I’ve been debating about whether to post images from this brand because I really like it, but they aren’t available to buy anywhere in North America for now (although the brand’s founders have promised me this is going to change.) Their stockists list is here, my UK readers can find Medusa in England.

Anyway, Medusa is an Israeli brand that makes bags and jewelry, all made from processed plastic. I am hoping there is something recyclable or sustainable about this material (for example, Melissa uses recyclable plastics for all their shoes) but regardless, the pieces are quite interesting. The bags are definitely the best pieces, but a few of the necklaces are quite fun too. Definitely a summer accessory, it is something you wouldn’t worry about ruining on holiday, so here’s hoping they are more widely available by the next summer!

Photos by Omer Messinger and Ben Massiot

It kills me to do a “Loathe” post about Hermès, my favourite brand and the ultimate symbol of luxury fashion, but alas, it must be done. Their most recent project, a website called “J’aime Mon Carré,” is their first and hopefully last foray into the world of tragic “It-girls.” Basically the website invovles a bunch of “It Girls” photographed wearing limited edition Hermès scarves, with instructions on how to imitate their styles. The girls are just another group of boring twenty-somethings with pretty faces and born into rich families.

Reading the descriptions of the girls makes me want to puke. One, who looks like she is 14, likes to “drink red wine, eat croissants, and make love while listening to Edith Piaf.” I’m wondering if she is even the age of consent. Another one likes to go out in “NY, London, Paris. Not LA.” Are we supposed to care? And most of all, are Hermès customers supposed to care? If this was Forever 21, Alexander Wang, or even Burberry (who is so desperately trying to be hip), I could understand, but Hermès? No. Please NO.

Dear Hermès,

I love you, and almost everything you do. But please don’t lower ourself by turning into one of the many brands who use boring, silly “It-girl” actresses, DJ’s or socialites as representatives of your brand. You are above that. Go back to being classic, exclusive, and elite. We love you that way.

Yours truly,

Alexandra

Primark jewelry: super cheap, very fun, and you don;t have to worry if it gets ruined at the beach.

I was approached a few weeks ago by a company asking me to write a guest post on their handbag blog. The company, Handbag Heaven, sells inexpensive handbags. My initial thoughts were, no thanks, I only like luxury bags. But then I had a look through their site, and I realized, not everything I have in my wardrobe is luxury, and not everything I aspire to have is luxury. Firstly, I can’t afford to buy all my clothes and accessories from a luxury brand. Secondly, I am very careful with my expensive and favorite pieces of clothing, and sometimes it is nice to have something that you don’t have to worry about losing or ruining. Also, when I am not sure about a new item or trend, and I prefer to try the fast fashion version before I decide whether I want to invest big bucks to buy a designer version.

So I got thinking about the pieces in my wardrobe that are designer, and the pieces that aren’t. And I realized there was a trend going on… I tend to splash out on products like shoes, every day handbags, skin products, coats, and classic clothing items, and rarely spend money on items like evening bags and jeans. So I have compiled a list of the clothing and accessory items that I think aren’t worth spending your hard earned cash on. Save it for your dream shoes and a great winter coat instead.

Eliza clutch bag.

Fun handbags: My most-used handbags are classic ones, usually bought from luxury brands because I want them to last a long time. But sometimes I want something fun to hold my phone, keys, and credit card when I go out.  Because this is a bag that usually only gets taken out three or four times a year at most (I have ten versions of this “fun” evening bag, some vintage, some new) it is not worth investing in an expensive piece.

Handbag Heaven sent me this Eliza clutch bag (image above) as a gift, and it is a perfect “fun evening bag.” The unique colour means it probably won’t get much wear, but it is a great piece that works with my black wardrobe. And it is big. Not BIG, but big enough so you can comfortably fit your smartphone, keys, small wallet, and a few other bits. Most of my vintage clutch bags are too small to fit my Blackberry. Handbag Heaven has given me a second version of the Eliza clutch, which is my first ever GIVEAWAY. Click here to find out how to win the bag!

Uniqlo jeans. Please open a store in Vancouver. Please!

Jeans. There are probably a lot of people who disagree with me on this, but I don’t see the point in spending a lot of money on jeans, when there are TONS of brands who do great jeans for less than $100 (and I don’t really think this was the case 8-10 years ago, when all the designer denim brands started hitting the market.)  The most I’ll spend is around $100 on a pair of Lee jeans, but other than that, I go to Uniqlo, who do amazing jeans, with a great fit, for less than $50 a pair. Gap and Topshop are also good options.

Club Monaco jewelry: looks good, and it won;t break the bank.

