NY F/W11 Highlight Reel (1)

{Jason Wu}

{Doo.Ri}

{Prabal Gurung}

{Vivienne Tam}

{Malandrino}

{Preen}

{Rebecca Minkoff}

{VPL}

New York Fashion Week is always especially exciting because it signifies the beginning of a month of spectacular shows by some of the world's greatest and most influential designers.  Being the first of the four major fashion weeks, anticipation and fervor are at their highest as the first pairs of heels stride down the first spotlit runways.  With the week halfway through over 50 official shows have already taken place across the Empire City, and is it ever hard to keep up.  I spent my Sunday night settled down with a glass of red wine, checking out everything I'd missed over the past few, eventful days.  A lot.  And I can't wait for the ones to come.  Above are highlights from my top picks thus far.  Which have been your favorite shows?  

-images via style.com-         

Déjà Vu

{Marchesa S/S 2011 vs. Jason Wu F/W 2011}

Edge: Marchesa.  Though I do love Wu's styling.

-images via style.com-

One Of Many Swedish Obsessions

{ICEHOTEL, Sweden}

I'm infatuated with pretty much all things Swedish.  Their design aesthetic is minimal, clean & contemporary, their personal style has spawned an internationally renowned website, and the country is home to brands such as H&M, Acne, Cheap Monday and Ikea to name a few.  While my list of places to travel is admittedly obscenely long, Stockholm is near the top, and with it now The ICEHOTEL, 145 km north of the Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland.  Each year the palatial structure is reconstructed with snow and ice harvested from the nearby Torne River and transformed into an elaborate, yet temporary art installation by artists around the world.  Guests sleep in thermal sleeping bags atop beds dressed with reindeer pelts, and  sip evening cocktails out of ice glassware in the Absolut ICEBAR.  Those two things alone have me itching to go, but optional activities like a Northern Lights tour, reindeer safaris and dog-sledding (which I so want to do) are the icing on the cake (pun?).

 

-images via The ICEHOTEL-

Black, Blush, Gray & White Swans

{Black Swan Costume Sketches, Rodarte}

Oooh, the costumes for Black Swan.  Black and blush are my clothing colour obsessions right now, and with a little white and gray they make up pretty much the entire colour palette for the movie's designs.  Costume designer Amy Westcott collaborated with Rodarte for the amazingly beautiful contemporary dancewear looks that have been gaining critical acclaim (and a little controversy) this awards season.
  

Pillow Talk

{2004 Google Pillow, Paula Scher's Living Room}

I need pillows.  Save for two sad little ones my sofa is b-a-r-e.  I'm planning on covering it with a bunch of big, plush textured ones like those in photo #2 here, but I think that this google pillow would be a good addition to the mix as well.  Pictured above in the living room of New York graphic designer Paula Scher, I like the simplicity of the black & white and the way the text adds another dimension of visual interest to the room.  Though to be honest, there are three things on this year's that I've never even heard of.  Myxer?  Grooveshark?  Mocospace?  ...I'll google 'em.  

{2010}

{Reverse}

{2006}

-images via New York Social Diary & elasticco-

Must Have

I want a copy of this magazine!  However, given the scarcity of Vogue Paris regular issues in my city, finding a special edition is going to be a bit of a challenge...

Ceiling Study

The best part of the Vatican Museum?  The ceilings.  Which might seem like a predictable answer given the renown of the Sistine Chapel, but I don't mean the figuratively painted ones.  It was the beautiful, ornate, intricately detailed architectural ceilings in gorgeous soft pastels, that room after room had me looking up, up, up.