desperately wanting...

{from toffuti break's photostream}

scandinavia: so hot right now

i'm convinced that if i lived in sweden, norway, or denmark i would dress infinitely better. i love perusing scandinavian style blogs and i'm always shocked at how YOUNG some people look. when i was 14, i certainly wasn't capable of constructing some of the ensembles i see. part of the reason scandinavians dress so well has got to be the abundance of amazing streetwear designers from the region. more than just h&m, there's wood wood, nudie, acne, and whyred, to name a few.

dagmar of sweden is another label i can't get enough of. launched in spring of 2005 and shortly awarded the "best new designer" award by swedish elle thereafter, dagmar is run by three sisters.

their dresses, which i like best, are both modern and timeless. they have an amazing logo as well.





{via designer's library}

it's dee-ane, thankyouverymuch

i LOVE diane arbus's work. i was first introduced to her by my media studies professor in college, where we dissected intended meanings vs. perceptions of meaning by viewers. she photographed people on the fringes of society, including giants, dwarves, and transvestites.

here's a picture she took of blaze starr, a famous american stripper and burlesque star.

a little bit twee...

if you have a heart, you love yann tiersen. the man is a brilliant, inventive composer, and his soundtrack to amelie is especially captivating. i youtubed his name and found lots of videos of people playing his songs on accordian and piano. they're even more charming live.

mr. tiersen himself:





and a pretty good (albeit emo-locked) substitute:

the sound of silence

i love this.



{via pasta primavera}

destroyer's rubies

i loooove a good t-shirt. soft, worn, faded, comfy, cozy. my favorite tee is one that a boy loaned to me until his first-born son enters this world. i don't think i'll give it back.

ruby republic's spring 2008 t-shirt collection is pre-faded and looks jersey-soft. i especially like the zebra shirt. (okay, i bought it.)






{via a cup of jo}

all dressed out

i own way too many dresses. i'm always on the lookout for new vintage dresses, and most ebay sites have those embroidered cotton mexican-style dresses for sale every so often. i love the way they look but fear they'll be too paper-sack-esque on me, so i never bid on them. old navy has a version that looks adorable, andd will let me try one on for myself! i rarely shop at old navy because of my aversion to malls, but i'm going to have to venture in and try it on, just to see.

franco-film-fun!

this weekend in richmond is vcu's french film festival. passes are $40 for students and $95 for everyone else (yikes!), but tickets for individual films go on sale 30 minutes before each showtime. view the full schedule here.

kiwis are my favorite fruit.

karen walker is another designer who has recently been making a buzz. the new zealand native made her debut at sydney fashion week in 1998 and has had her work featured in "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" and on the red carpet by bjork, liv tyler, and jennifer lopez (what a mix!).

her aesthetic is tomboy meets girly, alternative but not overtly so, and cutesy but not nauseating.

pictured below are some looks from her SS08 collection, which was inspired by the Marx brothers' classic "A Day at the Races".




{images via nymag}

don't separate church & state

i loooove this dress, from portland-based design duo church & state. the color, the ruffles, oooh! i want to wear it everywhere. in fact, their whole spring 2008 collection is divine. and very, very ruffly.



buy it online from sotto.

kamm you dig it?

i am utterly convinced that up-and-coming LA-based designer jesse kamm is going to be huge. i first saw her pieces in NYLON and, shortly after that, on numerous blogs. kamm limits her pieces to 50 per garment and personally silkscreens every piece by hand. she recycles, too!

her spring 2008 collection features silkscreened buttons and ribbons and is both simple and casual yet interesting enough to not necessitate a bundle of accessories.

"b'low" the radar

this week i've been in richmond, staying with a friend and checking out all the great local art. virginia commonwealth university is currently having its annual student exhibition (every spring at the anderson gallery!) and my favorite part of the show is the fashion design section. year after year, vcu fashion design and merchandising student kevin blow has literally "blown" me away (sorry to be so cheesy) with his designs. this year he's a senior and i'd love to have him do a piece for me before he heads off to bigger and better things.





{images via the commonwealth times}

blow's sketching is amazing and his pieces are innovative, though i was surprised to see human hair on one of his pieces (chicken or egg...kevin blow or chris march?) i'm also not a fan of fur, and what he used on his pieces seems to be real, but i can appreciate something without completely endorsing it.

unfortunately blow doesn't seem to have a website, but i'll be sure to let you know if and when he does.

the c-c-c-cooolest!

i just discovered st. tropez leisure, and they have some terrific bathing suits (in addition to adorable lingerie!). i want this one:

the definition of excited:

i'm seeing crystal castles at the ottobar in baltimore this sunday. the perfect way to celebrate easter, ha!



check out this fab liars remix they did:

liars - it fit when i was a kid (crystal castles remix)

i was a lover before this war

The designers behind Lover, Susien Chong and Nic Briand, started the label "based on what [they] loved or admired, [and] in turn [have] created a world with a mix and match of their favorite heroes, muses, films and songs." Their following includes indie-darling Joanna Newsom, Michelle Williams, and Kirsten Dunst.

