Fashion for everyone

Les Bijoux de Sophie Owl necklace

Probably the best thing that has come out of starting this blog is getting to meet so many people I wouldn't have met otherwise, whether they're my favorite bloggers, or simply fashion enthused readers. Although Christina has embraced this virtual world with some trepidation, asserting multiple times that she's a "real world person" (although I know she has a secret penchant for The Sims, ha) there are plenty of incredibly real people I've met through online contact.

One of the best examples of this is Kate, from The Moon and Mars, a new online boutique that just launched this month. By chance, I met her while I was working at the D&A tradeshow, where she approached me and told me she was a reader of the blog. We set up a coffee date, and she was gracious enough to view our new jewelry line, Triskaidekaphobia. Kate comes from a similar background as myself, having studied a completely non-fashion related subject in college before eventually deciding to completely switch careers, and when we sat down to chat, I felt like I was meeting up with an old friend. I'm so excited that our line will be carried in her store, along side some of my favorite designers, like Daydream Nation, Surface to Air, Grey Ant and Les Bijoux de Sophie. While our jewelry won't be arriving until mid-December, here are a few of my favorite pieces that are currently available.

IvanaHelskini StarRain knit dress
Surface to Air ankle boots

Grey Ant dress
Teamo mesh crop tee
Bliss Lau Trivium bracelet

The owl printed tail shirt

Due to the abysmal state of my bank account, I've been on a strict shopping diet. Starting your own line (or any kind of company for that matter) is like having a baby that constantly needs to be fed, so all my absurd material desires are of the lowest priority right now. This month I've only indulged in a couple pairs of tights and some headbands from H&M, but after ogling this Gemma Degara owl printed tail tee online for the past month, I caved and finally treated myself.

The turning point came after visiting Pixie Market twice in the past two weeks to try it on, only to hear the shop girl tell me that they had sold out that same day, and would be restocking. She informed me that she had already bought one for herself. Sick of constantly being eluded, and feeling increasingly anxious about whether my beloved shirt would completely disappear, I immediately went home and ordered it online. The combination between the creepy-cute owl print, and the perfect swinging shape of the tee made it a must have, one which I can imagine wearing everyday. That's what I like best about Degara's work, it's entirely unique, while remaining casual and comfortable.


Printed owl dress

Tail dress

Sleeveless dress with uni-shoulder pads

Noir et Blanc cape dress

While Jimmy and I sadly won't be returning to Stockholm for Christmas this year, we won't be missing the chilly climates and non-existent sunlight (we're going to San Francisco and Hawaii instead, ha!). Nonetheless, I will certainly be missing the shopping, especially since sale season will be in full swing. I've contented myself with the fact that many of my favorite Swedish designers and stores have excellent online boutiques, which is the best substitute for the real thing. That's why I was particularly ecstatic when I discovered Kotyr, a webshop entirely dedicated to new and under the radar Scandinavian designers. While they stock a couple of my favorites like Nakkna and Noir et Blanc, they also carry a wide range of designers I've never heard of before, and haven't seen stocked anywhere else. The stock isn't quite as directional as most young boutiques, and instead it feels a little like an indie department store with something for everybody: you, your mom, and maybe even your grandmother too. The one common focus is on luxury, quality, and unique and inspirational design. While the site is entirely in Swedish (run it through a translator), they do ship worldwide. Here are a couple of pieces that I'm eyeing.

Camilla Wellton Kimono Coat

Soddu dress

Camilla Wellton Urban Elfin Coat

Hanna af Ekstrom rope necklace

Louise Gray was one of the few designers that I didn't get to meet during the London Showrooms Event this past Fall. Either she was shy or antisocial, but I didn't feel particularly comfortable poking around her collection without her permission and opted to skip the entire thing, even though I had been looking forward to seeing it. Anyhow, her collection is partially available at ASOS, in addition to the latest installment of a wallet-friendly collaboration she did with the online retailer. The small collection includes My Girl style denim overalls and jackets, as well as two sweet heart-emblazoned jersey dresses which might be the perfect choice for Valentines Day--adorable but not overly saccharine.

Triskaidekaphobia Buckle Ring. All pictures from Kabiri.

I can't tell you how incredibly excited Christina and I both are that Triskaidekaphobia is finally up on the Kabiri website. Kabiri is one of my favorite UK based jewelry stores, with three locations in London, including an outpost at Selfridges, and an extensive online site where you're likely to blow your entire paycheck (consider yourself warned). The most wonderful thing about browsing through the treasure trove of baubles is that you'll find plenty of newbies (like ourselves), right next to seasoned veterans like Philip Crangi. Take a peek and see what you might discover.

