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John Fleuvog has long been a go-to shop for men and women who expect their footwear to be distinct, fun, and quirky. The designs are whimsical yet classically cool, and each is expertly constructed. The company’s tagline, Unique Shoes for Unique Souls, isn’t just a clever play on words, it’s a style truism: from wingtips to high-top sneakers, the signature designs add a fanciful flourish to any wardrobe, and to the wearer. Few companies can call their offerings art, but Fleuvog has as great a claim to the title as any brand in the market.
My current favorite Fleuvog creation? The Prince George Boot, from Fleuvog’s ‘Signatures’ collection. I picked up the style a few months back and since then it has me walking proud, and walking tall. Or, rather, taller: the style’s most dramatic element is its sturdy, four-inch yes-its-from-the-men’s-section heel. Matte black, butter-soft German leather is punctuated by design details like contrast stitching at the sole, and extra long laces, which are meant to be wrapped around the ankle. It’s perfect for the androgynous-minded fashionisto [calling Andrej!], looking for a refined alternative to the military boots that have flooded the market. And it’s an alternative Boston men are quickly snapping up: a Sales Associate at the Newbury Street boutique admitted she was surprised at how quickly the style has sold in our traditionally traditional town.
The Prince George clocks in at around $389. For that price–less than $100 per added inch of height–I’d recommend you get a pair while you still can.
GET IT HERE.
P.L.U.R. (peace love unity and respect) are the four pillars of raver culture. This acronym is frequently featured on the brightly colored ‘Kandi’ jewelry that so often adorn the limbs of these ecstatic dancers. Now, I’m not saying you should walk out of work right this second and buy super baggy neon pants and furry ears to wear around on the daily, but there is something magnetic about the colors featured in this culture, and Blandine Bardeau, the French jewelry designer has very succinctly captured this fluorescence in her pieces. These are by no means understated, in fact, they are outright loud, yet they carry a beauty that evokes Zulu tribal jewelry, Native American beadwork, and most notably the aforementioned London rave scene.
Blandine Bardeau graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2009, and in addition to her jewelry she actively pursues illustration. In both mediums she deals with the fantastic, allowing for a graceful touch of the absurd in all of her work. Despite her newcomer status, she has already designed and put together jewelry for a Selfridges storefront, had her jewelry featured in many music videos, and has pieces that can be purchased in stores all over the world.
GET IT HERE.
Oscar de la Renta’s new flower-shaped ring brings you the best of both worlds: an on-trend accessory and a convenient way to deliver a much-needed spritz during that mid-day malaise. The scent? Oscar’s ever-flourishing Espirit d’Oscar fragrance, a spin-off from his signature scent released in 77’. And yes, you did spot it on his Spring/Summer 2012 runway… Not bad company to keep, I’d say.
You can claim your fragrance ring exclusively on Oscar’s Facebook. The damage is $65 and comes with a refill.
This bracelet evokes a post-apocalyptic city licked by neon flames, that or the jewelry all the bombshells in Tron wanted to be wearing but couldn’t afford. The delicate form of the feathers offsets the futuristic angles and hard edges in the bracelet; thus creating a simple yet interesting contrast that could be worn day into night.
This cuff is a total conversation piece, and it could even function as a Rorschach test of sorts – if your new friend/suitor/business partner doesn’t see something exotic in the bracelet, they probably won’t be worth your precious time. Just saying.
GET IT HERE.
P.S. You should also check out the Noir blog…
Most bridge labels are lackluster, downmarket attempts at capitalizing on a brand’s recognition in the marketplace. McQ, the lower-priced label from Alexander McQueen, is anything but. One visit to the label’s tumblr and it’s clear: this line is every bit as artful as its much-pricier counterpart.
With the winter months fast-approaching, I’m in full advocating-for-heels-in-snow mode [for those who would inquire, I've moved my many pair of Beatle Boots to the front of my closet, all with two-inch lifts...].
First up, this McQ two-tone bootie. Sturdy heel, textured outsole and an incredible combination of black and rich brown polished calfskin. In short, it’s the kind of shoe wardrobe staple that can take you through the entire season.
GET IT HERE.
