WHY

WHY stands for the partnership between Hermès Yachts and Wally. This new joint venture has conceptualized a motor yacht that redefines the art of living on the sea in green style. Powered by a diesel electric engine, it is also fitted with 900 square meters of photovoltaic panels. Amazing!

We heart Henry Cuir!

Hand stitched leather satchel with tab closure and thin leather handles.

Wrinkled camel leather tote with African bead closure, flat leather handles and embroidery and bead embellishments.

Hand stitched leather flap front satchel with African bead closure, thin rolled leather handles, and signature embroidery.

Hand stitched leather flap top satchel with rolled leather handles, tab closure and signature embroidery. Linen lined interior with African bead closure and leather zipper pocket.

We heart this dresser!

We are in love with this Yabette Alfaro hand-painted Two Hearts Trees dresser. You can pick it up at Swankey Swank in San Francisco. Yabette is a designer and store owner who re-purposes found objects.

Start a wedge fund

Adorable wedges from French wedge king Christian Louboutin!

Nixon rubber player watches

Perfect accessory for that summer glow! These sporty men's watches can look good on you ladies too.

Journal Standard Home

Q & A with Leila Baboi

Leila Baboi is a woman of many talents and obsessions. Her passion for art, photography, fashion, and design have resulted in a prosperous and exciting career in the fashion publishing industry. She's worked with Flaunt, Modern Luxury, URB, and a slew of successful entrepreneurs in the publishing industry as well as musicians like Hot Chip, Outkast, Yoko Ono and Peaches. She is now settled in as the West Coast Market Editor for world renowned fashion trade publication WWD in Los Angeles where she continues to feed her obsession for vintage shoes and jewelry. CLICK HERE to go to Leila's website to view her past projects and recent work.
Who's your style icon? Why?
Miuccia Bianchi Prada. With no formal design background she pushes conventions through eccentric and unconventional uses of design, never underestimating the power of pop culture, and always keeping a femininity of dress.
Favorite designers or brand?
RTW: Rei Kawakubo, Alexander McQueen, Camilla Staerk, Galliano, Maison Martin Margiela
Sportswear: Ksubi, Insight, Larsen Gray, Kill City,
Spikes: Pour La Victoire, LD Tuttle, Report Signature, my Chucks sans height
Gold or Silver?
Silver
Favorite book?
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
Favorite film?
Le Grand Bleu by Luc Besson
Art?
Basquiat, Van Gogh, Helmut Newton, Picasso, John Miro, Gustav Klimt, Ronald Kitaj, Raffaello, Robert Rauschenberg, Duane Michals, Henri Rousseau
What's playing in your IPOD?
Lykke Li, MGMT, the Virgins, Neon Neon, Minuit, The Kooks
What's your guilty pleasure?
Cigs + chocolate
If you had one wish?
Love for all
Your favorite find? or accessory?
A mixed metal triple wrap chain that once belonged to my friend's fabulous grandma.
If you could go back in time and pick out anything to bring back with you, what would that be?
Peace, worldwide.
Tell us about the accessories finds you chose to share with us and where you got them. When I vintage shop I generally look for accessories. SHOES and JEWELRY. They just don't make shoes like they used to and the jewelry you can find is unmatched to contemporary pieces. It almost feels as if I'm wearing a piece of history and I love that there is probably no other like it in the world. I found the white rhinestone star earrings at a no-name vintage boutique off the Pacific coast highway in route to San Fran, both pairs of shoes at the Fairfax flea market in Los Angeles, and the fabulous sequined blue cocktail lounge dress and wing earrings at the Pasadena swap meet in Los Angeles. I chose to share these because I'm obsessed. Especially with vintage shoes - I CAN'T GET ENOUGH !!! and I always get compliments and people asking where I got them.

Lanvin

French fashion house Lanvin has some great women's accessories this season. We love this yellow cracked patent leather flap front bag with python handle, laminated oversized shopper, and black grosgrain ribbon shoulder bag with gunmetal chain shoulder strap.

One of a kind: Pierrepoint Arcade, London

What's your sign? We found this lovely vintage zodiac belt at one of our favorite stores here in London. If your in town on a Wednesday or Saturday and looking for some great vintage shopping you have to visit Fat Faced Cat at the Pierrepoint Arcade, a few blocks away from Angel Station in Islington.

Junya Watanabe Spring 2009 accessories preview

Junya Watanabe cord trilby hat

Just read a review of this Junya Watanabe corduroy hat on Selectism. This hat is so our style, it hurts! It also comes in dark brown corduroy with a red ribbon.

Journal Standard x Danassa Deck

Journal Standard (one of our favorite Japanese brands) does it again! This time it's the mid version of their collaboration shoe with Danassa Deck. It comes in 7 lovely color ways so you really can't go wrong. Here are our 2 favorites.

