“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees– just as things grow fast in the movies– I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”*

I spent half of the weekend relaxing. I decided to re-read The Great Gatsby* for like, the millionth time (I still blame books like this for my warped and unrealistic sense of love and romance) and enjoyed some wonderful dinners and good conversation. I spent the other half the weekend packing, which was annoying because I have too much stuff. How many pairs of black pants does a person actually need? And what about purses? As I laid them out on my floor I did some mental math and realized I should probably own stock in Coach at this point. Anyway, as I packed I fluctuated between “angry packer” and “excited packer.” “Angry packer” listened to the new Three 6 Mafia album (I highly recommend it, especially for the gym), old TI and Flo Rida. “Excited packer” listened to some of my old (Cape Cod) favorites like The Police, George Michael, and Pete Townsend.

The one lyric that kept getting stuck in my head as I packed was, “love can mend your life but love can break your heart,” from Pete Townsend. Somehow, via a long convoluted thought process I won’t subject you to, those lyrics got me thinking about Lovers and Thieves. I adore their collection, though I’m not going to lie, their website is kind of hard to navigate. Once you get used it though, you’ll find yourself loving this Ontario based collection for it’s unique style and edgy approach.

Anyway I think I’ve quoted and linked enough for one night!

One of my favorite things about this site is looking back over the past couple of years and seeing how different designers have developed over the years. Back in 2006 I wrote about the mother/ daughter design team at Rebe. My how they’ve grown! This adorable brand has refined their style, introduced an eco-friendly line, and stayed true to their super-cute roots. I love the Maryanne Coat and if I wasn’t seriously monetarily-depleted as a result of my never ending move, I would totally snatch one up!

Anyway, TGIF and all that. This weekend is all about the the beach, packing and dinner parties… you?

*Sorry for the Fergie reference this early in the morning…
Anyway, I know I may seem kinda two-dimensional when you read these posts… the whole court vs. couture thing. One thing that’s extremely important to me that I rarely write about is the gym. I try to go everyday, but of course life gets in the way from time to time. I used to be a super-competitive runner… I have to say its absolutely the best therapy out there. No matter how bad my day is, I can usually reconcile things with a couple laps around the pond or a good workout at the gym.

Sometimes, even when life doesn’t get in the way, I have a hard time motivating. I know it may be sad, but on those days, I’m always grateful for the collection of adorable (yet highly functional) gym clothes I have. The mere practice of getting out of a work suit and putting on a gym outfit is therapeutic in itself! Honestly, if I could wear guy clothes like Ivee’s all the time, I’d be one happy girl!

Ivee is a new line of high performance workout clothes for women. A lot times, collections designed specifically for women fall short in the performance department and try too hard to be cute. Not so with Ivee, they do a great job of creating a stylish line that’s full of functionality! I love the Sydney bamboo pants! If you’re fitness minded you’ll love their stuff… if you’re looking for a little motivation why not grab a cute new outfit and show it off at the gym?

If green is the new black, than forward thinking Pamoyo is the new green. This innovative Berlin-based company is taking green to a new level, combining vintage and organic fabrics, classic and street styles along with a strong grounding in ethics and originality. Pamoyo clothes are designed with flow, drawing connections between the past and the future. The designers follow their own rhythm and strive to make every collection a new artistic invention or social statement. Instead of following fashion seasons or trends, they create an inspiring flow of new products and items (thank goodness!!).

Pamoyo is about choice. Choice for a green and social production, but as much for quality and authenticity. Pamoyo feels that the only way to make something ethical, is to do it according to the principles of your heart. To be real, to create what you are, and to play with that as well. The company dares to be fair, to be social, and to be green. They create clothing for people who want to be themselves, as they are: real.

Pamoyo is a truly creative fashion label. Designers use subtle humor, innovative concepts, and artistic minds to create fresh looks. They are inspired by samples of street style and an ironic re-use of retro images and sub-cultural identities. Designers literally ask people on the streets of Berlin about their styles, their style choices and (most importantly) their connecting life stories.
Pamoyo’s focus on community doesn’t stop at the design process. Two Euro per sold item is set apart to invest in Pamoyo’s own social-environmental projects. Together with the Grass Routes Foundation Pamoyo is preparing a cooperation and training project with designers in developing countries. The more the brand sells, the more they will be able to build up their own unique projects that integrate creative, social and environmental aspects of clothing production.

