Missoni for Target: SCORE!

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, I'm quite fond then! Fond of my readers, that is. And so sorry for the absence. I do have some fun things in store for the next few months!

But first, let's talk about shopping! By now, most of you have heard about the Missoni for Target extravaganza.

 

If you haven't, I'll fill you in briefly: Founded in 1953, Missoni is an Italian fashion (power) house known especially for it's colorful zigzag knitwear, which became wildly popular in the 1970s. They have since branched out into other realms of fashion, including sportswear, housewares, perfume and even hotels. On September 13th, the company debuted a 400-piece collection for Target.

Naturally, people lined up at the crack of dawn and bombarded pretty much every store across the country when it opened. Early birds grabbed tons of stuff, swapped with one another, and many of them have proceeded to sell some of their wares on ebay (for a fine profit, I might add). Shoppers crashed Target's website that day. In the days and weeks leading up to the launch, I took a look at the full collection and picked out a few things I would have liked to check out – particularly in the home wares arena, but there were some pretty cute sweaters, dresses and shoes I had my sights on.

Since I'm a 9-5er, I went to work as usual on 9/13 and did not have time for online shopping on the clock. September 13th happens to be my wedding anniversary, so a very special and romantic dinner with Oliver easily trumped a post-work trip to Target! I heard most Targets had been cleaned out of the good stuff by the end of that day, so I figured I was out of luck. Well! I finally made it over there this weekend and can I TELL you how excited I am about my score? SO very excited! I snagged the only little "rolly-polly" suitcase (as I call them). It's got navy and white zigzags and it will perfect for both car and air travel (I detest checking luggage and have become a master at packing lightly).
 

Ain't she sweet? The inside has a chic contrasting black and white zigzag in a smaller scale:

When I saw it, I pretty much just grabbed it and ran. Even the cashier noted that I snagged a rare find. When I got home and had time to explore my new gem, I discovered a few handy little pockets and a cosmetics bag containing a laundry bag and two shoe bags in yet another snappy Missoni pattern!
 

Here's little gratuitous close-up of the inside tag:


While I'm not much for pushy crowds, I wish I'd had the opportunity to hit the stores a little sooner, but, alas, my schedule didn't allow for it, and my bank account is thanking me for it. I must say, I'm quite happy with what I got, and I suspect there will be more pieces trickling in here and there, as people realize they overdid it and return stuff.

If you scored something you're proud of, don't be a stranger! Post it in a comment here on on facebook, or send me an email! I'd love to see what you've picked up!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

…if you know what's good for you, you'll tell me what I want to hear when I ask who's the fairest one of all! Today is all about mirrors. I love a haute mirror, and seem to be collecting them now. We have an awesome (and heavy) antique mirror rescued from my parents' neighbor:


You've seen the ornate Syroco number I found a my favorite NYC thrift store, Pippin Vintage, hanging in the hall of our former apartment in NYC:


We inherited a lovely (and enormous!) mirror from my Grandmother last year that hangs proudly in our current dining area:


And on a recent trip to visit the extended family in East Texas, we scored a smaller version of "the one that got away;" a vintage reproduction Federalist convex mirror:


More than a year ago, I spotted a similar mirror in the aforementioned Pippin in New York. Not only was it was larger, made of carved wood and gilded, it was in great shape and therefore fetched something in the $200 range (specimens in like-new condition, found on such sites as 1st Dibs, often yield much higher prices). I pondered it for a while, I brought Oliver in to ponder it with me, and one day, on yet another pondering trip, it was gone. Cest la vie; it wasn't meant to be just yet (and we couldn't really afford to spend the money on it, either). So, on this recent jaunt to the thrift stores of Mineola, when I spotted a similar mirror for a mere $19, I grabbed it and walked around the store holding it, lest I lost my chance again. Seriously, I did that.

