appreciate styling that goes beyond the obvious and manages to sell you on such baffling ideas as wearing a top as pants. Head on over to Monki world, and you'll find this season's looks interpreted as dancing, masked, layered works of art. Go be inspired!

Gone coastal

As you might remember, I went to LA (my first time) last month for a long weekend with my boyfriend and our friends at Mishka to celebrate their west coast store opening. We stayed downtown at the trendy Standard hotel, and dumb me failed to get any pictures or try out the sexy pool...there's always next time. I met up with the super radtastic Tania, who took me near and far around greater LA, without the use of a car I might add. We seriously covered some ground & track. I forgot to eat any tacos (whoops) but did melt when I tasted these evil portobello fries...I'd have these overnighted to NY they were so good. They came from Bottega Louie, a "gourmet market" downtown that always rewarded us with some deLICIOUS macarons.



Passing through LA's diamond district, this sign caught my eye that reminded me of the giant Margiela diamond top Tiffany of Six Six Sick rocked out.



Guess where I am?



Duh, Chinatown...come on! We took turns awkwardly riding the gator, but Tania looked far less creepy than me.



Chinatown, if you haven't heard, houses two of the coolest shops in LA. First stop was Oooga Booga where I spent quite some time picking up everything in the store. A graphic design/magazine/fashion junkie (aka myself) might describe this as a little chunk of paradise.



This is where I got my Bless bracelet, and they have the Puff sandals too (the only other stockist in the US I know of besides where I got mine)! The ceramic apples were also really cool.



In the same plaza as Ooga Booga was Welcome Hunters, a dope shop I've wanted to visit for quite some time. They are definitely your go to place for Cheap Monday around those parts, and carry quite a cool roster of designers like KTZ, Daniel Palillo, and Skyward.



The Project White T-shirt exhibition was on display when I was there, and I got up close and personal with the stunning transformations.


Doktor Doktor/ A Bug Collection


Narelle Dore


Kumiko Watari (aka Migh-t)

The following day, I trekked through Hollywood, where I didn't even blink at the sight of wax museums and cracked-out street performers....I have that stuff in my own town. Instead, I was on a mission to find Prism, a large superbly-designed gallery on the western end of Sunset. It was the last day of the Mind the Gap exhibit, which featured the works of Phil Frost and Barry McGee. I missed Barry McGee's endless neon painted cube patterns when he exhibited at Deitch several years back so was stoked to catch this!





That night was the Mishka opening party. Those guys love their toys...



Tania's friend brought out an OG Mishka sweater with bloody graphic- needless to say I was jealous I never got my hands on this one.



Oh hey Rick!



Finally, I got a snap outside the party of this guy's giant foxtail. He had no idea how relevant his steez was to this season, referencing the Spring '10 Louis Vuitton bags with giant dangling fur tails. He didn't care and made it clear LA dudes have owned this look for awhile!



Tokyo recaps coming soon!!