Silk & Gold

Do you remember my long skirt obsession? ... It looks like it's here to stay for the Summer.
This Moroccan embroidered one had been sitting in my closet for a while, I couldn't find its perfect mate - I had in my mind this soft, slouchy, nude shirt that seemingly didn't exist... until today.... I found it in my closet - in the form of a dress. So I just tucked it into the silk skirt and voila! Everything I had been looking for and more! Now if I spontaneously decide to attend a black tie party or other such unnecessary event I just remove the skirt and add heels HA!









Skirt-vintage
Dress-Lundgren & Windinge
Shoes-UO

pandahead

If you haven't seen the previous pandahead magazines I'm afraid your world is not as bright or as inspired as it could be. But don't worry you can now make up for it, the new edition is coming out soon, and there is a party to welcome it into the known world- New Rock Church of Fire will also be there playing and premiering their new music video.

And if you need some music to sustain you until the party, the Vinyl District has some for you to hear now - a great playlist put together by Morgan from pandahead herself - "top 10 songs currently inspiring my closet."

Technofashion?

I was recently invited to examine the Vivienne Tam edition of the HP Mini 1000 netbook. I won't bother you with the techie details of the computer itself. But, it did get me thinking about the convergence of fashion and product design.

With technology imposing itself on more and more elements of our lives, I believe we have reached a crossroads in design. Will product designers like Jonathan Ive at Apple be elevated to the same level as Yves Saint Laurent, or will the Saint Laurent's of the world design more than just clothes? Most likely the former will be the case as I'm not yet convinced that a fashion designer can also be a good product designer (and vice versa). Many fashion designers make you suffer for the sake of fashion. A good product designer's job is to make technology assessible and attractive. But hell, I still salivate at the possibilities: imagine an Alexander Wang laptop or a stereo system by Tom Ford!




2 Shots of the Vivienne Tam Netbook


Some of the best examples of products as fashion and function:

Bang & Olufsen Beolab 5 Speakers



Geneva Lab GenevaSound XL Sound System



MUJI Wall Mounted CD Player


Meridian Audio DSP8000 Speakers

Perfect Summer Drinks

My best friend and I were lamenting the fact that the Four Seasons is the only official 5 Star Hotel in DC. We were reminiscing about all the wonderful services that one enjoys at such multi-starred establishments, and in that moment of melancholy I realized that it was 85F outside and the Four Seasons had the perfect terrace cafe to spend it in.

It was the perfect lunch. The service, food and drinks exactly what I've come to expect from the Four Seasons. I was excited to try some of Bourbon Steak's light fare and Michael Mina didn't disappoint. I was also excited to hear that they have hired a San Francisco mixologist, yeah a real mixologist, one who actually crafts drinks from rare liquors and freshly squeezed juices and herbs.... yeah yeah I know, you're not used to such things, we are in DC after all, but lucky for us he's here now and creates cocktails reminiscent of Prohibition times as well as "seasonal" ones made from fresh ingredients like Kumquats and Rhubarb. After you have one of his drinks it'll be hard to go back to anything else.

Here are my pics:


Bols of Fun - Bols Genever (a member of the gin family that is more sweet and aromatic than standard dry gin- http://www.bolsgenever.com/), lemon juice and muddled kumquats, sprinkled with tarrragon and garnished with a whole kumquat.



Lonsdale - Plymouth gin, apple juice, fresh lemon, and honey with muddled basil and a basil leaf garnish.



Fish and Chips - Duck-Fat Fries, Watercress, Tartar Sauce



Ahi Tuna Tartare - Ancho Chili, Asian Pear, Mint, Toasted Sesame Oil

Yes, please

The Standard

Manhattan/Meatpacking District

848 Washington Street
(between 13th St & Little W 12th St)
New York, NY 10014

(212) 645-4646

Dark, masculine, imposing and sexy are the four words that come to mind when describing the Standard hotel, recently completed and located in NYC's Meatpacking District. The monolithic exterior, that seemingly floats over the almost completed Highline Park, is the work of Polshek Partnership who is also behind the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue in DC.

To back up the promise of the exterior, the Standard's interiors had to be good. Luckily developer Andre Balazs chose one of my favorite design teams: Roman & Williams. The interior is just as sexy as the exterior is imposing. Of course some of the sexy concessions of the interior end up being a bit of an ergonomic compromise. The black terracotta tile bathrooms are not exactly well lit. And the open showers inevitably make the entire bathroom wet. But these and a few more nitpicks are inconsequential if you allow yourself to soak up the atmosphere. Plus, the beds are wonderfully comfortable, even if you don't plan on sleeping.

