May Nogoy is a London based up and comer who is known for her statement clutches and belts. They remind me of something a super hero would wear, but when you see them on a model (above) they aren’t as noticeable as one would think.

Un coup de foudre, that’s the French phrase for “love at first sight.” It’s a rare occasion when I find something I’d lie, cheat and steal to have, but an evening stroll in Tribeca led me into a girl wearing the leather studded booties pictured above. I contemplated kicking her knees and swiping the boots off her feet, but I decided a compliment  would be the less delinquent route. Introducing shoe designer Els Proost, her company, Elsa Shoes, easily ranked at the top of my latest obsessions.

Proost has quite the resume having designed shoes and accessories for Dries Van Noten, Emporio Armani, Maison Martin Margiela, Costume National, Hussein Chalayan, Angelo Figus and more, so there’s no doubt why they’re so damn gorgeous. Craftsmanship,comfort and a “fashionable amusing twist” reign among Proost’s design goals, and it’s safe to say she achieves them with every pair she constructs. Like the woman who married a rollerc0aster, maybe i’ll join the bandwagon and marry Elsa Shoes. Now that’s what I like to call a bright future!

Australian brand We Are Handsome makes swimwear with iconic retro imagery printed on the pieces…

Ivory Skies, a London based designer t shirt label launched online in early to mid 2009. Owner Carlo Salanitri, inspired by indie rock fashion and mystical ancient images came up with a concept that is totally unique and one of kind. His concept was to blend rare, ancient, and iconic images with his own modern designed cuts, always striving to produce a t-shirt that is a cut above the rest in style and design.

Slip on one of the Ivory Skies tees from their Ebony & Ivory collection and you’ll be joining in on a cult phenomenon of people wearing apparel featuring ancient iconography art etchings. With a following in Europe and a lot of interest from Australia and America, Ivory Skies is definitely doing something right amidst an overly saturated t-shirt market.

The master plans to continue collecting ancient relics from around the world, with the ultimate goal of finding the essence of the trend. It is predicted that the frequency of gatherings will increase exponentially starting in London’s trendiest markets, both east and west and spread across borders and transatlantically to the scenes in Paris, Berlin and New York.

Find out more about Ivory Skies tees and their brand by visiting their site here.

Today was a chilly and gloomy one in New York City, but thanks to the fun and refreshing designs of Taryn Leigh Slawson, I’ve got hope that the sun will shine again! I had the pleasure of meeting Slawson at a party last winter and her bubbly and spunky personality is beautifully reflected in her designs. As a recent graduate from Colorado State University’s Apparel Design and Production department, Slawson had the opportunity to work with British designer Sue Stemp as well as women’s wear designer Diane Von Furstenberg…it’s no wonder why her collections are so colorful! Now, the proud designer of four collections under her name, Slawson is carving her name in Denver’s emerging fashion scene. Her designs range from girly and edgy to soft and romantic, a versatility so crucial for today’s young designers. Say hello to Denver’s future in fashion!

Check out more from Taryn Leigh Slawson here or shop her collection at Etsy!

Structure might be a big element in the fashion world, but you can’t get any more structural than the skeletal accessories by Patrick Veillet. Besides designing an array of head, neck and eye-wear as well as bone-like jewelry, Veillet is a vendor of perfume, cosmetics and other accessories. The pieces look more like works of art than wearable jewelry, but I’d be a happy camper to get my hands on some of these brilliant accessories!

Check out more from Patrick Veillet here (I hope you can read French!)

LINK LOVE: Haute Macabre

Today’s popular culture craves the sexy, the beautiful and the bizarre. I haven’t seen this expressed as clearly as fresh-faced Serbian designer Marko Mitanovski did during London Fashion Week. As one of the three “Ones to Watch,” Mitanovski showed an over-the-top collection filled with S&M, Renaissance elegance, a gothic twinge and animalistic elements. Comparably speaking, Mitanovski is the Alexander McQueen of new London blood, showing his expertise in theatrical, costume pieces. Definately looking forward to what Mr. Mitanovski has in store for us in February 2010!

A collection featuring celebrities faces from the new French brand called Hype Means Nothing can be found on T-Shirts and laptop cases.  Colette was one of the first to stock the brand.

A graduate of Central St Martins BA fashion print design program in 2006, de Paula’s signature of soft floral prints and lingerie-inspired ready-to wear seems perfect for the current trend of underwear as outerwear.

And I don’t mean plastic surgery….designer Amy Thompson utilizes plastic as easily as fabric.

Conceptual collection of Fashion Artifacts depicting a series of eight physical gestures associated with the cause, effect and healing stages of human trauma. Sculptural forms are created around the shape of the contorted female body. By Una Burke

Super cute and oh so different, these shoes utilize tons of different colors and juxtapose materials. Love Love Love!

Death. Demons. Shrimp? The Savannah, Georgia born Shrimp Sauce brings a little mischief to the their debut collection of tees. You can grab the collection which features knives, masked men, wolves and of course, shrimp at their newly opened online store.

Currently on the Finnish edition of Project Runway, Antti Asplund has the most outlandish attire, wearing everything and anything from “Elizabethan poet’s ruff made out of newspaper, or a wee marionette man hanging from his neck.” My new hero!!!

Rachel Freire is a London based designer whose debut fashion collection was presented at London Fashion Week with On|Off in February 2009 at the Science Museum in London.  Already her work has been seen in publications such as Dazed and Confused, AnOther, Issue One, Timeout London, Juxtapoz, Illustrated Ape, Art Business Today and Metro London.

Educated at Central Saint Martins, her influences stem from her love of historical costume combined with futuristic imagery. Behind the dramatic silhouettes and decadent embellishments, the pieces are designed to be wearable, durable and flattering.

Yassai 7 seeks to Fashionably Change the World by throwing together roughed up metals & ravaged chains with 7 collections that are represented by 7 colors that support 7 distinct causes developing a unique jewelry line on the foundation of giving to others with every bagged item.

Atos Lombardini’s fall stuff is so killer! He adds touches of chains, leather, leopard, and foil, making for great funky pieces that I can’t wait to get my hands on! I’m dying over that military-inspired jacket with the chains on the shoulder!

LINK LOVE: Eclectic Jewelry and Fashion

Based in New York, Amanda worked for Moschino and the shoe designer Alejandro Ingelmo before starting Assad Mounser. The current collection is called ‘Space Oddity’ for the David Bowie song.