In the southern hemisphere summer days of picnics & evening soirees are pending. Plan  your parties well, use SpudWare Cutlery to impress your next  party guests! Made from 80% potato starch and 20% soy oil, these spoons, forks and knives are washable and reusable, just as strong as plasticware and so much more designer. They also biodegrade in just six months! Buy on line - A pack of 50 of each utensil costs just $US20.

source:trendcentral

 We at Style Clinicby AstinBrown receive copious pleas from acquaintances  asking our staff  ’where to go shopping’…’where to eat’…’where to say’…and ‘what to do - on & off the tourist radar’. Of course we don’t mind sharing our city finds, but the truth - coming up with specifics to suit every (non paying) ‘friend’ is oh- so dull!

Of late the itinerary requests have been for Paris …mmm was it because of the Rugby World Cup? 

In future when it comes to Paris, Lyon, Nice, Strasbourg attractions…we’ll be suggesting A France Attractions. A no-nonsense directory of French cities and provincal towns listing and factually describing each attraction. Beyond the listing you will notice the attractions are pegged to maps. A priceless holiday planning tool from luxurious shopping in the 8th arrondissemont, to discoveries that will get you under the skin of Paris. An excellent source of information with over 4,200 listed attractions in France.

Should you be travelling beyond France and into her neighbours the directory is replicated in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK.  Paul Johnson is the creator of yet another iconic travel product.

Follow the links to pin-point your favourite luxury boutiques:

Cartier              http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/cartier.htm
Chanel              http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/chanel-boutique.htm
Christian Dior http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/christian-dior-couture.htm
Givenchy          http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/givenchy.htm
Hermes            http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/herms.htm
Lancel              http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/lancme.htm
Louis Vuitton http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/louis-vuitton-boutique.htm
YSL                   http://www.afranceattraction.com/france-attractions-mp/yves-saint-laurent.htm

Last week’s LA Fashion Week began with a bang downtown at the newly restored St. Vibiana Cathedral. Box Eight produced some of LA’s premiere designers, Louis Verdad and Eduardo Lucero, who showed at this unique and glamorous venue. Smashbox followed up with the show stopping antics expected of them as seen at Jeremy Scott, Heatherette and Petra Zillia, to name just a few. Here’s a looks at a few of the runway trends you can expect to see next Spring:

GO GREEN: Mother Nature wasn’t only a focus for the shows’ organizers, but also weighed heavily on the minds of many designers. Randolph Duke made a splashing return to the LA runway with what he named “Glamorganic”. The flora and fauna of Duke’s California home inspired fern and palm motifs on silk and sheer tulle evening gowns. The Ecoganik show made eco-design sexy and comfortable; delicately styled, the models seemed to glide from bed to runway in soft organic knits from cotton, hemp and silk. Taking the global message out of the Studios and onto Robertson, Linda Loudermilk went over the top with her show at the Helios House, BP’s eco-friendly gas station. Her sleek trench coat for men and women was updated with surprising, yet smart, solar panels. For the conscious girlie-girl, mini “trash” prints splattered across sustainable silk dresses in loose silhouettes were spot-on.

WAIST-ED: The waist definition trend is staying on top for Spring 2008. Louis Verdad showed a collection of slimming silhouettes highlighting womanly curves, and if Nicky Hilton’s Chick collection is any indication, California girls will be adding skinny black or white patent leather belts to their wardrobes. Keeping things hiked-up, LA label (and longtime high waisttrendsetter) Grey Ant featured wide leg trousers for women in a fresh camel shade.

BE BOLD: Beautiful, bold color stories shot through many collections. Dina Bar-el’s emerald, eggplant and Venetian blue satin charmeuse and sequined dresses are sure to be seen at the hottest Hollywood cocktail parties and dinner dates next spring. Marissa Ribisi and Sophia Banks’ Whitley Kros collection consisted of a playful palette of color blocked candy pink, royal blue and turquoise, and Sue Wong showed a citrus-toned psychedelic kaleidoscope of colors, inspired by everything from modern art to African art, in the form of silk chiffon and charmeuse flowing evening gowns and skimpy dresses.

SOFTER SIDE: Contrary to the presence of bold color combinations, paler shades and soft pastels made a strong appearance for the spring season. Oligo Tissew highlighted bleached skinny denim with barely there shades of tangerine and yellow, and subtle periwinkle created beautiful updates for feminine twill suiting in jackets and wide leg pants. Through a mixture of textures and fabrics, Samora took a gentle inspiration from a Grecian goddess; soft layers of gold, rust and sand flounced together while a shot of tea rose cotton eyelet aroused the senses.

Source: TrendCentral
 

Four Seasons Ocean Residences: Combining high end travel, luxury accommodations, and the ultimate in customer service, Four Seasons has created a truly unique model of mobile real estate. For the past few weeks, they’ve been hitting global hot spots around the world, hosting private launch events to introduce their luxury “houseboats”, Four Seasons Ocean Residences. This fancy floating highrise is stacked with 112 one- to four- bedroom units. Ranging from the “bargain” price of $3.8 million to a hefty $39 million, with ownership based on a fifty year leasehold, residents will spend over 250 days sailing the globe. A travel itinerary including Reykjavik, Sydney, Monte Carlo, the 2012 London Olympics and Carnival in Rio promises a trip residents won’t ever forget. Although the move-in date isn’t until 2010, those who don’t act fast on this might find their ship has sailed.

Designer Space Travel: Jetting into space in style will soon be a reality. All you need is a few hundred thousand dollars and an adventurous spirit. Located in the deserts of New Mexico, Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport is set to be finished sometime in 2009. Philippe Starck took the lead in design, putting his stamp on everything from the logo to the spacesuits to the ship’s decor. If Starck doesn’t suit your taste, and you’re willing to wait a few more years, 2012 will see the estimated launch of Astrium. The design of this leisure spacecraft was led by Mark Newson. The message is clear—if you’re going to drop serious cash, you might as well travel in style.

Source:trendcentral

Good design isn’t a bonus for consumers anymore—it’s an expectation. Whether it’s a product or online experience, good design is crucial for point of entry now. Marketing certainly helps, but design can go a long way too. These are a few of the names in the design world that you should know:

Yves Béhar: Founder of award winning San Francisco design firm fuseproject, Béhar is one of the most sought after designers today. Most recently in the press for his XO-1 computer (e.g. the $100 laptop) created for the One Laptop per Child project, his work extends from Birkenstock’s modernization and Aliph’s best-selling Jawbone headset to Mini lifestyle products and condoms for the City of New York’s Department of Health safe sex initiative.

Dror Benshetrit: The New York designer not only has big name clients such as Levi’s and Puma, but he also developed Skins Footwear’s two-part shoe system that includes a “bone” and “skin”.

Joshua Davis: Also based in NYC, when he’s not working on his own art projects, this digital artist works on commissions for brands such as Nike, Nokia, BMW and Motorola. One of his most recent works is an online kaleidoscope for Motorola’s Motokrzr that users can customize and use as mobile phone or desktop wallpaper.

Laura Guido-Clark: Designing colors, materials and textures for companies such as HP, Mattel, Design Within Reach, Berkeley based Guido-Clark not only makes products look good, but she also makes them feel good too. Next time you brush your teeth take a moment to admire that toothbrush—Oral-B is also a client.

Source:trendcentral