For those of you who have inquired, our Buckle Rings and "Drink Me" Necklaces, which are currently sold out at all of our other stores, are in stock at Kabiri right now, along with a few other pieces which are exclusive to the store. And for those of you who live in London, look for our "Drink Me" necklace in a special Alice in Wonderland inspired room that Selfridges will create to promote the upcoming Tim Burton film!

Sterling silver "Drink Me" opening perfume bottle necklace

Kabiri exclusive: antique gold-plated ribbon pinky ring with dangling spider charm


Kabiri exclusive: leather restraint cuff

Ostwald Helgason x ASOS labyrinth leggings, Proenza Schouler x Target bustier, Rodebjer top, Gucci pumps, Gerard Yosca necklace, cuff and rings

After thinking about the Ostwald Hegason x ASOS leggings day and night after I posted them a couple of weeks ago, I caved and ordered them. I'm so happy I did, because they look ten times better in real life than they do online. A photograph can't capture the full rainbow of colors that seem to be magically squeezed into this one print, and even the cotton/polyester composition of the fabric has a shiny, almost holographic quality to it. In fact, I love them so much, that if my bank account wasn't looking so skimpy right now I would go ahead and order a couple more pieces from the collection.

AllSaints sweater, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair tank top, Zara pants, Rachel Comey boots, Devaki hat, Longchamps leather bracelet, Gerard Yosca cuff, Antti Asplund necklaces, Iosselliani ring

Ok, I have a confession to make that will probably have some of my U.K. friends guffawing. Up until last week, I was under the impression that AllSaint was the British equivalent of Hot Topic, selling mass market goth/punk attire for suburban alterna-kids. I mainly blame the name, which I associate with the girl group, and I also blame the fact that AllSaints hasn't enjoyed the same U.S. publicity blitz that Topshop has had. That said, I admit I must be partially blind, considering the fact that so many of my favorite bloggers wear the brand quite frequently.

Then, a couple of months ago, a British jewelry designer who I was freelancing for admired my Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair dress, commenting that it "bore the same handwriting" as her favorite High Street brand, AllSaints (even though her boyfriend is one of the owners of Topshop). Rather than checking out AllSaints as she suggested, I felt mostly disbelieving, not to mention slightly insulted on behalf of one my favorite labels of all time. How could they possibly compare?!

AllSaints however has made it's way to me, first opening up a store in New York's Bloomingdales in September, and recently launching its U.S. online store. I finally took a peek at their website, and was immediately sucked in. Though the U.S. site has a skimpier selection than the U.K., it's still packed with beautifully deconstructed knits, perfectly tailored jackets and coats, and plenty of lovely draped dresses and haphazardly ballooning skirts. While the collection has a distinctly roguish, highwayman feel, I can definitely see touches of Fifth Avenue, and even CDG running throughout, and have to admit that I'm already addicted to this slightly less expensive alternative. I immediately ordered this deconstructed sweater, and already have several items on my Christmas wishlist.



I'm somewhat obsessed with this waistcoat, which reminds me of a Victorian medical corset

I love the draping of this jacket, which looks like it's perfectly tailored, yet slightly disheveled

The leather buckle straps add the perfect amount of detail to this dress

Christina and I are in the middle of frantically putting together our next collection while working simultaneously on Spring deliveries, but in the meantime, our Holiday deliveries for Triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) have been trickling into stores. The collection is currently available at Screaming Mimi's in New York, She Boutique in Chicago, and online from The Moon and Mars in Scotland and Revolve Clothing. It will also be available at Kabiri in London and Seven New York within the next couple of weeks. Here are some shots from our lookbook, photographed by Dom, and modeled by my beautiful friend Lisa last year. All the clothes were borrowed from Screaming Mimi's, and all the photo editing and website design work was done by Christina's multi-talented other half, James. We're so lucky to have such talented, supportive friends, we seriously couldn't have done it without you guys (and trust me, we'll be calling on you all again shortly).

As for all of the many, many people out there who have complained about our very long, and very unpronounceable name, at least we didn't name the collection Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (fear of the number 666).

