Design Gem: Jacob Albee Meteorite Collection

Last week, I was holiday shopping around downtown Frederick and ducked into McGuire Gallery. There I found jewelry made by Jacob Albee from precious metals and Gideon meteorite. The sleek, polished lines interspersed with the striations of raw meteorite captivated me.

The earrings are especially innovative. The meteorite is sliced into fan shapes, then attached to loops of gold. One end of the loop hinges outward so that it can be worn as a hoop earring.

This collection is titled "Heaven and Earth." Most apropos.

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Guerlain Shine Automatique in Lou-Ling 760

Perfect timing. Just as I was complaining that the season would no longer allow me to wear my summer color, Chanel Rouge Allure Belgravia, along comes the winter version of this shade in the form of Guerlain Lou-Ling (760) Shine Automatique.

Lou-Ling is a stunning fuchsia-raspberry with sparkles. I defy you not to smile when you see this shade on your lips.

This is definitely a holiday party shade: the sparkles are chunky and highly visible. Since this is Guerlain, however, you look elegant rather than a teenybopper.

Lou-Ling appears much darker in the tube than it does on the lips. I was expecting a vampish color, and discovered instead a semi-sheer wash that requires more than a few passes to build up. The result is so alluring, however, that I must forgive Lou-Ling's false advertising.

Unique and beautiful, Guerlain Lou-Ling is the perfect unexpected antidote to the winter blues.

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Design Gem: 3.1 Phillip Lim Wool, Leather, and Sheer

Wool and sheer sound like they oughtn't go together, but Phillip Lim marries them in one flawless outfit from his A/W 2012 collection.

The layers are tantalizing: asymmetric chunky wool sweater, leather miniskirt, and sheer ankle pants. The combination makes you look twice, then covet the whole ensemble.

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Sunday's Mask: Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant

Diane von Furstenberg is one of my heroines. At 65 years old, she eschews plastic surgery yet is confident enough to pose for one of Chuck Close's Polaroid portraits -- bare-faced. Her anti-aging weapon? Tracie Martyn skincare. I had decided to start my exploration of this line with Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant.

Behind this little jar is a lot of Holy Grail hype: Powerful Enzymes, Botanical Skin Lighteners and balanced fruit acids combine in a synergistic formula aimed at gently, yet efficiently resurfacing the skin: softening fine lines and wrinkles, minimizing large pores and safely lightening the complexion. This unique facial treatment while deeply cleansing and exfoliating, actually calms the skin, reducing redness and sensitivity. And so forth.

At $90, it better do all that. I ordered mine from Beautyhabit, and was nonplussed to receive a tiny box containing a small jar. For the price, I was expecting more product. After three uses, however, I can say I would dearly pay every penny for a second jar.

The Enzyme Exfoliant is a thick cream with abrasive flakes embedded. The scent is strong and unique: an aquatic accord of minty algae. I find it uplifting and soothing. I scoop out a tablespoonful and rub it in circular motions onto my damp face. (The damper my skin is, the better the exfoliant seems to work.) Then I leave the mask on for about ten minutes and relax. During this time, the cream dries just like a clay mask, but I never get that tight or dry feeling. Instead, there is a powerful cooling sensation. I rinse off with tepid water, and the mask comes off easily.

My skin is left incredibly smooth and plump. As promised, there is absolutely no redness; if anything, I look fairer. My skin feels soft and tender, but also protected. The following serum and moisturizer glide on and absorb beautifully. The enzyme exfoliant transforms my face into a perfect, glowing slate. I use this as a nighttime mask because that's when I have the time, but this would be an amazing morning pick-me-up. And imagine applying this before a holiday party.

The ingredient list is all natural and chock full of good acids: aqua (purified water), pineapple enzymes, glycerin, caprilic/capric triglycerides, diatomaceous earth, cetyl octanoate, kaolin, kojic acid dipalmitate gallic acid, squalane, albumin, silicone dioxide, titanium dioxide, salicylic acid, malic acid hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract, gamma aminobutyric acid (gaba), menthol lactic acid. D-alpha tocopherol (vitamin e), jasmine extract, xantham gum, mexican tea extract, algae extract, azulene, vitamin c ester, amla extract, blend of natural essential oils.

Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant is indeed a Holy Grail exfoliator, for it does so much more besides exfoliate. I shouldn't use "exfoliate" three times in a sentence.

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BROOD Retrospective

The sky outside my window is an ominous colorless blank. A gray-white that has been leached of all dimenson. Hurricane Sandy is coming, and God help you if you don't have a flashlight and bottled water. As long as the East Coast is hunkered down for the impact, I'm going to make the most of my working Internet connection and share fashion photos.

I first read about BROOD, the new line by up and coming German designer Serkan Sarier, in a tiny magazine column two years ago. Since then, Sarier's utilitarian-silk designs have exploded onto the fashion landscape. His clothes have an elegant-aggressive edge to them, and are interesting from every angle. As chronologically presented by myself:

(Click on the photos to enlarge the detail.)

S/S 2011: Velvet-toned fabrics with a gritty feel, crumpled and twisted into wearable sculptures.

A/W 2011: A tough aristocratic refinement infuses rich brocade-like silks that have been draped, folded, and braided into surprising yet sensible shapes.  

S/S 2012: Vivid purple and orange bleed shibori-like onto a clean white palette, in an asymmetric explosion of sheers, ruchings, and drawstrings. (And the last two are among my most hated fashion elements!) 

 

 

A/W 2012: Here I felt the young designer stumbled, as he made his first venture into prints. Half of the looks could have come out of a Helmut Lang collection, and the whole vision felt scattered. Most compelling were the gold lame pieces. 

 

  

S/S 2013: Sarier seems to have finally broken free of his ruchings and drawstrings to create a vibrant collection of almost psychedelic flower prints, bound in demure-naughty silhouettes inspired by the housewife apron.

 

 

And the craftsmanship is stunning. Just look at this flower print jacket. Alas, the prices do reflect the work that goes into the pieces.

 

 

Part of fashion's appeal is change and evolution, and BROOD's development is one to watch and enjoy.

 

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Design Gem: Alaia Gray Suede Platform Ankle Boots

Ooh, what a lovely tall drink of milk.

These Alaia suede platform ankle boots are especially perfect in profile.

And they add a whole 6.5 inches to your height.

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