Can you believe it’s almost July? This summer is zipping by way too fast. Anyway, I’m running late as usual. Time to grab my morning paper and bounce…. Speaking of the morning paper, what better way to carry it, than in a bag made from 100% recycled morning papers (and candy wrappers and other recycled paper goods)? That’s the concept behind Ecoist’s sleek and stylish Slim Portfolio, a uniquely styled handbag that was a finalist at the Independent Handbag Awards. These great bags are strong, waterproof (I know you were wondering), and made fairly in Mexico and Peru. You can find them, along with several other innovative handbags and accessories at Ecoist’s website.

About Ecoist: Ecoist was founded in 2004 with the goal of devloping unique gifts and fashion accessories for the eco-minded individual. I wrote about them back in 2006 and love how the site has evolved.

Ecoist’s objective is to merge design with social and environmental consciousness to provide stylish, functional, and durable products that people will love to own. All of their products are made from recycled, organic, or earth-friendly materials, and are manufactured through their network of fair trade partnerships around the world. Be sure to check them out!

You probably remember oda from San Fransisco Fashion week, 2005-2006. Their Spring 2007 collection haunts me to this day… the designs are rich, vibrant, and beautiful… each piece is truly a piece of art. I mean, just look at the detail, it’s stunning! On top of creating breathtakingly gorgeous clothes, oda was one of the first purveyors of eco-couture. oda did it before it was a trend. Be sure to download their catalog and check out pictures from SF Fashion Week online.

I also wanted those of you in the Bay Area to know that these truly breathtaking designs are now available at Mission Statement. Be sure to check out the Mission Statement Grand Opening Street Fair and Fashion Show Saturday, June 21st, 2008 – 11am-8pm, located on Lexington Street @18th. More about oda:

“Born from a shared vision of creating hip, wearable art, oda’s design trio – Angie Kim, Mandalyn Begay, and Maggie Kim – introduced their debut collection at San Francisco Fashion Week, August 2005. With a signature style tinged in Edwardian tradition and incorporating a Tokyo-pop flavor, their clothes feature exquisite, handmade embellishments designed to accentuate the beauty in imperfection. Angie and Maggie first met Mandalyn as undergraduates at Dartmouth College and started their eco-fashion line when they met up again in San Francisco.”

“oda create’s apparel that people can be confident wearing and supporting. The current collection is inspired by Native American and Korean traditional costume. In line with oda’s belief in the use of socially and environmentally sound materials and practices, cottons, hemps and wools are organically produced. The other fabrics are made from natural fibers like soy, and colors are hand-dyed or tea-stained. Clothing details are eco-mindful as well; feathers are collected locally from molting chickens and buttons are made from found antlers and bamboo. Maintaining and fostering the skilled crafts of traditional cultures is important to oda’s philosophy and inspiration.”

Back when I was in undergrad, my parents always encouraged me to take practical classes. You know, classes that would give me information that I could use sometime later on in my life. You can imagine their… frustration when I enrolled in art, philosophy and yes, Egyptology. Brown actually has one of best (and only) Egyptology programs out there. Anyway, I took a class that focused on the Egyptian Book of the Dead (I was kinda weird). By the end of the class I was convinced I was going to get a line of hieroglyphics tattooed down my back. Every now and then I walk by a tattoo parlor and think about it, but at the end of the day I’m always too scared of the needle. Egyptology is an odd thing to be obsessed about… so you can imagine my excitement when I found Funk Devine’s amazing collection. Not only does the line make gorgeous clothes decorated with intricate and meaningful Egyptian characters, the entire line is eco-friendly! Funk Devine’s collection is represented by the Egyptian Scarab, meaning ‘Life’ and ‘Renewal’ to the ancient culture. Very apropos considering the pieces are all made with hemp and organic cotton.

A wonderfully unique collection that you can feel good about wearing… what more can you ask for? Check out website and shop the collection on Etsy.

