Chances are you've been watching this year's winter Olympics in Vancouver.  Occasionally NBC's coverage will include some footage of the city and the culture that make Vancouver the beautiful city it is, but most of the time, a closeup of a skier or an ice skate could be anywhere in the world.   I wanted to share with you a beautiful video of Vancouver at night - from above the city and from the waterfront. In the winter months, Vancouver has only 8 hours of daylight so this time lapse video shows the city's skyline at night as clouds flow past buildings and bridges like liquid.   The cars and the people fly by in bright streams of color and you can even see the lights of the ski events on the mountains up above the city. Time is sped up so each scene spans 12+ hours and while watching it I can't help but wonder what actually occured during that time - someone completed a triple toe loop and someone else fell on the last turn of the relay. Dreams were born and dreams were broken. It's life condensed. They've trained their whole lives for that one moment, hoping their personal best becomes the best in the world.   If you sped up 12 hours of your life, what color would it be?  Would there be wild movement and bright lights? Or would it be a steady stillness of light and quiet?    Hopefully your days include a little bit of both.  You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to aspire to reach your personal best, sometimes just realizing what that is, can be your own gold metal.   Enjoy!

While on a trip to London recently, we came across this beautiful display of umbrellas.   It is part of a series of outdoor art installations across the United Kingdom called the Big Art Project.  This particular location is outside London's Channel 4 TV station and the idea is to either integrate the giant number 4 logo into the piece or to attach the artwork to it. Each installation is created by an artist whose idea was voted upon by a panel of artists, local community members, gallery owners and staff from Channel 4.   This work is titled "Shelter" and was created using umbrella's from the city transport's lost & found store. The artist, Stephanie Imbeau, said  ‘(the umbrellas) would have a transformative effect on the steel structure, softening it and making it almost plant-like.’

If you're in the UK or planning a visit, go to http://www.bigartmob.com/ to see a map of locations of other 'big art' installations. And you can also submit any that you come across.

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.

After Paris, our designers flew to Milan to see what was in the stores.  They stopped in a beautiful store named 10 Corso como and, as Rachel Zoe would say, 'This store is bananas!'  The owner, Carla Sozanni, gets a lot of help and inspiration from her sister, Franca Sozzani, who has been the editor of Italian Vogue for the last 10 years. 10 Corso Como carries men's and women's apparel by designers such as Marni and Commes des Garcon as well as their own Corso Como brand, accessories (Tom Binn's jewelry) and must-have luxury goods.  If you're in Milan, make sure this is a stop on your shopping itinerary.

They also enjoyed Missoni's new collection which included large scale leaves, gold berets and chains, light-weight wool leggings layered with oversized cowl neck sweaters, fur bags, hats, fringes and colors of peach, blush and hints of blue.  They especially loved the oversized neck-warmers doubled and tripled and draped, and the amazing floor - length, chunky scarves with the fluffiest fringe you've ever laid eyes on! 

Two of our designers, Amy and Leslie, just returned from Paris and Milan and they brought back details on what the current trends are in both cities.  Their first stop was in Paris and this is Part 2 of our series of posts.  Their favorite place to stay (and shop!) is on the boulevard Beaumarchais in the Haut-Marais arrondissement. They found a beautiful new store called Merci, a 16,000 square foot general store which opened in July.  It's a mixture of modern and traditional, of the new and second-hand, and, since it's in an old warehouse, the displays of home furnishings, apparel and accessories have the quality of apartment or loft living.

One display was made of hundreds of ceramic tea cups - tea lights!- hanging from the ceiling.

There's even a used book store and a cafe.  The best part of the store? 100% of profits go to a children's charity in Madagascar.

Now that's what I call shopping.  Merci BEAUCOUP!

A few of our designers just returned from Paris and Milan and brought back details of the current trends in stores. Here are a few highlights:

Paris
At Bon Marche (the home for all accessories in Paris!) they had chunky crochet neck pieces that were a cross between a winter scarf and a necklace.  They also had lightweight wools in all shapes, sizes and patterns - patterns from florals to geometrics to ethnic prints to solids. The neckrings are also very popular!

The windows of Galleries Lafayette - Sequins, fur, leather and studs.

The Left Bank
The theme everywhere we went was red, black, cheetah and sequins. We saw black sequin vests and little sequined jackets.  The cheetah print was on everything - prints, fur, shoes, bags and wallets. 

We also saw a lot of cardi-wraps and chunky knit vests.

 Check back tomorrow and next week for more Paris and Milan trends!

New York City has a wonderful new "attraction."  It is something that involves beauty, nature, urban design, history, culture, fashion and fun.  I'm talking about the "High Line" which I recently visited both by day and by evening.  The High Line is a six-block garden walk created on an old elevated railway track in the Meatpacking district.  It runs from 14th street to 20th street over 10th Avenue.  The original tracks at street level were elevated 30 feet in 1934 because so many accidents occurred between street level traffic and the trains.  Train traffic over the High Line stopped in the '80s and it was scheduled for demolition when a group was formed to preserve the High Line. A design competition was held and construction began in 2006 and it officially opened June 2009.

