Tech Meets Fashion at Pitti Uomo 89

Pitti Uomo 89 just concluded in Milan. The fashion event, renowned in the men's world, is one of the most important events around the global that showcases men's fashion and accessories. If you are a menswear fan, you have probably been following the awesome street style shots on Instagram over the past few days. 

The sartorial crowd did not come to Florence just to see ready-to-wear and accessories. Patti Uomo 89 featured some vendors that are the pinnacle of the fusion between high fashion and hi-tech. I think this is an area that will continue to grow as we become more conscious of not only the aesthetic of our style, namely our clothes selections, but also to our tech accessories as they are becoming a larger and larger part of every day life. We have seen designers collaborate with tech companies, such as the Hermes Apple Watch. 

One brand, PRYMA, is fusing style and Italian quality into tech accessories with its eye-catching line of headphones. Handmade in Italy, the PRYMA headphones by World of Macintosh combine world-class sound quality with high-end styling....making them a great choice for the most discerning music lover.

The line comes in five distinct designs, offering Italian leather removable headbands, die-cast aluminum ear cup body, removable double-socket cable, and copper and stainless steel buckles. Given the stylish appeal of these headphones, I think Pitti was the perfect setting to showcase the 100% made in Italy line.

Which color is your favorite?

Images: PRYMA

Scandinavian Minimalism from Mismo

A great bag is hard to find, and when you do find one, sometimes the switching costs seem to high, namely moving all your personal belongings from when bag and getting used to a new bag. I recently wrote about 5 timeless bags that would transcend decades, however, they tend to come with high price tags as well.

A great bag does not have to cause so much sticker shock. In fact, some times the $300-500 price range works well as you can find great style and functionality and not feel as guilty when you place the bag you paid a month's rent for in your closet if you change your bag often. I recently was turned onto the brand Mismo. The simplistic silhouettes, color palettes, and designs attracted me to their pieces. Leave it Danes to craft simple, beautiful products. From Ikea to Bang & Olufsen, Scandinavians truly have a knack for simplistic design and beauty.

Mismo calls itself the "the ultimate personal companion to the urban sophisticate." All of their designs or centered around leather as the backbone with durable canvas or other premium materials mixed in. I personally find this to be a great combination as the canvas material is quite durable while the leather adds a touch of timeless sophistication. I selected the N/S tote as it is a simple silhouette that holds quite a bit and can be worn with the long shoulder strap which I prefer. The AW15 season was inspired by the landscape of Iceland.

Apparently I am not the only one that is loving the Mismo line...it seems to be sold out at most places domestically, including Barneys where I purchased mine. I was able to find some in stock at East Dane. So if you are looking for a clean styling and premium construction, I highly recommend checking out Mismo. Perhaps it is the best bag brand you never heard of...until now!

East Hampton Coastal Style

Our East Hampton house was decorated in the ideal east coast coastal aesthetic. The home was inviting with dark floors and white walls with nautical touches of navy and white stripes throughout the home. Interior design was never a huge interest of mine, however, creating a great interior space that pulls together a complete look has become much easier with places such as C.Wonder and One Kings Lane.

When I think of Hamptons style, I think of easy and livable yet sophisticated. This of course includes of touch of refinement and modernity. The coastal aspect can be represented through the color scheme (blues and whites with accents of red) or small decorative accents throughout the home. I like the idea of anchoring a room with a large, light brown rug that plays well against the whites and blues. The element of wood can also be a great touch and also symbolic of the surrounding as the Hamptons does have a lot of trees and forest such as the north woods in East Hampton.

The nautical and coastal style theme has become a popular choice for decorative accents and is a go-to style for any beach home. Finding great pieces at good prices is fun and easy with the array of online home decor sites. Here are a few of my selections to incorporate a nautical touch into your home.

Pieces to Add Hints of Coastal Style in Your Home:

1. Sea Horse Table Lamp by Jonathan Adler: A lamp is a great way to bring a theme to a room. I love the subtleness of this lamp with its all white color scheme. 

2. Nautical Flag Coasters by C.Wonder: Any bar and end table is not complete without a set of great coasters. This set by C.Wonder is extremely affordable and who doesn't love a great sailor's flag motif?

3. Vintage Pond Boat: Bringing a bit of old into any interior design, especially when mixed with modern pieces, is a great look. This vintage boat would make the perfect accent on an foyer table and focal point in a sitting room.

