Rue the Day

I remember when I used to work with Rue Jewelry, all of the pieces were rendered in a noirish palette of black and white, with shots of cobalt blue in the mix. There was something precious yet mildly grotesque about the microscopic fruits, vegetables, and plant matter preserved in a coating of matte paint that adorned rings, and the perfectly frozen statues of perched birdies that swung from necklaces. This season, many of the same flora and fauna themes appear, but this time they're covered in candy-coated pastel hues and metallic paints that remind me more of my childhood collection of My Little Ponies, or my niece's juvenile collection of peel-off nail polishes. The pieces seem sinisterly saccharine, deathly sweet. My favorite piece is a heart-shaped ring that's textured to look like hair; girly and gross all at once.

-Tiffany

Two Holiday Parties...

The Holiday season has officially begun, and we have plenty of parties and events planned for the upcoming month. Here are the first two, we'll keep you posted as they come!

To start, we'll be partnering with our friend Jessica from The Shiny Squirrel to throw a Holiday party at Anchor Bar this Thursday from 9-1pm, showcasing the spring collections of Miss Lonely Hearts and Julianna Bass. Pieces from both designers will be available for sale, and if you come and say hello, I promise to pour you a drink. Please RSVP at rsvpsixsixsick@gmail.com.



Next Thursday, December 9th we will be DJing for our friends and Triskaidekaphobia stockists, Life: Curated. They will be celebrating the holidays with cocktails, as well as a 20% discount on everything in the store for the night, so it's the perfect time to do some holiday gift shopping. Check out my friends Anton and Maddy, who modeled the holiday collections for the store, on the flier below (uh since you guys are on the invite, you better be there!).

-Tiffany

Monsters Inc: DIY Rodarte-Inspired Looped Cardigan

DIY Sweater, Elizabeth and James tee, VPL bra, Carin Wester pants, Dieppa Restrepo brogues, Devaki hat, Slow and Steady Wins the Race Sunglasses and purse, Triskaidekaphobia necklace and ring.

So, I know I haven't put up a DIY in ages, but I kinda got hung up on one monster project that took me a lot longer than I could ever have anticipated. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I have a thing for Rodarte, and have tried my hand DIYing their tights, dresses, and leggings. All of those projects went relatively quickly, taking no more than a few weeks max, so I thought I would take a chance and give the Rodarte hairy-looking looped cardigan a try. I went for a Where The Wild Things Are-inspired muddy color story, which felt appropriate for such a shaggy mess of a sweater. I knew it would be an ambitious undertaking, but I didn't expect to take me almost a year to finish.

Most of that year was a eight month long pause between last winter and this one, getting sick of the ridiculous project, and wondering why I was devoting so much time to something so fashion-jokey (I will be the first to admit that this sweater looks like a prop-piece from Zoolander). It took me less than a week to knit the body of the sweater, but the main bulk of the time was spent latch hooking the whole thing. Judging from the runway images, I made the mistake of thinking that the Rodarte sweaters were entirely latch hooked, and didn't realize until I saw them in person that their hairy texture is composed of a mix of loop-knitting and latch hooking. If I had figured this out before knitting the sweater body, I would probably have saved myself a lot of time. Latchooking seems easy, but when you're working with such bulky, chunky yarns, it actually is a huge pain in the ass.

Anyway, I'm not actually going to bother going through the DIY instructions for several reasons. First, I'm not going to delude myself into thinking that anyone else would want to make this, wear this, or look like this. I know that I'm probably the only person in Manhattan willing to be mistaken for an Asian-Amish vagabond (yes, I actually walked out dressed like this, and yes it did elicit a lot of funny looks). Second, even though I got every single scrap of material I used for free from my former job, it probably amounted to about $500 worth of yarn, which is a rather huge amount of money to drop on such a fashionably questionable project. Third, I never work with a pattern. If however, for some reason you would like to give it a try, or are working on something similar on your own, feel free to leave any questions in the comment section and I'll be happy to explain or clarify any of the steps I took.

Now that this nonsense is finished, I think I will get back to some lighter projects--maybe some more practical sweaters and scarves for winter that don't involve making yarn-dreadlocks. On the plus side, the monster sweater was a great way to get rid of scrap yarn, and I have to say--it's as crazy-warm as it is crazy-looking.

