Love is Mighty

Everywhere we looked this week, despite ceaseless rain and water-logged streets, girls with tanned limbs were shod – prematurely, perhaps – in summer sandals with pops of “Bermuda Shorts” pink nail polish.

All we can say is get thee to Debut to replace those gold gladiators: Love is Mighty, an artisanal new collection is the new wave of exotic flats. Light as feathers, the shoes have thin, yet durable vegan soles and have been given the works by crafstmen in India. Imagine Ocean reef-blue beads, vegetable died woven laces and individually sourced talisman-like embellishments.

This is a joyous collection, painstakingly sourced and cared for by Founder Monisha Raja. For that extra twinkle to compliment your new white Provencal dress, Raja believes natural is the most beautiful way to go, hence “LOVE is MIGHTY”. Love transcends all, and is represented via preserved techniques, and respect for the earth’s naturally abundant resources. These are good for the “sole”.

 

Why Timo, Why?

He tempts us so. Timo Weiland has executed yet another collection of sure to be seasonal (and seasonless) favorites. We first wrote about this new label for spring 2010, and at the time raved about Weiland’s perfect-fit designs for New Yorkers. The message: the art of dress-making for young at heart sophisticates. 

Little has changed in our thinking since that initial post, yet everything Timo has evolved. Once again there are must-have dresses in identifiably quirky-chic prints, but the cuts and fabrications have greater depth and finish.

A shirt waist forest-printed mini dress comes either with an exposed midriff for tan-bearing, or without for those who wish to pass office codes.  A trim mini skirt is comprised of chiffon over whisper-light silk in contrasting blue and red, with a print bordering on the animal side.  

The hunt for the perfect cardigan concludes with a bang: choose ivory or scarlet backed by forest and wildflower print chiffon. Business in the front, party in the back. A Timo devotee likes to surprise, and should be prepared to humbly accept compliments while coming and going at every event.

Timo Girls -

 

One Original Thing...

It’s all about that one little thing.

The other day a girl uttered this to a friend while shopping the designers at debut. Her phrase seemed at once a justification, an explanation and a call to arms to keep on looking. “That’s it,” we thought! That’s what makes girls tick. Often there is no reason to buy; nothing is so new that it can be pronounced essential. But if a design has that “one little thing”, it’s a done deal.

Take Akshata for example. The collection was founded in 2010 by Akshata Murty to preserve the ancient crafts and inherited techniques of India’s artisans. Akshata is a collective of sorts, gathering fabrics and accessories prepared in India by local experts, and merging the work with a New York-based design team. Production is split between New York and New Delhi, offering balance and opportunity in the process.

Modernity in this case is a good thing, and introduces unique processes and hand-finishing to simply pretty, wearable clothing. The pieces have at once a far away quality and beautiful finish to them, and will invoke many a “where did you find that?” query. Pale, sweet pink silk, Mediterranean blue beading and gold metallic underskirts conjure long summer days during which you don one dress in the morning, and don’t change until the last drop of rose at night’s end.

Gone Shopping

The days are improving, and with that, so grows the list of new accoutrements we might, ahem, “require” for Summer.

Sometimes you just need something...anything. That intrinsic human desire to acquire and self-satisfy comes into play during moments of upheaval and transition – for example the weather – and helps create a base of one’s vision of self.

For instance, Hekki Salonen’s latest delivery offers a simple message: “wear cool socks”. The slouchy runway pieces arrived in shades of rust, ivory snow and black. Pair with flat Marni men’s-style sandals in clean calfskin, a floaty dress plus - if you're really hip - these Tube Sock Skateboards.

 Hekki Salonen Knitted "Flip" Socks in Black, Ivory Snow and Rust - the new Uggs

$169

And for no reason whatsoever we are feeling this seemingly new color, mint-blue. It speaks to us. It should be paired with incongruous warm things like sand, red-and-white checkered lobster bibs and Baja. These new Jack Germain wallets do just the trick.

 There are no bills where we're going. Just credit cards.

