The Gift Of Style

Keys To The Past...Little Purple Cow Designs

What is old is always new!!!!  Its all about vintage and vintage-inspired these days!!!! In order to create the fashion present we need to stay connected to the fashion past.  We need to draw on antique references to truly create all of the modern and often edgy designs so prevalent today.  Many brands use pieces from other times as references and others even figure out how to incorporate vintage finds into their latest designs...few however actually repurpose old items to create entirely new items...sustainable fashion at its best!!!

Let me introduce you to a new brand that not only is inspired by the past but which actually recycles antique sterling silver, non-fashion items and turns them into contemporary jewels that are not only affordable, but chic and of course so much fun...Little Purple Cow Designs.  Influenced by historical "l'objet d'art", such as lavish silverware patterns and elaborate ornamental keys, their rings and necklaces are modern little gems that every girl can rock!!! 

I love the key necklaces...I find them romantic!!!  There is something sort of touching about wearing the "key to your heart" or the key to your grandmother's home around your neck.  OK...perhaps this is a stretch, but I always think style is intimately rooted in your fondest memories. I would buy several different keys and wear them simultaneously to create the ultimate statement charm pendant.  All are under $200.  The rings are great too...definitely the anti-cocktail ring...no major bling, no BIG baubles, just modern, sophisticated design.  Bracelets are coming soon...I saw some prototypes and they are great...sort of silverware meets medusa...curious yet?  More jewelry to covet...what is a girl to do? 

Good news for all of your "have-to-have-it first" fashionistas...Little Purple Cow Designs are so easy to find.  Their new ecommerce site JUST (as in this week) launched and they are not yet sold in brick and mortar stores, so you can be one of the first people to own these historically rich jewels!!!  A tie to the past, sustainable (environmentally friendly) design and affordable...definitely a middle of summer must-have brand!!!

~Nancy

A Juice Cleanse Inspiration

I just completed a three day juice cleanse.  Yay for me!!!  I have to tell you day two was rough...all I wanted to do was chew.  I was actually craving almonds (weird) as I was associating them with a big CRUNCH.  I for one didn't feel great on the cleanse, as I also went cold turkey on the Diet Coke...yes, I am a big time Diet Coke addict. Kicking the Diet Coke was the impetus for the cleanse, so if you ever see me with a can in hand again, please remind me of how I suffered to quit.  Anyway, the cleanse inspired me to think about all things green...since you drink primarily green liquid while cleansing, you basically eat, sleep and dream green.  I went to sleep tasting green, woke up tasting green and so on and so forth.  Sounds yummy right???

Anyway, green thoughts of course led to this blog entry about green fashion or to take it to an even greater extreme, vegan fashion... Organic is a big buzzword in fashion these days.  If brands don't already have a green line or initiative they are certainly thinking about it.  Vegan on the other hand is better known as a way of eating or sadly associated with "granola" design.  Have you ever googled "vegan fashion"?  Yikes...pretty scary.  Anyway, I was so happy to see a vegan post from one of the sites I follow religiously, Cool Hunting.  They wrote about the accessories company Matt & Nat.  Funny, I was given a Matt & Nat handbag at some event I attended a few years ago and I didn't even know that I was combining style with environmental consciousness.  Anyway, I love what this company stands for, so I want to share some of their story with you. 

Matt & Nat was founded eight years ago, by Inder Bedi during his quest to forego animal products.  His vision was to combine vegan principles with high-design, resulting in a style-centric, fashion-forward line of accessories.  The company sources green underground and mainstream elements to create collections that are structured, colorful and hardware embellished.  The effect is urban, chic and sophisticated. Their recent collections have been created from recycled plastic bottles and cardboard...genius to say the least.  My favorite is their Japanese Paper Collection (not really Japanese paper, just engineered to look like it). Not only is it fab, but it also ties right into several of my recent blog posts about color and metallics.  I am already coveting the "Cinematic", "Fifty-Five" and "Malice" bags and at $300 how can I not click to buy...   The Pool Collection is modern perfection, with its high-gloss, patent finish.  I particularly love the silver bags, all on sale for $150...amazing!!!  

They also have the best "murses" or man-bags.  The Carton and Feutre Collections (made from cardboard), feature several guy-centric styles, though my favs are the "Aviator", "Blockhead" and "Ando" styles...so stylish, sleek and versatile and yes, green!!!

Other designers that are committed to the green accessory cause are Stella McCartney (she was one of the first to bring us non-leather shoes and bags), Donna Karan, with her Pure DKNY Collection (paper totes are the norm) and Anya Hindmarch (perhaps the founder of the green handbag movement).  Here is another tip...if you can't quite wrap your head around vegan or green fashion and design, then buy vintage...you are doing the environment a big favor every time you recycle, even fashion!!!!

Embrace The Elements

Being green and environmentally conscious permeates consumer branding these days.  Every company has a green initiative.  Of course anytime a brand attempts to be a little kinder to our earth, I am thrilled, but I often seen the insincerity in the effort, the self-serving marketing undertones… Once in a while you find a brand founded on green principles that is not only 100% authentic, but also quite amazing…. Canadian designer Dandi Maestre’s jewelry line is that rare collection…

Her beyond beautiful, sensual oversized jewelry and accessories are handmade from horn, shed antlers, ancient raw amber, exotic energy seeds, sea shells reclaimed wood and other elements.  Her passion for the environment shines not only through her use of organic elements, but also through her manipulation of those elements to create sculptural masterpieces that reflect nature’s bounty.  Dandi Maestre’s pieces are sophisticated and dramatic and outshine many of the statement jewels we saw on the Spring runways.  The collection is anti-bling, soothing, evocative and pays homage to the very shorelines, rivers, jungles and forests where her materials are cultivated. 

On her website she actually provides descriptions for the elements she frequently adapts to create her bold vision of nature and modern style.  I found this profoundly interesting so I want to share some of the environmentally friendly highlights with you… “Horn is an organic, rich and durable material. Behind its course exterior hides a breadth of rich colors, tones, and striations that, through a long process of cleaning, cutting, polishing, and buffing, can be discovered. Horn is biodegradable and its main component is calcium, a vigorous natural nutrient. Amber is the fossilized resin from ancient forests and is particularly sensitive. Amber has been cherished not only for its beauty but also because it was thought to heal many types of illness and also to protect against witchcraft, sorcery and the evil eye. These pieces are crude, raw and full of color.  Natural energy seeds from the Amazon and the Caribbean add texture and bring an exotic flavor to her creations. All seeds are harvested without harming the trees where they come from. These seeds store the sun’s energy from which she creates organic eco-friendly pieces.”

Sadly the jewelry is not readily available in NYC, though I did find one store on the UES (Lee Anderson, 988 Lexington Ave.) enlightened enough to support this untapped talent.  You can also special order the pieces on the website, DandiMaestre.com.  Prices vary from as low as $70 to as high as $700 for some of the pieces made from precious materials, but overall the collection is well-priced and well worth any expenditure. 

So, if you are pro-environment and I hope you are, Dandi Maestre is the greenest of green.  Start thinking about how you spend you money and support brands that do their part to preserve our natural resources, regardless of whether they do it for publicity or because they are true believers…either way works for me!!!!!!

~Nancy Berger