CUBE-ism

Do you guys remember Kelly? Kelly of "Oh-My-God Shoes" fame? If you haven't seen that video, you have to watch it. It defined my sophomore year of college (just a warning, there is some potty mouth language in the "Shoes" video). Well, Kelly is back! This time Kelly is working with the Marshalls CUBE boutiques for her newest song "What R U Guys Talking About". You can check out the new Kelly song in the widget below:

I'm obviously very susceptible to advertising, because I hadn't been to a Marshalls in a while, but the not-so-subliminal messages in the "What R U Guys Talking About" video worked on me and I just had to go to the CUBE as soon as I finished watching the video! I'm an easy target, huh? But man was I glad I went! First off, the new CUBE boutique in Marshalls is amazing. All of my favorite designers were in one place, easy to find, and neatly laid out. I had no idea how high end Marshalls had gotten either! In the shoe section, I had a serious Oh-My-God Shoes moment when I spotted a pair of Sam Edelman wedges at 50% off! Next up was the jeans, where I spotted some Seven's, Juicy Couture's, and Ed Hardy's at ridiculously low prices. However, what sold me once and for all on the CUBE was a pair of this-seasons Burberry sunglasses for 70% off. I kid you not, these sunglasses are currently on the Burberry website for $200, and at the CUBE they were just $60. I don't know how Marshalls does it, but I like it! Check me out in my new sunnies below!

Want your own pair of Burberry's for 70% off? Check out the widget above or click here to find the Marshalls CUBE boutique nearest to you! And if you don't want Burberry's, I also saw Tom Ford and Coach sunglasses... just looking out for you :)

Another year older, another year wiser?

It's my birthday, so I can post gratuitous Kate Moss pictures if I want to! :)

From British Vogue August 1994, via TFS

Kristinit: The LOVE Campaign

Named by Lucky Magazine as "One to Watch" and featured in OK Magazine, InTouch, Style, and Nylon, LA-based designer Kristina Lenss of Kristinit is finally earning the props she deserves! Kristina studied costume design at the Wimbledon School of Art in London and has an MFA in Costume Design from UCLA. She has created designs for theater productions, operas, films, commercials, ballets, and illustrations, and has exhibited her award winning designs all over the world. Kristina names nature, history, and the innate glamour of women as just a few of the inspirations for her designs.

Kristina's latest project is the LOVE Campaign. The LOVE Campaign "embraces a holistic approach to design, linking playful classicism with social and environmental responsibility". Kristina uses organic fabrics, local manufacturing, and fair trade practices, creating pieces that are beautiful as well as ecologically and socially responsible. In addition, Kristina donates a percentage of each sale to One Percent for the Planet and the Pachamama Alliance.

Kristinit is currently only sold at boutiques in California, Florida, Oregon, and Texas (click here for locations), but Kristina also has an online sample sale site where you can purchase Kristinit pieces at great prices. I was lucky enough to have a chance to chat with Kristina, who explained where the name "Kristinit" came from, what celebrity she has been most excited to see in her designs, and more! Read on...


I love the name of your brand, "Kristinit", where did that come from?

My family is from Latvia even though I was raised in the United States. "Kristinit" (pronounced Kris-tee-neet) is the endearing way of saying "Kristina" in Latvian. In Latvian there is an endearing counterpart to practically every name.

How do you feel your background in costume design helps you design ready-to-wear clothes?

Costume design is a great background for a fashion designer to have. You really get to know the history of fashion and textiles which provides an infinite wealth of inspiration when designing a RTW collection. There are always so many silhouettes and ideas to reference. I love it!

Celebrities such as Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, and Zoe Deshanel have all been spotted in your designs. Who have you been the most excited to see in your designs and why?

I loved that Scarlett Johansson was actually one of my first clients. She bought one of my silk charmeuse peplum jackets with the antique buttons on it. She has that great old Hollywood Glamour thing going on so I was really excited to have her in a Kristinit!

How did you come up with the concept of the LOVE Campaign?

