V Ave Shoe Repair Fall 2012: X-Ray Vision

Not that this is of any great importance to anyone but myself: I am missing New York Fashion Week for the first time in seven years because I am currently not allowed to travel back to the states under my Swedish visa.  I'm already having a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out), and I even made a list of the shows I'm most looking forward to seeing from afar for NBC's The Thread.  Nonetheless, I am enjoying a very cold Stockholm Fashion Week right now, and will also be heading down to Copenhagen on Thursday.

V Ave Shoe Repair is always one of the most highly anticipated shows of SFW, infusing a much needed jolt of drama into the mostly minimalist feeling Scandinavian fashion scene.  The collection was inspired by contrasting human hand craftsmanship with forms created from 3-D computer modeling, and the show juxtaposed V Ave's signature draping and deconstructed silhouettes with sculptural accessories that jumped out from the body while simultaneously caging it in.  The designers were also inspired by X-Rays, and their ability to show the inner workings of the body.   In some cases, the inspiration manifested itself in a literal manner, with light up accessories framing certain parts of the body, and in other cases, it was alluded to through the transparency of the garments.

You can see more of my photos from Day 1 of Stockholm Fashion Week on Papermag.com.

-Tiffany

Winter's Bone

All drawings by Laura Laakso

We're deep in the heart of winter here in Stockholm, and while I'm counting every added minute of the lengthening day with an obsessive fervor (7 hours and 50 minutes of daylight today!), I know that we still have a long way to go before the sun truly comes back.  With that in mind, I've been kinda digging all the cross-country skiers in my neighborhood, all the snowmen popping up only to get peed on by dogs on their walks, and all the confused and aggravated babies being pulled down the sidewalks and shoved down hills in their miniature sleds.  I am also obsessed with these illustrations by Laura Laakso  that I found in Monki's magazine, which actually features some pretty good content to supplement their tastefully put together catalog of inexpensive sartorial offerings. The first two illustrations are from Monki, and feature articles of their clothing, and the rest are from Laakso's other projects.  I think all of them perfectly capture the mystical, magical, and also somewhat miserable, Scandinavian winter.

-Tiffany

Swan's Way

What is it about swans that constantly capture our imaginations?  While they had their big moment last year following the release of Black Swan, I don't know if we've fully exhausted our obsession yet.  One cruel friend who's known for her Elmyra tendencies (hi Gabbi) says that she fantasizes about taking their long necks and tying them into a knot.  I think most of us though are more drawn to their elegant silhouette and their long-standing fictional romanticization.  Whatever your feelings are, I think it would be easy to fall for the swan-inspired accessory series created by Singapore-based designer Mimi Pong.  The small collection includes the "Bird of Two Feathers" bag that converts from a Swan to a Cygnet when you turn it inside out, and two sweet enamel swan necklaces.   Perfect for anyone who's ever felt like an ugly duckling.

-Tiffany

Brow Mapping

ASOS feather jacket, Uniqlo heat tech shirt, Arms and Armory necklace.

A little while back, Anastasia of Beverly Hills sent over one of their Beauty Express Brow Kits for me to test out. I'm pretty low maintenance beauty wise, and generally stick to a daily routine of eyeliner, blush and bronzer.  I know brows are important, but I usually leave mine rather neglected and shamefully out of sorts.  The brow kit that Anastasia sent over included gel, brow shadow, eye shadow, a brush, and a set of brow stencils to choose from according to your face and eyebrow shape.  Clear and simple instructions from the brow expert herself detailed how to achieve the golden ratio, and were easy enough for a complete beauty novice like myself to understand and follow.  I'm pretty pleased with the results.  If you're interested in getting a little help with your brows, the company is currently running a "Wish You Were Here" contest to be flown to L.A. to have your brows done by Anastasia herself.  Instructions on how to enter are here (U.S. Residents only, sorry). Good luck!