One more day of work and my mind is already on the beach! Seriously? I don’t know how people work in places like Miami… I would be in a constant state of daydream until I slipped off the heels and slipped on the flip flops. Anyway, le designer du jour is Enamore.
Enamore is a creative fashion label producing beautiful clothing, lingerie and accessories from organic and sustainable fabrics. Enamore’s collections are currently produced in the UK from the finest organic hemp, soya, cotton, silk and hand selected vintage fabrics. Enamore also stocks 3 unique accessory ranges by Nanny K, Catarina Vassalo and Beaucoco.

These clothes are sustainable, wearable and (most importantly) fun! Enjoy your Friday!

My life is in boxes right now… only a couple of weeks till the big move! Today is going to be an impossible day at work, so I’ll keep the post short and sweet.
Filly Designs is a small clothing company dreamed up by designer, Emily. Her designs combine bold sweeping shapes with old-world flirtation. They’re beautiful, simple, functional and versatile. The line started “kinda accidentally.” Emily dropped out of law school and was working as a bicycle messenger in her home town of Santa Cruz, California. One afternoon she made a pair of overalls on my partner’s old Kenmore sewing machine and they worked! They were cute, and wearable, and easy! At that point, something clicked. Emily went back to school to study fashion at the California College of Arts and Crafts. During her senior year she left school to start Filly.
Filly is a line of women’s clothing locally produced in small batch runs. Emily designs a print for each season and uses American-milled and sustainable fabrics whenever possible. The manufacturer and screenprinter are within 45 minutes of her home base in Santa Cruz. Her clothes designed to be flattering to a wide variety of shapes and sizes, to be wearable and durable, to be odd in the good way.
But Filly is also something more. Emily puts a piece of herself into each piece she creates. “I feel purposeful, sexy, peaceful. I like the way I move and pull the fabric. I like lifting and setting down and using tools and watching my hands move, without thought, around the sewing machine. I like the scratch of pencil in my workbook. I want women wearing Filly to feel the same. Comfortable in their own skin. Loving of their own skin.”

We all know we need to recycle, right? Well, Amanda Ericsson takes recycling to a très chic level with her brand, dreamandawake. She literally searches the globe for gorgeous vintage dresses which she refashions into modern pieces. The result? Beautiful one-of-a-kind garments with both history and relevance! Be sure to check out her website (great design work here too!), her myspace page and her blog. Ok, time for more coffee…

Obviously, you were all tuned in to last night’s historic event. I was born cynical, however, I must admit all of this is pretty amazing. As always, I’ll leave it to the political bloggers to write about the historical magnitude of it all… I’ll also leave it to them to write about how ridiculous Hilly is being… I plan on having all of those conversations at some point today, but let’s face it, you’re here for fashion not to hear me rant.

This morning, your daily dose of fashion comes from Skin and Threads. An understanding of organic and natural fabrics has led Skin and Threads to create edgy designer basics not only look beautiful, but feel beautiful as well. Skin and Threads concentrates on clean, soft silhouettes that can be worn as separates or layered for a more unconventional aesthetic. Evolving with you, their basics are wardrobe staples – the pieces you throw on over and over again because they work. For Skin and Threads, it’s about the fabrics, the fit, the luxury and the look.

I love grab-and-go style… Skin and Threads definitely evokes that very-sexy, yet very-chill vibe. The opposite vibe of the suit that awaits me this morning…

After a weekend of relaxation, Sex and the City (of course I saw it, and kudos to Bag Borrow or Steal for the major shout out!), and yummy Bellinis, yet another work week looms before me. At least it’s the first week of the month, which means several cool Friday celebrations, including the traditionally fun First Friday event at the MFA, for those of you in Boston.

Anyway, I thought Emily Katz’s sustainable and elegantly practical collection would be a perfect way for you to start off your week. Using fabrics like recycled denim, soy jersey, and organic fleece, Emily’s line is simple and sexy with unique twists on modern shapes (I hope the model in this dress is using Pure Style Girlfriend’s “Stay Put Double Sided Fashion Tape!!”). Anyway you can check out her collection on her website and shop her line on Etsy.

