Katz on Anna

Supposedly after watching The September Issue, Alex Katz wanted to paint Anna Wintour without her signature sunglasses. This is the result!

Yay or nay?

Tuesday Tunes

Well, again Tuesday is upon us so all you delightful folks will be wanting some musical goodness. And you're in LUCK. Today happens to be the second installment of Southern Comfort, the most foolish, boisterous and generally entertaining radio show of our time. We'll be broadcasting TODAY, Tuesday September 28th, from 7-8pm (EST) on WZLY 91.5FM, so please turn your dials to our wavelength if you happen to be in the area. Otherwise, click this link and open up the stream in your iTunes for some good, old fashioned family fun. We'll be playing some new Sufjan Stevens and Deerhunter as well as some other great choons, so be sure to be there... cuz you don't want to be a square.

★ ★ ★ CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ★ ★ ★

Ps - Check out this great little heart-shaped strawberry I saw. & look forward to another fashion week post for me in the near near future.

♥, Azzara

Amanda's highlights for Spring RTW 2011- Part II

Finally! This is the second part of my pick list for Spring RTW 2011.

1. Moschino Cheap and Chic
I love how Moschino totally embraces color and pattern.  Every look is so whimsical and fun while still being wearable.  There were really cool accessories in this show for example the belt shown below with the huge piece of coral.  I didn't include any pics of the huge coral necklaces that also made an appearance but if you have time they are definitely worth checking out.

2. 3.1 Phillip Lim
Lim's palette was filled with gray, blue, and black so it was quite somber for spring but one of my favorite pieces of the whole season so far is the sheer trench coat below that has black piping. I'm not sure if it's a dress or a coat but either way I love it.  His pieces look very simple yet comfortable, perfect for this fall even.

3. Diane Von Furstenburg
I wasn't a huge fan of the rest of her collection but I was drawn to this look for some reason. It's very eyecatching and although it has a lot going on,somehow it works for me. And if you're not so into the whole outfit I could see splitting up the skirt and shirt to par them down.  What do you think?

Architecture-Inspired Rings

Philippe Tournaire is a Paris-based designer of some of my favourite things... jewels. He currently has a collection of rings based on architecture in lots of different cities and countries including Moscow, Paris, New York, and China.

Here are some of my favourites:

Moscow

Paris

Venice

China

Courchevel, French Alps

Aaaand, the London version is coming soon. If you've got 2000 to 5000 € to spare, go and scoop up one of these lovely rings (and feel free to lend it to me all the time).

♥, Azzara

Portfolio!

I'm going to make a shameless plug.

As of last night I have an online portfolio! I'll be updating it frequently. Check it out and lemme know what you think.

www.amandajhu.carbonmade.com

yarr,

Tuesday Tunes- another remix!

An RAC remix of "Boy" off Ra Ra riot's latest album, The Orchard

Mini Stop-Motion Film!

The animation studio behind Wallace and Gromit are at it again. They've created the world's smallest stop-motion film using a Nokia smartphone and this crazy invention called a CellScope (which is basically a microscope that fits onto a cameraphone). It sounds like a long process, as each image of the little girl Dot had to be printed on a 3D printer and manipulated to fit into the background. But it was all worth it, because it's a great lil film. Check it out below. The music is nice too.

♥, Azzara

Amanda's highlights for Spring RTW 2011- Part I

Hey all- in the world of fashion it's already warm out and we've got Spring 2011 on the mind.  Here are some of my personal highlights and I'll tell you why...

1. Peter Som: his collection might be my overall favorite of the season.  The colors are extremely cheerful and  I'm digging the mixture of graphic blacks and whites with florals.  Som's designs are what I think spring fashion should be.  I appreciate that he incorporates pops of color into his more black/white looks to keep them interesting. Som also includes his take on the LBD (4th image below).  I want to own every piece in this collection!

2. Vivienne Tam:  The first 10 or so looks from Tam's collection are white and although there were a lot of white looks from other designers this season, Tam's are definitely my favorite and they are anything but boring.  Each piece is extremely intricate and looks like it has been laser cut into fine patterns.  I love her attention to detail and accents of blue.

(all images via style.com)

to be continued...

Top 10 Fashion Week Favourites So Far

So the fashion week circuit is far from over, but there are already so many really amazing looks that I'm drooling over. On that note, here are my top 10 NYFW Spring 2011 looks so far!

