A New Queen at the Throne

I read on The Fix this morning that long-time McQueen designer/assistant, Sarah Burton, will take the helm as creative director at the label. Apparently she finished McQueen's Fall 2010 collection after his suicide in February and has been designing women's RTW since 2000.

Seems like a natural move to place someone already on inside with imitate knowledge of his work style and day in and day out access to his vision. I believe her first collection would be Cruise/Resort... curious to see how her influence surfaces given that McQueen's collections always seemed very personal and indicative of his social commentary of the day. 

Sarah Burton, who was McQueen's first and only ever design assistant, was promoted to head of design following the acquisition (of Gucci Group). She worked with the designer on everything from one-off pieces crafted for the likes of Bjork, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga and Sylvie Guillem, to his main line women's wear collection - the one shown on the Paris catwalk every six months - pre-collections, small accessories lines and more.

Burton, it is widely acknowledged, was also always responsible for translating McQueen's more extravagant ideas into a clearly commercial reality.

Sarah Burton

Sunday Fun Day

Sangria and nibbles at Small Plates!!!

The Selby & Sunshine

Today started with a ray of sunshine in my window (finally) and this... a good start I would say. Todd Selby's take on fashion, or rather style, is genius and completely his own. If yo don't know he is a photographer who snaps people in their natural environments. Sort of real life home decor photography. 

An evening with Herrera

Mrs. Herrera greeting clients...

The same gown shot in the May Vogue in black and white with the Oscar dress that was STUNNING... delicious. Both pictures do not do this beauty justice. Take my word for it...

Above dress from her runway show..

I found this post about Dries Van Noten's Paris boutique on Vogue.com and  fell in love with his interior design. love it love it love it. My new favorite home decor color is Imperial Yellow - several pieces of art and two pillows can attest. Haven't yet been to his store...god, I would die; it looks A-MAZING. It's lush and full looking without being stuffy or pretentious like an over paid interior designer picked everything out.

I also found this collage on Stylefile of yellow things.

the art of gift giving

Playing cards from Dabney Lee

We've been in gift mode lately - birthdays, new babies, anniversaries, and weddings. It always goes that when you need one, the perfect gift seems out of reach. To avoid these brain freezes, I keep a list on my Blackberry of ideas I come across either flipping through magazines, blogs or talking to friends and clients.

Clients always are asking about gifts. The demand is so great I swear I could start a separate business completely based around the concept of giving the perfect gift. There is a mental game I play when thinking about gift giving... I trace my steps through someone's home and think about the areas that mean the most to them... kitchen, bath, bed, study, or maybe the yard. Within those areas, pinpoint their sweet spot. Now think about items or experiences that could play back or expand those preferences.

Cooking classes? A day fishing with the kids? Kite flying? A round of golf with the guys? A date with the dog at the local dog park? A stylish piggy bank for a friendly recently out 0f debt?

Here are a few ideas from this month:

One of the best gifts I ever got was the Fortune-Telling Birthday Book from my friend Nettie. I jot down everyone's name and on their special day - call with their fortune. It's a fun way to connect and celebrate.

Flip Video - Graffiti Love Hearts

Great for friends and loved ones who like recording memories. This particular one was designed by David and Courtney Arquette. $10 is donated to Feed America for every one purchased. You can also use your images or those drawn by our favorite tiny artists.

PaperWink Rubber Address Stamps

I found these in the May 2010 Better Home and Gardens issue. What a small, but lovely gesture to send to newlywed friends or a gal pal who just moved into a new place. That issue also included these...

Personalized Playing Cards

Dabney Lee has the most cute personalized gifts. Truly each can be fashioned a thoughtful gift for many of life's moments worth celebrating.

I'd love to hear about your gift giving successes.

LemLem by Liya Kebede

   

I saw model Liya Kebede's clothing line LemLem in Elle sometime ago and immediately dogeared the page as an addition to my spring wardrobe. The dresses immediately struck me as something I would want to throw on for errands around town or a day trip to the lake. The tunics make great gifts for all of my pregnant friends repulsed by maternity fashion. LemLem also has adorable children's clothes and blankets for home. 


Kebede started Lemlem in 2007 as a way to inspire economic independence in her native country and to preserve the art of weaving. All garments are made in Ethiopia from handmade natural cotton. Lemlem means to flourish in Amharic. Some history of what garment making is all about in Ethipoia...

Since ancient times in the land of the Queen of Sheba, the Ethiopian people have adorned themselves in beautiful hand woven and hand embroidered clothing. The hand spinning of cotton and intricate embroidery was the work of women while the hand weaving was done mainly by men. It is our wish to bring to you an incredible handwork and help preserve this ancient art form by creating opportunities for the Artisans.