[Photo: Erik Madigan Heck for Nomenus Quartlerly]
Mary Katrantzou is a London-based designer who has been making waves since her début runway collection for F/W 2009. The attention is due largely to the virtuosity of her printmaking, but it is also due to her evocative sense of silhouette and proportion, that variety of exaggerated shapes by and large restricted to the haute couturiers.
Such statement-making pieces have quickly become the darlings of both fashion editors and street-style-stars alike (Ms. Anna Dello Russo wore Katrantzou to Chanel’s F/W ’11 show, and has donned myriad other Katrantzou duds…). The editorials featuring her work (ranging from the quite obvious to the more surrealistic) often complement her maximalist tendencies rather than juxtapose them. Yes, I realize florals v. industrial spaces is hyperoverdone (in as much as it was parodied in The Devil Wears Prada), but there’s a sleekness to her silhouette that is at odds with the prints, and I don’t think that particular tension has been duly explored.
Opining aside, the pieces are, as singular expressions of an artistic spirit, beautiful beyond reason. Even better? Buying one such dress is a near-finite guarantee that you’ll never be caught wearing the same thing as some other woman, unless you keep the company of the aforementioned Ms. Anna Dello Russo. (Editor’s note: if you do, please call me, immediately. Let’s be friends. Kthx.)
In these times of watered-down designer collections pandering to the last dollar, how often can you really say that something you bought is unique and different?
This dress will do the trick quite nicely. An investment piece, for sure, but look at it this way: when you tire of wearing it, you can hang it on the wall. Art, meet Fashion. Fashion, meet Art.
GET IT HERE.
The skies are darkening and the sharpened, menacing shapes of this necklace are luring depressive dressing habits back out from my inner psyche.
Bevel jewelry takes inspiration from the mytho-historical narratives of the ancient Guatemalan document Popul Vuh. That means there is a silly yet still entertaining little backstory behind every piece, this particular one involving a sacrificed head hanging from a tree that spit onto the hand of Xquic, a daughter of a lord, impregnating her with the Hero Twins. Talk about one fanciful Immaculate Conception. The “thistles” on the necklace are representative of the 7 heads that were hanging on this tree during the time Xquic visited the tree. Kind of a darling story that balances creepiness with heroicism. Perfect fodder for daydreams and nightsweats.
GET IT HERE.
The daily grind of the concrete jungle we call a city makes it easy to forget what nature actually looks like.
I often dream about living a Thoreau-like existence, separated from technology and intertwined in nothing more than the gossip of the trees. This is a chimera I am unable to outrun. But as I pant anxiously looking for a way to feel grounded in a universe afloat in technological clouds, joking reminders of the nature that once was carry the power to improve my sense of humor regarding the whole situation. In comes the heroic and mildly self-deprecating woody wood rug.
The ideal component to perfecting a minimally designed apartment that is feeling a little too serious, this rug is there to remind you to step outside your apartment and get a breath of fresh air every few days.
But WAIT, before you open the door, buy it online HERE.
A key element deriving from the progress driven company, Audi would be their flawless way of constantly innovating. Their commitment to providing immaculate luxury with precise craftsmanship brilliantly comes together in the new 2012 Audi A7 Sportback.
The image above is a disguised prototype of the 2012 Sportback that was sent to the frigid Arctic for testing in cold weather climates back in February. Audi would refer to this model as quite the milestone for them; and rightly so.
Customizable features exist throughout the vehicle; one in which impressed me the most was the 3D navigational system. A wise business decision to partner with Google Earth offers the driver 3D satellite imagery, road and building specifics as well as terrain information, which can be important for those spur of the moment road trips! Reliable traffic updates are displayed on the screen making it a very valuable feature for the absent-minded driver on the road, which I find every so often to be myself.
The five-door coupe encompasses all the facets of a luxurious sedan, bringing the “sporty” aspect to a higher level of practicality and comfort. It’s fascinating design both inside and out showcases Audi’s dedication to precision and innovation.
The Sportback took off its elaborately designed camouflage this past summer and is showing great promise in the European market. It came over seas and rolled into dealerships this fall. Even if your not looking to buy, I highly recommend you take it for a spin, just for the fun of it!
