ARIELLE DE PINTO

Canadian designer Arielle de Pinto first caught my attention when her accessories collection was snapped up by Dover street market in London last year. De Pinto a fine arts graduate of Concordia University in Montreal has no formal education in jewellery design, however this didn't stop her from fashioning metal together as a means of thread in creating her unique crocheted concoctions.Her hand crocheted accessories are beyond beautiful, since living in Montreal I want a piece of that action, when the time arises that I can afford one at least.I bumped into a friend of hers at a sample sale and I just wanted to snatch the very piece that she was wearing, it had the most fascinating chunky charms attached to the delicate metal which gave the design an extra toughness.Her astounding designs can be found at Reborn, DSM, V-Store, Kokon To Zai and Apartment.

SALE SPREE

Acne Duchess dress now €120

Ossie Clark(Matches) t-shirt now €52

It's that time of year again when one can't help but check out all the gorgeous new AW/09 looks appearing all over our favourite online stores. I have already written a wish list from the Acne and Matches online store alone. However it is worth diverting your eyes away just for a little longer, as there is a feast of sales cropping up across some of the most exciting, and independent online stores such as: Farfetch, Tresbienshop,Branten, Scouthestore, Matches, Doshaburi, Ok-ni and Surface to Air. There are bargains galore on all these sites with some items slashed to 70%.I have put together a little selection of treats to choose from. Browse and shop to your hearts content and remember to acknowledge the fact that you are supporting the independent designers which these online boutiques promote. I hope I have inspired some online shopping sprees.

Martin Margiela blazer (Tresbienshop) now €208

Tsumori Chisato dress (Tresbienshop) now €305

Beyond the Valley Jacket (Farfetch) now €180

JC de Castelbajac dress (Farfetch) now €70

Tsumori Chisato cuff (Farfetch) now €71

Henrik Vibskov shirt (Scouthestore) now €90

Henrik Vibskov Vest (Scouthestore) now €105

Diana Orving dress (Scouthestore) now €55

Comme Des Garconnes jacket (Farfetch) now €486

Bernhard Willhelm dress (Farfetch) now €350

A MEDIOCRE SUCCESS

Mediocre Success is designed for those of us that like our accessories to be simple, functional, and above all tactile. These days there is such an abundance of clutter surrounding our lives that it becomes useful to compartmentalise our belongings in order to be organised. Mediocre Success does just that, by providing intricately designed pieces for storing and wrapping up, all the important bits in your handbag. Mediocre Success is designed by the savvy Swiss native Eveline Erni who studied fashion design in Milan and has since worked as a stylist for various menswear labels. It is stocked in select concept stores such as The Hunter in Berlin and Vestibule in Zurich. She creates everything from wallets, travel holders, vanity bags, to i-phone holders, USB-stick holders and passport pouches. I met up with Eveline in Dublin while she was working as a costume designer on a short film. Below she tells us a little more about her design background and her decision to follow the accessories route of design practice.


Style-Sphere: Where did the name Mediocre Success originate?Eveline: I was looking for a name that encourages one to think about what lies beneath the brand - it had to be a name that could stand for any kind of product. Mediocre Success, sounds confusing because it has negative attributes so I figured it would be the best name ever!

Style-Sphere: What is your design background and how did you decide to enter into the realm of accessory design?Eveline: I studied fashion design and received a scholarship for a leather accessories course. Following my studies in Milan, I worked for several years for other companies in this particular area. I then realised that I had sufficient experience to launch my own label. I believe that the design process is all about your passion.

Style-Sphere: What accessories designer to you admire the most and why?Eveline: I truly admire all accessory designers who possess a strong conceptional approach to design such as, Maison Martin Margiela or Costume National.

Style-Sphere: If you had the choice to stock Mediocre Success within any store in the world, where would you choose?
Eveline: I would have to choose stores which carry a clear statement and believe in promoting a strong concept such as: Park in Vienna, Circus Store in Dublin, Frip in Milan or Merci in Paris.

Style-Sphere: What are your future aspirations for Mediocre Success?
Eveline: I would hope that Mediocre Success will become recognised as a label with a unique style and a design aesthetic that highlights individuality and functionality.

http://www.mediocresuccess.com/

INTRODUCING: ARTIST DARKO DRAGICEVIC

On my first encounter with the artist Darko Dragicevic he was wearing a fantastic Bernhard Willhelm check shirt and shopping for some Henrik Vibskov pieces. For Darko, clothes aren’t merely clothes but art in themselves and his interest in fashion lies far beyond the scope of a fondness for good design aesthetics. He prefers fashion that has a strong concept, an impacting ethos, and above all he admires designers who are multifaceted like design genius Henrik Vibskov. (C)Branka Dutina.

