Nomadic Style with Nanette Lepore

I haven't quite settled back into life after my excursion around the world. For the most part, it's gone back to normal, aside from all of the additional planning that still has me running all over New England. There is nothing worse for me than coming back from vacation.  Don't get me wrong, I love home. I love being home, and being with every that comes with. But I hate leaving a places that are so inspiring, that you planned for so long to get to, and then in a few short days they fly right by.  Be it the Grand Canyon, Bali, or even Buffalo, I hate saying goodbye.

So, this week I thought I'd talk about a designer whose love for travel has inspired her unique style- Nanette Lepore.  I have often been referred to as "bohemian" in my style, and I would agree, there is definitely that influence there. Nanette on the other hand takes that to a whole new level, to a place where the free spirit meets luxury, where design meets art.  

Nanette Lepore with her daughter Violet
at the end of a runway show.

The stylistic direction in which Lepore has taken her company can be seen in her past.  Raised by an abstract painter father, and super-stylish mother in Youngstown Ohio, she spent her summers traversing Route 66. Having tasted a nomadic life so early on, her free spirit and taste for travel only grew stronger.  After attending Youngstown University, relocating to New York to attend FIT, numerous hours in others studios, and a $5k loan from her father, Nanette Lepore finally set up shop on her own in 1992.

Nanette Lepore Fall 2011  image from Style.com

Nanette Lepore Resort 2012  image from Style.com

Nanette Lepore Spring 2012  image from Style.com

Ever since that bohemian spirit and sense of nostalgia has been infused into her clothes and designs making her prints, silhouettes, and intricate embellishments instantly recognizable. Her widespread availability and contemporary price points make it easily attainable to boot. 

Nanette Lepore "Loveable Spots" blouse

This "Lovable Spots" blouse by the brand from my own wardrobe is a great example of her fun, flirty style that is remarkably feminine, without taking yourself too seriously.  It has a great 1940's pin up feel too it while still being modern.  The unique wrap of the top is flattering and functional all at the same time, it makes the blouse fit your body perfectly. The nicest thing about this top though, is the silk.  It's remarkably soft and luxurious, and so easy to move around in.  It lets my so called "free spirit" be free.

Nanette Lepore "Loveable Spots" blouse

3.1 on 11.3

As promised from last week I thought I'd introduce you to the world of 3.1 Philip Lim.

I was so excited when I got this top... not only because I got a killer deal on it, but because it was perfect for my Singapore/Bali vacation.  Light, and breezy with handcrafted embroidery details  it was the perfect wardrobe choice for the craftsman oriented island.

Embroidered detail on 3.1 Philip Lip top

It's no surprise that Philip Lim was the perfect choice for a trip to Southeast Asia... it's the designers homeland.  Philip Lim was actually born in Cambodia, and came to the United States (Southern California to be exact) in 1973 when his family fled from Cambodia's Civil War.

Philip Lim worked for Barney's before deciding he wanted to make fashion of his own (How fitting that Barney's is now one of the many major department stores to carry his line).  After this realization, he set himself up with an internship with Katayone Adeli, even with no formal training or portfolio.  By pure tenacity and talent, Philip eventually ended up on the design team.  It wasn't until 2005 that Philip (aged 31) along with his business partner Wen Zhou traversed the country and set up shop in SoHo, New York to launch his own collection 3.1 Philip Lim.  Now, the brand produces both men's and women's ready-to-wear, shoes, and handbags. In the 5 short years the company has been in business, Lim has managed to become one of the most successful contemporary designers in the world, even earning himself a CFDA Swarovski Award in 2007 for women's wear.