It is a widely-acknowledged fact for Fall/Winter 2011: it’s going to a bleak season for shoes. Save for a few stellar updates on otherwise perfectly classic silhouettes, the assortment was, by and large, underwhelming. You’d think with all that hullabaloo over YSL v. Louboutin that the shoes would be otherwordly. Not so. In fact, I’m willing to wager all that fuss was orchestrated for the express purpose of distracting us from the fact that the collections are, sans fanfare,… hardly noteworthy.
Leave it to Casadei to fill a void in the market. Snakeskin platform with a sculpted wood heel? Yes, please. Stave off the winter doldrums with this pair, one of the few worth buying this season.
GET ‘EM HERE.
Let’s leave behind “Black Swan” and the craze for wearing dainty tulle skirts, sky-high ballerina buns, and ballet flats the Oscar winning film inspired. This fall is all about strong, menswear inspired womenswear. The trend doesn’t stop at the tailored trouser; it extends to ladies’ manicured toes. Smoking flats, shoes that glide onto the foot like a favorite pair of slippers are one of the season’s biggest (and most comfortable) trends.
From metallic lamé to animal print and even velvet, there is a style for every woman. Its thick flat heel and almond shaped toe is practical for Boston’s cobblestone streets and provides a nice alternative to the over played ballet flat. (We all aren’t ballerinas, anyways.)
The most coveted pair atop my slipper loafer must have list are the Black Glitter Slipper Loafers by Kosy. The feminine, glittered outsole of this Hugh Heffner-esque shoe provides the perfect compliment to its masculine structure. Available at Topshop, they are the embodiment of casual cool.
GET THEM HERE.
Ballast Lane applications has recently created an Ipad application based on the book written by former Met director Thomas Hoving.
Created by Larry Ernhardt of Marblehead, MA, this application transforms Hoving’s book “Master Pieces: A Curator’s Game” into a digital format, allowing the user to not only have access to all of the book’s content, but to also have a ability to play three different games based on the techniques addressed in Hoving’s book.
The application features 54 different Masterpieces from Caravaggio to Boston’s own John Singer Sargent, and 220 cutouts from these paintings. There are three possible games that can be played: “Study then Guess”, “Match Three Details”, and “Guess The Artist.” Ernhardt referred to the three games as “Intro, Junior Varsity, and Varsity” levels, emphasizing the game’s ability to be accessible to people of all ages. Despite having taken many Art History classes in college, I even found myself struggling at points during the game!
The Ipad is the perfect piece of technology for this application, allowing for smooth and easy zooming on details, the potential to easily flip back and forth between interesting paintings, and a fun game format that wouldn’t be possible in a physical book. Also notable are Hoving’s essays he personally penned for the book. As director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1967 – 1977, Hoving was known for “shaking up the Met,” increasing the accessibility of the Museum and acquiring numerous key pieces that would draw much larger crowds than the Museum had in the past.
Thomas Hoving’s writings on artworks are likewise highly lauded. The essays featured in Master Pieces: The Curator’s Game are creatively written, incorporating humorous facts and details about each Master and the trials and tribulations that went into the creation of each painting. Add to that the extremely high quality images and your morning commute to work just got 800 times better than a facebook newsfeed.
While the original book was $19.99, the Ipad app is only $4.99, making it a great deal for anyone who has a genuine interest in learning about art or introducing a family member to the magic of art history. You can purchase the application on the Itunes App Store.
Voilà! Zara’s fresh take on some of Fall’s hottest trends: vampy red and the ever-present snakeskin, in a pair of wear-them-with-everyything 4-inch power-booties!
Pair ‘em with a downtown-chic, artfully-perforated leather mini skirt or your go-to black stovepipe jeans. Budget-friendly at $129, I’d run to your nearest Zara store location…
GET ‘EM HERE.
If life has been feeling a little lackluster recently, step things up a notch with this Zero + Maria Conejo Eve Long Foil Dress.
Cleverly cut, this smoke blue dress cascades as if the garment was imbued with the energy and grace of a waterfall. Time to look seductively seraphic, I’d say.
Editor’s note: the boot here is a bit heavy. Best worn with a flat sandal or sky-high bootie.
GET IT HERE.
Catalina de La Torre is a Boston-based jewelry designer who is perhaps best known for her refined interpretations of rough-hewn stones, namely a series of geode rings which were as exquisite as they were ubiquitous. The Colombian-born de La Torre has aways exhibited an appreciation of natural forms, but what continues to set her work apart from the Elementary-School-Art-Teacher set is the modern way in which she renders these motifs.