-Tiffany

Black Friday and Beyond

While most of the deep Black Friday discounts involve massive chain stores that hold little interest, or highly discounted electronics, which hold even less interest, a couple of alternative Black Friday/holiday deals landed in my inbox that I thought were worth sharing.

My current favorite handbag line, Collina Strada, is giving a 40% discount of everything on her website this weekend if you enter TURKEY40 at checkout. I use my Collina Strada bag all the time, and am considering getting one of her famous backpacks too. I also want to note that they have excellent customer service, and helped me out when my dry cleaner ruined my bag.



Our friends at Convent are holding a one day sale in stores and on line today, discounting everything 40% if you use the code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout. You can pick up stuff from our line, Triskaidekaphobia, as well as pieces from Dusen Dusen and Nakkna.



This is a little advanced notice, but wonder woman Jessica over at The Shiny Squirrel is putting together a Gifts Galore shop-in-shop at International Playground from December 17-19. We'll be selling our jewelry, alongside our friends Chris Habana, Blood is the New Black, and Digby and Iona. We also have a big holiday party planned with Jessica for next Thursday, December 2nd at Anchor Bar---details to come!



Topshop has plenty of holiday plans for their Soho store, including nibbles and giveaways, but of course I'm most excited about their nail art booth. From December 2-4th, Topshop's nail bar will be offering customized nail art from the infamous WAH Nails (see an example from their website below!).

-Tiffany

Hopeless Neurotic

Stylewise, I've always waffled between forward-thinking fashion, while at heart being a hopeless romantic girly-girl. Rarely do those two styles meet, but somehow British label Neurotica managed to combine them both in their Spring collection, "For the Love of Ivy." This season, the designers were inspired by the innocent beauty of The Virgin Suicide, as well as the photography of Tim Walker. While they've extracted bits and pieces of romance from these sources in the forms of loose crochet, washed out faded pastel colors, and a couple of frills, they're combined with oversized draping and pleating details that make the silhouettes anything but saccharine. Many of the pieces are touched with digital prints of flowers, fairies, and forest creatures, all executed with the a slightly sinister Neurotica twist. Cute, but still cool and concept-driven.

-Tiffany

What a Stud

Earrings courtesy of Joshua Hall, tank dress and paneled leggings courtesy of Ying Chu, Araks bodysuit, Marni shoes, Triskaidekaphobia bandage cuff

With a few exceptions, I almost never wear jewelry that I haven't designed myself. If I'm going to represent another designer other than myself, it has to be something I adore, and I love the sterling silver studs that Australian jewelry designer Joshua Hall sent my way. Joshua was kind enough to send me two pairs: a set of extra-long (and pretty sharp) spikes that stick out far from the ear, and a smaller starburst of six spikes. I prefer wearing my earrings mismatched, and have been wearing the two sets together. Now I just wish I had a few extra holes in my ears so I could wear them all at once!

Joshua Hall Neo Stud Earring, necklace my own design

Joshua Hall Alcander Stud Earring

-Tiffany

It's All In The Details

A little while ago, I got a chance to take a look at Gabriela Goldbaum's collection of silk evening gowns and cocktail dresses. Each piece is decidedly feminine, with an obvious lingerie influence, and has the feel of an opulent pair of silk pajamas made for wearing out. The elegant and somewhat simple exterior hides a network of interior boning and corset work that creates the streamlined silhouette, and the true beauty of the work lies in the craftsmanship. Here are a few of my favorite pieces, along with some shots I took of the little details that make everything work so well.

-Tiffany

Lucky No. 6

6x6 Bow Wedges $78

We obviously have a thing for the number 6 at Six Six Sick. We also have a thing for No. 6, and their gorgeous shearling and leather clogs, which have attracted a cult following amongst fashion insiders. While the prices are a bit steep for us, our friends at Urban Outfitters have come to the rescue, collaborating with the brand on a lower priced line called 6 x 6, which includes three pairs of shoes at extraordinarily reasonable prices. Not only did they make a version of the thick-soled clog boot, but they also have an adorable pair of suede bow wedges and some very smart and practical looking patent-leather lace-up boots. Nothing is over $100, which is about a quarter of the price you'd pay for the regular line. For some extra collab-happiness, No. 6 also recently collaborated with Baggu, the reusable tote bag company, on some leopard print totes.


6x6 platform boots $98

6x6 patent lace-up boots, $98

No. 6 x Baggu bags, $12 each

-Tiffany

Shape Up!

