Circus Circus

My favorite piece, a giant multi-color sweater

I'm a huge fan of Henrik Vibskov, so it's a shame that he seems to designs his clothes for eight-foot tall Scandinavian giants. Every single time I've attempted to try on his garments, I appear to be drowning in his clothes, with the waistline somewhat humorously falling somewhere around my mid-thighs, and the rest of the garment following at a completely ridiculous distance from where it would normally fall on Henrik's impossibly tall fit model. Apparently my 5'1 frame makes me the approximate size of a Danish child? Thankfully, Henrik didn't forget me this time around, and when I stopped by Agentur V to view the Spring 2010 collection I saw a couple of children's sweaters, tucked in next to their gigantic adult counterparts. Maybe I will have to take advantage of this opportunity, since the Spring collection is one of my favorites yet. Vibskov presents his usual panoply of crazy colors mixed together in playful, circus-like prints, with knitwear being his strongpoint. Take a look at these incredible sweaters, and a few of my other favorite highlights from the collection.

A kiddie-sized sweater, possibly made for me?

Would love this bodysuit, if the crotch didn't hang down to my knees

One of my favorite prints, an imaginary cuckoo bird type of creature on an oversized dress

Some cute shades

A circusy looking polka-dot print dress

-Tiffany

So Chic

Real vs. DIY Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte heels

You might have already seen this, but it's so great that I thought it was worth sharing. As you know, I've done my share of Rodarte DIYs (working on one as I write, as a matter of fact), and I always appreciate seeing when other people give it a shot, and how their results turn out. Christina and I have had vague ambitions to DIY the Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte heels, but frankly it got lost in the long to-do list. Not to mention the fact that I feel slightly uncomfortable doing any shoe DIY's without a hefty amount of help from my favorite shoe-repair man, Boris. That's why I was incredibly impressed when Carly from Chic Steals told me to check out the pair of heels she DIY'd entirely on her own, even though it required plenty of time, careful work, and most importantly, creative thinking and problem solving. After all, the greatest challenge is figuring out how to replicate the design yourself, and I think Carly did a pretty incredibly job. You can follow her step by step instructions here, if you feel so inspired. In the meantime, I'm going to go back to my knitting...I'll keep you posted...

Some of the tools you'll need

Carly wearing the finished results

-Tiffany

Walk On The Moon

Les Bijoux de Sophie Owl necklace

Probably the best thing that has come out of starting this blog is getting to meet so many people I wouldn't have met otherwise, whether they're my favorite bloggers, or simply fashion enthused readers. Although Christina has embraced this virtual world with some trepidation, asserting multiple times that she's a "real world person" (although I know she has a secret penchant for The Sims, ha) there are plenty of incredibly real people I've met through online contact.

One of the best examples of this is Kate, from The Moon and Mars, a new online boutique that just launched this month. By chance, I met her while I was working at the D&A tradeshow, where she approached me and told me she was a reader of the blog. We set up a coffee date, and she was gracious enough to view our new jewelry line, Triskaidekaphobia. Kate comes from a similar background as myself, having studied a completely non-fashion related subject in college before eventually deciding to completely switch careers, and when we sat down to chat, I felt like I was meeting up with an old friend. I'm so excited that our line will be carried in her store, along side some of my favorite designers, like Daydream Nation, Surface to Air, Grey Ant and Les Bijoux de Sophie. While our jewelry won't be arriving until mid-December, here are a few of my favorite pieces that are currently available.

IvanaHelskini StarRain knit dress
Surface to Air ankle boots

Grey Ant dress
Teamo mesh crop tee
Bliss Lau Trivium bracelet

-Tiffany

Knitwits

Knit masks

I've been knitting and crocheting for about ten years now, and have worked as a professional knitwear designer, but I've still never picked up a knitting pattern. Part of it is that I'm too lazy to properly learn and all of the various abbreviations and how to read them. I have found that I prefer reverse engineering garments I see, or improvising as I go along, even if it often requires plenty of experimentation, and means tearing out my stitches and redoing them multiple times. The main reason though is that I have yet to find a pattern that is actually worth following. Most knitting books and kits are devoted to dopey/frumpy grandmother-style knits, or simple basics. If I wanted a no-fuss cardigan, I would save myself the time and buy it at Uniqlo. If I'm making something myself, I'm going to make it personal, and by personal, I mean crazy-looking.

