bottega veneta, you stole my heart.

Last week in Paris, I found myself walking briskly down Rue de Saint Honore in search of a pair of shoes for the evening's special event. Time was ticking and I barely noticed my surroundings, until I arrived at Bottega Veneta. I paused in front of the store, and gazed at the holiday window display as if I was in a trance. Pink and red wallets, clutches, and other small leather goods were mixed together with white plush recreations of the fashion house's iconic bags, all against a forest green backdrop. Now that's what I call perfection.

Although I was really tempted to go in and purchase the gorgeous red satin knot clutch (lower left corner), I stayed focused and, in the end, managed to find the perfect pair of black suede platform stilettos. Given the hefty price tag, I plan on wearing them forever and ever...

god save my shoes.

Women have a list that ranks their wardrobe items in order of preference. The #1 item on my list is shoes. Firstly, there are practical reasons: 1) shoes always fit, even if I gain a few unwanted pounds, and 2) shoes are not a hassle to try on, especially during the winter months, assuming you're not wearing knee high lace up boots while shopping. Psychologically, a fabulous pair of heels gives me a boost in confidence, and height. Finally, a pair of shoes can change the entire look of the outfit and the attitude a woman is trying to convey. For example, if you're wearing an LBD, a pair of black patent pumps translates into a "I just got out of the office" look, whereas a pair of lion paw Louboutins will convey a "I'm sexy with a playful sense of humor" image.

The latest "It" Louboutins, complete with jeweled toe-nails and stiletto,
as seen on the feet of Blake Lively and Sarah Jessica Parker. ($4,995)
Source: Refinery29

Needless to say, a woman's relationship with her many pairs of shoes is a complex one, but the documentary "God Save My Shoes" attempts to explore this phenomenon. The film, which premiered in NYC on September 7th, features designers such as Christian Louboutin, Pierre Hardy, and Manolo Blahnik, dedicated celebrity patrons including Fergie, Kelly Rowland, and Dita Von Teese, and other shoe lovers, all of whom try to explain a woman's love for shoes. Check out the trailer and a snippet with Blahnik (love him!):

http://godsavemyshoes.com/

tom (foolery).

Last September, after a six year hiatus, Tom Ford made a highly anticipated return to womenswear with an exclusive showing of his Spring/Summer 2011 collection, inviting only 100 special guests. The runway featured a mixture of models and celebrities, including Beyonce and Julianne Moore, who were transformed into the sensual, confident, modern Tom Ford women. Photography was strictly forbidden, aside from his designated photographer, Terry Richardson. However, these official photos would not be released until the clothes hit stores in 2011. Ford wanted to bring fashion back to the time of exclusivity, before technology and social media rendered the elusive runway invitation obsolete.

Spring/Summer 2011

In a digital age where live streaming of fashion shows has become the new industry standard, Ford's initial determination to fight against this movement was admirable. Last year, in order to create hype around Ford's long awaited return to womenswear, it made sense to keep the show closed, but now that a year has passed, this marketing tactic will not have the same impact it once did. Sacrificing the use of the fashion show as a public marketing tool may have turned out to be a foolish move after all.

Tom Ford showed his new Spring/Summer 2012 collection to a limited group of industry insiders last week, and since then, no photos have been released. Some fashion critics have been less than kind in describing what they saw on the runway. The Guardian's Jess Cartner-Morley said there were "too many frills and too few ideas. Le Figaro's Virginie Mouzat wrote in French that the collection resembled "an out-of-style Gucci collection from ten years ago." Even though the Times' Cathy Horyn and the Telegraph's Lisa Armstrong were positive about the collection, they did not not have much to say due to the lack of photos to base their reviews on. In this situation, the public is unable to judge the collection for themselves, and can only depend on the reviews that they read.

There is no denying the role of social media and technology in building brand power and generating commercial success. I'm not suggesting that Mr. Ford have a lineup of fashion bloggers in the front row next to Anna Wintour and stream the show on tomford.com, but we are in the 21st century. Can we at least have some pictures? Please...?

