did anyone else catch this over the weekend?

It’s fantastic and everything I could have hoped for.

I mean OK, it wasn’t Martha, but it was great, wasn’t it? Now on to search for Isaac Mizrahi’s visit to the Martha Stewart show…

{Photo courtesy of Fashion Week Daily.}

fingernailin’ good

When I was wee my mother had a simple brown leather Coach purse that I destroyed by dragging my fingernails across the leather to make designs. Little girl fingernail trails notwithstanding, the purse was in the classic style of Coach, before it became covered in fuschia flowers and interlocking C logos: simple and supple leather with classic gold-colored hardware and clean-as-a-whistle lines. Anyone with a pulse knows how much the company’s image has changed (Coach “classics” collection aside). To me these handbag styles are really what one ought to be wearing. They never go out of style and they look as refreshing now as they must have to my Mother around 1986 (maybe a few years before the fingernails got the better).

The problem now, though, is embellishment. From MK & A’s infamous Balenciagas to the heavy (literally) offerings of every season since — hardware, quilting, chains, pockets — every kind of embellishment one can think of is forced onto a single purse.

In this merry-go-round of the More is More mentality (I’d be kidding myself if the congruent pricetags had nothing to do with adding just a little something more here or there), it is refreshing, downright revolutionary to see the newest offerings by Central St. Martin’s Designer Mimi Berry.

A turnlock here, a flap there — nothing too much, but at the same time, never stark or boring. Mimi’s offerings manage to capture that thing (maybe it’s the proportions?) that makes simplicity chic and, dare I say it, visually pleasing and interesting!

From her East London storefront off of Brick Lane, Mimi sells her wide range of handbags, coin purses, and utility bags like computer bags and men’s satchels. The bags are also available in shops in the US and online at mimimika.com. As previously suggested, having escaped the vortex of More is More Chic, Mimi’s bags also manage to escape the staggering price tags that other designer bags fall prey to. Humble US exchange rate aside, bags are pretty reasonable, ranging from £20 wallets to a £255 leather weekender.

{Photos courtesy of mimimika.com}

how’s this for a delightful friday morning?

{Thanks to BeachBungalow8 for introducing this to the world!}

hot off the press! (and i couldn’t be more excited)

A couple of years ago there were a certain pair of white leather riding boots that were simply wonderful and the best thing ever. I wanted them terrbily, as you can imagine, and one Christmas morning my dream came true. Since those days my love of Sigerson Morrison has grown from an innocent poinsettia to a raving giant beanstalk. I love them. I really do.

The problem is I don’t always have the funding to support this love.

But wait THERE’S MORE. I just read on my very own local Racked that there’s a new collaboration in the air (is this all I report on these days… sorry readers be patient with little me): Sigerson Morrison for Target. Unfortunately for everyone the images won’t be available until mid-September (I have this feeling they’ll be leaking momentarily, though). The line officially launches in stores in October.

{Photo courtesy of SigersonMorrison.com.}

holy hogwarts! / quote of the day

It’s sort of like Hogwarts. There’s some floating candles and we all spin the magic fashion dreidel and then talk to the talking hat, the talking Philip Tracy hat. Peter Som when asked about the inner workings of the CFDA by the Cut.

{Photo courtesy of nymag.com, sort of.}

you’ve paid enough

A couple of months ago, I remember hearing about Patricia Field doing a one-off line for Payless Shoes and thinking to myself, it’s really too bad for all these in-house design teams, all these collaborations.

At any rate, my musings must have been distracting enough for me to never have been interested enough in the collaboration to actually investigate the line. Who wants big blue birds on their shoes anyway?

Well today I picked up a copy of Glamour from the office and staring back at me were the greatest shoes from Payless (amid a typically Glamour feature of what to wear for under $12 or something). Well now my curiosity had been sparked!

Turns out Payless is chock full o’ one offs and they even have some decent in-house stuff too. Madness!

creepy and hilarious… my favorite

When I was a little girl my favorite movie was the Sound of Music. One of the best parts of that movie is the marionette scene, when Maria and the children are magically really really good at making those little wooden string-dolls come to life. Not to mention the story of the gleaming goatherd is not one to miss!

Now, years later, here comes another set of marionettes that I cannot take my eyes off of (I’m guessing you won’t be able to either…). They are decidedly better dressed than their Austrian counterparts, depending on how into the oom-papa thing you are.

These little guys make up a piece called Pull the Strings, featured at the Mango Fashion Awards. And while we could run rampant with metaphoric analysis, I’d like the just ponder how the Armani puppet’s skin looks color matched. Seriously. Amazing. Also I wonder if Gautier could do a split in real life…

Odelay-woo-hoo!

{Photo courtesy of Did You Hear That? blog via Fashion Week Daily.}

spending the morning dreaming…

via A Shaded View on Fashion

oh man.

Today I’m really sad.

This has always been one of my favorite photos: Yves with his girls, Loulou and Betty. Little did he know his real secret muse, my mother, was all the way in Barrington, Rhode Island!

What can I say? The fashion world took a big hit today.