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Image: MariasUSA
I love these bow maryjane flats from MaraisUSA.  I love their aesthetic and the fact that they do only a few pieces and so produce design quality, rather than mass-market quantity.  Other great-looking shoes, which won't break the bank are also available here.

This is a trend that has been featuring on the outskirts of mainstream fashion for the last couple of winters and has now risen to prominence in the winter of 2010. Its a tricky number to wear as the key to having no sleeves means you must always make sure that your arms are warm. Also, due to the fact that the widest point of the garment is around the middle, to avoid looking like you're wearing a sack cloth, it is essential that you choose a cape with some sort of structure or detailing such as a belt or a cinched waist, either of which will streamline the look and make it look more tailored and flattering on the body.
Image: Shopbop.com
The colour of the season is camel, which along with black, grey and purple usually turns up every winter in rotation. Prepare to see it everywhere and the ubiquitous capes, belts, shoes and the like. Camel is a great alternative to black in the winter I however I find it to be very high maintenance. It's the colour that suits blondes as well as brunettes so I doubt its popularity will ever wane.

A company in Denmark has come up with an unusual concept. Snurk (which means snore in Dutch) bedding mimics the sleeping conditions of the homeless with cardboard box printed duvets and pavement printed mattresses. When I first saw the site, I thought they were producing bedding to be distributed to the homeless and to people sleeping rough, but this is a different riff on that. One redeeming factor is that part of the proceeds from the sale of the bedding are donated to the Dutch Foundation for Homeless Youngsters, but I'm not sure that that totally removes the whiff of self-satisfied smugness that someone with a roof over his or her head who buys these must still give off. It's a one-note joke and, even though it's mitigated by an altruistic gesture, I'm still not sure it should be played.
Image: Bensimon

I have been jones-ing for these lightweight, summer sneakers from Bensimon, well, all summer and although the end of warm weather will soon be upon us, I still wanted to feature them here and may get a pair in preparation for next year. We are lucky because warm weather can sometimes last all the way until December, so while we may have to give up the luxury of sandals and flip-flops, we can still get away with wearing lightweight shoes for a few more months as long as they are closed. 

I did not know much about the line and had to do some research. It appears that it is a French company and, in addition to the sneakers, they produce bags and a limited line of clothing. As well as these traditional, tennis sneakers, they also do a ballet style without laces, a hightop version and mini versions for children. The sneakers are touted as being environmentally-friendly and are very distinctive with their large toe cap. Although the pair I was considering in a more muted shade, I love the punchy brights pictured above. They just spell elegant, casual French style to me. 

You can see the full line of Bensimon goods here.
Image: Target
Mulberry's Target collaboration which I wrote about here was released last Sunday, October 10 online and in stores with a line of about fifteen reasonably priced bags.  The bags look typically "Mulberry" with the iconic Mulberry heart tag, and come in four materials: patent, denim, hot pink leopard and pebble.  I love the satchel and the cross-body bags in the blue denim with patent flap, however by the time I logged on at 7:00 am, the smaller denim satchel had sold out.  I restrained myself from buying the larger denim satchel which I know I would never use, and sprang instead for the larger denim cross-body.  I have been notified that it's on the way, so I will report on the quality of the bag when it arrives.  Absolutely hate the pink leopard.  What were they thinking?

Details of some individual bags below.
You can call it a cynical attempt to post his picture on this site, however I have noticed a trend toward brightly coloured coloured men's suits recently. Robert Pattinson is wearing a maroon suit by Gucci and Brad Goreski (Rachel Zoe's ex-assistant) is wearing a red suit by Hugo Boss. I can see why they would be tempted to mix things up a little, as there is very little one can do with the traditional men's suit without looking clownish or ridiculous. Adding a colour in this manner is a great way to update a look and to stand out from the crowd.


When I lived in London, I loved to take walks along South Bank and to hang out at the Tate Museum, so I'm always interested to see what exhibitions are commissioned and installed in the Turbine Hall of the Museum. When the latest exhibit was unveiled on Monday, I was really excited, more so than for the last few installations. The Unilever Series, Sunflower Seeds, by Ai Weiwei consists of 100 million individually handmade porcelain replicas of seeds which have been spread across the floor of the Turbine Hall. The public was then invited to walk and interact with the installation and for this reason the idea captured my imagination, I suppose by appealing to my inner child. I wished I could have been there to experience it first-hand and I definitely would have pocketed one of the seeds to keep as a souvenir.

How pretty are these vitamins?  The bottles are the brain-child of graphic designer Sarah Cespedes and are designed to show the colour of the product inside and the labels highlight the benefit each brings to the body.  While they're just a project and not in production, it got us wondering: why all medicine can't be this beautiful.

Images: Sarah Cespedes

I know I report on high/low collaborations a lot, but this is one collection that has stopped me in my tracks, I love it so much.  Uniqlo and Jil Sander's latest collaboration, Uniqlo + J, was released in the US a few days ago and has been released in the UK today.  I am so disappointed that the clothes are not available online and was tempted to ask my UK contacts to purchase a couple of pieces for me.  I love everything about it: the shapes, textures and colours.  May I have one of everything please ...?  
L-R: Steffe, Derek Lam
L-R: Tibi, Diane von Furstenburg
Images: Imaxtree

My favourite items from Anthroplogie this week: Corinthian top by Deletta, Corset sweater dress by Leifsdootir,  Berrybud boots by Chie Mihara and Pilcro's Cohort corduroys.
L-R: Milly, LAMB
L-R: Alberta Feretti, Rodarte
Images: Imaxtree
There are a limited number if fashion bloggers I follow regularly and Street Etiquette is one of my favourites.  Travis Gumbs (originally from St Kitts and Nevis) and Joshua Kissi are pioneers in urban style.  I love their clean, preppy style which is so far from the usual street wear of African-American men. It is also obvious that they love fashion about as much as I do. Over the past year, I've watched as their profile has gradually risen beyond the blogosphere to mainstream media helped in part by the good work they've done and in part due to collaborations with designers like Sebago (where they designed a line of shoes) and videos like the one these images were taken from.  Black Ivy encapsulates their aesthetic perfectly and I find the images both uplifting and beautiful.
L-R: Milly, DKNY
L-R: Betsey Johnson, DKNY
Images: Imaxtree

As a renter with an interest in stylish but affordable design, this of course is my bible. I was therefore really excited when the 2011 IKEA catalogue was published a few weeks ago and duly went down to get my copy.

I have been noticing a proliferation of pop up shops recently. It's almost as though with the economy the way it is, retailers no longer want to shoulder the responsibilities which go along with having a real bricks-and-mortar shop but would still like a way to showcase their goods or raise their profile in a way in which having an online presence does not.
L-R: Derek Lam, Tibi
L-R: Derek Lam, Tory Birch
Images: Imaxtree

 



I used to be way more into television home design shows that I am at the moment. I used to watch them almost obsessively regardless of the quality of the programming or the taste-level of the outcome. I have slowly weaned off of design shows over the years, however I am still a huge fan of Sarah Richardson, a Canadian designer, who used to have a typical design program (that is where you redo a room of a house) but over the last couple of years has branched off into a bigger projects whereby she purchases and remodels an entire property, be it a home, farmhouse or an apartment.