Catherine Michiels Trunk Show – Saturday, February 11th
Hirshleifers welcomes Los Angeles jewelry designer Catherine Michiels this Saturday, February 11th.
From her hand cast soulful charms to her custom silk dyed bracelets, Catherine’s jewelry is both stylish and meaningful, serving as a wearable connection to the spiritual world. With training at Arts & Metiers in Brussels and global travels, Catherine expresses her nomadic spirit in her designs.
Come join us in Hirshleifers ETC this Saturday and meet Catherine Michiels for a fun afternoon, filled with her unique designs.
Love, Solange Azagury-Partridge
Solange Azagury-Partridge for the one you love, available now at Hirshleifers.
Solange Azagury-Partridge 18 K gold “Love” bangle $5300, Solange Azagury-Partridge enamel and silver Union Jack ring $1900, Solange Azagury-Partridge enamel ” Hot Lips” ring $1500, Solange Azagury-Partridge18 K gold “24/7″ link bracelet $8000
For assistance please call 800.401.9313
Giambattista Valli Haute Couture SP 2012: Eric Gaskins Vol 95
Giambattista Valli is a hybrid. He’s a designer who is as easily at home with Prêt a Porter as he is in the Couture atelier. Like a gifted concert pianist he’s as dexterous with one hand as he is with the other, all along creating opposing rhythms and harmonies with both. For this and other reasons, I find him to be one of the most compelling creative forces on the scene today.
Valli has the unique distinction of having worked and trained under some of the greatest creators of fashion of the last century. From the Roman formalist, Capucci who sculpted gowns with the precision of an engineer to the House of Emmanuel Ungaro one of the most gifted drapers whose collections were the personification of poetry and romance. Add to the mix references to the great and almighty Christian Dior with a taste of the big screen drama of Adrian and you start to get a picture of his pedigree. This collection seemed to reference and show reverence to the masters under whom he was shaped. The final analysis is undeniably a collection that’s all his own.
Early on he showed delicate cocktail dresses in airy, dotted silk mousseline draped to one side and over one shoulder that felt like a creation from the hands of Ungaro if he were still working. Like Ungaro it appeared organically grown with no effort from a human’s touch. Colors were subtle, never jarring. Lots of black and white in 2 ensembles in particular that felt like a Dior-ism: molded gleaming crocodile in a strictly shaped and fitted jacket with rounded hips over a lithe white lace skirt and again in what might have been a simple draped coat dress with a full sweeping skirt. The base was white but embroidered enmasse from the shoulders down were thousands of black petals that fell like blossoms in a windstorm randomly to the hem. Valli’s genius and marvelous technique made it all look as though it was an act of nature.
The gowns that took us to the crescendo of the presentation shifted like a tide from grand, over the top creations of layer upon layer of chiffon and organza in many shades and prints of rose to sleek paillette covered surfaces of deep aubergine. Whether you wanted a scene stealing bravura gown or a haunting wisp of draped chiffon that trumpeted restraint, he offered them up in equal measure.
Giambattista Valli is an exciting Couturier to behold. His respect for the past and his free wheeling way of offering us a glimpse of the future keeps us on the edge of our gilded caned seats. Viva L’Alta Moda!
Aesthetic Movement : StyleOut Wk05:2012
Looking at Isabel Marant’s exquisitely simple dress of crinkled silk gauze with its almost Grecian silhouette I’m reminded of Proust’s words as he described the vision of his great friend Madame de Guermantes in “Remembrances of things past”:
“Of all the indoor and outdoor gowns that Mme de Guermantes wore, those which seemed most to respond to a definite intention, to be endowed with a special significance, were the garments made by Fortuny y Madrazo from old Venetian models. Is it their historical character, is it rather the fact that each one of them is unique that gives them so special a significance that the pose of the woman who is wearing one while she waits for you to appear or while she talks to you assumes an exceptional importance…?”
With Aurora Lopez’s poetry stamped silver necklace, the leather and silver medallion bracelet and her jumble of silver ‘hand cuffs’ the look is a return to the Aesthetic movement where women were set free from all constraints; fashion, society’s expectations and best of all, the limits they set for themselves.
