Anyone who spends time with me knows I love video and am always recommending it to clients when branching out into editorial content. Between the massive budgets that produce seasonal campaigns and homemade flip camera productions, there’s a swath of space in between to produce films on a budget and today’s Kate Spade feature is a perfect example. Enjoy.
No matter where we’ve been over the past year, it seems like the printed stripe trend is making the rounds near and far. From New York’s Fashion Night Out to Austin’s vintage windows along South Congress to the Darlinghurst boutiques in Sydney, Australia, striped collages are showing their appeal in store windows.
We’d love to see more imagery of people wearing said displays, do you have a favorite striped collage you’d like to share with us? This seems like an interesting departure from the nautical look of last season.
Over the past year, I’ve felt the urge to write about tigers on numerous occasions. Oddly though, it just didn’t feel right. Well, today’s the day this story finally gets threaded together, as a few trips to Barneys, the back streets of Paris and the Lower East Side have proven that tigers continue to play muse when it comes to graphic application- be it current or a throwback to the 80’s. The above murals are an inverse of each other, and an interesting parallel of color palettes. The composition to the left is a painting by Colleen Rochette and is on display at Barney’s Department store on Madison Avenue. The mural to the right is opposite L’as Du Falafel, a popular Falafel joint in the Marais in Paris.
This Diane Von Furstenburg dress puts the stripes and eyes of the tiger on full display, creating an abstract and artistic interpretation of the animal print. Merging camouflage trends with a motif repeat approach, Sandro, a retail favorite for women in Paris, is selling tiger-bedecked dresses and shirts this season. Magnificent 7 plays homage to vintage asian themes while this white tiger painting at The Cake Shop, a popular indie music venue on the Lower East Side, is a distinct reminder that no one’s letting go of the 80’s anytime soon.
I’m truly a sucker for beanbag chairs, so you can imagine the tease that was today’s sample sale on One Kings Lane. Sitting Bull is selling a wide variety of floral, striped, houndstooth and camoflauge bags, all perfect for casually chic seating. Unfortunately my apartment isn’t suited for one of these bad boys, as every square inch is precious. If you have room to spare though, this seems like an affordable and functional way to liven up a hardwood floor.
Back in the day when garments were handmade, nearly everything was asymmetrical. Sleeves were slightly off and patchwork signified frugal living. With the evolution of mass market technology and overseas production, asymmetry has taken a back seat, proving that sameness sells, particularly when the tween market is buying. As it often goes when trends become the norm, designers resurface classically ancient styles, merging them with bizarre twists. Ashish, an up and coming star in the UK, showcased a collection of fiercely vibrant designs during London Fashion week, merging ostentatious safari trends with asymmetrical sleeve details. Following suit, brilliant fashion illustrations can be found in the February edition of Citizen K Magazine, highlighting a Little Marc giraffe sweater.
The commercialization of arm detailing is an interesting oxymoron, particularly when it bears rebellious roots. Comme des Garçons, a continual front runner in fashion trends has toned down it’s usual flair with this dip-dyed shirt from their PLAY line. Kazuo presents an extremely tame version of textile patchwork, though it should be noted that when I googled the company name, a mesmerizing film popped up, documenting the escape of a factory fabric roll. Adding a feminine twist to this trend, Luella’s one-shoulder cocktail dress incorporates varied textures to convey confident elegance.
When times are tough, retail environments pull out all the stops, forcing their design teams to get crafty in lieu of spending big bucks. Sometimes these ad hock compilations are miserable collages and other times, wondrously creative ideas emerge. Anthropologie’s artistic displays typically fall into the later of the two categories. Inspired by Parisian wallpaper styles, the back wall of the retailer’s Fifth Avenue location pairs kitchen wares with floral chalk panels. Using a $10 can of blackboard paint and a steady hand, Anthro’s budget illustrations are incredibly chic and can easily be translated to any wall in your home.
Inspiration: Floral Striping
When designing floral striping, all inspirational elements must be considered. Here is a mood board that combines paralleling themes through the use of nature, Parisian craftsmanship and modern techinique.