When I was kid, my parents were always very creative with my toys. Of course my brother and I had some run-of-the-mill stuff (still love Teddy Ruxpin to this day… lol)… but my favorite toys were always the unique things that we had and no one else did. One of our favorites was this giant parachute we used to store in our back shed. It was huge and spanned most of our back yard when it was completely unraveled. When you’re 4 and 7 you can spend hours in a giant parachute… making forts, playing tag, you name it. One of my favorite things to do was to climb to the middle and wear the entire thing as a dress. I felt like the princess of everything!! Clearly, designers Doris Kwaka & Nike Kondakis had a similar idea when they created their breathtaking Parachute Collection.
I love love love!
Instead of the short little bio I usually do on designers, check out Nike in her own words!
Yesterday was my day of interesting encounters… there was coffee by the waterfront, a figurative trip over the Tobin, heart wrenching eye contact in my favorite District and of course there’s that whole awkward seeing my future thing… although last night I heard it instead of seeing it… anyway, combine all of those experiences with the fact I was recovering from a sunshine-hangover (seriously, never, ever fall asleep on your roof deck in the midday sun… ) and my head was spinning by the end of the day!
Today should be pretty chill and tomorrow I’m looking forward to the Lucky Toes launch event in Cambridge (I’ll take pictures or whatever and post them for you… if you haven’t stopped by LuckyToes definitely check them out!) …
Okay, enough about moi… let’s talk about today’s designer, Karen Karam. I love her fun, flirty designs, and I’m loving the knee socks over heels thing. I rocked it a couple times last winter and thought it was really fun. I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot of that and a lot of over-the-knee boots this fall… Anyway more about Karen (Bio from Not Just a Label)
Karen was born in the same year as the Smurfs first featured on television, when every woman wanted a pair of wonder woman boots, and when the UK’s first jogging craze swept the country. Yes, this was 1978!
After finishing her psychology degree Karen went to London to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a fashion designer. Central Saint Martins was the first step towards achieving her dream. She graduated in 2006 and presented her collection in the final year press show in which she received numerous publications.
During her placement year Karen decided to go into a mini adventure where she would move from one fashion house to the other in order to have a fully rounded training. She started at Alexander McQueen in London and then moved to Paris to work at Chloe and ended her year at John Galliano. “It’s been probably one of the best years of my life” says Karen “to be surrounded by so much talent and creativity was overwhelming at times. I felt like I was Alice in wonderland.” Much of her work in all 3 fashion houses was used for the ready to wear and catwalk collections.
During her last year at school, Karen won the Mulberry bag award competition and was a finalist at the ITS 5 young talent competition in Trieste and the YKK zip award. She was also a finalist at the Mango young designer competition.
In 2006 Karen’s accessories, that were part of her final year collection, were sold at Colette in Paris.
S/S09 was the debut collection for Karen. Her collection got instant recognition from both buyers and press and saw some gorgeous celebrities wearing her creations.
Karen’s girly, quirky look has set her as one of the new young designers to watch. “Well this is all just the beginning,” says Karen “there will be much more to come and I can’t wait to see how the wind will blow and where it will take me!”
I think that’s all…. oh yeah, don’t forget to check out Aventura’s new album which was released today!
This weekend gave me a lot to think about, including but not limited to, the dangers of falling asleep on my roof-deck for 2.5 hours in the blazing sun. Ouch!!
Okay, moving on today’s designer, meet the super talented Justine Collins of singleBbeautiful.
Justine began making jewelry because she likes to make beautiful things with her hands. Her 100% handmade designs include silver and gold, and precious and semi-precious gemstones. Inspired by ancient jewelry, her creations are both thoughtfully crafted and timeless in design. All of the metals she uses are 100% recycled and do not encourage destructive mining practices.
You can purchase her designs on Etsy and read about the process on her blog.
You have no idea how badly I want to take a jewelery making class. They have one at MassArt, but knowing me and my perpetually overbooked schedule, I would probably end up missing half the classes anyway… I digress. More later.
7am is a PERFECT time to start drilling through the cement next to my apartment. Gracias city of Boston. Seriously, this is insane.
Anyway, now that I am fully awake…
Today’s designer is Jacob of Jacob’s Eye.
Jacob is a self-taught artist and craftsman who hails from Kingston, Jamaica. Since 1997 Jacob has been the proprietor of Jacob’s Eye in scenic Fort Greene, Brooklyn (I seriously miss Brooklyn so much). This up and coming neighborhood buzzes with many talented artists, including Erykah Badu, who is one of Jacob’s long-time customers! His unique afro-centric handbags are undeniably bold conversation pieces consciously created without the use of machines. He literally uses scissors, needle, thread and a puncher to create these gorgeous bags!
Check him out on Etsy or at the Fulton Street Designer’s Market 674 Fulton Street (between S Portland and S Elliot), Fort Greene BK (Open Mon-Sun 12-8pm).
I am going back to where it all began today… can’t wait! When I look back over the past few years, I’m always flabbergasted (haven’t used that word in a long time!) when I think about all the random decisions, experiences and events that got me to where I am today. It’s refreshing because through it all I have listened to my gut… you know, intuition and all that… it’s funny because when you relinquish yourself to that inner-voice, it never fails you. Even if the immediate result is not what you wanted or expected, I have found that the end result is always just what you need. Yeah, enough of this mushy stuff and on to la moda.
Today’s designer is Kcoline… Born in France, imported to the US in 2002 Kcoline’s clothes are inspired by the streets of NYC. (Wow, I really miss NYC. I have to get back there ASAP.) Materials used are natural and noble as often as possible: silks, cashmere, wool, cotton, linen, or sometimes mixed but always high quality for longevity and a better glow. The garments are mostly one of a kind, like people! I love these playful silhouettes!
By the way, I have been listening to Aventura’s new CD “The Last” and I looove it. Anthony Santos is seriously the sexiest man alive . . . (ok, he may have at least one rival here in Boston . . lol) Anyway, the CD is due out next Tuesday, June 9th and you should definitley download it or pick it up. If you’re in NYC and want to fight a mob of screaming women, I think they’re having a CD signing somewhere in the city… Anyway, I posted the video from their single Por Un Segundo below. Doesn’t Jaslene from ANTM look gorgeous?!
Hola! I won’t bore you with my life this morning… unless of course you have a few hours to devote to my frustrations (that’s what Perez’s are for!).
Instead, I will skip straight to the fashion. Today’s label comes from LA-based fashion designer Freddie Rojas. He spent his entire childhood growing up in the fashion industry absorbing everything he could. His provocative, sexy and detailed designs are the product of years of working and learning everything he could from his family’s business. Freddie Rojas’s design philosophy is fresh and creative. I really love his designs and his use of pockets. For whatever reason I’m a big pocket person and his designs always have fun little hidden pockets in them… anyway, Buy his designs @ 80’s Purple. Also be sure to check out the beautiful Marisa Lauren and her new single (she’s the top model).
Well, I didn’t quite make it to the rock, but I did have another enlightening weekend. Hope you did too!
I am a little scattered this morning but wanted to share my latest obsession, the “Necklush” by designers Stephano Diaz and Troy M. Hicks. These cool scarfish designs are designed to keep you warm while looking cool, and keep you looking cool all year long. Each piece is unique, allowing you to be creative with your individual look. The free-form loops are multifunctional too, you can use your Necklush as a necklace or scarf or whatever else you can think of. They are made of cut cotton loops with limited edition screen printed designs. I love the effect they have on a casual cotton T or tank top.
