From left:

These classic brown leather boots by Alberto Fermani at Sabot are made of gorgeous Italian leather and have a sturdy rubber sole and stacked wooden heel. Better yet, they can be worn two ways: cuffed or over the knee.

Serbian-born shoe designer Dusica Sacks is making some of the best looking shoes and handbags around. Sleek and exclusive (everything is produced in limited quantities so you don’t see yourself coming and going), the Dusica label, which she formed with business partner and former Prada girl Alexandra Hahn, is one to watch. These black, handcrafted over-the-knee boots from Sabot are made of the supplest leather with a driving boot sole and are prime examples of Dusica’s look and workmanship.

Golden Goose’s vintage-inspired cowboy boots are a great way to do the flat boot thing with a little extra edge (and not just a little swagger). Each pair in the selection at H. Audrey have contrasting stitching, side zippers and pull tabs and cool but subtle designs.

A great riff on a classic riding boot, the Golden Goose Equestrian Boot at H. Audrey is one of our favorite boots this season. We love the “stirrup” detail and the side zip makes it easy to slide on over your favorite pant, jean, or legging—but we also think it would make a hip anchor for a floaty skirt.

Extravagant, fun, and very feminine, feathers can also be wildly flattering, especially near the face. We especially love the versatile vests from Haute Hippie at Haven Sanctuary of Style. Make like Givenchy and punk them up a bit with skinny black jeans or a mini with tights and boots. Wear one with Haute Hippie’s own funky-but-fabulous tunic dresses. Or go glam, as at Naeem Khan, and throw one over a slinky strapless gown. Pictured above, clockwise from left:

Giambattista Valli was one of many designers who sent feathered frocks down the fall runway.

Take the trend home with this ultra cool chandelier from Niba, and further feather your nest (sorry, we couldn’t resist!) with a Digs throw pillow.

Susan van der Linde’s flirty cocktail hat is totally flattering to the face, but also hyper chic—think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Sonia Rykiel’s Paris runway.

A Haute Hippie vest from Haven Sanctuary of Style.

All used some variation on leopard or cheetah in both ready-to-wear and accessories. Lanvin’s resident genius Alber Elbaz says his mission for fall was to “take all these animal prints out of the jungle and into the city.” Pictured above are looks we think are perfect for sidewalk safaris.

Left: Snowy Leopard cashmere scarf from We Are Owls. YSL is offering up more than a half dozen different animal print scarves and stoles for fall, but we are equally crazy about this far more affordable version, available in two colorways, at G. Gilbert.

Top right: French Sole printed an abstract animal pattern on pony hair to create this chic ballet flat at Sabot.

Bottom right: The booty still reigns supreme for the second fall season in a row. We love this leopard version from Rock & Republic at Haven Sanctuary of Style. Named the “Angie,” we just know it was inspired by the Rolling Stones song.

We are all about sunscreen, but it’s worth noting that the Skin Cancer Foundation of America recommends using it in tandem with a “broad brimmed hat.” Susan van der Linde makes the chicest ones around for grown-ups, but tots need protection too. There’s no way to ensure skin like a baby’s, after all, unless you start when you are one.

Pictured above, from left: Le Nouveau checkered sun hats from Odile Luxury Children’s Boutique; Susan van der Linde pink Panama Sun Hat (with Gypsy sandals and Gardy bag)

Pictured above, a selection of bags on a quilted canvas throw in olive drab from Revival.
Clockwise from bottom left: Virginia Johnson hand-painted, linen-and-leather oversized bag from G. Gilbert; extra large hand-woven Riveria bag from Star Provisions; canvas Amazon Life tree-top tote from Sabot, straw Nantucket basket from The Mercantile; Consuela purple tote from Maverick Western Wear with woven leather handles and Mexican embroidery, Amazon Life white beach tote at Sabot.

In the summertime, we love: gin and tonics, Wimbledon, tomatoes off the vine—and this pantheon of summer classics.