3.1 Philip Lim Fall 2011 from Style.com

3.1 Philip Lim Resort 2012 from Style.com

3.1 Philip Lim Spring 2012 from Style.com

Its no surprise he's done so well. His vision on fashion is one that is simple and genius all at the same time.  He states it best in that his clothes are meant to "refine, not define" the wearer.  Refine is the perfect word. Pieces from his collection instantly make any look pulled together, fresh, and sleek with just enough detail to give it that "designer" look in a completely effortless way. The use of high quality fabrications, and unique embellishments all combine to  form a so unidentifiable that it's identifiable high fashion style.  That almost couture detailing is what also puts this contemporary line at almost couture prices.  With the timeless quality of his designs though, 3.1 Phillip Lim is worth the investment.

Back from the Other Side

I should first off apologize, I dropped off the face of the earth for a while. Actually, I just went to the other side of it. Literally. 26 hours of traveling later, I went from Boston to Singapore. I have to say, it was unreal. Not only is it culturally diverse with some of the most amazing architecture and exotic scenery in the world... it's also a designer junkie's Mecca! Orchard Rd., Singapore's main shopping district, puts Newbury St. to shame. It was seriously fashion paradise.... aside from the 30% markup on everything!

After romping around Malaysia, surrounding myself  with orchids at the Botanic Gardens, visiting Holland Village, Chinatown, Little India, and Marina Bay it was off to Bali for a few days. (ugh life is so hard!)

I don't even know where to start with Bali.... there's a reason it's one of the worlds most visited tourist destinations. The tiny little island that's no bigger than the state of Delaware is a world all its own. The amazing beaches with their rolling surfs, the electric green rice paddies, the amazingly cordial people and the not so cordial but highly entertaining monkeys all help make this island well worth visiting (and the perfect place to break in my new favorite Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses).

This little guy was in the market for glasses too....  He's got good taste, he went right for Joe's Armani pair! 

Bali for me, might have well been cloud 9. I was surrounded by gorgeous scenery, and in one of Southeast Asia's largest artisan communities.  From woodworking, to silver, weaving to batik, Bali is home to it all.  In particular, I was excited to be in an area that is considered one of the originators of the batik art form.... one that I am actually trained in.  I studied textile and surface design in college... I chose to concentrate on batik and screen printing, and how you can combine the two. 

What is batik you ask? It's a decorative process in which hot wax is applied to a surface to act as a resist, then the surface is dyed, when the wax is removed from the surface, the waxed area that has been protected from absorbing the dye leaves you with the design you created.

Here are a few of the Batiks I picked up while I was there....

And here are a few I've done on my own....

As you can see, its a medium that allows for several variations in style.  A lot of this comes from the tools you use. Most of us use paint brushes and tjauntings (they are like little pens that allow you to draw with the hot wax) but another traditional tool used in many Indonesian batiks is what is known as a tjap.  These are basically metal stamps, often made of copper or brass that allow the artist to repeat a consistent motif  over and over again.  I was lucky enough to fin an antique one while I was in Ubud.  It's the pride and joy of my studio now.  I couldn't have been any more excited. 

I picked up a few more things in Bali as well... I couldn't pass up these embroidered slippers... the retro shape with that narrow "v" opening at the top is so Chanel Fall 2011. I wonder if they know how on trend they are in their little island.

I also adore this necklace Joe so graciously haggled over for me. This came from a silversmith in Celuk who was nice enough to show us her workshop. It's very John Hardy-esque (Who actually lives in Ubud, Bali).

The best thing I happened to pick up while I was there though, wasn't from Bali at all. In fact, it had traveled just like, me all the way from the United States......

Yup! We're engaged! I... We.... couldn't be happier, and I cant possibly think of a more romantic place to set the scene for our engagement story.  It was breathtaking, and perfect, and by far the most beautiful moment of my life. 

The Samara Villas in Ubud, not only did we stay here, this is where the magical moment took place!

And the ring... it is amazing! Joe designed it himself, using a family heirloom stone for the center of the setting.  It looks new and vintage all at the same time, and has wonderful sentiment built right in. He knows me all too well. Try to ignore my non-manicured hands in these pictures.

He also knows how much I love to multi task,so that top I'm wearing in those first pictures of as as fiances  is of course, one that I will be talking about a little later on.  How fitting that it's Phillip Lim, one of Southeast Asia's very own.