Their latest collection was inspired by Patti Smith-style androgyny, and it features skinny black ties, wide-legged pants, and muted colors. The fit is relaxed, over-sized and gives off an appropriate aura of not giving a fuck.



images from "electric ladyland", AW 2008, southern hemisphere collection


images from "electric ladyland", SS 2008, northern hemisphere collection

if ya don't know right now, doggy-dogg is a freak freak freak!

i didn't think snoop dogg's song (and video) "sensual seduction" could get any better, but this hot chip cover is pretty ah-mazing. also, i want that sweater.



hot chip - sensual seduction

{via mfr}

so sorry.

dear music,

have i been neglecting you? i know in the beginning i pledged to focus on you AND fashion, and i'm treating you like the red-headed stepchild. i just feel so out of the loop lately, and frankly, a little unsatisfied. it's not you, it's me.

well, no more. from now on i promise i'll spend more time doting on you. forgive me?

x
allison

p.s. icy demons - miami ice

vicarious consumption

i'm not bidding on any ebay auctions because of my shopping hiatus, but that doesn't mean i can't share some finds with you! i think most of these are XS or S (because that's what i'm drawn to) but i could be mistaken. these were some of the best pieces i found, regardless:


{via bittersweetstyles}



{via mama stone vintage}



{via spanish moss vintage}



{via sunflower chicks vintage}



{via the urban collection}

withholding from shopping is going well, but only because i haven't yet found the perfect pair of brown flat riding boots. the above are, unfortunately, two sizes too big. when i do find a pair, all bets are off.

i want to design my apartment around these.

milk bottles by julia rothman, in red and grey. $65 each. available at reform school.

amaaazing

this coat, by the unfortunately named mydol (composed of london designers sophie dolan and clemmie myers), is fantastic. it's not even for sale anywhere online or in stores, as it is made-to-order and can be constructed with a variety of color combinations upon request.

the people at vogue uk love it, and so do i.



{via vogue uk}

a two-for-one special

i found two new things to covet this afternoon.

the first is australian designer jessie hill's spring 2008 collection, which was inspired by bladerunner. simple silhouettes are augmented with interesting details, a hint of androgyny, and perfect tailoring.









her clothes can be found at san franscisco's look boutique, which is my next find.

clothes, jewelry, music, books and more can be found on this e-commerce-friendly boutique. my favorites are the heimstone troubadour dress and the aforementioned jessie hill creations. try to ignore the ubiquitous (and now obnoxious) house of holland tees.

i feel pretty, oh so pretty...

you may have noticed that my blog suddenly got about 300% cuter. this is all thanks to the wonderful alyson graves of sunalidesign and unruly-things (one of my personal favorite blogs!) her aesthetic is adorable, and i feel so lucky to have a part of her work as my own.

thanks alyson!

also, i'm currently on a no-shop personal mission and if i can resist buying anything frivolous for 30 days, i'm treating myself to a fantastic dslr (a nikon d80!). that means i'll be able to be an appropriate style blog with daily pictures of outfits and the like. hurray!

jumper for joy!

spring has taken a particularly long time to arrive this year, but it's finally coming this thursday. mooka kinney's spring 2008 collection will follow not far behind, with their pieces arriving in shops in mid-april.

i personally can't wait to snag the nevele jumper. i know you don't see girls parading around in jumpers very often, but i think a pair of black opaque tights underneath will ease any trepidation about appearing in public in one.

gooorgeous swimwear

i'm constantly on the lookout for a one-piece swimsuit that doesn't invoke swim team practices. i look young for my age and i want to come across as stylish, not juvenile.

these two by princesse tam.tam are amazing.






{via a cup of jo}

ridiculously easy scarves...

i'm away from home at the moment, so the posting will be short and sparse, but i just wanted to share a ridiculously easy and cheap way to add interest to your wardrobe. etsy is a fantastic resource for vintage and independent clothing alike, as well as home goods and other crafty things. i've recently become obsessed with purely decorative scarves, but i don't want to dip into the hipster-keffiyah thing (which i'm pretty sure is on the way out, anyway.)

fat quarters of fabric are the perfect hankerchief size, and they're super cheap. rather than go to a local fabric store (the ones around me are severely deficient), just search for "cotton fat quarter" on etsy and you'll find tons and tons of fabric scraps. most are under $5. it seems like a blatantly obvious idea (and believe me, i won't be surprised if everyone and their grandmother has already thought of this), but i didn't even think to do this until my hair stylist mentioned that her adorable scarf was just a random scrap of fabric.

cute fabric i've found: