Designer: Steven Gambrel

I LOVE this designer's work. I couldn't narrow the photos down any more than this. Each one is a treat. Enjoy!
Steven Gambrel established his New York-based design firm, S. R. Gambrel Incorporated, in 1995, only three years after earning an architecture degree at the University of Virginia. Whether he’s designing a polished uptown duplex, a rambling country house, or a weekend beach house, Steven serves the needs of each client with his passion for timeless, comfortable houses that improve with age.
Gambrel's apartment in Greenwich Village will appear in the January issue of House & Garden. I can't wait!

Holly Hunt

The creator of this international brand, Holly Hunt excels in the business of making designers look good. She has raised the bar for interior design and showroom presentation, inherently knowing that excellent design enhances ones life experience.
Growing up in West Texas, Hunt received her degree in Literature, clothing and textiles and went on to further explore her interest in fashion design with forays into retail management, buying, and jewelry design. In 1976 Hunt relocated to Chicago with her husband where she raised three sons and still currently resides.
Hunt made the transition to furniture in 1983 buying a small but high quality interior design showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart. She soon established a national reputation for having the most beautiful showroom, featuring the best of luxury designer collections, and for discovering emerging design talent. The company successfully markets a premier selection of furniture and textiles to the interior design trade.



It is scary how much this photo looks like our bedroom...I like ours better. Watch out Holly, I'm in the hunt! (get it? okay moving on)



Holly Hunt now owns and operates multi-line showrooms in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington DC, and Minneapolis. The Holly Hunt Collections of furniture and lighting, Great Plains Textiles, Hunt Leather & Beyond Borders rugs are also represented in other to-the-trade showrooms in Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Atlanta, Boston, Scottsdale, Toronto, Troy and Philadelphia.

The Holly Hunt brand continues to have a strong national and international presence and impact in the industry with a dedicated, best of class sensibility.

Jimmy Choo + H&M

This billboard in NYC sparked my interest...
H&M has just announced Jimmy Choo as their newest designer collaboration.The collection will include shoes, bags, accessories for both men and women, and a women’s clothing collection to complement the accessories. The limited edition collection will be available from November 14, 2009 in around 200 H&M stores across the world.
Tamara Mellon wearing Jimmy Choo for H&M
Photographer: Magnus Magnusson/H&M

“We are privileged to be among the fashion greats who have been affiliated with H&M so far, and to be designing a collection appealing to fashion savvy, street smart women, and to be including some great pieces for men, too. Jimmy Choo will bring to H&M a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection – the perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!” Tamara Mellon, Founder and President, Jimmy Choo.
Jimmy Choo for H&M shoes from the collection
Photographer: Magnus Magnusson
Tamara Mellon and model wearing Jimmy Choo for H&M
Photographer: Magnus Magnusson

Designer: Josie Natori

"The novelty of investment banking had begun to wear off," she says. "I just wasn't challenged anymore. I knew there must be something else."

Josie Natori is a Filipina fashion designer and the CEO and founder of The Natori Company.

Natori moved to the United States in 1964 to attend Manhattanville College. After graduating, she worked at Merrill Lynch, where she rose the ranks to become the first female Vice President in Investment Banking.

Much like my recent post about Kandinsky (who at the age of 30 left a successful career in law to pursue painting) Natori (also at the age of 30) made the move from Wall Street to fashion full-time.

Natori had considered a number of other entrepreneurial ventures from opening a McDonald's franchise, to reproducing antique furniture. She settled on fashion after a buyer at Bloomingdale's suggested she lengthen some peasant blouses sent to her from her native Philippines. The reworked garments were sold as nightshirts.

The Natori Company now sells lingerie, sleepwear, loungewear, and other high-end women's fashion to upscale department stores in the US, and to at least 15 countries internationally. In addition to women's clothing, the company is also in the home furnishings industry.

Hamlet + Jude Law

Last Friday we were fortunate enough to see Jude Law on Broadway in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Jude law was dynamite! Absolutely blew my expectations away. He commanded the stage like few performers I've ever seen. He was captivating.

I've seen a number of his Hollywood movies, most of which I've really enjoyed, but his acting talent does not translate to the screen nearly like it does on stage. He gave quite a performance.
The set was great, very minimal, but the slight changes from scene to scene really provided a nice backdrop.

I enjoyed the wardrobe (minus one character which I will reference shortly). The clothes seemed modern, but were classic styles in muted tones and could translate to a multitude of time periods. Think basics; pants, blazers, scarves, pocketed coats...plum, gray, charcoal, brown, black...think J.Crew.
As great as I felt all the clothes were, the one character's wardrobe I was least impressed with, Hamlet's mother. In the opening scene the Queen wore a beautiful long silk skirt and wrap blouse. Very glamorous, very queen-esque. However, the remainder of the performance they had her changing in and out of these Hillary Clinton looking pantsuits. Not impressive. Just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the actors' time transcending ensembles. The Queen in a blah pantsuit? Not even Katherine Hepburn could have pulled it off...and if anyone can pull off a pantsuit...well, you know.

Artist: Michelle Hinebrook

Michelle Hinebrook lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been internationally exhibited, commissioned, collected, published and reviewed. Michelle received her MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI and her BFA from the College for Creative Studies, Detriot MI.

Hinebrook makes her work using both traditional painting techniques and digital imaging technology. Her initial sketches, influenced by photography, geometry, gemstones, confections, nature, and architecture, are scanned and developed into computer generated images. The drawings are then translated onto a canvas surface. Grids, mesh and found objects are stacked in layers forming a sculptural relief. The relief is used as a temporary mask concealing sections of the canvas. As she paints, some areas are exposed while others are concealed by the mask. The process of masking creates an embossed texture on the canvas.