On Her List

After Ken Ace, we asked the lovely Stephanie of Le Cheap c'est Chic + Stardust Memories to share with us her Fall wishlist

Fall is my favourite season and normally, i'd say it's the time of year my wardrobe bulks up the most with new pieces....this year's an exception. i've hardly done any shopping cause i can't seem to make up my mind about anything on my list and my interest is more and more about making solid purchases that will last me for years to come as opposed to spontaneous ones i'll love for only a few short months. Quality over quantity :)

Isabel Marant Forbes Suede Ankle Boot

Isabel Marant Forbes suede ankle booties: These are my dream footwear for this season but i managed to track down a more affordable pair ;) by Joe's Jeans and they were one of my top purchases this season, i've been living in them! they are so versatile and a nice break from high boots, which i'd usually be in this time of year. I love these so much I'm contemplating getting them in tan as well!

Mulberry Alexa bag

I'm SUCH a bag girl. I know it's totally irrational, but i can settle with the affordable approximation of just about anything except for bags. when it comes to the more reasonably priced designer ones on my wishlist, I try and get them one way or another. I waited two years for the YSL Besace and tracked it down on eBay last winter. This year, i've been coveting the Mulberry Alexa or this red shiny leopard Lily bag but i've decided to not take the financial plunge on something so of-the-moment and instead, save for something, likely Alexander Wang, slightly more moderately priced than the Alexa and a little more "timeless". I REALLY need a decent black bag so i'm trying to focus saving for that purchase! 

A Winter Coat

A(nother) coat. I'm always on the hunt for a decent jacket, trying to build up my outerwear arsenal, I can never have enough of a variety of styles (since we wear them something 7 months out of the year here) and this year the one i fell in love with was the Cos one i posted on my blog. I wasn't able to track it down, unfortunately. I also got a black cloak this season, which is surprisingly so warm and cozy! It's like wearing a blanket which i love. I also spotted this Rag & Bone one this week and wouldn't mind owning it but alas, an approximation would do just fine!

Slim slacks

I've really been loving the straight leg pant styles in an ankle grazing length à la Isabel Marant.  Admittedly, not the most practical thing in this cold climate but the fit is just so versatile and stunning. I've been living in my Paige denim which have a similar fit and which i had cut this season to the perfect ankle-grazing length.

Sweaters 

Every fall, i LIVE in sweaters. I have them in all shapes, lengths, cuts, knits etc..this year, i've been looking at adding an elbow patch one into my rotation and spotted a few great options at Zara, my favourite fast-fashion store.

Check out Stephanie's blogs here and there | Follow her on Twitter + Like her Facebook Page

On His list

We asked blogger and style connoisseur Ken Ace to share some of his season's favourites.

Wings + Horns - Fall / Winter 2010

I'm proud to say that this Canadian brand has made it to the top of my list because it reflects my hunger for this upcoming season perfectly. It's simple, well-made & good quality for the right price. With their famous “Tiger Fleece”, Wings+Horns  Fall / Winter collection will definitely keep me in check this season.

The Varsity jacket

Here’s another one of my obsession for the fall:Varsity jackets are back. Streetwear fashion gets  the thumbs up on this one. With wool-Melton body and leather sleeves, this jacket from Heritage Research would be a sweet addition to my wardrobe.

Undefeated x New Balance Sonic 574

This is one of the most comfortable pair shoes I’ve ever worn in my life, and trust me, I’ve worn a couple, lol! This 574 model is made out of sweater material & suede. Apparently, New Balances are a  key component to that whole Scandinavian look so I guess I’m on point!

My IPhone 4

 

I never thought that a phone could have the best of me. I’m obsessed with it. It’s always in my hands, even at work while I’m helping customers out (My boss hates it, ☺).You have to understand that   before that, I had a puny Nokia 2730 so cut me some slack.  Though I’m still new to the tech game, I’d say I’m adjusting just fine.

 J.Cole

For those who know me, you know that I’m a big music fanatic whether it’s jazz, pop, reggae, rap, etc… Now, we've all heard that hip-hop was dead well and it was almost true until I discovered J.Cole. This kid, to me, is the future of “great” hip-hop. Not only does he have mad skills, he actually makes me want to hear more and these days, that’s rare.

Listen to “Who Dat”, his first official single under the  RocNation label here.

Guest Post: Leadership Quilt

In my first semester in grad school we were given the theme of leadership for my design thesis class. We could design anything we wanted as long as it related to the idea of leadership in some way. Just to give you some examples one classmate created a product line for Martha Stewart Living, a brand that leads in the Home & Lifestyle industry; another classmate created a series of puppets based on various leaders throughout history. When I learned of the designated theme I immediately thought of Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy in South Africa. The stories, the strength and the beauty of the young girls who attend Oprah's special school became the inspiration for my project.

My idea was to design a gift that Oprah could give each girl upon graduation. That gift would be an inspirational quilt to remind each girl to be the leader she is meant to be. The individual quilt would be personalized with the name of the girl appliqued on the front. The idea is that the quilt becomes a personal keepsake with quotes from leaders from various backgrounds interwoven with symbols related to leadership. Back then I conducted a survey on Fly to see what readers thought of when they heard the word "leadership." Courage, faith, vision, and service were all characteristics that were consistently expressed in the survey results. This helped me brainstorm ideas of how to visually interpret those attributes.

After much conversation and research about South Africa, the school, and different quotes from established leaders, I finally began the design process. I found a quilting team to help piece, quilt and bind (you can see the woman who pieced the quilt and coordinated the team here). Most of the fabric sections were printed on my home printer and other swatches were purchased. You can't see in the photo but there's a lot of applique and embroidered details.

It was such a fun project. I'm passionate about inspiring young women and this concept allowed me to create a tangible piece that could do just that. I also loved the collaboration aspect; it allowed me to learn about the quilting process and gave me the opportunity to design in a totally different medium. It would be great to do more projects like this. If I had to do it all again I would change some things like the palette and some of the symbols. Looking back they seem a bit young for high school girls. For the most part, though, it was one of my favorite projects and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

You can see closeups of the quilt here.

From our Guest Blogger Andrea Pippins of Fly 

A Very Fly Guest

'Hi everybody! I'm so excited and very honored to be guest blogging on Tam+Sam this week. I hope you enjoy this series of posts based on images that inspire me and my work as a graphic designer.' Andrea

This week we have a very special guest joining us on the blog: Andrea Pippins of Fly.  
Starting tomorrow, this amazing graphic designer, who's also one of our most cherished bloggers, will talk about the designs, art, and ephemera that have inspired her own work. Enjoy.

Guest Blogger (Part 2)

Ok, so we had so much fun with our first guest blogger... that we thought we'd do it again only this time, en Français

Audrwey, chroniqueuse radio et super-blogueuse (Jean Stilettos) a accepté notre invitation et sera avec nous tout au long de la semaine.

Nous avons hâte devous montrer ce qu’elle nous a concoctée !

Logo = Conceptions KB - http://www.conceptionskb.com/

Ebony is here

This is week, we have a very special, guest one of our fav' blogger Ebony of NuvanyNice will be distilling some of her magic throughout the week.

Enjoy...