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An Evening of Murder, Mystery, and Mummies with Nanette Lepore

10.31.2013

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So, Nanette Lepore's family is amazing.
Case and point: every Halloween, or in this instance, Hallows Eve-weekend, Nanette and her family host something of a murder mystery dinner. Each guest is assigned a character in a plot involving twisting story lines, and each person is expected to dress and act as their character throughout the evening. As the night goes on, someone is mysteriously murdered, and it's up to the guests to uncover whodunnit.

Along with the underlying murder-mystery, there are twisting subplots that occur between characters. This particular evening, the time and place was a Paris Townhouse in 1908 after the plundering of Egyptian tombs and the recovery of a mysterious and priceless artifact. I was slated to come as Miss Rose Isabella Chapman, eccentric London socialite and sister to T.E. Lawrence. My character, like her brother, had been living with a Bedouin tribe for a year, and arrived as a dinner guest in the hopes of seeing her brother, but unfortunately, T.E. Lawrence was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, our host had been mysteriously poisoned, and the precious artifact had been stolen by one of the guests. 

In the end, T.E. Lawrence scared the bejezus out of everyone and jumped out of a parlor closet, having been drugged and mummified. He revealed the criminal amongst us, and everyone proceeded to drink copious amounts of whiskey while dancing about to music from Fellini films. While everything was going on, I was handed a Polaroid camera and was asked to document the guests. The end results are some of the photos you see here.

Many thanks to Nanette Lepore and her family for graciously hosting me. It's been a Halloween I'll never forget!

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1

A Tribute and Interview with Jake Andrew of Drawn & Quartered

10.27.2013

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Drawn & Quartered custom petite name plate necklace, Asos bodysuit, Silence + Noise jeans, vintage boots, Walter Baker coat, Verameat rings, Bonlook sunglasses

I met Jake Andrew back in April.
 I was brought by some mutual friends of ours to his surprise birthday party, and I didn't quiiite know him well enough yet. We didn't talk much that evening, but I knew and respected him through knowledge of his work as the designer behind Drawn & Quartered, a line of silver jewelry that Jake has grown himself. I then came to know his menswear blog, The Boys For Boys, which this post is an aesthetic tribute to.

Through the magic of the internet, Jake and I have become wonderful friends, sharing our stories over Facebook, I struggle to go to sleep in New York while Jake watches the sun rise from his roof in Australia (he sends me photos of the sun coming up almost every day).
Jake has proven to be an endless well of inspiration for me, and I adore our chats about life, our mutual love for design and the satisfaction of hard work.

So after a few weeks of establishing a warm friendship, Jake told me he was thinking of sending me one of his personalized ID Plate Necklaces, and my jaw dropped from the generous offer. After hearing the news and picking my chin up off the floor, jake gave me the opportunity to choose something special for my nameplate to be stamped with. Knowing that the name plate was meant to spin to reveal two sides as I wore it, in the end, I went with "Heller Geist", which translates to "Bright Spirit" in German. "Bright" also riffs off of Claire, which means "light" or "bright" in French. My last name is incredibly important to me because it's my grandmother's maiden name, which my father took back when he was in college. The name plate arrived a few weeks ago, and I haven't taken it off since.

I always think it's incredibly gratifying to learn about a brand directly from the mind it came from, so I felt compelled to interview Jake about what he loves, his processes and his hard work:

We have previously discussed what inspires your designs (biker culture, your interactions with your loved ones, etc). Could you give a consistent top-3, or are things even consistent for you?
1/ organizations both religious and non-religious who adorn their members as they ascend a hierarchy
2/ my experience with people (who know themselves well) as they represent themselves through what they wear
3/  mythology. the older and more obscure it is, the more I like it

How do you want your pieces to feel when they're worn?
Close.
Every element of a design is considered: the weight, the size, the texture. I want for each piece to be very personal. I recommend some kind of customization with most orders I receive. I don't want to be a production line and more importantly I want each piece to represent its wearer. 

How have your thoughts on creating jewelry changed over time as you have worked on your craft?
I didn't begin making jewelry with any real intention. I enjoyed. It is nurturing to do something you enjoy. Now, though, I keep a clear picture and  I know where I'm taking this label.

Is your wardrobe quite edited, ever-changing or something in between?
It's streamlined and ever-changing. There is nothing in there that I don't wear. Mostly I have street labels and basics (which are almost disposable), a lot of work gear too. I don't believe that luxury brands are for me because the ticket prices don't match my pay check. That doesn't mean I don't buy the odd jacket, bag or pair of sunglasses that I know will last and look good with my Dickies and Dr Martens but I'm not buying my white crew necks from Balmain, I'm buying them from American Apparel. 

What's been something you can't stop thinking about?
One person in NYC who changed everything.

You've been learning Spanish, how's that going?
Aprendiendo poco a poco! It's a challenge but there's a reward at the end to which nothing can compare.

I miss you here in NYC, come back to us soon, won't you?
Currently working on my portfolio and application for college. I'll see you in the Summer!

So yeah, Jake is amazing.
And just so y'all know, De Lune readers get 20% off all D&Q Petite Name Plate necklaces until Nov 25th with the promo code DELUNE20 (a gift for someone special, perhaps?).

