First Look: Stella McCartney's FW 2009 campaign + deals from the label

Stella McCartney brings Bambi back with a kitschy cute ad campaign for her fall 2009 collection.  I love how the whole forest-ey theme in the photos are kicked up a notch with the Disney characters, plus they add a bit of whimsy and color.



A lot of ad-dicts on the interweb, however, aren't liking the campaign because the characters take the focus off the close (which is kind of true).  A girl on tFS even Photoshopped all those critters out, leaving a bland shot of angry-faced Sigrid Agren and an actual deer.


SPEAKING of Stella McCartney and forest creatures, you can purchase her adorable plexi animal bangles at a discounted price of $49, down from $115.  My favorite is the rabbit bangle, as seen worn by bunny bisous' Julia Frakes (how fitting!), but a duck bangle is also available.

The last Stella item of the day is this beautiful pair of gold low-wedged tie-up sandals found on eBay.  I love the white meshy material paired with the gold, and is it just me, or are low wedges a lot cuter than high wedges?  Only sizes 37, 39, and 40 are available (is anyone interested in a 37 / 37.5 pair?  I'm a size 35.5 / 36 myself).  Each new pair costs $80, not counting shipping costs.

Advertisements via WWD via tFS

Limited edition The Selby poster on sale NOW!

Apologies for the very brief hiatus from the blog.  I've been yoga-ing my nights away (which is a good thing, better than sitting in front of the computer for hours).  I've recently discovered that there's finally something reasonably priced at The Selby Store!  Check out Sydney based artist Jonathan Zawada's Selby collage, a mish mash of bits from The Selby's photographs.  Put the 24" x 35" (that's huge for a $25 poster!  I've bought an 8" x 10" artwork for $20 before, not counting the $8 shipping fee) up on your bleak stucco wall and claim it as "contemporary" art to impress your house guests.  Your friends will be greeted by a hairy chest, Cookie monster, shoes, shoes, and more shoes, a paper craft creation of Tom Wolfe's face, and of course, nipples.  There are only 275 signed posters available (no I don't know whether the Selbz or Zawada signed them), so buybuybuy!

Last Look: Lonchamp SS 2009 ad campaign

Wow, the campaign was shot at Santa Anita Park. Geez, Arcadia. You've got money, you've got nice schools, you've got my favorite mall, you've got a renowned race track (the only people into horse racing these days are rich people...which you have)...did you really need Kate and Sasha? I challenge an agency to bring a batch of supermodels to my little suburb and make it appear like the kind of neighborhood you'd see on Desperate Housewives (not that I've ever watched the show...really).



Longchamp Spring/Summer 2009
Models: Kate Moss and Sasha Pivovarova (never imagined them coupled together...they're both powerful forces by themselves)
Photographer: Mert and Marcus






yeah, I don't know why that white space is over there.



tFS members complained that the colors were too harsh but I looooove it.

Thanks, Lonchamp website.

Dose of Deals: somewhat discounted faves from 3.1 Phillip Lim

I'm not done obsessing over Phillip Lim's breakthrough collection of Spring 2007.  Light and flowy dresses, bright whites complemented by a muted colors, short hems and easy breezy silhouettes...the perfect sunny weather ensembles.

I occasionally search for coveted items on eBay to see if anyone is selling what I want at a discounted price.  That's how I got my Phillip Lim CFDA x Gap T-shirt inspired top at $20, much less than its original $78 price tag.  I checked eBay a couple of days ago or so and found TWO of my favorite SS 2007 pieces! They sort of come in my dress size (if I put on five more pounds) but I can't afford either of them...five more hours to bid so let me show you the pieces quick!

T-shirt Rosette Dress ($375)

Rosette Silk Halter Dress ($549) I wanted this to be my prom dress!  I had never seen a silhouette like that back when I was a fashion noob.

Quoth the Kaiser, "Nevermore"

I should be more specific.  Karl Lagerfeld didn't REALLY say "nevermore" after he heard that Audrey Tautou, the star of Chanel No. 5's short film as well as the recent acclaimed movie Coco avant Chanel, said the following when asked if she wears the label during a Premiere interview:

“Sometimes. This morning, I wore the rain boots.

She could've said "All the time," but at least she's honest, right?  Well, this is how Karl responded:

“I didn’t even know we made rain boots.  After that, I don’t have to be nice.”

