Winged shoes

Somehow I missed these during my weekly perusal of Vivienne Westwood's website, but Susie of Style Bubble kindly pointed them out today. I'm a huge fan of the VW/Melissa shoe collaboration (especially this season's 3-strap ballerina shoe), as they are entirely vegan friendly. I have not yet gotten myself a pair though, as shoes are quite low on my list of priorities when it comes to spending money. And I'm pretty sure that I would never purchase these new S/S 10 shoes (available either October or November or February - ?), as I'm too tall for even a flat wedged shoe. I'm also not too keen on the foot strap detailing - I'd perhaps prefer if it were a nice closed rounded toe. What I do love about these, though, is the classical mythology nod with the Hermes/Mercury wings at the ankles (and the marble effect of the PVC itself). What can I say? I'm a Classics nerd. It's worked out so far for me, as it's what attracted me to Patricia Ayres' ArtLab pieces, with titles such as 'Bustle of Lysistrata', 'Athena's Head Covering', and 'Andromache's Deconstruction'. And so, it only makes sense that I give Vivienne Westwood yet another thumbs up.

kjoo + cameos = perfection

So lately I've been making a list of places I need to go as soon as possible and/or for the next fashion week (NYC, Portland, and London). These pieces by the lovely Maria of kjoo (no. 467 and no. 453) have momentarily distracted me from lamenting my geographical location, however, and have instead transported me back to my junior high school days. You see, I have always had a deep love for cameos. I quite vividly remember my new outfit for the first day of Grade 7, which consisted of khaki culottes, a Victorian-inspired button up long sleeved shirt complete with black and cream stripes and about 50 buttons, and 2-inch wide pearl and silver brooch which I wore over the top button of the shirt. I loved that brooch to pieces, but I always wished it were a cameo, which would make my outfit 100% cool (!). And now I'm practically drooling over these new kjoo pieces, which perfectly pair vintage cameos with Maria's incredible crocheting and felting. Check out this incredible interview with Maria, Etsy's newest Featured Seller - personally, I'm quite tickled to find out that Björk is Maria's muse.

Interview with Liza Rietz

Those of you who are regular readers of this blog will recognize the tunic pictured above and/or the name of its designer, Liza Rietz. I fell in love with this designer's work and this piece in particular (Liza's half circle tunic from her F/W 08 collection) about a year ago, but I was unable to afford it. Then when I began this blog, it ended up in My Top 3 Want List. You may have noticed, however, that it is now missing from the list. The truth is, after purchasing two other impeccable pieces from Liza (one from her F/W 08 collection and one from her S/S 09 collection), I realized that I must bite the bullet and purchase my dream tunic before it disappeared forever (and luckily I did so before our car died!). Liza's pieces are so versatile, seasonless, eye-catching, and perfectly constructed, that its quite surprising that she has been designing clothes for only 8 years. And so, with the long-awaited arrival of my very own half circle tunic AND the upcoming unveiling of Liza's F/W 09 collection, I decided it was time for myself and you, my readers, to get to know one of Portland's finest designers a little more. Enjoy...

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Do you have any formal fashion design training? Do you find that this is considered by your peers/the press/buyers to be a requirement to successfully start and run a label?

As for clothing design and construction, I am completely self taught. I have a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology. Portland is unique in the amount of non 'professionally' trained apparel designers it has. We are a very D.I.Y. city. I have a lot of fellow designer friends who are self taught, designing, producing, and running storefronts. To run a label you have to love what you are doing and be very motivated. I think professional training works for some, and not for others.

What is the very first piece you remember designing?

A gray dress - very modern and sci-fi with a big bustle.

Do you wear your own designs?

Yes. I sometimes keep my old samples.

What is your most treasured piece of clothing, either self-designed or bought?

That's a toughie. It has to be one of my jackets, which I tend to have a lot of. I have an asymmetrical gray wool blazer from the 1940's that is simply divine. Or a very old black leather jacket with tons of holes and rips that my best friend gave me (she was going to throw it away!) and I cut the sleeves off above the elbow.

Does being a brick-and-mortar shop owner influence your designs?

It is definitely interesting being able to meet my customer base - which of course didn't happen when I sold exclusively wholesale to other boutiques. I definitely have learned a lot about what women seem to want and what works with their bodies. Making custom garments allows me to see how one design looks on many different body types.

How has online shopping and Etsy in particular affected your label?

It has allowed me to reach far outside of Portland, expand my customer base, gotten me more press and recognition - which is great. I am thankful for Etsy.

There seems to be a huge creative community in Portland. Do you feel that this influences your own work?

Definitely. If I didn't live in Portland, I am not sure I would be designing. I was at the right place at the right time, and was able to become a part of a local indie design collective called 'Seaplane' in 2001. This boutique sold all handmade, local garments, produced its own annual runway shows and gained a lot of attention locally and nationally. We (local designers) inspired and supported each other.

Do you listen to music while you’re working? What inspires you the most?

Yes! Either that or NPR. But the news can get so depressing. I play music (in a band called 'tu fawning'), so music is a huge part of my life. It really depends on what I am working on that decides the musical backdrop. If I am patterning, mellow is good. If I am in production mode, I like music that is a bit driving.