-Tiffany

Walk This Way

I'm always incredibly impressed by the amount of talent some of my fellow bloggers have. While we all have a shared interest in fashion, a few of us are also designers ourselves.  I've known that Monica, a long time blog friend, designed shoes, but she's been pretty shy about showing off all her designs, and has only given us quick flashes of her creations.  I recently did a little more digging myself and found some of her fun, humor filled heels.  Inspired by swinging 60's London and rock and roll, her shoes are decorated with cheeky motifs, including wedges adorned with lips smoking cigarettes and blowing bubbles, giant wire spiderwebs, and golden Pegasus wings.  Having watched my gay husband Brandon fight his way through his shoe construction course, I know how incredibly difficult it is to make shoes, and have an immense amount of respect for anyone who takes on the treacherous field of cobbling.  This whole time I thought the hard part was walking in them.  Anyway, here's a peek at her Spring 2012 collection, which are all, unbelievably, made to order.

-Tiffany

Here Comes The Magic

All photos by Valquire Veljkovic  

I've always wondered how the literary theme of magic realism would translate into a clothing collection.  The Berlin based label Tata Christiane has given me a pretty solid idea with their spring 2012 collection, which was largely inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book One Hundred Years of Solitude, and his unique style of blending magical elements with reality.  Tata Christiane integrates elements of fantasy into everyday life, with garments that vividly blend familiar feeling print patterns and textiles with silhouettes and shapes from the sartorially unknown. Doily-crochet, afghan knit, furniture trimmings and scarf prints are remade in bulbous capes and evening jackets, that look part grande-dame, and part grandmother.  While the clothes clearly cater to eccentrics, I think anybody can appreciate the magical feel of seeing all of these strange, sumptuous colors and soft, mismatched knits wondrously fused together.

-Tiffany

Eye Poppers

All photos from the Mercura Sunglasses site and blog

The Chelsea Hotel is currently in the throes of a major legal battle, with the building's longtime mix of eclectic tenants going up against a new landlord who is seeking to throw them out.  While I was following the on-going scrum back in New York (the landmark is only a fifteen minute stroll from my apartment), I've somewhat lost track of what's going on since I left.  The last I heard was of a controversy concerning a planned private performance for the hotel's tenants by Patti Smith.  I don't know how many people have been kicked out, and how many remain, but one tenant who seems to remain firmly in place (at least according to their possibly outdated website) is Mercura Sunglasses.

I look at Mercura as one of those quintessential little New York labels.  They have been busily doing what they do best--making outrageous one-of-a-kind sunglasses and accessories--for several decades, attracting attention from industry insiders while remaining relatively under the mainstream radar.  The line, designed by Rachel Cohen-Lunning and Merrilee Lichtenstein Cohen, counts Lady Gaga as one of it's biggest fans, and is a wardrobe staple for stylists and collectors.  Nonetheless, the made to order sunglasses aren't mass manufactured, meaning that you're not going to find them on the shelves of your average department store.  They're also made from non-standard materials, like plastic flowers, trinkets, miniature animals, feathers, and other bits and bobs, making them more appropriate for special occasions than for being smushed up in your purse with all your other junk. I love the off-kilter eccentricism that the line represents, undoubtably somewhat influenced by the famously artistic and outrageous tenants of the Chelsea Hotel.

-Tiffany

Camilla Norrback Lookbook Preview

Linda styled the shoot 

A few weeks ago we shot the second part of the Camilla Norrback lookbook at our offices. Playing on classic themes of Nature vs. Culture, the new Autumn 2012 collection juxtaposes modern forms and structures while natural themes.  The petrol colors and structural silhouettes reflect the industrial aspects of our society, while the earthy tones and animal prints evoke a back-to-the-land sensibility.  Here's a sneak peek of the new collection, I'll post the lookbook when it is finished!

The Autumn 2012 inspiration board.
  I'm obsessed with this faux broadtail gilet

The team

Camilla styles a dress. 

-Tiffany