those striped Hasbeens

I mentioned these a little while back after spotting them being worn by the founder of Swedish Hasbeens on a feature showcasing her apartment (in the Swedish home magazine Residence). They are finally available and would be adorable with any Winter outfit.

And if you're feeling really adventurous, they also come in Rainbow (!) And all sales on these boots actually benefit the LGBT-movement (!!)

Unfortunately the black/white version is only avaialbe on the Hasbeens site in a size 40, but they have them on endless.com if you are interested.

via www.swedishhasbeens.com

Stella kids!

After buying as much Stella McCartney for GapKids that I could get my hands on, I've been pretty bummed that the Spring collection was her last. Alas, she has answered my prayers. Stella McCartney kids launches November 3 online and in stores (her stores, I assume?) And, the BEST part - prices will be between $20 and $200. Check it out...

I am loving the peacoat, print bohemian dress, reindeer sweater dress, skinny jeans and the yellow wellies, of course! sign up to be on their list and see the cute video here: Stella Kids

Paris Fashion Week

This week's Chanel show was full of some great looks from their usual celebrity lineup. I loved looks by some of the lesser known on the fashion week circuit. Then while browsing the shots from outside the shows, I found two other interesting looks. I'm loving the angular '80s blazer over short shorts or miniskirt. It is very eighties but the combination keeps it from looking dated and instead it looks chic. And along the same lines, the angular oversized double-breasted coat is a fresh take on the oversize trend, the double-breasting adds more structure and again keeps it from looking dated. The LV show was off the hook but more on that later...

no6 + Baggu

Today I decided to finally buy that reusable bag I've been wanting in the sailor stripe from Baggu (Don't worry I haven't been using plastic, just free promotional tote bags, which are getting kind of ratty). Well, what a nice surprise that the lovely No6 has apparently done a collaboration with Baggu and has a whole host of chic prints for me to choose from! Aren't they adorable? Now all I have to do is decide which one...

Available at Baggu.com.

wood wood - deal deal

So I've been admiring the brand Wood Wood for a little while. I only recently learned it is from Denmark (of course). Totokaelo has been carrying it for several seasons and so has Creatures of Comfort. Like all Scandinavian brands, it is hard to rationalize spending the $$ on such simple pieces. For me, I love the clean lines and the natural fabrics of those from up north like Filippa K, Acne, Whyred, Samsoe+Samsoe, etc. Although I actually end up purchasing them on very rare occasions and almost always when I'm actually IN Scandinavia.

Back to Wood Wood, they are a little more quirky than the others, like VPL crossed with Rachel Comey and a little bit of Viktor and Rolf menswear thrown in. I have been drooling over their new sweater dresses on Totokaelo. And then while perusing Urban Outfitters, I saw that strangely they are carrying Wood Wood too! Apparently Urban has some sort of "around the world" sampling of world designers at much higher than their usual price points. It includes Wood Wood, Madras by APC, Stine Goya, Dagmar, among others. And interestingly, while their pictures aren't nearly as good as the ones at Totokaelo, the prices on Urban's site are a good bit lower. Strange, no? Well I am not arguing but it should be known that there is a deal to be had.

Here are the 3 I've had my eye on:

This is the Lis Dress, It is $165 at Urban (and $207 on Totokaelo).

This is the Annette Dress, $175 (vs $219). I love the extra long sleeves, and it should be noted this is a terry sweat material (not knit).

This is the Aimee Dress, $120 (vs $150)

NY Fashion Week

Tavi, you are awesome. Who knew it was possible to be so confident at your age?

new no6

So, clogs are from Sweden, right? Well according to a native Swede living in Portland and known simply as "the clogmaster", there are no authentic makers of clogs left in Sweden. The brand Swedish Hasbeens, while being super cute (look out for their new striped ones) is apparently no more authentic than Dansko. The company was started very recently by a girl who discovered an old box of throw-back clogs and decided to reproduce them. According to the Clogmaster, the Hasbeens are only imitations of the real things - aren't stiff and don't follow the strict rules of clog-making. The clogmaster insist that the only one who makes clogs the real old-world way is Sven's of Minnesota, a Swede who immigrated to the US years ago and has been making them since the '70s. Since his clogs tend to be more of the run-of-the-mill variety, good thing No6 came along to style up Sven.

No6 - the brand started by a pair of NYC-based former models and known purveyor of fine Swedish clogs made authentically by Sven's of Minnesota - just debuted their Fall line of clogs. And, boy, are they something to behold. And own. (I have already snapped up the saddle shoe clogs) The new lace-up model is pretty killer. Something new for this season is that all models are on the "high" heel (the classic short ankle strap boot that made them famous is only on a "mid" heel). I was worried they would be impossible to walk in. Not so. I think I might actually be able to run down the street in mine if necessary.

No6 is available online and in select stores - including Frances May in Portland, Creatures of Comfort in LA and Totokaelo in Seattle.

Clemence Poésy on GG

Even though Gossip Girl hasn't started its new season, I have already had a good look at the fashion (which is the only reason the show is worth watching). I love the outfit that new character Clémence Poésy is wearing. Not only is she always super stylish in real life (French, after all) but they have her in a slightly boyish combination of sheer blouse and flirty skirt. Love it. Thought it was a great look during my jam-packed day.