Leonello Borghi

Leonello Borghi is already a well known name in the world of luxury leather goods (he has collaborated with Prada, Georgio Armani and Ralph Lauren to name a few). Borghi's own accessories line is all about versatility, function, and sophistication all wrapped in "unapologetic luxury". He always uses ultra luxe materials like ostrich, sting ray, crocodile, and deerskin and has developed a loyal luxe loving clientele. Here's a look at Borghi's new ostrich weekender (men's autum/winter 08 collection) now selling at Barney's for $3,890US.

New iPOD touch

For all of you electronic accessories fanatics here is the guided tour for the new iPOD touch. The best music and video iPOD ever (until the next one comes out!).

Chanel sport

Sports accessories for the brand conscious. Chanel fishing set, graphite tennis racket with matching tennis balls, and couture bicycle.

YSL limited edition totebag

Yves Saint Laurent will be giving out 5,000 limited edition cotton tote bags designed by Stefano Pilati from September 6th to women on the streets of key fashion cities like Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The bag will contain the luxury brand's ongoing Manifesto program, a newspaper-style catalogue featuring Naomi Campbell photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

John Varvatos boots

We love these washed leather button boots, suede chukka boots with hand stitched welt seam detail, and combat boots with an exaggerated toe spring from American designer John Varvatos. All handmade in Italy.

Q & A with Julie Tran Le

When Brooklyn based librarian Julie Tran Le isn't reading books or running around the city in head to toe vintage and high heels (which she's been collecting for years), she's hard at work looking for one of a kind recycled chain segments. She has amassed an amazing 80 pound collection of broken vintage chains which she incorporates into an environmentally friendly jewelry line called Crunchy Jewels. Le has been making jewelry since grade school, and selling it since her teens. Each necklace in her latest venture, Crunchy Jewels, is comprised of segments of the broken vintage chains she's stock piled for years. No two are alike, and in a clever twist, Le includes long stretches of multiple clasps and long dangling necklaces which also morph into chokers or wrap-around bracelets. To preview her new collection and more CLICK HERE for Julie's blog.Who's your style icon?
Dolly Parton. As a little girl, I loved how sassy and bold she was. Dolly's outfits are always over-the-top, totally ridiculous, and off-kilter, BUT she knows how to pull it off!
Favorite designers or brand?
My favorite designers are my friends - all Brooklyn-based: Stuart & Wright, Samantha Pleet, Mina Stone, and Mer. Otherwise, I am usually head to toe in vintage (I have a huge collection of dresses & shoes) and Agent Provocateur stockings.
Gold or Silver?
Both and all shades near and in between. My jewelry pieces are comprised of segments of vintage chains in varying materials and colors - the more you wear then, the more they change in the way they tarnish or fade and I love how ephemeral and more unique each piece becomes.
Favorite book?
That is a LOADED question for me. I am an librarian & archivist by day! So off the top of my head for now (I always change my mind):
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle & Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
À rebours (translated as Against the Grain) by Joris-Karl Huysmans
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Moon Palace & New York Triology by Paul Auster
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Favorite film?
I love documentaries...Bonnie and Clyde with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway (her costumes were amazing), Party Girl, Masculin Feminin, and In the Mood for Love
Art?
Guy Bourdin's fashion photography (his ad campaigns that I came across in 1970s issues of Paris Vogue were amazing) and the paintings of Francis Bacon.
What's playing in your IPOD?
My top ten as of late: Dolly Parton, Etta James, the Beatles, Peggy Lee, Tina Turner, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Coco Rosie, Antony and the Johnsons, Sigur Ros, & Bjork.
What's your guilty pleasure?
Foreign fashion magazines and red velvet cake balls dipped in dark chocolate and covered in coconut (that I make myself).
If you had one wish?
To live in a castle decorated like it is the inside of a jewelry box.
Your favorite find? or accessory?
All my vintage white colored jewelry & scarves that I have been collecting for many years and my berets - I have ever color you can imagine.
If you could go back in time and pick out anything to bring back with you, what would that be?
Costumes from the set of all of Francois Truffaut's films.
Tell us a joke.
I am more of a physical comedienne... it's hard running around the city in high high heels.

Ehiku

Los Angeles based surfer Carmelo Amulong is a jewelry designer with a vision. He creates beautiful and intricate pieces, hand carved from exotic wood treated solely with olive oil. His unique designs are named after surf locations and islands throughout the world. Each piece is a modern, wearable sculpture of art. His company, Ehiku, is environmentally conscious with each piece exclusively made of recycled and reclaimed materials.

Computer love

Numéro Tokyo (a Japanese fashion magazine) is giving these Louis Vutton monogramouflauge mouse pads away starting in October. Hopefully this will up the ante for the rest of the world's fashion magazines.