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Jen, our Creative Director, stumbled upon this amazing dress the other day (below). She loved it so much she sent it to her friend Chris, and as it turns out - he designed it!

Christopher Viggiano, a talented fashion designer that went to RISD with Jen, was working as a designer for Swedish fashion brand Acne in Stockholm when he designed the dress. He sent over this sketch to show us (which is slightly different from the final design) and we just love it!  It's a small, small world sometimes!

Chris is now working in New York for the always amazing Kelly Wearstler as an accessories designer, and we can't wait to see what he comes up with next! Kelly's LA flagship store just opened up on Melrose Avenue in November, and we're definitely going to go looking for more of Chris's designs!

Dress via Acne, Sketch via Chris Viggiano, Kelly Wearstler store photos via Racked

This week we're loving a new discovery: BHLDN by Urban Outfitters Inc. (www.bhldn.com). It's basically Anthropologie for weddings and other special occasions, so obviously we're obsessed. Here's how the company describes it: 

"BHLDN offers brides, party goers, and party throwers an inspired alternative for life's most anticipated milestones. Catering to a small coterie of smart, creative women and focused on personalization, BHLDN goes beyond the wedding dress — bringing together inspiration, community, and a compelling, original product assortment."

Launched in February 2011, BHLDN is still really new, but we like what we see! So far, only one physical store exists, and it's in Houston. But more are coming soon (we think Los Angeles is an obvious choice!)

We love the look they've created for their brand. The bride they cater to is obviously not your typical bride - she's eclectic, creative, and non-conformist. 

BHLDN creates moodboards to give brides inspiration - we pulled two of our favorites (above). The photography throughout the whole site is really strong. It's similar to Anthropologie, but it's a little more artistic.

We couldn't resist - here are a few of our favorites!

All images via BHLDN

Digital printing has become a very popular technique for high-end designers in the last year. In the past, complicated prints were usually done using screen printing - a long, labor intensive process that could take weeks to produce even one piece. Digital printing used to be used mostly for putting photographs on cheap t-shirts, but with better technology that has improved the quality of the printing process, it has been adopted by the fashion world as a fast, cheap way to make custom, luxury-quality prints. Designers can now use literally anything as inspiration for a print - as long as they can take a photo of it (even with an iPhone).

 As far as designers that specialize in digital prints go, our favorite is duo Basso & Brooke. Celebrities like Michelle Obama and Katy Perry have been seen wearing their bold, abstract designs, and we imagine they're about to get a lot more popular.

Images via

1, 2,& 4. Style.com  3. Elle  5. First Lady of Style blog  6. Whos Dated Who

To read more about digital printing in the Wall Street Journal, click here.

It's finally Halloween! To celebrate (and get us in the Halloween mood), we put together a montage of skeleton inspired fashion. From the woman who started it all, Elsa Schiaparelli, to the late king of skulls and bones, Alexander McQueen, skeleton inspired pieces have been popping up in the fashion world every now and again since the birth of the Skeleton Dress, designed in 1938.

And of course, who can forget the skeleton fashion from Tim Burton's Magical Fashion shoot from Harper's Bazaar last month? We would kill for the Ralph Lauren couture gown on the left (for the most haute couture corpse bride costume we've ever seen!) Happy Halloween!

Images via:

1. The Style Notebook (Elsa Schiaparelli)   2. Model Management Blog   3. Pretty Lovely Blog (Jean-Paul Gaultier)   4. We Heart It (Ruven Afanador)  5. Fashion Magazine Blog (Givenchy)   6.Urban Landfill Blog (Alexander McQueen)   7&8. Model Management Blog (Ruven Afanador)   9,10&11. Harper's Bazaar (Tim Burton)

It's (finally) getting a little colder in Los Angeles, so here are our Fall Fashion MUST HAVES (especially that olive Lindsey Thornburg coat)!

