Reform School Summer Catalogue

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The summer lookbook for boutique Reform School photographed by Jimmy Marble and Amanda Jas is all sunshine laziness. The models almost seem plagued by summertime boredom that even pure azure waters and vintage playsuits can't assuage. It's a stunning series of photographs that evoke a wonderful sense of mood so fitting for this season and so evocative of one's own summers past. Especially nostalgic as summer starts to end...

Illustrative

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Quite enchanted with the lookbook collaboration between illustration Samantha Hahn and The Shiny Squirrel. I really enjoy seeing a literal blend of fashion and art and Hahn's sweet illustrations blend seamlessly and organically with the model's poses. I even recognize some clothes by my favorite independent designers--like Toujours Toi's telephone print dress and It's Okay My Dear's lemonade pieces.

Herschel Supply Co Fall 2013

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Herschel Supply Company kills it again; juxtaposing pretty people with pretty landscapes and their bags with vibrant foliage. There's even an accompanying video in a misty location that makes me miss Washington State something awful and nearly convinces me to go camping with friends. As a brand, Herschel Supply Company really knows how to sell an image; their bags promise adventures into the Great Outdoors. With a brand built around functionality they've managed to showcase their bags in a way that both highlights their durability and sells a dream.

Levis Vintage A/W 2013

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Lookbooks are less and less about showcasing the clothing and more and more about evoking mood and escapism--the clothes will take you places. Levis achieved exactly that with their new vintage collection and equally retro lookbook. Taking a pleasant break from the currently hyped 90s styles and earlier 60s looks of mod and bouffants, Levis found inspiration in Detroit and the dawn of Motown. The looks are relaxed and soulful; the cookbook equal parts down-to-earth casual and rising stardom. via

Madewell Fall 2013

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If history has proven anything then the Internet will soon be inundated with images from the Madewell Fall 2013 lookbook. However you still don't know "the girl who wears this collection," now do you? In my mind, she's that slightly obnoxious friend who is always talking about how chic French women are and don't forget she spent a semester in Paris once and still likes to slip random words or phrases into daily conversation. Everything about her always seems a little too "contrived" to you; she traded her stilettos for Isabel Marant knock-off wedge sneakers shortly after they began to regularly appear on Garance Dore--not that she openly follows street fashion blogs, of course. But she does host an amazing bread and wine party and she always lets you borrow her clothes, so you mostly overlook her more obnoxious habits and buy her tongue-in-cheek-eiffel-tower-themed presents every time it's her birthday.

Orla Kiely Resort 2014

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Orla Kiely collections are nearly as much about the styling as the actual pieces. Yes the prints are pretty, but the shapes are classic and what really catches the eye are the retro pumps with ankle socks and school girl chic layering. Not a complaint at all since as minimalist I never get tired of their clean 60s inspired silhouettes--the s/s 2013 lookbook and accompanying video are a little older, but equally inspiring. Orla Kiely exists in a dreamy cotton candy colored world and let's face it, we all want in.

Candela S/S 2013

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Candela's spring/summer collection is full of romantic lace dresses destined for lingering evenings and bare toes buried in sand. The lookbook images evoke the legend of The Lady of Shalott floating towards Camelot and perishing before reaching her goal. Designer Gabriela Perezutti grew up on a ranch in Uruguay and her style draws on those equestrian and gaucho roots. Yet mixed with modern silhouettes and finished in soft, nearly blush-toned dresses everything this season reads Pre-Raphaelite heroine (to me at least)...
"Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
 Thro' the wave that runs for ever
 By the island in the river
 Flowing down to Camelot.
 Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
 Overlook a space of flowers,
 And the silent isle imbowers
 The Lady of Shalott."
*poem by Tennyson

My Body, My Temple

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Project 104 recently released their limited edition swimwear line with the theme "my body is my temple, but my temple likes getting trashed." The swimsuits are cleverly photographed against color-themed collections that look like teenage shrines to summer, candy, and kitsch. It's all stories within stories and pictures within pictures, as each suit features a print of a miniature shrine--a classic Coca-Cola bottle is framed with heart-shaped doilies and photographed against red like some Valentine's Day card to caffeine. As the name of the brand might allude: 104 is the maximum number that any print will be produced. I feel as if these lookbook images could sell as prints themselves and I'm excited to see what Project 104 will release next.