Fun Fashionable & French

I have quite the girl crush on Garance Dore! I love her style, wonderful street fashion photography, incredible job with jet-setting life style, and her illustrations of corse.

For years I've been visiting her blog, but it's just this year that I'm able to read it, since it's now being translated into English. Garance's blog features delicate girlie girls who ooze fashion in an effortless and totally enviable way.

She has a great sense of humor and her writing is very casual and relatable. It's as though she's an old friend dropping you a friendly hello and sharing her findings. These are some of my favorite illustrations from her blog. Her work regularly appears in Vogue, and more recently on a limited edition run of t-shirts for the Gap.

You can read more about Garance and her boyfriend, Sartorialist author Scott Schuman here.

Illustrations by Garance Dore.

New Print: Milie

Recently there's something a little out of the norm that I look forward to finding in my mailbox, the J Crew catalogue. This is not because I'm a big J Crew shopper, actually in last year or two I've bought only 2 or 3 pieces. (Their stuff doesn't really fit me) The reason I look forward to their catalogue arriving is because the designs, styling and art direction are so well done. I love the color palettes they put together and they way they style the models, layering garments so they look haphazard and thrown together, yet still come off preppy and classic.

After this last issue I decided to turn one of the kids looks into a illustration for my etsy shop. I really like how she came out so a few more J Crew inspired illustrations may be on their way. I'll keep you posted. In the mean time you can check out Milie in my shop.

Photo above: J Crew Nov. 2009 Catalogue

Obsessed with: Valentino

I laughed, I cried, and I didn't want it to end! I'm talking about the incredible documentary about Italian couturier Valentino (and his partner Giancarlo) called Valentino: The Last Emperor. I saw this film when it opened last May with a sold out crowd of fabulous fashion folk. By the look of the line outside the theater you would have thought we were waiting to get into the tents for the hottest show of fashion week. At the time the only theater nationwide that it was showing in was the Angelica, a small indie theater in downtown NYC.

It was simply fantastic, exceeded all expectations! I saw my good friend Renaldo Barnette, waiting in line to come in as I was coming out and I was practically in tears telling him how great it was (Ren went to the showing that was introduced by Andre Leon Tally, but that one sold out quick, so Jen and I had to go to the previous showing.) Since then I've had this postcard, shown above, on my fridge and have been waiting patiently for the dvd release. This movie is incredible, so great in fact that I can't seem to come up with the right words for it without sounding like a gushing fool. I loved it, and I really think you will too. It's rare for a movie about fashion to really get it right. (Remember the train wreck that was Pret-a-Porter?!?!)

Valentino: The Last Emperor truly takes you into that world, the world of the fashion elite. Another reviewer said it perfectly: " This film exemplifies everything I love about the fashion industry- the hype and glamour of the shows, the weekly flitting from one city to another and the daily encounters with fascinating people." You get to go inside the genius' behind the 45 year old label. You learn how a real couture house operates, and about the man behind the man, because it's also an incredible love story.

It turns out it's still playing at theaters and festivals around the world. You can click here for theater info, or to watch clips from the film click here, or finally to pre-order your dvd click here (available to ship Sept 8th)...I just ordered mine. :)

One of the many great quotes from the documentary is Karl Lagerfeld saying to Valentino "compared to us, the rest are making rags." I love it!

Image above are two working sketches by Valentino from the Ara Pacis Museum exhibit. Fabulous, aren't they!

Amazing Talent {Part 2}

When interviewing for a Designer job, prospective employers often ask that the candidate to do a project for them. Below is a "project" that my talented friend Renaldo Barnette recently did. They're so "downtown chic", I just love it! Especially the fantastic shoes, matte sequin fabric, and long necks!

Renaldo once worked for a company that has since folded, called Garfield Marks. Below is a mini collection that he designed for them. The girls are much more classic and conservative but still so chic! I could drool over his drawings all day, don't you just love them! I learned from the best.

Amazing Talent {Part 1}

Tonight I had dinner with Renaldo Barnette, a great friend of mine who happens to be an incredible Fashion Designer and Illustrator. Renaldo has designed for Tuleh, Anne Klein, Kai Milla, Ralph Lauren, and Badgley Mischka in addition to creating his own collection that won rave reviews in WWD.

Renaldo was my very first fashion professor at FIT, ten years ago (omg time fly's!) We became fast friends when fifteen minute class breaks turned into hour long dinners because we'd run out to grab a bite and end up getting lost in conversation. Needless to say being teachers pet did not make me popular among my classmates in that class.

Renaldo always has a sketchbook on hand and tonight was no exception. I love seeing what he's working on, and I'm sure you will too. He let me take photo's of his sketchbook to share here with you!

Stay tuned, I'll share more of his beautiful work tomorrow.