Montmartre, the current collection, is a stunning addition to the designer’s repertoire. Yes,there is her love of clean, simple geometries, but she is clearly exploring new territory. Unimpeachably elegant territory, at that.
This pair is the perfect example, Lapis Lazuli and White Quartz? Parallel and perpendicular forms? That inky blue, which is Fall 2011′s major winner in the color category? It’s rare I appreciate such a simple harmony of materials and form, but these are just so damn perfect.
I would tell you where and how to wear them, but it’s unnecessary. Wear them everywhere, with everything. Inspire envy.
GET ‘EM HERE.
There’s a fine line between preppy and frumpy. And unfortunately, more often than not here in Boston, that fine line becomes blurred. I should know, I am from the cable-knit sweater capital of the world. Sure, a pair of soft brown leather driving loafers are timeless. But they rarely walk the runways of the shows at New York Fashion Week. And for good reason: fashion is aspirational. Comfort is… comfort.
But leave it to Isaac Mizrahi to make New England prep cool again with a fashion forward take on the overly starched and played out polo collar. Embellished with crystals, this chain necklace will add a touch of interest to nearly any outfit. And best of all, it has a detachable bracelet. Stop popping your collar and invest in this instead.
GET IT HERE.
NYFW is less than four weeks away… meaning a girl’s gotta start sifting through her walk-in closet, and start meticulously layin’ out what she’s going to pack into her about-to-explode carry-on rollers (I’d like to avoid losing my precious treasures at all costs so no thank you to checking in).
Enter one of Fall’s biggest trends: LEATHER. YSL’s spin on an otherwise traditional LBD is rather refreshing, with its impeccably cut leather and strategically placed panels. YSL is a frontrunner in creating a smart silhouette, juxtaposing the ladylike tailoring with sharp, architectural neckline; its utmost precision gives the dress uncontested polish to the eye.
Pair this buttery-soft leather number with minimal counterpoint, say a classic cashmere coat in charcoal hanging by your shoulders? Yes, please.
GET IT HERE.
A sale in August, in and of itself, is hardly news– with everything in sight at between 50-75% off, attainability has surpassed visual novelty as the shopper’s siren song. Even the mannequins begin to look a bit bored-to-tears around this time, their shiny, plaster eyes longing for the fall collections.
That said, we would be as useful as mannequins ourselves if we didn’t alert you that the Stel’s Bag Sale is happening, i.e. you can fill a shopping bag with merchandise for $25 (small), $50 (medium) or $75 (large) in the store today through Sunday. You saw that correctly; with tons of men’s and women’s coming in for fall, it’s time to make some room for what’s new on those racks.
Believe us, we plan to tell owners Jon, Tina and Dave that they are daft too, right after we’re done filling this bag…
Let’s face it, the friendship bracelets you made during arts and crafts at sleep-away camp never came out looking this good. This summer, relive your youth by sporting an armful of these Shaka Lanyard Bracelets. Sold in an array of fluorescent color and equipped with gold plated clasp closures, there are as many possibilities for pairing these hand woven creations by nOir as there are animal crackers in the camp’s snack jar.
GET IT HERE.
Boston Recessionistas, rejoice! DailyCandy Deals is coming to the city to rescue our little piggy banks and help us best stretch out our hard-earned dollahs to: get out and shop, eat, see, and experience all the nooks and crannies in town!
Starting from TODAY, August 8, DailyCandy Deals will have its local Boston site for us all to dive in (way to make our Monday, we are already loving you, DailyCandy)!
To start off the launch with a bang, the website is offering all kinds of über-cool deals, including:
- A romantic tasting menu for two at the fancy Haru;
- First-come, first-serve bargain deals from Fandango for the movie Change Up, featuring none other than Mr. Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman!;
- 40% off of Wembe, an organic skincare line, as well as
- a 50% off deal on a manicure prep set from Julep!
These deals won’t last long (give yourselves a strict 24-hour deadline and >>bookmark<< the website)! So become a DailyCandy Deals Boston MEMBER today, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the line-up change of exclusive deals and offerings!
