Took a short drive to the town next door, a Roman city in its day…Frejus.  Wednesdays are market days in this town, so we got our flea market on and headed to Frejus….

stopped for a little lunch...thanks to the hubby {and hubby's nicoise salad}, I slapped a few anchovies on this baby! YUM.

you guessed it! a stall filled with stripes!

5 euro?!! get out!!

and the family...three baskets later!

Down to two days till The City of Lights and moules & frites along the Mediterranean!  WOOHOO!!!  And as always before every vacation, it comes down to the wire for everything…including my passport! In the packing dept, I just started and I always start packing with….yep, my shoes :].  I’m a self described under/over packer…I underpack in clothing & overpack in shoes  It’s true, I never have enough to wear & usually {truth be told} I don’t get to every pair I lug with me : / But what can I say, I love {my} shoes!  This trip the count is already up to 9 pairs : /

These were the first to be packed...Eileen Shields flats. They're soooo comfy & cute {with that big bobble at the toe & plenty of toe cleavage} they're coming with me in two colors!

These are somewhat "new"...perfect for Paris. Picked up at the best consignment shop EVER...Ina's in NYC.

need my butter soft ndc wingtips that go with everything...dresses, jeans, shorts you name it

throwing in my trusty boat shoe & Dr Scholl's for the South. BTW...many thanks B for my awesome pair of Dr Scholl's!

You know, blogging is a little like therapy.  Now I know why I underpack…there’s no room left in my luggage ;)!!  HA!

I am a big fan of anything unique that makes a statement, so it was love at first sight when I first laid eyes on New York-based jewelry line, Falconiere. A collection filled with collars, cuffs, leather, feathers and chains, there isn’t a piece with which I’m not obsessed!

Loved seeing the entire collection at the showroom. So fun to try it all on!

And with some help from the lovely ladies at the awesome Maryam Nassir Zadeh showroom, we were able to get our hands on a few of these babies for our latest punk/grunge-inspired editorial shoot.

It was so much fun to play with it all and figure out all the different ways to style it.

Can’t wait to share it all with you in our July cover story, so stay tuned.

Falconiere: that’s what I call fashion!

An extra big shout-out to Jen at Maryam Nassir Zadeh Showroom for giving us the hook-up. Thanks, Jen! Love you and love that awesome showroom!!

{all images by twentythirtyforty}

We met the gorgeous talented Zora almost two years ago now.  Long story short, it was a lot of love at first sight.  She spotted & fell in love with Brandon’s shoes and we instantly fell in love with her {eponymous} jewelry line.  Hard not to…you can see & feel with each handmade piece her irrevocable passion & dedication to her art.  We popped into her studio and come to learn, metalwork jewelry….WOAH, that’s some serious business {and passion & dedication}!

We’re thrilled to have Zora’s handmade line as our Obsessed With feature for the month

THANK YOU Zora!!  As you know, we LOVE IT ALL!!!

Almost 2 years ago when we did our first Style It, we hired a model we had never met. We knew she was young, but that’s about all we knew. Not knowing what to expect, in walked Dana: this gorgeous 15 year old with the confidence, maturity and swagger of someone much much older.

She was obviously a natural. We knew it from the moment she stood in front of the camera. This was clearly a girl who wanted to model, was serious about it and was doing her homework.

We used her for every Style It we could…

And shot her for one of our cover stories…

Unquestionably a fantastic, hard-working and dedicated model, she is also just an all-around great person. Smart, mature, funny, responsible and kind, we could not be more proud of her if she was our own daughter.

And now, at 17, our little Dana is spreading her wings and taking off for New York. When we asked her how long she was going for, she said “forever.” We’re so so sad to see her go, but know that she is going to be a star. A mix of Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and one of my favorite models, Rachel Ballinger, Dana is a force to be reckoned with. When you see her mug in the glossies, just remember you saw her here first.

from our last shoot

Come on, how cute is she?!

Go kick some ass, Dana. We’re so proud of you!

Xoxo and much love,

B and A

{all images by twentythirtyforty.net; Night Shift photographed by Karl Rothenberger}

I’ve been stressed. Confused and overwhelmed are the 1st two words that come to mind. And let’s just say that my brain feels the way my desk looks — a mess.

Well yesterday morning a little flaxen-haired sprite landed in our studio, and I swear she must have sprinkled fairy dust or something because I am all kinds of giddy right now.  Since our meeting I have been feeling more exhilarated than overwhelmed and more focused than confused — something I haven’t felt in awhile.