Counter-clockwise, from top left (click the brand to shop):

1. Top: Organic by John Patrick - Boxy Chambray Shirt, $195

2. Belt: Rilleau Leather - Knotted Belt, $125

3. Pants: J.CREW - Bennett Chino, $79.50

4. Boots: No. 6 - 5" Shearling Boot, $370

5. Bag: BAGGU - Small Black Bag, $120

6. Coat: Lindsey Thornburg - Mid Length Cloak, $2,300

Totokaelo (TOH-toh-KYE-oh) derives its name from the Latin phrase "toto caelo", meaning "reaching to the edge of the stars." What began in 2003 as a small boutique in Seattle, Totokaelo.com was launched by owner Jill Wenger in June 2008. According to the website, Totokaelo serves two purposes: SHOP and TALK. 

SHOP: Its purpose is to source the strongest artists and thinkers in the fashion world today, editing the collections they carry to represent their aesthetic, always choosing pieces that are timeless, versatile, and well crafted. 

TALK: They encourage the free exchange of information through a private community of like-minded individuals. Through Totokaelo.com, community members have access to women who share an interest in the same designers.

We love this idea as much as we love the look and feel of the website itself. 

The site is very simple, clean, and shows off the clothes well. Product pages have multiple views of each piece, relevant measurement details, the size the model is wearing, and the measurements / usual sizes of the model. The "Comments and Questions" section is displayed right there on the page with no need to click through to see it, and has information about the items that members have shared.

We're also loving the community aspect of the website. You can actually create a member profile, and members can interact with each other both within and outside of the website. Members come from all over, including internationally, with perhaps a little less than half hailing from the boutique's home base of Seattle.

Finally, Totokaelo makes sure to showcase the designers they carry. Each designer has his/her own page with a short bio and photo. Especially important for up and coming young designers, these pages help to understand the story of the person behind the clothes we love. Not only are the stories inspiring, but they help foster the sense of community Totokaelo has worked hard to create. We're in love!

In addition to the Chanel Spring 2012 RTW show, we also loved the nature inspired Alexander McQueen collection just as much. Although there was less of a "set" that inspired the feel of the show like at Chanel, the clothes themselves at McQueen were so exquisitely detailed that a flashy set design really wasn't necessary to sell us on Sarah Burton's designer genius. The color palate was exquisite, with translucent hues of white, cream, lilac, and blush, accented with bold metallics of gold and silver. Texture was also a major theme, complete with acres of complex ruffles, beading, lace, and unique architecture that makes this collection stand out from the others shown this season.

Images via Vogue

It's Paris Fashion Week and our favorite show is easily Chanel's Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear show. Chanel mastermind Karl Lagerfeld transformed the Grand Palais into an enormous underwater inspired set (almost exclusively in white), complete with corals, stingrays, and a giant clam shell that Florence + The Machine lead singer, Florence Welch, stood on to perform her new song, "What the Water Gave Me". We're loving the creativity, art direction, and unique delivery of this show - Lagerfeld is never afraid to push the boundaries of what is considered "typical" for a fashion show.

Images via:

1, 2, 5, & 6. Chanel   3. STYLE.COM   4. Harper's Bazaar

What happens when you have four distinctly different events to put on within a few months of each other (that all require different interior venues for maximum effect) and a team of highly creative architects that frequently collaborate with Italian fashion label Prada? Born out of this intriguing circumstance in 2009, the Prada Transformer in Seoul is one of the most interesting architectural concepts we've ever heard of. A four-sided enclosed "cube" of sorts, the Transformer was designed to rotate, flip, and transform into four distinctly different interior spaces that meet the needs of the four events (a fashion show, art exhibition, cinema showing, and special gallery event). This idea, the brain child of designer Miuccia Prada and Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, goes beyond our normal perception of "creative". Four distinct spaces combined in one single structure, and all you need is a few cranes to flip it over and change the scenery? Genius.

Images via 1. Hip Seoul (flickr)  2. Phat City blog  3. Interior Design Magazine

Article via Interview Magazine

Inspired today by this photo (top) from a photographer in Oudeschild, North Holland.  The horizontal line that appears on his sky colored shirt from having just dipped into the water lines up perfectly with the horizon line in the background, melding the subject and background together to create a harmonious whole. We also love the comparison with this photo (bottom) from Quebec, Canada with its similar color scheme and tranquil mood.





Images via
1.  joeribosma (flickr)  2. Dan Desroches (flickr)