lanvin. rewind to spring summer 08.

who experimented with volume in spring/summer oh eight? and actually succeeded without too many "uhh i dunno"'s? lanvin. no, im not talking about their platforms or handbags, which are rather square (literally and metaphorically). alber elbaz hit the jack pot. this may sound a little dated considering the concentration in the fashion world is on the fall collections at the moment, but there is a reason to this spurt of blog entry inspiration. on wednesday, i spent 15 minutes staring up at a flat screen of "fashion television" runway shows while my hair was doused in 'damage remedy' conditioner. yes, my neck was uncomfortably placed in the head rest of the salon sink, but i was mesmerized by lanvin's daring moves. it was all across the board in terms of diversity. there were long flowing gowns that had no shape and skirts that were perfectly bubbled at the hips with crisp white blouses. there were dull colors, neutrals and hues bright enough to rival those of a sesame street character's fur. the magnitude of the one shouldered white blouse tucked into ankle length black trousers was brilliant. what a well-rounded spring/summer collection. one for the books and one for every person. i mean everyone wants a little bit of "va-va-voom" in their wardrobe from time to time.

when describing his collection, elbaz used the words "nonchalant" and "grand." i love those two factors of his collections, plus who doesn't get a kick out of a designer who mocks oneself a little. alber elbaz dressed a model in his signature bow tie at the end. brilliant.

change it up.

i hardly ever crave the trends. id rather modify them to fit my style. so the floral look is in. but instead of embracing the trend with those tiny minis (which are even shorter on me because i'm tall), i like the idea of a bubble skirt in the print. a little bit longer and more amplified. then you can take one of two routes: a crisp preppy button down in white or a vintage feel super thin tshirt. both tucked in of course. or what the hell, go bold with a bright top. the skirt & shirt are from acne jeans, but id pick something more form fitting on top. 

chic comfort.

when u think versace, you definitely don't think comfy sweater dresses in solid colors and sinched waist. well that's one thing i love about fashion: the surprise factor. it's great when a brand steps outside the box.

rather perplexed.

was doing my daily dailycandy (redundant, i know) check today, and i found something that kind of rattled my brain. rabbit on the run is described as a collection with "big, simple cuts" and "navajo patterns." this did not strike me as surprising considering this whole native american/tribal look is in. but what did boggle my mind was the scarf available on the website's online store. i took one look and it struck me. it is almost identical to the flame edge scarf by matthew williamson. and to top it off. he's doing a play on the navajo theme with several pieces at the moment. pure coincidence? i wonder who came to the table playing the big chips of creativity first. am i allowed to make comments like this? i hope it's not crass of me.

matthew williamson flame edge scarf.

rabbit on the run scarf.

barker black.

i dont deny being strange at all. here is an example. when i was waiting to get my blood drawn at the doctors last week, i picked up a GQ mag off the waiting room table instead of the Glamour that was obviously there for us girls. so maybe i like guys fashion. who knows, i might find myself in men's apparel instead of women's one day.

well, flipping thru the mag, i found an awesome article entitled "the well-dressed rebel." the article basically outlines some very cool "one of a kind" style tips for guys. i read on, not because i have an interest in how to wear a collar pin, but because i found it intriguing.

and then bingo, i found something i was familar with. one of the men profiled as a "rebel" was derrick miller, the creative director for barker black. well, he mentions his love for pocket squares. rather cool guy. im loving the socks too. and well, both my brothers own barker black shoes now, and i much appreciate the way they look in them. they both have the wolfe loafer with the crossed skulls. the collection, which is said to have been inspired by the 17th lancers, an ancient regiment of british guardsmen, almost always has a skull mixed in somewhere. so cool. check out their website here.

you can find derrick miller's profile and the rest of the article here.

marimekko.

as many of you know, my grandmother was finnish. so my fam has grown up on marimekko. well, the brand is now going more main stream. the wild retro prints adorn everything from toiletry cases to curtains to bath robes to napkins. and now, h&m is launching a marimekko collection, and manolo blahnik has a line of mod style shoes.

here's an article on the h&m line from ny magazine.

here's an article on where to find marimekko in nyc.

a swedish nyc.

so i was checking out refinery29.com this evening and realized once again that sweden is slowly taking over nyc. i have no problem with this at all. actually im ecstatic. as long as i dont have to hear swedish jokes from friends. im truly tired of them.

so here is more proof.

