Cheap Thrills

When David J. Krause and Nina Zilka founded their label, Alder, they decided take on a different approach, choosing to sell directly to the consumer via their online shop, rather than dealing with the boutiques and showrooms that act as middle parties.  The result is a small but vibrant collection of fun, well crafted clothes for a very reasonable price; most everything costs between $50-$200.  For spring, the designers created looks that fused two disparate influences: the colorful fabrics of Mexico City, and the classic tailored garments favorite by your average preppy society girl.  I love the resulting neon-infused basics, which add just the right amount of flair and eccentricity to outfits that you can wear everyday. 

-Tiffany

Knots and Cords

I am always on the search for new knits, and I was immediately struck by Derek Lawlor's intricate creations. Lawlor, who is known for his unique technique of incorporating waxed cord onto his knits in patterns, designs sculptural and visually striking pieces.  For Fall 2012, he incorporated a loose ladder pattern, that resembled a refined version of the shredded knits that spread across blogs like wildfire a few years ago.  These ladder knits differ in that they are very carefully applied, and even if they have a deconstructed and slightly dishabille affect, they're juxtaposed against very structured and refined knit patterns.  There's a striking contrast between the two elements, and the overall result is somewhat wabi-sabi.  Everything in this collection is perfectly imperfect.

-Tiffany

Stockholm Lately

Robyn's excellent performance at the Bon Magazine 10th Anniversary Party

Now that the springtime is here, and life is worth living again, Stockholm is quickly metamorphosing into a place that I actually enjoy being in.  It helps that everyone else in the country is undergoing a similar spring awakening (as one friend puts it, it's like 'rising from the grave').  Since every minute of increasing daylight is a reason to celebrate, I've been going out all week.  People are even finally starting to make visits again, and my friends Geordon and Leigh from The Misshapes stopped by this weekend to DJ the Bon Magazine 10th Anniversary Party, where Robyn put on an amazing show.  As much as I love this place, I have to say, it was undeniably fun to have a nice injection of New York.  Here are some of my favorite photos from the past few days, in no particular order.

Asian girl poses with Fumi at the Bon Magazine Party. Fumi was wearing a Jeremy Scott jumpsuit. I wore my Mary Katrantzou x Topshop dress.

Fumi and Geordon

Leigh modeling some eyebrow-enhancing glasses at Scandinavian Press Room

Geordon looked so handsome in his new leather biker jacket, courtesy of Acne

Hanging out in Geordan's hotel room at Berns before the Bon party. Gabi wore her vintage DKNY dress.

Finsk platform wedges at Scandinavian Press Room

Hanging out with the boys in the (Hammarbyhojden) hood

Opening night of Stockholm's latest Shopping Center, Mood

Somebody threw a bike over the Sankt Eriksgatan bridge, and it's been lying on top of the frozen over waters of Karlbergssjon ever since.  

Robyn's Prada brogues.

-Tiffany

Object of Desire

Considering that Eleven Objects started in Fall 2011 with a small but highly detailed collection of hand embroidered collars, it's quite amazing that a year later, they're presenting their first ready to wear collection.  I guess the quick progress shouldn't be that much of a surprise given the designers' impressive resumes: Christine Rhee studied architecture at Princeton and worked at BOYY, and Linh Thi Do worked at Alexander Wang and doo.ri.  The clothes bear all the luxe details of the collars, and the AW 2012 collection heavily features rich brocades, gold leaf, shearling, and Swarovski crystals.

The collars are still the focal point of all the looks, and in addition to the detached collar style, the designers have introduced the "collar sleeve," a floating collar with a set of short sleeves attached.  These pieces, along with the belted peplums, occupy a space somewhere between clothing, accessories, and jewelry, which might sound confusing at first.  However, once they're matched with the outfits, they complement the clothes beautifully, and everything comes together and makes perfect sense.

 

-Tiffany

Déjà vu

Having just started my Pinterest account less than a week ago, I've gone from being completely bemused and somewhat skeptical to totally obsessed within a matter of days.  I love the quick and simple ease of clicking a button and immediately scrapbooking the bits and bobs that you come across while trawling the internet.

This sort of personal library is exactly what inspired the designers behind Hernandez Cornet for Fall 2012, who drew upon a year's worth of collected references.  The collection returns to all of these ideas and sources of inspiration, and attempts to combine and reconfigure them with their own voice.  The sense of repetition and reinterpretation is reflected in the clothes, which are selection of classic garment types such as trench coats, biker jackets, and flight jackets, all reworked in different materials. While similar silhouettes and styles appear more than once, they look entirely different when they are made from PVC and when they are made from psychedelic printed poplin.  In this case of déjà vu, you might believe that you have seen the look before, but it appears entirely different the second time around.

-Tiffany

Joyful Noise

Jimmy, Me, Jacob and John backstage at Berns

Stockholm unfortunately is NOT on the top of most people's list of must-visit destinations, especially in the middle of winter.  Very few of my friends have made the trek across the Atlantic to visit, and I've only gotten to catch a few people who've ended up here on business rather than pleasure.  So, as you can imagine, I was ecstatic when my friends Jon and Jacob came through town last Friday on tour with their band The Drums.  Sadly, they were in Stockholm for less than 24 hours, as they had to head over to Oslo the next day, but we managed to squeeze in some time with them before their performance at Berns.  I have to say, I am not jealous of their insane schedule and nonstop-touring lifestyle, although they do get plenty of nice perks along the way. 


Anyway, I'm so incredibly proud of how far they've come, especially knowing how hard they work.  Here are some of my favorite photos from the show. Make sure to take a listen to their single Days, as well as these two remixes:
The Drums- Days (Trentemoller Remix)
The Drums- Days (Mates of State Remix)

-Tiffany