La Coquette

Pray for Japan

Olympia Le-Tan is working on brooches soon to be sold at colette.

Joanna at The Wellcome

If you’re in London this weekend, it’s the last chance to see Joanna’s amazing installation at the Wellcome.  It’s called The Art of Dying, and it’s beautiful.

 

Optimo Hats

 

Recently I've been working on web content and crafting newsletters* for Optimo Hats in Chicago (I've written about master hatmaker Graham Thompson before in Chicago magazine).  And the day has finally come: their new site has launched.

Gorgeous!  I especially love the videos that explain everything you ever wanted to know about great hats. Here’s a video about how Optimo came to be.  And a lovely gallery of their offerings with lush high res images and descriptions (this is where a good deal of my writing is). 

 I’ve been lucky this last year working with clients who are seriously into their craft (Louboutin shoes, JLR shirts, Optimo Hats).  Everything that is carefully handmade is fascinating for me to watch and learn about. 

Optimo hats are lifelong collectibles like Vuitton trunks or Cartier watches. They made the hats for the gangster film Public Enemies and it occurred to me recently that the world's best hatmaker making a hat for Johnny Depp must be the equivalent of when the Hermes people made a bag for Grace Kelly!

 

*collaborating on the text with Graham’s lovely wife Nina

photo credit on second photo: Anna Knott for Chicago magazine