As i sit here in Toronto airport waiting to pop back over to LA ~ i’m sorting through MANY pictures, and how much i *could* post while i wait… first to really grab me ~ the playfully Canadian oriented jewelry of Anneke van Bommel that i encountered at The Souvenir Shop, she manages to simplify national pride down to simple cheeky iconic jewelry pieces… from these various wood/silver antler rings, to stubby beer pins, crossed axes, and more… (see lots of pics below!) The Souvenir Shop is one of the best collections of exclusive limited edition Canada oriented design pieces i ran into, which was unfortunately at the Gladstone Hotel within the Come Up To My Room Exhibition where artists took over rooms on the 2nd floor, and honestly, you didn’t miss much, because there were some of the rudest, most obnoxious people manning the door and their store ~ so luckily you can shop the wares online!

Bio from the site: “Anneke van Bommel is an artist and educator living and working in Toronto. She shares a downtown studio with 5 other jewelery artists and teaches at the Ontario College of Art and Design and George Brown College.Her work focuses on contemporary jewelery design, and explores concepts of place, memory and the symbols and icons of Canadiana.”

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NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

I have long been a fan of Paraphernalia - a line of very graphic, acrylic jewelry by Vanda Noronha. I like the monotone of black and white in the collection, and appreciate the humor in the various pieces (an Inquisitive Vulture Brooch, anyone?). They are also super affordable - ranging between $13 and $30. Not at all bad for a very eye catching piece of jewelry!

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Flipping through the 2008 Incase catalog, these new Nylon Messenger Bags jumped out at me, and upon reading the details (see the catalog pages after the jump) i had to post it out of curiosity and intrigue. In two sizes (medium and large), both have a sleek yet textured look, weather resistant nylon and waterproofed lining, exterior weatherproof pocket and headphone port, topographic print lining, and i like how the edge goes up and around the clips… as well as a mysterious “plush faux-fur lining” (i wonder what that looks/feels like) to protect your goods. In the large model, there is even a removable notebook sleeve, removable hipsack (fanny pack?), interior bike pump tie down, and an “abrasion resistant skateboard attachment with molded skate bumpers”. See more details and images after the jump!

It isn’t easy finding a good subtle, rugged, stylish, black messenger bag. I’ve got quite the stash of them (from chrome to ordning & reda to random leather ones to timbuk2 to patagonia…), but it’s been a while one has even really caught my attention.

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Flipping through the Feb 2008 Vanity Fair, i couldn’t resist tearing out this Spring Nordstrom ad… much like the Prada and James Jean campaign for spring, Nordstrom has teamed up with Ruben Toledo who painted 20-by-30 foot walls to serve as a backdrop for the models which were shot by fashion photographer Ruven Afanador… in fact, Toledo even got to paint ON the models for the campaign. Lovely to see the contrast of the perfectly style colorful models in designer dresses and shoes popping off of the playful black and white paintings… see all of the scans after the jump, and you can even click them to see larger.

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Sorry, it’s been quiet… i tried to take the day off. Still ended up handling a few emails and calls via the pearl, but at least it was while running around discovering things… like Shu Uemura’s Art Of Hair. Shu Uemura is one of those lines i’ve loved for not only the gorgeous packaging design (have you looked at some of those lipstick and skincare products? The new clear lipstick cases were designed by architects!), but also for their skincare and makeup products. Admittedly i was skeptical about their branching out into haircare… until about an hour ago. I’ve been a Bumble & Bumble girl for the last decade or so - but the last few weeks i felt like something different - i tried other bumble products (also love their packaging/branding), various ‘organic’ brands, even some basic drugstore brands (which ended up being far too fruity and chemically for the most part), and was about to give up back to my usual, until i wandered into Shu Uemura today.

Apparently the “Art of Hair” line is not available for sale online, and can currently only be purchased in their retail boutiques (but you can also call and order from them)… the boxes with the gloss images of the bottles on a matte white are gorgeous, and the bottles themselves beautiful as well, so i was already ready to simply show the packaging of the new line here… but only if it was any good! Anyhow, i’m sure you know by now, i’m smitten, and silly enough, can’t stop running my fingers through my hair. Smells amazingly fresh, feels ridiculously clean, AND comes in pretty bottles. See the unboxings after the jump, as well as a few other fun goodies i picked up… and a statement from the designers of the packaging, campaign, and branding of the line.

UPDATE: Check out this beautiful flash site for the ‘Art of Hair’… check out the Ceremonies in particular, they sound like pure bliss… and more updates being added at the bottom of the post as i obsessively research more.

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Two things happened when the gorgeous lingerie of The Lake & Stars showed up on NotCouture… i wandered to their site, and fell for, perhaps simultaneously, the photography of Tim Zaragoza and their trench coats. While at the moment i’m not sure which one i’m more in love with, or if perhaps the combination is irresistible, i’ll let you know when i finally meet one of the coats in person, or find images of it alone. Brooklyn photographer, Zaragoza, has found the perfectly moody, mysterious, dramatic look for these ladies in the trenches with their felty looking shades… and The Lake & Stars have mastered the classic combo of beautiful lingerie, trench coats, and heels. See after the jump for more images i’ve dug up so far.

p.s. What better name for a trench than - Opportunity?

