Vivienne Tam Fall/Winter 2012

This past week I went to see the Vivienne Tam fall/winter presentation, which was inspired by memories of "Lost Horizon" and a trip to Chengdu, China. Both experiences formed, in her imagination, a new Shangri-La.

She chose a beautiful color palette with hues of red, orange, and my favorite, teal. There was gorgeous beading and fur details as well as some fleece-lined tops.
My absolutely favorite top is the one pictured below. Loving the sheer sleeves & the gorgeous design on front.Here are some of my favorite overall looks from this collection:
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The 70s Belonged to Halston

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The other night I attended an event at my college. We watched an exclusive film screening of Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, directed by Whitney Smith. It was a wonderful, intriguing documentary about Halston - how he came about, how he lived, who he mingled with, and so on. It was in addition to a few quirky stories from Halston's personal friends, such as Liza Minnelli, Andre Leon Talley, Billy Joel, Diane von Furstenberg, Naeem Kahn, Philip Bloch, Pat Cleveland, and many more.

Halston was a legendary American fashion designer. He was the first to create sweater sets and introduced "casual chic". Speaking of casual chic, he was the first to use ultrasuede, a synthetic fabric that felt like luxury. He was also the first American designer to enter China's market as well as attempting to introduce his luxury brand into a lower-priced market (JC Penney). However, he was way ahead of his time & that idea didn't work out so well for him back then.

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Known for his wild dinner parties in his apartment, he also frequented Studio 54 and traveled the world glamorously with his entourage of models. Halston worked hard and lived his life to his fullest. Unfortunately, that also led to his downfall which ultimately led to his death.

Nonetheless, he was probably the only man who could look at fabric spread out on the floor and cut it up without any patterns or measurements & create a stunning dress without a single seam. Amazing.

[image source]

After the screening, we were treated with a lovely Q&A session with the director Whitney Smith, 70s supermodel Pat Cleveland, and stylist Philip Bloch. It was interesting to hear such personal stories from those who were close to him. Whitney talked about a bit about his filming process as well.

director, Whitney Smith

70s supermodel, Pat Cleveland

stylist, Philip Bloch

I definitely recommend this film. It was not only delightful, but it was educational & charming. If you're in New York City, you can see the film at the IFC Center. I believe it is also available on Demand :)

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prisms

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Light is magic
Today was such a bright day... I was out in the garden and the light refracting through my glass of water reminded me of this project I've seen on dezeen. It's called Rainbow Church by Tokujin Yoshioka.

I want to lay down on that floor surrounded by bright light and rainbows and listen to Pink Floyd's 'dark side of the moon'. Because I cannot ever see a prism without thinking of the world's greatest album cover. And yes, I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan.



Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave but don't leave me
Look around and chose your own ground
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be
Run, run rabbit run
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down it's time to dig another one
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race toward an early grave.

vintage car show

I know nothing about cars but I love good retro design :P
I really enjoyed Middlewich Transport Festival... it had a Gilmore girls - Stars Hollow feeling of community... especially with the cowboy singing country songs... country rooooooooooads, take me hooooooooooome!!!

type and go

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Type the Sky by Lisa Rienermann is an alphabet formed of shapes buildings make against the sky when photographed from below. According to the original post on German typographic blog Slanted the alphabet was created by Rienermann while studying at the University of Duisburg-Essen.


“It began with the Q,” she tells Slanted. “I was in a kind of courtyard in Barcelona. I looked upward and saw houses, the blue sky and clouds. The more I looked, I saw that the houses formed a letter Q.” She then set out to find more letter forms, spending weeks only looking upwards. The more difficult letters such as Q and K were the easiest to find, she says, but admits that PhotoShop helped here and there.


I love them especially because wherever I am I like to look up and notice all the details that you normally wouldn't on a fast walk down the street.

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Next is ABChairs by Roeland Otten. He has designed a collection of 26 chairs, each spelling out one letter of the alphabet.
Called ABChairs, the seats can be arranged to form words. Made out of plastic, very light and affordable the designer sees a great future for these chairs, suitable for cool interiors as well as outdoor furniture, kids rooms or libraries and schools.
I'd love some in my living room!

blank

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Sorry for the lack of posts lately...I've been very busy with the preparations for my departure and meeting old friends...I'll try to be more active this week!

Enjoy the Blank Wall Clock by Martí Guixé for Alessi... it's a white canvas... you can make it personal according to your own perception of time. So if 3 o'clock sounds to dull for you...be creative!

Most Curious by Tracey Neuls and Nina Saunders

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London shoe designer Tracey Neuls and Danish artist Nina Saunders have collaborated to create an installation using fabrics by British textile brand Sanderson at Neuls’ London shop.

Called Most Curious, the installation features a large scale sculpture from Nina Saunders and a dedicated collection of shoes from Tracey, both employing reissued vintage Sanderson textiles.

Shoes, textile and sculptural form come together in a beautiful classic/avant-garde story and i love it !

favourite things by chen karlsson

*At the Stockholm Furniture Fair Stockholm studio Chen Karlsson presented a lamp where treasured objects can be exhibited inside a transparent tank beneath the light source.
The design is meant to spotlight your little joys so you can make it more personal and fun to use.

books and plants

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I always love it when someone finds a way to put together two things that i really love.
found here

funky designs from Art. Lebedev Studio

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What i like most about Art. Lebedev Studio is that their designs are conceived with irony and and sense of humour. They make objects that are practical and fun to use.

Georgius cocktail stick is by far my favorite. I love how they turn a religious symbol in a party accessory. It's depicted just like in the Bible, with it's sword piercing through anything, from fruits to canape.

Swissarmius is another fun object and a cool design to have in your kitchen, cause when in use it looks just like a Swiss army with everything you need.

Vespertilium clothes peg was created on the occasion of Halloween, but I would use it all year rounf cause they're so fun. And the thing I like the most about it it's that when you don't use it it hangs head down just like a sleeping bat! It's great how they manage to incorporate in the designs the main characteristics of the object of inspiration and be perfectly functional and practical, not sacrifice for the sake of looking alike.

And the very famous Fuck the rain umbrella, it really depicts my attitude towards wet days. I like how the designers took this last picture "from the rains point of view". :))

see more of their work here.

Atipico new designs

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Designer statement: Crudo collection- white clay, black earth, glass. The strength of invisible fire bakes the matter while leaving its meaning raw and intact. Combinations of shapes, functions, colours, dimensions. To dress your table. To decorate your dishes. Plates, trays, containers, glasses, salad bowls. Linear games that invent a new table. A perfect design that matches with the elegance of a graceful appetite.


Designer statement: Tamburo e Reton by Antonino Sciortino - iron bends, iron straightens, iron plays the little table. An eclectic material, symbol of strength and great personality, as interpreted in a contemporary design. It hardens any environment, outside and inside the house, making it resistant to trends. Whether it’s a book, a dinner tray, a remote control or a love letter, it holds any item with the grace of an artist, by staying still, in a dance step.

I love this: natural material, basic shapes, rough look. It's just as design should be - simple and multifunctional. see more of their work here.

vintage inspired

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Matt Richmond takes a music icon and updates it with 21st century technology. Dock your iPod or iPhone, and turn the Victrola into speakers for your favorite rock album. Such a great mix of vintage and contemporary!