Lisa Mayock: Vena Cava

Vena Cava designer Lisa Mayock was recently photographed in her Brooklyn apartment for an article over at Refinery29. Check it out. Below are a few of the highlights from the post.

The shadow box in her "closet" (which is apparently a humongous room filled with clothes) reminds me of artist Joseph Cornell.

(R29) What wouldn't you be caught dead wearing?

(LM) "That's a difficult question. I often have complete changes of heart about certain looks. And I l

ove things that are good taste/bad taste and other things that are just plain tacky. So, honestly, the only thing I can think of right now that I would never wear is a 'sexy' Halloween costume. Which you may see me in come October."

Name something in your wardrobe you'll never throw away?

"Old T-shirts, sweatshirts, and leather pieces...they just keep getting better with time."

Vena Cava designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai (in black) with models wearing their Vena Cava for GAP pieces, which I got excited about here back in May.

Not that we're surprised, but your apartment is off-the-charts cool. And we hear you just gave it a little makeover...what look were you going for?

"If I had to give it a name, it would be called 'Things I Like.' That was pretty much the only criteria."

I really like her break all the rules attitude. She has a "Just Bone Me" poster above her bed. And Mayock wears a bright freaking yellow beaded dress that apparently sheds beads as she walks. But it is gorgeous. And I am intrigued. Plus the chair in her living room (below) can also be found in my father's office. His came without the spikes and does not sit atop a sheepskin rug. Nevertheless...

Get an inside look at the designer's inspiration over at the Viva Vena Cava blog, which Sophie and Lisa started back in February. Thank you Refinery 29 for giving us an inside look at this modern gem.

P.S. Did I mention I want Mayock's hair cut? I juuuust grew out my bangs and am lusting after them again!

Spring 2010 Inspiration

Seeing this awesome photo shoot with the ginormous bubbles reminded me of making huge bubbles as a kid. I've been thinking a bit about the creative direction for Sorrelli's Spring 2010 jewelry line, and I think bubbles might become an integral part of the campaign. If any of you readers out there are bubble producing experts, holler at me!

Velib - Traveling the Streets of Paris in Style

The Velib bike rental system in Paris is amazing. The image above is from The Sartorialist, one of my all time favorite blogs. Seeing the chic Parisian dude on the rented bike reminded me of my recent trip to Paris, in which my friend and I rode around the city like giddy-as-could-be-children. Something about renting a bike for 24 hours for only 1 Euro & riding beneath the Eiffel Tower really evokes a sense of child-like wonder. It was very liberating, easy, and somehow felt quite chic. All cities deserve to have such an amazing (and environmentally friendly) transportation option!

Material Culture, Philadelphia

I just read an article over at Design Sponge about the furniture store Material Culture down in Philadelphia. I will definitely be taking a drive down this summer to the Wissahickon Avenue location. The store seems to stock an unbelievable selection of home furnishings from throughout the world. 

 

The interior shots of the store remind me of my recent trip to the jam packed outdoor market, or medina, that I recently went to in Rabat. I bought some punched brass lanterns there, which I plan to hang outdoors on my new patio. I can't wait to search for more unique outdoor furnishings at Material Culture.

The image below is a photo from the home of Material Culture owner, George. The 18th century Moghul teak arches look freaking fantastic by the glow of candlelight.  

 

Styrofoam Installation

I found this mesmerizing installation over at Ace Gallery online. I love the end result but feel pretty conflicted about the piles and piles of styrofoam cups that artist Tara Donovan used to make it.  

In the installations below Donovan uses drinking straws to create an entire room of undulating texture.

Le Smoking

Le Smoking, Yve Saint Laurent's 1966 tuxedo suit design, styled with a frilly blouse and an oh-so-chic and smooth pixie cut. This image defines the look with a late night Parisian aura, and shows how important styling truly is. The location, make-up, hair style, lighting, and pose can transform a work of design into a legendary style. Menswear never looked so sexy, and this was 43 years ago!

Silkscreening HOW TO: Handmade Invitations

I like to make things. And I really adore sending letters in the mail. So it's no surprise that I take great pride in making invitations for my annual birthday celebration and mailing them out to all of my lovely friends. The fine print on this years edition, which is a silk screened print for each guest, reads "come visit (poolside)" with the relevant time and place.

Below are some photographs of the silk screening process. I used Diazo Speedball Photo Emulsion to make the screen. It's super easy, you just apply this light sensitive paint to a piece of raw silk that is stretched onto your frame & let it dry overnight. Next you print the design from your computer (black and white only) onto a transparency. You then lay the transparency on top of the dried photo sensitive screen and place a bulb on top (12"-16" away) for 20 minutes. After rinsing it out with the garden hose, you have your screen ready for printing!

This is a photo of me placing the colorful invite down on the "registration marks" before screening (In case you're wondering what's behind the blue paper, I used an old pottery barn catalog instead of newspaper to protect my table, I know, kind of random).

Apply paint and use squeegee.

Wa la, hand printed invites on perforated postcard paper. Way easier to distribute than cutting each by hand! Below is my mess of materials for addressing each postcard. More than half have already been mailed! I hope everyone likes them!

Sewing my (rough draft) maxi dress

I posted a few weeks ago about a maxi dress I had some interest in making from scratch (no pattern, mom!). I sewed the preliminary grey dress (with $1/yard fabric) as a test before working on my more expensive black silk (by expensive I mean $8/yard). Below are images bearing the fruits of my labor and some things  I found along the way.

I made an error in this preliminary dress in that I sewed the elastic at the empire waist before I did the elastic at the very top of the bust. This was a mistake because I ended up with a bust of ill proportion, in other words, the fabric from the empire waist to the top of the dress ended up being uneven. If I had sewn the top elastic first, I could've measured down from there, and then any inconsistencies or errors in measuring could've been made up for in the hem down below. I'll do it the right way for the real black silk dress, and hopefully won't end up with uneven boob-age.

Oh, and in case there are any sewers out there who are wondering about how I sewed the elastic exactly, I made a casing for the top, but the elastic at the empire waist was sewn directly to the fabric. I used 1/2" elastic, I simply threaded the elastic through the casing with a safety pin on the end and then tacked it in place on the seams. I'll try to take more detailed pics of the black dress when I make it to explain!

 

The book above, The Dressmaker's Technique Bible, ended up being a great find that helped me in the process of making this dress without a pattern. It gives detailed info on constructing different parts of clothing, from sleeve cuffs to elastic bands. It's a little more advanced than your traditional DIY Sewing books, which I liked. It's very to the point and shows detailed drawings to help you "reason out" the process on your own. 

More to come as I work on the real black silk dress! No progress shall be made until after my return from Europe!

Jewel Toned Living Spaces and Striped Seats

I stumbled upon this beautiful living room over at Elle Decor a few weeks ago & was just reminded of it today while couch shopping. The photo above is from the home of Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos in Washington D.C. I love the rich use of color in the living room and the striped chairs. I just found the couch below over at Wisteria and was reminded of this beautiful living room. More amazing printed furniture to come (in all price ranges!)

Wisteria Swedish Stripe Curved Sofa ($1400)

Bright Interiors

While browsing for couches online today I was reminded of these beautiful interiors that I found a while back over at Apartment Therapy. I especially love the bright chartreuse and blue colors mixed with the gilded legs. I should start a blog about gold leafing. I love all things gilded. Anyway- the light in these rooms is phenomenal of course, but the decor is just the right mix of eccentric and clean, don't you think?