Liene Linke

Hello, Fashion Babes! This is my last post of this year and I am very proud of introducing you the newborned brand from Latvia. LIENE LINKE's 
 first collection came out on the 20^th of June 2015. Liene Liņķe is both the creative director and the main maker of all LIENE LINKE garments.

" Clothing plays a great role in our day to day lives; it is, after all, the closest material thing to our bodies - our second skin,"- says Liene. "It protects us; it helps to convey a certain message about ourselves and sets the mood. Today, life in the city is as busy and fast changing as ever… demanding to always be prepared for the unexpected.  The brand’s mission therefore is to explore the different aspects of one’s lifestyle in the city and create appropriate purpose minded design products for the city dwellers."

 "Liene, can you please tell us about your last collection?" "LIENE LINKE’s latest collection is divided in two parts. The main (Bordo) part continues to explore the functional box pockets and splash patterns ( introduced in collection 01) in everyday wear. "The second part which consists of two reflective outerwear pieces is my first take on the safety and visibility issue during the season of darkness and precipitation.

For the ultimate “city girl” who is always on the go I would say that #BPMx3 is the absolute must-have. #BPMx3 is a tightly fitted mini skirt that can be worn on pretty much any occasion. The high waisted sleek silhouette brings out the feminine shape. It is a fantastic piece to create a variety of looks for every day, work environment or going out by simply coordinating #BPMx3 with blouses, fitted or loose Ts and tops, turtle necks and sweaters, anything really! It is made out of durable and easy to care for cotton and polyester blend which is hand painted in mono and multi-color splash patterns to increase the match ability with other clothes and decrease the visibility of any stains that might appear during the busy and eventful city life. Functionality here plays the utmost role. And there is more to it. This is my favorite part - #BPMx3 features three special purpose box pockets! They are designed to keep women’s most frequently used items during the day at hand and safe. The biggest pocket is for your smartphone, the smallest – for your lipstick and/or chewing gum, the middle size pocket perfectly accommodates your credit cards, entry passes and cash. And those of you, who smoke, will find that this gear too perfectly fits in these pockets. I call #BPMx3 “a girl’s best friend” because it's really  hands-free system that lets you enjoy whatever you are engaged in looking sharp and feminine, and without a care."

 "For a moment You only have a female line?"

"LIENE LINKE has been on the market for only six month now. The first two collections were designed for women; nevertheless I receive many orders from men who buy LIENE LINKE for their girlfriends along with the enquiries about will there be a menswear line. I am very happy that men too appreciate my designs and are eager and waiting for a menswear line. I am excited to say that these requests are taken under the consideration and in near future LIENE LINKE will be available for men too."

 "Fashion advise from Latvia? What does it mean to be fashionable for You?"

"Despite being in the fashion industry, I am quite skeptic about the concept of “fashion” or being “fashionable”. To me it means following the masses, often without much consideration of one’s individuality. A fashionable trend can very quickly loose its appeal and worth due to overuse and misuse.  Having said that, my fashion advice is – be aware of fashion! Know yourselves. Know what you like and what you need, know what works for you and suits you and your lifestyle."

 "Liene, where can we buy your creations?" "Being a freshly baked label on the market it is very important to ensure the top notch quality and sustainable production ethics; therefore all the garments are made to order and are available to order directly through myself via email: info@lienelinke.com 
The range can be seen on www.lienelinke.com

One piece from Bordo collection

 Me wearing #BPMx3 skirt 

Me wearing dress with  splash patterns from Bordo collection

Me wearing Liene Linke top
Special Thanks to Santoro Moda
For my shoes
Photo by Antony C. 

Afyda Antara

 Hello guys! I  never stop to discover new brands. Today I'm gonna introduce Afyda Antara, very talented designer, who has created her own brand. This brand is quite young, it was founded in 2012. "I’m currently based in Besançon (France), my hometown  is near the Swiss border and i’m the only creative designer", says Afyda. 

Afyda Antara produces high-end ready-to-wear clothing, mainly dresses, shirts and jackets for women and a shirt called le COLart (with interchangable leather collars) for Women, Men and Children.