Check out the articles below about Tom Ford's new collection:

Fashion Critic Dares to Critique Tom Ford - the Cut
Another Critic Pans Tom Ford's Latest Collection - the Cut
London Fashion Week: Tom Ford spring/summer 2012 - Telegraph
London: Tom Town - Times


Images courtesy of vogue.com

luxury, humor, and the digital age.

It is no secret that luxury has been slow to get on the digital media train, but the latest series of campaign videos by Steven Meisel demonstrate that luxury is not only ready to embrace technology, but the industry is also beginning to shed their seriousness to embrace a more lighthearted attitude.

Back in January, Prada released its Spring 2011 campaign video featuring models shaking to Ratatat's "Mirando".  Today, Lanvin released its Fall 2011 campaign video with models dancing to Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me".  Best part of the video is around the 0:50 mark when artistic director Alber Elbaz makes an awesome cameo.

Happy watching!

museo salvatore ferragamo, firenze, italia.

Earlier this month, my mom and I took a weekend trip to Florence and paid a highly anticipated visit to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum.  A shoe lover's haven, the museum houses hundreds of shoes spanning the shoemaker's career in Italy from 1927-1960.  Born in 1898,  Ferragamo and his family emigrated to the US in 1914.  In 1923, he opened the Hollywood Boot Shop in Beverly Hills, selling custom-made shoes to Hollywood's glitterati, which helped him garner the nicknames "shoemaker to the stars" and "shoemaker of dreams."  After returning to Italy in 1927, he incorporated his namesake company in Florence, planting the seed for his shoe empire built on his innovative, avant garde designs and creative use of materials.

The company is one of a handful of luxury companies left where the founding family still plays an active role in the business and owns a majority of the shares.  On June 29, Salvatore Ferragamo Italia S.p.A. went public in Milan, and 25% of the company was sold for 344 million EUR ($487 million).  The proceeds will be used to help global expansion in emerging markets.

Aside from my mom's looks, I also inherited her love for Ferragamo shoes.  The collections embody everything I'm looking for in shoes -- comfort, classic elegance, and edgy sophistication.  With that, I'll leave you with a few pictures of the Palazzo Spini Feroni HQ and flagship (unfortunately, no pictures were allowed in the museum).

paris haute couture fall 2011.

Haute Couture shows took place in Paris last week and there were some truly amazing collections, but my favorite was Jean Paul Gaultier, hands down.

JPG's collection featured 62 Black Swan inspired looks, exploring the dark side of ballet.  The clothes embodied the elegance that comes with the dance mixed with some signature JPG punk attitude.  He explored the idea of androgyny that is often associated with ballet by putting women in pinstripe suits and men in floor length dresses.  The women sported sleek, mid-part updos decorated with feathers and wore toe-shoe heels.  The men had various hairstyles, including long wavy locks and spiky short cuts.

images courtesy of nymag.com

love, chloe.

The annual summer sale in Amsterdam began last week.

Brief backstory: ever since I saw the Spring/Summer 2011 Chloe braided ankle strap flats a few months ago, I've been obsessed.

Yesterday at Shoebaloo, a designer shoe boutique, I was lucky enough to find the last pair of the flats in my size.  Call me anal, but I usually don't buy shoes that have been on display because other people have tried them on and stretched the leather out.  But in this case, I had to make an exception - that's how badly I wanted the shoes.

Now I am a proud owner of these gorgeous babies :)

credit card holders.

I've been using my Ferragamo long wallet since October of last year.  Unfortunately, my tram pass doesn't always beep through due to the thickness and the wallet is too large to fit into my smaller handbags.

Credit card holders are the perfect accessory for women like me who carry their lives in their wallet because you never know what you may need (e.g., credit cards, cash, receipts, business cards, membership cards, transportation cards, erc).  I can put my id card, debit card, tram card and office card in a credit card holder, along with some cash and a couple business cards in the middle slot.  It fits in my pocket while running errands and in a small handbag for a night on the town.  After going through the frustrating experience of losing my wallet a couple years ago, I've learned that it's never good idea to take my entire wallet out...