I love how your collections are not season-specific. Do you experience any difference in sales in an economic downturn, or do you feel that having season-less collections balances this out?

I like to design non season-specific, because it is so much more realistic for my size business and practical for my customers. I really love timeless pieces that are still edgy - that can be worn again and again. I personally don't shop a lot and am picky about what I buy, so when I do purchase a piece, I like it to be something that can translate through the seasons.

As for the economy - well, it seems people are shopping less, but being more selective when they do shop. I think buying higher end means buying less and getting more wear out of a garment.

You design two small collections each year – do you find you’ll continue on in this way, are do you sometimes want to just randomly create one-of-a-kind or extremely limited pieces?

I like making a collection, a body of work. It makes sense from a business perspective. I do adore the times I am able to do one-of-a-kinds. I usually do this for fashion shows. It keeps it interesting, and artistic for me.

What is your favorite material to work with?

Right now, I love tech fabrics. Traditionally, I love dupioni silk.

If you weren’t a designer, what do you think you'd be doing for a career?

A full-time musician.

And lastly, what is your favorite piece from your new F/W collection?

It changes every week ;)

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Check out Liza's Etsy shop now for pieces from her past and current collections (including a good number of cloches, as pictured above), and very soon for her new F/W 09 collection. Her lovely website also has a portfolio of previous collections. If you're lucky enough to be near Portland, Oregon, make sure you stop by her brick-and-mortar store and studio, located at 2305 NW Savier Street. AND, if you're in Portland on October 12th, be the first to see her new F/W collection in person at her runway show - check her Etsy shop for details.

Some Viv DiY inspiration

Chances are I wouldn't like this so much if it weren't Vivienne Westwood. But I think this 100% virgin wool piece has some great layering potential, especially over top of The Hoody. Perhaps some DiY is in order, as I'd probably prefer a bolero that either closes in front or at the neck, and I still can't afford Katherine's greatly reduced prices (this retails at $695, and is listed at $294). Hmm...

(Photos via the wonderful DesignerDreamCloset.com, where my beloved VW coat came from)

More of Alexandra Groover S/S 10

So exciting! Alexandra Groover's video showcasing her S/S 10 collection is now posted on her blog and on Vimeo for your viewing pleasure. Here are a few quick screenshots I took of my favorite looks - love the more ethereal look of the new shell hooded dress, and I love that tulip petal/peplum belt/waist detailing/overskirt. This gorgeously dark and disjointed video has made me fall in love with Alexandra's work even more. And I'm really thinking that videos rather than runway shows are quite an ingenious way to go, especially for an independent designer. They definitely give more life and beauty to the pieces for an online viewer (a.k.a. an unable-to-go-to-fashion-weeks person) like me.

And in other news: my interview with Liza Rietz shall be posted tomorrow evening, so I suggest you stop on by.

Edit: The petal/belt/waist detailing/overskirt I was wondering about is a skirt - the onoclea skirt to be precise - check out the new collection on Alexandra's website. I'm sure I'll also be posting more on it in an upcoming interview with Alexandra herself.

Portland Fashion Week

Oh how I wish I lived somewhere else. I'm of course unable to go to any relevant fashion weeks, but that doesn't mean that I don't try to follow a few of them online. And I was happy to find out that the fashion week in one of my favorite cities, Portland, Oregon, is possibly the fashion week most up my alley. In fact, PFW is "the world’s only comprehensively eco sustainable production of a fashion week, featuring both independent and eco-couture, urban-casual, street & activewear from all over North America and internationally." This is done though emphasizing eco-responsible fashion, constructing an eco-friendly runway, using eco-safe styling products for the models, using sustainable-certified hotels for the week's guests, and making the fashion week affordable for independent designers to participate through corporate sponsorship. So if you're not doing anything October 7th-11th, you should probably try to make it down to Portland. And of course check out NW 23rd Avenue for some of the best brick-and-mortar shopping I have ever experienced. I for one am definitely stuck here up north. If you are stuck far away from Portland as well, have no fear, as I will however be posting an interview with one of Portland's finest designers, Liza Rietz, sometime this week. And perhaps I'll finagle myself a move down to Portland to coincide with my eventual emergence as an up-and-coming independent designer. Sigh.

Alexandra Groover - S/S 10 snapshots

This is all I've been able to find so far, but I'll take it! These are snapshots of the short film shown at LFW featuring Alexandra Groover's S/S 10 collection (via Vauxhall Fashion Scout). It's all black, architectural in design, and, once again, inspired by nature. I'm excited to see full pictures! I'm wondering if the first photo is the "hooded dress [that] cocooned the body and accentuated the shoulders" - I'm sure I'll want it nonetheless! I just paired my Alexandra Groover 5-hooded hoody (a.k.a. The Hoody) last night with my ArtLab Andromache's Deconstruction Noir, and it was a match made in fashion heaven. Even my man said I looked oh so pretty, and he usually does not agree with my fashion sense.

Nomad beauty

This Ona's mixed media piece is breathtaking. With creations like this, who cares about a broken down car and having to work through what was supposed to be my weekend, right?