blog travels | row house redesign

in the process of redesigning our row house apartment. this involves endless discussions about what needs to change, how expensive it will be to change it, how lovely it will be when it has changed, but results in no actual change. it's a titillating process.

in the meantime...if money grew on trees and i was a money-tree-picker by trade i'd snap up this poet two seater by finn juhl and this czech mid-century dresser by prague kolektiv for our hypothetical (?) redesign. both featured on the lovely destined to design blog.

treasure chest | orit hadad

love all things onyx. (as if you couldn't tell.) currently mesmerized by this crocheted onyx necklace by orit hadad—a tel aviv based shop that specializes in knitted jewelry. how in the world do you think to yourself: i'm just going to grab a bunch of onyx and turquoise stones and knit around them until i make a stunning necklace? these days whenever you hear about israel in the news it always seems to be in conjunction with politics and peace talks. it's refreshing to hear israel and think something random like: knitted jewelry. like the originality. and the product. retails for $298.

                                                                 via | orit hadad

label love | lauren moffat & tracy reese

the lace detailing at the bottom of this dress? yes! thank god for designers who still care about the little things.

 

great dresses + styling for holiday parties.

not a fan of the styling in these two shots--too busy. but the pieces are lovely. and even busy styling can't conceal that.

images | lauren moffat | tracy reese

foto files | emily barenbregge

leaving the country is always an incredible adventure. it reminds you about the world that exists outside of your apartment. outside of  the subways, the movie theaters, the amusement parks, the grocery stores, the holiday inns, the interstates, and the talkative politicians on cable that become a part of our daily american reality. it's a world filled with rich cultures, incredible new flavors, picturesque landscapes, arresting architecture, and captivating individuals with diverse perspectives and experiences. this passion for travel is a huge reason why onyx feather is based on cities. i wanted to capture a tiny of piece of that dynamic world and breathe it into something as simple as jewelry. love these images of hyderabad (india), budapest, and tét (hungary) captured by emily. aren't they brilliant? rekindles my wanderlust...

                                               
                                                      credit | e. barenbregge

blog travels | fall weekends

looking forward to an october weekend with a little bit of play and a lot of work. i'm attending a horse race on saturday which usually involves women with abnormally large hats attired in ann taylor dresses asking you where your winter lodge is while sipping mint juleps.  i'm plan on being a nonconformist. this involves going hatless in a leather jacket with winter shorts, and climbing on a fence and yelling "go newsflash!" as the horses whiz by. really hoping it horrifies people.

closing statement of the week: these pumpkin and feta muffins attract and terrify me at the same time.


                 images | 101 cookbooks | j crew

foto files | kate mathis

nothing captures my attention more than great photography and exceptional styling (regardless of whether the medium is food, clothing, furniture, or a space.) kicking off two recurring series on this blog. (yes, the plural of series is apparently still the word series. quite unnerving isn’t it?) one is “stylist files,” it spotlights the imaginative stylists that are the genius behind the images we adore. the other is “foto files,” it features remarkable photographers that everyone should be talking about.

today the focus is on kate mathis. she has a winning combination of brilliant, yet simple styling and completely arresting photography. check out more of her work here. (and if you know any great photographers/stylists that would be excellent for this series, let me know!)

                                                         via | kate mathis

great expectations | onyx feather fall + winter...

had an incredible meeting with the onyx feather tribe last night. i'm always so inspired by them and amazed at their talent, creativity, and limitless thinking. it's exciting to be working alongside individuals with a similar vision. got some really exciting things we'll be rolling out at the end of  fall and the beginning of the holiday season. can't wait to unveil them!


                                                    image | tommyton for sergio rossi 

press | fly & the house that lars built

*really excited *  the line was featured on fly and the house that lars built.  huge fly junkie (as you undoubtedly will be too after checking it out) so this is quite monumental for the onyx feather team. you can see the fly post here. thanks andrea!

also, you must check out the lars blog. i came across brittany's hans christian andersen fairytale-themed garden wedding--the blogger behind lars--on 100 layer cake. it's so whimsical and beautiful. giant handmade paper flowers?  could go tacky so easily unless you have a designer like brittany executing it. she's such a quirky, creative soul. completely and unabashedly jealous she's moved to coppenhagen now.

                                                   image | confetti system

press | dc examiner

the lovely erica jennings, from the dc examiner, did a local designer spotlight on onyx feather. she did an incredible job of highlighting the line and spot lighting invisible children. check out the piece here. thanks erica!

 via | jaymi heimbuch

blog travels | eclectic chandeliers

 

excited about a girl's road trip to philly this weekend to visit an amazing friend who also serves as my muse.  (we'll sit there and she'll literally start spurting out unconventional ideas for future onyx feather collections like some sort of design savant. it's incredibly unnerving for outsiders to observe.) also can't wait to explore the off-beat vintage philly has to offer. been gathering inspiration for the next line which has led me to aggregating images of chandeliers. (this hot pink one is so wicked it's nonsensical. love it.) here are some vintage and modern chandeliers i've unearthed during my blog travels and paired with complementary dresses. enjoy the weekend!

 

love how the feminity of the crystal droplets is reflected in this valentino dress.

via | all the pretty birds | blondieyooper

king ludwig II's bedchamber chandelier. intense right? 
only an oscar de la renta dress can stand next to that.
via | oscar de la renta | burrs & berries | wv jazzman

more modern than the others. interesting how much this elie saab dress mirrors this chandelier. even her necklace parallels with the hardware on the right.

elie saab | jennifer konig

pink chandelier | haeshu

press | burrs and berries

did an interview about onyx feather with samia from burrs and berries (interview here). burrs and berries is an addictive design blog that focuses on fashion, home décor, and art. samia (the blog curator) is based in dubai and toronto so it’s the perfect place to discover labels and talented designers that aren’t necessarily us based. thanks for including onyx feather among such great company samia!

how to | wear winter shorts

 

coming clean: had a million conversations with people about how dumb winter shorts were. and then one day i saw the image above and a light bulb clicked and changed everything. you can wear winter shorts in the fall—you just have to do it correctly.            

starter tips…    the material of your shorts needs to be wintery. herringbone, wool, that sort of thing.  the quickest way to look like you have seasonal-fashion-identity-crisis is to run around town in some summer-time khaki shorts with tights. ::shudder::        

speaking of tights. there needs to be a pair of complementary textured tights thrown in the mix (lace, patterned, woolly, the sky is the limit). bare legs in shorts in the fall? been there. it’s not hot. (you just look really cold and everyone around you deliberates on the odds of you getting frost bite.)      

booties. for a novice winter shorts look better with ankle boots, or booties—they show more leg. the more comfortable you are with wearing winter shorts, the more liberty you’ll feel to pair them with different shoe combinations.        

finally, what to wear them with? try a leather jacket, a blazer, or a chunky knit sweater.

image| birger mikkelsen

treasure chest | eninaj

 

am quite partial to this teffillin bracelet ($85). the addition of the leather strap introduces an element of warmth to its industrial vibe. also basking in the beauty of this red leather and silver necklace ($125)—perfect for fall/winter accessorizing. check out the rest of eninaj’s products here.

via | eninaj | lushlee

wrap it up | we are owls

love this brand. each printed scarf is made from 100 percent cashmere. (caught me off guard. when you think "graphic print scarf" you usually don't think: “cashmere.”)  the actual prints are a bit dark (skeletons, an owl carrying a skull, that sort of thing) but when expertly wrapped and styled they look phenomenal—it’s part of their charm. the name of the line is cleverly based on its nocturnal beginnings: the designers would congregate late at night to work on the collection.  sounds familiar! check out the collection here.

images | we are owls