Monday, August 31, 2009

♥ the heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good.



my mother just heard about etsy on the today show,
and now she is obsessed with the whole concept of it.
she keep's telling me, "sami, all we need is just one idea!,"
which sounds about as simple to me as
buying a scratch ticket and hitting the jackpot!

one idea that i wish i had come up with on my own are
these gorgeous lace cabochon rings by carlee santarelli,
which can be found on her etsy shop as well as here.


these rings are handcrafted
from vintage textiles and laces
stategically placed beneath an acrylic cabochon,
a convex cut gemstone which serves as a miniature
magnifying glass that enlarges the pattern of the fabric
to create a look that is truly unique and exquisite.
love it!!!




ps. she also designed this super flashy
"cat o'nine fringe bracelet,"
which was featured on women's wear daily!
now, can anyone tell me why i didn't think of that?


Friday, August 28, 2009

♥ yours are no common feet.




in case you didn't get the memo,
or the surge in shoulder pads, leggings, ray bans
and day.glo colors didn't tip you off already...
the 80's are back,
in a BIG way.
like madonna big.
like whitney houston's hair big.

but what you may not have observed,
and what i discovered recently
in an interesting article from
the new york times style magazine,
is that the 1940's are back as well,
only they are here in the form of a shoe.

during the "make do and mend" era of world war II,
any and all american resources were shipped overseas,
which meant that the use of such basic shoe making materials
as leather and rubber was highly restricted and banned.

women's shoes were limited to a one inch heel,
with only six color choices, and no stockings!
{how dreadful!!}

as a result, designers were forced to think outside of the box and
come up with clever and creative ways to adorn women's feet.
using every possible material from cork, to wood, to reptile skins,
to mesh, straw, felt and even pipe cleaners,
women found ways to add a little spring to their step during
a dark and uncertain period in american history.

in much the same way,
we are seeing a resurgence of unique footwear from caged booties,
to sky.high platforms, to over the knee super hero boots,
to tassles, straps and metals.
women everywhere, from the runway to the streets
are putting their best foot forward!




images via jak and jil blog

so, when shopping for your fall wardrobe,
keep this historical equation in mind:
power dressing 80's "business" on the top
40's "party" shoes on the bottom!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

♥ life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.



i would wager a bet that british
fashion designer. illustrator. artist. teacher
julie verhoeven
has more skill and pure creativity
in her pinkie fingernail {not even the whole pinkie!!.}
than i do
in my entire being.


maybe it is because
her father is a graphic designer,
and her "mum" is an illustrator,
or because she studied fashion at medway college
or perhaps it is because in 1987,
she was the first. assistant. ever.
to the inimitable john galliano,
or maybe the girl is just
hella.talented!

her colorful.yet.minimal,
childlike.yet.provocative artwork
spans decades and continents,
effortlessly shifting shapes and crisscrossing mediums
which range from fashion, to video, to music,
to architecture, to horitculture, to installation,
to photography, pencil + ink illustration,
tapestry, books, and hd box covers..
(just to name a few!)


she has collaborated with such luxury brands as
louis vuitton, cacharel, lancome, prada,
mulberry (see below!)



..and most recently, versace,
where she was asked to re.think the
traditional medusa symbol which represents the brand.
according to verhoeven,
"fashion reaches a greater audience
and it is fun to see artwork in movement."
i couldn't agree more.



her "ferociously feminine, funny & sad" illustrations
have been captured in books
in magazines such as self service, the face,
and have graced the covers of albums,
such as primal scream & kate moss.


she was commissioned by award winning fashion website, show studio,
to create a 19th century chinoiserie inspired, erotic wallpaper,
as well as a project called, "beat the clock," which is a series
of images that follow julie through her creative thinking process
that goes on well into the night.


click here to see forget me knot interactive chinoiserie wallpaper.


oh! i would certainly give up my pinkie to be that creative!!
...but then again, if i had no pinkie
i would probably not be able to draw that well anyway...

i guess i will have to leave the beautiful, whimsical
art and fashion to masters like julie verhoeven.