hey!

i know that you're not reading this blog before you went out to your polling station, and voted!

and i know you voted for my guy, right? 

ok, right. good...

now that you've done your civic duty, and if you're as nervous about the outcome as i am...

maybe you need a little retail therapy as distraction?

you've come to the right booth, friends....

may i introduce...... merewif, the brand-spankin new line of awesome, gorgeous (and shockingly affordable) jewelry by my friend savannah watson*

it's hard to narrow down favorites, since pretty much the whole line is really wearable, but here's what's on my list:

so if you need something to do while you're sitting on the couch tonight chewing your fingernails, and worrying about the outcome of this election....

why not head over, and invest in a new ring or two? your fingers will be so pretty, no one will even notice your gnawed-upon cuticles!

and i'm sure things will go our way.

oh, and if you're wondering....

*full disclosure - i used to be savannah's boss, for like, a minute. and i'm sure you'll agree that her new job is a big improvement from her old one ;)

what to see in nyc

i've lived in los angeles for six months now, and it's gone by much faster that i'd realized!

on wednesday, though, i'm heading back to nyc for a visit.

part of the experiment of living here has been to really delve deeply into what constitutes "l.a. style", and i have to admit that after six months, i'm more confused than when i started!

i think one thing that i can say with certainty is that l.a. style is more extreme than nyc style. in general, it's more conservative. more trend-oriented. more safe and expected....

except when it's NOT! the freaks here are definitely freakier than in nyc. some of the outlandish costumes and behavior in hollywood bring to mind the club kids and ravers that dominated downtown nyc in the 90's.... which i love, of course....

i am so looking forward to being back in nyc, which is a place that really helped me define my own style, and feel comfortable in my own skin....

but it's a strange feeling to be approaching a city and a culture that has made me feel so comfortable and so myself..... with an outsider's perspective. 

i can't wait to get a look at what people are wearing, and doing and seeing and listening to.... 

rest assured, i'll keep you posted!

advanced style

guys! there is amazing news from the fashion industry today....

iris apfel is designing a line of handbags!

this lady is beyond stylish and beyond cool..... if you need some convincing, here's a bit of evidence:

you can read about the bags here and here.

can shoes be next!?

be still my beating heart.....

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..... ;)

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.

moving to los angeles.... a visual diary:

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...

do-in it right

last night was the versace for h&m fashion show here in nyc.

versace is not really my thing, so it wasn't a collaboration that i was anticipating with any kind of excitement....

but of course, this morning the blogs are full of it.

one of the most consistant elements of many of the looks in the show were black leather do-rags, worn on the head:

which reminded me, immediately of a similar look that alexander wang showed for spring:

(all runway photos are courtesy of style.com)

i don't believe the wang pieces will be available for sale, although maybe if the versace ones blow out of h&m, they will consider making them for retail?

my first thought was to wonder what alex might have though.....

but he doesn't look too mad ;)

(above shot is courtesy of hanneli.com)

i read somewhere on twitter that their inclusion in the versace show was a reference to a show of gianni versace's, before his death.

i have no idea about that, since i was not a big follower of fashion in those days....

wang, or versace, these accessories are not for me, but....

maybe you'll be wearing them someday soon?