After a flop at Tiffany & Co., Irene Kim searches out distinctive jewellery gift ideas for the women in your life.
By Irene Kim
Toronto Canada
Have you ever wondered what happened to the very first Birkin bag? The iconic piece is now owned by Catherine B., the passionate and opinionated proprietor of two unassuming St. Germain shops named Les Trois Marches de Catherine B. Inside each store lies a treasure trove of vintage Chanel and Hermès dating back to the 1930s.
Being an editor of a fashion and design magazine, it may not surprise you that I love to shop: for food, for furniture, but above all, for the love of fashion. So it pains me that the more I visit my homeland of South Korea, the less I desire to shop there. But a new report released by McKinsey has given me hope. Here's why I'm looking forward to a more diverse fashion experience for my next visit to Seoul.
The 13-year collaboration between Irving Penn and Issey Miyake was no ordinary collaboration. A new exhibition unveiled at Tokyo's 21_21 Design Sight gallery explores their unique 'visual dialogue'.
On September 1, 2011, Design Seoul was awarded the INDEX: Design to Improve Life award in the Community category for being the "first ever coherent design-based approach to improve life for citizens in a very large city". But, given the recent resignation of its champion, the former mayor of Seoul, the future of Design Seoul is uncertain.
SEOUL - In a sea of trends, Haydee's timeless outfit was a stand-out.
SEOUL - SJ, Jason and Yuji each bring their unique take on the flooded trouser.
ISTANBUL - One afternoon while shopping in Aritzia to find a pair of trousers, I was gobsmacked by a tsunami of early 80s new wave nostalgia. Bursa, a university English instructor, was wandering around Istiklal Street in Taksim recently, but from my eyes, she channeled the new wave energy that I felt in Aritzia that day.
As 2012 comes to an end, we pick our favourite Design articles of the year.
Our first weekly installment of The Genteel Week Ahead. The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada in conversation; Into the diaries of famous and not-so-famous New Yorkers; Bloomingdale's coming to Canada?; Hal Rubenstein on the civilized male + more.
As 2012 comes to an end, we pick our favourite Society stories of the year.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Ivy Style on display at FIT; Chim↑Pom's first solo show; Grace Coddington memoir; Diana Vreeland film opens; the grey best-dressed list; London Design Week highlights, and more.
PARIS - What is the basic-to-statement piece ratio of your closet? What about for Anna Dello Russo?
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Hermes' new ties in Seattle; Cartier and Jean-Paul Gaultier in Madrid; Britain's brightest go to Hong Kong; the future of fashion-tech startups; and plus-size models draw snickers in Toronto.
PARIS - In a sea of black, Aya McMillan was a bright light at the Dévastée show during Paris Fashion Week.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Marina Abramovic is present; BBC Four's documentary lover's dream; Anna Wintour raises funds for Barack Obama; the 220 best design hotels; (H&M x Maison Martin Margiela) + (Topshop x JW Anderson) = a collaborative fall 2012.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Hollywood costumes at V&A; Eco Fashion Week in Vancouver; a 1973 runway dance-off in Versailles; Soviet modernist architecture; fashion and Impressionism, and more.
PARIS - At the Cacharel A/W 2012 show at Paris Fashion Week, I met statuesque model-turned-photographer, Candice Lake, camera in hand, shooting for British Vogue.
As 2012 comes to an end, we pick our favourite Best Kept Secrets of the year.
PARIS - I caught up with Russian model, Katja, after the Issey Miyake A/W 2012 show during Paris Fashion Week.
PARIS - At first glance, this pair is truly an Odd Couple.
PARIS - Is this individual intentionally being ambiguous about traditional gender markers? What do you think?
PARIS - It seems as though Mother Nature doesn't want us to put away our umbrellas quite yet...
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Robert Mapplethorpe in Los Angeles; 50 Years of James Bond in Toronto; Decoded Fashion in London; interviews with Sarah Burton and Dries Van Noten; reinventing Parisian chic, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Venice Film Festival; a tutu auction in Toronto; outdoor opera in NYC; $10,000 RTW dresses; SAMARA (from the makers of BARAKA) opens this weekend, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Fashion's Night Out in various cities; kicking off TIFF; a book about the most original design hotels; the fashionable style of Alfred Hitchcock; missed fashion statement opportunities at the London 2012 Olympics, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. British Fashion Awards; the Civilized Years; Valentino opens in London; the case against fast fashion; A.P.C. expanding in America; an interview with Rei Kawakubo.
PARIS - Whether in cut, print or fabric, pyjama-inspired looks began to emerge on runways in S/S 2011. Ryo Mazawa embraces the PJ trend.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Rad Hourani and Swedish fashion at Museum at FIT; the couturiers of HM Queen Elizabeth II; a British love affair with Marilyn Monroe; Christian Dior's biography; behind the Balenciaga split, and more.
As 2012 comes to an end, we pick our favourite Culture stories of the year.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Stunning Seoul architecture; Scandinavian design identity crisis; 30 years of Japanese fashion; an upcoming Alexander McQueen book; judging a book by its cover, and more.