Ouchies. He didn't end there; Karl went on to comment that Spanish actress Penélope Cruz would be a more fitting face for Chanel than French gal Audrey Tautou.  The head designer for Chanel wasn't involved in either projects Tautou played roles in so I'm guessing that the Kaiser and Tautou don't really even speak to each other, let alone have a friendly relationship.

I'm a bit confused as to why Karl said "I don't have to be nice."  Is it because the Chanel collection supposedly never included rain boots?  Or is it just that Audrey Tautou sometimes wears Chanel rather than always?  Or maybe it was that Audrey didn't give the label enough praise...

Whatever the reason, I tend to do lots of research when someone tells me a "fact" that seems questionable.  And when I find out that a people are wrong, especially condescending people, I like to rub in their faces.  So Kaiser...you don't recall any Chanel rain boots?

via The Purse Forum

was on sale at Bergdorf's for $192, down from $275 via Madison Avenue Spy

Anyone know which season this was from? via HubPages

Thanks WWD, for the juicy little article on fashion's favorite sharp-tongued designer.

Trip to Renegade

The first floor of California Market Center was way spookier than the 13th floor.

I was a little unsure whether I was going to go to Renegade Craft Fair or not, but I did, and I'm so glad! My friends really really enjoyed it, so I'm glad I told them about the event. Even our driver, my friend's mom, an arts and crafts enthusiast, LOVED the fair and probably bought more than any of us! As expected, most of the products were on the pricey side but I was surprised at the high quality of most items. Some items that made me raise my eyebrow because you can pretty much make these things at home with very little equipment. But fortunately, the fair had plenty of great vendors. Here were the scenes at Renegade...

First thing you see when you walk in is...a Postcard Machine. It even talks to you makes sounds when you turn the knob and push the dial (obviously a person was inside). Cute idea, but I'd rather see what I purchase before I actually spend $2 on it.



Some of Nate Duval's beautiful concert posters. My favorite was actually the silver Ice Cube poster, which Nate only used two different colored inks to print! But I don't even know who Ice Cube is. 



Many of the vendors applied exclusive discounts at the fair!  Eight Fomato cards for $20?? You've got to see them to love them!

The prettiest hand-sewn vintage fabric shorts EVER. I bet I fitted into them, too, but they were a tad too expensive, over $100. Sold by Market Store Shoppe...I think.

Craft fair or meat market? Sweet Meats plushies (related: I was looking for the Sweet Meats site and I typed what I thought was the URL but I ended up at some Sweet Meats adult site...weird...and gross).



Pop of Pop + Shorty (I'm assuming he is Pop...because he is definitely not a shorty) was too funny. My friends were looking at his print guide (a list of Mac short cuts), debating whether to buy it or not (I'm a PC so the shortcuts would only help me at school where I am forced use Macs), and he told us "You NEED these" and even offered the guide at a discounted price of $2! (Yes, they eventually bought it.) Pop also wore a button with a picture of himself sans LA hat, plus glasses.

Kevin Tong, who I mentioned in my Best Picks post for art, had AMAZING screenprinted posters. The Jenny Lewis one shown above looked so much better in person! The picture doesn't do justice for the poster's metallic inks! I was really considering buyingit, but I don't even listen to Jenny Lewis! A couple of my friends talked to Kevin, who graduated from CSU Long Beach. That kind of makes me want to transfer there. Much closer than San Diego!



Plushies at Cakefruit's booth. I swear, my friend's handmade Halloween costume looked exactly like that big rice cake, except cuter and maybe 10 times bigger.



Killsonic, LA's raucous marching gang with a reputation of enthusiastic reviews from LA Weekly and Los Angeles Times. I could have sworn that they were playing Walls by Beck for a minute.



In the end, I ALMOST didn't purchase anything but after seeing my friends holding all of their new cutesy items, I ran back to Two Rabbits Studios' booth and got one of their amazing screenprinted American Apparel shirts. I totally overlooked Two Rabbits when I was going through all the Renegade artist webpages...these two guys print gorgeous concert posters for some of my favorite artists including Yelle and Ra Ra Riot. I'm a reeeeeeeeal sucker for screenprinted things...I totally would've gotten a poster if it was an artist I loved, not kind-of-liked-but-not-really.  The shirt was...not cheap ($25...yes there was some buyer's remorse) but I'm glad I came home with it!

