Karlie Kloss just being her usual cute self around New York! Guy Aroch has the ability to romantically bathe everything he shoots in soft, warm, sunshine – the perfect choice for a Free People catalogue. Craving a pretzel (and a scoop back breton striped top) so badly right now.
Learning to surf is hard. There’s reading the waves, respecting the line-up and not freaking out when a big set rolls in. But the biggest challenge of all, is finding gear that’s not just functional but fashionable too. Call me superficial, but I don’t want to hit the beach wearing some generic ensemble that clashes with my board. So you can imagine my delight when I came across a super cool range of women’s wetsuits by Byron Bay-based label Tallow.
Named after one of the local beaches, Tallow is created by Ali Mandalis and Shannon Clynes who along with swimwear, apparel and accessories, make some of the most stylish wetsuits around. Worn by Elle Macpherson and Lara Bingle, these babies are slick, sexy and a little bit edgy. Sounds like its time to suit up ladies.
I stumbled upon ToniMay mid 2011 and thought her jewels were just magnetic. Each collection we feature a special talent in our campaigns and The Romantic (shot in Miami) was dominated by ToniMay.
*If you’re looking for the give away head on over to Facebook, LIKE our page and look for the giveaway details. (terms and conditions are below)
Laura Byrne (owner and founder) took some time out to answer a few questions for us.
Tell us about your label and why jewellery?
My label, ToniMay, was born from two things, my love of accessories and creative boredom, a little less than two years ago. At the time I was working as a Graphic Designer and was restless with the 9-5 grind. My mother is a trained silversmith and despite having no formal training in Jewellery design myself, it is a world that I have been immersed in since I was a teenager, so it was a very natural progression for me.
ToniMay is unique in that each and every single design is meticulously handmade. I love the feel of handmade jewellery. Each piece offers a story that you can’t replicate with manufactured products.
There is something very intimate about jewellery, unlike clothing you can wear the same piece of jewellery everyday and never take it off. I have this romantic idea that it becomes a part of you, a part of your identity.
Describe your own style…..
I would say my day – to – day style is “relaxed� as much by inclination as by necessity. I work long hours so I have the whole “I just threw this together� look down pat.
I’m an inveterate wearer of basic colours, but am an absolute sucker for beautiful and intricate detailing such as lace, leather and beading.
Tell us about your latest collection. What’s your inspiration?
My latest collection is called DAWN.
I thought the name dawn was fitting as it is the beginning of something new, a new day, and new opportunities. It also gives connotations to rebirth and awakening.
DAWN is a beautiful mixture of rutilated quartz crystals, semi precious stones, creamy leathers, exotic feathers, suspended in sterling silver and oxidized brass.
I take inspiration from everything I see; even when I’m not consciously designing my mind wanders. The materials that I am working with were a big driver for me with this range. It is very raw and organic, so I wanted to highlight the intricacies of the natural materials. There is also a quirky side to the range which plays with colour and contrast.
What’s your favourite piece?
Favourite? But I love all of them.
If I had to choose my one favourite piece, I honestly couldn’t, but if I was to choose my staple piece that’s easy. My staple is my sterling silver I keep Secret Pendants. It’s beautifully simplistic and I love that no two pendants are the same.
Where do you stand on over accessorizing?
If you can feel pins and needles in your hand, you should probably take off a few bangles. But if not, you’re set.
People often push the boundaries with clothis, but you don’t see that so much with accessories. I think it’s wonderful when I see girls being experimental and bold with their accessories.
What is next for ToniMay?
There are so many good things happening right now, it’s hard to not live blissfully in the moment.
Being a new label the options and possibilities are wide open for ToniMay. But that said I always have one eye on the present and the other looking forward and 2012 is the year to hit the ground running!
I am already working on new pieces for release in 2012, which is the next piece of the pie. But ultimately I want to continue to challenge myself and my designs, creating beautiful pieces that you can’t help but fall in love with.
Toni May Give Away Details
To enter you must correctly identify 3 Names of prints in our current Romantic Collection by leaving the names in the comment section of the giveaway post in Facebook. Entrants MUST also ‘LIKE’ the post on Facebook.
We will have a 3rd party choose 5 people at random to win pieces from ToniMay’s 2011 Range.
