Not all of us can jet off to exotic countries - maybe because we already live in one! - or maybe just because our day-to-day responsibilities keep us home / office / school bound.  But we can get fashion inspiration from our friends all over the world  - especially when it comes to seeing all the creative ways people choose to wear a scarf.  Due to the proliferation of blogs today, people can share photos of fashion out on the street - any street - from Le Place de L'Concorde in Paris, to Monbijouplatz in Berlin, to the steps of the Public Library here in New York city.  Here are a few from Styleclicker.net   Notice that instead of one big, bulky coat, layering works well with scarves and can keep you just as warm.

AskADesigner Question:
I just bought the Echo Jaipur bedding set but need to redo the color scheme in our bedroom. I have no idea what color curtains would go well with the set. Can you please help with any ideas? We have plain white walls and beige carpet... Thank you!!
Name: Beth and Jim ****
Email: ******@gmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 4:22 PM

AskADesigner Answer:

Dear Beth and Jim,  

Being that you chose your new bedding to be the Jaipur collection, we know you're a couple that's not afraid of color...and we love that! Since this bed is both bold pattern and multi-colored, I understand your confusion on choosing the best color for window treatments. White walls and a neutral carpet make the selection a little easier. If you were thinking about having a fun color on your windows as well, I really like the idea of using panels that match the light aqua color from the bed. It's not one of the brightest colors from the collection, so it won't be too high contrast and will look nice against white paint. Also, aqua is a gender neutral color...I'm looking out for you Jim :)

Another direction is to find window treatments that go with the Indian inspired mood of the collection. Look for curtains in a linen or nubby cloth that work with the bed. I think a pretty neutral color (that doesn't clash with the color of your carpet) would look beautiful! Maybe you can even find something that has a simple, ethnic embroidery, which would mimic the look of the Jaipur Euro shams to tie everything together.

It can be really difficult to find curtains to finish decorating a room that are exactly what you're looking for, so if you're feeling crafty, sometimes it can be easier to find a beautiful fabric at a fabric store and sew the drapes up yourself!

I hope these suggestions helped you to come up with some ideas. We are so excited that you chose Echo's Jaipur bedding collection to redo your room. Enjoy it!

-Rebecca, Associate Designer - Home, Echo Design

Have you been noticing the resurgence of lace in fashion this winter? First Lady Michelle Obama was spotted recently in a great 3/4 length sleeve walking coat with lace overlay. Stella McCartney was seen in a full lace bodysuit. Designers Fall / Winter 2009/2010 collections used lace as well as brocades, stones and sequins.  Other Winter 09/10 trends include the layering of lace and sheer fabrics in moody blacks, inky blues, rich berry and oxidized metallics - ranging from onyx to silver- copper to pewter under and over opaque wools and furs for a mesmerizing effect.

Leathers also took on a new look - they can be metallicized and ruffled or laser cut and pleated. Peek-a-boo laces got modernized with metallic finishes or overstitched with chunky wools and the otherwise simple boyfriend jacket gets a hint of sparkle with embellished lapels or encrusted epaulets.  Vintage shops are perfect for finding that great sequined jacket to pair with jeans and booties.

Investing in a few of these important pieces will take you through to the rest of this season. And you don't have to do it in a full lace body suit - you can integrate a few key pieces to stay on trend. Try a lace wrap tucked around a black turtleneck and jeans with knee high boots. Or layer a 3/4 length sleeve faux fur with our metallic leather gloves and ankle booties.  It's Luxury but understated - and definitely not out of reach. Cheers!

"L’ exactitude n’est pas la vérité." -Henri Matisse

So there's fashion on the runway - which let's admit, a lot of which is couture and is pretty much unwearable by the average civilian. (Unless of course you are Lady GaGa - how much fun is she??!) But then there is also fashion and trends that happen right out on the street, in the day-to-day culture, that may not be necessarily styled or created by a designer but by the person themselves. It's their own personal look. However, even when someone thinks they are being unique, most often someone else dressed that way already - that same day or 14 years ago. Take a look at this intriguing exhibit of photographs called "Exactitudes" (a contraction of 'exact' and 'attitude') by Rotterdam-based photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek. They compiled photos of strangers in London, Paris, Praia (Cape Verde) and other countries over the last 14 years and then put them together to show that great minds think alike - whether it's 2010 or 1996. You'll see amazingly similar looks on many different people. After looking through the collection, it seems that what we may have come to call 'trends' are actually identifiers of a movement or a genre. For example, it's not always the case, but when we see someone in head-to-toe black, we think 'goth,' or someone in tie-dye and flipflops, we think 'hippie.' Other times a similar style running through a group of people may be merely a symptom of function: suits for a job search; suspenders to hold your pants up.

Certainly the photographers reinforced the stereotypes simply by the way they titled each grouping i.e. "pin-ups" and "emo's." The point of their work was to categorize each person by the way they look and therefore illustrate their similarities. But, does the way we look give people the option to pre-judge who they think we are? So are these trends or labels? Are we really asserting our own individuality if we embrace one of these looks? Matisse's quote above roughly translates to "precision is not the truth" or "the truth is greater than the details." Maybe that really means: what you see isn't necessarily what you get. So if I want to dye my hair black (goth) and wear red lipstick (pin-up), a tie-dye shirt (hippie) and a pair of Vans (skater) that doesn't mean I'm a Goth Pin-up Hippie Skater. That just means I'm me.

