Zarafshan- Tina Kalivas

There are only a few Tinas' that have a special place in my heart- Tina Marie, Tina Turner and now designer Tina Kalivas!



Tina has done it again with her new range called "Zarafshan" this Aussie native got her inspiration for her new line from a community of Arab women that lives in the suburbs of San Fransisco. She fuses Arab military elements with the countries' ethnic icons/symbols for a strikingly sexy and provactive aesthetic. These pseudo-cocktail dresses can be paired down with sneaks al a' M.I.A. or with some basket-weeve sandals or Jeff Cambell booties.

Hard Graft - Do More with Less

I just stumbled upon these ill iPhone/iPod holders from Hard Graft. Made from 100% wool felt and premium leather, these pouches offer a fresh alternative to the hard black or clear plastic cases that we've become accustomed, while still being highly functional. These cases can easily move from boardroom meeting to kickboxing class with aplomb.

Hard Graft also makes a slick ______ bag ... it's so versatile I don't know what to call it! You can rock it as a messenger or book bag or even folded over like a clutch - depending on your mood or needs. Three fly bags in one - any extra value in a recession is all good.

Another Shoe-stallation

Bebe

Warning! Major footwear straight ahead!

Spring 2009 designers really want women to jump into the deep end when it comes to fashion this season. Whether we're talking S&M details, metallic hues, or futuristic silhouettes, 2009 is going to prove to be the beginning of something exciting in fashion.

Report Signature

With that said, womens' footwear, having suffered from lackluster sales for the past two or three years is finally putting its best foot forward, so to speak. Designers are adding tribal details, vibrant colors, and sky-high heels to entice bored shoppers.


Rock & Republic

I say, "Game on"...

Boots Sans Pants?

Style P is wondering: is it possible to substitute sky-thigh boots for pants? As reported by New York Magazine, it just may be that Prada is issuing an affirmative!



Prada sent a few models down the runway in an interesting take on sexiness - boots with halters, heels, and heft graced the ladies' thin thighs, without the additional adornment of the not-so-necessary pant.
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Though SP is not quite on the bandwagon with this look, it could prove to be the hottest take on on an alterna-pant since the legging. Time will tell...

* photos from nymag.com

Bliss Lau: Beauty of the Body

Bliss Lau in her creation

Over the weekend, I had a chance to speak with a jewelry designer, Bliss Lau. She makes things of beauty to adorn the body. Her body jewelry - reminiscent of tools of the S&M trade in a very GOOD way - is definitely for the hard-rock, powerful babe who wants to go strong with her style.


Bliss Lau - the back

I particularly love the Hug Tight in cobalt, which can be worn either as a body jewelry or as a more demure necklace. The collection includes necklaces, boleros, bracelets, and footwear adornments.

Style any of these pieces with Report Signature's Downey platform sandal, black leggings and a body-con McQ by Alexander McQueen tunic.

Nice, very nice.

Sartorial Survivalist

It's a hard out here for the sartorial specialist...so you know what we do? We become survivalists! We wade through the muck of out-dated style, over-styled rubbish, and style failures and we come out on the other side triumphant!

Be you in all that you do. No question: life is short. Style hard.

Intimate Rendez-vous

I found this little video clip from JCReport covering a small tradeshow- Rendez-vous ,which is usually held in Paris but recently popped off for the first time in New York. Rendez-vous's, niche is showcasing emerging designers and their collections reinforcing the notion that bigger is not always better at least as it relates to fashion tradeshows. In the clip they shout out labels such as Corpus and Surface 2 Air just to name a couple. Unfortunately the host of this clip is very unorganized and needs help remembering the designers that they like! Which is the dog on purpose for the video!! Anyway here it is. Hope you all do better catching the names then I did.