Afyda also designs custom-made clothes and accessories for her clients. 

I’ll launch my first collection of leather jackets for Men in 2016 and a new line of Womenswear and accessories."

"Afyda , tell us about your latest collection. What kind of fabrics and materials are dominated in it?" "I  always use leather in my creations , especially in my latest collection- alone or mixed with different types of fabrics (denim, knitwear, wool, « toile de Jouy »...). For this collection I found inspiration in our european military History - from the Antiquity to the Napoleonian wars, so you’ll find pieces poetically called « Brigandine » or « Aketon » (types of  medieval body armour). The researches and design were quite fun and very instuctive".

 "Which piece of this collection is the must_have?" "The must-haves will depend on your personal taste but the « Hussard » leather jacket  seems to get the most attention. The collection is still incomplete and will be available on January 16. 

 "Afyda, do you also produce accessories?" "Yes, i’m currently working on a new line of bags for Men and Women. The first pictures will be released soon .

 "Can you describe a public that your creations are destinated to?" "My clients are mainly trendsetters and people involved in or addicted to fashion, looking for original one-of-a-kind pieces. Recently, I also try to create more accessible (and affordable) pieces like Le COLart shirt or small accessories like the PaTCH winter cap, which are easier to match with any  everyday look.

You can find  creations of Afyda Antara on  website store.afydaantara.com

 and the first Afyda Antara store is in construction in Tianjin (China). 

Hussard jacket 

Berta Quinti

Oggi voglio raccontarvi di un brand che produce accessori di lusso fatti in pelle di coccodrillo.  Berta Quinti nasce nel 2010. La famiglia Quinti produce in grande scala pelli di coccodrillo direttamente in Colombia. La azienda di famiglia la C.I.TOLTRADE S.A.S.(Colombia) produce e concia pellame di coccodrillo facendo ricorso alla millenaria cultura fiorentina, realizzando una materia-prima di grande pregio. La produzione di BERTA QUINTI ® attinge direttamente al grande magazzino di stoccaggio di pelli in crust e/o rifinite, conformi ai regolamenti rilasciati dal Ministero dell’Ambiente Colombiano e dal Convegno Internazionale (CITES).

La produzione di accessori è il cuore dell’eccellenza della pelletteria fiorentina. La forza trainante del distinguersi tramite innovazioni e ricerca, nel rispetto delle tradizioni di artigianalità di cui tutti i fiorentini vanno fieri: BERTA QUINTI ® riferendosi a questi principi si distingue impegnandosi a produrre i propri articoli nella città più apprezzata e ammirata nel mondo, dando la garanzia di un prodotto al 100% made in Italy.

Lussuosi accessori realizzati in vera pelle di coccodrillo, formano una collezione al pari di opere d’arte. Uniche e di grande pregio. Borse, cinture, portafogli, cover per telefonini e tantissimi altri accessori, finemente realizzati da sapienti mani e processi di lavorazione artigianali, arricchiti da complementi di metalli pregiati, infine preziosamente firmate con il fregio del brand.
"Tutte le nostre creazioni nascono dalle mani di maestri pellettieri italiani che insieme al nostro amore e alla grande passione per questo lavoro, contribuiscono alla realizzazione di articoli unici di alto livello di qualità, di stile e di particolarità!"- racconta Berta.

Photo by Antonio C.

Photo by Antonio C.

Photo by Antonio C.

Photo by Antonio C.

La collaborazione di Berta Quinti ed artista Adriano Cipolletti .
Photo by Antonio C.

Photo by Antonio C.  durante evento "Fashion Art and More" a Milano 

Photo by Antonio C. 

Fantastici accessori firmati Berta Quinti

Io e Berta durante Fashion Art and More
Photo by Antonio C.

Io, Berta e una delle sue fantastiche borse durante
"Fashion Art and More "
Photo by Antonio C.

