20091230

I know it's a bit late, but I'd like to wish everyone Happy [belated] Holidays, Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings.
And while I'm at it, I'd like to wish all of you a very Happy New Year.

We're back from making our annual Christmas family rounds, and are ready for a little break.  Soooo, we'll spend the rest of the year [and the week] in our little place on Long Island.
I plan on filling my days with walks on the beach if the weather and winds allow me, reading and lazing around, watching LOST and maybe trying to shed the extra pounds that I'm blaming on the Christmas cooking my mom bakes every year.  Mmmm.

I'll be back in the studio on Monday, filling the rest of the orders that trickled in after the Holiday rush, answering emails, and cleaning the studio.

Until then, I hope everyone had a fantastic Holiday and I'll see you in 2010.

Cheers,
M

20091120

Had a fabulous time at the milliners' fete.
Sipped too much bubbly, met many new hat enthusiasts and caught up with old friends.
Pictures coming soon, I promise.

I'm feeling inspired to make hats again. So far the ones I've made for myself were received well.
Just may have to add some to the collection.

On an unrelated note...
Caroline and I are planning a little holiday shopping event in her lovely gallery in Williamsburg. The dates are December 12th and 13th.
More details to follow, but save the dates.

Have a great weekend.

XO,
M

20091117






The Milliners Guild Welcomes You to Put On Your Most Spectacular Hat
And Join Our Annual St. Catherine's Day Celebration!

Meet us at the Millinery Center Synagogue
1025 Avenue of the Americas  - between 38 & 39 Streets at 5:00pm

Walk with us through Bryant Park to 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue
Up Fifth Avenue - Right on 51st Street to our Fabulous Party at
Haven : 244 E 51st Street near Second Avenue

Special thanks to Moet Hennessy USA for providing the Veuve Clicquot for our champagne hour (6-7pm)

New this year: BEST HAT CONTEST, for non-members only
Winner will be determined by guild members.

20091116



Love the imagery in this.
Love this song, and everything about her.

That kind of day.

20091113



LOVE THIS BAG.
Actually working on oversized black leather totes at the moment.
Not quite as large...



20091112




If you live in the New York City area, you should check out the grad opening party for a new boutique in Dubmo,  Brooklyn.

Bellow is an invite for the event.
Hope to see you there.



























P.S.  My first studio was in 68 Jay.

20091111


Organic wool scarflettes are back in stock.






































I'll be adding new styles to the shop later this week.

Right now I'm updating the images.
I feel that more detailed photos will do these lovelies justice.

Off to play photographer.

20091110

Really feeling the metallics again.
Especially the silver ones this time.





Liking how the heavier metal zipper plays with the silver shimmer of the linen.
Gives the bags a little bit of an edgy look that I feel my work has lacked.
I like edgy.
And simple.



Coming soon to the Shop.

20091106

I'm in love with the black and white rendition of this video.
The movement and interaction between Nick and PJ seems so much more dramatic without their song.



Original version can be seen and heard HERE.

20091028

Winter neck wear collection coming soon.
Here is a sneak preview...



New leather and knit cowls will be in the shop later this week.
Until then, stay warm and dry.

XO,
Marketa


20091015

The weather forecast for the next 4 days in not making me very happy.




I dread the arrival of cold rainy season more and more each year.
Then studio gets cold, damp and dark, and my mood follows suit.

Only highlight is that I get to wrap my body in layers of warm and cozy garments. So what if resemble a crazy hobo. I'm warm, I'm functioning, and best of all, the Mr. doesn't have to listen to me bitch about how freaking cold I am.

In order to preserve my sanity and get through at least today, I am compiling my wish favorites for the upcoming wintery chill.
All via Etsy







































Really love this Coal Black Artisanal Wool Coat no. 1 by Patricia Ayers (also in gray and brown)







































Simple lines, careful balance between rugged and feminine styling, couture detailing.
The flirty opening at the shoulders seals the deal for me. Notice how well it looks with a sexy neck ruff. Would look amazing with any of these scarflettes, no?

Patricia is also the talent behind artLab. I've been a fan of her work for a long time.




































And who would not want to be wrapped in this lovely asymmetrical number by YY Studio?
It has enough material to do my hobo look in style.
Added bonus, it somewhat reminds me of this royal coat.