So now that you've seen what's been distracting me lately, hopefully you'll cut me a little slack. We'll get back to somewhat normal very soon... I say somewhat normal because I'm sure from here on out I'll need to throw out wedding planning interruptions every now and then.  I can't wait for this whole new chapter!

Emmy Recap

Ahh its that time of year again.... of course I mean the beginning of red carpet season... what did you think??

Kicking off the season were the Emmy's last night, which, even if the show isn't all that great, the red carpet provides something at least nice to look at, and usually sets the trend for what we can expect to see at the award shows to follow.

So what consistencies seemed to pop up all night??

RED.. and i mean RED. The bold hue was everywhere, and most of the dresses, in fact could stop you in your tracks. Kate Winslet, Nina Dobrev, Lea Michelle, just to name a few all donned the crimson color for the evening's event.

Kate Winslet 2011 Emmys

Lea Michelle 2011 Emmys

The best of them though (and I actually think of the entire night) was the Donna Karan frock worn by Nina Dobrev (she's from CW's Vampire Diaries for all of those you haven't been sucked into the blood sucking craze... don't worry, I had to look it up too). She looked amazing. The fit, the length, the proportion of the dress were all spot on, as were her hair, make up and accessories. She was one of the only people of the night that I could honestly say I liked everything from head to to toe.

Another lady in red that I was actually a huge fan of was Kelly Osborn.... not a norm for me. While she opted for a shade of ox blood instead of stop sign the silhouette of the dress made her look amazing, and the color was remarkable on her complexion.  The other thing I liked was her "so blonde its almost pink" hair.  While I don't think it works with any other color than the color of her dress.... it was perfect for that moment.

Another trend: Metallic

This trend was a difficult one to pull off... and many didn't. Jennifer Carpenter glimmered in her sequined gown, and Christina Hendrix decided to shine a little light on her not so little assets. (Seriously, are those bad boys ever under control??)

Jennifer Carpenter 2011 Emmys

Christina Hendricks 2011 Emmys

It was Claire Danes who perfected the sparkling look though.  This artsy number by Oscar de la Renta was stunning, and made her eyes look absolutely gorgeous.

Claire Danes Emmys 2011

And while it's not quite metallic, but it is super shiny and a shade of bronze, I have to give it up to Kristen Wigg. While remarkably funny, the ladies of SNL (slash its alumni) just always seem to miss the mark on the carpet (i.e. Amy Poehler, also attempting the metallic frock).

Amy Poehler Emmys 2011

Kristen looked gorgeous last night though. The color is a little odd when you see it mixed in with all of the rich shades of red and blue that dominated the evening, but on her, complimented perfectly by chestnut hair, I thought the Zac Posen dress was a very welcome step toward improvement.

Kristen Wigg 2011 Emmys

And finally we have Blue. The tried and true color could be seen in varying shades from navy to turquoise.. and again, some got it, some did not.  Diana Argon wore this electric number and it pains me to say... got it all wrong.  the silhouette and hair are waaaaaay to old looking for the young starlet. And it doesn't help that the dress is super wrinkly.

Diana Argon Emmys 2011

Someone who did get it right though, was Cobie Smulders. The vintage silhouette is offset perfectly by the ultra contemporary hot turquoise hue. Love it.

Cobie Smulders 2011 Emmys

And, given the runway trend I talked about last weekend... and the fact that EVERYONE else is talking about it, I can't not talk about Gwyneth's look.  Everyone was abuzz with this love it or hate it look.  I.... I'm torn. It's super 90's and she looks a little costume-ie. I think I've come to the conclusion that I love the idea of the dress... but in fact really dislike the actual dress. For me the top is a deal breaker.... If you're going to go sheer pick your target zone. If you bear your midriff it's totally unnecessary to have a nearly (actually, it WAS) see-through top on.  Its sheer overkill.

Gwyeneth Paltrow 2011 Emmys

What about you guys? What were your hits and misses of the night?