Back in the day when garments were handmade, nearly everything was asymmetrical. Sleeves were slightly off and patchwork signified frugal living.  With the evolution of mass market technology and overseas production, asymmetry has taken a back seat, proving that sameness sells, particularly when the tween market is buying.  As it often goes when trends become the norm, designers resurface classically ancient styles, merging them with bizarre twists. Ashish, an up and coming star in the UK, showcased a collection of fiercely vibrant designs during London Fashion week, merging ostentatious safari trends with asymmetrical sleeve details.  Following suit, brilliant fashion illustrations can be found in the February edition of Citizen K Magazine, highlighting a Little Marc giraffe sweater.

The commercialization of arm detailing is an interesting oxymoron, particularly when it bears rebellious roots.  Comme des Garçons, a continual front runner in [...]

When times are tough, retail environments pull out all the stops, forcing their design teams to get crafty in lieu of spending big bucks.  Sometimes these ad hock compilations are miserable collages and other times, wondrously creative ideas emerge.  Anthropologie’s artistic displays typically fall into the later of the two categories.  Inspired by Parisian wallpaper styles, the back wall of the retailer’s Fifth Avenue location pairs kitchen wares with floral chalk panels.  Using a $10 can of blackboard paint and a steady hand, Anthro’s budget illustrations are incredibly chic and can easily be translated to any wall in your home.

Inspiration: Floral Striping

When designing floral striping, all inspirational elements must be considered.  Here is a mood board that combines paralleling themes through the use of nature, Parisian craftsmanship and modern techinique.

I was recently alerted to Stripe Generator while perusing facebook updates this morning.  Noah Brier, a friend and fellow blogger, posted this stripe-making website to his list of running favorites.  Though I immediately laughed at the idea of designers needing assistance in pairing lines together, my dismissal was quickly silenced by the seemless usability of the toolset.  Spacing, color, background and direction can all be manipulated, similar to iPhoto’s editing capabilities.  Once I played around a bit and made a few patterns, I clicked through to Tartan Maker, an equally impressive site for designers not privy to Pointcarré.

Snow gear has become so fashion forward that a trip to the slopes can be just as interesting for the people-watching as it is for the thrill-seeking.  Over the past few years, companies such as Burton and 686 have tapped young talent to bring graphic masterpieces to winter outerwear.  While fashion brands typically refer to global trends for inspiration, both of these companies have succeeded at risk-taking within trend categories for several seasons now- one of the many traits they share with their customer base.  “It’s fun to wear crazier colors when you’re on the slopes- you can border on obnoxious and get away with it,” says Kim Devall, a snowboarder from New York.  The above jackets by Burton and 686 exemplify a growing trend that fuses neons with photography.  Below are a few [...]