slideshow FEBRUARY PICKS

February is that most romantic of months - hacking coughs, runny noses and cold damp weather. Oh - and something about cupid and candy and stuff.

Enjoy these picks - there might even be something for that special someone - you!

competition BLOG OFF WINNERS

Drum roll please......yes, we finally have the winners for the DESIGN BLOG OFF.

1st Place: Analog Chic
Chosen by Trish of Smashing Darling will receive a Smashing Darling gift certificate of $250

2nd Place: Ink + Wit
Chosen by Lesley of WHATdesigners will receive a Smashing Darling gift certificate of $100

Your votes, and there were a lot of them, chose the 3 runners up. Out of over 93, 000 votes here were the most popular. Each runner up will receive a Smashing Darling gift certificate of $50.

Reader's favorites:
3rd with 40,913 votes: Belle Style
4th with 33,205 votes: Tilda in the Burbs
5th with 15,738 votes: Freshly Blended

vote LITTLE BLACK DRESS

I started with over 150 little black dresses then chose 33 to feature INDEPENDENT DESIGN GUIDE // holiday 2009. Now you get to vote for your favorite Little Black Dress in the guide. The designer with the most votes will get a special feature on the blog.

Check out the GUIDE and then VOTE!

sponsor spotlight SMASHING DARLING

Sure, Smashing Darling was a sponsor on the latest INDEPENDENT DESIGN GUIDE // holiday 2009 - but still the truth is that the Smashing Darling website is the first place that I go to find inspiring independent fashion designers. Many of the designers in the new Little Black Dress feature in the guide were first seen on Smashing Darling, including one of my favorites the Pin-tuck Ballerina Dress by Prizi Sebastian (above).

This love-fest doesn't end there. WHATdesigners is hosting the 2009 INDEPENDENT DESIGN BLOG OFF with $500 of prizes from Smashing Darling. We will be selecting our favorites blog posts and announcing the winners in the first week of January.

The Prizes:
One First place prize of a $250 Smashing Darling gift certificate
One Second place prize of a $100 Smashing Darling gift certificate
Three runner up prizes of $50 Smashing Darling gift certificates

The Rules:
1. Write a blog about independent design or an independent designer
2. Include a link to the 2009 INDEPENDENT DESIGN BLOG OFF in your post
3. Leave a comment here with a link to your post.

Deadline:
December 30th, 2009

fashion LITTLE BLACK DRESS

I've spent the last few days searching high and low - online - for dresses for the feature The New Little Black Dress in the upcoming INDEPENDENT DESIGN GUIDE // holiday 09. All the designs are from independent designers, and so far the choice has been amazing.

This morning I came across the work of designer, Mahta Bazimi - and just love it. The 4 little LBD's from the line cover all bases - cocktail, casual, maxi and classic. Here's the best thing - the glam little numbers all retail for...wait for it....under $100. So you can understand why I had to stop what I was doing and share it with you.

For more information visit the Mahta Bazimi website

fashion MONSTER WEAR

Want to keep Halloween low key? Well, check out these monster tees - perfect for the all year halloween fan!

FEATURING:
+ Hipster werewolf tshirt, $28 CAD, crywolf
+ HELP I CAN'T FIND WHO DESIGNED THE ZOMBIE HOODIE :(
+ Frankenstein Mens tshirt, $24, Vortex Trading Company

slideshow OCTOBER PICKS

The October slideshow is dedicated to everything halloween. I hope you enjoy it - and feel free to leave a comment with your favorite design.

designer YANA COLLECTION

Sleek sillouettes and a tailored femininity make the Yana Collection the perfect modern power dressing line. Timeless and stylish.

Check out more at the Yana Collection website

website NINA + LOLA

You've got to love Nina and Lola. Their vintage is a mix of 70's Lauren Hutton and 80's Heathers - odd little classics. Their selection of independent designers also has a vintage classic look about them. Take the Violet May "Kydd" leather bag for example (lower right), it could be a 50's vanity case easily at home in Mad Men. It's not, it's a lime green lined laptop bag - and it is fabulous!