How many times I have I rolled my eyes and ranted on this site about fake bags. Especially fake Louis. I won’t bore you with a repeat-rant . . . however I will say every time I see someone carrying a fake I want to tell them nicely, “We all know its a fake. We’re not impressed.” I’m not suggesting you should have a closet full of the real thing (I actually don’t think I own any Louis, now that I think about it), I’m just saying, buy what you can afford, rock your own style, and for heaven’s sake try to work a bit of originally into your wardrobe.

Need some help? Look no further than Poketo! for some of the coolest creative art around. “Poketo is a producer of limited edition artist-designed lifestyle goods, and an ever-expanding network of international artists. Founded by Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, Poketo, promotes the work of emerging and established artists through beautiful, accessible art objects: wallets, apparel, stationery, housewares, design objects, prints, and more. Through functional, design-driven wares, Poketo takes art off of gallery walls and makes them part of your everyday life. Poketo products are available internationally in fine boutiques, museums, and Poketo.com. Poketo.com houses the entire collection and artist roster, and is also a place for people to connect with the artist community. The Poketo blog and photo Flickr chronicles art events, as well as Ted and Angies travels, karaoke sessions, and latest food finds.”

Obviously I love the FAKE BAG which visualizes and satirize the current era by combining the Louis Vuitton brand and graphic with the image FAKE. Through this project, artist Zinoo Park critiques idolization of brand names and prevalence of knock-offs. Featured at the London’s 100% Design. Only 100 made for an art exhibit in Seoul called “Wake Up Andy Warhol”. (Poketo! recently convinced them to make a few more so grab them while they’re in stock!)
Also check out:

Clips from the New Yorker Conference 2008- featuring “The Tanning of America” and personal favorite Malcolm Gladwell

The Uptown Emerging Designer’s Market- by way of I like her style, this awesome new site is Harlem’s newest fashion retail destination featuring a variety of cutting-edge designers of apparel and accessories!

One Pulse and Nadia Plesner question LV’s ethics (’bout time someone did!)

Everyone knows that everyone needs to do more to reduce their environmental footprint. We get it. We do what we can . . . we buy organic products, we use canvas bags instead of plastic and we try to shop at places that care. One thing that’s kind of annoying about the whole “green movement” is the in-your-face aspect of it . . . I mean, I guess some people need a constant reminder to be eco-friendly, but you have to admit some people are over-kill. They drive up to you in their Pruis, step out in a green shirt, with the green recycle symbol on it, sip their organic soy- latte from their 100% recycled and reusable travel mug and scoff at you as you order you accept your macchiato in a landfill cluttering paper cup (yes, I actually had someone tell me that I “really should consider bringing” my own mug). Anyway, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t all strive to be better, I’m just saying we can be subtle about it. That’s why I love Lika Volkova and Alessandro DeVito’s hot collection SANS. Using innovative fabrics like soy, organic Japanese denim and recycled polyester, SANS creates sexy modern shapes that are gorgeous and eco-friendly.

While their stunning collection is more suitable for a gallery opening than for the day to day, SANS also offers a cute line of soy socks for those who want to to spice up that boring suit (which I don’t have to wear today because I have the day off!!). Anyway, SANS does the whole eco thing in a very cool, very sexy, very subtle way. You’ll look great in their designs and you can feel good about buying them!

Also check out:

We make $ Not Art reviews Biospiracy-the new colonialism

Being Hunted loves Organic Pharmacy Skin Care

Your daily does of Protein offers a review of Little Zero

I’m hoping to do more site updates this weekend. I keep going back and forth as to whether or not I want to have an “Urban Socialite Shop” section of the site. . . many of you have suggested it and I’m still trying to figure out exactly the best way to make it happen. Anyway, if I did have a shop on this site, I’d be sure to stock great brands like Roberta Oaks!

Hailing from gorgeous Hawaii and dedicated to supporting ethical practices and a sustainable economy and planet, Roberta Oaks is most definitely a brand with conscience. She uses eco-friendly fabrics and creates all of her designs at a local sewing shop in Honolulu. Roberta Oaks Power started this island-based company in 2004, selling her gorgeous designs on the beach and at art fairs. Lucky for you, she’s branched out into various boutiques around the world and a fabulous online shop.

By now you probably know my style and this line does a great job of defining it… sexy, comfortable, breezy, unique and inspired! Hopefully youe weekend is all of those things and more! Later.