Jason Wu

Karen Walker

Derek Lam

Preen

Marc by Marc Jacobs

DVF

Edun

Vera Wang

Erin Festerston

And after so many neutrals and blacks, here's a particular favourite of mine (blue dress obsessed):

Lela Rose.

all images from style.com

I'm definitely one for over-the-top clothes, but most of these looks are so subtle and yet STILL really eye-catching. I want them all. Can't wait for the rest of the spring 2011 collections so I can lust after even more clothes I can't afford.

♥, Azzara

One more Tune

If you're a sucker for a good remix like I am then I hope you enjoy this version of Local Native's "Wide Eyes" by Teen Daze.

Tuesday Tunes

So I was recently clearing out my email inbox (exciting, right?) and I came across the ticket I'd bought to see one my of my favourite bands, Foals, at the end of September. And then I realised that I hadn't done a post about all of the music I've been listening to/obsessing over recently. So here goes.

Foals Foals Foals! They came out with their new CD, Total Life Forever, in May of this year but I think I'm still partial to their debut album which is just a lil bit more spunky and funky and interesting. This is their weirdly cool video for "Spanish Sahara" off their new CD, although I would also recommend checking out the song "Black Gold" which I'm weirdly obsessed with.

"Balloons," off their first CD Antidotes, is also strangely compelling:

I've also been listening a lot to the Dodos, particularly their 2008 album Visiter. When I first started listening to them, I was wondering why they'd decided to spell visitor incorrectly and assumed it was just the band trying to be hip 'n fun. BUT, I then read their Wikipedia page and was pleasantly surprised. It turns out that they played a show for a bunch of children before the album came out and were given a drawing (now the cover) by one of the lil kids where "Visiter" was spelt wrong. And I guess it stuck. Pretty cool, huh? I wish I'd been a cool enough kid to get my drawings on the cover of a CD. Anyway, check out one of my favourite songs "The Season":

Just one more, Menomena! Whaaaat a good name. I used to be obsessed with their old CDs and there had been much discussion about them having new music out for AGES. So when it finally happened in July (at least a year overdue), I was pretty excited. I can't tell if I like it as much as the other stuff yet, but there are some good toones on hurr. Have a listen to "Taos."

What are you guys listening to these days? I find that the beginning of a new school year always inspires me to listen to my old music. Perhaps it's because I never want to grow up. Hey, maybe if I'm a kid forever I can finally get one of my drawings on the front of someone's CD. I'll just have to keep trying...

♥, Azzara

The Wilderness Downtown

This is seriously one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. It's an interactive film by Chris Milk featuring an Arcade Fire song. Make sure to put in your real address. You won't regret it, I promise.

Go and check it out right now: The Wilderness Downtown

♥, Azzara

Azzara's Fall 2010 Wish List

There are so many things on my fall wish list that I barely know where to start. Buttt here are a few things that I want ASAP.

1. Cool Prints

Crazy prints were all over the runways for fall. Proenza Schouler, Matthew Williamson and Balenciaga, just to name a few, had some fun abstract prints that I want to steal. Since I unfortunately can't afford any of these fancay designer pieces, I've found some equally-as-wonderful (and waaay more affordable) alternatives.

urban outfitters, $54.

nikitajade on etsy, $28.50.

asos, £59.

2. Camel Camel Camel

I must admit, I'm really into the camel coat obsession going on in every fall 2010 runway show. Think DKNY and Chloé.There are so many that are gorgeous and I want to scoop them up into my closet.

deargoldenvintage on etsy, $78.

alexa chung for madewell, $275.

ubervintagethreads on etsy, $54.

Oh, and just one more to fantasize about...

Burberry, $1195.

3. Scallops

Scallops are the bomb. Check out some lovely scalloped pieces à la Miu Miu.

urban outfitters, $48.

deargoldenvintage on etsy, $44.

urban outfitters, $58.

4. Pleated Tapered Trousers

These are ALL over the place. I love how simple they are, but still supa classy and comfy.

american apparel, $75

urban outfitters, $78.

topshop, £38.

♥, Azzara

Yay or Nay: Alexa Chung for Madewell

The Alexa Chung for Madewell debuted today online and I'm not sure how I feel about the collection. Obviously it was hyped up the shiz with Alexa Chung being the new "It" girl (disputable?) and to top it off having a great bag named after her. Back to the collection, some of the pieces I really enjoyed such as:

from top to bottom $168, $110, $128

But at the same time, don't much want to pay $100 for a pair of high waist shorts esp. since it's almost fall. Also, overalls? Those need to stay in the 90's. Not such a fan of:

each $125. photos via Madewell.com

Like J. Crew, it's sister company, Madewell relies heavily on styling to make a sale but can the pieces hold on their own and for the price? Any thoughts?