fall lookbook project

look book pages, swatches and my serious swiss shears

fall styles quickly sketched for reference. the "inspiration" wall is covered pretty much by giulietta's paintings.

just putting together the lookbook and swatches to show the buyers, mostly ones i've been selling to for awhile but a few new ones too. after we shot the pictures we did an edit and then had them printed. i colate them and then sew the binding on the machine to form a little book. the fabrics are presented in a small square cushion, bound with a modaspia hangtag attached to it. voila, 2 months of work and toil off in a small envelope. it's a good feeling to get this part over with but a little scary too waiting on a reaction.

dorothea tanning

dorothea tanning's self-portrait, "birthday"

dorothea tanning's, "ein klein nachtmusic"

tanning and her husband max ernst in their desert house

i went to see the new tim burton movie, "alice in wonderland" yesterday. visually, the entire movie is kind of breathtaking and that's exactly why i wanted to watch it. there is one image toward the begining when alice falls down the rabbit hole for a very long time and finally lands albeit upsidedown in a tall room with a stunning circular mosaic floor. her long blond hair for one brief moment is extended straight up from her head and floats above her. it sort of gave me chills. the image reminded me of dorothea tanning's painting, "ein klein nachtmusic", one of her most powerful early paintings made while she was living with the famous surrealist painter max ernst in a house they built in the desert. when asked about it's symbolism tanning wrote, ‘it’s about confrontation. everyone believes he/she is his/her drama. while they don’t always have giant sunflowers (most aggressive of flowers) to contend with, there are always stairways, hallways, even very private theatres where the suffocations and the finalities are being played out, the blood red carpet or cruel yellows, the attacker, the delighted victim....’

"between lives" is an autobiography written by tanning and spans much of her life. born in 1910, she is still alive and is considered to be the oldest living surrealist painter. i can't begin to explain how fascinating her life is. being part of the mostly male-dominated surrealist movement was only part of it. after seeing her self-portrait "birthday" back in ny, ernst fell in love with her and they took up in a small apartment where the both painted. where and how they lived is like a blue print for how to live freely.

judah ross etsy

3 dots market bag by judah ross

bubble dress by judah ross

some fun new pieces by judah ross now available here on etsy. oami just added these to her shop and has a waxed cotton raincoat on the way too (that i desperately want and need). the bag is handpainted so each piece is unique. i love the stoplight colors and big brushstrokes. oami and i worked together on modaspia for a long time, right up until a few years ago. she's one of the most creative people i've ever met and taught me a lot (sorry, everything) about how colors work together, the importance of a neutral, on and on. did i mention she's my best friend?

images from fall lookbook

we shot the fall '10 lookbook sunday with the lovely melissa mchenry. i'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. the room was luminous and she is just a beauty. it helps that she likes the clothes i think, she owns a lot of modaspia. i'll be showing the line to the shops in the next few weeks. fingers crossed it goes over as well as spring did . there is a lot of crossover, spring styles done in wool. they just translated so well i couldn't resist. the new styles i'm really excited about though - the pintuck and day dresses, portrait blouse and pencil skirt. i'm relying heavily on the lookbook this time not having done a trade show for the first time in years. next season though, hello nyc!

judah ross

when i saw this bag today my mouth dropped open. the hand painted print is just so beautiful. the bag is part of a new collection by my best friend (and former modaspia partner!) oami powers. her new line is called judah ross and will initially include several covetable bags, a waxed cotton raincoat and some blouses and dresses i can't wait to own. i believe everything will be available on her new etsy sometime next week. i'll have an update then!

erica tanov

always inspirational to me, erica tanov is my favorite local designer. she's originally from berkeley where the flagship store is but has shops in sf & nyc as well. i love her hippy style. she uses luxe fabrics and knits, mostly from italy. it's a deceptively simple, loose look that i love.

i'm shooting my fall 2010 collection this weekend with melissa who reminds me of jean seberg. i think we're shooting in some empty studios in an old 1930's victorian. she said the wood floors are painted red in some rooms and there's some cute green curtains left in another. sounds like magic to me.

primoeza posted a few pics from her new lookbook on her website. she has a knitwear line and has beautiful style. they're pretty cool! she's also very sweet and quite pretty. she lives in australia.

valentine's day, mostly sad isn't it?

i confess i find valentine's day bittersweet. in my twenties and early thirties it seemed that every valentine's day without fail i spent alone and usually with a broken heart. there was one that was particularly bad and i remember it so well because my heart was so completely broken it almost felt good if you can grasp that. being young and alone and not having really let go of someone yet. i was in a bar in san francisco and didn't know a soul. i sat down and had a drink, surrounded by couples and hipsters. i suddenly realized i had to get out of there quick. i was suffocating in despair. it took a very long couple of minutes to reach the door and as i made my way through all the lovey dovey this song was playing and i'll never forget that moment.