And while you're at it, check this kid out on The Boys For Boys because he kicks SO much ass.

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4

Warm Leatherette

10.21.2013

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Vintage cardigan & jacket, Stylemint shirt, Silence + Noise jeans, Elizabeth & James heels, Bonlook sunglasses, Drawn & Quartered nameplate necklace, other necklace with random trinkets

When I can't think of what to wear, I usually look to La Garconne for some styling ideas. I even have the site bookmarked; their trademark black bow icon decorates my dashboard ever so lovely and draws me in when I can't envision how to wear a thing or two.

What's great about La Garconne (which, as a word, is a cheeky french term for a girl who is something of a tomboy, but more femme) is that they provide images of styled looks along with the pieces they have in their catalog, so if you see a dress you like, you can click on the alternate views to see how the folks at the HQ have styled the piece themselves. Everything is very effortless, the pieces stand out while looking as if they were still assembled very quickly. So, while I was on the prowl for ideas, I stmubled across this Toga Pulla jacket/cardigan combo and was like, holy hell that looks great! But, as I'm sure y'all can guess, I don't got $1,105 layin' around, so I improvised my own version with my favorite vintage leather jacket and an oversized 80's cardigan. Worked out pretty well, only next time, I'll probably wear the jacket zipped up.

Speaking of next time, I've got a little interview/collab with my dear friend Jake coming up. Jake is the brains behind his insanely delicious jewelry line Drawn & Quartered. I'm wearing a specially designed name plate necklace here, but before I delve into how awesome this piece is in my next post, I wanted to let you guys know that my readers get 20% off D&Q name plate necklaces until Nov. 25th with promo code DELUNE20

Figured I'd let y'all know ASAP :]



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4

Pitted Olive

10.15.2013

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Nameless silk jumpsuit handed from my dear friend Hayley (hay gurl hay!), Bird by Juicy Couture tailed blazer (c/o), Isaac Mizrahi shoes (c/o, they're SO COMFY btw), De Lune x By Boe Odyssey chokerFoley & Corinna backpack (c/o), Preston and Olivia fedora (c/o)


Motorola has put out this delightful color maker for their new Moto X phone called the 'Motomaker'. I've been seeing different variations you could take with this concept in their subway ads recently, and I've realized that if I had the chance, I'd go with an Olive/Black combo. They just tend to be my go-to colors (red hair, y'know how it goes), especially in the Fall. So, in light of this concept, I put this little ensemble together since it's an assemblage of those two favorite colors of mine with the most comfortable pieces possible. This silk jumpsuit was on regular rotation this summer, and with the structured jacket, it gets a little more oomph as it gets colder. My beloved Preston & Olivia hat hasn't left my head since I got it, so it had to be present as well.

Pretty cool to think about what colors you'd want to carry around with you always. I'm glad I have a clear understanding of that now that I had the chance to put some thought into it.

-This post is gettin' all kinds of collaborative thanks to Motorola-
This is a collaboration between Motorola and the AOL Lifestyle Contributor Network. Compensation was provided by Motorola via AOL Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Motorola.

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2

Sweaters and Oxfords

10.11.2013














 Images via Tumblr, Wayne Tippets

Really adore the school kid vibes in these looks; lovely and unassuming with a little flash of flirtation.

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2

Wallpaper

10.08.2013



 Isabel Lu set, vintage leather jacket, Docs via Nifty Thrifty, Bonlook sunglasses

Bought this wallpaper-y set off Gilt a few months back in my preparation for fall. LOVE me some patterned pants, and these are super duper warm, which an absolute must as the temperatures continue to drop. I'm not much for sweatpants, and I enjoy how this set feels like a tracksuit but doesn't quite look like one. It's like the canned peaches of track suits. 

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1

Found

10.07.2013

















Someone left this beautiful Taschen book along with their trash on the side of an East Village curb this rainy afternoon. It really boggles the mind how certain things get left behind; the very act of throwing away this book almost supplements the continuing disappearance in instant film in popular culture. Of course, a lot of us know about The Impossible Project and the small-time instant renaissance brought about by Fujifilm's Instax line (I have a mini and LOVE it), but a lot of us can't experience the beautiful quality that Kodak's Polaroid film had achieved through their chemical process before they closed production in 2008.

The polaroid is a hugely culturally significant artifact, especially in Fashion. We wouldn't have model test shots or product test shots without the instant gratification of the Polaroid. In a way, Polaroid film helped speed up with industry with the super fast turnover of creative processes that it has come to rely on. We get a similar effect from Instagram now, which is sort of the beast that technology has created (and don't get me wrong, I loves me some 'gram action), but the physical print is being lost. Chemical film really is a beautiful thing because it burns light on your piece of photo paper or film like it would in the human eye, and the detail and possibility for the presence of the artists' hand is pretty spectacular. Photographers get into the conversation of grain vs. film all the time when it comes to fine art because the two print so differently, and while film just isn't practical anymore, its mystery and wonder is still charming and beautiful.

Anyway, I'm devouring this book. Thanks to whoever threw it out so that I could snap it up.

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