Summer Jewelry. I have mentioned this before in my Travel Tips, but I really don’t like traveling with expensive jewelry. It makes me nervous. Once I was going through security and the woman made me take off my giant Hermès Chaîne d’Ancre necklace. She was giving me the “no, no, no” look. I nearly had a heart attack, as I clearly was not leaving my Hermès necklace in Oslo. I explained to her that the necklace was for sale IN GENEVA AIRPORT, so therefore could not be a security threat. She went off to speak to her boss, which made me extremely nervous because the necklace left my sight, but I eventually got it back. The nuisance of having to rebook a flight from Oslo, or get to Sweden and fly from there, with my necklace, was enough to make me decide that when I travel, the expensive jewelry stays in the safe. So, when I want accessorize for the beach or hot holidays, I buy cheap jewelry that I don’t have to worry about.

New Look wood wedges, for walking from hotel room to beach.

Summer Shoes. I like to wear wedges when I go to pool/beach/park summer events and I don’t like to wreck expensive shoes. Espadrilles and wood or cork sandals are not worth spending a lot of money on. Sandals have little material on them, so it is not the end of the world if they aren’t made of leather. Save your shoe dollars for amazing winter boots.

Old Navy workout pants. Only 20 bucks!

Workout Gear. Aside from a good pair of running shoes, I can’t bring myself to spend money on workout clothes.  You can get a whole workout outfit from Old Navy for less than a $100. Why spend $400 on a track jacket then?

Read my guest post on Handbag Heaven here.

Les Carrés d’Hermès

I am hoping to make this the first of a series, as I think it is an interesting and important topic. I wanted to write a little about the cost of luxury, because I don’t love luxury just because it is expensive, I love the process, the quality, and the craftsmanship involved behind most good luxury products. Some people think luxury goods are very expensive and overpriced. Expensive, yes. Overpriced, not always. Some luxury brands, in fact, most luxury brands, make a lot of money from selling things with very high margins, which are generally overpriced. But those things are usually perfumes, handbags, and licensed goods, which they sell in huge quantities. A lot of the luxury goods we see on the catwalks, or in the clothing stores, are not necessarily big money makers. I know this as a fact, because I used to see the markups of the clothing at Sonia Rykiel, and I was always surprised at how much things cost to make, compared to what we actually charged.

This Fashion 101 is going to study a very classic luxury fashion item: the Carré d’Hermès, their famous 90 x 90 cm printed silk scarf. Most people think it is an overpriced scarf, but once you understand the process involved in creating one of these scarves, I think you’ll realize that the price is in fact excellent value.

The first carré d’Hermès was made in 1937. Since the late 1930’s, over 1,500 different versions have been made, and Hermès tends to work with a number of different artists every season, some recent examples include Christine Henry, Aline Honoré, and Henry d’Origny. Hermès worked with 20 artists for the spring summer 2010 collection of scarves. Most designs start with the painting of a motif, which then needs to be translated into a scarf.

Once the artwork is created, choosing the colour combinations is generally the next step in making a carré. Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the artistic director of Hermès, and the grandson of the founder of Hermès, describes their colour process as very complex. “Sometimes we discuss a single colour for a considerable time for a scarf that will include more than thirty (colours.) This research into colour is the work of incredible perfectionism. The palette is infinite, its variations at the limit of what the eye can perceive.” Leila Menchari, the director of the colour panel explains that “The work of colouring the Carrés takes time, because each design must be produced in around ten different colour schemes.”

“Bad colours don’t exist, only bad combinations” -Leila Menchari

While the designs and colours are being perfected, the silk is being woven and prepared for print. Hermès’ silk comes from a Brazilian mill, who supply the “flottes” (skeins of raw silk) to the Perrin establishments in France, who have been weaving the silk for Hermès for half a century. The silk takes three months to weave into fabric ready for printing.

(1 moth = 300 eggs) + (2 mulberry trees = 300 cocoons) = 450,000 m of silk thread = 1 carré. The length of thread of 1,000 Hermès scarves is equal to the distance between the earth and the moon.

The engraving workshop is where the artwork gets translated into films. For those of you that don’t understand how silk-screen printing works, it basically involves a different screen for each colour of the motif. For example, if we were printing a yellow happy face onto a t-shirt, we’d have a screen with a big circle on, which we would use to apply the yellow, in order to make the shape of the face. Then we would apply a second screen with black paint to create the outline of the face, the eyes, and the mouth. Imagine it as layers of cut paper, each colour requires its own screen. That alone explains the cost of an Hermès carrré, as each ones tends to have at least 30 colours. But I’ll continue the story.

The engraving process.

If the engravers get a painting, they need to translate it into distinct, separate colours, which is very difficult to do, since painting tends to have many different tones and blends. The engraver’s role is to “interpret the nuances of the design and translate them into combinations of colour, which will determine the number of films necessary.” He traces them one by one, over a light box. A design broken up into 30 colours takes between 400 and 600 hours of engraving. Each film will correspond to a silk-screen.

