in print. prada.

Since we're on the topic of beautiful prints, and all and sundry is clamouring for the a ride on the mix-print bandwagon, I thought I'd share the prettiness that is a capsule in the Prada SS 2010 collection (UK Vogue). It's simultaneously delicate and elegant, and the dresses!! — for the name — are relatively well-priced. What's with all these a-tad-above-reach-but-not-completely prices?!!
I do so love the quilted bags (£710).
Okay, and the dresses (£425-£475). and ballerinas (£235).
Well that's it then.
I appreciate Anita Leclerc's recent print mixology guideline (NYTimes). But let's face it, it can hardly be much help when you faced with a wardrobe of prints, an eager attempt to be part of it all. I say mix and match to your heart's delight.
Inside the comfort of your house.
If you must leave the house, phone a friend, or two, and ask whether you look like a little old lady trying to avoid paying excess luggage at the airport — whatever excess luggage means nowadays.
If you are assured that you look fine, call me.
I'll tell you the truth. Just kidding. or not.
I really do love the accompanying print pictures. ALOT. Very pretty, really. There's even another slideshow of pictures sent in readers. On that, not much comment. Oh dear, I'm not terribly hard on people am I?? Truth is, I'm keen on Peter Lappin's and Margot Miller's photos. However, I must say I do think Chitrangada Maitra Somaiya's photo ought to be disqualified. Uhhh.. she's from Mumbai, India. Need I say more?!!!
Yes I'm still dreaming of my trip to India to pick out fabrics for my wedding, thank you for asking.



Pretty kisses.

skin alive

I don't think I can adequately describe how I feel about the skin print series in Alexander McQueen's SS 2010 collection. I've been staring at this decadently bunched top/jacket and all I can say is pure awesome.ness. I know. I absolutely detest the gross overuse of the word (awesome) *accompanied by the bobbing head that tends to follow it* but, in this case...
Seriously!
If snake print ever looked so enchanting!: the luxurious richness of the varied colors, precisely gathered to bifurcate seemingly seamlessly from the nipped-in waist creating a most appealing 3D billowing effect — it's a tribute to a glamourous opulence. And while, the accompanying leggings and the mini-dress (pictured right) are available to purchase, this jacket isn't. Good thing too. It's probably made-to-order and we know what that means.

I have, however, indulged myself. I couldn't not!! This delightful snake de manta clutch is $495 and you know what that means in the world of decadently made handbags and clutches!! Practically. unheard. of.





Lip-smacking kisses on each cheek.

PS. I can't think or hear (the beginnings of) the name Alex/Alec/Alexander... without thinking of McQueen and feeling a rather sharp and hurtful pang in my chest. Still.

figs: threads for threads. ties and bow ties.

I am a sucker for fashion philanthropy under the kindly umbrella of social entrepreneurship. And if it's got bows as pretty as you'll see here — notwithstanding that said bows are umm... for men — I'm all for it and will find away to partake of the prettiness. Sending up a whisper of thanks for the little man in our — my sisters and I — lives, our tween bro, who will continue to have his clothes picked out by us for a while forever. Ohh... and my imaginary future hubby!! Mwahaha.

FIGS is actually an acronym for Fashion Inspired Global Sophistication. It is the vision of Heather Hasson, whose introduction into social entrepreneurship began during college where she helped over 170 Vietnamese children attend school by providing uniforms with the proceeds from the sale of handbags. After working with Levi and Gucci, Ms Hasson has now embarked upon a decidedly chic, and yet, of course gracious undertaking with FIGS. The brand offers pretty classic — and classically pretty — ties and bow ties (for men) from the best of fabrics, Brit wool, Italian silk etc. Can I just say that I hesitate to add that "for men" part because the ties make clever accessories for women too! Who says women can't appropriate these pieces for use as belts, headbands (oh pretty pretty bows!), scarves, (brooch)pins etc. And what about achingly pretty bow bracelets?! Yes boys, we can do all of the above with your ties/bow ties. So while I've marked one or two pieces for little brother and waiting for the silk pieces to begin arriving — father can't wear wool in the tropics — I'm also... It's all going to a good cause.
Oh no, women take over everything and make it so UNmanly!!
I know.
I sympathize, but sharing is caring.

The commendable social aspect of Ms Hasson's FIGS (threads for threads) translates into the provision of a school uniform for an African child with every tie/bow tie purchase. Starting in Eastern Africa, specifically in 105 schools within Kenya and Tanzania, FIGS aims to provide school children with appropriate uniforms from the sales of its gorgeous ties. This is especially important in these areas where a child may not have adequate regular clothing, never mind uniforms; and thus may not be able to attend school without the proper uniform.
Love.

Go on. Pick a tie or two.
And share it with the women in your life.
Annndd... if she's your lover, she'll thank you by tying you up in the morning. Ha!





Chic kisses.

(fine) nail art

Even as I key in the post title, there's a hint of a naughty smile spreading across my lips. Deceptive. It's nothing to do with the
laughable scrolls you've decided to sport on a centimeter sq of your fingers and/or toes this summer, which your mind conjures up on reading the title; instead it's got everything to do with your shoes!


