Regardless of what is sent down the runway every season, there is one look that remains to be timeless, and a hallmark of the true fashionista – the 1940’s silhouette. No one captures the appeal and allure of this look better than New Orleans based boutique, Trashy Diva. With a store full of vintage pieces, coupled with their own designs that are heavily influenced by the ladylike form for the 1950’s and 1960’s, there is something for everyone. Their signature collection of dresses and tops are crafted of vintage or vintage inspired fabric – lending authenticity to the overall piece.

While perusing this beautiful little site, be sure to also peek in on there wonderful assortment of accessories – including vintage handbags, wraps and shoes – as well as their unique collection of jewels, including Metal Pointus, a French line which is nearly impossible to find in the US.

By: Jen Altman of www.juniper-designs.net

Site: www.trashydiva.com

Pangaya, an online boutique, specializes in those hard-to-find pieces that make your wardrobe unique. Build your fall wardrobe with Pangaya and stand out from the mall crowd. A cashmere sweater, the basic tee with a modern twist, hand-embroidered denim and drop pocket gauchos are the perfect way to get started this season.

Stewart+Brown

The fall collection from Stewart+Brown is a stunning line featuring vibrant hues and traditional fall colors. From cashmere to luxurious alpaca to the softest organic cotton, you are sure to find just the right pieces for fall.

 
Del Forte Denim

Del Forte Denim is designed for the eco-chic woman who is transforming the face of fashion. Made in the USA with 100% organic cotton, Del Forte’s premium denim women’s apparel is part of a growing trend which interprets luxury as a combination of both exquisite beauty and ethical production.

Undesigned by Carol Young

With an array of stylish offerings, L.A. based designer Carol Young is one of the newest designers in the Pangaya lineup. The collection uses technical, organic, and eco-friendly fabrics that are chosen for their function as well as their aesthetic beauty. From stylish drop-pocket linen pants to organic cotton shrugs and boleros, Undesigned is on the cutting edge of fashion.

In addition, we like a little substance with our style. Gone are the stereotypical peace signs and tie-dye, Pangaya is the ultimate resource where sustainability can be sexy and modern. Every designer that we feature uses environmentally-friendly fabrics and we insist on the use of fair trade labor (no sweatshops here). Of course, we put our money where our mouth is, donating at least one percent of annual sales, not just profits, to organizations dedicated to social and environmental causes.

Natalie Tischler has been designing jewelry since 1993. What started out as a hobby soon turned into a full blown business when Natalie began selling her jewels to the public in April of 2004. Her site Ornamental Things is filled with gorgeous and whimsical pieces.

The jewelry can be worn by women of all ages and with all the fun designs who wouldn’t want to! Being a lover of all things vintage made me gravitate toward the heirloom like quality of the necklaces and rings.

If you are going to be in the Austin area be sure to check out Ornamental Things at the below events!

Tribeza Style Week Designer Showcase
Wednesday, September 6, 4 to 8 PM
Design Center of Austin at Penn Field
3601 S. Congress, Bldg. C
Austin, Texas

Stitch Handmade Revolution
Fashion Show and Guerilla Craft Bazaar
Saturday, November 11, 5 to 11 PM
Austin Music Hall
208 Nueces
Austin, TX

Site: www.ornamentalthings.com

By: Anissa Mook, Editor in Chief

Michelle Smith is a Raleigh, North Carolina based designer and artist. In Michelle’s line you will find a wide variety of goodies from bobby pins to tank tops.

All of the beautiful designs are inspired by nature and the color combinations are to die for! Since birds are my favorite thing right now I’m loving the Bird Pin and the Tweet Tank!

In addition to her own line of products, Michelle also runs the online boutique, Smashing Mirrors, and is the founder of The Rock & Shop Market.

Site: www.michelle-s.com

By: Anissa Mook, Editor in Chief

Sparkly-fun and simply lovely is how I would describe Bellaceti’s beautiful collection of minimalist-inspired jewelry.
The Sugar: Their Lemon Sherbet Bracelt makes a yummy addition to your fall wardrobe.

The Spice: Their Orange Your Glad Necklace is fun and funky yet still exudes a simple elegance. Pair this up with their Poppy Ring for some finger fun.

The Sparkly Nice: Every girl must own Bellaceti’s Pink Posy Ring. It offers just enough sparkle and just enough pink for when you’re feeilng flirty and feminine.

A Unique Union is a resource for stylish wedding goods that will leave you with plenty of cash for your honeymoon. Use code SB15 to save 15% on your order.

