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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

Ben Blatt, a friend from RISD, just finished a new watercolor painting - and we LOVE it. Absolutely stunning. See more of his amazing work on his website: http://benblatt.com.

Image via Ben Blatt

Our Creative Director, Jen, studied at The Rhode Island School of Design with New York based artist Dan Colen. His first major exhibition in Rome, entitled "Trash", will be at the Gagosian Gallery from September 19 - October 29, 2011! 

"I’m interested in using the “real world” as a material and a force within my process. I like how these materials take some control away from me, allowing for a more uncertain future and yet a more finished piece. These materials come with a history, not one I necessarily know, but a history for sure. There is an infinity in “real world objects” that, no matter how much I try, I couldn’t paint or sculpt into being."
--Dan Colen

Images via Gagosian Gallery

September is just around the corner, and we're feeling nostalgic for our favorite fairs! 

The Tunbridge World's Fair has been in existence since 1857, and has remained largely unchanged since its debut over 150 years ago. This year, it runs from September 15-18 in the tiny town of Tunbridge, VT, and features mainly old-world attractions like pony pulling, sheepdog trials, and harness racing.





The Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Fair celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. A little more old-world meets new-world, the fair is an attraction that can please all with its farm animals, fried foods, traditional crafts, and plenty of rides. Our friend from RISD owns the local smoke pig roast stand, below.





Images via

1.  Benedetta Falugi (flickr)   2. ozfan22 (flickr)   3&4. SixBurnerSue  5. mvol.com  6. MV Best Read Guide

Dress bed from Maison Moschino in Milano spotted at Emma's Design Blog, and Glasses from RISD friend Colgate Searle.

Check out the Derek Eller Gallery tonight (Thursday, April 28th) for a debut of David Kennedy Cutler's artist book "Against Geology / The blossom of Greenpoint" The opening is from 6:30-8:00 PM.  The limited edition book will be offered for $25 (a steel if you ask me) at the opening and at Printed Matter beyond that.  

David Kennedy Cutler

Images courtesy of the artist

Robert Gellar (RISD class of '01 knew his has Robbie) started his fashion career at Marc Jacobs right out of school, and then moved on to Cloak (where Geller became a partner in 2002). After launching his own moody, romantic line in 2007, Geller won the GQ/CFDA award in 2009 for best new menswear designer—and put out a capsule collection for Levi's as part of the spoils.  

The RISD training is defiantly apparent in his work and the creative that surrounds his brand.  The images from his Spring/Summer 2011 look book are simple, but imaginative and complement the "frog and toad are friends" look of the line. As creatives, we understand being busy and just trying to get a look book DONE,  but it is so refreshing to see a breath of creativity in the photography.  I can't imagine that buyers really like looking at a model against a white seamless - book after book. 

This idea of a simple but elegant solution to a complex problem was one of the key ideas explored by the RISD community, and is again apparent in Robbie's look book for a joint venture with Common Projects for a line of accessories. An old book of an ancient city - a symbol of quality and craftsmanship in the shoe world, coupled with clean black and white images screams classic quality and longevity. 

We commend Robbie for his success and look forward to seeing future expansions to a women's line - fingers crossed.

Our good friend from RISD Misa Inaoka is showing her latest work at Johansson Projects in Oakland from September 17th - November 6th.  Her past work was on miniature scale, and was very intimate.  I found myself wanting to hold each piece she made in the palm of my hand and pet the strange little creature, but the new works are larger in scale which gives it a totally new dimension. I love how she stages the creatures in strange and awkward positions as if the pose was an exclamation point on their already strange shape.