Our new mirror was priced so low in part because it is made of Syroco (essentially molded, painted resin by the Syracuse Ornamental Company). I would love a wooden version someday, but my current budget only allows for plastic, so there you have it! In the 1950s, Syroco made it possible to reproduce heavily carved accessories for a fraction of the price, churning out tons of designs originally made of wood.

The mirrors are also known as "bullseye"mirrors, especially when the glass is convex. The design usually consists of a mirror surrounded by thirteen "balls," meant to represent the thirteen original states of the union (ours has this). They also lend the mirror a nautical feel, reminiscent of portholes on ships. Another name for the style is "Girandole," which refers to the candle arms (called girandoles) attached to some in order to reflect light into a room. The convex mirror design did a great deal to illuminate an entire room before electric light was common. They come in all shapes and sizes (well, I suppose they're mostly the same shape...), as can be seen in this great round up of offerings from The Federalist, and here, from Richard Rothstein. 

It now hangs proudly on Oliver's closet door, accompanying the Pippin find, which hangs on my closet door. I'm always shifting things around, so this may not be the permanent home (I might want to display it more prominently at some point), but it works for now!


Heavily influenced by the Empire style in France, but especially classical Greece and Rome, America's early Federalist style flourished between 1785 and 1810, when the Federalist Party ran the country and nationalism soared as America established herself. Neoclassical influences such as straight lines, simple ornament and lightness for ease of transport. Classical figures, urns, eagles, masks embellished delicate furnishings and accessories. The late Federalist style (1810-1830) saw many of the same embellishments, but in heavier forms and more ornamentation.

I'm thrilled to own a little bit of American history – and I'm certainly not alone!

Designer Unknown, via Elle Decor


Source unknown


Markham Roberts via Elle Decor


Design by Sara Gilbane

Our Headboard Named One of AT's Best of 2010!

Many thanks to Apartment Therapy for featuring our headboard project in it's Best of 2010 series! We got a great mention in the Twenty Projects for a Handmade Home post! The project was originally featured on Apartment Therapy in July, and (of course) we wrote about it, as well.

The other featured projects are outstanding and are definitely worth checking out. My personal favorites:
Weekend Project: Transform A Chair with Decopauge
Originally featured on styleathome.com, this project by Kevin Austin made an unremarkable chair into stand out accessory – see instructions by following the link.

Sailor's Knot Doorstop and Paperweight
This project, originally featured (with instructions) on Design Sponge, took a lot of unnecessary flack for whatever reason, but I think it's clever. We definitely could have used a chic door stop in our last apartment, and I love a good sailor's knot!

DIY Trunk to Rolling Cart Project
This project really needs no explanation. Prop and set designer Dane Holweger created this adorable bar from a vintage trunk and shared a full set of instructions. I want to do this in our new house!

Weekend Project: Give an Old Bench New Life
I've come across a gabillion old benches that could be fabulously chic with a little love (and maybe a little fur?). This is a project that would work for tons of uses: a bench at the front door to sit on and put on/take off shoes, a piano bench, a spare bench that can be pulled up to the dining table when seating becomes tight during entertaining or a bench at the end of a bed to catch blankets kicked off during the night. I can't wait to tackle this one, too!

Thanks again to Sarah Rae Trover at Apartment Therapy for choosing our project – and to Megan (our friend and a favorite recent client) for giving us the heads up on the feature!

In Bed with Dwell Studio

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of busy-ness and I suspect this week, though a short one, will be similarly hectic. I love what I do, but sometimes people, circumstances and things that are out of my control really test that love. During those times, I often say I just want to crawl back into bed and wake up next week or next month – whenever it will all be over and I can go back to hunky-dory land. Of course, climbing back into bed and sleeping through tough times is not an option; I take my responsibilities very seriously! BUT, if I were to crawl into bed (i.e. bury my head in the sand), I'll tell you I'd want to swath myself in bedding from Dwell Studio.


Peacock Dove Duvet Set

Peacock Citrine Duvet Set

Gate Ashe Duvet Set


Draper Stripe Ash Duvet Set – I went for the rumply image here because it just looks so irresistibly comfy!

