THE COVETED » Chic boutiques http://the-coveted.com/blog be stylish • be lovely • be coveted Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:35:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 en Night Bloomers http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/09/07/night-bloomers/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/09/07/night-bloomers/#comments Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:14:03 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=2442 Walking around the city at night is one of my favorite things. The lights, the quiet sidewalks, the lack of store keepers staring at you for taking pictures of their merchandise without asking permission. Heh… I detest asking for permission. The other night we were walking down Maxmillianstrasse in Munich where all the big designers set up shop. Rarely do I even go into one of these Valentino or Jil Sanders, though I should, regardless of whether or not I can afford it right?

Petal Pusher

So… now that fall is settling in, florals are no longer part of the trend equation? Well, I don’t know, as the flower and female personae have gone hand in hand for as long as the human race can remember. Looking at these two pieces first by Valentino, check out the cuffs… it’s sculptural genius and Jil Sander does a similar thing in a more clean, modern way with the collar mimicking a budding tweed rose. These petals are just gorgeous, and personally I’d like to move the Valentino blouse over to the Jil Sander tweed coat. I know it’s over the top, but I’d swoon over it anyway.

Valentino Blouse detailJil Sander coat detail
Valentino SuitJil Sander Coat

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/09/07/night-bloomers/feed/ C U Next Tea.. http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/09/05/c-u-next-tea/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/09/05/c-u-next-tea/#comments Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:41:51 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=2428 Ahem, I used the ‘C U Next Tuesday’ to relay the word so bad, I can’t even say it. We wouldn’t need to have clever code words if we were having tea with Trixie Delicious china. Spotted on the lovely Modish blog, these plates coined as ‘vandalized vintage’ have subversive messages of female cattiness, trollop, bitch, whore, ugly, tart… you name it. Now this is the china we can have with tea an cakes for a serious gossip session.

trixie delicioustrixie delicious

The C Word

In case you didn’t know what C U Next Tuesday means… As Larry from Curb Your Enthusiasm finds out, the word is not to be thrown around lightly.

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/09/05/c-u-next-tea/feed/ Vintage Vintage http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/08/29/vintage-vintage/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/08/29/vintage-vintage/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:52:53 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=2388 Violetville Vintage Violetville Vintage black dress
Over recent years the vintage market has dramatically changed due to e-commerce. It’s great, I truly love the new twists of vintage fashion and how it’s integrated in contemporary wardrobes. However, there are many wonderful old-school vintage sellers neglecting the shift and sticking to their ‘tried and true’ ways. Not so for Violetville Vintage, they’ve been in the vintage business for over a decade, showcasing mainly mid-century pieces, with the occasional 80’s number here and there. They’ve also been able to go up against some of the hipster ebay starlets without loosing focus on what they are about, classic vintage.

Here are some pieces I’m coveting at the moment:

The Plaid Crinkle Dress, Currently $24.99 ends 09/03
1950’s White Cocktail Tuxedo Jacket, $298 ends 08/31 (Buy it Now)
1930’s Black Scalloped Crepe Dress, $34.99 ends 09/03
1960’s Green Bows and White Buttons Dress, $39.67 ends 09/07

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/08/29/vintage-vintage/feed/ 5 Ways Peplum http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/08/01/5-ways-peplum/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/08/01/5-ways-peplum/#comments Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:17:39 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=2212 Skirt via Nasty GalAn optimist will make constraints an opportunity for creativity. I’m not going to lie, lately I’ve been experiencing some economic restraints, and shopping a couple of times a week isn’t really something I can do at the moment. But looking back on it, my shopping habits were kind of crazy, buying new stuff, maybe wearing it once before it gets tossed into the depths of my overstuffed-closet. I’m finding that I may not be able to get my hands on the latest pair of platform gladiator sandals or whatever it the ‘it’ item these days, and it has little really to do with style. It’s more about working out what’s available, and what’s reasonable… and little ingenuity when it comes to wearing a special piece in several ways.

A few weeks ago, I received a package in the mail from the lovely Sophia from Nasty Gal, who’s recently launched her new online boutique. She included a little note specifying that the watercolor peplum was a ’skirt’ but I can probably wear it as a dress.. you bet I’ll wear it as a dress! But upon fiddling with this piece, I thought there was much more potential with this… a dress, yes, but what about wearing it with another skirt? With the right piece it an be an empire waist, or a flapper-like drop waist… or with a blazer for work, and yes.. even a skirt.

watercolor peplum skirtwatercolor peplum skirtwatercolor peplum skirtwatercolor peplum skirtwatercolor peplum skirt

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/08/01/5-ways-peplum/feed/ In Lieu of Ordinary Attire http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/03/19/in-lieu-of-ordinary-attire/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/03/19/in-lieu-of-ordinary-attire/#comments Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:25:08 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/03/19/in-lieu-of-ordinary-attire/ borne clothingchristina claypool

It’s no secret that over the years I’ve been a dedicated patron of the Polk Street boutiques, and I’ll miss the likes of Mascara Vintage, Bella Cose, Anica and of course In Lieu. In the past few months I’ve become friends with Christina Claypool owner of this boutique. She’s certainly passionate about finding high quality independent designers. One Sunday, I came in to see her shoppe and talk to her about how she finds these designers. It’s one of the things I love about boutiques, finding a a beautiful dress without wondering if someone at work has the same one (it’s happened during my H&M days), to hear Christina tell the story about the woman who designed it. It makes me feel a bit more personal about the dress, knowing where it came from.