Click Images to enlarge:
Tom Ford “Carter” Rounded Havana frames with gradient lenses $360
Isabel Marant ivory satin Grecian dress $925
Aurora Lopez Mejia sterling rose petal pendant on an 18”chain $350
Aurora Lopez Mejia Sterling Harmony disc stamped pendant $470
Aurora Lopez Mejia sterling bangle $360
Aurora Lopez Mejia sterling handcuff with citrine $2175
Aurora Lopez Mejia Leather and sterling Harmony cuff $650
Givenchy “TINHAN” black leather open top shopper $1445
Laurence decade “RUSH” Quilted leather cutout bootie $1010
For assistance please call 800.401.9313
Gem Finder: Naz’s New Druzy Collection
In the world of jewelry, raw, organic shapes and gems that look as if they’ve been plucked from the earth never go out of style. Our latest shipment of Naz’s “Druzy” pieces feature fine crystal coated rocks in agate, quartz and topaz. With a perfectly Spring-like palette of mint, ocean and cinnamon, you’ll want to add drops of each color into your warm weather wardrobe. Please note the necklace chains are 46” long and are studded with raw diamonds. You can find your next sparkly Spring statement at Hirshleifers.
American Beauty: Levi’s Men Spring 2012
The Levi’s men’s collection for Spring was inspired by a Californian coastal community near the brand’s headquarters in San Francisco. With chinos in breezy shades like bone, salmon, mustard and cream, it’s easy to imagine pairing them with leather sandals and a relaxed tee once the weather warms up. Traditionalists will love the classic denim styles and modern lumberjack button-downs. And everyone will want the washed vintage tees-the perfect layering piece for springtime barbeques and poolside fetes.
You can find Levi’s relaxed weekend wear in Hirshleifers ETC.
Happy Travels: Brunello Cucinelli – Men Spring 2012
Created for the modern explorer, Brunello Cucinelli offers safari jackets, parkas and outerwear in twisted cottons and parachute fabrics for Spring. More literal pieces speak to the rugged outdoorsman in the form of tobacco leather aviator jackets, tailored cargo pants and cotton trousers in natural earth tones. But the urban sophisticate in your life will not be left out: single-ply cashmere knits as well as the brand’s new contemporary suit (which is lightweight an slimmer in silhouette,) will provide many elegant options for the work week in warmer months.
You can find Brunello Cucinelli’s modern menswear at Hirshleifers.
Lanvin Resort 2012: At ease with Luxury : Eric Gaskins Vol 94
Alber Elbaz went looking at the 80’s via Krystal and the heroines of Dynasty. It proved to be fallow ground so he left it behind to plow fresh earth. The hallmarks of that era with luxurious excesses in liquid fabrics shot with lame, bold shoulders and copious amounts of drapery and dressmaking detail all went to a new purpose. Colors, though obvious and sorely lacking in subtlety back then were remixed to shades much more mysterious and poetic. Muted pastels, grey mixing with pinks, mustards and then a veritable swarm of white rounded out a palette rich with drama.
I couldn’t help but think of the great designers of that period as I considered look after look spilling from his imagination: Halston, early Calvin Klein, YSL, Madame Gres, but all of them filtered through Elbaz’s fecund imagination. He is that rare designer whose references remain stamped with his quirky aesthetic. Billowing tops in lame shot chiffon with sweeping dolman sleeves over modified harem pants under copious layers of chunky necklaces and cuffs all conspire to suggest the world of the rich bohemian. Sweeping long skirts and slouchy tops cinched with broad leather belts bring back images from the Vogue magazines of the early eighties that showed us women of immense style in clothes that mirrored a style of living and not just adverts for a star’s upcoming film or record.
The cocktail dresses and gowns that followed in white were just as vibrant as the colorful exits that preceded them. White has a way of highlighting all the technique and poetry inherent in the piece. White is a color that hides nothing and these glorious pieces certainly have nothing to hide. Alber Elbaz has a joy that comes through in everything that he touches. The sweep of gowns formed by miles of fabric, exquisite embroideries and laces with surfaces that can only be described as artistic masterpieces and the shoes and accessories that accompany them all coalesce to make a picture that is complete. And yet, one never has the feeling of being overwhelmed or buried under the vision of a designer. Lanvin is that rare house that is at ease within itself and at ease with luxury.