The LOVE campaign came out of the idea to bring a holisitic and postitive message back to fashion. This whole trend of "fast fashion" and people shopping for trendy clothes that are poorly made in countries where people don't get paid well at all for their work is really sad. I wanted to create a collection where the whole process of creating a garment was positive from start to finish.

Do you have a favorite piece from your Fall 2009 collection?

I would have to say that my favorite piece from the Fall collection is the Jerry Dress. It's versatily and can go from day to night with a change of accesories + it's super cute and flattering on all figure types!

Currently Craving: Breezy fabrics

1. Kate Moss for Topshop Crochet Shorts
2. UO Sheer Side Panel Tights
3. Rebecca Minkoff Rocker Studded Mini Messenger
4. Free People Jackie Tie Back Platform Boot
5. UO Mesh Back and Ladder Back Bodysuits
6. Siwy Paintsplatter Camilla Cutoffs
7. Elizabeth & James Edge Huarache Sandals

First off, thank you to everyone who wished me congrats on graduating, you all are so sweet! I love my readers :) Secondly, I'm so sorry for being such a bad blogger lately, but I'm back home now and working into somewhat of a routine, so I promise that the posts will go back to normal very soon. Thank you for your patience!

Anyhow, during senior week and graduation, it was in the 80s pretty much every day, so lately I've been craving anything and everything with cutouts, mesh, crochet, and the like. In this heat, the more breathable the fabric, the better! I'm especially feeling those bodysuits from Urban Outfitters, love the mesh and cutout backs. The sad thing is that I know I have leotards from back when I danced that are almost perfect doppelgangers of these bodysuits, I just can't seem to find where I stored them. Bummer! Well, I'll continue my search. Oh, and by the way, I just got the Siwy Camilla shorts in white and they are the most perfect shorts I have ever owned. I've worn them basically every day since I got them. Highly recommended!

Lastly, what do you guys all think of the Elizabeth & James shoe collection? I feel like everything I read about them is negative! Do any of you own a pair yet, or have you ordered one? I really love these sandals, but I gotta say, they seem a bit overpriced considering they are manufactured by Steve Madden...

Links à la Mode

• 39thandbroadway.com - Bringing an End to Fashion Knock-offs– Finally!
• A Typical Atypical - how to follow fashion with a vintage twist
• Agent Dreamer - Designers I Heart: The Dark, Majestic Femme
• Agent Lover - How to Throw a Swap Party
• Awakened Aesthetic - An Instant Classic: Black & White
• Breakfast at Saks - Erika Hendrix - An Urban Romance
• BRICK MY LANE - Mrs Obama and fashion = respect
• Clutch 22 - How to negotiate a price-match including a video experiment at Nordstrom.
• Decline Designs - Defining Your Personal Style, Part One: the Concept
• Dirty Laundry - How to Refine Your Self-Portraiture
• dramatis personae - Developing Your Wardrobe Palette {part 4}
• Felicia Sullivan - Step aside, Kerastase. Phyto is the new reigning queen of haircare
• Hong Kong Fashion Geek - Fashion Geek’s tips to scoring big at warehouse sales.
• Independent Fashion Bloggers - The New IFB is Here!
• Krislyn Diaries - DIY: cool summertime do’s
• Retro Chick - Do’s & Don’ts for the Perfect Wedding Guest Outfit
• Style Symmetry - How to be a Guest at a Clothing Swap Party
• THE COVETED - shu uemura is in the Pink
• The Demoiselles - Fat or Thin… You’re Still Getting Old
• The Recessionista’s Blog - Choosing a Swimsuit: Summer Style Tips
• Work Chic - You still can still be a chic mom to be in the summer heat!

Graduation

Hi all, sorry I haven't been posting lately, it has been senior week and I've been crazy busy with fun stuff. I graduate Monday morning, and I'll be back home by Tuesday, so posting will be more regular after that. Until then, keep it classy! And I'll be posting Links à la Mode, so check those out!