4. Anchor Guest Towels by Mark & Graham: Do not forget to keep the theme running throughout the entire home...including the guests! These towels are an easy way to spruce up the bathroom.

5. Butler Tray Table by Jonathan Adler: This piece is stylish and sophisticated as well as versatile. Use it in the living room as an end table or near the bar or outdoors as a serving table for drinks. The bamboo-esque legs are reminiscent of a lush beach.

Decorating with Memories

Interior decorations from Jonathan Adler and West Elm are wonderful and add great touches to any apartment, however, sometimes a little personal touches that are very simple and contain memories add a distinctive touch as well. 

I was recently telling someone at an event about my utilizations of wine bottles, corks, and boxes as decoration around my apartment, and she said "oh my gosh! You have to send me photos for inspiration!" So I snapped a few photos and sent them off. 

Wine bottles and corks make the perfect touch to a kitchen or shelf because they add a French flair and they also contain memories. These bottles all serve as conversation pieces when guests come over, especially those who have never seen them and react in a way that is usually something along the lines of "wow look at all those bottles!" This is when I usually chime in and mention the various occasions or stories behind the various ones, like a little throwback.

I also like saving the corks and dating the ones that are from special moments. They are great to put in vases and glass jars and place on shelves next to candles or plants. It is fun to seem the jar get full overtime with different memories.

We all probably have those special bottles of champagne from memorable holidays and events that usually come in nice boxes. I like to place them throughout bookshelves to add interest among the books and various objects. Again, it is fun to look at them and reminisce about the moment when you received them.

Diesel Celebrates New Home Collection in SoHo

Diesel, the Italian brand we know for their denim and provoking ads, actually has a home line as well. On Wednesday night, Diesel celebrated the debut of its newest home collection at 3 high-end furniture stores in SoHo- Foscarini, Scavolini, and Moroso. We were invited to celebrate the launch at all 3 locations. In fact, if you made it to all three within a certain time, guests were entered into a drawing to win a prize from Diesel- pretty cool!

I was only able to make it to one stop, Moroso. This high-end Italian furniture store on Greene Street was filled with very stylish guests previewing the new collection. I was very impressed with the designs I saw on the floor. It was what one would expect from an Italian designer: sleek, modern, and sophisticated.

I imagine the pieces fitting perfectly into a trendy TriBeCa loft or Soho apartment. The pieces at Moroso were mainly chairs, sofas, and beds. The Diesel collection does include lamps and small accessories which were on display at other locations. 

Diesel's motto is "Successful Living" I would say that, this is pretty successful living!

Work Space

Readers asked me "where do you get all of your work done?" I thought it I would share my small corner where I sit down, crank out papers or blog posts, as well as just browse the internet. For me, I really get work done in two places- the library and at home. I tend to lean more towards the library, however, I set up a desk at home conducive to long hours of studying. 

For me, a workspace is all about making it personal because is there really anything that exciting about doing finance problems at a desk for hours on end? I didn't think so either. My desk holds all the essentials- computer, printer, supplies, but has little personal touches all around. 

My Jonathan Adler pencil holders are filled with Muji pens, a personal favorite. If you have not tried them I highly recommend. Additionally, we all know my love of champagne. I placed a bottle of Moet on my desk from a memorable night. When I get frustrated with all my work, its nice to glance at something associated with good memories. 

The wall behind my desk is decorated with hints of Paris, another one of my favorite things. Perhaps I find myself daydreaming of Paris a little too often!

And you can be sure to find me, Muji pen in hand and Iced Nespresso in the other, jotting down quotes on the myriad of sticky notes around my desk.

Where do you get most of your work done?

Luceplan Celebrates NYC Design Week

Luceplan is an award winning of lighting fixtures based in Milan, Italy. They have a US storefront located in the heart of SoHo here in New York. Last week, the celebrated New York Design Week with the debut of "Synapse", a new creation by acclaimed designer Francisco Gomez Paz.

The Synapse is a product mixed between an object and architecture as its intelligent module design allows for grouping in infinite configurations to create dividers, partitions, and suspended ceilings. Francisco Gomez Paz drew inspiration from nature in this light, and transformed the process that facilitates communication among neurons into a luminous creation. A single electrical wire powers a large number of the modules, and it is contains LEDs of variable colors. This light is truly a piece of art and has a great modern vibe!

The cocktail party at Luceplan was a great way to celebrate design week. While the Synapse was the focus, the store was filled with amazing Italian designed fixtures. 

This was made possible by a media invitation, photos courtesy of Luceplan