In random accessories news, the most successful combination of bohemian and futuristic style is embodied in this necklace, which is now sold out on Net-A-Porter (but that doesn’t matter, because I’m not in a place in my life where I could spend 1K+ on a necklace anyway). Still I thought we could look at it together in awe…

Sigh!

Coming up…reports from Jeremy Scott FW’12 & much mo’. Tonight though, I have to give apartment cleaning the old college try. Wish me luck.

xx

We’ll return shortly to your regular NYFW programming… Btw, click here if you missed by Valentine’s Day post this morning.

x♥x♥

8 Festive Things To Do With Your Valentine 

❤. Visit nearest photo booth location and take the as many ridiculous photos as $20 will buy. Put heart shaped stickers all over your face, wear ridiculous hats, close the curtain, insert coins, and pucker up.

❤. Dress up and go disco bowling.

❤. Book a few hours in a private booth at a karaoke bar, serenading each other enthusiastically (bonus points for singing in songs other than your native language, more bonus points for Queen songs). Note to extra-amorous couples: they have cameras, so get scandalous at your own risk.

❤.  Find a nearly-empty dive bar where nothing’s really going on, re-direct the juke box, and cut a rug.

❤. Throw a party! Music, food, friends, mild affectionate intoxication, and the possibility for new couples to form in the span of a few hours.

❤. Make a blanket fort in your bedroom, find a dreamy French film on Netflix, burn Nag Champa incense (not inside the blankets… ), and drink vanilla chai tea together.

❤. Treat yourselves to a spa day at home with fully body massages (!) and oatmeal facials (nothing more romantic than oatmeal dripping off your face). In the evening, go out for dinner looking fresher than ever.

❤.   When the sun’s coming up, head up to a hotel rooftop and watch it rise. Bring a flask of gin and record a video on your phone to watch one year from now on Valentine’s day 2013.

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8  Valentine’s Day Crafts To Do For/With Your Bebe Or Friends

 ❤.  Conversation hearts jewelry that inspired a conversation hearts card I made for the craft festival.

❤.  Gorgeous hand-drawn paper hearts that inspired by own valentines this year.

❤.  “Love rocks” magnets.

❤.  “I Love You” glitter banner (inspired a glittering hearts banner we have hanging in our kitchen right now).

❤.  Tea bag hearts.

❤.  Cute “Je t’aime” coffee cup sleeves.

❤.  DIY Valentine’s day gift tags.

❤.  Gorgeous sparkling 2-D diamond mobile.

All of those are quick enough to make that you could whip some of them up today to give as gifts tonight! All the “I made this too” references I made in the list above are coming soon in photo form, so stay tuned.

Have fun!

xx

Back to fashion week!

The Veda FW’12 show took place on Bowery at the Hole Gallery (appropriate for a leather-based line that aims to entice downtown NYC). Not just in a gallery called “the hole”, but the basement of a gallery called the “the hole”. How much more gritty & rock’n'roll can you get?

The models all had disposable cameras that matched the upholstery (attendees got them too) to click away at the crowd in front of them (nice twist). A band called Bad Girlfriend played in the corner, causing models to dance and make goofy faces. They were serving straight whiskey and beer off a card table.

I liked most of the line, but the schoolgirl thigh-highs and some of the styling threw me off. I thought the whole presentation would have been more successful if the Lolita factor was turned down a few notches. Photos below by moi.

See more awesome shots of the line here.

In other news, I have a table at the Greenpointers Love Birds Valentine’s Day Market tomorrow, and I’ll spend today crafting between fashion shows and editing DT. Come by and buy some cute red & pink things from me!

More on that later…

xx

Amazing!

Cupcake ego-stroking aside, we had a great time talking to the designers about the line’s origin and dreaming up plans for documentaries, drinking Asahi beer, and getting to know each other. Some shots below.

The stunning Phoebe, who designs NEUW’s women’s line.

So madly in love with this dress. Perfect for Valentine’s day.

And finally, our fearless head designers!

I focus mostly on the women’s stuff here but the line is really based off the impeccable men’s denim. You can see a lot more of the men’s line here.