Deconstruction Done Right: Mark and Estel

A few years ago, I was utterly obsessed with the brand Mark and Estel. To be completely honest with you all, I was obsessed with the brand mostly because Mary-Kate Olsen was a huge fan. However, years down the line, I am still impressed by Mark and Estel's designs, and they are one of a few brands that are still 100% relevant and worth checking out, especially if you are as into the deconstructed look as I am. I was extremely honored to score an interview with the designers, and so pleased to be able to share it with you all! Read on:

How did you guys meet? What made you decide to start a clothing line?
We got to know each other at first working on some of the same fashion and music projects in LA. We very much enjoyed working together and felt already that we could combine our visions. Estel moved to New York to work for a while, but we kept in touch, remembering our shared ideas. When she moved back we formed our company and band together. (Now as Mark and Estel we work mostly in LA and NY).

Where do you find inspiration from in your designs?
We find inspiration everywhere and anywhere. We look to High Fashion and Street Fashion equally. We get inspired from nature, buildings, cars, anything. A lot of it is also a hybrid of our constant striving to mix comfort and beauty, so some of our designs develop organically. We view Fashion as Art, so we treat each piece and each collection as a work of art.

Mark once said that “art and music and fashion are very much the same thing.” How do you feel the three are related, and what characteristics do they share?
Art, Music, and Fashion come from a place or places of expressing oneself and communicating with those who share your expression. When you are looking at a piece of art or listening to a piece of music, you the viewer or listener are interpreting it in your own way and experiencing in your way thereby communicating with the artist to express yourself. When you are wearing a design you are creating 'a new you' expressing yourself with the help of the designer. All forms of art are related in that they are basically ways of communicating and expressing, like languages that you can infinitely explore to go deeper and wider without any limits.

Who are your favorite designers and/or musicians right now?
There are too many to list favorites, and we don't really have favorites, because we feel there is something to be learned from everyone. We listen to all types of music and enjoy all kinds of fashion. We admire the European classics as well as the avant-garde, and we also admire many other forms like Oriental design.

What inspired you to create a Mark and Estel membership club? Can you explain how the membership works and what benefits members get from joining?
When we first noticed that customers come back to us again and again, we felt so grateful, and we wanted to create a way to give special appreciation to them like they give to us. We wanted to do something huge, something that makes a very very big difference, like 50% off. So we were trying to figure out how we could do that, and we decided on the concept that if they became members and paid a small monthly fee rather than paying full price for every purchase, return customers can save a lot of money.

Do you have a favorite piece or a favorite collection you have created?
Estel goes through phases of wearing certain pieces more often than others, right now it is the Skinny Kimono Short and the Off Shoulder Kimono Short.... As far as collections, we do not have any favorites. We actually are working on cataloging all of our collections to this point, so that customers will be able to purchase any piece from any collection we have done.

Who have you been most excited to see in your designs (celebrity or not)?
Anyone. We get super exited every time we see anyone wearing our designs. It always feels like the first time. It is such a wonderful feeling that we have made something somebody enjoys.

Be sure to check out Mark and Estel's website - I've already found a few pieces that I plan on ordering! And if you join the membership club, the pieces are half off! You can't get a much better deal than that. Happy shopping!

Freebie Finds: The Big Swap, part 2

Skirt worn as dress: from Big Swap
Belt: Stolen from BF
Boots: Forever 21
Necklace: Eryn Brinie
Bracelet: Margo Morrison
Rings: Forever 21 and gift from BF

I can't resist the lure of freebies, it's my tragic flaw. I returned to the Big Swap two more times this week, and now my haul includes 2 skirts, a scarf, a leather vest, and about 7 tee shirts. I'm a pack rat, I know, especially when it comes to clothes! But I really believe that I did find some gems among the... erm... crap. Check out some of my finds! (btw, I have no idea why the color is so off in the above pic, I'm so sorry about that!).

Top: J Crew, from Big Swap
Skirt: from Big Swap
Boots: Forever 21
Fake Pearl Necklace: Hm, I don't remember...

