Check It Out

Lots of exciting news on the blog today, brace yourselves.

To start, you may have noticed the complete design overhaul of the page. This is thanks to Andy who tirelessly spent the weekend reworking things. It looks amazing, doesn’t it? A total makeover! There is now a blogroll, a bio page and  galleries for illustrations and prints (!!!). Thank you Andy! I am such a lucky lady!

Next up, I am super excited to tell you that I will be guest blogging at Design*Sponge this week!!!

DS is pretty much the blog to end all blogs and I am so thrilled Grace is letting me contribute for the week. I’ve been working hard on pulling some great looking stuff together and will be writing about the overlap of fashion and decor. I’ve definitely got some great posts planned.

Lastly, I’ll be taking a break from blogging this week because Andy and I are going on vacation! We’re taking off (with the dog) for Portland, OR and the Oregon Coast! I am so excited, it is our last hurrah for the summer.

Please keep up with me on the Design*Sponge guest blog! I’ll be back mid-week next week. Bon Voyage!

Never Subtle

I am head over heels in love with this Pompom Necklace from UK designer DotYourTeasAndXYourEyes. It is beautifully made by hand and combines ethereal pom-poms with the utilitarian rope.

As seen on many of the runways, statement necklaces are a big trend for Fall 09. This necklace makes a statement that is big, bold and full of personality.

It says: Maybe I look shy and sweet but I might just have a pinata up my sleeve. You didn’t know what fun was until you met me!

Pompom Necklace is available for purchase here.

Let There Be Light

There is something undeniably magical about these teacup lamps from Victoria Robinson. They’re whimsical in an Alice down the rabbit hole sort of way that is in keeping with all the hype surrounding Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie due out in March of next year.

The UK-based designer scours thrift shops and charity bazaars for vintage china which she combines with recycled materials to create her twinkling ladylike lamps. The final product is so precious, it would be the perfect addition to a Mad Tea Party or to light a nook in an Anthropologie-furnished home.

Victoria Robinson’s lamps can be purchased here.

The Future Is Now

We live in a modern world. Sometimes I forget but then something pops up to remind me like when I see a person read a book on a Kindle or talking internationally to my sister face to face via Skype.

Is the future like we always thought it would be with our sugar-coated robotic fantasies of flying cars and space suits? Well, no, but this is the future none the less.

This is why I am so smitten with this Flash Palette by Make Up For Ever. Containing 12 technicolor shades, it claims to be all you need (minus foundation) for a full face of makeup. The brightly colored blocks remind me of a puzzle or rubix cube and definitely belongs in the handbag of a sci-fi movie ingenue. With its convenience and flexibility it seems just as fitting for any other modern girl on the go.

Make Up For Ever Flash Color Palette is available at Sephora.

Fashion, Ocean, Art, Music

One of my favorite new magazines of the past year is Foam. Hailing from California it is a collection of all things surfer girl and cool California causal.

The material is fun and well-curated that it stands up just as well here on the East Coast. From spotlighting independent designers to going in depth with bigger fashion labels, Foam provides a wide range of style that is both affordable and aspirational which is something you don’t often find in the magazine world. The layout of the magazine is clean and uncluttered which really lets the featured work sing.

Foam also writes about great music, killer gadgets and the like and best of all, you can read all about it online in the digital web edition. In addition website content is updated daily, it’s a favorite place for me to look when I need a little bit of inspiration or a visual pick-me-up.

Looks Good To Me is proud to have been featured last week on the Blogspot section. It’s great getting encouragement from places you love.

Here are some images from the latest issue on Australia, if you didn’t already have a crush on this continent, you will by the time you’re done reading.

Tie One On

It all started with Chloe. While leafing through one of the Fall fashion magazines, I came across it. Gold tassels sprouting out of a black velvet cord, it felt like the sexiest piece of jewelry I’d ever seen. I went weak, my knees probably would have buckled from underneath me had I not been sitting down.

There is no doubt that tassels are an emerging trend for Fall. Refinery29 just made a post about them yesterday and if they’re into something, you know it’s going to be cool. I usually try not to post on the same things to keep a little variety here on my site but, that girl up top was already done by the time I saw their post so c’est la vie.

The appropriation of upholstery elements into fine jewelry is such a cool idea, I think it is hard for any of us to resist. I love the luxe materials and the way the lariat style just melts down the body. Wear with with something cut low and black or with a white v-neck tee to make things instantly sexier.

Without further adieu, here is the tassel necklace to end all tassel necklaces, I don’t even know where you can get it yet.

Or if (like me) Chloe is a little beyond the reach of your wallet, take a look at these beauties instead…

Left to right: Banana Republic ($42 ) and J.Crew ($58)

Made In Spain

I love the slightly nautical feel of these braided leather accessories from Spanish designer Malababa.

Made in Spain by Ana Carrasco, Malababa is a full leather goods line encompassing handbags, fabulous clutches and accessories. There is so much great stuff coming out of the Spanish design scene, it makes me want to pack my bags and move there right away. Something about the culture and lifestyle in Spain seems to cultivate great artistic minds.

Weather walking through Soho or Chuecha, this necklace and headband in their rich fall colors would look so good with a striped shirt (my favorite) and slouchy blazer to bring a little sailor style forward for Fall.

Malababa products are available in the US at Barneys.

Light Writers

I have been seeing (and really liking) light graffiti art for a while now. It is such a cool way to meld photography and graffiti into one media. The finished product reminds me of a neon sign caught in a fit of joy, I love the vibrancy of color and captured energy.

I hope to see fashion photography begin to use this technique more. I think it could work really well with some of the more futuristic trends we have been seeing for fall like metallic fabrics, shoulder pads, space age necklaces and architectural heels. Here are a couple of photographers who really get it right:

Top to bottom: BSL Basic Space Lighting, Scott Alger, Billy Kidd.

Show Some Backbone

Here’s something new to obsess over.

Take a look at the brand-spanking new line of accessories from husband/wife team Meredith Wendell. The collection of bracelets and small leather pouches give a whole new meaning to the expression arm candy. (Oh, and there are beautiful belts too.)

The line features high end materials like Italian goat suede and custom hardware with sheet glass sourced from the same supplier as Louis Comfort Tiffany. Ornaments take the shape of large polka dots and abstracted vertebrae. Each one-of-a-kind piece is comes in an array of colors so saturated and bright that you want to take a bite out of them.

The debut line is sophisticated and fun, I love the whole presentation. I really can’t pick a favorite.

Ok I’m lying, that Leopard Backbone Bracelet is just killing me with coolness…

Pieces are available for purchase at Kirna Zabete in New York and Ten Over Six in LA.

Woman’s Best Friend

Hello there! I’m back from an extended weekend at home for an old friend’s wedding. I am afraid I didn’t get to do much drawing but do have a slew of new ideas piled up to start working on.

In the meantime I recently went to see the Richard Avedon show at ICP in New York. Avedon is such a wonderful photographer. His work is always such a treat to look at. In his day he set the standard we still consider today for what is classic and beautiful.

I was particularly excited to see his iconic photograph of Dovima with Sacha. This photograph is an Avedon trademark: dramatic, chic and not without a bit of humor. It reminded me of a picture I have had in my inspiration folder for a while from Vogue Italia of February 09.

Sometimes art imitates life and sometimes art imitates well, art: For me this is just another reminder of how influential Avedon has been in the fashion industry. If you are in New York and have a chance to see the show, I highly recommend it!

More illustrations soon, I promise!