The craftsmen then make the colours for the scarves, using the formulae from the colourists. This is chef’s work, using pots, mixers, and scales, and they simmer the pigments and vegetable gums on a stove to achieve the right hues.

Once the colours and the frames (or screens) are ready, they are brought to the printing table. The woven silk is stretched onto the tables, which, at Hermès’ atelier, measure 150 metres in length, and the screens are applied one after the other, each one adding a new colour to the fabric.

When the silk has been printed, it dries on the table, and the colours are then “fixed.” This process invovles steam cooking for an hour at 130°C, washing the fabric to remove glue or unfixed colours, and then drying on a hot air carpet.

Hemming the scarf: the "roulotté."

The final step, which my mother claims is the true USP of a carré d’Hermès, is the hand-rolled finish (she can spot the hand-finished edge of an Hermès scarf by about ten miles away). The seamstresses use silk thread and hand stitch a rolled hem, called the “roulotté.” At Hermès, unlike other brands, this is done on the right side of the scarf. After that, the final quality control will take place, and then the scarf is packaged in its beautiful orange box, wrapped in the bolduc (the brown ribbon tied around the box) and sold.

The carré d’Hermès is one of the brand’s most iconic pieces. I remember going into their flagship store on rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, and being shocked at the number of scarves being sold. They had a counter that was about five metres long, about 12 staff, and even more customers, all buying the scarves. It was crazy, like a supermarket selling vegetables, but instead expensive silk scarves (and not quite like a supermarket, because an Hermès store is a much better place to be.)

The famous "Brides de Gala" motif, on a carré fluide (a new scarf recently introduced, with a different weave.)

Their packaging, the orange boxes tied with the brown bolduc ribbon, is also such an important part of the scarves, since a lot of people tend to store the scarves in the boxes. There is nothing better than a stack of orange Hermès boxes in your house, I have a few, but the collection needs to increase.

Now that you understand the process involved in creating the carré d’Hermès, I am sure you will agree that the price, $420 (CDN), is actually quite good value.

Images and quotes courtesy of Hermès.

Read other Fashion 101 posts:

Fashion 101: Copyright Laws in Fashion

Fashion 101: How Magazines Cover Trends

Fashion 101: Where do Fashion Trends Come From?

Fashion 101: Designers with Two Jobs

Fashion 101: How Haute Couture Works

Fashion 101: Magazines and their Advertisers

I received the images of these rings in my inbox last week, and I have to say I really like the one in the centre. Tiffany’s is not my personal style of jewelry, the delicate chains and hearts and diamonds aren’t very me (unless they did a GIANT version of the chain and engraved heart pendant, now that would be cool!) I like chunky, sculptural pieces in silver and this ring is gorgeous. Here are the deets.

Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co Cabochon Gemstone rings capture the movement of the sea using precious metals and generous size cabochon gemstones in cool elegant colours. Prices from $2,300.

Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 2010. Amazing.

The Times has just reported that Alexander McQueen was having financial difficulties when he committed suicide. It is so sad, yet very believable. Making money in the fashion industry is very difficult, and McQueen’s business was yet to make a profit.

The knuckleduster clutch.

What does this say about the future of fashion, if one of our most beloved designers, whose talent was celebrated worldwide, and who had the backing of one of the largest luxury conglomerates in the world, couldn’t make ends meet? The industry has changed so much since I started 15 years ago, I hate to think what it is going to be like 15 years from now.

These images were posted on a new blog I am following, called Kate Loves Me (which is pretty good!) These are from the Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 2010 press day. The pieces are stunning, and I hope I can get my hands on a piece from the last McQueen collection. See the rest of the amazing photos here.

While I was in London I stayed with an old college friend Dean, who lives in a very cool live/work space in East London. Dean is very fortunate at the moment, he creates the most fantastic one-off accessories, which get photographed for magazines. He doesn’t have to worry about sales, production, sizes, and prices. He simply makes beautiful pieces and lends them out.

Last season he created some amazing shoulder pads, and this season it was all about beautifully unique collars. He showed me the collection in his studio, but I waited until the shoot photos were posted on his website. I think the bright studio shots make a nice contrast to the beautiful campaign images.

Dean Sidaway Fall Winter 2010

Some inspiration images in Dean's studio.

A very ruffled shoulder piece with structured collar.

The ruffles from the side.

Dean's campaign shot.

I love the concept of the layers of card paper, the kind we use for pattern cutting.

The layers and layers of paper cut in the same shape look so beautiful and structured.

This shot doesn't do them justice, since you can't see the thickness of the layers.

I love the delicate parts of this collar and the duffle closure.

The textures look stunning.

Dean was painting this piece when I arrived.