After over a decade working in TV, Rob Goodwin returned to school (CSM, natch) to learn how to make shoes and good thing he did. It's a new take on performing that little magic cum mind-over-matter trick: walking on nails and it's darn pretty, a belied ruggedness!! I whooped for joy just looking at the genius of his MA Final Collection (2010). I mean how does one even begin to think up such chic decadence from commonplace elements?! Forget the shoes, which in themselves are made beautifully; the nails are beckoning. Rob Goodwin intimates that all his creations are made by hand and I wish I could simply sit beside him and watch him work. (Even if he's also translated this love for fashioning leather into some rather scary masks/helmets, what girl doesn't love a man who uses his hands??) The theme of his showcase collection: "a regal yet decadent masked ball held in the depths of the Congo Delta... a Kongo Bacchanal." Yes siree.

There are conflicting emotions rippling through my being, a chaos into which I love being drawn. It sort of happens whenever a designer challenges my creative open-mindedness with a piece. The curve of what would be the outer sole is so sexy and entirely shoegasmic, even though a few aspects of the low calf boot, in particular, remind me of cowboy boots, which I, uhh... despise. Indeed, I'm already picking out a dress for this imaginary revelry in my mind.

Rob Goodwin's collection reminds me of the now seemingly subdued Acne pre SS 2010 series of shoes made with thin industrial style rusty nails for heels. (Also at The Corner.) The shoes drew a succession of emotions from me when I first glimpsed them. It was inspiring, then repulsive (surely one doesn't want to walk around with a rusty shoe?), then simply pretty (the detailed pattern of rusting (up close), like a delicate splattering) and back to inspiring again. In the three-nailed versions, the principal nail-heel makes contact with the ground, while the two shorter ones are actually removable. The asteria pump (top left) would make an exceptional pairing with this Anne Valerie Hash limited ed lace wedding dress (bottom); the price tag ($76,900) of which I refuse to acknowledge. It must be a mistake and decimal point is certainly one to the left, at least. A wedding dress doesn't have to be a wedding dress. Can I just say that seeing the lace used up close in Ms. Hash's RTW pieces over at Dover Street Market is just LOVE.





I'm running late, and I'm afraid to go over my post. Ooops.
Patchouli scented kisses.

dover street market 2nd ever sale!!

Well well well... It's all I can say with the untimely communication of this little mailer.
I can only begin to imagine the dreamy chaos that the London Newcastle Old Depot will be transofrmed into — revered vintage and unsold pieces from Givenchy, Lanvin, Roberta Furlanetto, Anne Valerie Hash, Alaïa, YSL, the (biggie here!) entire Comme des Garçon collaborations and range...
70-80% off!!!

I ache.


X.XX.

couture lab: karry'o jewellery.

Distracted by the number of tabs and windows I manage to get going when I settle in for some good fashion foraging on the interwebs — which, simply, is always — it wasn't for another good hour that I returned to the CoutureLab window. After a few moments of "she'll-love-this!" "i-still-haven't-given-her-a-gift!" and planning my imaginary apt via the Home e-section, I was admiring Beavaldes's jeweled bag. It's sort of a habit, when I visit the Lab; musing about how pretty these beaded bags are while simultaneously estimating the company's inventory turnover since said bags must have been online for eons, okay at least two years, no?!
Alright, I know Ms. Busquets goal with Couture Lab, I was just making an observation.
Let's just get along with it.

What caught my eye as I made my way through the jewellery section, is this simple but elegant hammered (circular) links pair of earrings by Karry'O. First you look at the pair front-on, then with a little pivot, its full three-dimenstional beauty becomes visible. I'd never heard the name and when I found myself admiring an adjacent pair (bottom pic) that happened to be Karry'O's again, I had to do a bit of investigating.


The line is the work of Karine Berreby, who began creating jewelry when she was just 18 years old and trained at Paris's Cours Bercort. About two decades later, Berreby launched her own line of bold vintage inspired costume pieces, under the name Karry’ O and opened a boutique in Paris’s St Germain area, stocking her own designs as well as vintage finds sourced during her travels. The Karry'O site currently tantalizes its visitors with pieces made Roger Scémama who created haute couture jewellery for the leading fashion houses for most of the 20th century. Schiaparelli in the 30s, Fath and Dior in the 40s, Lanvin-Castillo, Balenciaga and Givenchy in the 50s, Cerruti and Yves Saint Laurent in the 60s. Umm... yes! The prettiest of pretty pieces. I've done a haphazard pick and choose since I oohed and aahed over everything! And I tried to keep away from the labelled "Couture Jewels".
I am going to dream of wandering about in her little boutique. I'm in love with the promise of twenties art-deco and more modern pop culture pieces, as well as what must be the European fashion jewellery pieces equivalent of neo-expressive art that dominated the seventies and eighties. Or simply, pretty shiny objects, thank you very much!


The Nigerian in me delights in the possibilities for this strass and glass stone necklace; while the pendant (bottom) is my fave piece (today). It reminds me of what decadent angel wings would look like.





Decadent pretty kisses.

beautiful kenyan (inspired) prints. SUNO ny

In this instant, I want to be, literally, in this model's shoes. The calm of the ethereal locale merely punctuated by a whispering flutter in the delicate shoulder ruffles of her blouse; the colors and the patterns — a cheerful interjection.

Now, what does one say about Max Osterweis, a man who is all fashion goodness through and through? Thing is, I remember calling my uhh (Kenyan) friend when the designer launched his SUNO line in 2008. We had the requisite ethical fashion-fashionably ethical discussion and I concluded that the designer and his pieces were simply brilliant. Pathetically, I've just dug up this post in my unpublished dungeon of an archive! I'm still dreaming in ikat prints.
Read his story.





Has Fall ever looked so uplifting?! (AW 2010)

SS 2010
Resort 2010




Sugar-frosted kisses.
I'm all sweetness these days... (Ha! b*tch!!)