Velvet Underground/Andy Warhol tee: My fav find from the Big Swap!
Leggings: H&M
Ring: Forever 21

The Other Face of Ashley Olsen

Work it! Ashley Olsen posed for the camera and chatted with Marc Jacobs for the latest issue of V MAN - check out just a few quotes from the interview below:

On doing a "celebrity line": "The way I look at it, I had a career as a child. I had a career in an industry in which the media kind of... they're obsessed with the young girl thing. But when I turned 18, I moved to New York, and I haven't really done anything to be a celebrity. I've been transitioning from acting as a kid to doing something that I'm choosing for myself - to be a part of the fashion industry... the outside perception is very different because you do have celebrity brands, people like Jessica Simpson and Kimora Lee Simmons, and those are celebrity brands because they have their names on them."

On working with Mary-Kate: "The Row is really something that I'm doing while my sister still wants to focus on acting. She's my partner in The Row, but she trusts me with the every day. I mean, I see her like ten times a day."

On being different from her twin sister: "When I was 14, 15, 16, 17, it was harder because the two of us were still very similar. We had to work through what's special about us, and then the media had to work through it... I've never been one to engage the media to say that I'm different. I actually did the opposite and I totally went internal. I was like, "See y'all!" I want to be behind the scenes, and I don't want people to know anything about my personal life. I have a job, I take it very seriously, and I work really hard."

Pics from OlsensAnonymous

Erika Hendrix - An Urban Romance

Affordable, eco-friendly, and cute? You get all three with Erika Hendrix! Designed by Erika Bates, Erika Hendrix was conceived in 2005 and has undergone a vast transformation since. With humble roots in designing custom-made, one-of-a-kind pieces, Erika Hendrix has now expanded into an established online business based out of Germany, with a bag and jewelry line on the way!

Erika's Spring/Summer 2009 collection is titled An Urban Romance, and you really must experience the lookbook for yourself. Not only are you witness to beautiful designs (made out of 95% sustainable fabrics, too!), but you get to read a narrative by Thom Crowe that compliments the pictures beautifully. It really is one of the most enthralling lookbooks I've ever seen. After viewing the pics and reading the story, you'll want to be an Erika Hendrix girl too!

I was lucky enough to be able to have a quick chat with Erika about her line, the unique concept of her Spring/Summer lookbook, and how she feels fashions differ across the continents... read on!

I read that you originally interned in interior design - how did you make the transition from that to designing clothes, and do you feel that the two forms of creation are similar or different and how?

I have always been creative, and I think interior design and fashion design is the same in different ways if that makes sense. It's both creating something. I just felt like I needed to start something else, so I pick up a sewing machine and started sewing. And it all went from there.

Where do you draw inspiration from in your designs?

I draw my inspiration from everything, everyday life is so inspiring!

I love that your Spring/Summer 2009 lookbook isn't just pictures of models in pretty clothes, but has a story that goes along with it. What inspired you to make your lookbook into a sort of story book?

I wanted something different and I wanted the collection to be more personal, so women can connect with it. To show that clothes are more than just clothes, it’s a part of ones personality.

Do you have a favorite piece that you have designed?

I love all my pieces and wear them everyday. I don’t think I could design something that I wouldn’t wear. But I really looove the cardigans from my new collection, I even made them in more colors afterwards.

How do you feel fashions differ in the United States and Germany, and how are they similar?

I think people in Germany or Europeans in general are very authentic with their style and definitely not afraid to stand out. But there are a lot in the States like that too, so I cant pigeonhole anyone.

Thanks so much for chatting Erika! Be sure to check out Erika's website for more information and pictures, and to shop at the online store!

Deconstruct and Reconstruct: Patricia Ayres's ArtLab

T Strap Reconstructed Tee

I mentioned ArtLab in a post on Etsy designers back in April, but I definitely think this line deserves a post all of its own. Patricia Ayres of ArtLab is a NYC-based artist involved in photography, sculpting, and installations in addition to designing beautiful deconstructed/reconstructed clothes. Patricia studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parson's School of Design and got her BFA at Brooklyn College. She lists dreams, memories, the urban landscape, and film as just a few of the sources of inspiration for her designs.