Jack Germain "Shoreline" Credit Card Holder

$160

Vacay!

Lost Property of London Rucksack, Hekki "Flip" Socks and Love is Mighty wraparound thongs (more on these puppies later)

Swim like a fish...

Sang A, one of the brightest talents versed in exotic textures and shapes, has indulged us with new pale colors and matt python for summer. Her signature “Pop” and “Mini Pop” handbags sing a certain secret siren song to passers-by and travelers from afar who come here just to seek a longed-for tote or clutch.

We have written about Sang A Im-Propp before, the multi-faceted, Korean-born dancer turned pop star, turned New York-based designer. She blazed a trail on stage in front of millions of fans abroad, and parlayed this turn in the spotlight into a deep investigation of personal style and self-creation – the strengths of a born performer. Her instincts were right, and she quickly found her niche in fashion with kick-y shapes and ultra luxe textures and skins.

This season we have the palest blue fish skin Mini Pop – the new icon – and a bucket-sized matt coal python Pop bag. Slightly rough and discreet, and just what Sang A offers that others do not.

Mini Pop / Mint-Blue / Natural Fish

Pop / Black Matte Python

True Whit

Lightness of being, self-satisfaction, and objects of whimsy: these are a few of our favorite “things” for spring.

Enter designer Whitney Pozgay, a bright young talent (Arizona born) based in Brooklyn. Her vaguely namesake collection, WHIT, perfectly embraces all things pretty, easy, chic and un-self conscious. Take her online “inspiration board” (whit-ny.com) titled “Fundamentals”. Keith Harring…Shibori dying techniques…retro cult surf films. The essences of these great elements have been referenced and refined by Whitney – but never derived. Her collection speaks for itself, and comes from a romantic, but none too serious mind.

 

Let's go...somewhere

A flouncy, but not sweet white linen Urchin dress is clean and what we’ll long for in the long months ahead. Imagine its stark lines, lit by white hot sun against an azure blue vacation sky. Sweet, cheeky olive drab overalls come slightly cropped, and tailored just so. The wearer will feel jaunty, and unexpectedly compelled to don a lean bandeau to peek out from beneath.

 Lisa Marie Fernandez suits go well with cool WHIT looks. Summer packing: done-zo, as they say in the O.C.

Shorts, swing tops and apron dresses pop with tribal black and white. A tank top has a “porthole” opening in the back. For fun’s sake, we’ll call it all very witty. 

 Urchin Dress, Porthole Tank, Khaki Skirt will take you...

HERE:

Suddenly This Summer

UK-born and bred, but kissed by the Hollywood sun and the colors of Southern France; these qualities, and so many more were whipped into the iconic, fiery, beautiful and enduring personality of the late Elizabeth Taylor.

Many stories will be written about Ms. Taylor as the weeks pass, and her personal style – the ups, downs, and devil-may-care of it all – will be a certain focus; fittingly so, for her love of jewelry has propelled an industry for generations, and created a new legion of famous gems.

The right piece of jewelry absorbs the essence of its owner’s personality, and bestows it to each new wearer – think the Krupp Diamond. Costume, paste, faux, the real thing – they all have the same effect if beautiful, and Liz herself was an ardent fan of all things that sparkled with singularity.

Mawi is on track, then, with an heirloom collection of house favorites, and a fine costume collection of innovative new pieces each season. Our ruby and emerald rock fantasy pieces from Fall have segued to softer, brilliantly-hued looks for Spring.

Tutti Frutti is the name: slick necklaces with modern “claw” settings, and cushion-y cocktail rings with bursts of color in apple green and violet. And exclusively for début we are armed with a just-for-us group of pieces titled “Deco Rocks”, in shades of glinting coal and steel, sparking a decadent new era for costume wear. Each item is of generous weight, and packs a high-wattage of internal sparkle and light, like La Liz herself. 

 "Tutti Frutti" necklaces, bracelet and cocktail ring

$355 - $595

"Deco Rocks" awesome "Fang" necklace - $595

*Header: "Deco Rocks" stacked tube earrings - $355