accessories

Isson – Bauhaus Portraits

by Amber on January 31, 2012 in Style

Isson is an Australian sunglass brand, founded by Catherine Federici. I first read about Isson in DumboFeather, and have always admired their avant-garde styles. Recently, when doing some picture research on Bauhaus, I came across these wonderfully styled shots:

Isson - Bauhaus Sunglasses

The Bauhaus collection was shot by Cybele Malinowski, and based around the idea of four eccentric characters who may have attended the school of Bauhaus in 1934. Read more about the different personas here. My favourite is the Alberta Albers image – I think it’s a combinaion of the turban, the chunky jewellery, and the vivacity of that little pug face.

Martha Sunglasses - Isson

As for the sunglasses – I would love to buy a pair of steam punk inspired Marthas – in tortoiseshell. Nice work, Isson.

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Quail Eggs

by Amber on December 9, 2011 in Design

These darling egg cups by Quail Ceramics (as seen at Liberty) made me smile. (They also remind me of my favourite cartoon from when I was small: The Animals of Farthing Wood, a tale of noble English woodland creatures trying to find their way.) Perfect for a big family breakfast, no?

Cat Egg Cup by Quail

Rabbit Egg Cup by Quail

Guinea Pig Egg Cup by Quail

Hedgehog Cup by Quail

Badger Egg Cup by Quail

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Bike Valet

by Amber on December 6, 2011 in Design

Bike storage and security is a serious issue. In London, you can’t just leave your bike leaning outside the dairy while you pop in for some milk. You need to lock that shiz up!

Chances are you live in a teeny little flat too, with not much lock-up space. In my current house we have 3 bikes littering the living room, which is a bit of a pain. I’ve researched how to best store my bike out-of-the-way, and my favourite find so far is Reclamation Art + Furniture’s Bike Valet:

Walnut Bike Valet

“The Bike Valet is wall mounted storage unit and a valet for your keys, wallet, bike and items you need put down when you pedal in the door. Made from Urban Harvest Walnut with a natural hand rubbed, zero VOC oil finish.”

I can imagine this walnut unit working really well in a modern interior. Sadly, not with my bike – it has too many sexy curves – but for any straight lining fixie it’d be perfect.

For more of Steven Tiller’s smart, simple, and handmade designs take a look at reclamationartandfurniture.com

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside

by Amber on December 5, 2011 in Style

I’m keeping warm with my Huffer bone thug gloves. You?

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Popping Collars

by Amber on June 3, 2011 in Style

First bags, then garters, and now SWANclothing is capturing the imagination of stylish women the world over with the new range of collars and cuffs. Aren’t they just dreamy? I really love Tara’s aesthetic. Made from vintage polyester, they look delicate, but the craftsmanship is of an extremely high level. (Reading the SWANclothing blog I get the impression that each piece is wholly infused with passion).

The descriptions are wonderful too, and I can’t go past a good colour name. Butter, Rose, Antoinette White. Mm.

Collars by SWANclothing

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F-Stop Watch

by Amber on June 2, 2011 in Design

To tell you the truth, I can be a total gadget nerd sometimes. And I like things that aren’t always what they seem (James Bond totally floats my boat).

So of course when I spotted this watch totally made me squeak. Meet the F-Stop Watch brought to you by your friendly online photographic supply proprietors, Photojojo:

F Stop Watch - Photojojo

It’s a simple, beautifully executed idea - aperture numbers mark off the hours. 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8 and 11. It’s a whole new way of looking at time. The only thing that could make this better? If the blades adjusted according to the hour! But hey, at only US$35, this nifty little timepiece is a bargain.

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Geometric Is All The Rage

by Amber on December 7, 2010 in Design

My mini laptop has finally given up the ghost. Fair enough though, they weren’t designed to stand the rigours of so much travel and abuse from a full time writer. Good news however – I get to welcome a shiny new computer into my life – an HP Envy. And the perfect accompaniment to a new piece of technology (that must be protected from coffee & knock at all costs), is one of Saben’s designer laptop bags.

Saben’s designer Roanne Jacobson also offers this bag in in black, or if you have a mini machine, you could case it in canary yellow. Personally, I adore the candy coloured geometric shapes. Sweet as.

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Tinny Heart

by Amber on November 11, 2010 in Design

The apartment is slowly and surely getting there. I has a little fit of inspiration last night after an Air BnB ad winked at me on facebook and I had a look through some amazing pads (San Francisco, Barcelona, swoon).

