Easy Being Green

In addition to content, we enjoy printed matter for its physicality as an object. A bookshelf or coffee table stacked with an assortment of carefully selected titles is a beautiful thing.


One of our favorite printed things of late is the biannual magazine Bad Day. Headed by Editor-In-Chief Eva Michon, Publisher Jackie Linton (two lovely ladies) and Creative Director Colin Bergh, Bad Day is Mix of interviews, editorial, photography, all with a casual and real conversational tone. The magazine's logo, a single drop, oversized and simplified, also captures what we love about Bad Day - interpreted as tear drop, or rain drop, it somehow still feels cheerful, like raindrops on roses.

We just received copies of Issue 13 for the site, featuring a favorite gamine Charlotte Gainsbourg on the cover, and spoke to Eva about the issue, the magazine, and inspiration.....

A peek inside Issue 13

Why did you call the magazine Bad Day?

I thought of a few different names and debated them with Colin (Bergh), but we both agreed on Bad Day, it somehow has the tone we were going for. It's tongue-in-cheek, and hopefully serves to turn your bad day around.

Why did you choose Charlotte Gainsbourg to feature?

I had wanted to feature her for a long time, years I think, and we were always just waiting for the right opportunity to come along. I'm a fan of everything she works on, and she has this really interesting quality of being highly artistic, beautiful in a very particular way, and just genuinely unique. I also think she doesn't need to try to be cool, which is why many people admire her and want to collaborate with her.

What/who inspires you today?

Today in particular, I'm inspired by fresh air and beautiful blooming spring, and spending time in the forest. It's sort of fitting that I've been wearing Calla Hayne's floral prints lately, she's definitely someone who inspires me. We had a documentary film festival in Toronto a week ago, so I saw a lot of amazing films; I'd say that real life stories inspire me the most at the moment.

Eva's photo by Jody Rogac

Bad Day Issue 13

Order a copy of Bad Day Issue 13 here at La Garçonne.
Visit the Bad Day site here
A special thanks to Colin Bergh, for the amazing design work for our page in Issue 13!

Riding In Cars with Boy

As Summer approaches, we are looking ahead to the loooong sunny days, bbqs, and of course - road trips!  To get us in the mood, we wanted to share these look book polaroids of Band of Outsiders muse Michelle Williams, wearing some of our favorite pieces from the SS12 runway collection.

 

Images from the Boy By Band of Outsiders Lookbook

Please Mr. Postman

Nancy Sinatra had her boots, and Lana Del Rey has her bag.  The newest in Mulberry's bag line-up is the Del Rey, inspired by the American singer whose retro honey voice draws comparisons to Old Blue Eyes' daughter.    Featuring their iconic post-man's lock and soft, heritage leather, the bag is a nostalgic "hand bag" shape that we feel is more Lady-like than It-Girl.

See all of Mulberry on the site....

Mulberry / Del Rey in Deer Brown

Lana Del Rey, the inspiration behind the Del Ray

Nancy Sinatra, an inspiration, period

How Very

Among the many incarnations of the iconic Comme des Garçons zip wallet that can be found in the bags and back pockets of many a person we know (including our own) we find that the most singular, dramatic statement comes from the mono concept of the black-on-black version.  Simply called "Very Black," its black leather exterior remains the same as we've always known, but with a black zipper, revealing more black inside.

For the less dark of heart, check out the rest of the collection here...

A 2nd Look

We wanted to share with you some of our favorite looks from our In-House Project, La Garçonne Moderne.  

The new collection, La Garçonne Moderne / No.2 features model Nina Collett wearing essential additions to our own wardrobes - marinière tops the color of muslin, a slew of perfectly simple dresses, softly worn cotton skirts, and unadorned jeans with just a bit of that slouch...

See the complete look book by clicking here....

Post It Notes

We like to think that sometimes it's all about the little things.... like Kathleen Whitaker's collection of beautiful, simple gold earrings.  Made from 14k, 18k, and 22k gold in shapes based on everyday objects (a delicate staple, a softly pointed stud, and a circle that looks like a tiny piece of gold confetti), the collection is an example of the kind of subtle adornment that suits our need for shiny things.