Now it's time to retire my nylon zipper pouch from work to make room for a sleek, chic, leather credit card holder.

my wallet

Some credit card holders I've been admiring :)

ferragamo embossed calfskin leather in skin and blueberry

miu miu croco print calfskin leather in pale pink and light blue

louis vuitton epi leather in black

images courtesy of ferragamo.com, miumiu.com, louisvuitton.com

skinny-vinny.

For the past few weeks, the weather in Amsterdam has been amazing, so gorgeous that I finally decided to take my bike out of retirement (it's been locked up for about 5 months now).  For me, there are two main fashion challenges that come with biking:

1.  Clothes: choose dresses and skirts wisely - make sure the hem is long enough, unless you don't mind flashing people on the opposite side of the street)

2.  Handbags: durable enough to survive rainy days and can be worn cross-body or as a backpack.  I'm not a huge fan of putting handbags on the handle bars, since they can slide down towards the wheel or get swiped (apparently that happens).  Only a couple of my handbags come with shoulder strap; the one that comes with my Prada nylon satchel is a tad short for cross-body wear.

With the handbag dilemma in mind, I set off to find the perfect bag for my Amsterdam summer biking adventures!

Then I was introduced to Skinny Vinny, a Brooklyn based brand that creates functional, canvas handbags, suitable for casual, everyday use.  Skinny Vinny was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon graduate Vincent Lai.

Check out their beautiful sentimental Spring/Summer lookbook video below:


Spring Upon A City - Skinny Vinny - Spring/Summer Lookbook from Satan's Pearl Horses on Vimeo.


check them out at:
www.skinny-vinny.com
www.svlookbook.com
skinnyvinny.bigcartel.com

happy queen's day!

Yesterday, the Netherlands celebrated Queen's Day, a national holiday to honor the Queen's birthday.  Public transportation in Amsterdam's city center was shut down and hoards of people dressed in orange gathered in the streets to drink beer and dance.  The canals were filled with boats blasting electronic beats and the sidewalks were lined with flea market-like shops selling various trinkets and souvenirs.

a boat full of festive, orange people
(not to be confused with oompa loompas)

baring the streets with our orange blow up crowns

Orange has never been flattering on me and Queen's Day got me thinking -- is that color flattering on anyone?  Orange accessories (e.g., bags, shoes, jewelry) - yes.  Orange clothing - I don't think so.  To get my answer, I turned to Hermès and Tory Burch (both brands use orange as the theme color).  After browsing their respective websites, I reaffirmed my stance: orange accessories are flattering in small quantities, but orange clothes are never okay.

Orange...

Handbag?  Check.

Hermès Unisex Jypsiere Bag

Enamel bangle? Check.

Hermès Clic H Enamel Bracelet

Sandals?  Check

Tory Burch Tumbled Leather Thora Sandal

70's styled shirtdress?  Hells no.

Tory Burch Christelle Dress

Images courtesy of hermes.com, toryburch.com

burberry's digital age.

On April 13, in celebration of their new Beijing flagship, Burberry staged a digital fashion show at the Beijing Television Center that once again secured its status as one of the most digitally innovative luxury companies today.  Paying homage to London's weather, the show began with images of umbrellas "raining" on large screens that lined the ceiling and surrounding walls, followed by animated models flying and dancing with umbrellas in hand, and other various animated footage featuring the latest collections.  Transitioning away from the screens, six real-life models emerged on the runway in brightly colored outerwear and hats.  After walking a few rounds on the runway, they were joined by life-like holographic models generated by Musion image technology.  A one point, identical holographic models collided with each other into raindrops, only to reemerge on the other side with a different outfit.  Soon after, as the holographic models made their way down the runway, they exploded into raindrops as the real-life models walked right through them.  It's difficult to describe all 18 minutes of the show in words, but you can see it for yourself here: live.burberry.com

