Eternal Child: A/W 2008

Maybe it was the extreme cold weather that everyone has been dealing with, but I found myself searching around for beautiful, warm clothes. You can imagine how wonderful it was to stumble upon Eternal Child during my little quest. These are sweaters made with serious attention to detail, with gorgeous colors and patterns while looking so cozy I almost want every single one in my dresser.

Miss Van

A lovely little sampling of things by Miss Van. I've loved her work for a long time. These are images from her 2008 collection of work called Princesas as well as images from the darling jewelry collection that was done in collaboration with Katrin Bauer.

Hideaki Kawashima: wavering

Hideaki Kawashima is one of my absolute favorite painters. Sometimes I think he may be my favorite painter, ever. Anyways, he had a show in 2008 called wavering and these are images of his latest paintings from that show. I love the simplicity and delicacy to the haunting images. They are ghostly, feminine, sometimes sea-like creatures that I could stare at all day. He is represented by Tomio Koyama Gallery. Check out their site and artists here. There is also a short article about this show, read it here.

Samsonite Black Label: Concertine, SBL by Alexander McQueen and Tartaruga

I stumbled upon the amazing Samsonite Black Label and couldn't bear to decide on sharing just one collection, so here are three...

The first collection is Concertine. A small but stunning collection, the design inspiration for these purses is the concertina. Love it. When I first saw these they reminded me of a full blossomed flower or the ripe interior of a fruit such as oranges or grapefruits. I love the hybrid of aesthetic references I see, such as Japanese chrysanthemum flowers or the voluptuous and organic qualities of Art Nouveau. The images above are of the Round handbag and Half moon handbag.






































































































































































































SBL by Alexander McQueen is another intriguing collection. The overall shapes of the pieces are soft and, well, approachable, functional. The collection centers around Hero AI1, a suitcase modeled after a human ribcage. Hm... not so approachable treatment. The rest of the collection has a faux crocodile exterior and an interior with a feather print. The colors are gorgeous: a powdery, chalk white, as well as deep browns and rich blacks. I like this collection because it is playful but still a little dark without entering the territory of being cheesy.

The pieces I've selected here are (from the top down): Hero AI1, Spinner AI2 (it has four multi-directional wheels), Boarding Bag for Men (beautiful, classic shape), Travel Wallet (with a nice thumb print detail on the zipper).

You may have also noticed that many of these are on sale. Some items are out of stock but some aren't. If you're in the market for some extraordinary luggage or accessories this may be your chance to snag some...!

























































Last but not least, Tartaruga. Another leap into a different aesthetic pond. Tartaruga means turtle in Italian and Samsonite claims to have reinvented the backpack. This particular bag has a spine protector, consists of four carbon fiber shells that are hinged together to increase flexibility and has some sort of honeycomb structured foam that maximizes shock absorbency. I was seduced by the design and vibrancy of the fuschia. It's also a nice balance in contrast to the other two collections I chose with the hopes of giving you a broad sampling of what I considered to be the highlights of Samsonite's Black Label.

Gafar on North Avenue

I spotted Gafar on North Avenue this past weekend. It was a pretty cold, dreary day and his sneakers were the first thing to grab my attention. I love the traditional or muted color scheme of his overall outfit punctuated by color in the form of interesting accessories and a nicely detailed denim.

He was really friendly and in addition to letting me snap several shots, he shared his story with me too. He is half Nigerian, half British, a finance student at De Paul, he's developing a clothing line, he's a dj/producer and spends a little time working downtown at the Puma store. If I get a chance to see what this fashion line is all about there may just be another post about him in the future.

Sruli Recht: Bow Ties

Another post to start the new year on a lovely, fashionable foot: bow ties by Sruli Recht. Here is some interesting history about the bow tie from the Sruli Recht site:

"During the Prussian wars of the 17th century Croatian mercenaries held together the openings of their shirts around their necks with a scarf. Then adopted by the French upper class the “Cravat” was derived from the French for "Croat" to become highly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was this Croatian scarf of combat and bloodshed that led to the Bow Tie. Here we salute its dark origins."

Read the fascinating story behind the special cotton fabric used to make this accessory here.

Candleholders by Hiroshi Tsunoda

These contemplative little candleholders are designed by Hiroshi Tsunoda. Made from a single sheet of metal, it folds up to reveal a beautiful geometric structure. A wonderful example of complexity coming out of simplicity. There are four designs available online at Design Code: Lily I, Lily II, Motif I and Motif II, all shown above.

MAC (Modern Appealing Clothing)

I read an article about MAC in the New York Times today and I enjoyed a quote from one of the owners so much I decided to start off the new year with a post about this store.

"The farmers honor labor. They sell the freshest stuff at its most perfect point in time. Disposable fashion is like fast food! We honor the hands that make clothes. Like ‘slow food’? We like to think of our clothes as ‘slow clothes.’ We’re not fashion victims. You want to find that jacket that is your most perfect tomato, and wear it for 20 years."

Check out the article here.