Pictured above, top row, from left:

No one should make it through the summer without a Madras—the drink or the shirt! The name comes from Madras, India, where the original fabric was in a red-and-black checked plaid. Now, of course, madras comes in a variety of colors, including this blue linen version from Sid Mashburn. Wear it in style with a Madras in hand: 1 ½ ounces vodka, 3 ounces cranberry juice,and 1 ounce orange juice. Cheers!

Nothing could perk up summer whites or khakis as much as this raspberry and aqua stripe tie belt from Sid Mashburn. Made of classic rep tie silk, it has a sturdy copper belt with an antique brass finish.

The breathable cotton pique polo is every man’s summer salvation and this version from Peter Elliot breathes even more life into a venerable classic. We love the original embroidered logo (so much cooler than a Polo pony or a Brooks Brothers sheep) and the fresh colors including flamingo, forget me not, or the light green pictured here.

Bottom row, from left:

Paul Henreid wore one in both Casablanca and Now, Voyager; Paul Newman favored them off the screen too. Nothing is as dashing in the summer than a fine Panama hat and we are crazy about the choices at 100 % Capri. On a woman, they have even more pizazz—think Lauren Hutton in wide-leg trousers, Oxford-cloth shirt and Panama fedora.

Topsiders were invented in 1935 by Paul Sperry, who designed the rubber sole based on the grooves of his dog’s paw. Sperry was seeking better traction while on his boat’s deck; fellow sailors also loved that the sole’s white color left no marks. The company’s slogan remains nautical—“A Passon for the Sea”—but we think this pair in red from Sid Mashburn will look just as sporty on dry land.

This crisp cotton tunic by Sylvia Heisel may not be a summer classic yet, but it should be. Available at Mimi in blue, black, and white, it is perfect with Capri pants, jeans, or summer wide-legs. Wear it by itself as a bathing suit cover-up and you’ll be the chicest thing on the beach.

I got married at such an advanced age—forty-two—that Anna Wintour asked me to write a piece for Vogue about “being an old bride for the first time.” Needless to say, I did not wear white. I wore, instead, lettuce green. But I still had the big dress, complete with train, designed by the ever fabulous Carolina Herrera and Herve Pierre, her design director and one of my favorite people in the world. When I walked down the aisle—well, actually, across my parents’ front lawn—people broke out in applause. I still don’t know if it was prompted by amazement that I was finally doing the right thing or the dress.

Either way, the dress was totally gorgeous with a crinoline underneath where Herve had thoughtfully sewn a blue satin ribbon. It was just not something I had any intention of wearing for any length of time. I needed to run around, speak to people, have fun–unencumbered. As soon as the photos were over and I’d polished off my second or third glass of champagne, I enlisted my good friend Andre Leon Talley to get me out of it. Andre is so tall he could pull this enormous dress off me in one stroke. Plus, he’s seen me naked and he doesn’t care.

Andre had been in on the dress from the get go and attended every fitting. It was at the last one when the idea of a second dress was born. “Y’all,” I said, “I can’t possibly wear this enormous dress all night. What should I change into?” I then answered my own question and offered up a black chiffon Akris I already owned, which Andre immediately nixed: “You are not wearing black on your wedding day.” In Carolina’s collection that spring, there had been a sexy silk cocktail dress with a flattering low neckline and three-quarter trumpet sleeves. It was in turquoise, which is definitely not my color, so we pulled out the fabric swatches and settled on an unlikely—for me—French blue with off-white polka dots. I loved the frivolity of the dots, the dress was sexy as hell, and I bought some five-inch Manolos in silver leather to go with it.

I do not dance, but in that dress I danced so much I could not feel the balls of my feet for a week. I danced with my new husband, I danced with my father, I danced with my best friend. When my husband took the stage with the band (in a previous life he was the lead singer for The Mersey Shores), I danced with my old boyfriend.

My husband and I and a half dozen or so other stalwarts were the last to leave the reception at 3:30 AM. We had a blast and I know it was the dress that did it. So I wholeheartedly endorse the idea of a short post-ceremony dress. One of my favorite songs is Nick Lowe’s “I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll.” I can now rewrite it. Isn’t “I Knew the Bride and She Still Rocks and Rolls” so much more fun?