France through the Senses
France and all things French seems to be a place and idea that dwells firmly in our senses. The sound of a haunting accordion, the smell and taste of a fresh pastry, the look and feel of exquisite clothing, the memory of a wonderful moment or a fragment of romantic prose are all things we associate with France. Three new books by the publisher Assouline take us on three very different journeys rich in subtlety, texture and romance: the atmosphere of Paris before and after dark, the thoughts and questions of Proust and the luxurious comfort of the Hotel Du Cap on the French Riviera.
“The Light of Paris” is a delicious book of images shot by photographer Jean-Michel Bert. From Montparnasse to the grand boulevards, he captures the haunting light of this fabulous city. Before dawn and well after sunset Bert takes his large format camera to some of the most well-known and obscure spots of this storied city. The images are in rich black and white with so much texture and detail to almost appear three-dimensional. Anyone who’s been to Paris or for those of us who have only dreamt about it will find immense pleasure wandering the streets in this luscious book.
“The Proust Questionnaire” is a book we all should own. When Proust was a young man he came up with a list of questions he felt would best define the character of his friends and the people he most admired. The Proust Questionnaire is a facsimile edition of the original written with the answers in his own hand. It is to this day the most often used interview device and appears at the end of every issue of Vanity Fair. Inside you find the questionnaire filled out by many of today’s most interesting cultural personalities. Near the back of the book are several blank questionnaires for you and your friends to fill out. It’s a thought provoking exercise that illuminates the characters of those we know and love best and makes a fantastic gift.
“The Hotel Du Cap: Eden.Roc Cap d’Antibes” is that rare book that takes us to a world of unparalleled luxury. Since 1869 this grand estate on the cliffs of Antibes has been a refuge for artists and the aristocracy and today welcomes celebrities and discriminating travelers. This extraordinary hotel is all things elegant, refined and that most precious of qualities, private. Legendary guests like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Noel Coward and almost every member of the English, French and Italian aristocracy, along with any captain of industry and oligarch from the farthest reaches of the world has at one time or other stayed in its exquisite suites. The house of Chanel has shown its collection on the grounds for last year’s Resort season. The combination of elegant interiors, pristine grounds and the crash of the Mediterranean Sea make this hotel one of the most romantic destinations in the world. It will be difficult to resist after looking at this book.
Delight and satisfy your senses through these newly published offerings from Assouline. They make perfect gifts if you can resist the temptation to keep them for yourselves. Hirshleifer’s ETC is home to these and other coffee table books of distinction.
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Chanel Cruise 2011 at the Hotel Du Cap
W.E. A Love Story… That’s also mine: StyleOut Wk04:2012
My mother gave me the name Wallis in honor of my great, great cousin Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor. She may have been a notorious woman to much of the world but she’s always been a heroine to those in my family.
Being the catalyst for the abdication of a king is one way to look at her. The truer view is that she was the love of a king’s life. History rewrites itself over and over. Madonna is instrumental in this historic rewrite with her film, W.E. that opens shortly. I’m attending the premiere in true Wallis fashion; wearing impossibly chic Lanvin dress with Solange Azagury- Partridge jewelry that all symbolize that most universal of passions, Love.
Wallis was a style maker who was devoted to all things beautiful. From her homes to her taste in beautiful things and her all consuming passion, her Duke; I intend to do her proud. I’ve even updated her maxim: You can never be too chic or too kind…
Click images to enlarge
Lanvin multicolor tweed knit sleeveless dress $2075
Tom Ford “Nico” smoke gradient cat eye frames $420
Jimmy Choo red patent leather and gold clutch $1150
Solange Azagury-Partridge enamel and silver Union Jack ring $1900
Solange Azagury-Partridge enamel ” Hot Lips” ring $1500
Solange Azagury-Partridge 18 K gold “Love” bangle $5300
Solange Azagury-Partridge18 K gold 24/7 link bracelet $8000
Pierre Hardy red patent, black & tan kid and wood wedge $695
For assistance please call 800.401.9313
Giorgio Brato Spring 2012
Giorgio Braschi designs leather the way many designers work with cloth. For more than ten years he has experimented with ways to make what once was a tough garment, tender. Napa leather, which is as soft as it comes, is crafted in unusual shapes, then over dyed and finally washed. These processes give the finished garment a color that appears stained. The washing makes the already supple piece feel more like skin. The final result is a collection of styles that are all unique unto themselves. No two pieces are exactly alike. The more they are worn because of their softness, the more they conform to the body.