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blu_ray ~ the latest collection from CARGO Cosmetics. And yes, that blu_ray. If the beauty industry has anything to say about it, it looks like blu_ray really is winning the war on HD DVD. The CARGO site says “blu-ray, CARGOs revolutionary new collection originally created for make-up artists filiming in high-definition, is designed to provide flawless results while maintaining a perfectly natural look. Because life happens in High-Definition…” So i guess anyone can be ready for their closeup in microscopic high-definition when viewed from a blu_ray dvd? I’m surprised that the 59$ (valued at $130) complete set doesn’t come with a blu_ray disc to help give buyers an extra push towards a ps3/blu_ray player… also i’m surprised to not see examples of with/without the magical blu_ray makeup as would be seen in high-definition. See the full collection after the jump!

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Valentine’s Day is around the corner, so here’s a little something for the men ~ this kind of feels very Hugh Hefner channeling his inner Samurai on a Sunday morning, in a classic designer black. This is “Shogun”, the cotton terry robe for Swedish terry brand Pellevävare designed by Form Us With Love. The press release states:

“Shogun” is the name of the collaboration between young, innovative design studio Form Us With Love and prestige manufacturer of cotton terry, Pellevävare. The result is a limited edition of 30 exclusive robes of terry strategically reinforced with cotton canvas. “The inspiration derives from the Japanese medieval warriors and their protective outfits. We wanted the user to feel like a general, stepping out of bed, putting on his weekend uniform and start plotting strategies for the day.”

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Prada. They’ve been grabbing my attention in every magazine lately with these illustration heavy images… (remember NotCouture #1478?) and while i’m still debating and mixed on the illustration on leather bag concept, i’m still loving the illustrations! So while checking out all of the Spring/Summer 08 collections and campaign, i couldn’t help but share this incredible (HUGE like 17’ x 200’) wallpaper they have. Entitled Florid ~ Prada says it “represents the somewhat perverse intersection between Hieronymus Bosch and Aubrey Beardsley. The image depicts an intense landscape of man-eating flowers, dragons, hybrid creatures and eerie fairies.” Above is one of my favorite sections of it… the full wallpaper, closeups, and images from the print campaign are after the jump!

UPDATE: Apologies for missing that this was the collaboration work of local LA artist James Jean, and that this wallpaper is hanging right in the Beverly Hills and Soho Epicenter stores sized at 17 x 200 feet! In my cold meds induced haze and excitement while being illustration/prada giddy, i’m terribly embarrassed for the slip up and really should know better than early morning posting! Forgive me? Also take a look at the second wallpaper on his site that isn’t on Prada’s.

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Alex + Chloe are popping up a pop up store tomorrow in Chinatown at the New High (M)art and i just noticed their new Black Diamonds collection… particularly the Anneau Solitaire - Diamant Inverse. I have had a bizarre fascination with inverted diamonds ever since Tobias Wong’s Ultimate Reverse Setting Ring. Also shown here are the Sphere Noir Diamant Inverse and Sphere Diamant Inverse, which remind me of mini oxidized canon balls… canon balls coming at you with the point of a diamond. Inverted diamonds, an interesting twist on a classic symbol of luxury, and also the ultimate weapon with used with a point? See more images and info on the opening after the jump!

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Click the images to find out more! What’s hot over at NotCouture this week? A mix of winter sales and spring fashions around the corner… lots of accessorizing and outerwear!

With Valentine’s Day around the corner ~ there are a lot of options out there to get romantic ~ from getaways to roses to chocolates, etc. Here’s a “deluxe intimacy kit” from Kiki De Montparnasse over at Red Envelope, which normally wouldn’t have grabbed me, but the handcuff print on the silk restraints were too fun (see close ups of the rest of the contents of this kit after the jump!). I’d love to see this pattern use as a men’s tie, the interior of a laptop case, in other unexpected contexts of things that “tie us down”?

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Part of me lives for the neverending hunt for the *perfect* bag… well, perhaps a perfect bag for each and every situation. Anyhow, everyone has their quest, and that seems to be mine. That being said, this new grey Miu Miu bag in the Kirsten Dunst ads is my latest lust object. And while bag hunting and finding this one, i also got sucked into the whole ad campaign imagery for Miu Miu’s spring 2008 with Kirsten Dunst ~ fun photography, loving the eerie red floors and ominously surreal look, and while i feel silly saying every time i see her i still think of Interview With A Vampire ~ she certainly has that pale look about her here! See the whole campaign after the jump.

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Being a sucker for seemingly useful multipurpose designs… i’m strangely drawn to these leather wrap bracelets from A.P.C.’s spring 08 collection. This “doubled centimitre bracelet” is 100% leather with a small metal buckle and a centimitre scale embossed on the outside and ‘A.P.C / WONDERWALL’ on the inside. (NotCouture #1372)Now if only they’d do one in inches as well?

Sub-Studio just featured these incredible Lima 7192 glass jewelry pieces, and i’m smitten by the Lush Ring VI-2. Something about the precious glass in such playfully organic shapes ~ so clear it’s practically invisible, yet you can’t take your eyes off it. See more enticing close-ups after the jump!

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