Pictured above: a white Marchesa cocktail dress from Mimi flanked by details from two Vera Wang bridal gowns, also from Mimi.

– Julia Reed

I’ve never encountered a pattern with quite so many shifts in personality as paisley. Though it can be used in serious rooms, like libraries and sitting rooms, it’s certainly more laid-back than a slightly stuck-up toile du jouy and its graphic appeal, when used en masse, isn’t as upfront as a bold stripe.

When it’s repeated in shades of lavendar, pale blue or rosy pink it can be somewhat soft-around-the-edges, but there’s no mistaking it for a prissy floral.

Quite frankly, there’s just something about it you can’t put your finger on. Just think: Bad boy John Lennon, of 1960’s Beatles-fame painted his Rolls Royce with the design. The waspy apparel company, Brooks Brothers, with a reputation for all that’s prim and proper, once designed an entire suit in it. And, skiers in the 2010 winter Olympics clad in a bright multi-colored version of it.

The nuances of the pattern are what I find most appealing. A buttoned-up room covered in it can secretly convey a rebellious nature, leaving you to decide whether you want to sit down with a serious read or, instead, just have a cigarette. One of my favorite rooms is a dining room by Chicago designer Alessandra Branca, with walls covered in a paisley block-print by the textile company Les Indiennes. It’s a typical room in the sense there’s a round table and eight chairs with a chandelier centered above, except that there are oversized indigo-colored paisley shapes repeated all over the walls, adding an unexpected, bohemian flare. You can just imagine that the conversations around the table are the juicy, interesting kind.

Its origins trace back to ancient Babylon, where the shape (resembling a tear-drop, of course) was a symbol representing the growing shoot of a date palm. At the time, the palm provided essential food, clothing and shelter, and was so importantly regarded it became known as ‘The Tree of Life’, often accepted as a symbol of fertility.

Paisley, as an actual textile, however, originated in India and Persia in the form of “shawls”–en vogue among women, but also used by men in the form of waist girdles. The name, came around later in the 1800s when the Scottish town, Paisley, ingeniously capitalized on the Middle Eastern pattern with the invention of a loom that could weave up to 15 colors, as opposed to the Eastern two-colored ones. After that, Paisley prints increasingly became masse produced and eventually winded up stamped on cotton squares giving birth to the modern-day bandana.

So paisley’s romp through history just might be the ultimate “high-low” experience, considering its long-ago popular demand among ancient royalty who regarded its vibrant colors and intricate detail, all the way to neck of a modern day cowboy.

– Beaty Coleman

Above, from left: Style Paris off-the-shoulder summer top in blue-and-white silk/cotton
Center, top: Hollyhock June Street chair in Green Paisley by Suzanne Rheinstein for Lee Jofa.
Bottom: Hollyhock Robin Chair in Paisley Linen by Suzanne Rheinstein for Lee Jofa.
Right: Robert Graham Men’s Beat Shirt from Maverick Western Wear

TAIGAN: How’d a nice girl from North Carolina become this super cool, world famous designer of some of the most coveted jewelry on earth? Is it something you always loved?

KIMBERLY MCDONALD: I’m from Asheville, NC (land of the sky, and still my favourite place on earth) and have always loved rocks. I spent hours every summer picking agates out of the gravel in my grandma’s driveway. My favourite Christmas present as a kid was my rock tumbler. Yeah, I was as much of a geek as it sounds. I still am, I think!

I always loved jewelry, too. I used to load on whatever I could get my hands on from my mom or grandma’s dressing table. I began collecting antique fine jewelry in my 20s. I spent a few years living part time in Paris, and became addicted to trolling for fabulous little fine treasures at the Marches aux Puces. I realized that I could create a career working with amazing jewelry, and came up with the idea of curating private jewelry collections. I came up with the title Jewelry Curator way before it was being used within the industry and worked with a few select clients. It didn’t take long for me to find my way to designing custom pieces, and I think that once that happened, I knew I would eventually have my own collection.