Check out more at: www.ninaandlola.com

website POLYVORE

a pair of jeans + by whatdesigners

This new site combines everything I love about web 2.0 and everything I love in general - apart from eating and trash tv. I took it for a test run and did a layout that merged high fashion with independent designers.

One downside is that you can't save from Etsy - not sure why that is, but you can save from numerous other places including the WHATdesigners website.

Take it for a test drive and let me know what you think? www.polyvore.com

independent design guide SUMMER 2009

Last week I launched the INDEPENDENT DESIGN GUIDE // summer 09 - and I love it! Of course, there is the oh-so-slight chance that I am biased since I curated the guide.

Plus, one of the designs is going to be our next giveaway....I bet you can't guess which one!

Check out more from the INDEPENDENT DESIGN GUIDE and then don't forget to vote for your favorite designers.

designer TUPSY TURVY

Nice girls don't wear hats like these! These hats are as delicious as they are dramatic and would fit nicely atop a Madame Bovary, Bettie Page or Lady GaGa.

Oakland designer, Kim Brown-Dye, makes each one painstakingly by hand using traditional millinery techniques. Check out the Eyespy Films "handmade portraits" for behind the scenes peak at her work - it is truly amazing.

Check out more extravagant hats at the Topsy Turvy website

launch INDEPENDENT DESIGN GUIDE

Spring is here...and not just because it's sunny outside and birds are chirping! Spring is officially here because I've just launched the INDEPENDENT DESIGN GUIDE // spring 09.

The poster child of the guide is the gum popping girl in the Bubble Lights "organic" silk scarf by Yosifa Silk. There is something so incredibly spring-like about the style of the scarf and photography. Carefree in a sophisticated sort of way.

This guide started off a little differently - very slow. Even the designers who are usually the first to sign up, put all spending on hold while sales slowed down. I considered not doing a guide - however instead I decided to support to very designers who had supported the guide over the past year and offer several free spots. The response was overwhelming - and so I am especially proud to launch this guide.

As a result, I have decided that I will continue to offer 3 free juried spots to designers in every guide. I will also continue to suprise the odd designer by including their work at the very last minute, these designers are usually new designers who I haven't featured before.

Juried spots will be awarded to the 3 top designers from the previous guide. This will be determined by a combination of the following:
+ saves on StyleHive
+ saves on ThisNext
+ or leave a comment on this post

Thank you and enjoy!

designer NORWEGIAN WOOD

Don't try this at home folks. I mean wearing these 3 pieces together might be a little too much, but individually these pieces add an avant guard flavor to the wardrobe. The designer herself warns against going head to toe pattern.

That being said, it is refreshing to see work that is individual without being pretentious. My favorite piece has got to be the "Maximum" feathery necklace - something that can infuse fun and fashion into. A jeans and t-shirt wardrobe.

For more from this designer, visit the designers Norwegian Wood

play dress up

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

What do you get when you mix 1 part James Perse, 1 part cashmere, 1 part LBD (Little Black Dress)? Whatever it is - buy it! I mean who cares if you don't have a party to go to - put it on, pour yourself a girly cosmo, and read a good book. You can take it to bed later - but you might want to take it slow - you don't want it to pill on the first date.

For the commitment-shy, I've also included a fun little Missoni-esque number from BB Dakota and the most - DDG dress by Diane Von Furstenburg. Personally, I think I might be ready to settle with the latter. Maturity + sex appeal!


James Perse Short Sleeve Cashmere Dress

Diane von Furstenberg Dorothea Fitted Bow Back Dress

BB Dakota Gardenia Sweater Dress




Check out more at: Tobi

go shopping : FALL DESIGN GUIDE

I've just launched Fall edition of the INDEPENDENT DESIGN SHOPPING GUIDE. The guide features work from Britain, France, Australia, Canada and, of course, the US. It's international flavor is matched by the individuality of the designers creations. I mean, how delicious is a hand embroidered revolver on wool herringbone fabric?

Some of the designers have generously offered free shipping and other discounts...but you'll have to check out the guide to see who's offering what and why!

