(not so) random links

-i adore the idea of creating "fake" luxury bags, the idea of art and fashion melding in a devilishly conceptual way. artists and designers who have played with the idea of fake luxury include my friend and artist stephanie syjuco (of anti-factory fame) and her counterfeit crochet handbag project, zinoo park's FAKE 3-in-1 bag (available at poketo), and the lovely silkscreened totes by showpony that meld trompe l'oeil images of vintage bags with simple totes in the cleverest of ways. -if you're planning on being in/live in/near NYC and consider embroidery to be a valid medium to make art, check out the recently opened pricked: extreme embroidery, a show that's on right now at the museum of art and design, conveniently located just across from the MOMA. MAD is the same museum that did the recent and popular exhibition some of you might be aware of, radical lace and subversive knitting that commenced earlier this year. the husband and i stopped by pricked whilst in NYC a few weeks back, and even his code-monkey-left-brained-self quite enjoyed it. if you do make it there, be sure to check out the work of andrea dezsö and nava lubelski...some of my favorites from the show.

-i agree with gala, being negative about/rating other people's style is tired. such nasty behavior should be banished. instead, be positive and accepting! spread love, not hate by chiming in on gala's thread about beloved aesthetics, i.e. what we FAVOR amongst the looks of other people. the whole thread gives me warm fuzzies...because i for one believe that kind behavior and positive interactions with the world can only beget kindness and positivity. give goodness, and you will get goodness back when it comes to matters of fashion and style, and obviously, far beyond.

-apparently the second-hand shopping in sweden is REALLY good? so says the international herald tribune, who posits that one of stockholm's best kept secrets is it's superb second-hand shopping. where's my plane?! i'm so there (if only in my jet-set-stye, internationally-flavored thrifting fantasies)!!

naik fur: artful, sensual stitches

being that i am a knitwear designer and huge knitwear fan, i'm always on the look-out for knitwear designers who strive to break the usual knitwear mold through careful, thoughtful design.
one such mold-breaker is northern california artist and designer amy hemmens, aka naik fur, whose slinky, sculptural crocheted and knitted accessories and clothing stand well out from the usual suspects in the knitwear crowd.
sinuous spirals, oversized knit stitches, and complex crocheted patterning joins forces with sensuous fibers, making for sensitive yet wearable pieces.

(images via smashing darling)

it takes a special, creative mind to craft knitwear that has sophisticated style and a healthy dash of sex appeal...amy of naik fur has said mind and skill in spades, and as a result, her work succeeds and supersedes much of the (knitted and crocheted) competition.

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need more naik fur? go here:
-naik fur -naik fur's blog -naik fur @ smashing darling

(not so) random links

-i am in super love with this paul richard quote posted on apartment therapy: los angeles:

colors are promiscuous. they get infected by their neighbors.

and it's true: colors are influenced by the other colors that they hang around with, the light in which they live, the other colors that sit by them on the color wheel. for instance, red can lean in various directions, sometimes more toward the color to their right or left, sometimes becoming a bluish-red, or a yellowy red. and so on. it's a gradient. i love color so much sometimes i wish i could eat it.

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-not sure if i have any readers in LA (perhaps i do? speak up!), and it's short notice, but if you're in so-cal, and a fan of the work of lisa congdon, do check out her latest solo show, charming creatures, at firefly, in venice. the opening party is tomorrow eve from 6-10pm. go lisa! more info here, on lisa's blog.

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-adding to the link in my (not so) random links list from last week about luxury not being so luxurious, and fancy bags just being hype, a backlash seems to be brewing against those ridiculous "it-bags"... eric wilson of the new york times asks: is this it for the "it bag"? (let's hope so.)

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-hats are haute. told you so! still don't believe me? see old hat? not any more... from the telegraph, and this hat-positive missal from the ever so stylish styleista, the vintage society.

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i been watching the gap flounder for years now via the pages of WWD...they are so, so lost, so irrelevant, so un-hip, so middle-management heavy, losing money, and digging their own grave. this observer expose on their deplorable child labor practices in india probably won't do much to help their image, and it goes without saying that it flies in the face of the pseudo-ethical (red) campaign they rolled out some time ago.