Winners will be notified in facebook on Tuesday 28th Feb fia Facebook Message and are encouraged to check back on our page then to see if you’ve won.
Prizes are distributed to the winners at our discretion and all decisions are final.
Any faults or warranty claims must be taken up directly with Toni May Jewellry.
My vocabulary, unfortunately, does not contain enough words to express how I feel about Salvatore Ferragamo’s SS12 collection.
The steamy, sultry jungle prints in vivid fushia, berry, tomato and blue show why designer Massimiliano Giornetti has his place with this fashion house.
Take some time to savour this collection. It’s pure brilliance.
When the sun finally makes its return to Sydney, we know what we’ll be wearing. Aussie eyewear brand Sunday Somewhere may have only just launched, but we’ve already got them on our Christmas list. Started by Dave Allison (COLAB eyewear) and Carlos Aviles (AM eyewear), the range features sunglasses and optical frames that focus on detail, quality, simplicity and originality.
What we like best about Sunday Somewhere is that they’re not influenced by trends. Their aesthetic draws on both the past and future to create a unique collection of eyewear that ranges from vintage to modern. And within these styles are some of the best round sunnies around. So check out their debut collection and get ready for one hell of a summer.
Read more articles by This Island Life.
Take a vintage ice-cream van, load it with hot sunglasses, vanilla soft serve, a ridiculously good looking crew and a sprinkling of nuts, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a road trip. OPSM have kick-started summer with their Sunshine Tour and we’re excited to have been invited along for the ride.
The first stop on the tour was Cronulla Beach and we headed down to help style the locals and check out the summer collection. Now if there’s one thing we love more than ice cream, it’s sunglasses. So we skipped the queue (and unfortunately the cute guy serving it) to get fitted in some of the hottest sunnies around by brands like Burberry, Ray-Ban, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Prada and Tiffany. We usually go for a classic aviator or wayfarer style, but there were quite a few glamorous frames that had us ready to work it for the super cool photographers that were on hand to capture the locals in their new shades.
We’re not usually into labels that tell us that they’re designed to be worn “at the most exclusive beaches and hotspots of the summer, but Myo are based in Como, Italy so we’ll excuse them. Started earlier this year by brothers David and William Fattal, Myo is a new luxury brand of men’s resort wear that wouldn’t look out of place on Jude Law’s character in The Talented Mr Ripley.
These shorts are made for guys who don’t just wear boat shoes because they’re cool and hipster. They’re made for guys who wear boat shoes because at any given time they might be on a boat and goddamn it those decks can be slippery.
It’s nice to know that we’re not the only ones with a warm-weather obsession. Based out of the hottest continent on the planet, African label Lalesso share our ethos for an endless summer and after discovering their current collection, it looks like they’ve found it.
Started two years ago by Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser after an inspiring holiday to Lamu Island off the north coast of Kenya, Lalesso use soft flowing fabrics to create pieces that can withstand the heat. Vibrant prints adorn playsuits, maxi-dresses, kaftans, short-shorts, loose skirts, high-waisted pants and mini-dresses; making it easy to see why Lalesso are quickly gaining a reputation for their summer only collections.
Dane Renyolds is the best surfer in the world. He hasn’t won world titles, he hasn’t won comps and he doesn’t care. He has raw natural talent and creativity when it comes to surfing. No one can touch him.
This creativity translates to other parts of his life. He is a free-thinking, lateral, creatively minded individual, writing a brilliant blog called Marine Layer Productions – complete with hipstamatic styled vids of surfing, lifestyle and general crazy shit. An offshoot of his hugely successful blog is his online clothing store called Summer Teeth.
Every girl needs a few things in her possession. A little black dress, a pair of killer heels, a gorgeous swimsuit and a piece (or ten) of jewellery from Aussie designer ELKE.
A great friend of ours, we’ve loved her quirky-cool style for a while now because it’s just the right blend of ladylike glamour and effortless cool.
Our Vintage shoot includes more than a few ELKE pieces that we absolutely adore and have a sneaky suspicion that you will too.
We are especially loving her Forminiferna Earrings in Larvae from the first photo. They are insanely easy to wear with anything in your closet. Lets be honest, who doesn’t need beautiful drop earrings going into summer!?
Head over to her facebook and website for some more gorgeous jewwellery that you’ll absolutely fall in love with. Continue reading