• Acne Jeans just opened a store in soho. this is going to be lovely to have when i get to nyc. their jeans fit me perfectly. here is the article on the new store. it looks extremely chic and simplistic.
• here is an article on Velour, an up-and-coming label out of göteborg or gothenburg.
• and here is an article on Rika, a line of bags from swedish ulrika lundgren
• a map to ekovaruhuset, an organic and eco friendly swedish store which is located in sthlm and nyc.

then i could go on and on about the swedish design stores and restaurants. but ill stop.

also, check out refinery29 if you haven't already. it's very cool.

some things i like...

here are some things ive been drooling over for the past couple of days.

i am completely infatuated with mulberry's jody bag and it's multiple uses.

fendi basketweave sandals.

brian atwood heels

chloe cuff boots

mulberry jody bag

dvf ceo bag

3.1 phillip lim tally tote

sneakerology.

so ive been stressing about my classes, and now i wonder why im not taking easy ones. at carnegie mellon university, there is a sneakerology class. it's all about the history of the sneaker and how it shaped the hip hop world. what the hell. i want to take classes like that. instead im stuck with a class titled rational discourse and public deliberation.

speaking of shoes. here are some that i have been enjoying lately.

miu miu

diesel

spring court

3.1 phillip lim

common projects

YSL

acne jeans

brilliant review.

just flipping through nymag.com, and i found this review of vogue's last "shape" issue. i picked up the mag on the way to austria, and i have to agree with ny mag's fashion blog when they say "the shape issue feels more like Vogue trying to bum a ride on a politically correct bandwagon." im sorry vogue, but you definitely failed. the issue has no more of a scrawny feel than any of their previous issues. the athletes interviewed for the "secret of the best bodies" layout are all super freak athletes like lebron james and michael phelps. it's far from the norm to see them next to supermodels. vogue, i appreciate the effort, but i guess you should just leave it up to other publications like glamour and people to do the whole 'real body' thing.

heres the best excerpt from the article: "It further unravels with a piece called 'Figuring It Out,' featuring five women grappling with different body types. But rather than include even one who is moderately chubby — or even mildly bloated from last night’s pizza binge — they are instead: thin; tall and thin; short and thin; pregnant but still thin; and 'curvy,' which in People-speak would mean Queen Latifah, but in Vogue translates as 'thin with boobs.'"

so kudos to nymag for writing the critique.

some pics from barneys.

the finale

recap of fashion at the park.

so i went to the barneys show tonight. the show was great. simon doonan, barney's creative director, spoke at the beginning of the show. he came out on stage in 4 inch heels. he said, he hears women bitch about uncomfortable shoes all the time. he said "if i can wear them, then so can you" and the secret to wearing heels is: "3 advil, 2 chcolate martinis, some crystal meth, and lots of panache." im going to take his advice. minus the crystal meth. he went on to explain that the theme for the night's collection was 'eccentric glamour'. as guests to the show, we were lucky enough to all get a signed copy of his new unreleased book, eccentric glamour. 

so the show was awesome. the designers featured were as follows: balenciaga, andrew gin, jean paul gaultier, marc jacobs, junya watanabe, thakoon, marni, miu miu, azzedine alaia, ann demeulemeester, boudicca, narcisco rodriguez, commes des garcons, doo ri, yohji yahamoto, david szeto, isabel toledo, lanvin, prada, l'wren scott, givenchy, versace, proenza schouler, dries van notenm martin grant and vionnet.

my personal favorites:

• comme des garcons: print tank with a navy asymmetrical coat and asymmetrical skirt.
• andrew gin: the periwinkle chiffon front ruffle blouse.
• boudicca: the amazing pink stretch ruffle-front shirt.
• isabel toledo: the volume of the confetti dress.
• lanvin: the purple ruffle dress with crystal bow tie necklace and blue shoes.
• lanvin: the use of mens wear with the tuxedo jacket and flat "men's" sandals.
• proenza schouler: amazing metallic button-front dress.
• david szeto: the use of the navy skirt with black shoes.

overall, i loved the show and it confirmed the fact that i want to be in fashion in some way or form in the future. whether it be now or later, id really love it. i sound like the cliche smu girl when i say that. but i feel like i have more to offer or so i know/hope.

us at the show.

things i like.

so here are the things ive been jotting down in my bberry lately. some things i am digging.

within and outside of my price range. mostly outside. a girl can dream.

