Warby Parker's long-awaited sunglasses line is now available for pre-order (shipping on July 15).  Although not the Suno collaboration I was hoping for, they feature polarised lenses and are crafted from custom cellulose acetate with five barrel hinges and teflon-coated screws.  See more styles after the jump.

Image: island*atelier

Made from real sail material - perfectly nautical, functional and graphic.  Harding Sails bags are available to order here.

Australian company Karton have designed a full compliment of cardboard furniture including beds, dining tables and storage, but my favourite of their products is this barnyard collection which features free-standing, sheep-shaped shelving units in three sizes.  Made from 100% recyclable and non-toxic cardboard, the shelves are lightweight and can be flattened and stored.  No fasteners or tools are required for construction and they can be painted to suit any decor.  You don't get much more versatile than that.

As part of the design of Johnnie Walker House, a new 'experience space' in Shanghai for the whisky brand, creative agency LOVE created a series of commemorative bottles referencing the Chinese decorative style of blue and white porcelain.  Designated the Johnnie Walker 1910 Commemorative Edition bottle and illustrated by Chris Martin of TOY, the bottle will be issued in a limited run of 1,000.

How cute is this Zoku Quick Pop maker which freezes popsicles in as little as seven minutes right on your countertop without electricity as the base is stored in the freezer. The kit includes six reusable plastic pop sticks that have unique ridged designs that allow pops to adhere securely and special drip guards for tidy eating. The unit can make up to nine popsicles before the unit needs to be refrozen.

Pretty striped pumps with rope embellishment available here.

Image: Versace

New collaboration announcement!  This time Versace will produce a collection for the Swedish design house H&M.  Drawing inspiration from Versace's archives, the collection features Grecian geometric patterns, slim-fit dresses, metallic micro-minis and fluro-colored foulard-print dresses. The men's and women's collection will include apparel, accessories, jewelry, and home goods and will launch November 17, 2011 in 300 stores as well as online.

Image: Jason Wu

A clever collection from Jason Wu being both subtle and carefully crafted.  Like use of the fluorescent with black as a grounding colour.  Final dress is amazing in its simplicity.

Image: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Just the other day I read someone was positing the question whether Marc Jacobs was still relevant.  I tend to like this bridge line mainly for the accessories which can be fun.  Sometimes the clothes leave me scratching my head but there is no doubt he is directional.  The 2012 resort collection is not so awful and many designs are quite wearable, with lipstick bright colours, minimalist silhouettes and fluorescent accessories.   Cropped pants with wide legs and rompers featured a lot as well as polka dots and jungle patterns.

Image: island*atelier

After several successful years, according to a to press release issued earlier this week, Jil Sander and Uniqlo are set to wrap up their design consulting agreement with Sander’s A/W 2011 +J collection being their last.  Sander famously had difficulties in the past with her eponymous line and the collaboration with Uniqlo was intended to be her return to the fashion industry.  Her designs for Uniqlo were some of my favourite so I'll be sad to see this partnership end.

Image: Burberry Prorsum

Love, love love this collection - HOT!  The shoes are off the charts.  Fab punches of yellow and kente cloths.  Full marks for Burberry Prorsum.

Image: Lela Rose

I have to commend her for doing something a little different: florals haven't been shown much for resort 2012 and when mixed with the ikat it looks fresh and modern.

Image: Missoni

Getting its inspiration from 20s flappers with cloche hats and turbans, Missoni piles on the layers and textures.  It's a lot of look to handle with flowing caftans and of course print on print on print and a variety of hemline lengths.

Image: 3.1 Phillip Lim

Some more animal print mixed with casual utilitarianism.  I very much like the orange.  3.1 offers relaxed shapes and slouchy, wide-legged trousers.

With hints of African cloths, unusual shapes and forms, furniture designer Natalie du Toit's Indigi Designs are designed and handmade in South Africa with a great attention to quality and a respect for natural materials.

Image: Diane von Furstenberg

DVF offers a lighthearted collection.  More fluorescent this time in green and yellow and again grounded in black.  I love the graphics but that has always been her strong suit.  More sleek minimalism with a little bit of colour blocking.

Image: Yves Saint Laurent

A beautiful but very literal interpretation of resort wear featuring obvious nautical motifs (including an anchor insignia). 

Image: DKNY

DKNY offers looks that shout city more than resort with lots of capes, longer hemlines and black.  DKNY also feature some cutouts and body-con dresses similar to Thakoon's 2012 resort.

