Hunted

Tucked away in a literal sliver of a store front on Divisadero Street, in San Francisco, is a mysteriously intriguing new accessories shop called Hunted. Apparently they'd been open for only a few days when I paid a visit. I walked inside where a single shelf on the right side of the boutique was draped with hypnotizing antique jewelry, pocket books, hand bags, and other collected ephemera. Hunted is a brilliantly simple one stop outpost of elegant jewelry absolutely well worth a visit. 843 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94117  www.huntedsf.com

Retrofit: Ferragamo Creations

The house of Salvatore Ferragamo, famous for their shoes, is bringing back some of their amazing past creations, including the above rainbow and gold sandals, designed for Judy Garland in 1938. “Ferragamo’s Creations” is an exclusive collection of limited, numbered pieces from the Ferragamo Museum’s historic shoes and the brand’s iconic bags. You can buy the above shoe here.

Luxury: Year of the Rabbit Tee

"Nestled in San Francisco's historic Jackson Square neighborhood, Carrots occupies the storied former space of Ernie's restaurant, a San Francisco landmark featured in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, which closed its doors in 1999. The 4,000 square foot luxury emporium is home to a carefully-curated selection of women's ready-to-wear, shoes and accesories....The stores name, 'Carrots,' is a wink and a nod to Grimmway Farms, the Grimm family business, which is the worlds largest grower...and shipper of carrots." Now in their third year, officially the Year of the Rabbit, Carrots' presents this  kitschy-cool exclusive t-shirt designed by Oliver Maxwell Kupper.  Only 15 tees are available.  www.sfcarrots.com

Totally Bananas: The Footwear Creations of Kobi Levi

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Kobi Levi's heels are "wearable sculptures" that verge on fetishistic with an ironic, seemingly dadaist, wit. If Roger Vivier, 20th century French fashion designer credited with revolutionizing the stiletto heel, is considered the "Fragonard of the shoe," than you might call Kobi Levi the the "R. Mutt of the shoe." R. Mutt is of course the name signed on Dada artist Marcel Duchamp's iconic and ridiculous 1917 ready-made sculpture entitled "the fountain" - which was simply a found urinal. Is it genius or asinine? Levi, like Duchamp, is certainly making a statement. Levi's pieces are "...humoristic with a unique point of view about footwear." Throughout the history of civilization, women's fashion has taken turns as bondage and liberation.  Levi's constructions might be both, or the handiwork work of a batty sculptor with a foot fetish.  From semi-blatant sexual innuendo to slingshots to banana peels, Levi's shoes are cartoonish, bombastic, and in their magical kitschyness there is a beautiful complex brilliance which makes them insanely cool. www.kobilevidesign.blogspot.com

COVHERlab "PIECES" ss 2011

New Covherlab collection by designer Marco Grisolia." From the press release: "Sartorial ties and embraces, open, allowed to decant with hems kept raw and an obsessive succession of paneled sections declined in different chromatic solutions, in various weights, textures and rigidity that doubling the main piece with gauze, georgette, micro net and chiffon, opaque it with glaze and, thanks to the superficial cut outs, build a silent dialogue of “chiaroscuro” and layered geometries.

Exotic Regrets by Aoi Kotsuhiroi

I received an image over the weekend of the fascinating first chapter of sartorial sculptor, poet, and conjurer Aoi Kotsuhiroi's new collection entitled Exotic Regrets. As in past collections, Kotsuhiroi, based in the South of France, releases imagery of her new collections in chapter's to express gravity and anticipation. www.aoikotsuhiroi.com