Shoes to covet Fall 2008 from Galliano & Philip Lim

Wide bands around the area just below the ankle were seen sprinkled around various Fall 2008 collections. Does anyone know what this style of heel is called? (They're not Mary Janes, right?)


seen at John Galliano



seen at Philip Lim

Plaids for Fall 2008

Really excited for plaids in the Fall! I like how Wunderkind uses the pattern as an accent.





Clockwise from top left: Adam, Wunderkind, Martin Grant, Alexander McQueen

Alexandre Herchcovitch Fall 2008

Cool color blocking from Alexandre Herchcovitch. Great compliment of unique colors.

Fall 2008 RTW: AKRIS

Akris showed us some super sweet monochromatic uniforms for the future. I need a killer pair of light grey suede boots now.

Linda Trent: Jewel Extraordinaire!!

Linda Trent's mix of gorgeously cut stones are thoughtfully mixed with silver and gold chain accents. It kills me because her designs are the type that inspire me to want to suddenly take up jewelry making, but at the same time toss that thought right away because I'd just want to make exactly what she's making.

So instead, I picked up a few pieces. My favorites are her I.D. -like bracelets. The single jewel hanging from a plate of silver or gold is so delicately luxurious.

Signing up for her email newsletter actually set me up for some amazing deals. For the holidays I got a 50% my entire order. Sooo many gifts for mom and aunties for the rest of the year. You can find her on Etsy too, where she has a selection of year end clearances.

Etsy Love: Ambika's Fabric Handbags

Ambika offers a great selection of beautiful and thoughtfully designed jewelry in her etsy shop. But she also sells these adorable handbags, some made from vintage fabrics. The combination of textures works surprisingly well. These are super unique and very wearable.

Multifunctional, Transforming, Super Useful Furniture

Unless I move up 2 whole tax brackets, there will never be enough living space. The concept of furniture that satisfies more than one purpose is pleasing to me and my limited square-footage home.


This is the Nar coffeetable. Check out the website to get an explanation on why it's called "Nar." I like this table because I can keep track of all the books and magazines that I'm in the middle of reading - instead of one under my bed, on the side table, on the kitchen counter, in the bathroom...






I would use the tray stacking seats from Aguiniga Design to eat my cereal while sitting on the couch. Then I could put my laptop on it so I can go on the internet for long periods of time without burning my thighs. Then I could use the tray holder as a table and sit on the trays just like the girl in the picture. I would also drink tea.

Stonewall Kitchen offers this folding chair / footstool. Pretty self-explanatory. VERY useful.

Convertible table/couch from Akemi Tanaka. Utilitarian and beautiful. Made of bamboo plywood, this design was a semi-finalist at the 2006 "designing for a sustainable future" show in Beligium.










The Opus Table from Chicago Textile is shown
on the right in both its forms. Upright, it's a laptop table for your bed or couch. Then, it can be used as a side table when put on its feet. The veneer tops are removable, so you can decide where you want your platforms.

Vintage Inspired Loveliness

The appeal of day-lab's stuff is that it's unique, edited, AND affordable. I love the vintage-y quirkiness of all of the pieces. Most of these items come from independent designers and smaller companies. Great gifting ideas for the holidays.

Kooba Deals at Neiman Marcus

I have a self imposed halt on any and all major purchases for myself during the holiday shopping season. This is to ensure that I have enough cash to buy everyone else enough gifts, and also prevents me from buying something that a loved one is perhaps considering getting for me - preventing a lot of potential embarrassment and hassle. So...I would normally have snatched one of these fabulous Kooba bags by now, but since I can't enjoy this super deal, maybe one of you guys can. (Neiman's is also gift wrapping for free until tomorrow!)




The Kooba Sloane Belted Tote comes in honey (shown), bark, and black. ALL are gorgeous, signature, and on sale.
Was $645
Now $226!!!















The Kooba Ginger Braided Shoulder Bag is made of luscious chocolate suede with braided detail on the handles and tie. This one is great if you prefer minimal hardware.
Was $575
Now $201 (seriously)

Anna Sui Causes Cartwheels

It's so much easier to make daily fashion choices when you stick to a palette of beige, black, white, and navy blue. But it gets boring really quickly. Anna Sui gets me out of this rut. Her Spring 2008 RTW makes me want to consider wearing puff sleeves, purple crochet, and magenta ruffles every single morning. My faves...

Etsy Love: Handmade soaps from Distilled Rose

I received my shipment of handmade soaps from Etsy shop Distilled Rose a few weeks back, and I've had a chance to put a few of them through a good test run. I loved everything that I ordered, including soap that smells like Nag Champa and vegan Hot Apple Crisp soap that smells just like fresh-baked apple pie with a hint of cinnamon.

The best things were these vegan soap socks made from a nettle plant that's spun into a fiber called Aloo. You just stick your soap in it and start scrubbing. It helps to create a super rich lather and also exfoliates without being too rough.

Prices are sooo reasonable especially when you factor in the all natural vegan ingredients along with cute packaging made from handmade recycled paper.

The Charging Station Conundrum

After attempting to do a thorough search for electronic device charger organizing solutions ( EDCOS, anyone?), I didn't come up with much. Apparently, this has been a challenge for much of the gadget-loving population. If it's not overly executive-looking, then it's very Martha Stewart-y. Or it's just something made from the same plastic material as your circa 1995 Aiwa boombox with dual cassette player. The following are ones that I considered for a minute.



This one is a good example of "Overly Executive." It's an unassuming dark brown color. If you've got a glass top office desk with dark wood finish, this would blend right in. Just look at the image. This is for someone who needs to have access to 2 pairs of glasses at the same time!

Frontgate @ Skymall








Another executive-ish one. It's more compact so it won't take up too much desk space. I just wish it came in other colors aside from brown and black. I'd like to see it in lime.


