ShopDiary

Craving For Eairth

Here’s a brand to watch out for: Eairth.The sustainable line caught my attention last year and I’ve been on a mission to own a piece. It’s so under the radar though that I have yet to find it in Los Angeles. Designer Melissa Dizon describes the concept of Eairth as “an effortless sensibility of comfort with an artful edge.”

Women’s Wear Daily Fast just featured Eairth and reports:

The tops and bottoms that comprise the collection are made from organic cottons and trims sourced in the Philippines, except for the denim, which comes from Italy and Spain. Yet the earthy, deep colors that characterize the line are the result of natural dyes harvested from leaves, fallen wood and bark, roots, flowers and even coconut husks…. Eairth is available in select stores in the U.S. such as Pixie Market, Jussara Lee, Kaight and Oak in New York; Fred Segal and Kin in Los Angeles, and MAC, Cielo and August in San Francisco. In Japan, Eairth is carried by Cul de Paris.

View the whole article here. I want that brown dress pictured below!

[Via Chuvaness, Oak NYC]

Summoning the Storm: Margiela vs. Penfound

Marc Jacobs isn’t the only designer who seems to have been inspired by another lesser known designer/artist. L.A. Times reports that Martin Margiela’s horse print t-shirt, which were seen on the Spring 2008 runway, are nearly identical to an image called “Summoning the Storm”, created in 1998 by a British artist named David Penfound.

Both images have three white stallions charging across a stormy sky as lightning flashes on jagged peaks below. The main difference between the two is that Margiela’s t-shirt does not have an image of an Indian chief on the foreground as Penfield’s image does. Another difference is the price. Margiela’s t-shirt retails for $1495, while t-shirts created with Penfound’s copyright-protected work are only $20-25.

Penfound charges $1000 to $4000 for use of the image and gets royalty of up to 10%. “The designer must know it’s illegal,” he responded to L.A. Times when asked about the similarities between the images. “I will be contacting them today,” he added.

Check out the images below. What do you think?
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Gaetano Perrone for Té Casan

Geatano Perrone is a shoe designer to watch out for. Formerly of Alexander McQueen, Perrone’s creations “are a contemporary gift, each a living archive”. His squared-off toe pumps with a hidden platform, inspired by a ballet shoe, are stunningly beautiful and architectural masterpieces. How can you not stand tall in them? And with prices topping at $375 a pair, they are relatively affordable compared to other designer shoes. Actually, these Diana satin shoes were on sale for $189 but when Gossip Girl star Blake Lively wore them on Wednesday morning at a talk show, the price reverted back to its retail price and is now sold out. The squared-off toe shoes also come in flats and other materials like patent leather, pearlised leather and croc embossed. They are limited edition with 100 pairs per size and are available only at Té Casan in New York City.

DIANA Jewelled Ballerina Shoe ($375) and Flat ($325) in Light Grey
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The Jacques Fath Archives

Whenever I get Neiman Marcus’ Christmas Book, I always flip through straight to the Fantasy Gifts first. I always wonder, what have they come up with? Well, this year, Neiman’s does not disappoint. They’ve got a charter to space via Virgin Galactic for 1.764 million dollars and a lifetime membership at a world class luxury resort in Tuscany among others.

Neiman Marcus also has something for the serious (and seriously wealthy) fashionphile: the House of Fath Archives. While not a household name in modern times, Frenchman Jacques Fath had an illustrious career more than half a century ago. He started his couture business in 1937 and dressed elegant celebrities like Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Greta Garbo. His apprenticeships launched the careers of Hubert de Givenchy and Guy Laroche. He also helped launch the New Look of the late 1940s. Fath met an untimely death in 1954 and two years later, his widow closed the couture line.

This museum-quality collection includes 26 volumes of original sketchbooks from 1948 through 1956, with more than 3,400 couture designs. The collection also includes three exquisite Fath haute couture dresses, each with its accompanying sketch…. With this archive, the possibilities are monumental. Endow a wing of your favorite museum with a comprehensive overview of fashion history or launch your own research center to inspire the Faths of tomorrow.

A great collection indeed! The dresses in the photo above just look exquisite, don’t they? Now, if I only had some spare $3.5 million lying around.

Lucky Charm Necklace

I must be lucky. Lately, I won two giftcards at work and this pretty necklace at Shopaholics Di’s monthly contest. Created by indie designer Melissa Pope of Stones on String, this charm necklace is appropriately called “Get Lucky”. It is made of green jade and adventurine, gemstones for luck, mixed with shiny Swarovski crystals and a sterling silver four leaf clover on an 18″ sterling silver chain. How could I not feel incredibly lucky? I guess that means I should buy some lottery tickets today, huh?

Thank you so much, Diana and Melissa!