Check it out: INDEPENDENT DESIGN SHOPPING GUIDE // FALL 2008

Featuring the work of:
Home:
Napoleon, One Up Designs, J-me, Etcetera Media, harmonie intérieure

Art + Paper Products:
12 Fifteen, Sweetbeets

Fashion:
Ahpeele, enju

Jewelry:
Simone Walsh, Alice Roche, Caught Red Handed, Coquito, Jewelry by Natsuko

Bags + Accessories:
Moop, Backerton, Paco+Lupe, Sarah Padgham

Baby + Kids:
Ciuccio, Sweetbeets

Born in the UK - as seen on StyleHive

Well, this is it...my final blog about how I saw some great design in the UK this Summer - blah, blah, blah....at least I had the decency to bore the folks at StyleHive with it this time.

SEE the slideshow // READ the post:StyleHive.com

5 fall favorites

I love fall. It's one of the times that I get a sudden burst of creative energy. After lazy summer days, I feel excited about new projects and in looking for more designers to feature on the blog and add to the store.

Here are 5 fall favorites from some new designers, well new to me!

FEATURING (clockwise from top left):
+ wood and resin necklace, $80, modica
+ organic swallow top, $29, regeneration
+ tall bud vase, $62, papaver vert
+ seasons wall plates, $200/set of 4, bailey doesn't bark
+ natural single pleat bag, $29, tippy thai

word up (Stylehive guest post)

Here's my latest guest post for Stylehive and I was thrilled to have the post featured on the front page of their e-magazine. That's very AWESOME!

FEATURING [clockwise from top left]:
+ Filthy Necklace, $50, Trashy Deluxe
+ Words Bracelet, $18, Paloma’s Nest
+ Yes No Maybe t-shirt, £36, YesNoMaybe
+ Nosce Teipsum Ring, $65, Melanie Favreau
+ C’est La Vie poster, $45, studio mela
+ Now Later Never magnets, $10, Cicada Studio

...AND HERE'S SOME MORE
+ snob bracelet, £50, Tallulah Tu
+ Love t-shirt, $21, Neneee
+ Rockstar bracelet, $14, insane jellyfish
+ OK light, $30, Perch!
+ Make Out t-shirt, $32, Every Little Counts
+ big words bracelet, $6, boqinana
+ Optimism buttons, $9, Reed Seifer
+ Typewriter key necklace, $20, Keys + Memories

READ: the post on StyleHive

sam trout rocks

Sam Trout rocks and not just because there is a chic in the photo doing that...erm...rocker hand thing! He rocks because of his awesome design work AND he agreed to put a couple of his pieces in the WHAT store. Yes, that is shameless self promotion - but, I mean, what isn't?

See Sam Trout in the WHAT designers store

fashion week : academy of art university

It is fashion week, as Tim Gunn put it on the Daily Show "the Superbowl of fashion". Who knew Jon Stewart was a Project Runway fan - maybe his Men's Warehouse suits are a guise for lounging around at home haute couture.

But wait, this is really about some lovely little garments by local students from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I love the old school glamour with a modern twist. Very sophisticated. Very fall!

FEATURING (Know the designer for the first two? Let me know and I will credit them):
+ Design by Sherise Eways with jewelry by Melissa Christensen. Picture by Getty Images
+ Design by Jee Hyoung Jang. Photo by Bob Nittoli
+ Design by Juhee Chung. Picture by Getty Images
+ Design by Felice Morganti. Dreadlock wrap by Daniel Emir Armosilla. Photos by Bob Nittoli

good design : fuze organics

I must admit I rather like the new Tobi site - I love their lookbook and their eco-tobi sections - and how they tie in nicely to the store. Anyway, this is not about Tobi, but about Fuze design who was just featured on the Tobi site.

The fuze line is organic, philanthropic and cooly fashionable - now that is the sweet spot! I especially like the wind powered hoodie. I have always been socially conscious and green, but I do like to buy nice things - now I can reduce the guilt of spending by putting my dollars where my mouth is. Yes, I know that I could just give that money to charity, but what would I wear to Starbucks? I mean, really!!