Mini Overly Executive @ Kangaroomstorage.com








This Pottery Barn charging station will match your shabby-chic decorator palette. It's simple and elegant. I'm thinking about getting this one, but adding some graphic elements to the sides and/or drawer. Or even just some basic color breaks.

Martha Stewart-y @ Pottery Barn






The Multi-Pot has a different take on the functional design of charging stations by positioning the elements around a cylindrical shape. It looks like all of the plugs insert from the bottom into a multi-socket outlet at the top. The various devices sit at the very top with all of the wiring stored inside. I'm not going for this one for two reasons. 1. The wires are still messy looking and will drive me crazy. 2. It looks like a trash receptacle, no?

The Multi-pot @ The Conran Shop

This one from Kanga Room is my top pick so far. It's slim in design while still being functional. It hides the socket area, but still has a sliding door to make it accessible. And, for the win, your devices stand up so that you can glance at the screen in case you get a call or text message. And at $35, it's totally affordable.
Take a look here.

There are also several DIY projects that address the charging station dilemma. Click the links for a few interesting ones...

Using a box from the Container Store
Ikea Hacker's Floating Charging Station
Lifehacker's Cord & Charger Box

Anyone else find any good solutions?

Matthew Williamson Spring 2008

For Spring 08, Matthew Williamson stayed away from the sheen of metallics from Fall 07. His take on the cultural traveler was more fresh and crisp this time around, with colorful patterns of South and Central America grounded by safari green and khaki. I really enjoyed seeing bits of textured materials, like suede, linen, and muslin - giving the whole set some nice visual balance. These pieces are wins in terms of achieving that comfy, yet polished vibe.

Heavenly dresses from Spring 2008 RTW

There were some fantastic offerings in the dress department from the Spring 08 RTW shows. Dresses were, overall, very feminine, uniquely draped, and as a result, generally flattering for different body types.

Much of the palette from the Anne Klein show was subdued, but the muted colors were brought into balance by beautifully finished fabrics.



At Donna Karan, dresses were deliberately draped, creating a series of sleek and glamorous looks. I'm waiting to see who'll wear that baby blue collared number to an upcoming red carpet event.



My favorite L'Wren Scott dresses came in brilliant shades of blue. Both chic and retro, they just scream "bombshell"... especially the black one below.



Monique Lhuillier does Grecian really well, and this Spring 08 RTW show was no different. These dresses were made for goddesses who require their clothing to be no less than ethereal.

Carlo Giovani Paper Art

Origami is an enviable skill. I can probably make a paper crane and a square-ish looking ball. Carlo Giovani takes paper art to a whole other level.

Joy by Mel Lim

Mel Lim's site, Joy, features beautiful graphic patterns thoughtfully applied to gift wrap, stationery, and fabrics. Seriously, these are luscious and rich and quirky.

Fall's coming soon. This gives me a serious head start on the holiday gift giving season since I have the gift wrap part taken care of.

Updates coming soon

I'm embarrassed at the lack of articles posted these last couple of weeks. Work has been crazy. I swear posts will continue in the next couple of days.

Thanks for checking in!

Reusable & stylish, with no commercials

I've been on the hunt for reusable shopping bags ever since I

1. started feeling pangs of guilt everytime I threw one away after a trip to the grocery store, and
2. eyed the ones at Trader Joes, but didn't get one because I wasn't about to sign on as a Trader Joes spokesman. (as much as I love TJs)

Here are some that I'm considering:

Envirosax Reusable Bags
These are at the top of my list since they come in a 5 pack with resealable pouch that can be rolled up small enough to fit into my glove compartment or purse. They're recyclable, washable, and very unboring.








Basura Bags

Not only is this particular bag eco-friendly because it replaces non-biodegradable plastic bags, but it's also made from recycled juice packs. AND they are made by a women's co-op in the Philippines.







ECOBAGS

Your basic canvas bag, slightly larger than a paper grocery bag, and much easier to carry. These are one of the most basic and cheapest alternatives, and also available in recylced cotton.






Reisenthel Market Baset

This thing would be great to take with you to the farmer's market since odd-shaped items can be carefully placed inside it. Its durable, lightweight aluminum frame is collapsible, making it really easy to store in your car or take with you down the street.

Target Go International: Libertines

Up next for the Target's Go International line is the designer duo Libertine - about to debut in stores tomorrow! The looks for this line are in sharp contrast to the images floating around the inter-blogs of Erin Fetherston's Target line coming up later this year. Libertine is a little more spunky...a little more rocker meets prep, while Fetherston manages to achieve a sort of children of the corn/stepford wives look with the line. (See images of Fetherston at Target's press room.)

There are a few good pieces in both, although the Libertine line, as a whole, feels more relevant. I feel like I'm making a stretch here...because overall, the Go International line is starting to look a bit dated each time we see new images come out for future lines. I'm tired of seeing skull and horse prints. Here are the only pieces that I'll be looking out for in stores this week.



From the beginning, GO's reason for being has been to provide fashion-forward garments that are wearable and affordable, while promoting and challenging emerging designers across the globe. There's something lacking here now. By far my favorite so far from GO has been the Paul & Joe line from 2006. Here's a review:


(there were some great color variants offered when this line was still being sold on the Target website - of which I could not pull from anywhere!)

Marchesa Resort 2008

I know that I'm totally behind with any sort of Resort '08 Collection coverage, but there were a few notable lines that I still need to talk about.

First is Marchesa. Nothing says goddess like these Marchesa dresses from her recent Resort presentation. I'm not one for too many embellishments, and more often than not, simple is best. But! These are luscious pretty things that make me want to hold court in a woodland forest. Or have some cocktails at the top of your standard swanky L.A. hotel.