Dear friends, I hope you'll excuse my silence while I finish my dress for my brother's wedding (which is in two mere days- I better hurry!). Watch this space for new posts, including a new interview series, called Designer Coffee- can you guess what it will be?
Oh friends, I had such a full, lovely day today. It started in a press event at a very exciting showroom (more on that in a few weeks), continued at my beloved sewing/pattern-making class, where I'm fixing my dress for my brother's wedding (so emotional) and ended, after a try-out at the hairdresser, with a delicious pumpkin soup, courtesy of my huz.
All day, I was waiting to get back home and post my contribution for A Hasty Life's blog crawl. Isn't that a grand idea? Now, don't get me wrong: if you think my bag is messy NOW, well, it's usually so much messier! Here are my "essentials":
Bag: Kisim| Diary: Kate's Paperie|Wallet: Kipling| Lotion: OPI
At my once-in-a-blue-moon mani-pedi, my manicurist turned me on to OPI's Avoplex, and since then I can't leave home without it. I used to always have a book in my bag, but my back protested loud and clear, and I now always have an Audible book on my Nokia (hence the headphones). Magazines, however, are a habit I can't seem to kick (and don't really want to...). Aside from InStyle, you can spy Go Style, the Israeli magazine for which I started writing, in the background. I usually don't carry a hat, but it's been rainy here for the last past days, and I have an unexplainable bad luck with umbrellas (they always break!). A faux-python diary and two sharpies satisfy my doodling urge plus the need to stay organized (very, very difficult for messy me), MAC's brow pencil in "stud" keeps me nice 'n pretty, and the green crayola marker is for afternoons out with my kiddo.
I got my Kisim bag, which I coveted for months, for my birthday two years ago, and we never parted for long since then. I do have other (lovely bags) but this one is just so comfy and it gets prettier with age...
And the lil' brass elephant? My vintage shop owner friend saved it for my collection (thanks, Avi!) and I can't make my mind where to prop the little guy. So meanwhile, I enjoy him in my bag:)
Thank you so much, Ashley, for asking me to participate. Please don't forget to visit Yellow Songbird, who posted her beautiful bright bag yesterday, and check out The Best is Yet to Come for her post tomorrow.
And please tell me - I'm dying to know - what's in YOUR bag?
This is what I wore today:
Eryn Brynie at Belle & Sue| DVF at Bergdorf Goodman| Swarowski| Miss L Fire
This week I got the mock-up of my first column for Israeli fashion-turned-lifestyle magazine Go Style, byline and all. My inner Rory Gilmore did a hop and a squeal, and I gave my Eryn Brynie trench (there is lace applied on the sleeve openings!) a celebratory first outing.
Rothschild boulevard wouldn't be the place you'd turn to for a quick lunch-time search for a dress, or if you wanted the so-called mall experience. The Boulevard, one of Tel Aviv's oldest (it dates to 1910) is where you stroll with a dog or a partner, lounge at one of the many cafes or work at one of the law offices. Not really the obvious choice for a young emerging fashion designer like Roni Kantor.
As it turns out, this decision was a deliberate one.
"In the beginning, I held all the sales in my home, and I never had the intention to have it any other way. I liked it. Women would come, chat, try on fun dresses and accessories... But then so many people started to come - which we loved - and we had no room for all the inventory and the customers."
So you started looking for a store?
"If there's anything I wanted to avoid, it's the store feeling. I wanted the studio to feel like an extension of my home. A beloved place where you either hop to when you're in the area, or maybe come especially. You have a cup of coffee, try on a bunch of pretties and hopefully you'll walk away - minutes or hours later - with something beautiful, which will leave you wanting to visit us again."
{I fell head over heels for the celery green couches; there's another, bigger one in the other side}
I must say, the design captures the essence of what you said beautifully, who is the interior designer?
"I and my husband, Amir Ben Naftali," she says humbly.
That's impressive! And where did you find the gorgeous sofas and all the accessories and knicknacks that add so much character to the studio?
"It's all vintage, found at the curbside, thrifted or from the flea market. In this sense, it really does feel as an extension of our home, because our apartment is also decorated mostly with finds. Each piece has a special story to it, some of which we'll probably never know. For instance, my friend brought this Rothschild Blvd sign and I still hesitate to ask her where she got it..."
{the gorgeous screened porch, where Roni puts on her designer cap}
Decorating with thrifted furniture is still very unique in Israel, have you ever thought of branching out abroad?
"Of course I have, but I haven't found the perfect formula for branching out and maintaining the friend's salon feel that's so important to me. Maybe one day..."
In the time being you can visit Roni Kantor at her studio: 64 Rothschild Blvd. Tel Aviv, or online on Sense Of Fashion.
