repurposed rings and canvas painting at Margiela

At Martin Margiela’s store old LP’s are cut to bits and sewn onto a dress, repurposed rings created a Paco Rabanne style top  and a prom dress made from an old canvas oil painting capture the trend of recycling waste into art/fashion. Margiela’s territory on the ground floor of the F factory is clearly delineated by extraordinary black and white images, which resemble newspaper pages and are plastered all over the walls and floor. When I tried to photograph one of the fabulous looking assistants I was politely asked to refrain. Oops, I forgot. Margiela is all about the team without his or any other face and he likes to be the anonymous one who throws the pebble in the pond and lets the interpretation of his work spread like ripples into the culture.

Margiela store at F factory

dress embellished with cut up LP's

Christian Louboutin

When the going gets tough the tough go shopping for Louboutin shoes. Sales are up over the last year at Louboutin, people still walk Christian Louboutin says from his deliciously delicate jewel box new store on 40th street in Miami’s Design District , and changes the subject away from any further talk of recession to beauty and making life prettier, especially the feet of the rich and famous. To me his shoes are foreign objects, like wigs or saris or wedding gowns. The heels are never less than 4″, probably average 6″, and I just don’t need that kind of extra height while stumbling, hitting my head and twisting my ankle. Anyway I doubt they come in a size 11 and I doubt that Louboutin sells to a lot of Dutch women, from the look of his store and his shoes he’s into delicate, petite and delicate. Like women who wiggle rather than wobble, women who tiptoe rather than run, women who put their feet up rather than down….

well heeled

prayer wall of Louboutins

Duncan Quinn and 007

Duncan Quinn

Duncan Quinn has the dirty dandy look down and now he has created a panty dropper lifestyle pad to go with his collection of cool guy stuff that runs from bespoke tailoring to ready-to-wear, shirts, cufflinks, ties, socks to daredevil helmets. The pad, in the middle of the Miami design district, is in a building owned by his buddy, Miami design guru, Craig Robins, has two floors and feels like an English country manor where the bachelor squire has parked his antique Maserati as well as a collection of antique motor bikes in the grand hall. This squire is badass since his perfectly tailored grey worsted suit is casually draped over a white T-shirt that features dear queen Elizabeth named REDDY, and he surrounds himself with black and white prints of racing dudes James Hunt, Jackie Stuart, Jacky X and of course James Bond. Duncan Quinn’s irreverent nostalgia for the days when guys were real guys who smoked, drank, chased girls, drove fast cars and to hell with political correctness is refreshing and no doubt will be wildly popular here in Miami…..

Quinn suit and Tee