I am always questioning myself. I have a hell of a time trusting my instincts. And I need constant validation, too (goes hand-in-hand with the doubt). In fact, that should be my name.

Brandon Questioning Myself Needs Validation Hansen Frein.

Yep, that’s me.

Well yesterday went a long way toward boosting my confidence, affirming my instincts and giving me the courage to trust myself a little bit and take a chance.

Arlene and I created this blog, this website, this company out of a love of fashion, a need to express our creativity, and a penchant for feeling awesome all the time. We do what we do because we love it.

This site, this blog, is everything to us. And you — the awesome people who read our blog, and look at our cover stories and Style Its, and buy our wares… You can’t possibly know how much we love you and appreciate your support.

So, get excited. I’m not going to tell you much right now, but just know that things are a-changin’ and it’s going to be awesome. And don’t worry — all the stuff you love will still be here. All I know is that you can’t give up, never give up.

{image sources: pinterest, pinterest via Marius Roosendaal, workisnotajob}

We’re pushing ourselves a little today. Erika is shooting film and we’re creating a modern geisha. Challenging, to say the least. Our lovely and talented hair and make-up artist, Kristina Marie, is definitely up for the challenge, though. Here are a few pics she sent over as inspiration:

Modern Geisha hair

more modern geisha hair (ours is sort of a samurai warrior geisha, anyway)

Be sure to stay tuned for the results (and follow us on Twitter and Facebook — we’ll be posting shots throughout the day).

Sadly, I don’t know my image sources :(. If you know where any of these babies are from, please let me know and I’ll update.

We talk about Erika Dufour quite a bit, I know. She’s a genius, we love her. What’re you gonna do?

But what you may not know is that, aside from being your basic run-of-the-mill amazing fashion photographer and badass, Erika actually plays a badass on TV. Well, not on TV, but in a video game anyway. She is a professional motion capture model for a game I’m not supposed to mention. Suffice it to say, it’s a big one. Anyway, it should come as no surprise, really. I mean, the girl is professionally trained in dance and Martial Arts and God knows what else. And she’s clearly a little bit insane, which is what we love about her the most.

The very first time we shot with Erika at her studio she pulled out this honest-to-goodness sword and started whipping it around like it was paper. Ever since that moment (just after a truly proper and genteel lunch break), I’ve been meaning to catch her on video doing some of her amazing sword-wielding. Well I finally got it. Let me warn you in advance — I’m no filmmaker. But seriously, Erika’s crazy talent and daredevil-ness really need no embellishment. So without further adieu, I give you…

Erika Dufour and her sword.

And this sword-wielding occurred after a fashion shoot (not to mention a brilliant spur-of-the-moment set design).

Badass and fashion-y. Just the way we like it.

We can take a printed silk pant and show you ten different ways to suit ten different occassions (soon to be posted btw ), but can we talk about hair & makeup??  It’s baffling!  My personal limits are a quick messy bun and some lipstick…ta dah!  It’s artistry I truly admire and, clearly, admire from a far.  Well here’s one to admire upclose, the Bumble & Bumble crew and Dame Vivienne Westwood for Fall11.  I am left completely speechless.  How did they do that?  How did they think to do that?  The iconoclastic redhead’s creative direction?  Her mantra, of course, “ANYTHING GOES!”

before - fresh & bare

oooh...so cool, the Marie-Antoinette-like hair

Love everything about her, Vivienne Westwood

images via Pandora.fr

gorgeous backstage photography by Alix Marnat

runway images via style.com

I am extremely fond of ethnic jewelry and easily lured into lines that inspire that same down to earth, organic yet raw mix that I love so much.  Case and point, Kathryn Bentley’s line, Dream Collective.  I first came across the line at one of our vendor showrooms this past Feb.  That first sighting took T-minus 2 minutes till I slipped away and started snapping pictures.  It’s always the intricate details that draw me in, I can almost hear the stories behind each piece.  Can you imagine my heart’s delight when I came across Ms Kathryn Bentley’s closet & studio visit via Jeana Sohn’s site??  Thank you Jeana Sohn!!

This is a profile shot of the above ring and the first piece I tried on.  Amazingly comfortable.  I can easily work & play w/this on.

I was instantly drawn to the keychain! I just dig the "braille" feel.

kathryn's ethnic collection & inspiration

and in her creative space

images 1, 6, 7 & 8 via closetvisit.com

images 2, 3, 4, 5 via me