I’ve featured Vladimir Karaleev previously, but since then he’s designed two more collections and there are interviews and video of his shows now available. Courtesy of all of this new information on the designer, I’ve learned that he’s colourblind! Of course, when your concentration is mostly focused on draping and layering, colour tends to play second chair as is. He can see the colour blue, which is what initially attracted me to his clothing, and can be seen making another appearance in his Fall 10/11 collection. Anyway, each collection brings a refinement of his basic aesthetic principles and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it in the future.
I’ve posted pictures from the Fall 10/11 collection, but check out the video below to see a preview of Spring 2011

I was curious as to what Pelican Avenue was up to, and recently revisited the website. I’d caught the Hanging Garden collection/performance as it was posted about pretty frequently, but the collection just prior to it, Intakt (masked models made me think instantly of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away), I hadn’t seen much on. Anyways, apparently Pelican Avenue recently participated in some fashion shows in Shanghai and Vienna and pieces from both Hanging Garden and Intakt were presented. Really, what I love most about Pelican Avenue, and this will come as no surprise, is Lerch’s consistently singular vision. I still can appreciate pieces from her collection from nine years ago-she does what she does and does it well. Bravo to that, especially in a time of fast fashion and suffocatingly omnipresent trends

Here’s my little confession, Tuesday night when I was supposed to be browsing my bookmarks so I could make a post on Wednesday, I instead spent my time obsessively shopping siphon/vacuum pot coffee makers. So no Wednesday post. HOWEVER, I was very good last night and did my blogging duty so I’m posting! (Some day I will make a post about siphon/vacuum pot coffee makers here ’cause I’m kinda obsessed, you know, like I just said.)

So, yes we’re just plunging into summer, the rainy season has about ended, and the hottest months are still ahead of us but that doesn’t mean that I ever stop the hunt for jackets and coats and the like. I was pretty enthused to find these beautifully colourful raincoats by Danish label, MaxJenny. Yes, I love neutrals, but I am really feeling the colours here. Not to worry though, you chromaphobes, they have a bunch jackets in voluminous black, too. Oh, and I should probably mention that all of their pieces are made from recycled PET bottles and dyed with waterbased colours. You can shop the collections on the site, and all prices are in euros

Thanks to Estelle (great blog and she’s a jewelry designer too!) from One Perfect Morning for this stellar find. Many of you are probably familiar with Anna Sara Davik’s nail rings and gloves, since they’ve popped up quite a few times on various style related blogs. I know that’s how I was familiar with her, but it wasn’t until Estelle’s recent post that I discovered that she also creates stunningly beautiful, architectural clothing. The colours are neutral and the overall aesthetic minimal, but the shapes are so beautifully constructed that it’s impossible to be bored by the clothing. Her older collections play with layering and unusual cuts, and feel just as fresh four years later. There don’t appear to be any stockists for the clothing yet, but the designer plans to open a web shop sometime this year, and hopefully some expanded press will find her clothing carried in more shops as well. For now, enjoy the clothing posted on her site