Original Sin: Stine Goya AW12

Stine Goya is a perennial favorite of mine, bordering on obsession.  When I went down to Copenhagen Fashion Week earlier this month, I was incredibly excited to get to see her show, knowing that it would be filled with Goya's very specific brand of eclectic elegance.  This season the designer went with a biblical theme: the Garden of Eden.  Models strode out of a giant gilt apple, and were adorned with golden snake jewelry, as well as a couple of heavily embroidered black sequin serpents.  Really though, it was more of what Goya does best: gorgeous custom prints, perfect chunky twisted knits, and classic silhouettes that have been slightly tweaked so that they look entirely new, all layered with a pinch of sparkle and strass.  I can't pinpoint what exactly makes Goya's clothes so magical this season, but I know that it creates deep stirrings of material lust that can be traced all the way back to when Eve took her first bite into the apple.

-Tiffany

Space Is The Place

I remember one of my favorite rides at Epcot center was a slow moving trolley that took you through scenes of "The Future."  As a child, everything seemed mystical, unfathomable, and impossible far off.  Now, Christina told me they had to update the ride, as one previous scene included people having a video phone call, something that is common rather than farfetched nowadays (by the way, will someone teach Christina how to use her Skype already?).  It seems the future is moving ever closer, and those wild visions of the 21st Century aren't nearly so far away anymore.

Andrew Majtenyi's new Fall collection draws extensively from this idea of the future, bringing it very much into the present.  Inspired in part by the last shuttle launch, which incidentally took place in Florida not so far away from Epcot Center, Majtenyi infuses his garments with a distinctively space age feel.  The collection mixes hexagon geometric prints and cool metallic colors with powerful shapes and angular cuts, and though the direction is forward thinking, the feeling is very contemporary. Perhaps the future is now.

-Tiffany

Winter Whites

Marc Jacobs coat, Jameson leggings, Minimarket scarf and bag, Alexander Wang boots, Slow and Steady Wins the Race sunglasses, Devaki hat.

The last bits of snow are melting away now, and I swear I can feel springtime in the air (or at least I'm sneezing a lot, which means my allergies can at least sense something stirring).  Since it felt so warm yesterday, we took a walk in the woods around our house again.  Unfortunately, all of the snow in the woods had melted into an endless sheet of hard, slippery ice, and our walk ended up being an hour of precariously ice-skating up and down paths while trying to find our way back to civilization.  Ah, Sweden!  Even though the excursion was a little more stressful than we had anticipated, we did come across this playhut in the middle of the woods, complete with a mini fireplace and a log bench.  I couldn't resist poking around inside.

-Tiffany

Monsters, Inc.

 

Each season, Daniel Palillo's collections serve as a mini-diary of his personal interests at the moment, and a peek into his fun, fantastic, and twisted alternate reality.   Running themes and interest include American sports and comic books, and this season some cute but not so-cuddly characters make guest appearances.  The adorable yet menacing Stay Puft Marshmallow Man of Ghostbusters fame is depicted in his alternative moods, and the Toxic Avenger is referenced in a comic/grotesque eyeball motif.  While Palillo's clothes always incorporate crazy patchwork and cutouts, as well as three-dimensional structures, this season the designer also branched out into woolen knitwear, creating some of the most novel novelty knits I've seen in a long time.  I wouldn't mind having a few of Daniel Palillo's monsters lurking in my closet.

-Tiffany

Stockholm Shopping: Studio Vintage

If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you surely know that I love and adore Swedish fashion designers, and am an ardent collector of their clothes. Nonetheless, since moving to Stockholm, where nearly everyone is very well-dressed, and where nearly everyone buys and supports local talent, I've found myself increasingly likely to run into someone wearing the exact same outfit as my own.  The solution? I've been increasingly drawn to vintage and second hand, something that I've stayed away from in New York recently because of the horrific bedbug epidemic that's unfortunately taken seige of my hometown.  Luckily, my current adopted city is extremely clean, pristine, and bedbug-free, in addition to having a large number of vintage, thrift, and second hand shops.

One of my favorite new discoveries is Studio Vintage.  I don't know why I haven't visited sooner, as my friend Patrik works there, but it is situated in a part of town that I rarely frequent.  Located in the heart of Ostermalm, an area known more for expensive designer boutiques than for quirky and fun finds, the boutique is an unexpected and rather lovely surprise.  Carefully curated by Maria Jonas, the store is a mix of second hand designer finds and amazing vintage pieces, many of them with interesting histories and previous lives that Jonas can tell you about.  On my visit today, I came across 80's era Theirry Mugler suits, previous season Prada sweaters, a Versace dress that was recently knocked off in the H&M collaboration, and a trove of Balmain dresses.  Of course there were plenty of Swedish designers in the mix too, and it's clear that Jonas has an eye for good design.  Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the store is the prices, which are also reasonable, as Jonas believes that vintage allows people to buy unique clothes without having to pay couture prices.  For those of you outside of Stockholm, Studio Vintage will be launching their eBay shop soon!

Charles Jourdan shoes and vintage bag

Versace dress

Louis Vuitton ballet flats

Pucci dress

Vintage Laura Ashley blouse

-Tiffany