{photo credits: Dror Ben Naftali}
"Like everything good in life, design happened to me by accident," says Israeli fashion designer Roni Kantor.
She traveled to Thailand after yet another job where she couldn't find herself (this is the point where a lot of us nod and sigh), to recuperate, breath a little and enjoy. Little did she know this trip will prove to be life changing.
"I went to a flea-market, just strolling by, when I eyed a bunch of dresses from the '50s. The minute I saw them I knew how they are supposed to be. I immediately found a sewing workshop nearby, and spent the rest of my trip trying to explain to seamstresses what I want to do with these dresses."
When Roni returned to Israel she hosted a sale event in her home, where she also put up her dresses for sale. She was almost surprised when they were al sold up within the day. She went back to Thailand to try to find out where all these dresses come from, asking and looking for clues, until someone clued her in.
"Turns out the dresses came from Cambodia. I was led to a huge hangar, brimming with vintage clothing. The garments were apparently sent from abroad during the crisis that Cambodia went through in the '70s, but somehow were never used."
Back in Israel, Roni continued to redesign dresses, shortening sleeves, adding points of interest, and all in all making them fit for the fashion-forward urban woman. Roni, who has been sewing since she remembers herself, has a keen eye for figure-flattering shapes and cuts and has the rare talent of making vintage gals, hipsters and urban, modern dressing women all fall in love with her clothes. Unsurprisingly, her sale events became so popular she had to move the dresses, which now became her business, to a studio.
Re-designing vintage clothes is very eco-chic. I wonder if that was intentional or just a by-product of what you do?
"Well, at the beginning it was indeed accidental, but I'm passionate about the environment. After starting to design my own vintage-inspired clothing (aside from the vintage re-designs) I proceeded to design a line of shoes, which is leather-free."
That is a very brave step for an Israeli designer, was it hard to do so in a society where to many people leather equals quality?
"Extremely. Many people claimed it isn't possible, but we researched our materials thoroughly and now we get rave reviews on the shoes, even from the initial nay-sayers."
Sitting with Roni at her stunning, salon-like studio (more on that later), it's obvious that she puts her heart into each and every design, her re-designs and vintage-inspired dresses alike, the shoes and the accessories made of vintage knickknacks she collects. I came as a complete stranger and by the time I left I... well, simply didn't want to leave the place.I had the constant feeling that my American and European friends would be all over Roni's gorgeous items, if they could only visit, so I was delighted to hear an online shop and a blog may be in Roni Kantor's future. Meanwhile, you can check out her page on Facebook.
And to think it all started in a trip to Thailand.
pssst... Caught a few glimpses of Roni's amazing studio in this post and dying to see more? Come back next week for a studio tour. I assure you: You won't want to miss this.
{photography: Dror Ben Naftali}
Have you seen this Campaign Todd Selby shot for ASOS?
It's called Models Own and he supposedly shot the pictures in the models' own homes, which explains the connection between him and the brand (otherwise it would be pretty random... Don't you think?). I adore ASOS because A. they have pretty great clothes. B. they have pretty great plus-size clothes, too. C. they ship to Israel. Sharona of Raisinlike is to blame for the endless hours I spend scouring their site!)
Decor-wise, the campaign is rather inconsistent because, of course, it was shot in different places.
Nothing spectacular, really, But there are white bookcases, oriental rugs and beaten leather couches to be swooning over.
What I liked most about this was actually the interview they did with Todd Selby. As much as I'm (quite) over his site, I admire the man. This one is my favorite:
"What inspires you? Where do you go for inspiration?
-The internet. My google reader."
See the entire interview here and the campaign pictures here (both on ASOS)
made in tlv is a new series in which I'll be talking to Israeli creatives and lifestyle entrepreneurs that catch my eye and excite my taste buds.
When I first heard about Belle & Sue it was like something fell into place. Not only was a designer clothing e-shop a necessity not met in Israel up until now, their name was just so... perfect. I had to meet the minds behind the site and get some answers. Inbal Boussiba (aka Belle) was nice enough to chat with me.
Hi Inbal, first off- I'm curious about your backgrounds...
I work in fashion buying, I attend all the important fashion weeks for years now. Shira [her partner] is a fashion consultant abroad and also teaches at Parsons in New York.
Well, how did it all start? Was it always your dream?
We are best friends since age six, and we always knew we will do something fashion related together. this specific idea came just a year and a half ago and since then it's been a whirlwind to get it done.
You really filled a void in the market, do you have any specific goals besides being a fashion e commerce site?
We wanted to create an intimate space on the web, where people will feel good buying clothes and spending time. That's why are models are "real people" - one of them was actually pregnant while we shot, the other is a mom. we strive to create a friendly vibe, with a name and a voice behind the products.