Sheet sets, pillows, bedskirts and throws are all sold separately, but coordinate beautifully with the duvets to create fashionable statement beds that are approachable and don't look like they all came from the same place, resulting in a collected look. Of course, phenomenal styling doesn't hurt.


Tossing a fun pillow or two in the mix really dresses up a bed!

Diamond Ikat Azure Pillow


Gate Citrine Pillow

Bedskirts can be so frilly and over-the-top. Not these. I love the matelasse options on the bottom!


Dwell Studio isn't just about bedding; with accessories, gifts, gorgeous rugs, stationary, table linens, window treatments, and now wallpaper, all featuring their ever-increasing pattern options, Dwell Studio is quickly becoming a one-stop home shop!

If the prices are a little steep (and they certainly can be), Dwell Studio has partnered with Target (see Dwell Studio for Target) to offer their gorgeous styles for a lot less. We are proud owners of such bedding, which made it all the way to Apartment Therapy!

Typographic Pillow from Veer

I swear, Dwell Studio isn't paying me to write all this. I just really love their products. It's Monday morning – the first day of a new week. I have high hopes that all the kinks of the last two weeks will be ironed out this week, but if not, I know what I'll want to wrap myself in at the end of the day!

Custom Armoire

Today I'm working in the office of a decorator for whom I've been doing freelance work for about a year. She brings me in to do drawings and custom millwork designs, which is fun for me because she has wonderful clients with great taste and oodles of money, so I get to play around with all kinds of interesting design options and materials. Earlier this week, I met the senior designer at a client's house for a little measuring and had the opportunity to quickly snap a shot of an armoire I designed and detailed out months ago. I wasn't involved in the production of it, so seeing the built version of something I'd only seen on paper was a hoot!

Here are the elevations I did:


And here's the finished product:


The piece turned out just as I'd envisioned it, from the dark stained oak frame and white lacquered doors to the proportions and the brass hardware.

Buy Stuff: John Derian for Target

Happy Friday – and long weekend! Labor Day sales are upon us, and for those of you who will do some back-to-school and fall shopping at Target in the upcoming weeks, I recommend taking a moment to check out the second John Derian for Target collection, which premieres this Sunday, Sept. 5 online and in select stores, and will be available for six weeks.

This year's collection will consist of nearly 100 decorative accessories, including Derian's signature designs for whimsical trays, dishware, wall art, fabric-covered bins and office supplies depicting butterflies, flowers, feathers and vintage-style lettering, all priced under $25 – a far cry from the originals. I've put together some collections of some John Derian for Target items I'll be looking at.

Derian opened his eponymous New York store in 1989, reviving the art of decoupage, the process of layering images over a decorative background, with glass tableware created using color reproductions of 18th and 19th century illustrations. Let's just say Derian's work isn't cheap. The new Target collection employs the same approach to a type of plastic called melamine, bringing the price point to a more Target-appropriate level. Melamine is dishwasher safe, so cleaning up after a late summer/early fall picnic or bbq just got an injection of high-style without the worry or fuss of using nice dishware!


The limited-edition collections sell out in a flash, so get thee to a Target store, or your computer, this weekend!

Target's Designer Collaborations is an expansion of it's existing Designer Fashion Program, which has been extremely successful. The items fly off the shelves, which is good for Target's business, but great for the designers with whom they collaborate, giving them enormous exposure and allowing them to reach a new audience. H&M has been collaborating with designers, quote a bit, but not enough big stores work with established, but niche artists and designers and I'm not sure why, but I'm thrilled Target supports local artisans!

John Derian has two New York shops; 10 East Second Street and 6 East Second Street

Tennis Anyone?

The first round of the US Open officially kicks off today, with a bunch of big names playing. In honor of the tournament, I'd been planning this tennis-inspired post for a while, then Apartment Therapy beat me to the punch last week! They even used the clever title I planned to use. Damn! :) No matter. I am not deterred; today we're looking at tennis imagery through the years. 