Burberry was one of the first fashion companies to embrace the digital age by streaming 3D fashion shows live, making runway collections available online immediately after the show, interacting with customers through Facebook and Twitter, and creating an add-on experience through the Art of the Trench website (a collaborative project featuring portraits of people in trench coats).  Now, Burberry is equipping their 57 stores in China with touchscreens and iPads so customers can browse the entire collection, including items that may not be available in the particular store.  This move is ingenious: the digitalization of luxury fashion is inevitable and China is the fastest growing luxury market, so why not marry the two?  China's luxury spenders are relatively young and technologically savvy, so the high-tech refit of the stores will definitely appeal to them. With the massive influx of luxury brands in China over the past decade, brands have to set themselves apart from the pack in order to gain market share.  With the seemingly endless digital innovation, Burberry has done just that.


images courtesy of ftape.com

v&a feat. yohji yamamoto.

This past weekend, I visited the Yohji Yamamoto exhibit at the V&A Museum in London.  The Gallery 38 space features catalogs, photos, runway show footage, interview excerpts, and pieces from various collections since the 1980s.  The best part of the exhibition is you can actually feel each item of clothing, which allows the visitors to fully experience the fashion world of Yohji Yamamoto.

Since his Tokyo debut in 1977, Yohji has established himself as a visionary designer who continues to challenge traditional gender boundaries and fashion design techniques.  His pieces often feature unconventional fabrics and intricate layering.  Black is one of his favorite colors, which he describes as being "modest and arrogant at the same time."  Through his collections, Yohji has redefined the modern woman and man, pioneering over-sized elegance, minimalism and androgyny.  These themes continue to resonate today through the work of designers such as Alexander Wang and Rad Hourani.

Yohji Yamamoto (born 1943, Tokyo)

An (illegal) picture of my favorite Yohji photo at the exhibit:
While felt dress with large collar, AW 1996

Looks from Alexander Wang's Fall 2011 RTW collection

Cardigan and jacket from Rad by Rad Hourani, a unisex collection

Images courtesy of vam.ac.uk, radhourani.com, alexanderwang.com

miu miu x e-commerce

Miu Miu unveiled its e-store today and I like what I see.  The site is simple and easy to navigate:  product categories (and sub-categories) are listed on top with merchandise appropriately spaced out below.  Filters are featured in the upper right hand corner and change depending on the category selected.  When your pointer hovers over the desired item, the price appears in the lower left hand corner of the box -- there's no need to click on the product just to find out you can't afford it.  When an item is selected, you are brought to a page with several different views and a brief description, including measurement, material, sizing and design information.  There is a separate side bar on the right that shows the product in different colors, if applicable, not just the name of the color.  The site is clean and to the point -- the main focus is on the product -- end of story.

Many luxury brands have sites that are so flashed-up and/or poorly laid out that are a pain to scroll through (I'm looking at you, Gucci).  Being overly fancy does not translate to a more luxurious image - there is no way to recreate the store experience online, so why try?  As a customer, I want to see high quality product images, brief points of information and appropriate/minimal use of logos, not busy backgrounds and annoying pop-ups.

Props to Miu Miu for getting it right!

why i love my friends.

I've been looking forward
to sitting at a cafe
drinking red wine
eating macarons
and buying my chanel bag
with you


best poem of all time.

ain't no sunshine.

Since the sun refuses to shine consistently in Amsterdam, I've decided that the only way to resolve this issue is to bring in reinforcements:

Marc by Marc Jacobs belted silk dress



Just Cavalli snake print color block dress



Alice & Olivia cut-out dress

Moschino ruched linen-blend skirt

Proenza Schouler PS1 small satchel

Marc by Marc Jacobs backpack

Jil Sander color block wedges

Pierre Hardy color block wedges

Previously I wrote about my preference for neutral tones... but what is fashion if not fickle?  : )

If flamboyant yellow is not really your thing, adding gold tones will brighten an outfit as well.



Joseph knit cardigan



Mulberry oversized Alexa

Jimmy Choo patent leather pumps

Lanvin sneakers

 

Aurelie Bidermann wheat necklace

 Giles & Brother cuff

images courtesy of net-a-porter.com