On the way home from lunch today I popped into Karangahape Road’s Buana Satu – an eclectic homewares store. I think Buana Satu translates as “Number One” in Indonesian. Aside from all the lush quilts and silken cushion covers, this tin mirror caught my eye. They also had a circle and a heart shaped one, but square won.

I’m really starting to embrace tin as a material, it’s been catching my eye everywhere – plates, mugs, tea lights. Will it soon enjoy a mainstream resurgence?

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Tokyo Dreaming With My Camera

by Amber on November 9, 2010 in Style

I’m always a sucker for a cute camera accessory. The Tokyo Dreamer camera strap from the Photojojo Store pushes all the right buttons. A whimsical phrase, bleached summer colours and a pocket for film = win!

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A Fistful Of Diamonds

by Amber on October 20, 2010 in Style

I’m digging: heavy hands, weighed down by baubles. Mixing and matching, gold and silver, plastic and stone, cheap and pricey. A look for summer? Perhaps, apart from the mean tan lines.

(Photos taken from all over the show.)

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I Got Glassehs

by Amber on June 13, 2010 in Style

It was the little things that bothered me… Not being able to read the drinks board at bars(!), a few headaches, catching the wrong bus, and once, mistaking a bicycle for a very short person. Everyday my eyes were deceiving me in new and shameful manners. Time to get my sight checked.

(Yes, admire my poor edit of this ad)

I tottered up the road to my local optometrist, which by sheer good luck happened to be Occhiali, a store known for its fashion forward approach to eyewear. I went through a barrage of fascinating tests, confirmed shortsightedness and then moved on to the fun part – choosing frames.

LA Eyeworks: They design fun plastic frames in a huge range of colours. I like the owl-like look of these Pip frames but they would make my face super-duper round.

Ksubi: I thought about going brand-matchy-matchy with my sunnies, by getting the most extreme pair of eighties jammers out there. They certainly made a statement, but would I want to make that statement every time I went out to dinner with my parents? That said, they also had some sweet fawny glasses.

Colab: I adored the round glasses with the keyhole bridge, and earnestly considered the very serious two tone frames from Colab’s range of optical eyewear…

The grand winner however, is a pair of gorgeous Chloé spectacles:

As Occhiali mention on their cute blog, oversized frames in neutral hues are big right now; plus they suited my (apparently very symmetrical) moonface.

Branding wise, Chloé is a class act; from the letter pressed box to little touches like a branded cleaning cloth and the tiny envelope with the warranty tucked away inside.

Despite the unexpected expense, I’m a very happy girl. Tip for pros: Occhiali offers a tax free service if you’re travelling internationally. As you might have noted, I’m in a hotel room in (South Korea), so they sorted me out a pick-up service at the airport. If you need prescription lenses and are going abroad soon, see if your optometrist offers this. It let me afford the cuter pair of frames, a sound investment! Alright, I’m off to sight-see now… literally.

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Smalls In Pretty Packages

by Amber on April 28, 2010 in Design,Style

Being the design nerd I am, I always seem to find half the fun is in the packaging. These Leona Edminston stockings were recently given to me with that in mind. I like the peek-a-boo window, slide out tray, and the custom printed tissue paper. While I’m not entirely convinced by the graphics (less retro, more contemporary – more like Mor?), nevertheless it feels like a luxurious encasement for some nice hosiery. And as long as it feels expensive, that’s all that matters.

Other examples of slick packaging for little things include H&M’s tights, Peter Alexander’s Days of The Week knickers which come in a pretty, frilly gift box (I was given these, they’re awesome), and Loulou Loves You (when I opened the package it was as joyful as peeling foil off an Easter egg).

Now to find something to wear all these pretties with!

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Polaroid Scarf

by Amber on March 26, 2010 in Style

Handsome silk Polaroid Scarves by Philippe Roucou. I haven’t been this excited about an accessory for a very long time. Wishlist, now.

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Let The Sun Gods Smile On Me

by Amber on February 10, 2010 in Style

Karen Walker has just released a new fistful of sunnies under her Karen Walker Eyewear range. The ‘Sun Gods’ collection builds on previous shapes (retaining the popular circular frames) and introduce a pretty coral colour. The look-book is golden too, a Ra inspired series shot by Derek Kettela, who is behind her previous years’ advertising too.

Sun God