Color To Dye For

Rubber band tied, hand tied, wax batik, warp resist, stitch resist and more...There are lots of ways to get the look of tie dye but all forms have one thing in common - some sort of resist is used.

Opening July, 31st - January 9th 2011 you can learn all about the history of tie dye at The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s de Young Museum, “To Dye For,”exhibit, features over 50 textiles and costumes from the Fine Arts Museums’ comprehensive collection of textiles from Africa, Asia and the Americas. “To Dye For" not only highlights the museum’s impressive permanent collection of textiles, but also shows how cultures across the world have used similar techniques for centuries with results that are sometimes similar, and at other times startlingly different.

Oscar de la Renta Trench coat, 2005. Silk; warp-faced plain weave, warp-resist dyeing (ikat). Photo courtesy de Young Museum.


The end result is a stunning array of textures, patterns and color that is not to be missed.

Felt rug, 15th - 17th century. Mongolia. Wool; felt, stencil-resist dyed. Photo courtesy de Young Museum.

Lunatic Art

Earlier this week I came across a wonderful jewelry designer on Etsy (where else) while I was searching for double finger rings. The accessories line is called Lunatic Art. I was immediately drawn to the natural, hammered look of the jewelry and their unique shapes and designs. The way in which the metal is shaped looks very artistic and organic, perfect for a more casual outfit, while also bringing some edginess to a very sophisticated look. There is a wide selection of earrings and rings all carrying the signature Lunatic Art style. Each piece looks very unique to the line and you would be hard pressed to find in a store. Some of my favorites are the Scratch Duo Ring and the Crop Circle Earrings.

Lunatic art’s founder has a very interesting tale. She started making jewelry throughout her travels as a means to survive and experience the world. Though she is mostly self taught, she also learned to make her jewelry by taking a silversmith course at the “Escuela de Artes Plasticas” in Taxco, Mexico. Currently she lives with her husband and son in Paris, France using her many experiences to create beautiful jewelry. She also works and creates in an art gallery funded by her husband called “Goutte de Terre” where the profits go to finance a project of an ONG working with water access problems. She also recently started selling another line of jewelry on Etsy called Dmetal. The Dmetal jewelry is slightly trendier with chain harnesses and arm jewelry. The pieces would be perfect with a simple dress for a night out on the town.

Lunatic art jewelry is all made from recycled silver. Each piece of jewelry is created with metals from a refiner who refrains from purchasing the metal from mines. The sterling silver she uses is also either recycled or refined in order to avoid new mining. All the pieces are unique, beautiful, and completely eco-friendly.

Private Red

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick."
— Gwyneth Paltrow

Duwop’s latest experiment Private Red, strives to be “each woman’s personal red.

Private Red is a “mood” lipstick that changes color once it is applied. The idea behind Private Red is that the lipstick will adjust to each woman’s own lip color and skin tone to create the perfect red lipstick. With conditioning ingredients, the lipstick goes on smooth and silky, and adjusting to you lips after five minutes. The red pigment stains the lips leaving a long lasting color of your own behind. Also, because the lipstick changes to suit the individual, each woman has her own shade of lipstick that can’t be duplicated or copied.

The lipstick has received rave reviews on websites like Buzzillions.com and Sephora.com. It’s also one of the top rated products at Urban Outfitters and Beauty.com. Many of the customers stay that the lip stick really does adjust to their skin tone providing the perfect crimson color. Others say that the long lasting color can be worn all day with only a few touch ups after meals.

Behind the Private Red, color-changing technology, are three all natural, eco-friendly ingredients. These key ingredients are annatto, hibiscus, and henna. Annatto provides the rich, deep red color, while the henna strengthens the pigment promising a long lasting finish. Other natural ingredients such as beeswax, castor oil, and Vitamin E condition and moisturize the lips keeping the red color vivid and new.

John Has A Good Sole Soul Sole!

"In 1882 Ida Clark, then 30 years old and single, decided it was time to leave Deadwood South Dakota. After many years in the business, "golden haired and ravishing" Ida caught the morning train and disappeared forever, leaving behind a legend of firehouse balls, suspicious murders, and a missing trunk full of money and stolen jewelry. Using soft dusty pastel leathers, or striped canvas with microfiber lining (vegan), on a 2.5" Fellowship-hi heel and tunite Bellevue sole, this ankle bootie is already legendary.*"

This is how John Fluevog describes his newest VEGGIE VOG creation. I admit to be a bit of a John F Groupie myself...but you must admit that this is pure sole genius! John sees himself as more than just a shoe designer,

"I'm an armchair philosopher, an artist and a style monger, my shoes and messages are quite simply a part of me."

Thanks, John! I do think you are AWSOME!
...and by the way, John is running a 10th annual John Fluevog thinks we are all AWSOME too SALE right now so check it out for all of your JF cravings.

Posh Polish

Its like “lip gloss for your nails,” says the creative director Nonie Crème. Jelly, the new line of sheer, glossy nail polishes by Butter London, is perfect for the summer months. True to their name the translucent polishes can be worn as a subtle pop of color or they can be layered for a darker tint. The tangerine, grape, and raspberry colors are bright and refreshing, each labeled with a cute British name like chuffed or twee. The Jelly polishes were designed so that you can chose the intensity or your own nail color. Also, the different colors can be layered over top of one another to create unique summer colors of your own.

What could make these adorable nail polishes even better? All Butter London nail polishes including the new Jelly brad are three-free. You might be wondering, as I was, what three free-means? There are three very toxic chemicals in most nail polish and treatments, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Toluene. These chemicals are harmful to the environment and the rival of any eco-friendly shopper. Many companies have recently tried to eradicate these chemicals from their polish formulas, some more successfully then others. Luckily, Butter London was one of the first to eliminate these chemicals and perfect their polishes.

Check out the new Jelly polishes as well as there existing line of polishes (which also come in beautiful, trendy colors) at Butter London!