It just took time and courage…and finding a starting point. For me, that was when I found my first petite geode. It was love at first sight. It was sparkly, earthy, and nobody else I had every seen was using that material. Kind of like a little piece of heaven with my name all over it.

TAIGAN: You use organic and natural materials in such a non-arts-and-crafty way. If mean if most people took a geode and made it into something to wear, it would look like a summer camp crafts project gone wrong. What is the secret of turning these materials into such high-style, drop-dead gorgeous pieces?

KM: I think that having a background in fine jewelry, and being fortunate enough to work with some of the most amazing jewelery designers and manufacturers in the world, helped me immensely. I remember my friend (and one of said amazing designers) Nicholas Varney once said to me “Buy what is beautiful, and you will be just fine.” To me, these materials are beautiful. They are microcosms. Each is a unique piece of art. I think that they are fine and that they deserve to be treated as such. I don’t hate the artsy way of setting natural stones such as geodes, agates, and druze, but I think they look even more amazing when their natural beauty is simply enhanced with a little diamond and very fine hand-made mountings that articulate the nuances of each and every stone.

TAIGAN: You have a special affection for the under-appreciated opal…

KM: Opals have been the victim of bad PR! Most Americans think of them as whitish stones with rainbow flecks, set in pre-fab gold mountings, or in weird compounded forms known as doublets – which I personally find offensive. There is even some silly myth that if you buy yourself an opal and it isn’t your birthstone, it’s bad luck. Hell, I can’t imagine an opal being anything but good luck to anyone who is savvy enough to scoop one up. With natural /untreated stones becoming more and more popular and coveted, opals are leading the charge. Various forms of opal in the matrix or host rock are popping up in fine jewelry collections around the globe. They are magical. They light up from within as if you’re being invited into some little fantasy world where everything shimmers in blues, greens, and pinks. As you can tell, I have a thing for stones that have something amazing inside. I feel the same way about people.

Anyhow, Opals just need to be understood. And you have GOT to buy from someone who is reputable. I buy from only one supplier. His family has been in the business for like 4 generations. He knows which opals will stand the test of time and which will fracture easily. Unscrupulous dealers have been known to sell the latter, claiming it to be the former. It is like with any other stone. If people were more educated, they could make more intelligent decisions about what they are buying…and I believe the more we educate the consumer about opals, the more they will fall in love with them. Especially now, when there is such an exciting variety out there on the market.

TAIGAN: You are fond of using reclaimed materials, such as that amazing emerald ring that is at Forty Five Ten in Dallas. There’s also a carved buddha at Forty Five Ten that is stunning.

KM: The emerald was brought to me as one of 5 pieces that one of my manufacturers had plucked from an old necklace that was in a dragon/serpent motif. He estimated the necklace was over 200 years old, and from China. The stones were untreated and I swear, they glow. I ended up with 3 of the 5 stones. The emerald at Forty Five Ten is the last one.

The Buddhas in my collection are from very old ivory, carved around 1900. I am vehemently opposed to the use or sale of new ivory. I think elephant poachers should be shot on sight. They are the most amazing animals. The material I work with is considered to be vintage/antique and I would never resort to using anything that I even suspected of being new. That said, the details in the carvings are amazing and each Buddha has a beautiful serene look on (his) face. I love them.

TAIGAN: Tell us what is coming up in your next collection.

KM: Two things that I am very excited about. One is Zebra Opal. We are the only ones that I know of who have this material. It is amazing and completely natural. I’m obsessed.

I also JUST this week got this amazing natural chalcedony that has stunning white and caramel coloured stripes. It is so chic. I can’t stop staring at the first pieces of material that we just received. Stay tuned!!!

Above, clockwise from far left: Geode Frosty Double Drop Earrings; Designer Kimberly McDonald (photo courtesy of Therese McKeon); Opal and Brown Diamond Ring in 18K Rose Gold; Emerald and Diamond Ring in 18K Yellow Gold; Large Purple Geode and Diamond Ring in 18K Yellow Gold

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