undecided

remember this?

well, i still haven't made up my mind and actually bought a baggu. i still like them, but haven't settled on a color or a size....

and then today, i ran across this:

pretty awesome, huh?

i'm still undecided, but if you're not, and are ready to buy...... you can do it here.

green season

the etsy shop is starting to look really springy......

i've added a few new styles:

i love all four of these style..... i wish any of them were my size.

maybe you've luckily got tiny feet?

don't forget that the summer sale is on! 

check out all the styles here.

happy summer!

in order to celebrate the official start of summer...... as well as the fact that i've added a few new cute pair of shoes.....

i'm having a sale on my etsy shop!

enter "HAPPYSUMMER" when you're checking out for 15% off any purchase!

give me liberty!

i have mixed feelings about the globalization of retail.

i will admit that it is really convenient to be able to pop into a uniqlo, an h&m, an american apparel or a sephora in almost any city you happen to be in, and know exactly what you'll find.

same thing goes, i'm sure, for designer boutiques as well. if you want chanel, you can find it in most major cities.

however, it also makes traveling much less interesting, when searching for souvenirs, and unusual pieces. it's nice to be able to say "oh, i got it in berlin/ tokyo/ istanbul/ wherever" and know that it can't be found at home....

one of my favorite stand-alone store is liberty of london. the history of the store and the brand are undeniable. i wager that most fashion enthusiasts have a soft spot in their hearts for liberty prints. there certainly are enough of them for everyone to find a favorite!

and, one of the best things about the store is that they apply these prints to every category of merchandise... from classic oxford shirts and proper english 'brellies to sneakers and satchels....

although you can purchase through their website, in order to get a taste of london.....

i highly recommend making a trip, in order to explore the beautiful "mock tudor" store, and all of it's nooks & crannies.

however, since i don't have a london trip planned at the mo' (damn it!), here are some of the things that are getting me in the spirit of london town.....

the classic.

i'm kind of tired of the cambridge satchel, but with a liberty print, it looks pretty fresh!

i'm obsessed with pointed toe dr. martens. pretty flowers are a cherry on top!

my morning coffee would look so pretty on this tray...

i suck at keeping journals, but this one sure is pretty...

fun shades!

liberty print ties always remind me of my dad....

one of these is always good to have for a london trip...

a classic scarf...

and some scarf print throw pillows!

i think these nikes are my favorite liberty collab. i don't know if i could pick a favorite!

some pretty dresses for a tea party!

here's hoping that some of you are heading to london soon....... there's tons of great shopping in london, but liberty is definitely one not to miss.....

cheerio!

some shoes

so, many of you may know that i am a freelance shoe designer.

you may remember this project, or maybe this one?

well, here's a design project that i did for someone not named wang!

about a year or so ago, i started working with the brand marais usa. it's run by two great girls, catherine & haley, and i really enjoyed working with them.... so much that we worked together for both the spring 12 line, as well as their fall 12 line.

well, a few weeks ago, the spring line hit their website, and i've spent that amount of time, trying to figure out which styles i want to order.....

you see, most of my career has been spent designing shoes that i either loved but couldn't afford, or were too cheap for me to consider wearing. working with marais usa was one of the first times that i got to design some shoes i both wanted, and could order a couple of pair of.....

so, here's what i'm getting:

i looooooove these mary janes. and i'm not a huge fan of shoes with strap, usually. but i've been waiting months for these to join the army in my closet....

and a pair of neutral wedge sandals....

here's what i wish i was adding to my order:

the same mary janes in a sweeter, springier, girlier version....

and the sandal in much more exciting colors. i love the red color (called "clay"), but have decided that since i finally get to answer the question "oh, did you design the shoes that you're wearing?" in the affirmative, that i'll wear the neutral color a bit more often..... and get to be a big show off much more often!

check out the rest of the marais usa shoes on their website. there are a couple styles that i didn't design, so if you're not into the ones above, maybe you'll find something else more your speed..... ;)

new shoes!

introducing......

(photo courtesy of isa tapia)

isa tapia shoes!

i'm super excited about this brand new line....... so far, being sold only at the saks fifth avenue store in nyc.

if you're in nyc, go take a look. and try on those orangey red ankle strap sandals for me.

oooooh, update! you can now buy isa tapia online, at kirna zabete!

wu wu wu! it's collab time....

it's true that i'm often disappointed by the design collaborations between mass-market retailers and luxury designers....

there are only a few things from these that have ever made it into my wardrobe, with any staying power... a silk evening trench coat from lanvin x h&m, two pair of sandals from swedish hasbeens x h&m, and a bikini from thakoon x target.

usually the quality of the clothing is just too bad to wear. yes, the styling is usually very good, but who wants to pay $80-150 for a piece of clothing that looks like it's worth about $35? even if the colors are right on, and the silhouette looks decent on a hanger?

however, there are a couple collaborations coming up that i'm feeling semi-confident about....

jason wu for target looks pretty damned adorable, and since these dresses don't look TOO challenging for target to manufacture, i'm hoping that a couple of them will be winners:

(my favorite looks from the collection. you can see them all here.)

ok, at a second glance, that one on the top left looks like it could be a bit of a challenge to target's factories, but the other three look definitely do-able...

the other collaboration that on my anticipatory radar is marni for h&m....

so far, the photos make it hard to tell what to expect, but consuelo castiglioni is such an exciting and fun designer that i've really got my hopes up....

are these pants part of the collection!? i hope so.... i really don't see how h&m could screw those up!

do you think they'll try to do shoes? sigh.... that might wind up to break my heart, to see marni shoes done in polyurethane....

so, the wu is out in just a couple of weeks, and the marni collection in march....

my fingers are crossed that one or both are worth waiting for!