–

Earlier that day we shot the Raleigh Denim Workshop fall 2012 presentation.  If you’re not familiar with the brand, here’s a blurb I wrote for Denim Therapy:

Raleigh Denim Workshop‘s FW’12 presentation was a parade of classic American looks, illuminated (ironically) by the darkest textile on the presentation floor: gorgeous selvedge denim. The North Carolina-based brand (which produces their denim locally via non-automated jeansmiths and vintage sewing machinery) showed for the first time in New York this season. They presented both men’s and women’s styles, all with a consistent theme of woodland-prep, tailored button-down shirts, and a tame, classic color story.

The clothes were all beautiful, but the focus was the eco-friendly denim, created using locally sourced materials from the Mills of Greensboro, NC (which was once a thriving center for denim production). Designers and husband/wife team Victor and Sarah Lytvinenko bring the workshop concept to life through production, one-by-one inspection, limited edition runs, stamped leather patches with unique edition numbers, and signatures on every pair of denim they lovingly release into the world.

Check out our shots below (by my photog & other half, Raffael Flores-Contreras).

Doing a point & shoot lumix video interview with the designers.

This  is locally-produced moonshine & brandy from the hills of North Carolina. Apparently the man who makes it is nearly impossible to get in touch with.

With Christina.

With the designers.

Denim heads, please re-direct to the original post at Denim Therapy to get up-close to the seams and check out the whole collection.

We also shot a few glorious videos which I will endeavor to upload soon!

As a closing note, here’s a photo of me impatiently waiting to be seated at Ponto Zero while everyone is is completely jovial. Can’t stop laughing at this picture. Can you find me?

xx

But you’ll have to wait for tomorrow to see the actual, non-cellphone shots, because I’m freaking exhausted and I have a marathon of four shows in a row tomorrow. I will say that I’m psyched to have been invited to Australia’s NEUW, Levi’s, Raleigh Denim, and a lot of shows I was lamenting my lack of invitation to last season. It’s going to be a fun week & a half!

I will also attempt to photograph what I wear each day. Please excuse the bags under my eyes, because I’m sure they’re only going to get worse. I wore my Moussy red tailored flannel cardigan, a big chunky knit sweater jacket (which I thought was vintage until I saw duplicates on Etsy), and the pink denim shorts I tie-dyed with bleach Monday morning.

Monday morning DIY!

Need a tutorial on bleaching your shorts? Check out the plain-to-party DIY acid wash tutorial I did over the summer!

xx

Here are 6 things I’m obsessed with right now:

1. MIA’s new video, “Bad Girls”.

And seriously, “journalists”? Is it necessary to have thousands of write-up’s on news websites about MIA’s middle finger during the super bowl half-time show, complete with a quirky recount of “infamous middle fingers and misbehaving celebs”? Isn’t there some other urgent thing going on in the world to write about?

Anyway, let’s just watch her video. Controversy over her authenticity aside, she has style like no one else.

2. Nasty Gal‘s fruity sorbet palette of newly added styles for spring. I’ve never really been so emotionally attached and addicted to a retail site before, from their lookbooks to their product styling to their social media updates. ♡

Left to right: Tulip Bandage Skirt; Spring Fever Dress; Working Girl Shorts

3. Kimberly Snyder‘s health & food blog. Get addicted to this. Because of her, I am doing the daily green smoothie thing again (feels so amazing, immediate difference in energy levels and mood) and making a lot of changes in my diet that didn’t occur to me before.

4. Antique colored glass decanter sets that I won’t let myself buy. The one below is Romanian. It’s yours for $165 (or give it to me for Valentine’s day). I also love this one and this one.

5. Julietta of Maffashion, my favorite blogger of the moment. How pretty is this girl? I love how original her content is, not 5-10 photos of the same outfit with a slightly varied post over and over. Refreshing & beautiful.

6. Edge Of Urge‘s latest campaign, featuring these bodacious (I said it) Jeffrey Campbell Pamela‘s and this purple pleated skirt.