What item in your wardrobe really symbolizes you and has carried you over the years and through the trends? A cable knit sweater? A pair of jeans? A scarf?

Ask A Designer Question: Help! I lost my most treasured Echo cold weather wrap. It was smart and interesting in an understated way and kept me warm and stylish up here in Montreal. I would be most grateful for any help you can offer in replacing it. Please see photo - it was a wool blend, garter stitch and had rounded ends with a microfiber trimmed hole through which an end could be threaded. Winter 08 or 09. Thanks for your time and for designing such beautiful things, Meghan   From: Meghan Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 10:08 PM Email: meghan****@********.com

Ask A Designer Reply: On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 AskADesigner(at)echodesign(dot)com wrote: Hi there Meghan, So sorry to hear about your wrap. I'd love to help you find another! If Montreal is anywhere near as cold as NYC we better make it fast! I'll show the picture to our designers and see if we can find it for you. I'll get back to you asap! - Jennifer

On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 , AskADesigner(at)echodesign(dot)com wrote: Hi Meghan! Success! I found this same style - I believe the price is $98 - but it's on sale now for $69! The style # is 374467 and it's called the Downtown Wrap. If you want to order one right away feel free to call our customer service reps at 1-800-327-3896 and they will take care of you. Or I you can follow this link to see it on the site. Let me know what you think or if you have any other questions! :) Thanks again for writing in - so glad we could help! -Jennifer

Ask A Designer Final: Wow Jennifer you are a star! Thank you so much for your help. I will have a look at the website in a couple days and order then. Have a great day - you've made mine, Meghan              From: Meghan Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 3:31 PM To: AskADesigner Subject: Re: Echo cold weather wrap

What is the single most important art object of the 20th century?

Marcel Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel.

Why? Simply because, when it was created in 1913, it generated such outrage by the public that it launched a whole new way of thinking about art and the definition of Modern Art. As you can see, this piece is a bicycle wheel attached to the top of a common kitchen stool. Think about this in the context of 1913. Art at that time was primarily defined by earlier movements such as Impressionism - meaning people were used to seeing watercolor paintings of flowers. That's art, they said. But here comes Duchamp with this wheel on a stool and we are supposed to call it art. We're outraged! Also keep in mind that in the early 1900s the bicycle was a new but very popular form of transportation. 10 million people owned bicycles by 1900. 'The wheel is functional,' they said. 'How can we look at that and appreciate anything other than the spokes and tire that get us jolly well 'round to the market or the corner store for the evening paper?' You may have had this same reaction the first time you viewed Warhol's painting of the Campbell's soup can. It's a can. With soup in it. This is art? Why, yes, it is. It's Modern Art.

The official definition of Modern art is sculpture, architecture, and graphic arts characteristic of the 20th century and of the later part of the 19th century. Modern art embraces a wide variety of movements, theories, and attitudes whose modernism resides particularly in a tendency to reject traditional, historical, or academic forms and conventions in an effort to create an art more in keeping with changed social, economic, and intellectual conditions. It's this last characteristic that most helps define an object as Modern Art. Duchamp switched the roles: he made the viewer the artist. The viewer became a part of the object. Duchamp was inviting the viewer to decide for himself whether to consider this art or a joke.

Moma.org currently has a whole series of interviews by highschool students with curators at the Museum on various topics, including this one. Joachim Pissarro, curator in the department of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, answers, in depth, this question of what is Modern Art. He discusses Duchamp's work as well as defines further what is art, how to view modern art vs. a traditional painting, and so much more. These kids ask every question you ever wanted to ask about art. Take a look! Enjoy!

It's that time of year where everyone makes a list of resolutions. I'd like to break with tradition and go for the halfway point and make a resolution in JULY.  Think of the benefits: less people at the gym.   But if you were to make a resolution today or at least this month, what would it be? Will you remember it in February? Oh well, it was a nice thought there for a moment, wasn't it?  Maybe we tend to waffle on the follow-through because of that word. Resolution. Sounds so clinical. How about something lyrical like 'promise'? Or poetic like 'devotion'?   Whatever you'd like to call it, I believe in order to get a resolution to really stick, it should be all encompassing and not too specific.  Think about it.  'Work out 5 days a week' is pretty daunting.  But 'be healthier' sounds much more do-able.  This way you can stick to your resolution several different ways - by cooking a few nights instead of ordering in, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, adding some broccoli to that slice, ordering the low fat double caff soy latte. Another great resolution to consider is to let yourself be inspired. You're on that hamster wheel every day, chugging along and missing the scenery. Take a moment to appreciate a store window display, the discipline of origami, the intricacies of lace or the sheer wonder of a star fruit.  Or have you looked up lately? We are so busy checking email and focusing on our destination, that we forget to look at the world above our heads. If you're in a city this is particularly true. In NYC we've got gargoyles, art deco detailing, even gardens on the tops of the buildings.  Suburbs not so much. But you've got rooftops, trees, birds, planes, sunsets, and let's face it, the sky. So take off the sunglasses, get out of the car, take a moment to check the planetary alignment, take a deep breath.  Give yourself a chance to see what inspires you. Just think how different 2010 will be if you follow your inspiration.