With his current collection, Braschi further experiments with the surface of the leather with minute perforations that look like partially stamped paillettes.
The Giorgio Brato collection is a far cry from its beginnings as a company producing motorcycle jackets. These treasures are pure fashion. Hirshleifers ETC is home to these one of a kind leathers. Come in and slip into a second skin.
Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year
January 23 marks the Lunar New Year, the first new moon of the new year. Celebrated by Asian communities around the world, the holiday offers hope and an opportunity for renewal and positive change.
2012 marks the most powerful of lunar calendar symbols, the Year of the Water Dragon, which connotes creativity, passion, spontaneity, intensity and exhilaration.
We at Hirshleifers extend our best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Thanks to Leigh Reyes for the image.
Celine Resort2012: The Beat of a Different Drummer : Eric Gaskins Vol 93
Phoebe Philo continues her methodical reconstruction of a modern woman’s wardrobe. After essentially sweeping away the quaint idea of dressing for the moment and in its place creating elemental shapes to build a system of dressing on, she begins to roam farther afield with Resort. The Celine woman with her precision cut Tee, skirts and shifts in supple leathers, cotton and crisp wool will have the chance to soften and add a touch of whimsy to her wardrobe. In place of her almost patrician view of utility comes fluid trousers, translucent trench coats, color blocks of pieced leathers in bags and coats and most subversive of all, shocking shades of pink within a sea of sober hues.
Perhaps the most interesting elements in the collection beyond her bags and shoes which have been embraced by women all over the world and as such are some of the most successful accessories to be found, are the color blocked dresses and skirts in black and white. In leather there are long, lean below the knee skirts with navy yokes and black. They’re sleek, they make a woman’s body look longer and leaner and they mix with just about everything. The same can be said for her black on white dresses. Their seriousness is underplayed by the easy, sporty nature of the proportions. The striped pajama in black and white silk is as much at home as it is out and about. The colors of these particular pieces lend them a very long life that will extend far beyond the season.
The fun begins with her bold floral patterned jacket and pants suits. The rich, detailed pattern suggests botanical studies and the beautifully detailed silks and wallpapers of a bygone era. As bold as the patterns are, their subtlety is in the beauty of the colors. They bring to mind the feeling of an elegant drawing room in a stately home. Any woman would look like a connoisseur of the unexpected and the grand.
Celine is a bold statement for women at ease with themselves. The pleasure of these clothes is in their unapologetic individuality. The Celine woman marches to her own drum no matter the noise that surrounds her.
Thom Browne Spring 2012 – True to His Roots
Don’t be put off by Thom Browne’s over-the-top runway presentations. When you break the collection down into its individual components, you always discover trend-setting accessories, an innovative spin on classic plaid and check shirts and maybe most impressively, Thom Browne’s genius for tailoring in jackets and suiting .
For spring 2012, Thom Browne remains true to his roots. Take his oxfords, for example — this is go-to shirting for the guy who wants to be casual but make his presence known. This season, Browne does it with boldly colored plaids, ginghams and stripes of varying sizes, playing with the cut and proportions and reinventing the classic cotton men’s shirt. Often in a very understated way, his signature red-white-and-blue colored motif might appear on the back of a tie, on a blazer inside the cuff or on the back of the collar - marking the item as clearly Thom Browne for those in the know.
The Spring 2012 Menswear Collection is available now at Hirshleifers ETC.
Cycling to Rajasthan: StyleOut Wk03:2012
H.H.Gajsingh II, the Maharaja Of Marwar-Jodhpur an old friend of my Grand Aunt Pauline, invited me to come and discover the beauty and mystery of Rajasthan, his sacred state. With an endless calendar of festivals and fairs steeped in centuries old Indian traditions, I’m curious to see what is considered the jewel in India’s crown. Their sense of color and style; a joie de vivre that manifests itself in these festivals along with their respect for nature is threaded through every moment of life there.
