no more skipping rope, skipping heart beats with the boys downtown

Olympia Le Tan is a French designer who takes inspiration from books, movies, records et al to create unique clutches that are intricately hand-embroidered, and absolutely gorgeous. OLT's signature accessories are clutches that resemble classic books. For example; The Catcher in the Rye, Dr. Zhivago, Heidi, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Flies, Moby Dick, the list goes on. Basically, there's a wide variety of novels to please any book-lover (that is also a fashion-lover.)




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This shot of the Charlotte's Web clutch really shows the detail that goes into these bags. Source


Hey, Lolita, hey. This is the original cover from 1955. Source


A better view of what the inside looks like. Source

Why do I love Olympia Le Tan? Well, let's see... I love books, movies, and records. I love a well-designed cover, I love classic artwork, I love old typography, I love embroidery, I love good use of colour, I love attention to detail. There is something sort of Pop Art about the OLT accessories; the simplicity of the idea of it all, technically unoriginal because it's just a replication of a product that has been in existence for some time - but yet it's been re-imagined and transformed into something new, so it's like a replica but better. That's art (and fashion) for you, everything is just recycled and re-interpreted. It may look like a book, but it's actually a fully functioning purse. So feel free to judge these purses by their covers, if you're thinking about getting one of your own.


My pick would be (duh) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I love this cover, again it is the original cover designed by Shirley Tucker in 1966. Source

Aside from books, OLT has done bags inspired by other things, such as milk cartons!




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The latest Olympia Le Tan collab is with Disney, and it is in stores now. For someone like me, who adores classic Disney, these clutches are a dream. The original artwork itself is beautiful, and then when it's hand-embroidered with such precision, and turned into a bag, the result is truly magical.


Cinderella "The Great Love Story" Available for pre-order $2543 CAD Source


Cinderella "It's Fun! It's Magic!" $2543 CAD Source


"Cinderella 2" Available for pre-order $2543 CAD Source


"Cinderella" $2543 CAD Source


"Alice in Wonderland" $2543 CADSource


"Alice in Wonderland" SOLD OUT Source


"Peter Pan" $2543 CADSource


"Sleeping Beauty" $2543 CADSource


"Snow White" SOLD OUT Source

Olympia Le Tan's website

cling on me like ballerina tights, like Minnie Mouse and Courageous Cat, you can't beat that with a baseball bat

Though this is old news, I'm posting about it now because I just discovered it and it's relevant to my interests. Love Magazine had a Minnie Mouse themed fifth anniversary edition. Editor of the magazine; Katie Grand, was inspired by this iconic picture of Madonna:



Taken by Herb Ritts. Six covers were shot for the magazine, and featured the models Cara Delevingne, Georgia May Jagger, Edie Campbell, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Chiharu Okunugi, and of course, Minnie Mouse herself. They were photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and the models wore re-invented couture mouse ears designed by some of the greatest fashion labels of the world. I loved seeing how each designer interpreted the accessory and put their own spin on it. I'd kill for the Miu Miu ears.

All photos via Fashionologie, this article, and this post.

Minnie Mouse cover

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley cover

Chiharu Okunugi cover

Cara DeLevingne cover

Edie Campbell cover

Georgia May Jagger cover

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Dior

Loewe

Prada

Miu Miu

Louis Vuitton

Gucci

high heels in her hands, swayin' in the wind while she starts to cry, mascara runnin' down her little Bambi eyes

French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac


JC/DC has been creating colorful cartoon-inspired collections since the 60s. He's kind of like the older Jeremy Scott. His collections often reference themes like childhood, the circus, Japanese culture, gothic influences and often include pop-culture prints.


I wouldn't say he's one of my favourite designers; I'm usually 50/50 with his collections. I can easily pick out half the collection that I don't like, sometimes more than half. I think his stuff is too costume and tacky, there's not enough high fashion. I don't see a lot of cohesiveness his collections, (however it is difficult to achieve when you have 50+ pieces) Regardless, there are usually too many sub-themes of a collection which throws me off.


I usually pick out a few pieces I like; I've gone through and selected them from the Fall/Winter 2010 collection as well as the Fall/Winter 2011 collection. Each were quite different and I found that I liked even less from the 2011 collection.


A/W '10

A/W '10

Bambi is pretty cute

Like the stained glass chapel vibes

Cherubs & jewels

Love the hooded cape and the fabric/colour especially

Poor fit/sweet print

I just like stripes and black & gold

Obviously love this 'cause it's got a pup, but notice the spike shoes?
2 years ahead of the game

Space age & bold primary colours against black

I love jewels

A/W '11

Comfy/easy but cute outfit

Never too much plaid

REALLY love the head piece and the skirt is great too