Many of Patricia's pieces are one-of-a-kind, featuring unique cuts and prints. The pieces play with proportions and shapes, challenging what a basic tee, tank, or dress should be. Draping, cutouts, and ruffles abound in this collection, and you're guaranteed to find at least one piece you'll be drooling over at the ArtLab Etsy store. Check out just a few of my favorites below!

Disjointed Series No. 8 Tee

Leather Leg Covers

Andromache's Deconstruction Blanc

Deconstruct Reconstruct The Silent Treatment Tee

The Big Swap

Dress + Vest: Vintage
Shoes: Forever 21

There is one positive about the end of the semester - the Big Swap! Everyone dumps off their unwanted clothes, shoes, furniture, and anything else they don't want to take home for summer, and if you see anything you like you can pick it up for free! I found this amazing, kinda ugly leather vest at the Swap, I think it needs a ton of studs or something. What would you guys do with a plain leather vest? I'm taking suggestions!

By the way, it is soooo hard to do work when it's this beautiful outside. I kinda wish it would go back to being rainy and dreary so I could concentrate on work!

Currently Craving: Cutouts

1. Erin Wasson x RVCA Gun St Girl Dress
2. Style Stalker Peep Shoulder Dress
3. Bebe Side Slit Tie Dye Dress
4. Style Stalker Cutout Dress
5. Obesity and Speed Zebra Knot Dress

Inspired by the cutout dress in yesterdays post on Ellery's S/S 2009-10 collection, I have been searching for currently available cutout dresses at semi-affordable prices, and I actually was able to find a few! In fact, the Bebe dress costs just $49! However, I need to spend a few more weeks at the gym before I'll be comfortable even trying on any of these dresses...

What do you guys think of the cutout trend? Is it something you'll be buying into this Summer?

Australian Fashion Week: Ellery S/S 2009-10

I just started checking out the Australian Fashion Week collections from the end of April, I've been crazy busy! My favorite so far is not surprisingly Ellery, a brand I wrote of about a month ago. Kym Ellery's Spring/Summer 2009-10 collection is inspired by the 1987 Miss Teen USA beauty pageant, and is full of shiny metallics, puffy skirts, and shoulder pads. These gaudy '80s elements are balanced by a more modern use of strategically-placed cutouts, delicate sheer lace, and sky-high sculptural heels. Kym says that, "this season, both the shoes and accessories really tie in with the beauty pageant theme. The shoes talk about the outer beauty while the hand accessories and eyewear hint at what goes on behind the scenes." To cement the Beauty Pageant theme, Kym ended the show with two "Miss Ellery" girls holding bouquets of flowers and wearing sashes. Very cool! Pics from the whole show are posted at Coutorture.

And just for fun, check out this clip from the 1987 Miss Teen USA pageant, it's pretty awful haha!

Pics from Coutorture

Happy Birthday Audrey!

The beautiful, talented, timeless Miss Audrey Hepburn would be 80 years old today. Happy birthday to her, may she live on forever through her amazing body of work! Do you have a favorite Audrey film? Mine is, of course, Breakfast at Tiffany's... but I'm sure you all knew that already!


Pics from FanPix and Perfect People

Currently Craving: Scatterbrained Edition

1. Robert Lee Morris and Elizabeth & James rings @ Rilee and Lo
2. Elizabeth & James Criss-Cross Tank @ Saks Fifth Avenue
3. B-Side bangles @ Moxsie
4. Tasty Cakes Skinny Yellow Jeans @ Need Supply Co.
5. Silence & Noise Wet Nylon Bomber @ Urban Outfitters
6. Knotted Modal Wrap @ Free People

My mind is allllllll over the place right now. This coming week is the last week of classes, followed by finals, followed by graduation! Craziness! So I may be a bit lax with the posting for a while until things calm down, but I'll try to squeeze in time to write because there are some really cool designers I want to tell you all about! Hope you all have a great week!

Where I want to be, what I want to be doing

Kate Moss in British Vogue, 2002

Pics from TFS