The Anatomy of Desire

Una Burke pants. Photograph by Diego Indraccolo.

Harnesses and restraints have been a running trend for the past few years, and in the newly released book, Design Behind Desire, they get a lengthy examination along with other fetishistic accessories.  The stunning hardcover, part of a new series of art, fashion, and design books from Farameh Media, is a comprehensive survey of work from contemporary designers whose pieces are either overtly or covertly erotic.  Naturally, Fleet Ilya's revised Hannibal Lecter style mask makes the cut, along with Bliss Lau's leather and metal body armor, and Betany Vernon's cheeky and lux jewels.  While the focus is mainly on designers working now, recent work is juxtaposed against classic fetish pieces like Meret Oppenheim's fur coffee cup.  Gathered together in one book, all the objects explore the different facets of desire, and even if whips and bondage aren't your cup of tea, you're bound to find something between the covers that inspires serious material lust.

Fleet Ilya Mask. Photograph by Justin Borbely.

Cuff and bodychain by Bliss Lau.

Pearl Massage ring by Betany Vernon. Pearl restraints by Kiki de Montparnasse.

Gold Leaf Shakti Mirror by Mark Brazier-Jones. Divorce Ring by Gisele Ganne.

Aoi Kotsuhiroi boots.

-Tiffany

Fading Light

Pants courtesy of East West, Proenza Schouler x Target Top, Rodebjer cardigan, shoes c/o 80%20.

I spent the past few days working at the V Ave Shoe Repair sale at Tvalpalatset and as much fun as I've been having making off-colored jokes with my favorite fellow obnoxious-American girls (the sisters Loeb), I've been sad that I've had to spend the few gorgeous, sunny days that we've had so far working in a basement with no natural light.  I took the day off today to cook for a belated Thanksgiving celebration, and was so happy to get a glimpse of the sun this weekend, as the ratio of light to dark hours have had me feeling a bit like a a vampire.

-Tiffany

Nail Envy

I have to admit, I am not the biggest Lady Gaga fan. While I can enjoy a round of Bad Romance on the dancefloor, the Lady has definitely reached media oversaturation, giving out a fair amount of inane quotable quotes along the way.  Having seen her perform in her early days at one of my parties at Marquee, I can also say that stylewise, she is very much indebted to Nicola Formichetti.  Trash talking aside, I do appreciate Formichetti's hand in Stefani Germanotta's remarkable transformation, and while there have definitely been highs and lows, one element that's remained consistently good are Gaga's manicures.

Gaga's nails are the work of New York based nail artist Naomi Yasuda, who has a long list of celebrity fans, but still makes time to do house visits. While Yasuda's rates aren't above the average ones you'll find for a Japanese 3-D manicure, blinging out your nails with bejeweled tips on a weekly basis is financially impossible for most of the ladies I know, myself included.  Thankfully, Yasuda has come up with several ways to make her one-of-a-kind nails more accessible to the public with several collaborations.  First, she created a series of stone, gem, and chain encrusted press-on nails with artificial nail manufacturer Kiss, selling for $45 a set.  Second, Yasuda collaborated with Minx to create 2-D gold and silver graphic nail stickers, which are $35 for a pack.  Lastly, for the hardcore nail fanatics, Yasuda created a limited edition of hand-cut and crafted nail sets, which were filed into crazy shapes and loaded with nail charms and stones.  Only 30 pairs were made, and each pair costs $225.  Of course, all of the nail sets will be available exclusively at the Barney's x Gaga workshop.

-Tiffany

Warmi Up!

While surfing the loveliest e-shop on the internet, The Moon and Mars (maybe I'm a bit biased since we sell there), I came across the most amazing new line of fun, colorful and kooky knits, Warmi.  Designed by Sylvia Toth in Paris, and then hand knit in the towns of Tausa and Sutatausa in Colombia by artisans, the line combines traditional Latin American textile craftsmanship with Parisian fashion-forwardness.  While I love the cartoonish depictions of snakes, birds, and other fuzzy four-legged creatures, I also appreciate Warmi's dedication to the craft of knitting.  Each of the Colombian artisans is featured in a small bio on the website, and all of them sign the pieces that they create.  Additionally, Warmi encourages people to knit their own pieces, selling kits so you can get started on a leopard-print armband project, and perhaps move on to more complex things from there.  Warmi has certainly inspired me to pick up my own set of needles soon--maybe I'll knit up my own phantasmagoric creature to keep me warm this winter.

-Tiffany

Everybody Must Get Stoned

Each season, Iosselliani gets more and more colorful. The original collection started out with intricately constructed noirish pieces encrusted with smatterings of clear and black crystals, and though the collection still presents darker undercurrents, they've infused the jewels with a vibrant jolt for a more gothic meets gypset vibe. Although that might not sound like the most appealing combination (I wonder how often those subcultural sets meet in real life), it somehow manages to work. Semi-precious stones mix with crystals, spikes, and semi-oxidized chain to form the most intricately composed swathes of rock and metal.  The true beauty of these pieces is that on first glance, they appear to be more traditional beaded necklaces, but upon closer inspection, reveal claws clutching at pearls, itty-bitty skulls attached to stone settings, and dangling dog's heads.  Nonetheless, if wearing color just isn't your thing, most jewels still come in classic black.

-Tiffany

Heutchy x Love

Heutchy (pronounced "hi-chy" rather than "hoochie" as I had previously believed) started as a men's footwear line meant to fill the gap between casual and formal shoes. Following plenty of praise from the boys, they've started to branch out into women's shoes too. For spring, designer Wells Stellberger collaborated with Richard Chai, making shoes for both his menswear line and his Love line. The adorable women's oxfords that resulted come in both shiny patent leather and striped fabric, and display the easy, informal elegance at the core of the line. They're the perfect alternative to sneakers, when you don't want to look shabby, but also refuse to sacrifice comfort--something that I find myself increasingly unwilling to do.  Pair them with the rugged-refined Heutchy backpacks, and you're ready to go!

-Tiffany

Take Me Upstate

Upstate's hand-dyed scarves and garments have a dreamy, escapist feel, and this spring's gorgeous lookbook has me fantasizing about a long weekend in the country.  Each piece is individually dyed by designers Astrid and Kalen using traditional shibori techniques, making them one of a kind, as well as infusing them with a certain wabi-sabi quality of imperfect perfection.  Structured grids and geometric patterns go fuzzy around the edges, and the cuts are simple, yet often convertible, and versatile.

-Tiffany

Factory People

As much as I've tried to organize my life via Google calendar, plotting appointments, meetings and events with obsessive compulsive attention to time/location/date, I inevitably wind up making a fair share of mistakes.  One such mishap involved arriving an hour late to the Factory by Erik Hart presentation during fashion week, only to see all the show-goers exit, and the models run off to their next shows dressed in their civilian attire.  I had no idea what I missed until I stopped by the showroom to take a look at the collection in person. Hart is both a designer and an artist, and his multidisciplinary approach is evident in his collection of elegant, minimalist designs, and his directional silhouettes.  His Spring 2012 collection echoes the 90's work of another artist/designer, Helmut Lang, and all of his clothes appear to be made for a gallery girl in Berlin.  Every piece is cool, elegant, and sophisticated, yet still completely wearable.  And, if you're living on a meager gallery assistant's salary, Hart's clothes are miraculously within reach: prices start just below $100.

-Tiffany