foreign find, vicariously found ...

I received an email from my little sister this morning that read:

 "Oh boy, do I have something blog-worthy waiting for you in Athens."

 Way too excited to wait until I get to Athens, I emailed her back immediately and heard all about Stavros Melissinos, aka The Poet Sandalmaker. She just so happened to run into him this past weekend.

"Aeolian II"

Melissinos, after serving in the Greek Army, became enamored with literature. His poems and essays are widely renowned (especially "The Rubiyat") and have been translated into English, French, German and Italian.

"Plato"

Melissinos also has a knack for hand-making sandals, despite his fame, he still chooses make sandals for celebrities and tourists alike in his small shop in Athens.

"Jackie Onassis"

In the late 50's and 60's Melissinos garnered a celebrity following, including The Beatles, Queen, Jackie O, Sophia Loren and Margo Fontaine. His designs and poetry are strongly influenced by ancient Greek Mythology - there are 32 styles available.

"Aeolian"

I love his simple, classic designs and the fact that they are handmade using authentic materials. I definitely plan on visiting The Poet Sandalmaker in person.

"Sophia Loren"

You can read up on Stavros and see all 32 styles right here!

Information and images via http://www.melissinos-poet.com/eng/index.html.

be still my heart ...

How did I not know about these? 

So it turns out that Missoni (my absolute favorite) collaborated with Converse last spring and made these awesome Chuck Taylor Hi Tops in their classic Chevron print. They will be sold in Missoni stores and a few other high end boutiques as of early April and will retail for $200. I'm in desperate need of casual sneakers (well, really any closed toe shoe for that matter) and I'm smitten with the pair on the right!

However, with limited availability and a painfully high retail price, I doubt that I'll have any luck on ebay ... fingers crossed for now ...

Images and info via lostinasupermarket.com

le many faces of Bondi ...

I found this great photo application called Rollip. It's really easy to use - you can upload a photo and experiment with forty different filters. I tried it out with a picture of Bondi:

Does anyone know of  a good polaroid application?

funny find ...

Lucky used to be my all time favorite magazine but I was obliged to take a three year hiatus as it isn't available for purchase in Sydney. Yesterday I blissfully reunited with my long-lost love and came upon a feature on Sophie Blackall and her blog, Missed Connections. The Williamsburg resident illustrates and posts selections from Missed Connections on craigslist.com. Her hilarious / adorable drawings are up for sale on her Etsy shop.

More information on Sophie and a gallery of her other drawings and paintings can be found here.

The Garden Collection by H&M ...

The Garden Collection by H&M is set to hit stores any day now and I'm loving the modern meets flower child vibe ...

Every piece in the collection is made from either recycled plastic bottles or sustainable materials like organic cotton, organic linen, recycled polyester and tencel.

On top of that, the collection is consistent with H&M's tradition of affordability - the price points max out at $49.95!

The collection also includes scarves, tote bags, ballet flats, and scrunchies (le cringe) - great finds for the budget and environmentally conscious. 

p.s. Keenan just started a pretty sweet shop on Etsy!

Mociun ...

Lately I've been really inspired by simple, bold prints, an art that Caitlin Mociun has mastered in her Spring 2010 collection. I first saw the collection via Lena Corwin's beautiful design blog. 

Her Bauhaus inspired prints (whilst slightly reminiscent of The Cosby Show) are modern and wearable - enjoy!

This skirt is too cool:

She also does a few collections of quirky gems each season:

Mociun Website

Meanwhile I've been soaking up my Southern California bliss which consists mainly of: the cutest and cuddliest little person imaginable, endless sunshine, acai bowls and Yogurtland! 

dream dress ...

My friend, Keenan, just did an awesome post on Jackie O's style. Amongst the many beautiful photos was this shot from a 1989 issue of Vanity Fair:

I've always idolized Jackie O for her beauty, sophistication and style, and I cannot stop thinking about this dress. I would give up bagels and coffee for 3 years if I could have this dress. I must find a look alike somewhere - maybe Diane von Furstenberg?

*After paging through her Jackie O post I commented on this dress in particular - little did I know that she had already sent me an email saying that the dress reminded her of me!

also ...

Happy 35th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

back stateside!

After an epic last week in Sydney I'm finally back stateside, spending some time with my favorite little person. San Diego is sunny and beautiful -currently posting poolside - and I've already enjoyed many of the perks (4 bagels in the span of 2 days) of being on U.S. soil. My sister and I went on a Target and Old Navy shopping spree yesterday and I may have gone nuts. Here are some highlights:

These floral ballet flats from Target:

Which are nearly identical to the J. Crew version (but 1/16 of the price):

And these sweet little notebooks which I plan to use while traveling:

(p.s. Liberty of London for Target is seriously adorable)

This Rodarte for Target raincoat was an ebay purchase from about two weeks ago:

These Old Navy boyfriend shorts in light blue (couldn't find a picture):

And a beachy sweater:

And an embellished cardigan, again, highly reminiscent of J. Crew:

The obsession with citron continues:

Must stop shopping ... and eating bagels ... and drinking giant cups of coffee. I'm so happy to be home, or at least halfway there!

goodbye oz ...

It's impossible for me to describe how amazing my last few weeks in Sydney were, so here's a photo collage which just about sums it up ...

Apparently I just missed one of the most amazing sunsets in Bondi. Le massive sigh.

Image via www.aquabumps.com

Dace ...

I first heard about Dace through one of my favorite fashion blogs about six months ago. Unfortunately I haven't been able to see her pieces in person (Dace is a boutique Canadian brand) but I absolutely adore them online, and imagine that the fit and construction would be nothing short of perfect. All of her pieces embody a structured sense of femininity -they are simple and beautiful.

Here are some beautiful shots from her Spring 2010 campaign:

And some of my favorite pieces from the spring collection:

I wish that I could pull off these pants

Danny Pants

Dian Jacket

Joelle Blouse

I am in love with this dress!

Lucie Dress

And here she is ...

The very talented Dace Moore

The Dace Website