----------

later breaking update:

they ARE doing shoes! and they're LEATHER.

giant smiley emoticon here.

brilliant

italian vogue nails it:

how awesome, ironic, hilarious and nostalgic is that?

my perfect shoes?

look now. i am a shoe designer.

so, i own a lot of shoes. and i wear a lot of them too. so, it's hard to declare one pair the absolute perfect, favorite pair....

but these are about as close as any pair have come:

they're ysl black suede "flatforms", which is a name i hate, but i think you'll all know what i mean...

i bought these second-hand at tokio 7.

does anyone have any idea what collection they're from?! they seem like production, so i'm pretty sure they weren't just samples....

they're such a perfect blend of luxury and comfort/ practicality that i find myself grabbing them out of the closet on a regular basis....

i wish i could point you in the direction of a pair for yourself, but i wouldn't have the first idea where to send you! if anyone tracks these suckers down, let me know! i may need to order a second pair....

 especially if they came in brown... oh, or navy....

who's YOUR daddy?

after a lovely christmas weekend, my family and i were ready for a little retail therapy yesterday....

my mom is a total remodelista junkie, and she'd read about big daddy's in culver city, so off we went...

and discovered a wonderland full of quirky, industrial, steam punk, classic americana, eastern influenced and impressively oversized antique things....

there's my mom!

i could literally sleep in this louis vuitton trunk.

my husband, trying to pick the combination lock of an old safe...

those who know me well know that i am not a fan of domestic birds. but, i have to say that big daddy's HUGE warehouse space, and the fact that this cage is about as large as my old kitchen in nyc means that i am a little more amenable than usual...

and what other store do you know that has birds!?

yes, those are, indeed an incredible vintage hermes bag and train case. gorgeous.

i had a really hard not taking home this amazing chest of drawers. 

however, the huge space that big daddy's inhabits, combined with the fact that they literally have articles of furniture that seem more suited to giants meant that i was woefully over estimating the size of my entryway...

i'm glad my mom convinced me that this piece would never fit. (she was right!)

if you're in the los angeles area, definitely check out big daddy's..... it's a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

(oh, that's me!)

my perfect belt

i have a lot of belts.

i find them extremely useful in influencing the style of my clothing- changing a particular look from grown up & classy to relaxed & casual is often as easy as changing my shoes and belt....

in the arsenal of little tricks & tips of wardrobe building, one of my favorites is to go lighter on your array of clothing, and build up a serious library of accessories from which to choose. belts are high on the priority list for me...

but, you may recall that i've recently moved from the east coast to the west... and for the first month of living here in los angeles, we waited for most of our belongings to arrive by truck.

due to some bad planning, i didn't manage to pack a good array of belts for our first, transitory month here in l.a, and found myself about to start a brand new job with no respectable belt in sight. 

so, although i have no real need to add another belt to my overflowing collection...

i had a real opportunity!

but, not a whole lot of time to shop. i literally ran into confederacy on my last sunday afternoon of unemployment and was lucky enough to track down what has now become my numero uno, go to accessory for the past month or so... ladies and gentlemen, i give you....

3.1 phillip lim's braided belt!

it has been a real work horse, sprucing up simple jeans and ballet flats, as well as silk dresses whose "self" belts had been cast astray......

it's a great combination of being lady-like enough (gold hardware, refined matte black leather) and cool enough (not-so-refined buckle size, and whip-stitch style braided motif), that it has literally been a perfect, if accidental addition to my new west coast wardrobe....

if you're so inclined, you can pick yourself up one here (it's on sale. you're welcome), and if you're not, i highly recommend looking out for a similarly perfect fit to your own closet...

when everything in your life is new & unfamiliar (read: moving 3000 miles away, finding a new home and starting a new job), it's really surprising how comforting something like a reliable belt can be...

now, i just need a lipstick that will accomplish something similar!

(or, maybe the 31 hour bag?)

quick pick me up?

j. crew's online outlet has some pretty good discounts for the next few hours, and there's some pretty cute stuff left....

maybe for you? for a gift? for me?

oh, obviously the shoes are not from j. crew. those are suggestions...

jocomo fi na ah nah ne, jocomo fi na ne

a few months ago, on a short trip to los angeles, i was lucky to stumble upon two representatives of what i love about the l.a. fashion scene.

i found the lovely echo park store iko iko and in it, was introduced to one of the owners, kristin dickson, who designs the line rowena sartin.

both the store and the small clothing line are heavily inspired by japanese aesthetic & culture, and both really look at fashion, accessories and the home as artwork, rather than focusing on trend.

the store was quiet and cool, even on a blazing hot southern california day, and kristin was so friendly and helpful, chatting with me about the developing fashion scene in her city. she really inspired me to think that a fashion girl could be happy living in such a far flung location....

the store was since relocated from its (somewhat off the beaten path) echo park location to a new spot on n fairfax in west hollywood. although the location is a bit more central, it must still retain an allure of mystery- i drove by last weekend, and couldn't even find it!

iko iko is one of the first places that i will be checking out, once i become a full time l.a. resident....

next month!!