Sofas the colour of Dijon mustard.
The intensely colourful paintings of Grace Hartigan.
Linda Lomelino’s sweet food and florals.
Sunbathing in Southend on Sea, Essex.
Jacques Henri Lartigue’s images of aviators, racing cars and life in motion.

“We fulfilled people’s fantasies. We gave them a chance to experiment, to escape their ordinary lives. The aeroplane backdrop was particularly popular.” The black and white portraits of Sory Sanlé.
Joanna Powell’s fabulously madcap ceramics.
Gautier Paris 2001 fringe eyewear.
Summer fruits by Josef Frank.

Good golly, there’s nothing I don’t love about this Christopher John Rogers “Strawberry” dress. One fabulously original girl chose it as her wedding dress which only makes me love it more. The sash, the giant bow, the tulip shaped skirt, the clashing colours –– it’s all so wonderfully whimsical. The world needs dresses like this one to remind us of the fancy, the frivolity, and the sheer joy of life.

Minus thumbs –– I’ve never been into thumb rings –– I love to see every finger stacked with a hodgepodge of metals and styles. It’s a look that some women pull of with aplomb. Here’s looking at you Frankie Bergstein. The jewellery of Ariana Boussard-Reifel is beautifully stackable. And mixable. I think you could weave her sculptural designs into any combination. Boussard-Reifel grew up on a Salish an Kootenai reservation in Western Montana, and is deeply inspired by tribal and Indigenous cultures. Personally, I adore the Raissa ring –– it’s simple and bold. Several stacked together look like vertebrae.

Mid-century glass art by Per Olof Strom.
A london flat filled with salvaged finds.
One of my all time favourite potters, Paula Greif.
Købn towels, a bathing ritual.
A scalloped, pleated skirt from the fabulous Rosie Assoulin.
Low tide at the North Sea, Germany, Herbert List, 1930.

My first pair of Converse weren’t even Converse. I bought my knockoffs at a small, dusty shoe shop in a suburb of Athens and they were the colour of Hubba Bubba. Pink has always been my favourite colour. After that, came red ones. Letterbox red. And they were the real thing. Then came the best ones. The classic canvas. I had at least three pairs of those. I kept them well passed their discard date until the canvas was torn in five places and the eyelets fell off. Come to think of it, I don’t see Converse all that often these days. Which in my book is a cue to buy a new pair.

Marc Jacobs returned to the runway yesterday after a two season hiatus with a collection that prioritized comfort and functionality while being bold and outlandish. I loved it. Oversized utilitarian knits, ridiculously chunky shoes, puffer ballgowns and a palette of high wattage hues. Even more, I loved the statement that accompanied his return: “On the journey back to doing what we love most, in the wake of immeasurable loss, loneliness, fear, anxiety and uncertainty, I am reminded of why creativity is so vital to our existence. To life. Our decision to pause allowed us to slow down, reflect, ruminate, reevaluate, grieve and take a thorough inventory of what works, what doesn’t work, what we love, what we are willing to let go of and what has value, importance and meaning. Creating a collection requires enormous effort over many months from our small group of extraordinarily talented and dedicated individuals. We find purpose in the work from and for periodic but powerful transcendent moments of joy. And while the world continues to change with unimaginable speed, my love for fashion, the desire to create and share collections through this delivery system – THE RUNWAY – endures. Through the physicality of this shared experience, I hope to offer a moment of inspiration, curiosity, wonder and possibility.”

Cassie Byrnes‘ clothes are walking works of art. Think large canvases covered in bold abstract shapes, high wattage florals and lush, leafy greens; now turn them into summer frocks, skirts, scarves and tops. Who doesn’t need “lounge shorts” splattered with plump tomatoes or a field of tulips on her back? Byrnes is so prolific. Anthropologie, Google, Nike, Häagen-Dazs, Microsoft and Penguin are among her many clients. There is joy in her designs, and a love of colour and nature sings through everything she creates.

All rights reserved © La Parachute · Theme by Blogmilk + Coded by Brandi Bernoskie