Woah, you made it to the bottom of the post! Reward: I'm letting you know that the Shu Uemura site is offering free shipping until July 19 if you enter FSHIPPING at checkout! Also, here's a $5 off coupon for an Amoeba Music purchase of $25 or more (in-store only)! Last thing, ideeli is having a Miu Miu clutch giveaway and a Calvin Klein sale (click here for the invite link).

We all scream for H&M

What? I just had to... I love Sasha, but her bony facial shape in this photo looked EXACTLY like that of the figure from Edvard Munch's world renowned 1893 painting The Scream. I wasn't aware that Oslo's the stolen version of The Scream was recovered a couple of years ago...must do a better job keeping up with news.

Anyway Sasha, as well as Eniko Mihalik, landed the H&M Fall 2009 campaign, photographed by Terry Richardson! When I think of H&M, none of those names are brought to mind, but I like the pictures that have recently appeared on tFS and Fashion Gone Rogue. No Daria this time! I was getting tired of her, to be honest. Rumor is that she may retire from modeling...this can't be true, right??





P.S. Renegade Craft Fair was super cool but I did not feel comfortable on the 13th floor of California Market Center (after taking a course on natural disasters, my earthquake paranoia has strengthened). Will post pictures and a review soon!

Best Picks from 1st Annual Renegade Craft Fair in LA: Apparel & Accessories

Ok, no excuses.  Last post of my "Best Picks from Renegade Craft Fair" series and I didn't put it up before Saturday (it is currently 33 minutes after midnight in Pacific Time).  I came back home an hour or so ago after watching Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest with my friends who both bought the DVD. That performance was insaaaaaaaane; too bad we were just little toddlers back then!

Anyway, today is the big day -- the first day of LA's first Renegade Craft Fair is TODAY, opening at 11AM at California Market Center!  You can catch the fair tomorrow on Sunday as well, but that is the last day!  I've chosen some high quality products for today's picks...here are the apparel and accessories that you must check out:



Sarra Tang, designer for her label Hoibo, was never formally trained in fashion design and that is a bit apparent in her clothing...IN A GOOD WAY!  The Toronto resident keeps things simple, emphasizing the quality of each piece rather than showiness.  It's the little things that make her work exciting -- the gold graphic, the draped baggy shorts, the beaded neckpiece, and of course those casual, slouchy bags.  Simple, but sweet.  That model has cute really cute blue suede shoes, too.

Vie Moderne's girly flower and flapper-esque feathery accessories range from big to small and loud to subtle.  My favorite is Jillian ($18), the "practical peacock feather hair clip".  It looks SO CUTE in your hair (click the Jillian link for more pictures ft. a mannequin head) -- attractive, but not too ostentatious! If you wish to order a custom-made item, you better do it quick because Vie Moderne's custom order service on Etsy is closing on July 12!

Count on Mary Ink for organic fine jersey Threadless-esque tees. The difference between Threadless and the Etsy-featured shop is that Mary Helt and Chris Sittel, the minds behind Mary Ink, hand print all their designs.  I particularly like the colors in the Hills tee ($30), featuring a unique scoop neck.



Seattle: home of grunge, my favorite record label Sub Pop, Fleet Foxes which is, like, the most amazing emerging band of the late 2000s...and Thea, the designer of her eponymous label Thea Starr!  Thea is just the sweetest; I emailed her after getting excited about quite a few of her high quality designs, made of authentic kimono fabric and hand-dyed silks.  She responded quickly with a couple of cutesy ^_^ emoticons in her email (can you tell she's a Japanophile?).  Depending on how elaborate her Kanzashi hair accessories are, prices range from $10-$100.  Not only does she make hair accessories but this craftswoman makes brooches, necklaces, handbags, and even bookmarks (Thea is selling that blue dotted one shown above at Renegade!).  Though Thea Starr's shop is currently closed, you can browse past creations on Flickr.

The return of Poketo, the too-cute art + design label!  In addition to stationery, Poketo sells graphic tees (also Threadless-esque!) for both guys and gals.  My favorite designs, shown above (both $28), sort of have patterns but check out the variety of shirts from the label.

That's a wrap.  Happy belated Beatles Day!  Goodnight!  And if you're headed to Renegade today or tomorrow, happy shopping!  Be excited!

