Brass in Pocket – Smiley Stevens and Philippa Price are twenty-something emerging designers whose embossed brass wallets accidentally launched a brand. I met up with this duo recently at LA’s Soho House during Fashion’s Night Out, and their inspired designs had a certain cool literally stamped all over them. In describing their line, the designers said, “Guns. Germs. $teal. is a brand driven by our desire to discover, reinvent, and blend history with our present day youth culture.” Translation: swagged out. [Catch more of their story, in their own words, after the jump.]
I was curious about the catalyst for their creative collision and heard back from them in an email. I liked the spirit in their words, so I thought I’d share some excerpts below: Click for more on these cool girls.
Introducing Timothy Ringsmuth Jewelry – I literally bought some pieces off the designer’s body during this Unique LA Summer Show and have since been approached by many who’ve tried to buy them off mine, even as I was shooting model Miwa, seen here. The biggest buzz is the above Hermès Orange bridge necklace, on a delicate 18-inch gold filled chain with a toggle clasp. They retail for $120 and you can contact the designer here for a substantial StyleSpotting.com discount through October 15, 2011. It’s such a great deal that I’m going to keep it under wraps unless you reach out. Timothy (her real name) has made a name for herself as a fine artist who specializes in glass and started making jewelry as well. [Click any image to see these pieces in her gallery]
Q: As a fine artist, what inspired you to start making jewelry?
Timothy: I started making jewelry for myself and for friends in-between making installation works. I loved the simple puzzle of shaping a form that would be pleasant both aesthetically and visually, to wear on the body. After moving to LA, I decided to focus more fully on the jewelry. [The full interview and more jewelry after the jump]
The bracelets – and most pieces – are available in a broad color palette, above with adjustable slipknots.
Even her labels are cool. I was writing a story about a private westside shop – Gina Lamanna’s cute and cozy spool boutique – and spotted some pretty fun pieces from Raquel Allegra, Clu, Beth Orduna, Mike Gonzalez and many, many more. You can catch the story on Racked LA for this well-edited, appointment only shop.
Photographer DANIELE ALBRIGHT, Author/Gypset Designer JULIA CHAPLIN and Artist/Designer KELLY LAMB at DES KOHAN
Who’s Who – I was StyleSpotting recently at the west coast launch of journalist Julia Chaplin’sGypset label, a collection of five Galactic Weekender dresses, influenced by her high/low travels, detailed below. The collection debuted at DES KOHAN, which has the California exclusive on the brand. I shared the event on Mondette, but also ended up taking a closer look at Julia’s spirited style as well as that of two of her friends (pictured above) that I’d like to intro. || Find more on Julia’s experience designing Gypset (much harder than she thought), meet her stylish friends and {Click to go inside}
Never Lame, Never Plain - I had so much fun spotting Helena and her friend Carolina a few weeks ago. Her hair might’ve gotten my attention, but it was her spirit that reeled me in. We had some laughs and I’ll let her explain her style in her own words. She was visiting from Finland and perhaps you may have heard of her company?
Helena’s Style Story - I am a swimwear designer at H&M. My hair has a dip dye effect: my natural hair color at top, bleached blond in middle and endings in washed out pink. I have seen that in magazines and just decided spontaneously to color it one Saturday and I love it! CLICK for all of Helena’s pix >>
Deadstock Canvas Reunited with Vans – Mike Dytri, founder of sportswear company Ludwig Van, scored a stash of decades old Vanscanvas fabric at a warehouse sale, intending to spin the one-of-a-kind deadstock into a special release. Surprisingly, the streetwear designer eventually found himself working closely with Vans to create an extremely limited edition collection, available in only five U.S. stores. The 288 pairs of Ludwig Van X Vault by Vans dropped on April 8 and each pair is packaged with a matching D-ring belt, flip book, shoe bag and limited edition box. I met Dytri at the collection’s Santa Monica launch party at Conveyor at Fred Segal and have the full story, VIDEO and special offer after the jump.
(Venice, CA) Along Came a Spider – You might recognize the spider [above], via the more expensive version previously dangling on Melissa Leo as she won an Academy Award for The Fighter. This $12,500 ruby eyed, diamond creature with an opal back is currently hanging in Katherine Wallach’s recently opened Abbot Kinney Pop Up Shop along with a bevy of jeweled curiosities. The designer is also an actress and daughter of Eli Wallach who splits her time between New York, LA and her farm in Tuscany where she produces wine and olive oil. Her eclectic must-see collections range from $100 to $25,000+ and are made from materials gathered from her travels around the world.
Cabinets of Curiosities – Saucy. Saucy is the word I’d use to describe jewelry designer Katherine Wallach and her body of work. First, the name SHOPLIFT was inspired by Lindsey Lohan’s alleged crime. Secondly, when she was in a mad dash to put a temporary sign in the window, she thumbed through her iphone photos and stopped at the above image of her mouth (that, er, may or may not have been taken specifically for a flirty text). Thirdly, her collections include a bevy of erotic-themed jewelry. If you’re in LA, you must make an effort to swing by this shop, housed in the Stronghold Building and open through March 27. When Katherine ran into neophyte Venice resident Lindsey Lohan recently, the actress had a laugh that her dilemma had inspired the store’s name. With a little over two weeks left, I’m already hoping the store has an encore. SHOPLIFT at 1625 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291
StyleSpotting: Tay Jay! - I dipped into MADISON Los Angeles on 3rd Street recently and caught the latest Kasil + Taylor Jacobson collection. Taylor Jacobson (stylist/designer) was wearing a pair of their Minx Ultra Skinny (and I loved the way she tied her shoes around the ankle). Catch the VIDEO BELOW. The funny thumbnail gives it away, but there’s a really cute moment where she *forgets* something and has to reach out for help. I also ask her about “shirts” for 2011 and she goes into “shorts.” Funny, but whenever you try to snap pix of her, she starts dancing, like here and here (which you’ll also witness in the video). Ok, read more about Taylor Jacobson and MADISON below the video.
The Skinny – Taylor likes clean lines, so you’ll notice her denim is unusually sleek. I’d love the same killer YSL pumps on the denim model, too! (PS Taylor said she wore this shirt because it “hides things” but she’s t-i-n-y. I’m crushing on her blue PRADA clutch). Click the pix.
Shoegazing – For those of you who don’t know Taylor, she was a reluctant reality star and now an even more reluctant <celebrity>. She doesn’t quite understand why she’s a <style icon> and is surprisingly approachable and her outfits never disappoint.
GIVEAWAY – If you’re wondering what shoe Taylor’s waving around in the video (and bagged above) it’s a unisex line called NATIVE and I’ve run into a few interesting (i.e. cute) guys wearing them – so think of them as crocs for the cool guys (and gals). Thanks to MADISON Los Angeles, I picked up 2 pairs for readers, so leave a comment below if you’d like to own a pair and I’ll see what I can do <wink>.