As 2012 comes to an end, we pick our favourite Business articles of the year.
Valentine's Day is around the corner, and we've rounded up our favourite gift ideas. From lobster pocket squares and nude backgammon boards to ribbon rings and bubbly, The Genteel Gift Guide will be sure to inspire. But always remember, when it comes to giving, it's the thought that counts!
PARIS - If you could make your dream pair of shoes, what would they look like? Dream big like style blogger, Susie Lau. Susie was seen around Paris Fashion Week in a pair of shoes she designed in collaboration with SIX London.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. MoMA parties in the garden; pop-art guru Roy Lichtenstein; strolling London's museums after-hours; an upcoming film about Federico Fellini; and a Diana Vreeland film opens today.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Berlin design festival; FASHIONCLASH Maastricht; Hermès tries to fend off LVMH; matching body shapes to decades; and Cambodian sweatshop workers on strike.
PARIS - A The Genteel favourite - Angelo Flaccavento at Paris Fashion Week.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Mario Testino is In Your Face in Boston; according to Ai Wei Wei; fashion in Impressionism; Toronto & Seoul fashion weeks; two Alexander McQueen books, and more.
In many parts of the world, spring is being a capricious lady, but we're confident she'll make an appearance for good ... soon. From summertime basics to warm nights on the town, we've rounded up the 16 dresses of spring that are on our shopping list.
PARIS - Fil had just arrived to Paris Fashion Week from Chengdu, China when I met her outside the Westin for the Barbara Bui show.
PARIS - Michelle Harper or Lady Gaga - who came first?
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. The Clock in Toronto; the NY Art Book Fair; Frock Me! vintage in London; Picasso Black and White; the 10 best saunas; West Coast architecture, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Herb Ritts: L.A. Style; two festivals in Edinburgh; France's new women ministers are making sartorial statements; YOOX + PPR; Eames on film, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. The Barbican's simulated Rain Room; Alexa Chung's new style guide; Frank Gehry's vision for Toronto's Entertainment District; a wake-up call to YSL; and fashion weeks in Los Angeles, Kiev, Tokyo and Istanbul.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Art and black Los Angeles; shit London signage; two centuries of European fashion; Stephen Fry seeks out Richard Wagner; Greenpeace on toxic threads; top 25 art moments of 2012, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Fifty years of James Bond style; Louis Vuitton teaches you how to pack; Project PopUp NYC; the first ever Berlin Fashion Film Festival; and Dolce & Gabbana launches a couture line.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Veils for fall; prom photographs; Chanel at the end of the earth; and Protestants and Catholics share a church.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. The dresses of Frida Kahlo; Danish Design in New York; Ansel Adams and Cartier-Bresson; Anna Karenina opens; baroque in fashion and interiors, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Back-to-back Scandinavian fashion weeks; the untold story of India's fashion industry; from style blogging to multiple revenue streams; Joan Juliet Buck on being duped; and more.
In many parts of the world, spring is being a capricious lady, but we're confident she'll make an appearance for good ... soon. We've scoured the World Wide Web so that you won't have to. Walk your way into spring with these 22 hand-picked shoes for spring.
Our favourite looks of 2012 from streets across the world.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Fashion and technology at FIT; unexpectedly pleasurable contemporary jewellery; the history of blue jeans; Kama sex and design; Louis Vuitton updated; rumours of Alexander Wang at Balenciaga, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. Faking it and the myth of "the camera never lies"; how the French invented love; Chanel shows in Scotland; the most recognised brands of 2012, and more.
As 2012 comes to an end, we pick our favourite Commentary pieces of the year.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. New York Fashion Week welcomes Katie Holmes as a newcomer designer; Anna Karenina plays at TIFF, and our interview with award-winning costumer designer, Jacqueline Durran; A brown paper bag turns luxury at $290, and more.
The Genteel editors on what we're seeing, doing, reading and anticipating for the week ahead. A handbag museum in Seoul; how to make a Japanese house; a glimpse at Edwardian street style; a new Carine Roitfeld documentary; and Nordstrom comes to Canada.
Since launching her eponymous line during the A/W 2012 season, recognition and praise have come swiftly for Vancouver-born, London-based fashion designer, Edeline Lee. Irene Kim chats with Lee about a journey full of fits and starts and the sweetness of arriving.
NEW YORK - Max Ekman, CEO of Finnish design company, Visionary Design Partners Helsinki Inc.
The Genteel is committed to delivering quality journalism, unearthing the forces shaping international fashion and design, through the lens of business, culture, society, best kept secrets and street style. As multi-dimensional and stimulating as its readers, The Genteel is the inspired destination where informed readers converge with in-depth fashion and design coverage.
A worldwide collective of contributors currently form The Genteel. On a daily basis our team dispatches thought-provoking and insightful articles from the streets of Oslo, Toronto, Beirut, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Seoul and beyond.