A native of Belgrade, Darko attended the New York film academy and his work as a film director in several different projects brought him back to Europe where he currently resides in Berlin. Darko devised the ‘Taste of Life’ exhibit in New York in 2007, the exhibit consists of 12 video pieces which are followed by 12 tracks and 12 pages from a selection of published works. The principal plot concerns time and physical absence in the domestic space such as ‘the apartment in the big city’. Under the name SCHNITT, Darko along with Berlin based architect Branka Dutina, organised and facilitated the ‘Taste of Life’ exhibit in and around Berlin. The moveable exhibit took place within a camper van positioned in various locations around Berlin. The exhibit is scheduled to wander further afield in the coming months. Below is an interview with the artist.



Style-Sphere: How did you conceive the idea for the 'Taste of Life' exhibition?
Darko: By observing what was going on in the boxes being called the apartments in the big cities…At the time I used to live in New York, so the concept of the space and everything that’s been happening inside of it was more dramatic than now. Then when I came to Berlin the idea of the videos was adopted to this place and it slightly changed. Many new things were born inside of SCHNITT, in collaboration with the Exhibit Architect Branka Dutina.



Style-Sphere: Has living in Berlin changed your overall outlook in your work ?
Darko: No, I wouldn‘t say so. The basics will always remain the same. My work is who I am and I don‘t believe that people change.



Style-Sphere: What element of the Berlin lifestyle has mostly influenced your development as an artist?
Darko: It’s structure. Buildings and people. It’s past. It’s landscape of diversities.



Style-Sphere: 'Taste of Life' is essentially a mobile exhibition, what places do you aspire to travel to next?
Darko: Places that would bring something new to the ‘Taste Of Life‘. Places with a completely different landscapes or social structures.Places where I could have a byte of something unexpected.



Style-Sphere: 'Taste of Life' took place in a camper van. Whilst living within the exhibition, what music did you play the most? what food did you eat? and what did you wear?
Darko: Apart from the music used for the videos, I was mostly listening to Cat Power, David Bowie, Bebi Dol, M83 and Bach played by Glenn Gould. I was eating whatever I had in the van or what my friends would bring over. That was always a surprise! The clothes I wore weren’t that impressive as I’ve mostly had to think about how cold it was both outside and inside (the doors were open for the visitors). It was always the same: military coat, scarf and hat, pants or jeans and warm shoes.

Style-Sphere: How would you describe Berlin in three words?
Darko:Bad news!Good news!Bad news!

Unisex Menswear

Regularly I stumble upon online shops with menswear that far surpasses the womenswear collections on offer however, I was happy to discover that Swedish label Odeur define themselves as a unisex menswear collection. The label launched in 2006 and is designed by duo Petter Hollstrom and Anna Lidstrom, it is stocked in several conceptual stores worldwide including; Temporary Showroom (Berlin),Rubber Soul (Oslo), Doshaburi (Barcelona) as well as a stream of stores throughout Sweden and Japan. According to Odeur "All garments are endorsed with the scent of Odeur- an androgynous, clean, white and light scent". I reckon it was imperative that I mention their adept description of this scent which is as follows, “the aroma chosen to represent Odeur is based on a number of visual factors; the clean lines of the clothing with an almost androgynous alien look. By using aromas that stem from the higher scale, the scent of Odeur has become a light, white and clean fragrance. The scent is meant to be clean and unusual, but not a quirky sexual fragrance. It is not gender specific, and the chosen aroma covers all natural elements. It is fresh, clean and modern”-Odeur.



Images from http://www.odeur.se/

It was the crisp white cardigan above that enticed my attention, it is so intelligently constructed with its strategically placed snap fasteners and its asymmetric drape to one side. The nonchalant styling in the lookbook suits the construction of the piece, I like how it is slung loosely over the low crotch black trousers and alternatively styled over white skinny jeans for a preppier look. I would probably wear a long black Isabel Marant linen top underneath and pop a vintage snakeskin belt around the waist for a slightly more feminine take on the look.

Knick Knack Shop

Shop O.K. in Berlin is a mecca for those who love to stock up on knick knacks. One could even mistake the store for a toyshop or a sweet shop with all its bright colours leaping out from the kitsch window displays.My friend Sarah accompanied me to O.K. store, she collects everything from baby dolls, old photos and robots, to many other miscellaneous oddities. Sarah ended up buying a mini lamp shade, a plastic chicken and a tin robot(check out her quirky
blog:http://www.melikeylikeylikey.blogspot.com//).She was very excited to discover this little store. I on the other hand couldn't decide on what I wanted because it all looked so cute, so I bought a friend a heart shaped bicycle reflector.I look forward to visiting O.K. land again and getting excited over bits and bobs that I probably don't need.They have a great online store where you can nab a cute and inexpensive gift.The Russian Dolls start at €10, the plastic chickens at €3.50, the Masks are €25 and the bottle holder is €20.
See: http://www.okversand.com/