Well, I was browsing through the old Pour Porter livejournal archives last night and looked through this post from July 2007. I have to say I’m surprised Alena Akhmadullina hasn’t received more attention! Her pieces are beautifully constructed and trendless. It seems she gets more press in Europe, but I’m just amazed at how she has virtually no name recognition on this side of the globe. She was pretty obscure when I posted about her two years ago, but that doesn’t seem to have changed much.

A total shame, because I like her work. She has toned down the conceptual elements of her shows (check out the link to my old post), which you’d think would garner her more attention with the more accessible look, but her overall aesthetic really hasn’t changed and still remains classic and incredibly appealing.

Anyways, I’ve posted pieces from her two latest collections, S/S 09 and A/W 08/09 (love the avian references and Trompe I’oeil.) Enjoy!

Photos from the A/W 08/09 collection after the jump.

I featured SF boutique, Anica, many moons ago, but I recently revisited and had to post again.

A couple things that are a must mention:

Owner Rati Sahi is the sweetest person ever! I recently made a purchase (see daily wear pics below) and she was wonderfully helpful and communicated directly with me. Rati-you’re a doll!

Having genuine, personal contact with the people that run online stores just makes the shopping experience a dream. So guys, shop here, you won’t be disappointed.

Also, Sahi’s philosophy of offering classic basics is perfectly evident in her online offerings. Nothing is flashy and the items aren’t necessarily trendy, but I found myself wanting most everything on the site.

I purchased the amazing wood wood drop crotch khaki pants that are favourites of Sahi’s, and adore them. I think I just found the base for a daily uniform-ha.

I’ve taken to photoshopping ridiculous photos (kelp forest for the ones below) into the backgrounds of my daily wear shots as you can see. I loved the pairing of the Rachel Comey heels with the pants as shown on the shop’s site so I did the same.

• Top: Target
• Pants: Wood Wood
• Shoes: Rachel Comey
• Cuff: vintage napkin ring worn as bracelet!

First things first: Thanks to my partner in crime, B., for the menswear boutique post on Saturday! I’ll try and rope him into getting a bit more regular with that.

Italian label 6267 is still encountering birthing pains, but the label has promise. There is something old-school classic about their aesthetic, and while it may not become a label splashed across every red carpet or ‘hot look’s list, I see them appealing to particular client who wants to look and feel polished and stylish without feeling like a billboard. Of course, the S/S 08 collection was quite a bit edgier than the Pre-Collection and their F/W 07 collection, so only time and experience will tell how widespread the label’s appeal will be.

I’ve only posted photos from the S/S 08 Pre-Collection, but be sure to view the other seasons on their site and at style.com.

Two more photos after the jump