20091007

Back from Europe.
Still enchanted and inspired. Still exhausted and jet lagged. Still in denial about the $ to Euro exchange rate.
[what? no euro symbol on the mac?]

Oh well. I promise to post pics as soon as I reenter the world. And get through all the orders that have piled up while I was gone.

Now off to make more coffee...

20090916

VACATION SALE!




I will be in Europe for the next 3 weeks.
As a treat to all our shoppers, I am offering 10% discount and free worldwide shipping on all orders placed between now and October 4th.
All orders will ship the week of October 12th.


Use coupon code VACATION at check out.


See you when I'm back.

20090819


Our little metallic zip lovelies made it to the front page of Etsy today.
Thank you Etsy [and the entire Etsy community] for such great comments.
Your feed back is trully appreciated.

Thank you also for all the hearts.
You're the best.

The zips will be available in the shop in a day or so.
I'll keep you posted.

20090806

If there is ever to be just one coat...



... then this is THE coat.



Love the tailoring, the drape, the color.



Beautifully lined as well.



By the fabulous Vivienne Westwood of course.

Once again, via LaGarconne


20090805

Ahhhhh, the dog days of August.
What I mean by that is that summer has finally made it's self at home in New York City.
If you live here, or any of the humid ares in the North east, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Needless to say, my top floor, black roofed non air-conditioned studio has become a sweat box over night. I have fans blowing left and right, but that does not help much.
The last thing I want to do is iron. Or do much of anything, with the exception of downing one glass of ice water after another.

But no rest for the wicked. Right?
With loose strands of tread and discarded textile clippings [which stick to my drenched skin], I'm bravely plowing through the piles and piles of orders that I need to complete before the week's end. AND, to make things even more exciting, I am getting ready to release some new bag styles. So keep an eye on the shop, as new goodies will be added over the next few days.
Including, but not limited to new color options for our SOHO tote.


Hope you're staying cool wherever you are.

XX,
M

20090729

I have always loved dark nail polish colors, black and deep deep red among my all time faves.
Metallics too, I won't lie.

Needless to say, when I came across KnockOut cosmetics Flatte line, I nearly died.

How awesome is this? And how cool is the little pinky tattoo?


Check out the pool color. Yeah, I'd totally wear that.



And of course the black one for good measure ...



The best part? These punk rock lovelies are cruelty-free.
At $19 a pop they'll make a special treat for the long [hot] days in my studio.

Anyone here tried them yet?

20090727



AW09 collection preview.

You can win this leather collar before it hits our website.
For more details visit the lovely Dramatis Personae

Shop update coming soon.

20090723

O.K. Time out!
It's starting to get personal.



Seriously.



La Garconne is officially messing with my head.

STOP with the yellow shoes awesomeness. STOP!
Or at least tell me where to get them.

Officially dying from Gray/Yellow overload.
Thank you.



My trusted Adler.

Snapped while cleaning out the studio.

20090722

Love this asymmetrical dress by UNDER.LINGE
Very flattering drapes and subtle lines. Looks super comfortable.

The yellow shoes are killing me.


And this gray one ... ? Yes please!!! [ still obsessing with that color]




via La Garconne, of course

20090618


Loving this wide leather belt.  At least I think it is a belt; it could be part of the dress.

Not sure who to credit.  

Found here.

20090615

Yes.  I know.  I have been neglecting the blog.  Again.  
I will try to post more often now that I have a little bit of free time.
Between preparations for Renegade, filling of orders and trying out new product specs, my production schedule has kept me on a very short leash.  To say that I've been joined at the hip with my sewing machine would not be an overstatement of facts.
I feel that I finally got caught up on most of it.  Even managed to complete new design which I will be releasing in the not so distant future.  Now back to sourcing  and  [more importantly] reorganizing the studio.  It's over there, somewhere, buried under all those leather and fabric scraps.

20090529

Dark Night of the Soul



Thanks to NPR, this has been on daily rotation in my studio.   It does not get any better then David Lynch.

The man IS a genius.

20090519

Psssst!  We're offering free shipping on all our bags.  All summer long!  
Pass it on.

20090513

Caffeine, booze and chocolate. 
Mmmmm, did somebody say Espresso Martini Truffles?


I'll take seven, please.