Image: Umbra

The winner of the 7th Annual Umbra x Pratt Design Competition which recently took place is this Clutch Clip by Jeff Rubio.  The ornately stylish clip is both simple and useful.  It can be attached to paper bags or other items and used to transport them.

What can you say about Marc Jacobs?  With recent speculation in the press regarding whether his influence is on the wane, he offers lots of brocade reminiscent of muted wallpaper, pyjamas, embellishments, boxy shapes, military rompers.  There is a good combination of sportswear and luxe fabrics and everything moves smartly towards the end.  In typical fashion, several of the looks are very unflattering in toto, but if pieces are worn separately, they should work. 

Image: Louis Vuitton

This 60s strong collection is how I want to vacation (apart from the all-in-one printed pyjamas).  With an intricate, woven lattice treatment on the dresses and more printed scenes LV provides a chic and sexy take on holiday wear.  Some accessories like the bow sandals are a little much but the mixed patterns keep things lively and interesting.

Image: via Douglas Hannant

With an extremely literal take on the nautical look down to the rope necklaces with the clasps, is Douglas Hannant's resort line.  He offers more colour-blocking as well as feathers, fringing and plaid.  I prefer the fun, casual pieces to the more formal looks which came down the runway at the end.

Anyone with young children knows how messy mealtimes can still get and how a napkin tucked in at the chin often doesn't cut the mustard.  Filed under "wish I had thought of that" is this napkin-bib hybrid.  The perfect solution, falling somewhere between a bib and an apron, it does the job admirably without being too babyish or fussy.

The Serviette de Table is available  here.

Image: Thakoon

One of my favourite collections so far, Thakoon's resort collection is a more sophisticated take on the Thakoon Addition line but with similar silhouettes including an asymmetrical "mullet" hem.

Image: Thakoon Addition

Some basic (uninteresting) pieces mixed in with some innovative ones.  Particularly liked the striped graphic and colour choices.

Suno are offering fabulously bright, tropical prints that reference Hawaii.  Mixed patterns and, as with Preen, more photo-realistic prints on dresses and tops.  A fun, playful collection.

Image: Nurseryworks

There is no doubt that the Vetro Crib from Nurseryworks is an unusual design.  My initial reaction looking at it from an adult's perspective, was that with its transparent sides it could create a sense of insecurity in the baby, but if babies truly have no concept of fear perhaps this isn't an issue after all.

Inspired by Charles Hollis Jones, a pioneer in acrylic furniture design, the Vetro crib is crafted from non-toxic and recyclable lucite and features curved edges for safety. It is being produced as a limited, numbered run.

Image: Derek Lam

With lots of tonal blue on blue Derek Lam's resort collection conjures up images of the sea.  Love the accessories.

Image: Michael Kors

The Kors woman is part James Bond vixen, part android.  The line is replete with radioactive flouro colours and neoprene.  Animal print also makes an appearance here, but no animal that ever existed in nature.  The boxy gold lame has me scratching my head -it's an odd mix of dowdy and sexy from Mr Kors.

Image: Preen

Preen are offering elegant and interesting prints, mainly floral and animal, grounded in black.   There is a distinct Chinoiserie feel with dragon imagery and oriental watercolour prints featuring prominently with some clean minimalist lines and subtle colour-blocking.

I'm not sure why it took so long, but West Elm has only recently come to my attention.  I love their modern designs like the sleek lines of this table designed and made in collaboration with the students of  Pratt Institute.  The desk is made using FSC-certified materials and finishes has a minimalist silhouette with a versatile style that would work equally well as a desk or dining table.

Image: BCBG Max Azria

A lot of lovely lace, eyelet and transparency on offer from BCBG Max Azria.  The two-toned shoes contrast well and keep the outfits from seeming too twee.  Although some of the dresses are borderline bridal, the black lace toughens them up substantially.  Some striking pantsuits were also featured.

Last week I was given the opportunity to have a look around and photograph the property I wrote about here.  The historic stone buildings were naval quarters for the British royal engineers and their servants in the 1850s and were restored and converted into townhouses in 2007.

The ground floor of the unit I looked at was very symmetrical divided on one side into a living room and on the other into a combined kitchen and dining room.  The stairs lead first to a mezzanine floor which houses the powder room and the laundry and then to the top floor which has been partitioned to provide three good-sized bedrooms with ample storage and two full baths.

One of the most unique areas of the property is the enclosed courtyard which is accessible through french doors off the kitchen and dining room.  This is a shared space available for use by the two adjoining properties. It was a little disappointing to see that the courtyard was under-utilised with neither of the two occupants making much use of it or its potential.  While it could be a fantastic and private outdoor dining and lounging area, it was obvious that it was a much neglected area.

