India

I've been on a trip to Bangalore and Goa in India, a country with many extreme contrasts. Here, like in no other place, impressions seem to signal directly to my tear ducts. The beauty is overwhelming - but being surrounded by extreme poverty is heartbreaking.

Doshi Levien Design is a young London based design partnership led by Jonathan Levien and Nipa Doshi. Doshi grew up in India and studied at India’s premiere design institute in Ahmedabad. They met in London at the Royal College of Art, and after working for design offices in London, Milan and India, they set up Doshi Levien in 2000. They bring together two distinct approaches to their work: while Levien presents a European approach to design, Doshi's work is strongly influenced by her Indian upbringing.

India has a rich and varied textile heritage, where each region has its own unique native costume. While traditional clothes are still worn in most of rural India, urban India is changing rapidly and international fashion trends are reflected in cosmopolitan metros. Fashion in India has become a growing industry with international events such as the India Fashion Week and annual shows in the major cities. Below some images from the spring/summer 08 shows.


Rutchi Mehta


Varun Sardana


Anuj Sharma

In New Delhi, 83 designers presented their autumn/winter 08 collections last week during India's largest fashion show: Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. The Sartorialist was in town and has posted some beautiful street images.

For all shoe lovers

Lisa Bengtsson designed the popular wallpaper Family (the one with all the frames), this new one is plobably going to be just as popular, called Svärmor (mother-in-law).

Spring at Judits

The display window of Judits Second Hand in Stockholm. It was a rainy Saturday but this window was so happy and colourful and I went in there and bought a green jacket and a pink bracelet. Judits have one of the nicest display windows in Stockholm, always so creative and inspiring and they change it almost every week.

RGB by Fredrik Mattsson

RGB is a new lamp by Swedish Designer Fredrik Mattsson for Zero. Mattsson, tired of different shades of grey, wanted to create something colourful and playful. He paid attention to the cable and made it into a chain of colourful balls, with the aim of giving the lamp something of the elegance of a piece of jewellery.

Lampel

My first contribution to our series “Favourite things in my home” is Lampel, a pendant in my kitchen. It’s so variable and you can chose decoration by season and occasion. I’ve had it filled with glitter, garlands, and different kind of plants. But it is also nice without any decoration. It’s designed by Margot Barolo for Bsweden. The photo is from our webshop Andyland and shows the artpiece “Dogs” by Mikael Olsson.

Dries Van Noten spring flowers

Last week I wrote a post about his autumn/winter 2008 collection, and here are some images from the charming spring/summer 2008 collection from Dries Van Noten.

Manolo Blahnik Marimekko shoes

An interesting fashion collaboration this spring comes from Finland’s 56-year-old design house, Marimekko, and Manolo Blahnik. Blahnik's spring/summer 2008 collection includes shoes in the Marimekko pattern Mini-Unikko. Maija Isola designed the pattern in 1964 in protest to Marimekko’s founder Armi Ratia’s pronouncement that there would be no floral patterns in Marimekko. Unikko melted Ms. Ratia’s heart and has become one of the most recognizable of the Marimekko patterns. The other Marimekko pattern for the spring Blahnik shoes is the more graphic BonBon pattern.

Extended Sex and the City trailer

Here you can look at the new trailer for the very wished-for film. I want a fairy tale ending, no - I need it, so it's a little distrurbing to see signs of trouble in paradise. Via A Cup of Jo.

More signs of spring.

Stars

For a while I've been wanting a necklace with stars - but since I haven't stumbled upon one, and I am just too lazy to search, I decided to make my own. I used star prisms (for Christmas decorations) and tiny black glass pearls.

Monochrome New Yorkers

I'm trying hard not to wear black - at least lot all black... every day. I am so impressed by these five New Yorkers who wear only one colour all day, every day (and it's not black). Article by Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo.