cats and swallows

MiuMiu Spring/Summer 2010 is so whimsical, impractical, girly, pracically lolita-ish and really not suitable for anyone who actually has a desk bound day job and is not 18. And yet, I want! Sigh. It's either a sign of the allure of great design or an immature personality. Maybe both... :p (Right, that's a reaaall mature way to end off a post)


And really that's why I love beautiful shoes. Cos it's a great way to incorporate whimsy into one's wardrobe and anybody can inject some fun into an ensemble in this way and still not be laughed out of the office, I think (hope). Mulling over which pair to get....

(Illustration by the wonderfully talented Krisatomic and rest of pics were shamelessly filched from her post as well)

men with sticks

we wandered around in our dreamscape, trying to find the secret passage to our next fantasy.

(Laurence Winram Portfolio. More here)

slow and steady

"Today, we rush ­everything, but architecture is slow, and the landscapes it sits in even slower. It needs the time our political systems won't allow."

-- IM Pei

Believe in the strength of one's vision and the absolute necessity of getting it right; slowly and painstakingly.

(Read rest of IM Pei interview here)

the pages between my fingers

Say what you may about the kindle and the marvelous ease of technology. How does one ever get over the simple pleasure of a page rustling, the feel of printed words between the fingers and the art and history that can be book covers?

Pelican Books, former division of Penguin Books, had some great book covers from the 1930s to the 1980s. See them at Things Magazine.

A diary for each travel

There is a romance to travel journals. The raw spontaneous quality is as good, maybe even better, a snapshot of a mood and place in time.

(By Bill Berkson. See rest here)

tender is the night

I don't like things to look too precious. The best kind of homes and furnishing are the ones that make you wish you knew the occupier owner and all their stories too.

The incredible home of the owners of Nightwood. Talk about being one's own best advertisment. Be inspired by the design and creation process here.

free play

"I call that man rich who can satisfy the requirements of his imagination."

-- Henry James, Portrait of a Lady

The incredible work of Tim Walker.

all my bags are packed i'm ready to go

"We travel, then, in search of both self and anonymity -- and, of course, in finding the one we apprehend the other."

Why We Travel

-- Pico Iyer

Usually I try to avoid multiple posts of the same author. It just seems lazy. But right now, these words are so right for me.

less for more

"But at some point, I decided that, for me at least, happiness arose out of all I didn’t want or need, not all I did. And it seemed quite useful to take a clear, hard look at what really led to peace of mind or absorption (the closest I’ve come to understanding happiness). Not having a car gives me volumes not to think or worry about, and makes walks around the neighborhood a daily adventure. Lacking a cell phone and high-speed Internet, I have time to play ping-pong every evening, to write long letters to old friends and to go shopping for my sweetheart (or to track down old baubles for two kids who are now out in the world)."

-- Pico Iyer, read rest of article here

"Having said that, most of my friends and I have an austereideology,maybe a recurrent longing for nature and a simple lifestyle.Not exactly hippie-ism, but being aware of the advantages of limitations.
It’s well known that you get a bit more creative when you have to struggle more...
I prefer the vulnerability of trying to do something honest."

--Juan Ignacio Maralejo

What we talk about when we talk about love

What is love but to be infuriate and mesmerized in turn, always?

Via Dan Rhodes.

Claire, the moment I met you, I swear

In the words of Gilbert O' Sullivan, "Oh Claire, Claire...oh Claire."

I have a new obsession and her name is Claire Incorruptible.

My love for vintage is well documented in the bulging wardrobes at home. I remmeber buying my first ever piece of vintage clothing. Fittingly enough, it was in SF. In a cavernous space with racks packed to the brim and no shoppers around save for us. This was way back in the day before vintage entered every fashionista's lexicon and Carrie from SATC made vintage mainstream and hip. At the risk of sounding really mawkish and dramatic, it is an incredible high when one picks out an item and it fit perfectly, as though that dress has been hanging there all this way, waiting just for ME.

Now with vintage explosion of the past few years, it no longer is that difficult to find the outfits which fit, since there are tons of sellers out there trawling through estate sales and flea markets and hawking the results of their labour on ebay.

A more recent phenomenom is the increasing number of vintage web stores, probably contributed by the seemingly endless fascination with vintage and tediousness of dealing with ebay.

There are lots of really great vintage sites out there but if there is one complaint I have, it seems to be the general sameness of the wares on offer. I thought people turned to vintage as a way of dressing in a unique manner, to express a personal sensibility. But so many vintage sellers out there now seem to be scouting for and selling the same sort of look; namely vintage knock offs of what Kate Moss is all about this season and whatever the goddesses of high/street fashion in vogue /nylon tell us is in. Defeating the purpose I say?

But there are a couple of gems out there. And right now, my guilty pleasure is Claire Inc. An incredible emporium of vintage treasures which despite the volume of offering is clearly tightly curated and well thought out. No dressing the next chictopia rocker chick wannebe. Claire Inc specializes in truly unique, hard to scout pieces and lust worthly designer collectibles. Most of the items on offer are precisely the kind of vintage which never gets old and will always retain their appeal. Plus, how can one not love a store which sets out as its manifesto:

Claire Inc is a mighty force

Claire Inc cannot be defeated

Claire Inc has 20 x 20 vision

Claire Inc leaps shopping isles in a single bound

Claire Inc cannot be defined

Claire Inc fired Anna Wintour

Claire Inc is Incorruptible

But of course the rare and wonderful comes at a pretty penny. Surely worth it but my wallet's looking kindof empty now...