That's why I'm totally in love with the work of Collectif France Tricot, a French knitting group comprised of Emmanuelle Barrère, Solène Couturier, and Céline Lacome-Hulin. Together they create all sorts of knit accessories, dolls, objects, and works of art that are infused with a sense of humor, and represent the endless creative possibilities of the medium. Their projects range from knit prize medals and masks, to clothing for public statues. They've just released a book, and even though it doesn't appear to contain any patterns, it contains plenty of inspiration to keep me improvising. Now I must get back to my latest Rodarte inspired knit project, an intarsia knit cardigan that I'm in the midst of figuring out how to make. I'll keep you posted.

Knit wolf hood and prize medallion

Clothing made for public statues

A knit skateboard and various pieces of knit street art

Knit encased laptop

Doggy legwarmers

-Tiffany

Feet First

I've never understood all the people who walk around the filthy streets of New York City all summer long wearing only the flimsiest pair of communal-shower-grade flip-flops. Beyond the fact that they barely provide a barrier between your bare feet and the squalid cement, they're often pretty unattractive. Don't even get me started on the Fit Flop (although I'm intrigued by the mechanics). One look at Berlin based designer Kostas Murkudis's recent collaboration with flip*flop has given me reason to reconsider my stance. The seventies style platform heels are made out of the same material as a classic flip-flop, but design wise are inspired by the famous Salvatore Ferragamo rainbow platforms in the Costume Institute collection. Although they're not quite as flashy as the original, I love the contrast of the neutral colored leather straps with the pop of bold color below. My favorite pair have a gold and cream leather-covered sole, which look like they're meant for a night out rather than a day at the beach. The best part? They also appear to be quite comfortable, like your average flip-flop, minus any sacrifice of style.

-Tiffany

Heart of Darkness

Last week, I stopped by Agentur V to take a peek at the Spring 2010 collections. One of the most immediately captivating lines was Misomber Nuan, based out of Berlin. Although the drapey clothing looked deceptively like women's wear on the hangers, a quick flip through the lookbook made it clear that the collection was meant for men. Not the waifish androgynous types, but strong, brooding men, of the Ernest Hemingway variety. Amongst the abstract sources of inspiration, the image of a shipbuilder hauling loads of twisted steel is referenced, and one imagines this hulking man shrouded in various layers of Misomber Nuan. Although I don't know many muscle men myself, I do know plenty of svelte lads who would still love to swath themselves in these precisely crafted and constructed clothes. In fact, the dim photographs of the lookbook model almost appears to be my friend Chris, of Violet Hour. Listen up boys (you know who you are!), I think I just found your new favorite designer.

-Tiffany

Me Plus One

Annie wearing a Jean Charles de Castelbajac dress

This Saturday, I'm spending the entire day in Soho/TriBeCa, and I encourage you to do the same. I'm starting the afternoon at theSeven x Bblessing x OAK sample sale, before heading to Topshop to DJ, and then finishing the night at TriBeCa Grand, where one of my favorite pop singers, Annie, will be our special guest DJ for the night. Annie's performed and DJed many times at TriBeCa before, and she's always incredible; you can't help but falling for catchy music and her adorable style. Boy Crisis will also be performing live. Hope you can make it, just cut the line and say Six Six Sick at the door to get in!

