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My perspective on the Man-Repeller is not so much about being repellent to all men in general, but more so about repelling the wrong type of man and attracting only the cool ones who get it… get it?
Dont forget to keep up with our tumblr on saintandlibertine.tumblr.com for all of our inspiring aesthetics through different mediums!
feat: Alyson Shotz (1), Tribute to Maison Martin Margiela 20th birthday, Natasa Vojnovic for Doingbird #13 by Danko Steiner (2), Art from Art Basel (3), McQueen s/s 2012 (4),“Gardenia Oil Painting” by Michael Creese (5), Javascapes by Daniel G. Walczyk (6), and various other tumblr images!
Rediscovered & Uncovered.
Being home in Los Angeles, I’ve been doing a lot of spring winter cleaning. Going through old closets, clothes and memories. I stashed these perfect 3.5 inch heel, black and crushed oxblood Yves Saint Laurent booties up by my favorite books before I left for New York… but don’t worry– this time they’ll be coming back with me.
They were my mom’s in the 1990s—how many time have you heard that line? haha. So sweet, and barely ever worn. I think my mom told me she bought them for a wedding to match a floor-length Betsy Johnson crushed velvet cardigan she had.
Fantastic little babies, aren’t they?
-Sophia Callahan
Nail Art is making a huge wave in the country’s most fashionable cities, and Valley NYC nail salon in NoLIta, shows us some skills!
“You can’t compare the level of nail design here. You just can’t go to any corner nail salon in New York City, whip out a detailed picture and expect someone to do that”, says the receptionist of Valley nail salon located in NoLIta. The salon boasts quality polish brands such as OPI, RGB and Zoya colors. The exposed brick walls in the salon’s interiors make it just the right quaint and cozy little spot on Elizabeth Street. Native New Yorkers like HBO “Girls” Writer Lena Dunham and Actress Jemima Kirke are no strangers to this unique place.
So what made nail art the new fashion accessory? We have the “Valley Girls” Nina and Julia Werman to thank for that. The sister- duo owners originally hailing from the San Fernando Valley in California brought back their own sense of West Coast style with them to New York City when opening up the nail salon six years ago. They were inspired by California Mexican style and Japanese Nail Art that was so present in the Valley. Their neighbors and clients of Downtown Manhattan supported their creative freedom and started embracing the nail art trend making it go from underground to mainstream.
The sisters have recruited talented manicurists from Japan and Spain to join the ranks of their nail salon; going so far as to help some women get Artist Visas so they could come showcase their talent in the U.S. Many of the manicurists at Valley NYC have artists backgrounds and the rest follow suit depending on if they’re interested in the craft of Nail Art. Mei from Harajuku in Tokyo is the perfect example. She grew up drawing at a very young age and had her own nail salon in Tokyo for ten years. “Nail Art has always been so popular especially in the Harajuku area of Tokyo”, says Mei.
We did some special Nail Art for the celebration of New Year’s Eve. First by talking about the Art Deco period (our favorite theme!) and a love for all things New York City. Mei sketched her designs suggesting that she would place the outline of skyscrapers on my nails. This was followed by some fun gold glitter and a crowning design of the Chrysler building on my thumb. Some bold black and white stripes were also mixed into the design. Mei did this all by the grace of her hand and a pointy black wand. S he paid special attention to the detail of her drawings on my nails, just like any artist would. Her talent is one of a kind. Valley NYC offers all levels of nail design, from simple to glitter, to a different take on the French like a Half-Moon, to a detailed New York City landscape.
The nail salon is happy to provide these services to New York City residents, and they’re excited that more and more people are opening up their eyes to Nail Art – as truly as an extension of their accessories.
-Nadia Elsayed
Photographs by Nadia Elsayed, post production by Sophia Callahan
“Enclosed in citrus and wood bark, the orange blossom weaves a panter’s dream from which escapes the pale volute of smoke from a narghile. As an orientalist painting, furiously romantic, the vigorous scent of the cade, and solar splinter of citrus fruits, come out as a thin blade in the silky shadow of vanilla.”
- Cire Trudon’s Odalisque
Indeed, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, when I replenish my stock of Cire Trudon‘s Odalisque candles. Contained in votive glass jars handcrafted by the artisans of Vinci, Italy, the first Cire Trudon candles were first created the year Louis XIV was crowned King of France in 1643, making this artisanal candlemaker the oldest manufacturer of candles (and truly of anything) still in existence today. In the 18th Century, Cire Trudon rose to prominence as the Manufacture Royale de Cire (Royal Candlemakers), lighting the marble and stone halls of all of royal courts throughout Europe. Aside from their votive candles, Cire Trudon is also known for making sculptural busts made of candle wax — one of my personal prized possessions being the dark and frivolous black Marie Antoinette candle bust. Together with the Odalisque votive, they make a decadent olfactory statement, that is time-tested, perfected, royalty-approved.