Kathleen Whitaker at La Garçonne

Factory Girl

Margaret Howell campaigns are one of the many that we look forward to each season, not only to see the new collection of endearingly prim, pragmatic styles, but to see the Howell muses that bring those styles to life.  Past campaigns have featured garçonnes like Dree Hemingway and models Kim Noord and Alana Zimmerman.  This Spring 2012 campaign's muse is model Marique Schimmel, however she serves more as a backdrop to the clothes themselves.  Dressed in a crisp, tailored shirt, the shots of Schimmel are taken at close range - a back, a sleeve, a face cropped or turned.   The photos also gives us an intimate glimpse into where the magic is made at Howell's North London shirt factory, where the campaign was shot.  Featuring just as many shots of the tools of the trade - fabric shears; a box of classic shell buttons; a bundle of pattern pieces - as shots of Marique herself.

Marique Schimmel for Margaret Howell Spring 2012 Campagin

Marc Jacobs SS12

Just wanted to post these photos from the Marc Jacobs SS12 ad campaign.  Can you imagine a Marc Jacobs campaign without Juergen Teller?  Featuring one of our favorites, Xiao-wen.

Marc Jacobs / Two Tone Loafer on La Garçonne

Fashion Girls for Japan

FASHION GIRLS FOR JAPAN IS PROUD TO BRING BACK THE 2ND ANNUAL SAMPLE SALE TO BENEFIT JAPAN SOCIETY’S JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND, AND HOME FOR ALL FOUNDATION BY KISYN. 100% OF THE PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS JAPAN’S RECONSTRUCTION AND RECOVERY EFFORTS.

To Grandmother's House We Go

Clues to A Détacher designer Mona Kowalska's inspiration for her S/S 2012 collection were to be found in the run of show listing, a series of one-line revelations of each of the girls' grandmothers that accompanied the looks.  

Opening with the first model who "spent hours in her grandmother's closet," the lines set us up for a collection full of the type of idiosyncratic reference points expected from a woman's closet amassed through a lifetime of 20th century happenings.  Some were political reference points like USSR in the 70's, and suspected communist inclinations, some pop-cultural like Boca in the 80s and the movie Gloria, and some were tried-and-true fashion "tips" like "wearing bold prints to distract".  

Memories of grandma's pockets always being stuffed with tissues translated into a skirt with fullness at the pocket from a ruffled peplum detail; one grandma's omnipresent long chain showed up as an elongated knit neck detail on a sweater; another grandmother's nickname Dot showed up as oversized polka dots scattered throughout dresses, blouses and skirts.  

While perhaps not the models' real grandmothers, they are the ones that we would imagine them to have, their outfits an homage to the formative sartorial moments that happen from rummaging through a closet in that house over the river and through the woods...

Below, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite runway looks accompanied with these captions.

"MARLEEN's grandmother left Germany at nine"
DORIAN V-NECK DRESS / SUSPENDER BELT / HIGHSMITH SANDAL 

"LYOKA's grandmother always wore her long chain"
SONIA RAFFIA SKIRT / HIGHSMITH SANDAL

"VANESSA's grandmother liked to watch soap operas wearing her most comfortable tracksuit"
TRIXIE SWEATSHIRT BLOUSE / PATCHOULI PANT / CHANDLER OXFORD

"IANA's grandmother enjoyed the afternoon cheroot cigarillo"
PEGGY PEPLUM PANTS 

"LIDA's grandmother had communist inclinations"
JULIA WRAP JACKET / AMELIA SKINNY BELT

"MARLEEN's grandmother drove to the beach every day, but never got out of her car"
DIANA DRESS

"FARAH couldn't image her grandmother wearing those  strange suspenders"
DELFINE SHIFT DRESS / SUSPENDER BELT / SPORT SOCK WITH STIRRUP / ELROY HEEL

Shop the A Détacher collection at La Garçonne here.