Tooth spike cuff in gold and silver plate

"Apres moi le deluge" sterling silver ID bracelet, and sterling silver restraint ring

Antique gold plate owl necklace

Leather bow necklace and sterling silver mirror necklace
Leather ruff collar

Stine Goya jumpsuit, bag courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff, sunglasses courtesy of Norma Kamali, Minimarket wedges, Cheap Monday socks, VPL bra, Triskaidekaphobia necklace.

After a long sticky summer, fall has finally arrived in New York. I love autumn, and I'm soaking every last moment of it in before I move to Stockholm in November.  As you can surmise, I will have the awesome timing of arriving at the exact same time as the first blasts of deep arctic chill and endless darkness creep in (can you tell I'm really excited).  While I spent part of my week stockpiling "HEATTECH" undergarments from Uniqlo in paranoid preparation, I am also trying to get the most use out of my transitional clothes.  I bought this Stine Goya jumpsuit about a month ago from Urban Outfitters, but it's been mostly too hot to wear until now.  Now I've finally had the opportunity to break it out in full Man Repeller form (the only thing less sexy than a printed jumpsuit is HEATTECH long underwear).  U.O. is actually having a massive sale right now, including plenty of stuff from my favorite Scandinavian designers, like Stine. I suggest you check it out while it lasts, I even bought these Minimarket wedges for $20.

I must be completely out of the loop, because it wasn't until earlier this week that I found out while online window shopping, that one of my favorite designers, Ostwald Helgason, has collaborated with ASOS to make a lower priced line as part of ASOS's Hub series. I have thus spent the better part of the week contemplating whether or not I really need a pair of the digital print leggings from the collection or not. Having just bought a pair from Ostwald Helgason's regular line, I can hardly make the excuse of necessity, and at $118, the ASOS version would actually be more expensive than the pair I got on sale. I have to remind myself that just a year ago I would have balked at paying over $100 for leggings (even over $40 for that matter). Plus, my wallet is rather tired right now after having been opened one too many times to make personal orders while I worked the Coterie show. Must I have them? I can't decide. What do you think? And which pair of leggings looks better? I kinda love them both...

Another quick post, since I'm completely exhausted after working Coterie today, and all I can think about is getting into bed so I can wake up bright and early for free breakfast tomorrow (all the free food at the shows is making me fat). Anywya, Zana was kind enough to share this coupon for 15% off of the newly launched EVA webshop. In case you aren't already familiar with it, EVA is one of the best stores in Manhattan, stocking hard-to-find designers, including a bunch of our friends: Telfar, Rodebjer, Stine Goya, Lerario Beatriz, and Bijules. Now, those of you who live outside of New York can finally shop the store too, and for the next two weeks, you can even enjoy a discount when you enter the code "EVANY" when you check out. I think I might use it to pick up a pair of Henrik Vibskov tights to keep me warm this winter.

Shirt courtesy of EastWest, Acne shorts, Chloe heels, sunglasses courtesy of Norma Kamali, cuff courtesy of Joomi Lim, Triskaidekaphobia gear necklace.  

A little while back, I was emailed about the launch of a small new online boutique called EastWest, featuring a tightly curated little collection of cool drapey basic pieces and fun accessories to wear with them. The cool and cheap aesthetic reminds me quite a bit of the beloved Swedish chain store Monki, but somehow EastWest is even cheaper. Plus, Monki doesn't ship to the U.S. yet, and EastWest, which is based out of Hong Kong, ships worldwide.

While the selection is limited to one page, all of the items are desirable, and even more impressive, all are incredibly affordable. Woven shirts average around $25-35, and the most expensive item is a pair of shoes for $80. Things are already starting to sell out, so I hope and expect that the shop will eventually grow.   Emma let me pick out one of the shirts, and the sheer cascading top is definitely going to become a layering staple.  I highly suggest you make a round through the site before everyone else catches wind and everything disappears.

Draped Frill Top $35
Cut out sleeve top $35
 
Sheer paneled drape-top $40

This is just a quick post before I run off to Stockholm and Scandinavia for the rest of the month. I don't know how my internet connection will be yet, so posting might be shoddy, but expect updates from Stockholm Fashion Week whenever I can get a chance (hope to run into some of you there?). In the meantime, please check out my partner Christina's side project, Shelter. She just started this beeswax candle line with our friend Sofia, using custom molds that they crafted themselves. They're only $15-$18 each, so there's no excuse not to snatch one up. I am definitely going to buy one of the horsehead candles for myself once I get back in town!