It was a bittersweet experience looking around the townhouse.  As I suspected the interior had been modernised but to such an extent that most of the original features had been removed in the refurbishments.  The other unit I had a look around (but did not photograph as it was occupied) had a gas fireplace which provided a nice focal point the other unit lacked.  The townhouses are in an excellent location with a beach, shops, a drugstore, post office, cinema, restaurants and museums all within walking distance.  While they are situated at one of end of the island, the ferry ensures that it's a short commute to the capital and, as stated above, there are so many amenities available right on their doorstep this negates some of the inconvenience of not being in a more central location.   The Terraces truly are a unique living experience and I hope the next tenants will appreciate it as such.

Many more interior and exterior shots after the jump.

Image: Anna Sui

Let's get the show on the road with Anna Sui's pretty, 70s-influenced collection. 

Image: island*atelier

Last week saw the launch of the 2012 resort collections.  I have sorted through the offerings, boiled them down and this week plan to highlight some of the more notable collections and to feature a few outfits from each one. 

In terms of trends, look out for lots of animal prints, colour blocking, fluorescent brights and black, lace, nautical elements and wide-legged cropped trousers.

Image: island*atelier

In the vein of our earlier rebus riddles, have a look at these minimalist movie posters by Patrik Svensson and see if you can identify which movies are represented. Answers after the jump.

I have been planning to make a teepee for years and these simple but beautiful teepees from Moozlehome might actually be the inspiration I need to get started.  The teepees are available in a plain or decorated cotton canvas and may be personalised with a child's name.  The teepees can be purchased on etsy  here.

Image: Roxy

Cynthia Rowley and Roxy are continuing their successful collaboration this year with a new line of swimwear and wetsuits. In addition to the return of last year's colour-blocked version (although this year's offering is in more subdued colours), the designer has introduced a subtle paisley pattern to the mix.

Image: Tory Burch

I know it's not cool or clever, but I love Tory Burch. I love the palettes she uses: navy blues, yellows, oranges, and she always manages to do something different but still be wearable. Look at the embellishment on the sleeves of the t-shirt after the jump.

We have just moved into a house with those exact decorative blocks  quite a rarity here. I will have to do a post on our modernist find soon.

Images: Unknown

Although they attempted to maintain the tightest of security for the designs, the paparazzi were able to get some shots of Margherita Missoni on the 60s-inspired set of the Missoni for Target ad shoot recently.  No great surprise though: Missoni's stamp is on everything.  The line will be available from September 13 to October 22 online and at Target stores.

How about this for a bright treat?  IKEA has issued a limited line of chairs and other accessories in vibrant colours called Annorlunda (which means "different" in Swedish) and which is only available in two locations in Belgium. Inspiration for the line is said to be derived from the travels of IKEA's designers who then melded the ethnic influences they came across on their journeys with a European sensibility.

Image: island*atelier

The latest rumour buzzing around the fashion blogosphere is that Diane von Furstenberg is designing a collection for Gap Kids.  If this is correct, DVF follows on the heels of designers such as Stella McCartney who had two extremely successful collaborations with Gap Kids and then went on to launch her eponymous children's line.  According to the source, the line is scheduled for launch in late spring or summer of 2012.

Handmade superhero masks and party favours done in the style of this lovely party from The Tortoise and the Hare.

Beautiful and graceful lines on this bar stool and chair by Hyunsoo Choi.

I don't often feature menswear here, but a few weeks ago I saw and liked a line of swim and sportswear by Orlebar Brown.  At the time I baulked at the price but since have taken a closer look, reconsidered and I am liking what I see.  The line is surprisingly preppy (given its provenance out of the UK) but offers a nice range of styles, cuts, lengths and colours.  The graphics and patterns are on just the right side of remarkable to lift the clothes from boring without taking them into the realm of the unwearable.

I can't advise as to the quality but in terms of providing chic sportswear which is not too trendy I have to say that I'm quite impressed by what is on offer.  More muscle-ly torsos after the jump.

Image: Design Sponge

I always like to add some wicker to a room for the warmth and texture it brings and particularly like these chairs which were featured here on Design Sponge.  The black makes them slightly more sophisticated-looking than the usual luau offerings.

Image: Peter Bristol

This training dresser by Peter Bristol is an interesting concept.  It is a visual way of helping children keep their clothes tidy but can't help but I think the novelty of it would wear off pretty quickly and a chest of drawers would work just as well.