If this was not $270 I would have it in my collection.... love love how Rihanna paired it with tasseled loafers. A nice twist on a simple dress. The cutouts are perfection.
Check out more pictures and buy at Singer22.com
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Random: "Ninjas Killed My Family..."
Strolling Wall Street and quickly snapped this photographed picture of a homeless man with a very convincing story....
The Artist: Salvatore Ferragamo
"The Michelangelo of Shoe Designers"
Little is mentioned of Salvatore's influence to the shoe making industry. Thanks to him, we have the cork and wooden wedges so famously loved and worn today.
Born to a poor family in Bonito near Naples, Italy, at the age of nine Salvatore designed his first shoe. After some apprenticeship he established his first workshop at twelve. In 1914, he immigrated to Boston to learn about machine production methods. After a while, he moved to California and opened a shoe repair shop in Santa Barbara and began his relationship with Hollywood film studios.
Soon, the Ferragamo name became synonymous to movie starlets. Ferragmo began making shoes to the stars like Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Joan Crawford, and Gloria Swanson. To further his understanding of anatomy, he enrolled at UCLA. With this newly acquired knowledge, he revolutionized the shoe making concept that resulted with comfortable as well as original and attractive shoe designs.
In 1927, Ferragamo decided to move back to Italy in because he felt that is where the most skilled shoe makers and the best materials are most available. In Florence, Ferragamo established his first shop in Europe. Despite some poor investments, over aggressiveness in his expansion, and the crash of 1929 Ferragamo was able to keep is shop running and by 1950 he had regained momentum with over 700 employees. By then he had to use machinery to help with production but each items were and are still finished by hand.
It was Ferragamo who invented the "orthopedic wedges" from cork and used transparent paper with raffia to create invisible sandals. All became quite fashionable.
The picture to the left here is Ferragamo's platform sandal and heel that is covered with colored suede, 1938.
Look familiar? Check out today's design by Jeffrey Campbell, pictured below.
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| Solestruck, Jeffrey Campbell Groovy |
The Looks: Stumptown PDX
The best coffee shop in Portland, Oregon, is The Coffee House Northwest. They have wonderful staff members who have a great taste not only for fine coffee but vintage wear. Dapper!
The best thing to order here? Iced Carmel Lattee... I get them once a week!
The Look:
Levi denim shirt
American Apparel miniskirt
Jeffrey Campbell Lita in denim
Ray Ban
ASOS envelope clutch in green
The Trend: Anthropologie Issue Seven Summer 2011 Catalog
Got my Issue 7 catalog for Anthropologie a few weeks ago and nearly fell off my couch. There are so many wonderful pieces! Here are just a few samples of what was found inside...
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| Glossed Loafers, $168 Lemon Liftoff blouse $118 AG Stevie Ankle $158 |
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| Arced Crosshatch Blouse, 4148 Piped Sailor Skirt, $118 Twined Stones Necklace, $38 |
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| Bordered Bars Scarf, $98 Fanning Scallops Pullover, $128 Cut Quarry Ring, $128 AG Stevie Ankle |
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| Swoop & Glide Pullover, $118 Instant Classic Tee, $68 AG Stevie Ankle |
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| Gilded Druzy Necklace $258 Sheer Petals Jacket, $138 Soft Bands Tee, $48 Elevenses High-Waist Trousers $118 Patent Edged Satchel $228 Stacked Strap Heels $168 |
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| Bookbinder Heels $168 |
"Hello loveeeerr...!!!!"
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| Color Frame Wallet $98 Plant The Seed Readers $82 |
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| Color Slice Necklace $138 Quilted Pastiche Maxi $228 |
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| Art Installation Necklace $278 Clover Grains Tee $68 Elevenses High Waist Trousers |
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| Towering Tassel Mules $148 Scarf Topped Skimmers $148 |
"Tassel me softly... I'm in love again"
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| Red Pepper Heels $390 |
The WSJ: "How Can Jeans Cost $300?"
Did you know Americans bought $13.8 billion in Men's and Women's premium denim at the end of April 30, 2011?
So why do True Religions and J Brand sell for so much? Well, The WSJ wrote a great article a few weeks back, breaking down the anatomy of the denim using True Religion's Phantom as an example.
In a nutshell, the mark up in luxury denim has many levels. Most pieces of clothing have many parts that all come from dozens of providers. For example: fabrics, button makers, designers and seamstresses, and of course wholesalers and the sales agents. Usually, the retail mark up of these designer denim are about 2.2 to 2.6 times the cost of making them. The mark ups doesn't just cover the cost of making these denim but for the most part it cover the huge cost of marketing them. Those giant billboards on Time Square doesn't come cheap you know! And then there is the cost or running their trendy stores, headquarters, shipping and the overall costs of running a business.
That's just the business side of things. Then there are the craftsmanship involved in making the stylized premium jeans. True Religion, for example, is known for their uber cool swirly embroidery pockets. Often, from season to season, the jeans use materials that are patented (i.e. rivets, stitching, special washes and distressing). The process of doing all of these techniques don't come cheap because it may involve special dying, pressing and sometimes sandpapering on the raw denim material. When it comes down to it, it can be downright expensive especially when it is done in the U.S. Why? Well, the U.S. have very stringent environmental and labor laws, duh! If these denim were produced, oh in places like China well it may as well cost around $50.
So the next time when your co-worker sneers at you for buying expensive jeans over the ones they buy at Sears or Target, telling you they are all the same. Politely smile back and then hit them up with these facts.
Check out the full article at The WSJ Online.
The Know: Office Key Pieces for FW/2011
Summer may soon be over but color lives on! Brighten up your fall and winter wardrobe with some colorful pencil skirts and dresses. Basic and classic pieces like the ones above never goes out of style AND you can wear them year round.
Try the skirts with some basic dress shirts and these awesome leopard print booties by Vince Camuto... They are UBER comfortable! Don't forget to accessorize it with a nice large sized envelope clutch and some round sunglasses.
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| Source: Nordstrom |
How do I know these are comfortable? Well, I couldn't resist and purchased them myself at Nordstrom! Don't believe me? Check them out....
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