The trench coat I bought fit surprisingly well for my size 14, what are you planning to do about plus sizes?
For now, we order all the sizes available from each item, not skipping the larger sizes like some stores do. We would definitely look into this in the future.
you have a nice mixture of designers right now. Which direction are you going: high end or indie?
We are going to keep a nice balance and carry both high end companies and indie, in addition to a lot more vintage clothes.
What else is in the works at Belle &Sue? Children clothes maybe? That would be perfect!
Yes, actually. We're working on kids clothes. What I can tell you that is coming in the near future is a line for men and a capsule line designed by me that will include dresses, skirts, blazers and accessories. Probably for the summer already. We are going to have exciting collaborations like the one we had with Vogue London's fashion night in.
What about social media, blogs?
We are avid readers of fashion blogs, both Israeli and international. Sea of Shoes, Jack and Jil, Nekudot, Style Cookie- to name a few. Aside from our active facebook page we plan on starting a blog with pictures from the major fashion weeks, interviews with designers and a lot more.
Inbal, it's been a pleasure. Before we part, can you name your wardrobe must-haves?
A good pair of jeans which you feel good in, not too trendy, and a tailored blazer is even more important to your wardrobe than a dress.
Thanks, Inbal!
I rounded up some of my favorite items from Bell &Sue:
watercolor skirt: charlotte ronson, vintage sunnies (sold out) by cazal, thomas paul laptop case, velvet flats: house of harlow, cheetah shoes: jeffery campbell - all Belle & Sue
Okay, seriously, I must post a bigger photo of these shoes:
Don't forget to visit Belle &Sue for more goodies!
Our outfit with a past contributor today is Dagny a.k.a Scandinavian Chic. With a gorgeous blog and aesthetic, two sweet daughters and a knack for everything colorful and chinoiserie, the only way D could be more fabulous is were she to open an international meeting place online for design bloggers. Oops, she did just that! Don't forget to visit her and join Design Refuge right after you read all about her outfit with a past.
Hi everyone!! Very excited to be sharing a very special outfit with you (at least it is to me). The past this time, is very recent, as we got married in August :)
Nicole's was one of the first design blogs I started reading daily when I just got into the design blog world. I adore her for her honesty and her amazing sense of style (that's even if you avoid the fact that she's a talented artist). So, without further ado, Nicole's fabulous outfit with a past:
Hey All... Nicole from Sketch42 here.
So I took the outfit with a past idea pretty literally... This outfit is old. Really old. As in it was my grandmothers, and I wore it as my "going away outfit" at my wedding, although we all know that I would never get on a plane like that and that I wasnt really "going away" at 3 am anyway.
The dress is lace and tule and my grandma had it since the 70's and I loved it. She claims its a designer piece, which it very well could be since she has a lot of those, but this one had no tag so it cant be verified. That hat is actually old too. I borrowed it from my mother in law who had worn it 20 years earlier to my brother in laws bar-mitzvah! I really liked the idea that I was wearing something with history from each side of the family.The shoes, gloves, and fur were new...
I tried to find a better picture of it from the wedding, but at that point, I was so drunk and sloppy that I look like I am falling over my brand new husband! Anyway, I loved this outfit, I just wish I didnt look like such a bozo in all the pictures in it. And I would try it on and take a new picture for you all, but it no longer fits. (The baby in my stomach is making me fat and ugly.) So.... Sorry about that.
So thats all folks, my outfit with a past. Me at my wedding, in some vintage dress and hat. Drunk.
And yes, I cropped my husband out of this photo.
One thing I sneakily left out of my week review on Sunday was that last week marked the 100th post for Belly's Button. When I realized that I have also reached 400 followers on twitter I decided we must have a party!
Well, lucky for us, Overstock.com decided the same thing! The site, which is celebrating its eleventh birthday, is definitely a favorite of mine. Not only are the prices and the service amazing, they also ship internationally- a must for me. Let's just say you're going to see some of their products while I turn my cube into home... Some of my favorite products from Overstock (which Copy Cat Chic features regularly) are the lighting (especially the table lamps- they have a good selection of chinoiserie inspired lamps) and the bed sheets, which you can either use as is or spruce up with some spray paint (at their prices, you can really let your creativity flow without fear).
And the good news are: Overstock gives Belly's Button readers a 10% off all Overstock products, using this code: 121728.
By the way, aren't those pictures amazing? Photographer Yael Ilan shot this collaboration between Israeli designer Roni Kantor and my favorite cafe's catering service. The best part? All the models our actually family, friends or employees of the designer!
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disclosure: All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.
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