Best Picks from 1st Annual Renegade Craft Fair in LA: Jewelry

On to my best picks for jewelry from Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles!  Who needs Tiffany's when there's a talented bunch of independent American creatives out there?  Cut gems?  Booooring...unless it's a diamond.  The trinkets you'll find at the fair come in many shapes, mostly taking inspiration from organic elements.



Seattle-based Sarah Loertscher transforms precious metals and stones into misshapen crystals and thin wires of silver into structured messes of metal.  Her label, Lucy Machine, features a collection that is regularly sold on Etsy and Renegade Craft's online shop but she's currently "changing out" her inventory.  Expect a new stash of necklaces, cufflinks, and earrings at her Renegade booth!


Figs & Ginger makes me smile, and it's not just because of their cute little animal charms that balance inside silver rings and wires (the wire necklaces are my favorite, ranging $60 -$75) .  Rhonda and Elijah Wyman make sure that their products are as eco-friendly as they can possibly make them.  This includes using at least 50% recycled metals and shipping out products in 90% recycled, 50% post-consumer mailers.



The name of Krista DeJoseph's jewelry line immediately gives you a hint of what to expect from her label. According to the website's about page, Sprout Jewelry fuses natural themes with "industrial, urban shapes."  I can totally see that in her Chrysler ring ($39), which I first thought was a stack of silver "twigs" but actually took inspiration from the shape of the New York's famous Chrysler Building.  My favorite pieces. like the Poet Necklace ($30), consist of clusters of silver berries and twisted bunches of, what else, sprouts!  Her collection is not only pretty to look at; you'll be proud of making a purchase from Sprout because the company has donated over $5,000 to non-profit orgs that, simply put, better our world.

This is when we take a short detour away from the forest themes; Dust Design Co. takes discarded metal objects, mostly beautifully complex vintage watch parts, and turns them into unique pieces of jewelry.  I love the Dark Deco Dotted Steampunk ring ($27), but if you're looking for something with greater luster, browse through Dust Design's inventory on Etsy.

Melissa McClure Jewelry Alchemy is another artist who is inspired by nature, but Melissa's pieces are in no way conventional.  Cascading loops and branches of silver are aplenty in the collection, so beautifully pieced together.  The Double Helix cuff (isn't it a single helix?) is one of my favorite pieces, but really, I just want everything.

The last category for best picks will be apparel.  It will be a short post -- I'm very selective when it comes to clothes...

I'm a bit late but here's one more work of art...

Mike Sinclair, Fourth of July #2, Independence, Missouri. Buy a print on 20x200.com.

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans!  Have a blast lighting up fireworks and keeping me awake at night!
and to everyone else, happy weekend!

Best picks from 1st Annual Renegade Craft Fair in LA: Art

Things just got bigger for Rags to Reverie! I...expanded my blog posts to 500 pixels in width! Exciting? I felt the need to do this since my blog is sort of getting to be image-oriented and when it comes to pictures, bigger is better! Most of the time.

Moving on; here's part deux of my round up of best artists and products from Renegade Craft Fair, which will take place at Los Angeles' California Market Center on Saturday and Sunday, July 11 & 12. Here's some excellent art for those blank walls...


Clockwise (starting from banner):
Regularly commissioned by Renegade Craft, Mat Daly produces the fair's graphic posters, like the set of geometric owl posters for Boston's 2005 - 2007 fairs ($40 for whole set).  He also sells large, abstract test prints that would also complement your indoor lighting!

The first one of Kevin Tong's concert posters that I saw was his work for one of my FAVorite artists Beck ($25) on GigPosters.com.  Kevin's designs are quite detailed and complex; I'm not sure how he does it.  His other commissions came from the likes of indie artists Jenny Lewis ($40), Pinback, and My Bloody Valentine as well as more mainstream musicians MGMT, The Shins, and Weezer.

Michelle Caplan's mixed-media art pieces are marked by nostalgia and whimsy with overlayed bright polka dots, patterned tissue paper, newspaper articles, vintage black and white portraits.  I LOVE her pieces like the Lola print ($25 for 8"x10" print), and she even does custom orders with your own photos!