Here are some pictures I took during my stay:

Something evil has landed in the Meatpacking District


Inside, the drama really begins on the 3rd floor


3rd Floor Lounge


Porthole bathroom


Slick sexy black tile


Neo-modernist nest

New Contributor

I have finally convinced the TPWP architecture contributor to leave the hazy anonymous background and publish official posts - he will share with you his obsessions with architecture, design and the like. He is very opinionated and very temperamental. He's a perfect match :)

Welcome Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

TPWP at Felix Rey

TPWP recently had the exciting opportunity to meet the lovely duo behind Felix Rey - we also checked out their upcoming collection and chatted at their studio in NYC.

Lily and Sulaika are as charming and dynamic as their bags - one more whimsical and bubbly, the other a chic snake lover. The idea to design bags was sparked during their very first meeting, in which Lily carried a bag she hand-made... and the rest is history. Their first collection was immediately picked up by Barneys and loved by the public. To me it's very easy to see why - their accessories have a unique artistic appeal and an accessible price-point.




I also asked them to pick a couple of their favorites from their last collections, a very tough choice if you ask me, but alas, these are their picks:







The Mesi Clutch in Ikat Print: This bag is also one of my favorites, the colors are so vibrant and versatile.
















The Sadie Ruffle Tote: I put this bag around my shoulder and could not believe the weightlessness, it also comes it hot pink and tan.












My first Felix Rey bag was a baby blue metal mesh clutch from one of their early collections - this material has become an ever-present component of their designs - and is one of my favorite details of their bags. I asked them where the idea to print designs and create bags from this material came from - It was Sulaika's love of snakes and her childhood collection of metal mesh whose surface reminded her of the skin of said reptilian animal. The three bags on the right are the Love Clutches and Way to My Heart Wallet from Fall '09.


Here are some shots of their studio:


Lily and I chatting about Washington DC's charms (she graduated from Georgetown University).


Sulaika showing me their Leopard Heart Wool Scarf.


Reminiscing about their first collections.

Here are some other shots we took of items from their Fall/Winter 09 Collection:


Black Santos Snake Clutch


Amethyst snake clutch and gold metal mesh bag.


Camila clutches and Tuxedo tote


Emma zip top and Dotty cosmetic cases

I bet you really want one of the bags now.... well you're in luck - TPWP readers will get a special 20% discount from 4/23 until 5/8 using code FRTPWP20 at the Felix Rey online store.

AND we will be doing a Felix Rey giveaway next week, make sure you check back, you won't want to miss it!!!

lights and water

I'm in NYC for a couple days, I'll have many exciting things to share with you when I'm done. For now, I'll leave you with this shot of the view out the Standard Hotel and across the Hudson. And like everything here, it's even more breath-taking in person.

Drinks, music and couture

If you like the sort of event that includes cocktails, music, and 70% off designer clothes (who doesn't right?) then make sure you mark your calendars for Sunday April 26th. NYC's Sample Sale Heaven is putting together an indulgent afternoon at Halo (1435 P St NW) from 1:00 - 5:00 PM.






We have special sneak peek shots of some awesome merchandise - including the two Zac Posen gowns above and below from Carrie's wedding in the Sex in the City Movie.



Just in time for wedding season :) I'm excited to see the rest of the goods. Don't forget to stop by the ATM before hand, it's a cash only event. See you there.

Everything is better in France

Sabrina & Jonathan

Bloom

I walked around one morning last week photographing flowers, I spend 30 minutes on 1/4 block! There were so many blooming and all were gorgeous.
Here are a few of them .... Happy Easter!!!

Whistle

My aunt has two cockatiels that incessantly try to build nests and lay eggs. They are beautiful and very noisy - this is the male resting from his search for paper scraps. His vibrant colors make me very excited for Spring...

Stickers

I grew up in a very large family of collectors - my brother calls us pack rats, but he's the impudent one in the family so we'll ignore him. I spent my sunny childhood days with my aunts rummaging through markets and yard sales and thrift stores buying and collecting trinkets, trifle and the like. Very happy times. Those tendencies have remained with me through the years so it's not surprising that one of my favorite online stores is full of such little objects that I would have myself picked up at a store.

Three Potato Four is a treasure trove of magical items, and I have to fight so so hard to keep myself from buying everything I see. But these adorable stickers I will buy, and put them together like I did below in a frame to hang next to my desk as a reminder that Summer is coming.... and with it more rummaging :)



Sticker Stamp Set from Three Potato Four - $6 each