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One of the (many) things I'm most looking forward to this time back home is getting down to some serious arts & crafts with my best friend (or as Alan Shemper used to call it, arts and farts and crafts!) I started doing a bit of experimenting with very basic shibori techniques last summer, and I'm definitely looking forward to learning more this year. So I was excited when Kalen, one of the designers behind Upstate, got in touch to let me know about this little collaboration with Of A Kind. The beautifully dyed crop top, pictured above, is limited to a run of only 30 pieces will be available starting tomorrow morning.Read more about Upstate here and watch a great little video right here.
Margaret Howell's collections, not to mention her ad campaigns, are always a favorite of mine. The clothing Ms. Howell designs combines many of the elements I hold dearest: simple, classic cuts, quality natural fabrics and materials, and more than a bit of gamine charm to top it all off. Wearable and unfussy, it is a fashion that, much like A.P.C., is anti-"fashion" in the best possible way.
That said, I hadn't realized just how little I actually knew about the woman herself until I saw her New York Times Profile in Style by Sandra Ballentine (thanks Sarah!) Taking a peek inside her East Anglia home and its surroundings only reaffirmed my love and admiration for Howell--not to mention her impeccable taste in ceramics. I can only hope to age with such grace. That sounds so cheesy! But yeah, it's true.
Five words: Cate Blanchett, I love you.
(photo via tFS)
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to preview my friend Caycee Black's S/S 2011 collection. In a word, it is GORGEOUS. I've always admired Caycee's prints (which she designs herself) but I think this might be my favorite season yet. The colors are incredible, the fabrics luxurious, and as always, there's a touch of humor and whimsy to everything.
Instead of relying on my janky old camera for snaps, I thought I'd share with you a few of my very favorite shots from her lookbook (the whole of which can be viewed here.) It's all perfectly dreamy and hazy, and was shot in Texas on and around her family's ranch, which is apparently some sort of museum of great mid-century taste!I also thought it would be fun to ask Caycee a few quick questions, outside of the standard "where do you get your inspiration" kind of stuff. I'd kinda maybe like to make this into a more regular feature, so let me know what you think! Anyways, here are Five Questions for Caycee Black:What was your favorite outfit in high school?Ahhh my favorite outfit in high school was my pale blue plaid kilt that I wore with a cream baby tee and shrunken blue cardi. I paired that with cream knee socks and my platform short boots. I wanted to be Liv Tyler really badly. On a casual day I'd go with the chucks instead that had my boyfriend's initials Sharpied on them!What fictional character has your favorite style?This is a great question...probably a mix of Wednesday Adams, Nora from the Thin Man film series in the 30's and Polly Magoo in Qui êtes-vous, Polly Magoo?
If money was no object, what's one item you would buy?
This is hard...hmmm I would go with an apartment. Rent just always gets in the way.What's the best item you've bought for less than $20?I have a little crop top from the 1930's that's plaid which I'm pretty proud of finding.(Wild Card!) What's something you miss abut Texas that you can't find here in New York?First would be my Texas thrift stores, riding horses, and the way time just passes slower there.
Thanks Caycee!! You can also check out my photos of Caycee's Fall lookbook shoot here, and see me in BUST Magazine wearing a cozy Caycee Black sweater right here!
Towards the end of last month, I was invited to a preview party for the Spring 2011 collections of Shabd and Mociun. I've been kinda obsessed with Shabd ever since crushing on her totes and tees this summer, so the prospect of getting a closer look at her beautiful tie-dyed silk pieces was very exciting (plus a little bird told me there'd be whiskey and Van Leeuwen ice cream...)Ostensibly, I meant to cover the event for FADER's Style blog, but it so happened that the next day I came down with that cold and sorta fell into a feverish black hole for a solid five days and got no work done and then, well...Oops. Anyways, now we can all reap the benefits of the photos I made Cassie take for me.The Mociun stuff was very soft and sheer and there were some really great prints (and the jewelry!! So delicate and perfect.) But I have to say that the Shabd stuff just blew me away. The cuts were simple enough (in the best way, that is) BUT the FABRIC, oh glory. Heavy, gorgeous silks in perfect, organic swirls of dusty pinks, mauves, grey-blues, lemon yellows. I wanted every single last piece--or maybe just that t-shirt dress, to wear every single day, for the rest of my natural life.
I woke up bright and early this morning to Skype-interview Sari De-Mallory, one of the members of the WORTHIS design collective responsible for creating these amazing bags. The Ikat fabric is painstakingly crafted in India, and each bag is hand sewn, one at a time, in Melbourne by Sari herself (who is beyond adorable and is pictured above.) Good stuff!
