My Stash

Some guys collect baseball hats, some girls collect shoes, I on the other hand collect designer stationery. For some reason the smell of a new limited edition Moleskine notebook sends a rush through my black-clad body. The sad part is that unlike the baseball hats and shoes that get proudly displayed, my stash remains unused and hidden in a small discrete pile. It's not that I don't want to use them but it's just that they're too beautiful to tarnish with my insignificant thoughts (ok well my thoughts are actually super important but still not important enough for these delicate beauties). I have a fairly small collection of as now but I'm sure it'll grow just like my waistline during finals. 

Below is my collection thus far (as you can see the overarching theme is black):

From L to R: Karl by Karl Lagerfeld Moleskine available at the Karl shop on Bleecker St; Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Notebook, Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Pencils, both from the Met Exhibit; Christian Lacroix for Kate's Paperie Notebook; Marc by Marc Jacobs Moleskine for Barneys CO-OP

Wishlist:

Margiela Ostrich Feather Pen:

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Alexander Wang Leather Notebook

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Nicola Formichetti "Nicopanda" Moleskine

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James Nares for Coach

I know what you're thinking, Coach like really? Who shops at Coach nowadays but please allow me to justify myself. Coach Men's has really been stepping up their game. A few months ago they collaborated with the artists Hugo Guinness on a line of bags and accessories featuring the British artist's prints. The stuff was cute if you're like into sports and stuff (obviously not for me). But I got really excited when I read on Bagaholicboy (one of the blogs on my daily reading list) that the company was collaborating with the British artist James Nares (someone at Coach is clearly an Anglophile). I must admit I had no clue who he was when I first read his name (I have since taken the time to look him up and think his painting process and works are bananas!) but I thought the bags were amazing and so I was obsessed, so I obsessed that I actually took the time to go in search of the bags. The bags weren't supposed to be available in store until April 20th but when I went to the store on Thursday my source at Coach Mens on Bleecker Street, Kyle this super adorable and helpful sales guy, told me they had been on the sales floor since Wednesday. The Coach Mens on Bleecker has the tote in black, green and blue. I was searching for the pink (shocking given my phobia of all colors that aren't black or gray) but was told I would have to trek uptown for it. I was so conflicted between the black and blue since both are like super amazing and the print on both is slightly different. I'm pretty sure you can guess which one I ended up choosing, if you can't take a look below. The tote itself retails for $798 and is available at coach.com, the Coach Mens on Bleecker and the Coach on Madison Ave. The bag itself looks amazing in person and the fabric is really high quality but my only concern is that it's HUGE! I thought the bag was going to be your standard normal sized tote but this bag is more of a weekender bag than an every day bag, so do keep that in mind if you plan to purchase it. I still bought it anyway since there are only about 170 available in each of the 5 colors but not sure when I'll be using it.

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Ended up going with the black one obviously.

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West on Sunrise, Black (2010) by James Nares

Team Anna vs. Team Emmanuelle

The recent news that Vogue Paris is coming to America via an English version has left me quite shaken up. I have been a true devotee and worshiper of the great Anna Wintour for many years but I must admit that I do admire Emmanuelle Alt's fabulous Parisian-chic style and at certain times her vision and creativity have made me question my allegiances (did I just utter such blasphemous words?) With her typical uniform of skinny jeans, oversized blazer and booties, she has greatly impacted my own personal style, not to mention that she basically lives in all black.

At first I thought it was a belated April Fool's joke but after double checking the date I realized this was the real deal. Something I'm wondering about is how Vogue Paris in English will affect the magazines availability. I mean Vogue is on newsstands everywhere you look but finding a copy of Vogue Paris is a bit more challenging. Now that the magazine is going to be in English will it be easier to find or will it still be a bit of a search? Additionally will saying "I read Vogue Paris" still carry the same cultural capital as it does now or will the fact that commoners everywhere can read this fine literature diminish the cultural capital of the magazine. I mean can you imagine going to get your nails done and the girl next to you in head to toe Ed Hardy (or whatever it is that the commoners wear these days) is reading Vogue Paris, so not chic.

I cant wait to see how everything turns out, whether the content of the magazines will remain the same or whether there will be some slight changes to appeal to the American consumer.

One thing is for certain, this will definite create a slight divide between the fashion obsessed now that both magazines will be essentially competing Louboutin to Louboutin.

Is your allegiance to Team Anna or Team Emmanuelle?

Vogue Approved Easter Bunnies

I tend to stay away from anything cute and cuddly, in favor of things that are dark and depressing but these Vogue commissioned Easter bunnies were much too amazing for me not to blog about them. Last year Vogue had designer Easter eggs and this year they had designers reinterpret the iconic Easter bunny. My favorites are these four:

All images via Vogue

The Minotaur Look

In case you weren't already aware, I'm obsessed with all things Givenchy so it should come as no surprise that I'm obsessed with the Givenchy Hommes F/W 2012 collection. In my eyes Ricardo Tisci is a god who can do no wrong and his menswear collection for this coming fall did not disappoint. For Fall 2012, Ricardo showed an amazing collection full of his signature men's skirts and star beading/embroidery but what really caught my attention were the bejeweled nose rings the male models were wearing. The nose ring trend seems to have carried over from his couture collection in which the female models were also wearing bejeweled nose rings. I myself tend to steer away from man jewelry in all of its different variations but there's something about a Givenchy bejeweled nose ring that temps me to reconsider my stance on man jewelry. The nose rings wont be in stores for a few more months but given that they'll probably start at around $70 (here's hoping for less) the harsh reality is that I probably won't get one into my Givenchy-less hands.

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My favorites:

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You're wearing a dog collar.

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I, like every other sane fashionisto/fashionista, am obsessed with all things Hermes. From Birkins to Kellys to Ulysses notebooks, I love it all but the other day while at my boudoir I started thinking about the Hermes Collier de Chien. I couldn't stop thinking about how "Collier de Chien" translates to dog collar, which is such an odd name for the now legendary design. Why did the high-ups at Hermes choose this name? Was it inspired by some lovely canine with an affection for bondage-esque jewelry (the CDC has a bondage feel to it, or maybe I'm just projecting my love of bondage wear onto it, who knows)? Perhaps the bracelet is an homage to man's best friend?

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After some light research I stumbled upon this interesting tid bit of information, apparently the CDC was first introduced in the 1940's and took its inspiration from the belt that came first, but the first cuff is said to have been made specifically for an Hermes' clients bulldog.

Whatever the reason for the name/reason for being, all I know is that the CDC makes for some great arm candy. Oh and I've also recently become obsessed with the ring version, it's MAJOR!

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Anna in Purple Python

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I came across this photo of Anna and had to repost it. She's pulling off a huge colored fur collar with a magenta python coat and a plaid dress. Girls is working that python for all its worth.