BABY’S GOT BACK!

MAKE AN EXIT, DARLINGS!

If you have lovely skin or are especially proud of your spray-on tan, this is the season for you!

Backs are the new cleavage!

The number of backless dresses and tops out there is astounding, and I have selected the best of the rear-views for your shopping pleasure!

First, I have said it before and I’ll reiterate: T-Bags dresses are the most comfy things on the planet, and incredibly chic at the same time. Their backless frocks and tunics are delish, so get some now! In fact, this lovely little patterned party frock (at right) is currently 70% off at shopbop.com! The Elizabeth and James dress pictures at the top left of this CoutureCarrie post is also available at shopbop - so sexy!

Next, I absolutely fell in love with this Roberto Cavalli Floral-Print Dress at Bergdorf Goodman (see left). The motif and shape are the ultimate in refinement, but the back view says this gal has a bit of a wild side!

But, no need to break the bank, my lovelies. This yellow and white cut-away back tank top (at right) by Free People, for purchase at shopbop.com, is in everyone’s budget.

You may also want to troll the offerings at urbanoutfitters.com, as they have some impressive backless tunics, like this Kimchi & Blue mesh back vest (at left), each for around fifty dollars!

Now do a little turn on the catwalk!

Meet Dutch Designer Marjet Wessels Boer

Sometimes I think, 'There are so many products on this planet, do we really need anymore? What can I add to that?' In the end, I want to create things that people cannot put aside. –Marjet Wessels Boer

Below are just a few of those products:







And one of her fabulous projects; Doors of Secrets:

I wanted to create an everyday product, like a door, that would appeal to people's imagination. The Door of Secrets contains hidden storage compartments, raising people's interest and curiosity. It makes you wonder what is hidden inside and invites exploration. You can shuffle the elements about, so there is interaction between the actual door and user.
- Marjel Wessels Boer

Click on the above images to enlarge.


Above: Dutch designer Marjet Wessels Boer

Visit her site here.

You'd Better Sit Down For This One: Magali Jeambrun's Unusual Chairs

Magali Jeambrun is clearly more than a furniture maker, she's an artist. Creating original unusual and stunning chairs that combine traditional shapes and silhouettes with contemporary designs, fabrics and materials, she has created pieces used in some of the hottest restaurants and retail establishments around.

Despite being written up in every hot design and interior magazines at some point or another for her chairs or mirrors, her pieces are very hard to find outside of France. IOn addition to her stock pieces, she also sells some one of a kind unique items.

She is described on her own site, www.etc-creations.fr, as such:

Neo-retro is obviously the keyword for Magali’s creations.
Rich in knowledge and artistic sensibility, she can create unexpected synergies between classical styles and modern design. The result is an amazing mix and transformation of the styles and matters that gives this particular characteristic to all Magali Jeambrun’s works of art. Like Cocktail dresses, casual suits or fashion dresses, all these products dress their new environment: some unique jewels for your interior.

The Be Flower Collection (click to enlarge):



details of motifs:



Unique materials, colors and combinations thereof along with etching and stencils make her chairs unmistakable.

The Capiton Collection (Noir, Bleu, Rose & Ivoire):




The Duo Collection (Skai and Croc):



Duo Barstools:

For central kitchen bar chair or standard bar chair, DUO line (papered base / clear Plexiglas back) gives way to bar chairs, available in two base heights 65 or 80 cms, with or without moldings.

Shining united vinyl, colored in black, white, red, tangerine, chocolate, silvered and soft gold for the Duo Skai. Imitation croco vinyl, colored in black, white and brown for the Duo Croco.

The Duo Lux Collection (Broc, Duchess & Cecilia):



The Impressum:

The Laser Butterfly Chair and pouf:


The Junior Collection are her chairs for children's rooms which incorporate plush teddy bears and toys:



All her chair frames are built in Northeast of France using traditional, centuries-old methods and are fully hand made without any mechanical support. The wood used for the chairs comes from the communal forest of Liffol-le-petit and benefits from quality and environmentally sensitive harvesting methods. The trees are cut down by employees of the workshop, sawed up in the communal sawmill and dried on site.

A little bit more about the artist/designer:

Magali Jeambrun was born in 1981 in Besançon and grew up in a family of four children where she was exposed to a variety of artistic activities from an early age.
This quite naturally led her to complete a baccalauréat in Applied Arts.
From that point on, her course was eclectic.

Between various experiences with trompe-l’oeil, faux marble, jewelry, sculpture, set design, hat creation, etc., she obtained a BTS in fashion design at the Lycée La Martiniére Terreaux in Lyon. But her desire to express forms and colors in other fields remained intact. She thus trained as an interior decorator in Strasbourg, then got into the Olivier de Serres school of art and design in Paris where she obtained an arts diploma, specializing in synthetic materials. She naturally gravitated towards customization as a result of her thesis subject: the corset through the ages, revisited using synthetic materials.

She later expanded on this “revisiting” approach, spending an entire year hunting for objects at flea markets which she then transformed, dyed, dressed up, etc. She now has a large collection of unique pieces, each highly original.

You can purchase some of these chairs at the Coliseum Shop

Contact info:
MAGALI JEAMBRUN
5, rue de l'Helvétie
25120 Maîche
FRANCE

Tél. : +33 3 81 64 26 96
Fax : +33 3 81 64 30 28
etcmagali@yahoo.fr

RED HOT!

Our team is R-E-D red H-O-T hot, you can't beat the stuff we got, HEY HEY!!!

Sorry, couldn't help myself with the high school cheer.

In addition to the bevy of flourescent brights out there this season, we are also faced with some seriously steamy SCARLET styles.

First, check out Benjamin Cho's daring "torn" shift dress (top right) in a vibrant, shiny Alexander Calder red with a decorative cut-out flower and exposed sequin underlay. Genius!

Maria Menounos wore a delicious Marchesa dress at the Heart Truth show recently. All the gowns were red and the proceeds went to a great cause (finding a cure for breast cancer), but this frock was a real standout. Plus, I love Ms. Menounos, I must confess.

At Givenchy (right), it was head to toe primary pouf. The flirty, frilly red skirt was adorned with a billowy half-sleeve bolero, almost regal in stature. The model even wore red hosiery and sandals - reddy, set, go!

I adore this vintage red and white taffeta frock (pictured at left), with high strapless "v" neckline and full tea-length skirt, available at antiquedress.com, a site I just discovered that is chock full of amazing conversation and museum pieces!

At Christian Dior (right), the classic red shift was accessorized with jeweled neckline and belt, red gloves, and even a handsome oversize scarlet tote.

For a perfect BEACHgoing red, try this handsomely patterned Balinese Tory Burch tunic (at left), for purchase at Neiman Marcus.

If you prefer your scarlet in smaller doses, sport this Vera Wang Lavender Label beaded necklace (left) with a James Perse white t-shirt and your fave J Brand skinnies. It is surprisingly affordable, given its designer provenance, and incredibly gorgeous!

Or, simply dye a red skunk stripe in your hair, as was done at Anna Sui (right).

Alternatively, commit to red legwear a la Gossip Girl (lower right). Though a bit trashy by design, the scarlet fishnet look was quite breathtaking at Betsey Johnson's Fall 2008 show.

Also, really enjoyed Tuleh's pointy-toed, knee-high red suede boots!

As a grand finale, I leave you with this stunning detail image of a model at Zac Posen (from Dilani's Lookbook on Style.com). The red lip and decorative feathery scarlet bow bustier are a winning combination.

Photos courtesy nymag.com, neimanmarcus.com, and net-a-porter.com except where otherwise noted.