Obsessions of Ivy Kirzhner. Photos by Ivy Kirzhner for Saint&Libertine New York
New York Winters
The other week I met up with fellow student and photographer, Melissa Chu. We started off with a singular idea and then during the process, it morphed and re-morphed. When I got all the photos back, I realized that our original idea wasn’t as present as I hoped but there was something else that was romanticized. Perhaps it’s wasn’t as conceptual as the original plan, but became my interest and source of excitement.
This may sound silly, but growing up in sunny Los Angeles, Christmas Day every year called for surf contests, not sledding. I experience my first “New York blizzard” just the other week and was totally turned on my head. This cold front this winter, that was graciously passed us last winter, has drawn me to the real, New York winter. I’m welcoming with open arms the new materials gracing my closet—furs, blacks, and velvets.
A couple days ago, I cut the fox fur collar off one of my vintage oversized leather jackets. (I’ve been wearing it fully knowing it completely dwarfed my 5’2 stature, I just couldn’t think of giving it up, so cutting it up was the next best.) It’s seen being worn on my head… to keep my head warm, of course. Also to keep my head toasty is this vintage mink hat found at Beacon’s Closet, that has been attached since. A little velvet Victoria get-up, a friend’s vintage find, jumps the gun on Christmas. And last but not least, black, and tons of it, just like a real New Yorker.
It’s been so cozy finding and playing with these soft materials, furs, layers of black and this unwavering need to drink hot apple cider by the fire.
Photos by Melissa Chu, post-production by Sophia Callahan
The latest obsession of Ivy Kirzhner
When I was building my Spring 2013 footwear collection, I wanted to take ornamentation to a whole new level by using semi-precious stones, hand-procured crystals from Austria, cloissone techniques and… REAL 18K GOLD hardwares. A part of me had always wanted to become a jewelry designer, which ultimately manifested into creating unique footwear pieces that could be deemed as precious as fine jewelry. However, the world is proving that anything can be made into jewelry, as jewelry these days now come in surprisingly varied forms of accessories. Today, the iPhone is probably the leading accessory of all time, with the entire world hopelessly enraptured with its finesse and most profound technology (though touchscreen typing, I find, still proves to be the best way to convey some of the most inaccurate texts =[ Now thanks to Gold & Co London, the iPhone could now become an even more covetable piece of luxury in these tasteful 24K Gold and Rose Gold cases – a gift truly worthy of a King. And, lo and behold! 24K Gold cases for the iPad are available for those who are understandably adamant about having matching outfits for their communication devices. Blackberry lovers, weep not. Gold & Co London would never allow you all to be left out in this gilded moment (even though frankly and with harshness, I believe that you are not worthy!) With the full sleek effect of 24K gold case maximized on the iPhone’s design, this case alone is worth swapping your Blackberry for an iPhone. So start teaching yourself how to type on touchscreen.
Now… where to find matching mirror metallic Christmas stockings to stuff these babies in.
Cheers!
Photos by Gold & Co UK
by Sophia Callahan
Cute and petite, yet packs a deadly punch!
Our new favorite little sidekick, the Jerome Dreyfuss Momo bag in black python snakeskin, is truly a disco purse of the convenient variety. It has a detachable coin purse, multiple slots for credit cards, cash, cellphone and any other vanity peripherals, and a sleek built-in mirror. Perfect for those days when you just want to be lazy and not carry that huge and heavy Celine tote that contains only your wallet and maybe a cellphone.
“Space Cowboys and Indians” by Ivy Kirzhner. March 2012. Cowboy: Rag&Bone jeans, M21 Margiela Gold Hi-Tops. Christian Dior Motards. Vintage Vest and Silk Top. UrbanOutfiiters fringe scarf. Ray Gun designed and made by Alex R. Kirzhner. Left Indian: Vintage Mexican Dress. Vintage nubuck boots. Right Indian: Vintage Navajo Poncho. Vintage Woven Moccassin Boots. Dries Van Noted necklace
This is how I play my favorite childhood game. In outer space!
With the “Flora & Fauna” Christmas Tree. For La Maison Kirzhner Holiday party, I wore this festive draped velvet blazer that has all of these curious winter birds printed all over it. I bought it during my trip to Shanghai, and thought it would be my perfect “Christmas” blazer. I just realized that some of them are actual partridges in a pear tree! Whoever designed this really thought of people like me, perpetually obsessed with Christmas. I wish I had a matching giftwrapper, as it is such an excellent bird print! I believe between me and my Christmas tree, I’ve completed the Twelve Days of Christmas Look, along with my new favorite pair of Giambattista Vallis. They for sure make me feel like a lord about to go a-leapin’!
I truly miss being a child, especially around this time of year. However, the difference now is that as I grow older, my expectations for receiving presents has infinitely decreased… Though I admit, it’s always fun to receive amazing gifts (like the fantastic trio of glass decanters that look like elegant perfume bottles that my twin brother, Paul of Dexter’s Kin, gave me and Alex! Thank you, Paul!)
