BOOTS FOR WALKING

There's one pair of boots I have been obsessed with since I can remember and it'll come as no surprise that it's the ACNE pistol boots. Take a moment to appreciate their beauty

via acnestudios.com

Perfection. From the sleek leather and slightly higher than ankle length, to the the modest heel which is perfect for everyday comfort.

However, the one downside has always been the price. With this in mind I spent all summer seeking out an affordable alternative. With Autumn well on it's way now, I finally found something to satisfy my desire just a week ago at trusty Topshop.

via topshop.com

The most notable difference is the zip on both sides of the boot but I actually really love that, and although the leather isn't quite as lovely, they are incredibly comfortable.

Mission accomplished.

PLY HER HEART WITH GOLD AND SILVER

Having a browse on Beyond the Valley I came across this ring, by Gisele Ganne, designer who I had never heard of before. Now I love rings, and though most of mine are silver, I am quite happy to mix metals as long as the gold isn't particularly yellow. I think this ring is a perfect example of how mixing gold and silver can work beautifully and if I had a spare £250, there is no doubt I would be popping this into my basket. DELICIOUS!

♥

Shiv

HIGH STAKES

"Jason Munn is originally from Wisconsin but now calls Oakland, California home. Arising from a love of independent music, design, and making for the sake of making, his posters soon became a fixture in the local independent music scene.

He started The Small Stakes in the fall of 2003, and it has since unfolded into a successful independent design studio, producing nationally and internationally commissioned work in a range of print materials, including book covers, album packaging, T-shirt designs, screen-printed posters, and illustrations. 

Jason's work has appeared in Print, Communication Arts, Step Inside Design, Computer Arts Projects, ReadyMade, and Creative Review. His work has also been featured in numerous exhibits and is part of the permanent collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art."  

above text and all images c/o thesmallstakes.com

I've been aware of Jason and his moniker, "The Small Stakes" for a good 3 to 4 years, but somehow he dropped under my radar a while back. It was only a few weeks ago when I was browsing the collection of books on offer at Urban Outfitters that we crossed paths again, and I picked up his book, "The Small Stakes" which ironically featured his poster for The Books as it's cover. Flicking through I remembered exactly what had drawn me into his work in the first place; simple yet clever imagery which suits his client down to a T. And it doesn't hurt that he's worked with some of my all time favourite bands!

DECEMBERISTS IN JANUARY

“For all my talk about how complex those records were, this one may have been harder to do. It’s a real challenge to make simple music, and lot of times we had to deliberately hold off and keep more space. This record is an exercise in restraint.”
“Over the last eleven years or so, since I moved to Portland, I feel like I’ve been mining mostly English traditions for influence. I guess I’ve kind of come back to a lot of the more American music that got me going in the first place – R.E.M. and Camper Van Beethoven and all these bands that borrowed from more American traditions like Neil Young and the Byrds.”
“Sometimes I kind of miss the epic-ness of the other albums, but it’s nice to get all of the information across in three minutes. It’s like going from reading a novel to reading a bunch of short stories.” - Colin Meloy

I am amazingly excited for this to arrive on my doorstep come Tuesday, but also a bit worried. I love the Decemberists, and their last offering 'The Hazards Of Love' hit me like a freight train. In a completely fantastic way. Though it's Colin's intention for this to be much sweeter and simpler, following the release of Down by the Water, and the above statement, I can't help but feel like it's going to take me a lot longer to fall in love with this record.

Some oldies, but goodies:



♥
Shiv

WORKS OF THE WEEK

My computer has taken a back seat lately, and I haven't felt inspired enough to post here or in my Tumblr for months now. I need to get out of this rut though and thought I'd try and get a regular post going where I share some works of artists who've caught my eye.

I thought I'd start with one of my favourite current artists, Esra Røise, a wonderful Norwegian freelance illustrator. Regularly featured in magazines such as Nylon, her work is never far away, and it has even been possible to be a walking canvas with her familiar design used by T-Post "the world's first wearable magazine".

Here are some of my favourites:

All images from www.esraroise.com
Esra is incredibly talented with a pencil and watercolours but I also adore her mixed media works, combining photos and inks. Completely stunning. Go, look, and feel amazed!

♥
Shiv

GIVE ME THEM

It must be about 3 years since I last bought a proper pair of jeans, and even then they were only an £8 Primark pair. They served me well for my uni days but I think it's time to invest again, and probably in some a little fancier.

While this delicious "mineral creep sweater" by THEM atelier, would set me back an eye-watering $479, all of their jeans are under $90.

$77

$82

$88

(images from revolve clothing)

I am loving the grey bleached pair, which they also do in a stunning cranberry shade, but first I need to work out where on earth they are stocked in London!
Some lovely images from their S/S 11 lookbook, shot by Eliot Lee Hazel:

Shiv ♥

SECRET

For 2 weeks from the end of june to the beginning of July, I spent my days assisting an exhibiton curated by SALON (LONDON) called "Secret". It featured the work of talented young French photographer and recent RCA masters graduate, Noemie Goudal. It wasnt the first show I've assisted and I'm sure it won't be the last, but the works seem to have really stuck with me. Noemie has a fantastic vision and is definitely one to watch.

A few of my favourites:


Watch a video about the process behind one of Noemie's earlier projects here.

Shiv ♥