FEATURING:
+ Fuze organics - www.fuzelab.com
+ Tobi - www.tobi.com

thread / threads

I was pretty impressed with the Thread show at Fort Mason on Saturday. I had to remind myself that I was there to see the work of independent designers, not to spend lots of money. That was quite difficult - the first table was Tank Theory. I still like graphic tees, despite the abundance of them and Tank Theory's artist edition tees were fabulous. I bought 2 for myself and could probably have bought more. The artwork was amazing, although I was not quite into the creepy carnival clowns.

Yes, graphic tee casual is still popular, but there was a hint of modern-vintage-formal. Saa.z had screened vintage shirts and Emily Katz had printed vintage shoes. I quite like the dressier trends at the moment - if only I had somewhere to wear them. Not quite ready to wear heels and a suit to drop off children only to come back home to blog!

Bear in mind that trunk shows like Thread offer the public the opportunity items at less than retail prices, while designers get to sell off their older lines. Meaning, check the designers websites for their new fall lines...now!

Tomorrow: Thread's bags and the one that got away!

CLOCKWISE:
+ boho tunic, $45, she-bible (bought one, love it)
+ split personality tee, $25, tank theory
+ 10, 000 buddhas tee, $30, custom industries
+ beetles tie, $90, sovereign beck
+ keyhole wrap dress, $64, emily katz
+ jacket, skunk funk

db or not db

Well, I did say that there was even a little damask to be had for boys these days. The wallet in db clay's signature damask print (middle right), but recolored in spicy yellow. For a less vibrant version check out the black + black and black + tan colorways.

I have been a fan of db clay for a while and mentioned them before in the "cash + carry" post. Their wallets are made from eco-friendly tope and are just 100% cool, fresh and shiny!

www.dbclay.com

monochrome set

If you haven't noticed, damask and wallpaper motifs are oh so popular right now. I must admit that it has grown on me - obviously taking a while to adjust to the trend. Although, I couldn't truly appreciate the more colorful origins, I just love these pared down graphic retakes.

Once again, the boys got missed out on this post, but I have found a little damask action for them...stay tuned!

CLOCKWISE (from top left):
+ old news wallpaper, $85 / roll, ferm living available through design public
+ embellish bangle clutch, $49, posh by tori
+ damask card, $4, earmark
+ mismatch earrings, £90, hannah louis lamb
+ damask tee, $22, latak

bamboozled

Bamboo is purely beautiful, and like other pretty weeds, was underestimated for a long time. Now we look past it's propensity to grow into a forest in 42 minutes as a annoyance - it's renewability has turned it into the belle of the eco-ball.

Talk about natural beauty....ow gorgeous is that little red dress??

CLOCKWISE:
+ red dress, panda snack (PS: organic bamboo too!)
+ floating shelf, $880, modernlink available online through 2modern
+ spring chair, $690-$710, modern bamboo available online through design public
+ bamboo a-frame skateboard, $159, sector 9
+ bracelet, bamboo 54

octopus me

Oooh, these saucy cephalopods are popping up everywhere I look....even in my email!

They are pretty clever creatures too; disguising themselves, opening jars, navigating mazes - plus expert baccarat players

Whether mythical monster or delicious dish - here are few items for everyone's taste.

TOP (l to r):
+ big head octopus pendant, $15, squid glass
+ hot pink octopus necklace, $20, relish dress
+ octopus sillouette necklace, $12.25, happy hour housewives

MIDDLE (l to r):
+ silk octopus tie, $20, jes switaj
+ "live" greeting card, $4, apak
+ octopus tee, $24, looking for fiddleheads

BOTTOM (l to r):
+ giant octopus buckle, $18, under the big top
+ kids octopus tee, $18, turtle papers

collar + cuffs

Okay boys, I admit, I get a little bit carried away looking at things that I want to buy for me.

So, here's something to inject a little independent spirit into (or out of) your closet.

(Warning: contains some mild patterns and explicit color. Discretion is advised.)

CLOCKWISE (from top left)
: "21" screenprinted vintage tie, $24, Tymbal
: beetle cufflinks, $42, Happy Owl Glassworks (available through Stars + Infinite Darkness)
: octopus tie, $30, Cyberoptix TieLab
: circular cufflinks, $75, Useless Machines