20090506

It's mine, all MINE.  
Should have it in about a week.  I'm thinking it will look really cool with one of these.  [Couldn't help but throw in a shameless plug]
Now I just need to find the perfect pair of jeans, or a really cool pencil skirt.  Something simple, with clean lines.  
Why are simple things always the hardest thing to find?  I'm desperately seeking a plain, simple, minimal grey dress that will be easy to dress up or down.  Nothing complicated and over designed...,  flattering fit a MUST.
It's proving near impossible to get my hands on such a garment.  Any recommendations?

20090428




























I have affinity for everything metallic and shiny.  Especially silk.

20090417














I'm a little  behind schedule with the site's completion.   Honestly, I thought I was going to launch this past Wednesday, instead I ran into some technical difficulties.

I struggled all week with the lighting and photo editing.  Trying to get the colors right was really really difficult.

At last some progress.
There is light at the end of the tunnel.

20090415

I have been tagged by the lovely RosiePop  


What is your current obsession?


Product photography and proper lighting.   Metallic textiles + strobe lights = nightmare, if you ask me.

Do you nap a lot?


Not really.  I get plenty of shut eye at night.  I sleep like  a champ.

What color is your bedding?


White

What's for dinner?


I'm making my version of Macella Hazan's  Ragu.  Some salad and red wine of course.  We have a dinner guest that will supply dessert.   Don't think I cook like that every night.

What was the last outfit you bought?


Let's see, I think it was a silk dress by Grey Ant that I purchased on the internet.  On "final sale". As in "no returns or exchanges".  Sadly the fit is all too wrong for me, and serious alterations will be required.   File this one under lessons learned.


What are you listening right now?

Getting psyched for Leonard Cohen on May 17th, so I've got him on the loop these days.

What is your favorite weather?


Thunderstorms

What's in your bathroom cabinet?


Ahhh, seriously need to edit all the stuff that clutters our bathroom shelves.  Right now I have slight addiction to Ren Skincare, so there are several products from this amazing line, nail polishes from Sephora given to me by my niece, about 7 different shades including Brunette on the Internet, Never Enough Shoes, I'm with Brad and Metro Chic...  Gotta love the names they come up with. Let's see, Aveda products for curly hair... can't think of anything more at the moment and don't feel like getting up.  Just like RosiePop said, I could go on and on ...

Say something to the person who sent you this...

Hi :)  Thanks for all your support and feedback Lovely Lady.  It truly means a lot.

If someone gave you a house, where would it be?


This one's easy.  I'll take one in the Village in New York, then one in Tokyo, Rome, then there is this beach town just north of San Francisco, I think Stinson?  Oh, and a house in Prague would be much appreciated as well, preferably in the section bellow Vysehrad,  one of those amazing cubist villas like this one, pretty please.  Madrid and Barcelona would be nice too, thank you very much.  And a ranch around Marfa or Marathon TX, close to Big Bend National Park.

Name the things you can't live without.


Good red wine, good cheese, Italian food, the ocean.

What is your favorite tea?

Japanese green tea, and barley tea.

What would you like to get rid of?


Our neighbors.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?


Japan

What did you want to become as a child?


I honestly don't remember.

What do you miss?


Warm weather


What are you reading right now?


In between books.  Just finished Naoko.  I'm not sure what I'm picking up next.

What designer piece of clothing would you most like to own?


At the moment I'm eyeing this crinoline tie dress by Gary Graham



















































































































































































Will you have plastic surgery /  botox etc?


Ask me that on again in 10 years ;)

What is important to you about your underwear?


Comfort, support [I'm talking bra here], good fit, shape, sexy material, support, how it looks under clothes, did I mention support?  Yes, I need a lot of support to hold up the tatas.  [Hi Darlene!]

What is your wardrobe staple?

BLACK-LEATHER-BOOTS.  Mid calf, ankle hight, thigh high, high heels, chunky heels, flats...etc...   I'll take 10 pairs of each please, size 6.5


Rules:
1. Respond and rework.  Answer the questions on your blog, replace a question you don't like with one of your own.
2. Tag someone un-tagged, or pretend that you never even heard of the person tagging you and ignore the request.  Then, as a way of defiance, sign them up to as many mailing lists to your favorite sites with the hopes that they will buy you something cool.

I tag DarleneAshe, and Frenchie





20090407


One of my favorite characters from one of my favorite movies.
Now one of my favorite soaps.

Love the color, love the scent.
Thank you Savor.  I think I will be trying this one next.