Clockwise (from top right):
Micah Smith's digital illustrations always bear a stand-out graphic.  While his poster for Justice ($30) is very graphic on its own, Micah's test prints feature layers of random characters that he has put in his past works.  I didn't know this before I found out about Renegade Craft, but Micah, aka My Associate Cornelius, was often commissioned by Myspace to create posters for the social network's secret shows with headliners that included The Bravery, Maroon 5, and Phantom Planet.  I scrutinized his secret shows posters back in my Myspace days. It seemed like Micah had a list of animals and objects the he wanted to include in his posters and everytime he got a commission, he would look down his list, cross something out, and create an illustration of that something, eventually turning it in to a poster.  Oh, he also made a poster for a guy named Bob Dylan who didn't have a Myspace show because he's better than that.

I've seen Frank Chimero's logo and site before and he has an impressive portfolio with illustrations that have been featured in Business Week, Good Magazine, and The New York Times.  I love his posters that take inspiration from the practice of graphic design, American state silhouettes, and even John and Yoko's anti-war activism.

Nate Duval's posters are hand-drawn like The Decemberists poster ($30) and/or hand-printed. I threw in his Gossip poster ($20) because we all know who Beth Ditto is (and if you don't know who she is, she won the title of Sexiest Woman of the Year (2007) at the NME Awards. Excited to Google her name now, eh?), plus it shows a different style of poster art he can achieve.  Duval has also made posters for music festival favorites Explosions in the Sky ($25), Flight of the Conchords, Santigold, and Grizzly Bear.


Some of the artists sign their merchandise, and that makes a print more than just a print! By the way, a lot of the music artists that these graphic designers have created posters for performed at my school.  Who exactly...let's see...just in the past year: Ben Kweller, Jenny Lewis, Colin Meloy, Rob Crowe of Pinback, Ra Ra Riot, Rogue Wave, Flight of the Conchords, and Death Cab for Cutie.  Yeah, we're pretty cool. *wink*

Best picks from 1st Annual Renegade Craft Fair in LA: Stationery

Cuteness crashes at LA! Get ready for handmade goodies that are set to sell at Renegade Craft Fair, taking place at California Market Center's 13th floor penthouse next weekend, July 11 & 12. I'm really excited for this event because this will be my first crafts fair I've attended (that is if I can make it there. I can't drive!). RCF selected over 200 artists to showcase their works to the SoCal public along with crafts orgs that are putting on demonstrations and their own little (a little hectic!) events such as screen printing workshops and clothes swaps, which I plan to participate in!

I did something crazy over two days and looked through every shop that belonged to the 200+ Renegade artists. Thaaaat's right. My computer crashed twice, but whatevs. The important thing is that all my windows have been re-opened *knocks on wood*.

I've compiled a few lists of my picks for best products and artists but I'm separating them into three different blog postings because we don't like myopia, do we? Many of the artists sell their products on Etsy.com, and if you know Etsy, you know that visits to the website usually end in a cuteness overload. Oh, and since all these product are made with the artists' own blood, sweat, and tears, some of these can be quite expensive! Remember you're supporting an indie artist, and with your purchase, you're basically paying for their materials...not to mention their supper!
Just to tell you all, if you like what you see but you can't reach the LA area, all the featured products are available online and Renegade Craft Fair takes place in different cities, including San Fran, Chicago, and Boston.



Clockwise, starting from banner:
In-vita Paper Studio crafts beautiful greeting cards out of 100% recycled cardstock. Though the seller does custom orders, her Nesting Dolls greeting cards ($3 each) featuring Russian phrases are a big hit!

Fomato makes the most adorable graphics...and puts them on PAPER. With story-telling pictures of talking octopi, aliens, potatoes, and other creatures, these cards are bound to make that special someone giggle. Right now, Fomato is shipping across the US for FREE with a free birthday card with every purchase for a limited time, so here's your chance at showing your THOUGHTS. BECAUSE IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS. I couldn't help but make a purchase (shipping from a neighboring city!).

Poketo is probably my favorite graphic design-oriented artist. In addition to creating exclusive products for clients including The Shins, Weezer, and SFMoMA, the internationally-recognized design duo Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung sells whimsical cards, pens, and notebooks produced by a number of different artists. Op for Matryoshka cards ($3.95) when you can't gift the real thing and buy a graphic covered Travel Notebook ($24) rather than a plain ol' Moleskine.

Start teaching your kids about the birds and the bees with I Heart Guts' Sexy Reproduction System stickers ($7)!

Dee & LaLa's creations are simple and clean but über adorable. All the graphic stationery, including the featured Acorns and Kitten cards ($5.95 and $4.95 respectively) are made out of textured, "tree-free" cotton-rag paper.

Art and posters are next...