Born into a family of entrepreneurs, it was inevitable that after years of working in retail Christina would open the doors In Lieu. Like many business owners, she has found that running a boutique is challenging and thrilling.

As a boutique owner, the goal is to find clothes ‘you can wear’ I know, it sounds obvious, but I know from the time I spend researching fashion, seeing beautiful clothes is one thing, but finding clothes I can actually wear is a completely different story…

There is a lot of research that goes into finding small labels, that tend to change dramatically from one season to the next. There are thousands of designers and only a few will make it into a shop. As a boutique owner, the goal is to find clothes ‘you can wear’ I know, it sounds obvious, but I know from the time I spend researching fashion, seeing beautiful clothes is one thing, but finding clothes I can actually wear is a completely different story. The goal is to find interesting wearable clothes. She says the Internet is where she finds 80% of the designers she carries, but also there are some from showrooms and through PR agencies. As a boutique owner she get bombarded with emails soliciting but the ones who really take the time to look at In Lieu and really have something to offer are the ones who get attention.

Taking your time in a world where everything moves so quickly is what separates ordinary from extraordinary, stopping for a second to really think about style, what works, and what you like.

In Lieu
2420 Polk St.
San Francisco, CA 94109
(cross streets Union and Filbert)

www.shopinlieu.com

From top: Dress by Borne, Christina in her shop, shoes by Marcello Toshi, and earrings by Round Designs.

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]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/03/19/in-lieu-of-ordinary-attire/feed/ Citizens of the world http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/01/27/citizens-of-the-world/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/01/27/citizens-of-the-world/#comments Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:37:58 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/01/27/citizens-of-the-world/ sarah shepherd

I finally got down to neighborhood boutique, Eco Citizen, It’s such a great little place, with so many wonderful eco-friendly clothing. Many of the designers they carry are from San Francisco, so making it such a wonderful little jem. Seriously, she has all the great William Good, and Turk&Taylor clothes, along with some really high-end designers like Sarah Shepherd who designed this lovely jacket featured to the left. Each one is made to order. I tried it on, and I tell, you it looks amazing on. The shoulders are perfect, and turn up a little without making you look like a football player.

Boutique owner, Joslin C. Van Arsdale, opened Eco Citizen after careers as both stylist and photo gallery director. You can really see she has a keen eye for style and composition, which really makes this boutique a definite place to stop by.

photo via ibabuzz.com

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/01/27/citizens-of-the-world/feed/ California Vinatge.. and we’re not talking about my closet, nor are we talking about Napa Valley http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/01/10/california-vinatge-and-were-not-talking-about-my-closet-nor-are-we-talking-about-napa-valley/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/01/10/california-vinatge-and-were-not-talking-about-my-closet-nor-are-we-talking-about-napa-valley/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:00:00 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=780
I’m about to become very confused. It’s bad enough, American Apparel is where I get my basics, and American Rag is where I get a lot of my vintage, but now American Apparel is opening California Vintage with locations currently in Mexico City, Berlin, LA…

They also stock items from The Goods! who if you don’t know… stick around… you’ll be finding out next week.

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2008/01/10/california-vinatge-and-were-not-talking-about-my-closet-nor-are-we-talking-about-napa-valley/feed/ White Hot Silver Skirt http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/20/white-hot-silver-skirt/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/20/white-hot-silver-skirt/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:59:00 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=734
Just in case you were looking for a sliver bubble skirt for NYE… look no more, indie shoppe, White Heat has one for £15. They’ve got other things like gold bumbags (don’t call them fannypacks in the UK), and cool belts… Sometimes things like these make me wish I still lived in the UK.

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/20/white-hot-silver-skirt/feed/ Cuckoo for Earrings & Jag Bag Lust http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/19/cuckoo-for-earrings-jag-bag-lust/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/19/cuckoo-for-earrings-jag-bag-lust/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:36:00 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=731 green vintage handbag, jaguarjennine tammToday on my lunch break, I stopped by one of my favorite shoppes, Eden & Eden well, mostly to do some shoppin’ but also to say hello to the owner, Rachel Eden, and to see what goods she has found on her European shopping excursions. It’s always inspiring to see the lovely vintage pieces she picks up, like the vintage green suede jag bag. It’s just gorgeous. I mean, for those of us who aren’t willing to go down the designer route, buying vintage and indie are great ways to have beautiful bags.

Also, whilst there, I spied these intricate earrings. Both are made in England, with sterling silver, and the work on them so intricate and gorgeous. The scissors actually work! I love that quirky stuff. I tell, you it’s nice to do some analog shopping every now and then, but if you can’t get to the shop you can always contact them at: hello [at] edenandeden.com

cuckoo earrings[correction] the bag is not actually vintage, it’s the Angel Jackson Jaguar Bag.

]]> http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/19/cuckoo-for-earrings-jag-bag-lust/feed/ Blog Evolution http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/07/blog-evolution/ http://the-coveted.com/blog/2007/12/07/blog-evolution/#comments Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:20:00 +0000 jennine http://the-coveted.com/blog/?p=705 With the fashion industry moving online, bloggers are finding ways to establish themselves, by opening online boutiques like Shiny Squirrel, of blogs for analog boutiques like In Lieu (who also has an online store). Yesterday the L Report’s Indie Coterie launched, and I was pleased to see the work of Diana Bobar of So FASH’on and Naik Fur. Of course there were lots of other great indie wears, and I’m tickled pink by this evolution in the bloggoshpere.

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