• bally woven sandals
• club monaco blouses
• sam edelman sandals
• hogan biker jacket
• green marni bag
• bally scarf
• acne (x tretorn) nylites
• matthew williamsons faded scarf
• ferregamo ribes bow pump
• burberry large check cashmere stole
• antik batik flats
• acne luv paper jeans
• rl blue label horseshow belt
• loewe jumpsuit
• bailmain bellbottoms

chronicles of never.

found this on feber.se this morning. their collection looks extremely comfy (& mysig). it makes me want to wrap myself up in one of their sweatshirts and nap all day long. should clothes make you sleepy? their website is cool too. www.chroniclesofnever.com

our oceans are turning into plastic. are we?

SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2008
my school mailbox was over capacity, so i just went through all of my sent mail to delete as many emails as possible. i found this article (which karis shared with me from the beginning) in one of my many emails. it's about how there are large bodies of tangled plastic in our oceans. it lays out the scary facts about plastic pollution and the effects it has on the environment, marine life and even us.

"And of the seven different plastics in common use, only two of them—PET (labeled with #1 inside the triangle and used in soda bottles) and HDPE (labeled with #2 inside the triangle and used in milk jugs)—have much of an aftermarket. So no matter how virtuously you toss your chip bags and shampoo bottles into your blue bin, few of them will escape the landfill—only 3 to 5 percent of plastics are recycled in any way."

read it here.

american living.

i was going to wait to post my RL project until i fixed some formatting issues, but now i cant wait. as expected, polo ralph lauren has just launched their new concept line at jc penney. it is called American Living.

150 sources and 4 months later, i was completely enthralled by the subject.

here is an excerpt from my project to give you a feel for the subject:

In recent years, the women’s clothing industry has been driven by demand for quality at department store prices. While some luxury retailers are being squeezed by this phenomenon, Polo Ralph Lauren has adeptly adjusted its approach, to take advantage of this frenzy by— among other things —increasing its wholesale efforts in department stores. Polo has made this increase possible through effective marketing and fervent brand management. The corporation is constantly considering new licensing deals and attacking current ones. Silencing the naysayers, market research has shown that Polo Ralph Lauren has proven capable of this balancing act. Expanding within many different branches of the fashion industry simultaneously is a strength of the corporation. As long as the company continues to build its brand image, and get involved where it counts, we believe it will continue to grow and develop as one of the most powerful fashion corporations in the world.

you can download and read my whole project here.

ignore all of the formatting problems for now. i will have a clean version soon.

and here is an article from WWD on the new line.

and here is the actual JC Penney American Living website.

my thoughts? the welcome site is very polo. the main website is dry. the tv ad? brilliant.

corn has a scheme for world domination.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2008
another awesome ted lecture that i have been meaning to post for the last week.
by the author of in defense of food, omnivores dilemma, the botany of desire.
pointing out that we get stuck in this idea that the world is divided into subjects and objects with nature on one side, culture on another side.

my favorite quote: "looking at the world from other species points of view is a cure for the disease of human self importance."

monocle.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2008

so here i am, balancing my macbook on a pile of books and magazines i just picked up borders. among the lot are the monocle, the economist, lucky, three cups of tea, the united states of arugula and take this job and ship it. so far, i've managed to flip through some pages of the monocle. this magazine always fascinates me with the most far fetched articles. they write about everything from the train system in berlin to green coop supermarkets in zurich to global surf wear to spain's political elections.
so catherine flew into dtown last night to celebrate valentines with her man. a bunch of us are going to kenichi for dinner. i just hope i can drug myself enough to feel better by then.
okay off to do some reading.

more TED.

just finished watching these two.

bill clinton's prize: let's build a health care system in rwanda. insightful and way more than a lecture on rwanda's healthcare. once again, clinton opens our eyes to the global poverty problem and reminds us that we are all key components in change. i really dont care what you think about bill but his public speaking ability is INCREDIBLE.

sir ken robinson: do schools kill creativity? both witty and insightful. today, we stigmatize mistakes in our companies, and we reprimand children for them in our school systems. no wonder kids are growing up with a smaller capacity for imagination and creativity.

watch this, please and keep on making those mistakes :)

some things.

internet chaos. here goes.

http://www.elvine.se/...swedish company. incredibly cool photography and apparel. images of stockholm city at sunset.

this video on marketing was perfect for my sluggish morning.

and i do want a dark rich hearty roast. just watch and youll understand.

"a few bad apples".