I can tell you first hand that everyone who lives in New York should go walk the High Line.  It is thrilling to find a beautiful, seemingly wild garden in such an urban and industrial area.  The design of both the structures and the landscaping is at once elegant and casual.  It almost looks as though grasses and wild flowers have just sprung up amongst the old neglected tracks.  But of course anyone who has any experience with gardening and urban architecture and design knows that there is some very high level designing going on!  It is not easy to create a space that has every detail perfect, but which feels effortless and natural, easy and right.  The materials, the little social gathering spaces, the plantings, the walkways and at night, the lighting, are just exquisite yet understated. (Make sure you notice the chaise lounges that are on wheels on the old tracks so they can be pushed together for a little romance!)  And it all takes place at a vantage point (elevated above the highway, streets, Hudson River and at near eye level with huge billboards and roof gardens and neon signs and apartment windows) that offers a unique perspective on downtown New York life.  And then there is the people watching!  I was there on a sunny, hot Sunday afternoon and a drizzly Thursday night, and both times there was such a joyful, relaxed spirit.  I'm sure that tourists will enjoy the High Line, but I think that for New Yorkers, it is an unexpected, magical little jewel to be treasured.  - Meg

Summertime is great for so many reasons, but one of my favorite reasons is that the warm weather allows us to integrate nature and the arts.  In New York City, nature is a hot commodity: a 4' x 4' foot roofdeck with grass and a tree is considered exotic.  But city planners have granted us several beautiful and spacious parks right in the middle of all this concrete for all visitors to enjoy.  Central Park is by far the largest and most elaborate of these parks and Conservancy has quite a schedule of summer concerts.  Tonight the New York Philharmonic will be performing Mahler's Symphony #1 and Copland's 'Old American Songs.'  Also tonight outside in the Sculpture Garden at MoMA,  Brazilian pop singer/guitarist Adriana Calcanhotto will be performing as part of MoMA Music: BRAZIL.

So whether you are in the city and are already planning your trip to the 'Great Lawn' this evening, or if you are in another town, I hope you get the chance to enjoy music at sunset, with the blades of cool grass between your toes and fireflies in your hair.   Remember, every occasion calls for the right clothing ensemble so here's a tip from one of our designers, Hannah, on what to consider when planning your evening outside under the stars.

I always make sure to wear something feminine and summery, but totally easy and comfortable.  A knee-skimming dress or full skirt usually works best to stay lady-like when sitting on a blanket.  A wrap or cardigan is essential, not only to stay warm, but also to protect from mosquitoes!!!   Although I always have had aspirations of being "that girl" and packing the perfect picnic basket, I usually end up picking up last-minute fresh sushi, a florally and crisp bottle of Viognier, and a bar of dark chocolate.  Lastly, I always pack a deck of cards for the impromptu game of Rummy.

The hot air balloon may be something of an old-time, traditional form of travel gone the way of the unicycle (the first manned balloon flight was in 1783) but with today's new amazing designs and colors, they are truly a impressive sight.  Balloon festivals happen all over the world and we have some coming up here in the New York area this summer. People come from miles around to arrive in the early morning hours to witness the 'inflation' and the 'ascension.'  Sounds religious - and my guess is that when 25 to 40 of these massive colorful shapes take flight against a brilliant blue sky, one may feel like there is a higher power. In this case, propane, nylon and a basket capable of carrying almost 3 tons.  These balloons come in all shapes and colors (Darth Vader, honeybees, cartoon characters) but I prefer the simple colors and patterns and beautiful silence as they seem to simultaneously hover and soar.   And there is no match for the view from the basket. Take a look at this great shot of a red balloon and it's reflection in a pond below. Hope you're having a beautifully colorful summer!  Check for any balloon festivals in your area and if you capture any great color, send us a picture. We'd love to share it!

Bohemia is actually an area within the Czech republic – surrounding Prague -  and bordered by mountain ranges and the Bohemia forest.  As it was formerly known,  The Kingdom of Bohemia covered all of the Czech territory including Moravia. The derivation of the word, Boiohaemum, is from Germanic Boi-Heim, "home of the Boii", a Celtic people.

The term Bohemian was first used in France in the early 19th century.  It was used to describe the untraditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, musicians, and actors in major European cities –when they began to concentrate in the lower-rent, lower class gypsy neighborhoods.

Today, that meaning still persists but tends to have a much more rich and exotic flair to it.  In design, the term Bohemian applies to art and clothing with intricate details and bold but natural colors – as opposed to day-glo or synthetic color schemes.   Also, bohemian design conjures elements of the gypsy’s nomadic lifestyle: patchwork fabrics and scarves, handcrafted embroidery, beading, braided details, coins and tassels.  It's touches of crochet and / or embroidery on top of prints. The idea is that there are no rules: layer a paisley scarf with a floral headband…..  wear halter dresses layered with cardigans and wraps.  The fun is in the freedom to mix and match.