Other exciting links for your Monday night/Tuesday morning:

- You can turn a canning jar into a superior travel mug, or you can buy one for $8.

- An inspiring few paragraphs to read if you’re looking to change your life right now.

- Old polaroids of the models we know and love, before we knew or loved them.

- 6 tips to get your blog traffic up in 2012.

- Gonna be up late blogging during NYFW? Me too. If you work better with a hot latte and indie music, check out this list of Brooklyn’s best late night coffee shops that double as internet cafes.

- Pastels in the winter? Yes, on your nails.

- Kate Bellm, a 24-year-old photog living in Berlin, has a very cool apartment, in which she seems to have constructed multiple tipis. Room decor inspiration for sure.

- Vanilla Vodka Chai = what you and your date (lover/best friend/etc) should be sipping on Valentine’s day.

See you tomorrow!

xx

The definition of festivity as defined by The Free Dictionary:

fes·tiv·i·ty  (f-stv-t)

I find these definitions to be limiting, but they encompass the root of the word: celebration.

To grasp the point of this blog, you’ll need to abandon the idea of a rental DJ or your Coachella scrapbook or cocktail parties as the root of festivity. Those are all ways to get festive, for sure. But festivity is more elusive and abstract than “ways to celebrate” or “throwing a party” or “holiday decorations”.

–
I like to think of festivity as how they human soul reacts to moments of heightened existence. Moments that aren’t ordinary. Moments we want to glorify or set apart from the rest of our daily lives. Sometimes it’s a memorial service, sometimes it’s a wedding, sometimes it’s a town’s 300 year anniversary, sometimes it’s a personal achievement that we don’t even tell anyone about. Sometimes it’s drinking a whole bottle of champagne and dancing until 8:00AM.

But it’s not exclusive to moments when you’re intoxicated, commercial holidays, or even your immediate community’s traditions. Festivity is a choice we make when we want to turn up the volume on the essence of feeling alive. It’s our joy, our gratitude, our connection to the universe.

That means something different for everyone, and it can change all the time. It could be something as simple and material as weaving colored ribbons into your braided hair, or something as epic as organizing an outdoor music festival, or gathering a group of friends for a monthly game night.

Festivity is enhancing the moment, making it special, and doing that in whatever way feels right.

☆ Festivity is Holi, a spring Hindu festival where people fling colored powder at one another until everyone is completely matted in vibrant hues.

☆  Festivity is wearing a big pile of costume jewelry around your neck.

☆  Festivity is a wild print mixed with another wild print.

☆  Festivity is a pure, streamlined Shinto wedding kimono.

☆  Festivity is every Rumi poem ever written (seriously).

☆  Festivity is dancing manically until the sun comes up.

☆  Festivity is keeping a living space that is a nurturing home (whether you are hotel-hopping or you bought a house) so you give yourself the best chance to start every day in a gracious, joyous mood.

☆  Festivity is photographing colorful, unexpected accents you notice in your surroundings.

☆  Festivity is an art project that doesn’t have a deadline or a purpose except to bring beauty into your life and to have fun creating something.

☆  Festivity is the beautiful, painstaking, hand-administered technique responsible for indigenous embroidery patterns the world over.

☆  Festivity is seashells in the window sill that you found on the beach.

☆  Festivity is a long, billowing skirt, a hand-dyed head scarf, or a razor-sharp tailored jacket that makes you feel like a million dollars.

☆  Festivity is singing in the shower, loudly.

☆  Festivity is a hug, a grin, a high-five, a shout-out, a from-the-heart pep talk.

☆  Festivity is buying a tambourine to keep in your car just in case you get stuck in traffic and want to rock out.

I don’t mean to make it sound bohemian, because it’s not (though bohemian ideas sure do lend nicely to this idea). It’s every day, every person, every age, every religious upbringing, every phase of life.

It is our willingness to illuminate our circumstance. 

And I have found that through fashion, music, social outreach, and taking steps towards becoming better, more open minded and patient people, we can all be ambassadors of festivity. That, and fashion/style/textiles/DIY/crafting/creating are my two obsessions in this world, and I am more than happy to share my field notes with you as I experiment with both of these themes.

