must haves

Pushmataaha. Shaka Ring (turquoise).

Arnsdorf. Hair Vest.

Maurie & Eve. Sloux Dress (cactus).

Camilla and Marc. Portmans Collection.

Zimmermann. Trival Rouched Dress (cherry bomb).

Carolina Herrera. Audrey Bag.

So I have to admit it...I spend PLENTY of hours in the internet drooling over fashion wonders I can't splurge on. I have a crush on many many labels (Halston Heritage, Haute Hippie, Camilla and Marc, Elizabeth and James, Sass and Bide, Sachin + Babi,...) and would MORE THAN LOVE to be able to wear 'em. However, I'll have to conform with blogging about 'em and thinking that if I work hard enough maybe one day I will! Ha! So...Here are some of my latest drools...

cosmos

I took a break today and my beautiful Dalmatian was lingering around...he's definitely one that never lets down!

fantastic duo

Argentinians Gaby Herbstein (photographer) and Pablo Bernasconi (illustrator) collaborated to produce these magnificent images for a Buenos Aires based foundation called Fundación Azara that promotes activities for the community and the environment. The images were used for their 2011 calendar called "Garbage is not Garbage".

#helpjapan

James White

Jordan Tually

Maxim Barkhatov

Rob Dobi

Wojciech Zalot

After the horrors we've seen on TV and online about what Japan has lived in the past days, there has been lots of call for help. James White's now-iconic poster has raised thousands of dollars in funds for #helpjapan, and has influenced many designers to follow the flow and create beautiful call-for-aid posters.

bright & bold

I've recently been contacted from a new client that has a catering business, named in Swahili. So I've gone under the task of researching that East African region, including textiles, graphics, interiors, etc. I came by the Swahili Fashion Week hosted in Dar Es Salaam in 2010 with bold designs and rich textures, as wells as Suno Designs made from recycled African textiles from Kenya. The latter caught my attention because it's political/cultural statements in their kangas (rectangles of printed cotton that women from the coast of East Africa have worn since the mid 1800s, passed from mother to daughter), because they are most commonly sold in identical pairs and have phrases in Swahili with social, political or sexual connotations.

tasting africa

World-renowned Ethiopian chef, Marcus Samuelsson, opened a restaurant and lounge called Merkato 55 in the Manhattan meatpacking district. Not only is he cooking edgy pan-african cuisine, but also delivering it with fine ambiance: pounding drumbeats, eccentric cocktails, silkscreen African arts, and lots and lots of color! The restaurant is named after a famous Ethiopian market, it's described as one that “pivots into a sexy evening for the Marc Jacobs set. It’s Spice Market on the Serengeti”by the Time's Frank Bruni.

macaroonistic

I can't explain it much more than Anagrama's own project description. Lots of negative space contrasted with bits of color = pure elegance!
"White was our primary tool for design. As a result of this the attention was fully oriented to the colorful macarons. We placed two lines in our design in cyan and magenta, as a relation with a modern French flag to inject a vanguard vision to the identity. We selected Didot (created by Firmin and Pierre Didot), a French typography that would present the brand with sophistication."

royal gypsy

Alexandre Herchcovitch's FW2010 collection blew everyone's mind in Saõ Paulo Fashion Week. He contrasts the gypsy lifestyle with a royal divinity, creating a bohemian elegance that dazzles the eye. Bold color combinations, delicate use of beads&chains and intricate patterns make up this winter fairytale!

apivita & grown

Simple yet complicated. patterns&color vs dark&typography. Although both of these beauty products have a completely different outtake on their packaging, both of them share common features: organic, natural, sustainability. "Beautiful healthy looking skin comes from a profound understanding of nature's power", is Grown's philosophy, similar to Hippocrate's quote "Nature is the most dominant ruler of all” shown on Apivita's website.
***Apivita's packaging design won the Red Dot Communication Design Award, European Design Award AND EBGE Design Award. Creatively designed by dkd studio in Athens, Greece.

confetti parade

What's not to love about Confetti System's installations? Makes me think how all those arts&crafts classes we start taking since early childhood start to pay off! The world is striving to mass produce everything right now that when artists take a step back into an almost primitive (so to speak) artistic style, they stand out. So, why not take a step back?

CONFETTISYSTEM is Nicholas Andersen and Julie Ho, a duo working as artists, stylists, and designers. A friendship born from their shared love of communal celebration and craft-making has brought them together to create a new system. CONFETTISYSTEM transforms simple materials such as tissue paper, cardboard, and silk into interactive objects that create a point of focus, where memories are made and a spontaneous collaboration with the viewer is sparked. CONFETTISYSTEM’s creations occupy the space between the ephemeral and the permanent, evoking a sense of nostalgia and lighthearted fun.

ok, go!

Absolutely amazing video by OK Go and Syyn Labs. Check it out here!

re/design

Back to reality! After two days of flights and layovers, I finally made it back to Costa Rica :) Of course, that means back to work! I've always put back the design of this blog...keep saying I have to do it every day, and guess what? As you can see I haven't! I'm definitely gonna try and give this blog a make-over, so be expecting something pretty very soon!
Until then...here are some pics of my trip. Enjoy! xxx

holla TWENTYELEVEN

Well...HELLO! It's definitely been a while! Must say I've been enjoying my vacations (IN AUSTRALIA!), but haven't forgotten about my pandora box (aka> Lavender Fairytale). Anyways, not to bore you with details, I'll be blogging about a few inspirations I found along the way.
I found MOR Cosmetics while eye-shopping in a Myer's store in Bendigo (about an hour and a bit from Melbourne). It was founded in 2001 by Australian designers Dianna Burmas and Deon St. Mor after an inspiring trip to India, with a philosophy of providing a personalized sensory journey: to awaken the senses by creating a memorable visual and product experience. They have most assuringly achieved such goals! I must say it is nearly impossible to not buy at least ONE of they're exquisite products!