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2008
i figured i should share one of the interesting articles i read earlier today. it's from the scientific american's society and policy section. they compare the corporate environments of enron and google. they mention the 'cross pollination' among different departments at google and how this results in corporate harmony. it also illustrates enron's cutthroat corporate mentality and its result on internal balance. the article is filled with parallels to my organization comm class i had last year. here is an excerpt from the article that you can find here:

Humans are by nature tribal and xenophobic, and thus evolution has enabled in all of us the capacity for evil. Fortunately, we are also by nature prosocial and cooperative. By studying how modern companies work, we can gain insights into the evolutionary underpinnings of our morality, including concepts such as reciprocity, altruism and fairness. When we apply these evolutionary findings to economic life, we learn that Enron and the Gordon Gekko “Greed Is Good” ethic are the exception and that Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” motto is the rule. Two conditions must be present to accentuate the latter: first, internal trust reinforced by personal relationships, and, second, external rules supported by social institutions. The contrast between Enron and Google here serves to demonstrate what in corporate environments creates trust or distrust.

seeds of peace.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2008

seeds of peace is having a young leaders benefit on march 13th called a journey through the peace market in nyc. unfortunately my whole family will be in austria skiing. otherwise i would have been there in a heartbeat. as most of you know, my brother is on the board of directors. i attached a video on seeds of peace. here is the information regarding the event if you are in the nyc area:

make a reservation:

benefitoffice.org/peacemarket

866-534-3864

go rock the vote.

oh also, go vote if your state is taking part in the super tuesday festivities. i can't because of my citizenship. so please, go vote.

the vintage feeling.

here are a few designers to watch in the new year.

katy rodriguez: vintage chic with jewel tones. generous dresses with great fabrics.

chris benz: relaxed chic. bright colors with a simple message. many ensembles straight out of the 60s. the penny loafer is making a comeback.

band of outsiders: collection based on ties, bow ties and shirts. bringing the baseball jacket back. a vintage feel for the modern man. the skinny tie. the skinny bow tie.

in god i trust. in man i hope.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2008

tomorrow is super tuesday. the showdown begins.

so what will happen? we will see.

massachusetts and california are going to be the ones to watch for the republicans with mccain and romney campaigning last minute in these locations. will romneys visit to the golden state mean a win? if so, then he wont be leaving the spotlight anytime soon. mccain chose to campaign in my home state, massachusetts. we'll see what tomorrow holds for these two.

for the democrats it is all about massachusetts, new mexico, arizona, missouri and california. does obama hold power in massachusetts because of sen. kennedy? could clinton be stripped of her support in california? missouri, arizona and new mexico are the states which offer an equal chance to both democrats.

interesting interesting. tomorrow will hold the answers. well at least some.

in the meantime, enjoy obama "yes we can" video.

rewind to sthlm fashion week.

sometimes i make promises and break them. i never commented on the rest of sthlms fashion week like i said would. so here is the lowdown on some of the shows.

dagmar: navy. navy. navy. and neutrals. with a splash of orange once in a while. another example of menswear dominating womens fashion. i felt like the sparkly dresses were out of place as well as the printed smocks. overall, i was more impressed with their simple staples rather than the try hard items.

minimarket: they over stepped the comfort boundary with striped tights and mc hammer trousers. in this case, less would have been more. their silver colored pants were fierce though.

cheap monday: the basic black. i liked the mens blazers and jackets.

hunkydory: playing with charcoal works. looks swanky and simple. the makeup worked too with red nails and lips to accentuate the simplicity of the designs.

filippa k: by far my favorite show for both men and women. not afraid to play with color even for an winter/autumn collection. i am digging the pastel colored skinny ties, leather gloves, hunter green tights, mens vests, and belted coats.

KRAM PÅ ER ALLA.

read.

some articles (opinions, editorials etc.) that are worth reading:

thomas l. friedman nytimes articles:

• what was that all about?
  
• in the age of noah.
  
• making peace with pieces.

editorial from today:

• late and lame on warming

others:

• the dynastic question
• how voters think.

awesome article from conde nast portfolio:

• predicting the presidential election: the next president, revealed.

overload i know.

getting creative with inflation.

picked up a conde nast portfolio mag at the airport this morning. this was on the back page.

