Changeability

DSC_3230

Things I’m thinking about: Changeability and lighter designs for spring. Changebility to me just means designing something so that the wearer can customize it to their liking..

DSC_0032

…Some new mini mink tails I’ve designed for this season..Loved this fine grey mink, I was originally going to use it for one jacket but decided to create little embellishments to purses or necklaces..

DSC_0007

DSC_3619

A variety of my designs…dresses (halter and long sleeve), new mini mink tail, minivests in white and metallic print, and my Moto-Capelet. All of these (except for the mini mink tail) reflect some degree of changeability or mobility..from the minivests which are light enough to carry your essentials with free hands, to easy dresses that don’t cling..and to a moto capelet design of mine that allow you customize the sleeves. The mini mink tails of course are a little embellishment for these outfits.

DSC_3670 copy

DSC_3632

(New fox fur tails…The previous batch were sold out and so I wanted to restock some new ones, this was due to customer request. Just check the fox fur section < of the shop if you wanted one and they were sold out before..)

DSC_0191

And some new Luxirare accessories, though the leather work and clothing is made in my studio in the USA, I had these manufactured in Italy… Somebody commented and asked me if I was coming out with a belt line, I wonder how she had an inkling of what I had been working on. Well I only have 1 new belt design here, along with a micro cage bag and bracelet.

DSC_3320

DSC_0163

The idea behind this purse was to take a very classic coin purse shape and render it with a more futuristic, architectural pattern.

DSC_3235

DSC_3227

The sides are almost shaped like a gridded egg…

DSC_3245

DSC_3266

Also, I’m really into traveling light..very small bags or no bag at all. This bag can fit your essentials, it’s actually quite roomier than it looks.

DSC_3289

DSC_3310

DSC_3302

…And some of my favorite solid perfume. Diptyque Philosykos.

DSC_3300

DSC_0115

Cage bag worn with Luxirare ‘Halo’ Dress, this is a plain white dress derived from the same pattern I used for the shirt dresses from the moto collection. It’s another day dress, with a transparent band that shows a thin strip of skin.

DSC_0140

DSC_0255

DSC_0142

DSC_0160

DSC_0198

DSC_0184

Another thing I focused on for the bag was changeability. You can wear it as a long or short purse, and the chains can re-snap into a necklace. The idea is that you choose what you want, depending on your mood. This purse really goes 3-ways, a long purse to sit right around the hip, a shorter purse worn over the shoulder, and a clutch. I was thinking a lot about day-night for this.

DSC_3442

ways-to-wear

DSC_0142

DSC_0159

DSC_0158

And of course the chains come off, and it turns into a clutch as well.

DSC_0171

And a new belt design, along with a bracelet…The hardware was made in Italy, and the leather construction & stitching were all done in my studio in the USA. The bracelet, the bag, and the belt are all available here.

DSC_3336

DSC_3359

For the bracelet, I wanted to include a customized transparent case…

DSC_3329

DSC_3369

DSC_3371

Originally I was going to make a classic belt, but then while I was constructing the leather and cutting it I realized I had to back it with another piece of untreated leather, just to give it sturdiness. Then I thought, why not use better quality leather that has another color on it and make the belt fully reversible? I had to make this belt using a double stack of leather anyway… Again, focusing on changeability here and allowing the wearer to customize the style to his or her own preference. It’s a two way belt.

TWOWAY

This is where the magic happens, and how you reverse it. You just clip the leather on using press studs to change the colors. All of the edges are stitched and burnished in white.

11

3423444444

I focused a lot on perfect stitches and the burnishing technique for these belts… Since this is a fully reversible belt, I also included BOTH belt loops, in white and silver. Just in case you decide to wear this belt without something that has belt loops like jeans and trousers..it will keep the belt in place.

114

silver-belt

cage-lip

Cage lip bracelet, I like to wear it tucking in my sleeves..
braceletgreen

Belt styled with my Mint green shirt, both on it’s white and silver sides.

lipbeltgreen

beltsilvergreen

And lastly….This shearling piece is actually part of a 5- piece collection, but I wanted to show this now because it’s perfect for this kind of transitional weather- The rest of the designs are much more complex looking, not as light as this one… The visual concept behind this piece is to integrate elements of the capelet, shrug, and cardigan..with classic elements of a motorcycle jacket, I like to call it a “Moto-Capelet”. I integrated a bold excella zipper into the sleeves, along with a bold buckle clip at the neck..This was actually designed 5-6 months ago but it was only completed weeks ago, I will explain more of what happened when I show the rest of this series….I was keen on making the best use of how thin this shearling was, almost paper thin…it’s also double faced which means it has a pattern on the facing side and fur on the inner side. I didn’t want to do heavy outerwear with this shearling because it really feels more like thrown on cardigan material..The functional concept of this piece was to create a capelet that worked for warmer weather, like during those chillier summer nights where you’re just wearing a tanktop and you want to throw something over it. The zippers open and close all the way so the wearer can decide how much they want to open the sleeves depending on the temperature. For the finishing, the edges were cut raw. This way you can fully appreciate the double faced texture, instead of seaming it (which would hide the fur at the edge…

DSC_3596

DSC_3598

DSC_3572

DSC_3580

A little explanation of the stitching here, it was done with a machine that only stitches the zipper to the shearling on the fur side, but on the outside there are no visible stitches. This was to keep a very clean look for the outside of the sleeves.

DSC_3547

The zippers open up and down and around the wrist there’s a zipper stopper so you can’t zip it all the way up (then you’d have nowhere to pull your hands through).. but they continue as embellishments all the way around the edges.

DSC_0041

DSC_0013

DSC_0019

For the cage bag I also designed one version that was a little more decadent. Though the mink tails are sold piece by piece, this purse has multiple mink tails built into the edge of the bag.

DSC_0063

DSC_0052

DSC_0025

This purse is also available in the shop.

DSC_0054

DSC_0023

Untitled-1

DSC_0227

DSC_0319

DSC_0292

DSC_0111

DSC_0121

Moto-Capelet styled with my mock neck sweater and ipad bag…I got these gloves in some shop at the airport when I was in Italy.

=glovecu

seasons

…And a list of things I’m looking forward to wearing this spring/summer..

23423434rrr

Clockwise from Top Left: (All pieces in this post are available in the shop now).

1. Luxirare Shearling Moto-Capelet
2. Luxirare Snakewrap Halter Dress
3. Luxirare Micro Cage Purse
4. Luxirare Consolidated Bracelet
5. Christian Louboutin’s Pigalle Pump
6. Diptyque Baies Candle
7. Luxirare Mini Mink Tail
8. Luxirare Metallic Print Minivest
9. Luxirare Cage Lip Reversible Bracelet.

It was important to me to offer items here in a range of prices, from reasonable to very expensive, just so there is something for everyone. In the shop you will see things that range from 120$ to $1700 from this series…Click here to visit the shop and the new merchandise.