A.P.C. blog

Apparently, APC has a blog. Check it out: APC Journal

Oh and btw, my dream is to send my daughter to the APC preschool in Paris. It's like Madeline with killer fashion. This is the taking of their class picture.

feeling tomboy

sorry for the lapse in posting lately. I think I felt like no one was reading...but I heard that some are. So I guess I should be more attentive. I am working (mentally) on some new and exciting posts that are yet to come but in the meantime....

I have been inundated with emails from all those lauding their new Fall collections. Since I am knee-deep in a house renovation I have tried to simply window-shop. While window-shopping, I fell hard for all the new tomboy stuff out there, and at affordable places like Urban and J.Crew. The latter is really nailing it lately. So I picked a couple of items from their Fall preview that are very boy and very decidedly not your typical frou-frou J.Crew.

I love this monochromatic look. I have been unconsciously dressing in all one color lately. I thought maybe it was because I have an overabundance of navy and black. Now apparently it's a trend. I love how the manly tie is paired with super tight khaki pants.

While this is a totally weird outfit (and picture), I love the shirt. I love pullover henleys - they are not done more often. This shirt is straight up APC at half the price (and probably better quality - sorry, APC.)

Okay maybe this doesn't fall into the tomboy category, but I really like this dress. You might have to look like a model for it to be flattering but it's really plain while having clean and simple lines at the same time.

And to end, a very cute "accessory" piece as I see it: this grey merino vest. The outfit is no good but styled in a different way, with skinny jeans or the dress above (in black) with Isabel Marant ankle boots or gladiator sandals or clog boots and it's an outfit-making item.

Everything is from jcrew's new fall arrivals.

blogs I enjoy

Having a close connection to Scandinavia, I sometimes end up on different new sites or blogs that come from that world. So I thought I'd share a couple blogs I've come across that I've been really into of late.

emmas.blogg.se

The first is one of the top blogs in Sweden by a woman called Emma. I know almost nothing about her except that it's a pretty famous blog in Stockholm and she has many advertisers and sponsors. And she even has sponsored posts every so often. That said, it's an awesome blog to look at it for home design inspiration as well as for objets from the clean, "Scandi" world.

Simple Blueprint

One of the other blogs I'm into is put together by a Swedish-American woman named Joanna Swanson who lives in Stockholm. Hers is more fashion and art inspiration as well as details about all the exotic locales she has traveled to and the fabulous hotels and resorts she has stayed at. She recently put together a city guide to Stockholm for design*sponge. Above is an image taken from her site of a hotel on Gotland in Sweden called Fabriken Furillen.

Brinja Copenhagen

And one of my absolute favorite blogs is by a woman named Brinja who lives in Copenhagen. She has a boutique in Copenhagen of the same name, I believe. And not only is she always posting pictures of these amazing meals she has had (see above) but she also just had a baby and is now posting pictures of her baby in the most adorable handmade clothes. Her main blog theme is a days-of-the-week outfits log where she highlights either different friends of hers in Copenhagen, other blogging friends or even her own baby! I also love seeing all the pictures of this miniature dollhouse version of her apartment that she has made by hand: she is uber-creative!

madewell

So on my recent shopping trip to NYC, I scored at J.Crew's less ruffle-y sister brand, Madewell. My bounty included: perfect-fitting tight black ankle jeans, loose cuffed boyfriend jeans, two great striped tops, a cute plaid button-up and these awesome cropped black leggings with a gold zipper detail at the bottom. And my total was amazingly under $500. At Barneys, it wouldn't have even been under the $1000 mark.

Well I have been a little forlorn wearing any of these great items since there is no Madewell store here in Portland and none of the stuff has been available online (with the exception of a smattering at shopbop). ... Until now! what a nice surprise that Madewell's online store has just opened!

Check it out here: Madewell. And don't be put off by the kind of cheesy black&white photos. I think they are still working out the kinks on their image. Trust me, the clothes are good, both the fit and quality, and not a million dollars.

Here are a couple of my scores:

Zip Leggings (only $35!)

skinny black ankle jeans

boyish but sexy plaid shirt

basic black&white striped tee

another striped tee but I bought it in red

And I love these shorts too. Might have to place a "small" summer order.

who does it well: Patricia Urquiola

Not only is she one of the lone women in a field dominated by men but her designs are off the hook. Patricia Urquiola is from Spain, lives in Milan and designs for pretty much the coolest furniture companies out there, like Moroso and B&B Italia. But she does way more than furniture, she designed a new line of plumbing fixtures for Axor and she's done hotels and, for even a lucky few, home interiors. Anyway, that's pretty much all I know about her AND that lately if I see something I love, the chances are pretty high that she's designed it. Here are some of my favorites:

Tropicalia for Moroso - a beautifully designed indoor/outdoor seating line that is such a great statement piece.

Tufty-time for B&B Italia

Axor Urquiola line of plumbing fixtures

FLO for Driade bar stool

And Patricia's line for Agape is my personal favorite: