The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..

At my first job as a footwear designer, I snapped photos like a pro. Women on the subway, kid appliques at the market, tiger heels on fifth avenue, everything from high to low to everything in between. After leaving the company, it was hard to untrain my eye to go directly to people’s feet…something I still find myself doing on a semi-regular basis.

On my Fall scouting trip to Paris and London, the footwear gods overcame my camera. There were so many treats, I particularly loved the Sandro and Bensimon high tops. Here’s a round up of some of the more interesting (and wearable) pieces from the trip.

1. Bensimon | 2. Sandro | 3. Isabel Marant | 4. BGN Boutique | 5. Adidas | 6. Shop in the Marias | [...]

Men care style just as much as women- though their interest is often veiled with a hint of indifference. From home decorating to business appropriate to carefully curated tunes, we’ve got you covered this season. From iCufflinks for your tech start-up boyfriend to Penguin Prison for your friend who rallied at Occupy Wall Street, here’s the latest and greatest.

*            *            *

1.  Splayer Chair  |  2. Batgello Windmill Jonathan Adler Pillow  |  3. iCufflinks  |  4. Ultra Thin Clock, Mxyplyzyk  |  5.Qbert & Giraffe Leather Lighter Cover Set, Of a Kind |  6. Penguin Prison Album   |  7. Suki Cheema Indo Throw

How lovely is this ikat tie? Embracing native american and patriot palettes, the Gitman Brothers have jumped outside the comfort zone we’ve grown accustomed to with a bolder line of decorative neckwear.Festive, but not over the top, this tie and pocketsquare combo embody the stylish gentleman who enjoys attentive stares.

Sold at Epaulet, the ties are just a small taste of the beautifully curated store on the Lower East Side.

Though I couldn’t convince my husband to take the patterened route, he did purchase his winter jacket there.

We’ve all been there. You hit the return button 5x in a row, trying to get the ball to stop spinning and all of the sudden the screen pixelates, then goes blank. Well, several fashion brands have found inspiration in this state of chaos and still frustration. Mr. Hare of the UK and McQ, the contemporary line by Alexander McQueen have both slashed and repeated several images, infusing a playful reminder that our reliance on digital technology can be as vibrant as it is paralyzing.

Relaying this concept through animated gifs, Mauro De Donatis’s Glitched Helvetica breathes life and motion into this concept.

What does a baking experiment have to do with Phillip Lim‘s latest Spring collection? Organic starbursts and lots of em. As designers, we’re inspired by the most obscure elements- gum spots on the sidewalk, condensation on a shower door, an imperfect hem. Here’s a nice parallel of two worlds intersecting for a beautiful before and after.

Baking photo courtesy of Jamie Kramer

Color blocked palettes, playful patterns and a cool subdued backdrop were all in play at Steven Alan’s Spring 2012 showcase this morning.

While a majority of the crowd wore black to usher in the beginning of Fall, the models presented combinations of citrus, aqua and khaki hues.

Utilizing classic shapes and minimal accents, bold color and all-over pattern was abundant throughout. The show opened with a black and white suit, a bold, wearable, tailored statement.

Proving pattern can descend gender, this seashell design translated beautifully on cotton as much as it did on silk.

It’s always refreshing to see the art of the illustration hasn’t been completely lost to mass market CAD drawings. This past Fall, the FT Weekend ran a story by Nick Foulkes highlighting five satorial personalities coming out of new money England. The piece is tongue and cheek and I’ve held onto the scans waiting to pair them up with something, but finally figured the detailing is remarkable on it’s own. If anyone knows the artist, do share, as the credit was missing in the spread.

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..

While in London on an extended layover from my honeymoon, I decided to add some business, scouting and vegetarian dining to the mix, why not take advantage, right? Here are a few snapshots of a TopMan artist collaboration under the Ocean Project that’s selling at Selfridges now.

The Selby, Gary Card, Bernhard Willhelm, Jonathan Saunders and Cassette Playa are part of this grand collaboration. The prints refreshing and individualistic. Looks like bikes, kittens, floral silouettes and robot parts will be ruling the sand this summer.

No matter where we’ve been over the past year, it seems like the printed stripe trend is making the rounds near and far. From New York’s Fashion Night Out to Austin’s vintage windows along South Congress to the Darlinghurst boutiques in Sydney, Australia, striped collages are showing their appeal in store windows.

We’d love to see more imagery of people wearing said displays, do you have a favorite striped collage you’d like to share with us? This seems like an interesting departure from the nautical look of last season.

While trolling Laura Werkheiser’s wonderful tumblr page, I came across this jewel of an etsy find: A French swatch book full of vintage fabrics (ala 60′s & 70′s) from the houses of Lanvin, Givenchy, Balmain, Molyneux, and Carven.

While this incredible find is on sale for just under $1000, it seems like it belongs in a museum rather than a mass market office where everything will get remade and knocked off by next season. If you’re connected to RISD, FIT or any of the other wonderful fashion institutes out there, make a plea to your department to snag this beauty before it’s gone.

Who else has been noticing the latest trend in video segmentation? Coming from the music and fashion worlds, it appears as though directors have been splicing with Mondrian in mind. From Barney’s latest “shop the video” campaign to Kate Spade’s blog endorsement of The Young Veins’ Take a Vacation to Duffy Higgins and John Jaxheimer’s product video for Pret-a-Surt’s resort line, the visual similarities are congruent, multi-layered and rather fun to watch.