Last season, Cynthia Rowley got a ton of attention for her collaboration with Roxy, which unfortunately appears to be a one-time project. I missed out, but luckily, she's taken those body-con shapes and streamlined silhouettes, and translated them into a new bodywear line called Get SLIM. The small selection of pieces appear to have all the practical slimming effects of bodyshapers and control top underwear, without looking anything like the embarrassing grandma-style-girdles that are currently on the market. I imagine these will be perfect for the upcoming holiday season and all of the feasting involved. If you're as lazy as I am (I'm the human equivalent of Garfield the cat), these might be a decent alternative to going to the gym...

-Tiffany

Take Flight

Zana Bayne harness, Risto bomber jacket, Rick Owens cardigan, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair top, jeans courtesy of Charley 5.0, Alexander Wang Sunglasses and boots, bag courtesy of Katherine Kwei, Iosselliani ring.

After a lot of deliberation, I finally got a hold of my very own Zana Bayne harness. It took me a while (let's be honest, a full year) to figure out which color and style I wanted, but I eventually settled for the double-wing harness in brown, which has a nice equestrian feel to it. The harness arrived right in time for fall, and while it's unfortunately too bulky to fit under jackets, it seems to work quite well over them instead. I wore it out this past weekend to go for fika (coffee break) at the Svenksa Kykan (Swedish Church) with Jimmy. Speaking of which, Svenska Kyrkan will be having a Swedish Christmas Fair this weekend, and we'll be stopping by again for ginger snaps and glogg.


Jimmy at Svenska Kyrkan

-Tiffany

Swedish Cubism

All photographs courtesy of Kristian Loveborg and Berns Salonger.

So, this is major catch-up from Stockholm Fashion Week, which now seems like an eternity ago, although I have to say the August weather there was not dissimilar to the November weather here (i.e., in the 50's and rainy). I saw Sara Andersson's degree presentation, Prepositions, at the Swedish School of Textiles graduate show, and it was one of the highlights of the entire week. I was immediately drawn in by the sculptural headpieces, neckpieces, and belts, that transformed the silhouette of the body into a cubist abstraction. Still, it's important not to get too distracted by the outrageous accessories; underneath are some incredible cool, chic, paired-down pieces. The collection is a bundle of contradictions: basic tee shapes rendered in strange plasticy looking textiles, dull colors spruced up by pops of gold sparkle, simple but statement making. None of these pieces would look out of place at my favorite new downtown arrival, Creatures of Comfort. I know grad collections usually never make it to production, but here's hoping that Sara's collection will pop up on Not Just A Label...

-Tiffany

How F--king Romantic

Last night I met up with an old friend who's in from out of town to catch up. We ended up having a heart to heart about the ups and downs of love, and the alternating agonies and ecstasies that one cycles through in an average relationship. Even the best and the healthiest relationships have their rainy days, and I'm old enough to understand that no human is infallible. I think one the greatest, and truest records of all time is the Magnetic Field's album, 69 Love Songs, which outlines the sad, the saccharine, and the just plain silly moments in any love story. My much adored husband led me to one of the best internet finds I've come across in months, 69 Love Songs, Illustrated, a collection of drawings and comics by different artists that all refer back to the classic album. As teens, we both listened to this album from different parts of the world, and still listen to it quite frequently today.

I am a closet romantic at heart, and want to believe that all my friends will have long, lasting relationships, and that the heartbreaks will be few and far between. I can play tough, but I do have a soft spot for all the trappings of modern romance, and Stacey Bendet's latest Alice and Olivia collection is full of pretty things out of your sweetest candy-colored dreams. These are the perfect outfits for a cheerleader of love, through the thick and thin spots. I know that I left the conversation with my friend only half-jokingly offering to be her dating coach (dating in New York is a particularly harrowing experience). These outfits might be just the thing to wear on the sidelines. Here are some of my favorite looks from the lookbook, and some of my favorite comics from the 69 Loves Songs, Illustrated website.



"I Think I Need a New Heart" illustrated by Mark Gamble



"Sweet Lovin' Man" illustrated by Kristyna Baczynski


"Yeah! Oh Yeah!" illustrated by Scott Jason Smith



EDIT: How could I have forgotten to include my favorite song off of 69 Love Songs? Listen to Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side, with even more video fan art!

-Tiffany