-Tiffany

Classic Kicks

Scuffed up white Keds, Elizabeth & James tee, Future Classics gray top, Byblos skirt, H&M tights, Antti Asplund necklaces, Iosselliani ring, Topshop headband

Dante from Keds was kind enough to send Christina and I a couple of pairs of their classic canvas sneakers. While most of my fashion industry friends will never leave the house without heels, I will always be a flats girl. On the list of seven deadly sins, I'm most guilty of Sloth and Gluttony (tied for first place), with Vanity coming in third. This means that instead of waking up an hour early to do my makeup, I'd rather have the extra sleep and look like a fug, and if I'm given the opportunity for seconds on dessert, I will take it even if I won't be able to fit into my pants the next day. Kate Moss had it all wrong when she said "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," cause skinny doesn't feel nearly as good as chomping your way through an all you can eat chocolate buffet (try it sometime).

Anyway, in the same vein of thought, my YSL Tribute boots look amazing on, but feel good for a total of ten minutes of standing before I have to sit down. And at the end of the day, the lazy girl in me believes that looking good doesn't really feel quite as nice as sliding your tired stiletto-battered feet into a pair of slipper-soft shoes, like a pair of Keds. Here's the pair I got in white, which we'll probably DIY eventually (that is, if sloth doesn't get the better of me).

Publish Post

-Tiffany

Give Me My Degara

The owl printed tail shirt

Due to the abysmal state of my bank account, I've been on a strict shopping diet. Starting your own line (or any kind of company for that matter) is like having a baby that constantly needs to be fed, so all my absurd material desires are of the lowest priority right now. This month I've only indulged in a couple pairs of tights and some headbands from H&M, but after ogling this Gemma Degara owl printed tail tee online for the past month, I caved and finally treated myself.

The turning point came after visiting Pixie Market twice in the past two weeks to try it on, only to hear the shop girl tell me that they had sold out that same day, and would be restocking. She informed me that she had already bought one for herself. Sick of constantly being eluded, and feeling increasingly anxious about whether my beloved shirt would completely disappear, I immediately went home and ordered it online. The combination between the creepy-cute owl print, and the perfect swinging shape of the tee made it a must have, one which I can imagine wearing everyday. That's what I like best about Degara's work, it's entirely unique, while remaining casual and comfortable.


Printed owl dress

Tail dress

Sleeveless dress with uni-shoulder pads

-Tiffany

Street Flash

Earlier today, I was emailed about a new street style web site based out of Moscow, Slickwalk. In the past year the number of street style sites that have popped up across the globe have become overwhelming, and like everything on the internet, is reaching a saturation point. I stick to following my two favorites, Facehunter and Stockholm Street Style, but feel a little too lazy to sort through the rest. I do not say this to discourage future bloggers/photographers, because there is always room for more, and the best sites will always rise to the forefront.

As soon as I saw the pictures on Slickwalk, I was immediately captivated by the images, which are taken with much more artistry than your standard outfit shot. I love the contrast of the focus of the individual in the foreground against the blur of the scenery behind them. I love how most of the poses look natural, and almost contemplative. And most simply, having never set foot in Moscow or any part of Russia, I enjoy seeing the unique style of women and men halfway around the globe, and the subtle series of sartorial universalities and differences. Then again, that's part of the appeal of any street style site, I suppose.

-Tiffany

Bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash, talking trash, under your breath

I was first familiarized with the work of Liselotte Watkins when I received a W29 Showroom tote bag emblazoned with one of her drawings last season. Susanne, who owns W29, always has an eye for fresh talent, and tapped the Swedish illustrator to create a whimsical piece that subtly incorporated the W29 logo into a black and white line drawing.

Watkins is actually best known for the illustrations she did for Miu Miu's iconic Spring 2008 harlequin collection (still my favorite to date). Miuccia Prada spotted her work in a book, and ten days before the runway show, commissioned the designer to make prints for several of her dresses.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find that Watkins recently designed a new Bloglovin icon (see our sidebar), in addition to having an incredible blog of her own. Filled with her moody illustrations of sultry ladies posing, pouting, and smoking plenty of cigarettes, it's easy to get lost in the world that she creates. My favorites are her posts featuring works in progress, and watching them come to life.






The new W29 Showroom bag designed by Watkins

-Tiffany