First, a little tennis and fashion history. The New York Times blog had a nice montage showing the evolution of women's and men's tennis fashion through the years:

But, I'd like to go into some detail. Tennis became popular among English aristocrats in the 1860s. Outfits were all white, with women in long dresses and corsets. Wimbledon was the first tournament. Tennis caught on in America in the 1880s, with the first tournament at the Newport Casino in Newport, RI in 1881. 

From left: 1881 Tennis Dress in Harper's Bazaar, via Fuzzy Lizzie Vintage Clothing; Right: 1895 images from Tennis Forum

In the early and mid-1900s, tennis fashion became a little less restrictive for women – knee-length skirts, cardigans and silk stockings! – when Suzanne Lenglen started playing without petticoats or corsets. She wore outfits by French couturier Jean Patou, which were likened to ballet costumes. Lenglen loved her bandeaus and fur coats:

Early 1900s

1920s

How great is this stylized poster from 1921?

In the 1930s, women began to play with bare legs and ankle socks (scandalous!) and skirts became a little shorter, although miniskirts were still thirty years away. 

Left: Jean Harlow; Right: Jack Crawford

Keds' reproduction of the 1934 "Court Ace" are currently en vogue and available for purchase here:

The women in these photos look a little less carefree than those in the 1940s Simplicity patterns, but the basic shape of the styles are there:

Tennis wear in the 1950s was much like styles seen off the court, especially with men and their preppy sweaters! 

Apparently, professional player Joy Gannon broke the all-white clothing rule in the 1950s, but I wasn't able to find an image of the number she wore, designed by Ted Tinling, which only had a purple HEMLINE. Hardly a breach, in my opinion. 

Much like street fashion, 1960s tennis fashion saw much shorter hemlines on the ladies. The men weren't exactly wearing oversized outfits, either!

Left: Outfits designed by Tinling; Right: Roy Emerson

In the 1970s players wore what their sponsors provided for them, thus becoming walking advertisements for various sportswear and footwear companies. Outfits for both men and women became shorter and tighter. I LOVED the socks with the little balls on the backs, see the top right photo: 

Clockwise from left: Converse ad, 1978; Image Unknown, Chris Evert, Arthur Ashe

In the 1980s and 1990s, during a fitness craze, breathable fabrics and second-skin clothing was all the rage (remember Jane Fonda?) for women. For men, shorts started getting longer and shirts looser: 

Pete Sampras

During this time, fashion magazines began treating players to celebrity-style covershoots and encouraging more raciness. With her tiny outfits and hot bod, Anna Kournikova attracted a huge following, despite the fact that she never actually won a grand slam tournament. 

Left: Bjorn Borg on the July 14, 1980 cover of Sports Illustrated; Right: Anna Kournikova

So here we are, about 150 years since the beginning of tennis. More than ever, players are bringing in their personal style into their tennis outfits, from warm-up gear...

Outerwear via Daily Mail

...to tournament wear:

Serena Williams' Harajuku-style via Tennis Runway. Serena has really pioneered a new sense of fashion for women's tennis wear. She's always sporting a unique outfit! 

Roger Federer is a modern-day favorite for his dashing style and top-notch athletics  

Tennis also had a little day in the sun on the Hermes Spring/Summer 2010 runway: 

Clockwise from left: Addidas, Lacoste, Sergio Rossi for Puma, Lacoste

Tennis has made its way into realms of the design world other than fashion: 

Tennis chair by Hugh Hayden via interiordesigningblog

Photos from a fundraiser designed by Lollipop Events and Designs

Inspiration for a tennis-themed wedding via Wedding Style Guide:

Wallpaper by Turner Pocock (note the stylish rotary phone)

And finally, a nice note on which to end: Tennis poster by Dear Colleen

Sources: 

Fashion Wear Today

Tennis Forum

The Painted Woman

I Am An Automaton