Teacups & Tadpoles currently has a great selection of jewelry and other goodies on sale. Our favorite is the Baby Ayla Necklace. A true steal at just $25!

Customers can receive 10% off their purchase at www.aurasoleil.com by entering voucher code SCENT10 when checking out. This code expires 8-30-06.

PencilShavings.net has the most adorable stationary! Plus, shipping is only 1.00 no matter how much you order!

With the, for a lack of a better phrase – outright addiction – most of us have with the internet and email, the art of the handwritten letter has become lost in the dark shadows of technology. However, with the indie community creating some of the most beautiful, and unique cards and paper goods on the market – snail mail is back in style. One design team leading such an effort is PaPaYa – a wonderful collection of “visual prayers for the planet”; cards, love letters, magnets and e-cards highlight PaPaYa’s signature collections. With an aesthetic that is part Bollywood meets Fantasia in Wonderland – the designs are breathtakingly beautiful – and incredibly unique.

The mother and daughter team of Gina and Anahata Katkin have an incredible vision for their unique line – with the shimmering beauty of the human soul as their constant inspiration, you are sure to find something distinctive and all together heartfelt. We love the collection of ‘love letters’ – small cards featuring single letters in a vintage typeset. Not only is each letter unique, but every card is hand-detailed with metallic glitters – making each piece a one of a kind piece of art. Use them as bookmarks, gift tags or on your inspiration board - the possibilities are endless.

Site: www.papayalicious.com

By: Jen Altman of www.juniper-designs.net

Midori Jewelry is a new online jewelry boutique filled to the brim with luscious gems and juicy pearls spiked with precious metal components from all over the world. Hailing from beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii Midori Jewelry offers a tantalizing mixed cocktail for the refined jewelry lover’s palette. Fun and fresh enough for the most daring of fashionistas, while still bearing clean and modern styles that will last through the ever-changing seasons of trends.

Although designer Traci Morinaga is relatively new to the fashion scene, she is a seasoned jewelry artisan. Having created jewelry for the passed decade, Traci uses her discerning eye for exceptional and harmonious color, shape, and texture combinations to create truly unique handcrafted jewelry. She also utilizes simple metal-smithing techniques in her Vulcans Mistress collection, which features sterling and fine silver jewelry. The Apollo & Artemis necklace is a limited edition necklace priced at $87. It includes a hand-forged fine silver (.99 pure) pendant, a single silver cultured coin pearl representing Artemis (the Moon), and a trillion briolette of AAA lemon quartz representing her twin brother, Apollo (the Sun) all suspended from a sterling silver drawn cable chain.

Also shown are the Black Magic earrings, priced at $58, comprised of black tourmalated quartz briolettes, labradorite kites, freshwater seafoam pearls, and sterling silver chain and ear wires. You can pair them up with the complementary Nyx necklace, made with AAA quality black spinel gemstones and dark grey freshwater pearls. The pendant is made of fine silver that has been fused, hammered, and textured by hand. The Nyx necklace is also included in the Vulcans Mistress collection, and is priced at $94. Midori Jewelry pieces start at $15 and range upwards of $400. With a talent of blending fresh and fun styles with clean and feminine lines, ladies…we have no doubt that Midori Jewelry will have you looking good and feeling fine. Cheers!!!

Site: www.midorijewelry.com

De*Nada Design now has their Fall/Winter 2006 Collection available for sale! As fans of their handbags we LOVE the combination of artistic graphics with simple yet urban-style hardware, handbag shapes, and colors.

De*Nada Deisgn was created by designer and artist, Virginia Blanca Arrisueño. For the new collection, she teamed up with local street artists to create cheeky graphics in shades of red, olive, purple and basic black & white. Only high-quality materials are used to create some of the most finely crafted products and reasonably priced items in the market today.

The totes and bags in the new collection range in price from $48-$55. The designs are limited edition so get yours now!

Site: www.denadadesign.com

By: Anissa Mook, Editor in Chief

All Souldivine items are on sale at The Succulent Wife! The Pearl Wire Necklace is our favorite. Now only $42.00!

Batteries Not Required has something for the kiddos. Their Retro Interactive Big Challenge Play Quilt is on special for $55.00.

The Wing Thing is offering Free shipping within North America until August 31st! Plus they have cute jewelry sets like the Zig Zag Bee Necklace & Earrings Set on sale for $61.20.

Checkout the Outlet Section at Versamaeluxe for items that are 40-65% the original price. You’ll find great bath & body products like the Strawberry Shortcake Bath Bomb for just $2.75!

By: Anissa Mook, Editor in Chief