"with the euro and the canadian dollar clobbering the greenback and inflation starting to rise, people holding stronger currencies might find some creative uses for the humbled $1 bill."

wish list.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2008

as fashion week rolls on, i figured i should share what i am eyeing for spring/summer 08. the price tags on looks strutting down the runway are a little (understatement) out of my budget. here are some of my favorite things around right now (both within my budget and not):

-toms new herringbone tone flats.
-stella mccartney for adidas performance jacket with high collar.
-reyes preppy 70s style cardigans.
-3.1 phillip lim tees.
-centre's vintage porsche and carrera sunglasses
-h&m's fashion against AIDS tees
-american apparel's unisex thermal lined hood london hoodie in black with pink.
-black wash replay jeans
-zara's elastic ankle boots in tan
-cheap monday's new land shawl.
-dagmar's camel colored leather jacket.
-urban's old school nike tees
-crackled leather on everything from stilettos to nike airs.
-miu miu tstrap flats straight out of the 60s movie "to sir, with love" (go rent it)
-shawls, scarves and pashminas - silk, cotton and linen.
-hex lena jeans by acne.
-feiyue hi sneaks in black or feiyue lo's in grey canvas.

tretorn.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008

just scanning through old dailycandy archives this evening, and i found a post for tretorn, a swedish brand. they just opened up their new store in georgetown, dc. you better go check it out. they are known for their rubber rain boots (yes, i own a pair.) they even have rain boots with fur inside to keep your feet warm in the slush. i am kind of feeling the new hockey boots and tournament paninaris. the t-56 canvas sneak is always brilliant especially for summer.

tretorn.com

stockholm fashion week.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2008
i wish i was in stockholm this week. i would kill to be at the sthlm fashion week by berns. the biggest swedish fashion names will be displaying their new collections this week. here are a few of my fav pics from the rodebjer show. i love the scarf shirt look. the jacket dress is sharp.

i can't wait to see images from the minimarket, filippa k, dagmar, cheap monday and hunky dory shows later in the week.

my observations. it seems that the masculine look is here to stay. i also saw lots of sharp edge on coats and jackets along with boxy shoulders. hints of color are also sticking around but the brights have been subdued somewhat (like a burnt orange instead of neon.) for men the cuffed short pants look continues to dominate with knit sweaters. and tan shoes reigned the runway at acne jeans- it's a fresh look that will brighten up a dark outfit. we'll see how the week pans out and if any fashion houses dare to be different or these trends are going to stick.

the economist: the world in 2008.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008

the economist: the world in 2008.

yeah it's monday, and i have a lot of free time before my only class at 6:30pm. so that's why i'm blogging. well i have been meaning to write about this for a while but i couldn't find the proper window of time to dedicate to it. on january 2nd, while flying back to texas from sweden, i stopped by the magazine shop at the copenhagen airport. i found a perfect read for the 12+ hours i would spend in the air. the economist: the world in 2008. the mag was thicker than usual with sharp and brainy articles for the 2008 world outlook. you need to go pick it up at the closest bookstore asap.

some good articles:

not enough people in china: fascinating to find out that the number one concern for chinese senior executives for 2008 will be the shortage of talent. this lack of skill is due to china's education system which has failed to keep up with the constantly growing labor market. reasons for fear in regards to the lack of qualifications: 1. investment. chinese firms are expanding and going global but they lack skill. also, there is not enough time to educate so there will be a need for non-chinese staff who are knowledgeable. 2. demographics. the one-child policy is now screwing china in terms of the late 20s work force. this age group is shrinking, and businesses need to look elsewhere for talent. 3. migrant workers. inland workers will no longer be trekking to coastal cities for work. so what does china do? the human resources departments at chinese companies will need to concentrate on retention and inviting chinese returnees.
history lessons for the markets: this article was great at touching on the effects of the upcoming presidential election on the financial markets for 2008. a large concern for the new year is the currency carry trade and its durability. good news: a weaker $ and a slower american economic growth should reduce the trade deficit, which has caused an imbalance in the global economy.
the great melt: thank goodness for this new program called international polar year, which will start 200 research projects with the involvement of more than 60 countries to address the issues with global warming in the arctic. what is scary as hell is that some computer models believe all of the arctic summer ice will be gone by 2040. the need for information is now. we need to know what the arctic is going to do next because it isn't predictable with just a rise in temperatures. there are also other variables like currents, wind and the layered frozen ocean. data will be fundamental and vital in 2008.
freeconomics: i liked the "creative disruption" part of this article. it discusses the idea of everything becoming free. well, youtube gave us bandwith. skype is changing the phone industry. gmail gave us more email capacity. all for FREE. the internet is all about making money by giving stuff away. information is the primary free "thing" on the web. services, gossip, entertainment and music are all available without the need for a dime. so what does 2008 hold for this type of free-dom? well, yahoo will be offering infinite space for their email users. music labels will be giving away music as promotions (like radiohead.) so basically, you're smart if you don't charge your customer anything. because you'll get it back in the long run.

oh yeah and don't expect me to touch on the political articles in this mag till another post...i don't have the patience to talk about that right now. off to class now. to talk about the gangs in the us.