Pick your poison ladies

So when I asked the ladies to pick out their favorite leather jacket from our completely re-vamped 2012 Collection, only a few of them were eager to jump at modeling (everyone else was just a bit too shy).  But three lovely ladies had no problem picking out their favorite and enjoyed an impromptu photo shoot right here in our factory.

Our first model picked out a new number, a belted blazer / trench style jacket in a very unique textured leather. The cut alone would probably not call your attention but, the “washed” or “distressed” inspired leather called schevrette (a bit like corvette) is what really sets this jacket apart.  Available only in a deep dark brown, this jacket is a good fit for all sizes.  With a vintage inspired look, the antiqued brass colored buttons and belt buckle are a perfect match.

Now this young lady really got into the spirit, when I told her “take your pick” she must have understood take 4 picks – or maybe she really liked the idea of being online? Any way the first shot we have of her is in the ivory colored trench. Since everywhere you look this year it seams that trenches are just popping, we choose this one first (her other choices will be coming soon – and though she has a tendency to look good in whatever she tried on, I particularly liked the way she interprets the casual spy-look with the collar up – I bet she would look great in the cherry red color jacket but a lot less conspicuous !

Lastly, was my British colleague who went towards the more stylish cut, but of course she would.  Its a classic from last year which we tweaked a bit and brought it back due to its popularity, and you have to admit, it gives her a bit of an attitude! The model definitely accents an hour glass figure and is appropriate for all heights. You can button it to the top and leave it with a mandarin collar or open the top button for a pin down collar – either way is a great fit.  This jacket comes in a classic black or a what we call “vinaccia” in Italian – which literally means fermented grapes . . . translated = wine !!

Cocktails for Him and Her

I find it particularly fun to look back on my life and trace the twists and turns that bring us in contact with persons and opportunities.   Our guest blogger today is one of those winding roads that always makes me smile, and though we have never met face to face, I am quite pleased and proud to be sharing our blog space with this  special friend from LA.  I invite you to read her story, leave a comment and then visit her blog.  Brittany Sage lives in Los Angeles, Ca with her husband Wade.  She loves writing about her adventures with food, fashion and fun on Lipstickandleopardprint.com.
My husband, Wade and I met in 2004 while he was tending bar. The first thing he made me was a French 75. It was love at first sight for both! Since then there has been a resurgence of mixology amongst the foodie culture. Cocktails from yesteryear are being reinvented all the time. Here are our favorite cocktails and how we make them.

The French 75 has been around since 1915. This is the real deal old-school cocktail, with it’s namesake stemming from “the feeling of being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun”. In other words this drink will do the job. These days, however, this drink has survived the times and can be served among the classiest of the old school cocktails. Originally, it was made with powdered sugar but we like to use homemade simple syrup as a fun and delicious substitute. Here is a slightly modified way of recreating the original cocktail with a couple of twists that will definitely improve your end results.

Brittany’s French 75
2 ounces dry gin
1 teaspoon simple syrup (recipe 50/50 water and raw cane sugar)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
3 ounces sparkling french rose

In a cocktail shaker, shake the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice with ice vigorously. Strain into a martini or other long stemmed glass. Top with sparkling wine or champagne (if you are feeling decadent). Garnish with a fresh twist of lemon.

Simple Syrup
This is the easiest thing in the world to make. In a sauce pan, simply melt 1 part sugar with 1 part water. We like to use raw or turbinado sugar because it is rich and pure.

Use the wide end of a zester in a spiral motion to create the perfect lemon twist!

Wade’s Rye Manhattan
The key to making this drink is simply to use the right ingredients and to stir instead of shaking it. When you shake a Manhattan the vermouth tends to get foamy and change the flavor noticeably. Let the ingredients do the talking not the bartender! I like to use small batch rye whiskey because of its distinctive flavor characteristics. Also, choose a good bottle of rouge or sweat vermouth, such as Dolin. this can effect the flavor dramatically.

As a bartender, I would strongly advise using a good bitters and there are many. Good aromatic bitters tend to have a spicy quality, finishing with notes of clove. Try them all, they will last you a lifetime and can be used in many other creations. I also like to use a rye based bourbon because of it is full bodied and spicy. Perhaps, the most impressive impact you can make with this cocktail is the maraschino cherry.Try the real deal and you will be hooked! I always thought I hated maraschino cherries because of those unnaturally bright red things they try to pass off as edible in most bars. However, the imported (and more expensive) variety are well worth the investment. They have a dense texture and a refined flavor that you’ll never forget.

Rye Manhattan
4 ounces small batch bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes of bitters.
Can be stirred with a spoon and served on the rocks or strained into a martini glass. Garnish with real maraschino cherry!

Good ice is essential in making a great cocktail! Buy a silicone ice cube tray that actually produces ice in the shape of a cube. Experiment using different kinds of specialty water. Using good water for your ice makes a huge difference in the end result.

It’s not just what you wear, but how you wear it.

Here are three new hits for Fall Winter 2012.  I see that  its all about men in black leather, and I must say I am enjoying every angle of it.   We all know that black is a basic and that leather is a basic – and to put the two together is a winning combination.  I have seen hints of this every which way I look starting with , Dominic Louis who shows color mixed with the basic black, as well as side buckles at the waist.  Casual yet not too much.

Pierotucci leather pants are cut like Levi jeans with the double top stitching, back pockets and belt loops. These pants can be customized to fit your figure and … color if you would prefer to go gray or dark brown.

YSL uses leather throughout the entire Winter 2012 collection – and since I am a bit partial to leather you will find I am a bit partial to this look.  Very Elegant with the added accessories – vest, top coat and I love the shoes.

A Photographers version of the XII Valencia Fashion Week (VFW)

We are very happy to welcome our Guest Blogger: Print and Pattern, a blog that was born as a project to discuss everything related to art, focusing on fashion, cinema and photography. since we opened the site in September, we had a great reception and we are very grateful. We love so much photography so most of out photos are taken by us or at least edited by us to give them our personal touch. You can visit our site entering; printandpattern.wordpress.com or follow us on twitter; @Print_Pattern.

V F W

The XII Valencia Fashion Week (VFW), the more austere since her inauguration, has been held from 15 to 18 February. With a reduced budget of 200,000 euros, has drawn over 25,000 attendees, representing a record in this Winter edition of the famous runaway.

This has been ensured in a press communicate from the Fashion Week Association, who believe that this fact “confirms the positioning of the runway and endorsed as one of the most important platforms of spanish designers, specializing in presentations of local designers and emerging artist on the national scene “

The parade of Gabriel Segui opened on Wednesday the current edition with the assistance of eminent personalities from political, business and social, closed on Friday, by Higinio Mateu. Saturday, became the day of solidarity with four names as protagonists and the revenue from the sale of tickets to the benefit of NGOs. In total, 38 artists raised their collections to the whole runway.

The promoters of the event say that, “despite the institutional cuts, this issue is growing in the number of participating designers, collaborating firms and number of media, maintaining consolidated the event as one of the strongest alternative design has to to present their collections to national level. “

Thus, more than 25,000 participants have followed in the Agora (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias de Valencia) and the Off runway (celebrated in the Umbracle) the evolution of the parades, with incalculable people who have passed through the city. As for media, over 300 journalists were accredited.

Print and Pattern were there and actually saw and documented some of the parades, our favorite was Dragomir Krasimirov, a new designer, who presented a very minimal collection that showed that sometimes less is more. All the photos taken by us are form his catwalk.