Venessa Arizaga's Vibrant Works of Art

Venessa Arizaga crafts fun and creative jewelry for the spunky, outgoing, and stylish woman. Each of her pieces is a unique treasure created using semi-precious stones, crystals, ceramics and precious metals.  Comprised of mainly necklaces and bracelets, the collection is a perfect mix of eclectic and elegant.

Venessa graduated from Parsons in 2003 and began her career in fashion as a designer at Tuleh and most recently worked for Zac Posen as their design director. Her jewelry remained a side project until she left Zac Posen in 2010 and focused all her energy and creativity on her charming jewelry. At first, Venessa Arizaga found a lot of her inspiration through her travels and still does today, packing many souvenirs home in her luggage. 

All Venessa Arizaga jewelry is hand-made in her Brooklyn Studio with utmost care and can be found online in addition to many specialty boutiques world wide.

-Maya Kuehnel

http://venessaarizaga.com/index.php

http://venessaarizaga.com/blog/

The Refreshing Tommy Ton

 London

While browsing through magazines and websites I have come across the name Tommy Ton a few times now and really admire his photography and eye for innovative street style. When I took the time to do some research on him and examine some of his work and browse through his blogs I fell in love with his work even more.

Paris

He is a Canadian born fashion photographer who does work for a few different publications and websites such as GQ Magazine and Style.com. He has been in the industry from a very young age he is admired by many and has built a great reputation for himself

London

What I love most about his work is how he captures pictures of the moment and doesn't always wait for a pose. He is a globe trotter with photographs from various cities from around the world on his blogs which give fashion lovers like myself some worldly inspiration.

Tokyo

- Justine Cheema

Photos From:
http://jakandjil.com/
http://tommyton.tumblr.com/

Viva la Magazine

Magazines being half the reason I decided to go to school for fashion, I’ve been dreading the demise of print magazines. Of course you can find everything in your magazine on their website or flip through full issues on your tablet, but there’s something special to me about actually flipping through those glossy pages. I swear I’ll be a crazy old lady with a house full of magazines because I’ll never stop collecting or be able to will myself to throw them out (hoarder alert!). So I was delighted when I recently read about the worlds biggest-ever magazine!!

And what a rare topic… ‘The Illuminator’ is a German magazine which is all about LIGHT, “in nature, culture, art, architecture and design”. The magazine measures in at 27 inches tall and 19 inches wide and the first issue came out just weeks ago. It will only be printed twice a year, which makes sense at 52 euros or about 60$ American an issue! Now I can definitely say, that is one magazine I’d like to get my hands on!

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Jump The Military Bandwagon

I am totally loving the whole military craze right now. There is just something sexy about people fighting for freedom for their own country. With Remeberance Day coming up, I thought I would do a little something for our fashionistas out there.


In recent years, women have been filling the role of a soldier in pop culture such as Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin or Demi Moore in G.I. Jane. Even with the new television show, Bomb Girls, it puts a feminine twist on how women are involved with the army. However, keeping it androgynous is key with strong rectangular silhouettes, broad shoulders, and a straight leg trouser.

Vogue Spain March 2012

Yes, camouflage has definitely made its comeback, but I think over the past year the whole military influenced fashion has blossomed into a more sleek and understated version that has a little bit more finesse. The boy-ish cuts of the garments makes people wonder about what curves lie underneath them, and I think a lot to do with being sexy is having some mystery.

Max Mara FW 2012

What's really cool is the influence is not only changing clothing, but it's also inspiring different accessories as well. So if you don't feel like becoming a complete combat babe, you can opt for a more subtle way by accessorizing your "regular" style with a military trend-driven piece.

Topshop Unique FW 2012

Acne FW 2012

-Alihandra Dubien



fashioncraz.com
lyst.com
trendland.com
vogue.com
zoccao.blogspot.com

Wool and the Gang

There is just something about knitting that makes me smile. Maybe it's the relaxation it brings or perhaps it's the energy I get when I actually make that very, very, long piece of string into something more than just a bundle of yarn. 

Whether you are a seasoned knitter or have never knit a stitch in your life, you need to head over to Wool and the Gang's Website. Wool and the Gang is a Swiss based company using Peruvian yarns to create cozy knitted garments. What sets them apart is that the gang of knitters really exists. From around the world knitters create hand-crafted pieces and form a partnership that makes up the tightly bound company.

Wool and the Gang farm out their projects to women in Peru. They form a bond and partnership by giving work to these women so they are able to stay at home and care for their families whilst still earning much needed income. You can either buy a one of a kind garment or buy a ready-to-knit kit and do the creating yourself. 

-Maya Kuehnel



Visit Wool and the Gang at: http://www.woolandthegang.com/en/home/index
Pictures from Wool and the Gang's Tumblr: http://woolandthegang.tumblr.com/

Michael Inspired Millinery

Philip Treacy is a famous milliner from Ireland. He is well known for his abstract designs and famous collaborations with various designers such as Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld, Donna Karan and many more. His work is very abstract which is why I was super excited to see what he had come up with for his Spring/Summer 2013 collection dedicated to the king of pop, Michael Jackson.

The line was debuted at London Fashion Week 20120. The clip above gives us a little taste of the show.  I love how Treacy's designs are clearly Michael inspired while staying true to his creativity and design. I think the song choice was perfect and my favorite design is the white bedazzled glove hat. 

Philip Treacy has designed many hats for Lady Gaga and she has a huge love for Michael Jackson as well, so it was very suitable that she introduced the show. Treacy and Gaga have collaborated on some of the designs and become good friends. Lady Gaga's hats are not my favorite but they are true to Treacy's creativity and Lady Gaga's style. 

-Justine Cheema

Photos: 

http://www.philiptreacy.co.uk/

Exquisite Craft

I’m loving that this blog is opening my eyes to fashion from all over the world. Of course we hear and read constantly about London, Paris and New York, but it’s amazing to find inspiring fashion and talent in unexpected places. As I was browsing through African fashion blogs I came across one called “The Expressionist”. It’s a blog by Anthony Bila, a South African who loves photography and features mostly street style posts. But what caught my eye was a lookbook he photographed for a menswear line called Skorzch.



The Creative Director is a man named Zanozuko Sithetho, or easier said ‘Zano’. Every piece is not just custom tailored but custom-made for each individual client, right down to the pattern. He refuses to use anything but quality fabrics and has ridiculously high standards which can be attested to by every piece he creates. The amount of time this man puts into each garment is phenomenal.

 

 

A construction worker before venturing into fashion, it’s interesting how meticulous he is in the construction of each garment. The lookbook shot by Anthony Bila is for Spring/Summer 2013. I love the quirky, vintage aesthetic that's represented by the highly saturated colours, bowties and the somehow awkwardly perfect cropped pants. It's matched by the modernity of the slim-fit and skinny neckties. Kudos to Anthony Bila for an eye-grabbing shoot and I hope that recognition grows for the standout designs created by Zano Sithetho.

 

 

 

Pictures courtesy of The Expressionist: http://anthonybila.tumblr.com