I proposed to explore as much as possible by motorcycle. My treasured Alexander McQueen leather jacket with its Bengal tiger imagery across the shoulders seems the perfect piece to accompany me on my journey of discovery. Crisp white cotton is a fitting costume for long days and languid nights. McQueen’s eyelet blouse and Proenza Schouler’s cycling skirt will surely be worn again and again. Between seeing brightly colored elephants, men and women in silks of every imaginable shade and a landscape that makes one’s heart race, I feel like someone on a sacred pilgrimage. It seems we all need a quest, an excuse for living…
Click images to enlarge:
Alexander McQueen black leather motorcycle jacket with contrasting khaki knit notch lapels and tiger printed back panel $5295
Alexander McQueen off white cotton eyelet military blouse $1295
Vintage Japanese Shakudo 18K gold and mixed metal ring – Price upon request
Proenza Schouler side zip short cotton skirt with Grosgrain waistband $475
Proenza Schouler “PS1 KEEP ALL” black leather two handle carrier tote with flap front $1150
Alexander McQueen Silk chiffon skull/tiger print scarf $525
Givenchy black leather and suede kitten heel sandal $795
For assistance please call 800.401.9313
3.1 Phillip Lim: Resort 2012
For Resort 2012 Phillip Lim prescribes a wardrobe of lush weightless cashmere. The gauge is so fine, the colors so paled to almost suggest a new color wheel. With twisting tanks, open, breezy pullovers, lofty harem pants that wrap and tie, the effort to dress has all but been eliminated. For ornament and novelty he introduces matte, leather paillettes that divide the surface of a tee shirt. This is luxurious sportswear with a carefree attitude perfect for a far-flung location or right at home in the urban jungle. Tailored jackets in cheetah prints or the look of pony skin in prints on silk have a sharp edge without the weight. Come and explore the 3.1 Phillip Lim Resort 2012 collection at Hirshleifers.
Brunello Cucinelli’s Alternate Fashion Reality
More than just springing into the new season, Brunello Cucinelli’s Spring 2012 Collection leaps into an alternate fashion reality where comfort and beauty are one in the same. Modern simplicity defines this collection of casual yet effortlessly elegant pieces. Luxury has never been so easy. And who knew that natural could have such a vast color palette? Mr. Cucinelli has once again expanded on the many shades and nuances of natural color, distinguishing between hues of panama, chalk sand, rice, petal, geranium, stone, cane etc. He has also decided to break with precedent experimenting with never before seen shades of coral, peppermint green and navy blue.
The new collection features a range of styles, from softly flowing knit and cashmere sweaters to form fitted ribbed gauze and cotton canvas tanks. Cucinelli prioritizes freedom, movement and comfort in his designs, by adding volume to button down silk tops and wide leg trousers through the use of excess fabric. This season’s woman is also very much in touch with her masculine side and is seen wearing outerwear that has a couture menswear feel. All in all, Cucinelli’s Spring 2012 Collection breaks with boundaries, proving that pure understated fashion can still spawn envy.
I Have A Dream
The following is the exact text of Martin Luther King, Jr’s spoken speech, transcribed from recordings.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Alexander McQueen Resort2012: Rule Britannia! : Eric Gaskins Vol 92
Sarah Burton’s collection for Resort2012 was self described as “Romantic Utility”. Her introduction of that most utilitarian of fabrics, cotton twill is as close as this collection comes to practicality. The mood of a colonialist force off in the wilds of India and Africa is suggested in the greens, khakis and russet browns of crisp tailored and belted jackets and cropped, cuffed trousers.
Its all crisp and no nonsense but with a coy femininity in the details. Pockets are embroidered with shells, threadwork and beads that bring to mind indigenous African decoration. Open work lace peplum jackets over crisp cotton trousers and fitted lace dresses with flared circular hems are reminiscent of antique English tablecloths. Perhaps the utility in this sense are Burton’s nostalgic and evocative materials. Rest assured they are handled in a provocative and modern way. The idea of a uniform plays again and again in her pairing of separates. The Elegant black Chesterfield coat over a white silk military blouse and sleek black trousers is a brilliant gender play. Her use of gold bullion embroidery on a black fitted jacket and elongating black skirt is quintessential McQueen drama at its most dramatic.
