this week’s featured item is a unique scarf from a talented video artist who digitally prints her artwork onto scarves, like this fun scarf of kids playing. it is made of chiffon silk, so it is the perfect accessory for any time of the year and it comes in two colors – white and green. click here to purchase now!
i am very excited to announce a new collaboration i have with a talented Boston-based photographer, Steve Marsel. Steve has a bunch of great fashion-inspired images that he shot and i get to be one of his ongoing guest bloggers writing about his photos! here is the first image i wrote about for his site in an blog post titled, “what does color mean?” to read the article and browse through his photography, visit his blog here. thank you and more great images and write-ups to come!
PS – don’t forget to sign-up for the clothing menu boutique newsletter to be the first to know when new designers are added to the shop or when sales start!
where did the clothes you are wearing come from? where were they sewed? who found the fabric? who came up with the idea?
chances are, you haven’t really put much thought into this, right? but there’s a lot of that goes into your clothes, especially when they are handmade or made by independent designers like lauren nevada. lauren was kind enough to share with the clothing menu where this dress she designed came from:
which at one point looked like this:
lauren’s original inspiration for this piece began with the collar – she started working on it over a year ago incorporating it into a dress, and then into a type of jumper that twisted into shorts. as she continued to work with it she felt that it needed to be a dress so the shorts bottom morphed into a skirt.
the hand-painted panels on the front are done by a brooklyn textile artist who lauren met by chance. while the artist was showing lauren pieces of her work they spoke about being inspired by stars and galaxies in the sky. so the artist worked with those ideas and came up with samples that lauren incorporated in the dress.
pretty cool, huh?
one way to make an outfit unique, but still appropriate for work, is to wear vintage clothes to the office. this is not a surprise to most, but many trends that are popular today were also popular 30, 40, 50 years ago. instead of buying the latest trends at the mall, invest in vintage pieces that will make your outfit unique and fashionable.
here are some pieces from my favorite vintage shops that i think are perfect for the office:
blouses with collar tie from bleubird vintage
colorful and patterned blazers from ramona west
floral dresses and pencil skirts from Girl On A Vine
heart necklaces from Diament Jewelry
i know. it’s still the middle of the summer and we don’t want to be thinking of fall weather right now. but, it could be a good time to start setting money aside for when you go shopping in a couple months for some of the new fashion trends this fall. here is a sneak peak at what’s coming for fall 2010, spotted on the runway and on celebs:
fringe: this trend has been around for a few seasons, but it will be even more popular this fall as an added accessory to different pieces in your wardrobe. for example, nicole richie’s scarf is trimmed with fringe and vanessa hudgens has a fringe bag. fringe will also be added to coats, pants, and jewelry.
prints: fall usually gets a little boring wearing solid colors, like black. this fall, spice up your wardrobe with interesting prints, like the pant suit by akris and the proenza schouler dress.
fur: this fall, full fur coats aren’t going to be so much the style (unless it’s a mix of fur color/print like the chloe coat). instead, fur will be seen a lot as a trim on coats or sweaters, like the marc jacobs sweater.
are you looking forward to any of these fall trends? any other trends you are looking forward to this fall?
deciding what to wear to a summer wedding all depends on the venue. since each wedding is different, i use each wedding as an excuse for buying a new dress and it all works out! this weekend is my cousin’s wedding – the first in the family – a big fat greek wedding! i’m wearing this dress by esley and i’m really excited.
here are some ideas for what you can wear to any summer weddings you’re going to in the next couple months depending on the location:
outdoor garden
church
beach
do you have any weddings this summer? what are you wearing?
She-bible is pair of bffs who create clothes in their hometown, San Francisco. the clothes include tops and dresses and coats and are all comfortable, cute and a little different. read on for my interview with one of the designers behind She-bible, Deirdre, and if you are in San Francisco, visit their shop!
How did you get started creating your clothing line?
In 2001 we started silkscreening t-shirts. We were using American Apparel t-shirts. Many people didn’t know who they were back then and thought they were our own shirts. When they started saturating the graphic tee market at the prompting of our boutiques we took the leap and made our own tee. We then made a dress and just started slowly adding products. We don’t have fashion degree backgrounds. We are the slow and steady types.
What three words would you use to describe your upcoming collection?
fall 2010 – seventies, future, ski lodge
What do you think makes your designs different?
We try to make classic items with little twists, an unexpected pocket or a pleat here. We also try to use organic products where ever possible and make our goods in small batches in San Francisco. We keep a close eye and hand on our items.
What do you see in the future for your collection?
We just opened a boutique in San Francisco and are really loving this aspect of the business. Our next big hurdle is to get our shop curator (curatorsf.com) online. We have lots of gifty things and accessories that are specially made for our shop. We’d love to open that up to our web customers. Think Tom Selleck portraits, handmade salted carmels, knit dogs, the most amazing jewels!! There are some mini-projects in the works but sometimes its hard enough to design, produce and run the store the two of us.
Why should people buy clothes from an independent designer over a mass-market store?
It’s a personal choice. I know first hand it can get expensive to always shop with independents. I’m not here to condemn people for going to H&M or the like. I think the best closets have a mix of high and low. For me in particular I’m super busy, and I don’t like things that wear out right away. I lean on my clothes and I don’t have time in the morning to fuss with what I’m going to wear. I do favor investments pieces – the $60 t-shirt I may wear for 3 years, or the $200 fleece coat that will see me through several seasons. Of course I think independents add a flavor and design choice that someone in a boardroom may not approve, so it’s likely you will get more fresh ideas out of smaller companies. It’s important to us that through the sampling and production of our collection we are adding jobs to the local economy and supporting other small businesses.
i can’t get enough of pretty summer dresses. here are 10 cute dresses from indie designers, ranging from $58 to $425. which do you like?
seneca rising – $108
daal – $195
elroy apparel – $88
dreamandawake – 70 euros
parkvogel – $280
mociun – $425
larimeloom – $58
a fortes design – $172
allison wonderland - $184
this afternoon was my cousin’s wedding shower at a beautiful hall/building at a college campus overlooking the ocean. she’s the first wedding in our family, so everyone is excited for it and of course happy for her and her soon to be hubbie!
when i came home after the shower, i was sorting through my closet and pulled out the dress i bought a few months ago that i’m going to wear to her wedding. have you ever bought something that you just love? you get excited about wearing it and piecing together what shoes and jewelry you’re going to wear with it? that’s how i feel about this dress. i just think it is so pretty. the dress is made by esley, purchased off indie online store, scarfu. (the dress is sold out now, but maybe they’ll restock if you ask). i just love the mix of royal blue and turquoise and cream. and the scalloped bottom in a satiny/silk material. i can’t wait to wear it!
here’s the dress:
and it makes the think of this:
and this:
and this:
and this:
images from weheartit.com
it doesn’t seem like it’s been a full year since i first heard about the uniform project, but as of may 1, it’s complete! if you haven’t heard about it, check out the video below or this great interview from modcloth.com with Sheena, the woman who wore the same LBD for 365 days in a row and raised enough money to send 221 kids in India to school. can you imagine wearing the same dress for a full year? Sheena definitely did a great job getting creative with it through the seasons!
Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.
