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