It is a marvelous blurring of the lines between Ready to Wear and Couture. The same can be said for a bullion-covered bustier with a long, layered tulle skirt. Sarah Burton is that rare designer who gives only her best effort. Each piece and its craft is every bit as important as the whole. The Romance of this collection is unashamedly expressed in the gold thread embroidered silk tulle gown at the collection’s end. It is as much an homage to the time of Britain’s rule over its Dominions as it is a celebration of the late Alexander McQueen’s legacy.
Roland Mouret Cuts It Out
Parisian designer Roland Mouret gave an edge to the spring season with his 1940’s and 1950’s inspired Spring/Resort 2012 collection. With the keen eye of an artist, he carved into the past and brought into modernity an assortment of show stopping origami dresses. From form fitting cocktail mini dresses to elegantly draped evening wear, this collection is perfect for any occasion.
The collection maintains a classic feel yet cuts into something deeper, bringing to the fore intricate patterns of cut outs and folds. Tailored to sleek perfection, these pieces are tapered with sharp patch pockets and panels which transform the body into a slender, picture perfect classic hour glass. These dresses come in vibrant monochrome hues of coral and rouge, or are toned down in black and navy blue.
Finally, Mouret ties the knot with his cross grain ribbon ties, seen on almost ever piece as one of his signature marks.
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Atlantis: StyleOut Wk02:2012
Amber is believed to have been mined in Atlantis, treasured like gold and traded throughout the old world by the Norwegians. The Egyptians believed it to be the eye of Ra, their Sun God. The Romans saw it as the tears of Apollo. Walking through this hall of antiquities in Berlin’s Neues Museum I’ll admit, Nefertiti stunned me. I came face to face with her absolutely alone in her domed circular gallery.
In Alaia, I felt appropriately dressed to be presented to her. I imagined her complimenting my amber ring and my vintage lockets and chains. She was a legendary beauty and a woman of enormous power who valued this precious material like I. I’d like to think that she’d appreciate my Pierre Hardy shoes and bag for their exquisite color and obvious craftsmanship. It’s said that whole walls and freestanding obelisks were inlaid in amber. In 1200 B.C. it was no longer traded or mined which coincides with the disappearance of Atlantis. Fortunately, art, beauty and dreams of a lost world survive.
Click Images to enlarge:
Azzedine Alaia “Sahara Muguet” knit dress (also in black) $3360
Vintage Victorian sterling and rose gold locket necklace $2640
Vintage medals necklace in sterling and rose gold $3520
Vintage Russian amber and sterling over sized cabochon ring $770
Jimmy Choo coral grainy calf handbag $795
Alexander McQueen “God Save McQueen” silk chiffon scarf $790
Pierre Hardy Coral, and beige canvas wedge sandals $675
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The News – Vol 1 : Jimmy Choo Expands
We are excited to announce that Jimmy Choo has begun an expansion of its space at Hirshleifers. Doubling its size, the boutique is taking as additional space, the area formerly occupied by Chrome Hearts, which has been relocated within Hirshleifers.
The expanded shop will reflect Jimmy Choo’s newest shop concept as currently seen in its Madison Avenue store, and will permit Jimmy Choo to offer an expanded selection of handbags plus a full range of shoes and boots.
The shop is projected to be open on February 7.
Pierre Hardy: Haute Chausseurier
Pierre Hardy’s skill and imagination has shod the collections of Dior, Hermes and Balenciaga. Architecture, art and graphic design inform his eye and are reflected in his own collections for women since 1999. As Creative Director for shoes and jewelry at Hermes, Balenciaga and Dior, Monsieur Hardy has worked seamlessly in very unique and separate design languages.
A dynamic use of color and proportion make his collections a feast for the senses. There appear to be few if any limits to the messages his shoes communicate. Whether it’s a sky scraping Amazon or a gamine, kitten heeled Ingenue all are rendered like graphic art objects. Hirshleifers ShoeLab is home to some of the most compelling statements by this master cobbler for Spring 2012.
Chanel Le Blanc – Light From Within
CHANEL LE BLANC – LIGHT FROM WITHIN Availble at Hirshleifers 01-19-12