Sit this one out

I've got a serious case of Peter Pan syndrome lately! Oh, what, you too? Then you might just want to bring that feeling of eternal youth into your pad. I'm obsessed with these chairs by The Campana Brothers, but who wouldn't be? I'd almost pay the probably absurd pricetag to have the opportunity to sit on plush sharks and dolphins at the end of the day and dream about magical underwater fantasies....or sit on the gator chair and wake up in a cold sweat thinking your arms just got chomped off.

Still an animal

Here's your January dose of Japanese crazy, this time from Tokyo-bred label BANZAI. A giant stuffed tiger got it on with a jacket...while a matador watched. I like that the tiger looks to be a backpack at first glance, but is really attached to your back. Interested? The jacket is only available at Ilil in Tokyo right now, but its designer, Yoruko Banzai, promises he is "roaring towards large projects" in the near future so watch this man's blog!

Ribbbiiiiitt

If you have an aversion towards taxidermy or anything resembling a real animal, you won't like this. My boyfriend just got back from a short work trip to Tokyo, and although it was his second time there in just a few months, he promised he'd still bring back something for me. He ended up getting me some stuff from Muji, and also this coin purse made from a REAL FRIGGIN TOAD (from a store called Tokyo Hands). I was all "wtf?" but instantly was psyched on the weirdness of it. The toad kind of looks like he's crying (sorry little guy) but it's just glue holding the fake eyeball in. I can't wait to freak people out at the bar and laundromat!

Eyes wide open

There's always a neverending flow of ugly sweaters pouring out of ebay and smelly thrift stores. This kind of crazy, retina-burning knitwear was once a thing of decades past, but it's refreshing to see them come back from the dead, and modernized with huge prints and unisex cuts. Such is the case with Chinese designer Yang Du, who I just recently discovered, and I'm so glad I did. With a degree from Central Saint Martins and work experience at Westwood, Dior and Galliano, Yang went on to start her own label full of vibrant color and inventive humor. Her assortment of oversized sweaters, knit dresses, and quirky headpieces for this season are a surreal trip into imagination land.





She counts Bjork as one of her style icons. I NEVER would have guessed.



These cactus-like bunny ears are so much fun.



Don't worry, Yang isn't suggesting you drown in knits for spring too. How about cute little (and big) dresses with strategically placed mouths and eyes? I can get down with that, even if I might look like I hopped out of a children's book.






all images by Bella Howard; some via Platform