In the world of social entrepreneurism, case studies are our best teacher. Kate Robertson, founder of Mayu, a fair-trade certified line of hand-knit accessories, gave us a special look into how her company of 12 Peruvian artisans operates, and how she earned fair-trade certification. *** Kate Robertson lived in Peru with the Peace Corps from 2003-2005, and [...]
At Haught Style in the Prairie Village Shops, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., be sure to come visit me, Kirk, Heather and Kylie! Note that this is all day — hopefully those of you in the city can make it at some point. We will release the newest FLP tee to the public at 10 [...]
So I mentioned my recent geometry obsession, right? These hand-embroidered necklaces are melting my heart. Available online in Marañón’s shop on Etsy, or at Collected Thread in Oklahoma City. $38–$60 apiece and handmade to order. Can you even pick your favorite? Plus lovely behind-the-work pics on Flickr! Via the incredibly savvy Lindsay at Collected Thread.
I’m all about geometric designs right now. A year ago I was assigned a story for a local magazine about a local rug shop that specializes in semi-antique hand-knotted rugs, like this: I learned that hand-knotted rugs are so special because they don’t have a pile, which means they don’t wear down like traditional synthetic [...]
Because I’m pretty much done with my Christmas shopping (believe me, this is a Christmas miracle if I’ve ever known one), I’ll be focusing my time over the next two weeks on baking and sewing reusable gift wrapping, using these three adorable Denyse Schmidt fabrics. Envirosax tells us that each year we throw away 4 million [...]
Several weeks ago I was re-introduced to Lawrence-native Early Jewelry. Designed by Kylie Grater and handmade from start to finish by her and her team, the shapes and material choices make perfect sense — and yet everything about them are a perfect surprise every time you look at them. The line’s metals are all recycled, [...]
Hat by Hats in the Belfry: Knotty-Sisal Cloche Finely woven knotty sisal Handmade in the USA $65 on sale (from $128) Necklace by Flora Bond on Etsy Handmade of vintage and found silks, linens and deconstructed jewelry $115 Dress by She-bible: Evelyn Dress 100% Japanese organic cotton Sewn in San Francisco $105 on sale (from [...]
After losing one of my old suede Manimal earrings a few months ago, I ordered a new pair this month. (Visiting the site was what inspired my “thank you” post a few weeks ago.) I placed my order for the $20 earrings and exchanged a few emails with super-sweet designer Kristen Lombardi, and when I [...]
Dear Manimal, Thank you for your new fall designs. For these amazing new woven moccasins ($240), for not one but two gorgeous necklace designs using the suede scraps left over from the mocs (both $40), for hot pink suede (as on this clutch, also made from scraps, $160), and especially for the little fringe details on this suede purse ($80). [...]
Last weekend, Heather and I threw a baby shower for Rachel. Everything turned out SO WELL! We had a vintage theme, with references throughout to “hens and chicks” — all very classic Rachel. You can see more pictures in this Flickr set. And because the cupcakes we made were pretty much to die for, I [...]
Last month about seven of my coolest friends pointed me to a site they knew I’d love: The Uniform Project. They were all incredibly right. As an exercise in sustainable fashion, Sheena Matheiken is wearing the same dress every day for a year — the charcoal tunic you see above. In her words: There are [...]
Manimal Ribcage Flat and Double Fringe Bootie, $180-$200. I was introduced to this brand through the most excellent earrings I’ve ever owned, and its hallmark moccasin designs are no disappointment whatsoever. I love the double-fringe high top and am excited about the new two-tone option (bottom right in the image). Each piece is handmade by [...]
Frei Pillow Top Tunic, $255 (formerly $364!), at Pivot Boutique. Through May 31, all Chicago designers at Pivot Boutique in Chicago are 30% off. Deals on Lara Miller, Elise Bergman, Sunia and Frei Designs are available online, and more in store. All are made right in Chicago! Good stuff. Via Green Grechen.
Not to belabor the point, but. Coolhunter spotlighted Lego accents yesterday. Iconic retro brands possess strong currency right now. The latest hails not from the annals of fashion or apparel but from the world of toys – we’re talking about LEGO, the multi-colored building bricks that we all grew up with. While LEGO is still [...]
Aren’t they both so sweet? (Especially as photographed on NYLON‘s Camilla Belle cover from this month!) The cloth-wrapped button earrings are by StellaWear, a side project of a Hallmark graphic designer. Available in store at Bon Bon or on the StellaWear Etsy page. The brushed acrylic black hearts are by Bon Bon co-owner and jewelry [...]
Tomorrow marks the Valentine Vintage Open House at Bon Bon Atelier, where my very own Lego Heart Pins will be for sale. (I’m working on Fashion Loves People hang tags for them now.) Hey, they count as vintage if you think of them as 8-bit Nintendo art. The Lego hearts will be available in-store only [...]
If today had been Christmas, it would have been a beautiful one. The kind Bing has been dreaming of. Snow fell all day! I didn’t have to go anywhere, so I just watched it through the window. With Bon Iver in headphones. (Not to drown out other noises, but because this stuff was made for [...]
Found these gorgeous shoes at Habitat earlier this week. I was there “browsing,” not exactly “shopping” — which was my first mistake. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM. On sale from $325 to $229… we’ll see. They’re by Coclico, a NYC-based brand founded by a third-generation French shoemaker. This season the brand has started using more [...]
Happy 2009! A perfect clean-slated time to give you my new favorite fashion blog, Outsapop Trashion. DIY, repurposed eco fashion from a lovely Fin, scouring the eco fashion world for the rest of us. Been pining over it the past few months. A restyled boho skirt. (Would you have guessed? Really.) Open-source sewing [...]
Friends. What just happened? It’s the day after Christmas, I hardly blogged all month, and I took a four-hour nap today to relieve nausea and a headache as a result of holiday-prep exhaustion. As much as I’d planned for my handmade gifts to keep me above the fray, they sucked me under! This holiday season took [...]