Here’s a video I found by a motivational speaker on youtube—one of the only people I’ve seen discussing the subject of “festivity” similarly. It’s not an exact mirror of my ideas, but we have a pretty parallel point here.

xx

Image via Confetti System.

Revolution starts at home, and that means you can’t make major change if you’re unwell, if you’re ignoring your health, eating like shit, and never sleeping, which so many of us are guilty of as we embark on our various creative journeys.

I thought this was a nice reminder to tear yourself away from comfort and check your spiritual vital signs once in a while, regardless of whether you’re political or leading a movement or just trying to inject more meaning into your life:
 –

” What are you waiting for? Now is the time to STAND UP for yourself, to be BOLD, be CREATIVE, be RADICAL. To Dream BIG, IMAGINE, Feel the fear but DO IT Anyway! It’s time to Question Expert Authority, ASK hard questions, PROPOSE and DEMAND solutions. To Participate and AGITATE. DISOBEY if you must. To VISUALISE and Organize. To KILL the fear spreading Media – EDUCATE and INFORM yourself and Others. NOW is the time to invest in HOPE.

To cultivate LOVE. To Give Thanks for what we have and to help those that Haven’t. We Must DANCE, PLAY, ENJOY ourselves. TRANSFORM your situation no matter how bad it is. It can be done, EAT WELL, REST, MEDITATE. PROTECT yourself. BECOME a SOUL WARRIOR. Don’t Apologize for being a DREAMER – we need MORE DREAMERS. PERSIST Resist and ignore the begrudgers, hold firm to your vision. Don’t make up excuses or get caught up in Blame. In the Game of them and Us RESPECT Everyone, even if you don’t like them. Enemies are Great Teachers. TRANSCEND, RISE, Reach for the STARS.

Don’t take yourself too seriously. LAUGH at yourself. LOVE YOURSELF. You are WONDERFUL if you let yourself BE. ABANDON JUDGEMENT, Age, Roles, Stereotypes. Take RISKS. Drop LEFT RIGHT and RELIGIOUS Dogma. THINK FOR YOURSELF. Take control of your Diet, Money, Home, Family, Work. Spend Time in NATURE. Listen to your Gut, Instinct, Intuition, Heart. Go offline to get ONLINE. Take QUIET TIME for you, to WRITE, DRAW. EXPERIMENT. Learn a SONG, Call a Meeting, Start a Petition. BUILD COMMUNITY. See what happens. SHARE. Take your time. Slow Down - Small and Slow are POWERFUL and BEAUTIFUL. Wake up to REALITY. It’s not that bad. If it is THEN CHANGE IT. Don’t wait for others to do it. TELL OTHERS, JOIN them, ASK for HELP.

SING IT LOUD. BE Proud you’re not a Zombie caught up on the harsh production line of Commuting, Work, Shopping, Consumption and SLEEP. You’re MUCH MORE ALIVE. This is not a PRACTICE RUN, THIS IS YOUR REVOLUTION TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE POSSIBLITIES THAT YOU THINK! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?”

Save this somewhere and read it every morning before you take on the day. There are a lot of wise words inside!

Look 1:

Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren LS Button-down White Shirt ($63) – buy it at Coggles.

Jeffrey Campbell Leather Zup Wedges ($108) – buy it at Ssense.

MARNI Apricot Horizontal Striped Bangle ($395) – buy it at Barney’s New York.

Look 2:

Topshop Knitted Rib Stretch Top ($64) – buy it at Topshop.

Michael by Michael Kors Jada Ankle Boot ($139) – buy it at Zappos.

Forever21 Double Feather Earrings ($4.80) – buy it at Forever21.

Look 3:

AllSaints Jagger Godiva Jumper ($135) – buy it at AllSaints.

Steve Madden Pammyy Blue Wedge Heel ($100) – buy it at Steve Madden.

Max & Chloe Ettika Multicolor Braided Bracelet ($55) – buy it at Max & Chloe.

New Mother Denim printed jeans are coming soon to Curve. See my original post on Denim Therapy.

xx