I think it is made of sticks of rattan, or something similar.

Fake nails are the new collar?

I like the concept of using an everyday object in an unexpected way.

This was a plastered collar.

And it looks very cool worn backwards.

Fur and studs mix well.

These two shoulder pads never made it to the photoshoot. Maybe they hadn't grown yet?

Would you want bean sprouts on your shoulders?

You can see some other photos of Dean’s studio here.
And these are the photos from his last collection.

I am back in Vancouver and am loving going through my suitcase full of new clothes and accessories. But this week is pretty manic, so I don’t think I’ll get a proper chance to unpack until the weekend, although I have already asked my husband to buy me 20 new hangers. That’s a lot of new clothes!

Here are the last of my London photos, starting with a visit to my friend Michaela’s house. She is a jewelry and set designer, hence the fantastic apartment and the beautiful jewelry.

Michaela’s living room, with a fully equipped bar, we have had some good nights in there, in fact, some of the best poker nights ever!

Her bedroom is also amazing, mixing boudoir, western, and rock’n'roll.

Here is some of the jewelry she is working on at the moment.

Michaela had just returned from a two week holiday to New Orleans, Memphis, and Nashville, so after we had a quick catch up and chat we headed to Big Red to see some friends who had just returned from South Africa and one who was leaving for Poland the following day (we are so international!)

Michaela and Michal.

Michaela's amazing rings. The more the merrier.

Michelle and Dixie.

London was fantastic, thanks to everyone who made my trip amazing!

Check out the other London Photo Diaries…
London Photo Diary Part 1
London Photo Diary Part 2
London Photo Diary Part 3

Last time I visited Avshalom Gur’s studio, it was to borrow some accessories for my outfit for the Christian Dior Fall WInter 2007/08 Haute Couture collections party at Versailles. It was the 60th anniversary of the Christian Dior brand, and the ten year anniversary of John Galliano at Dior. Avshalom lent me some jewelry and foxes to be worn as shawls (which ended up being the most important part of the outfit, since the part took place in the Orangerie at the Chateau de Versailles, outdoors, and it wasn’t the warm July evening that they predicted.)

A trip to Avshalom’s studio always involves tea, catching up, and then trying on beautiful clothes. Avshalom has an incredible background, and has worked for Donna Karan, Roberto Cavalli, Chloe, and most recently as creative director of Ossie Clark, as well as having his own collection. This time Bora Aksu (whose studio is next door) joined us for tea, and we chatted about life, the business, and the forthcoming closure of the famous Central Saint Martins campus on Charing Cross Road. All of the Central Saint Martins Campus’ are moving to a purpose-built building near Kings Cross, so there’s obviously a bit of sadness when discussing the closure of the building where we studied/worked/cried together during our time as students on the fashion design MA.

Some photos of Avshalom's studio.

So much colour.

Works in progress.

The sample sale rack, full of Ossie Clark and Avshalom Gur dresses.

The sofa where we drink tea and chat.

Here's a skirt from the Spring Summer 2010 collection.

The beading is beautiful.

Avshalom has collaborated with some of the most talented jewelry designers for his collections.

Birds are a reoccurring theme in his work.

Here is a hand carved jade bird.

More of the jade birds, which were used as necklaces or belt buckles.

Avshalom Gur in his studio.

I bought some of his easy jersey t-shirt dresses. Here are some photos from his Spring Summer 2010 collection. I love the 60’s feel to the photos, and the colour looks great on the black backgrounds.

Photographer David Roemer and Stylist Kate Ruth.

One of the best jewelry stores in London is The Great Frog. Skull jewelry has been very fashionable recently, but these guys have been around since 1972. Everything is made downstairs from the shop, which is located in central London, right off Carnaby Street, which means it is really easy to get alterations done on rings, etc… when you buy them. They also do custom work.

I asked for a press release, and I got a list of all of the celebrity customers. It is huge, so I’m listing a few of interest, but this is barely a fraction of the names on the list. It seems like everyone who’s anyone shops there.

1. Johnny Depp
2. Alice Cooper
3. Debbie Harry (Blondie)
4. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
5. Billy Idol
6. Lenny Kravitz
7. Cher
8. Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue)
9. Dennis Rodman
10. David Beckham
11. Kate Moss
12. Alexander McQueen (probably got some inspiration for his skull scarves…)

The Great Frog, 10 Ganton Street, London W1F 7QR

Inside the dark little shop.

Silver crosses.

What an amazing necklace.

Turquoise jewelry.

More turquoise.

Amazing belt buckle.

Skulls and anchors.

Ace of spades ring.

Knuckle duster pendant.

Skulls bracelet.

Revolver pendant.

A fantastic skull-in-tophat ring.

A great skull cuff.

A giant skull cuff.

www.thegreatfroglondon.com