My love for Christmas has always been about being able to share and getting people excited. It is the hunt for the perfect present for all of those amazing people in my life that really gives the thrill. It tests how well I know them, and finding that one or two items that can really spark such a delight within them is such a wonderful challenge which I feverishly take on each year. If I can make people feel the same giddiness and excitement as they did as children on Christmas day, then that is mission truly accomplished! As for me… I’m always so giddy!
Now, where’s Santa? I got milk and cookies waiting for him.
Bonkers, the perpetual Holiday icon of La Maison Kirzhner.
Mysterious, hardly that I am. No matter what veil or cloak I wear, my emotions hang on my sleeves.
Often I wish I could leave some parts of me a total mystery to others.
How much more fun would it be to keep everyone guessing exactly what I am thinking?
That, no one would ever know.
Twin sign. Dual-natured. Adaptable though forever conflicted.
There’s always an internal battle between good and evil, with constant challenge on boundaries and borders.
As a result, we are quite an enigmatic, elusive, contradictory, and mischievous lot.
Spring has sprung. Soon it will be summer. I finally cracked and bought a new LV. This time in the latest Azur Damier colorway. A birthday present that arrived a month early.
Most titles are born into. Some titles are bought… Sometimes, it’s just all in the attitude.
Peter Hopkins New York Bronze-Cast Cuff, Joel Escober, Manila, Zipper Pull Belt, Lucy Hutchin Liberty of London, Bejewelled Cuff, Dries Van Noten Ornament
Organic, traditional, antique-inspired and modern-ethnic all in one mix.
I’ve been globe-trottin’ and treasure-huntin’, collecting statement pieces that can inspire and revamp any outfit. I’ve been quite lazy these days and only been rocking out plain black T-shirt dresses by my favorites – Helmut Lang, Alexander Wang with the usual American Apparel black bike shorts (my ultimate summer must-have, as I bought my 5th pair). The summer heat and humidity had been brutal on the fierceness (yes, my hair simply refuses to get spiked up these days). So it makes sense to just heavily rely on one statement piece to pull together a quaint little summer ensemble and look updated.
Quoting my dear friend Ricki,
“New Yorkers forget how to dress during the summer…”
In the heatwave, stylishness tends to melt away sometimes, and out comes the barrage of sloppy peasant dresses, stringy denim cut-offs and Havaiianas. I can’t blame girls either, since it feels like fashion can also take a vacation. It will be back all fresh in time for Pre-Fall… most likely with a fabulous tan. Speaking of which, everyone in the office has been sporting tans so awesome that they could pass as brush-ons. Since the cute little design team and I have been gone for 3 weeks working non-stop inside well-shaded buildings, for sure we’re looking quite the pastiest. Yep – the only Filipino girl is one of the whitest and pastiest in the entire company.
AND… Speaking of being a pasty-white Filipino, I was so glad to have the opportunity to swing by Manila after an extensive work trip in Asia. (I actually looked rather tanned next to some of my super lovely kinsman.) This is the land of fierceness despite of the humidity, the temperamental typhoon season and perennial hot temperatures. I chanced upon the opening of the new Louis Vuitton store and TrunkShow installation and was impressed with how the Manila fashionista really knows how to “work it” despite of the climate conditions. A lot of them in structured Balenciagas, Derek Lams and Lanvins matched with Nicholas Kirkwood shoes and the latest Lieber menaudiers. That added to the awesomeness to the trip, as I also got to see my sisters, old (and new) buddies, and do some more treasure-huntin’. But what really bowled me over was the ingenius work of a lot of the local designers in Manila. I became insatiably obsessed! I had to bring back a one-of-a-kind treasured belt with ornamental zipper pulls by Joel Escober. Actually, I wanted to bring his entire collection back and set up shop here in New York.
A List of Little Summer Discoveries and Obsessions:
I just discovered a fantastic local jewelry designer today: Peter Hopkins. His richly organic-looking designs are all cast in actual bronze, silver, copper, gold and other precious metals. Check out that badass bronze cuff in the photo! He sets up a stoop sale right on West 14th in the MeatPacking, right in front of Design Within Reach. I asked him to give me lessons on wax-cast jewelry making! Let’s see what I come up with soon.
Calling all Marsell, Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens and Alexadner McQueen afficionados. I stumbled upon Hotoveli on West 4th quite recently, and it has become one of the latest obsessions on my list. This avant-garde and ultra-directional lifestyle store carries items only in black/white and brilliantly merchandizes edgy pieces into a delicate, luxurious form of subtle masquerade.
Cocoa V. I wanted to celebrate my and twin bro Paulie’s birthday here last June. It’s the most luxurious Vegan chocolatier, (vegan) cheese and wine boutique I’ve ever been to. I’m here almost every week. Come join me some time! I’d schedule a date here any day.