Shelly Jin

 Hello, fashionistas! Today I'm gonna tell you about talented designer from  China. I met her during Milano Fashion week on A Coded World event. Shelly , Jin Chenyi  is a very talented  emerging designer . She debuted  with her Collection  ”Oriental Charm ” which made her win the golden prize at the First Florence (Prato)  Fashion Week .She graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Italy Marangoni school with full scholarships and got two full master's degrees. She is Associate Professor of Wenzhou University, international certification of advanced image management expert. She is not only a fashion designer but also a Wizard Hat decoration designer, she has a powerful and unconstrained style in design which is always surprising.  Her works has been published in many major fashion magazines of China homeland and abroad. She is loved by numerous movie stars such as Qin LAN, AI, Li Xinai, Huke, Yu Kewei, Zhou Xun...

 This time she  demonstrated  four Collections "Tai Chi", "Peony Pavilion", "Humor Peking Opera" and "Ink rhyme" respectively. As a creative cutting-edge designer, she uses different fabrics ,arts and crafts ,style collision ,which creates  the mixture of post-cubism and post-modernism. She changes the conventional design techniques, likes to take adventures , to overthrow the existing forms, to break and recompose the structure of clothes and hat, to make the perfect combination of dressing and wearing. Respecting the concept of environmental protection with a garment in multiple wearings.  This variety of characteristics can easily use in any occasions. “Shelly Jin” is positioning to the elegant attitude towards life, who is good at both in fashion and knowing  how to dress differently and tasted. It brings a positive attitude and promote exquisite life goal through fashion. She devotes herself to create a Chinese designer brand with humanities and healthy taste.

Facebook public page:Shelly JIN

wenxin:sishelly-shelly

Instagram:SHELLYJINCY

Bolg:blog.sina.com.cn/shelly

Me and  Shelly on backstage of her Fashion show during MFW 

Me wearing stunning sweat- shirt from Shelly Jin 

Slow Sud... From Sicily with love

Ciao, raga! Non so  voi, ma Io sono innamorata della Sicilia e sopratutto della sua cucina. Magari potessi viaggiar spesso per gustar i deliziosi piatti che offre questa terra... Ma vi do una bella notizia! Da questa estate i piatti siciliani si possono gustare a due passi da Piazza Duomo. 
SlowSud nasce il 5 Giugno da un'idea di Tony, Luca e Lorenzo. "Siamo tre giovani siciliani trapiantati a Milano. Avevamo voglia di portare un po' di street food del Sud Italia a Milano, sentivamo la mancanza dei piatti che mangiavamo da bambini tutti i giorni. Così dopo un anno di ricerca e pianificazione (veniamo dal mondo del management aziendale) abbiamo deciso di far diventare questo nostro sogno realtà,"-racconta Luca.

SlowSud è aperto dalle 7 di mattina alle 23  offrendo, dalla colazione, assolutamente siciliana con granite di mandorla e porzioni di dolci del sud, al pranzo, per arrivare infine alla cena. E' compreso anche l'aperitivo  senza buffet. "Vogliamo creare qualcosa di alta qualità,  al posto del dozzinale buffet , abbiamo pensato ad un percorso con una portata calda e una fredda delle migliori specialità del sud" - dice Luca.

"Luca, come è noto la cucina siciliana e ricca di formaggi, ricotta , panatura  ecc. Come soddisfate la clientela intollerante ad alcuni ingredienti ?"

"Non abbiamo un menu specifico per poter gestire l' intollerante. Nonostante ciò, siamo riusciti ad accontentare tali clienti intolleranti servendo loro le nostre ricche specialità a base di pesce e di verdure, tutte naturalmente freschissime."

 "Per quanto riguarda la capienza della location, quante persone riuscite ad accogliere contemporaneamente?"

"Abbiamo 50 coperti in totale comprese le 4 altalene che vengono sistematicamente prenotate prima del servizio!"

"Avete anche il servizio take away?"

"Si, effettuiamo il take- away e soprattutto da fine Settembre abbiamo il delivery, per poter provare SlowSud anche dall'ufficio o da casa. "

"Qual'è il piatto più richiesto dalla vostra clientela?"

Vanno fortissimo sia le paste, che lo chef cambia ogni giorno in base agli ingredienti di stagione, sia i panini cucinati, che sono lo street food principale della nostra terra. Menzione particolare al cannolo scomposto e agli arancini che stanno andando a ruba!

 "Quale piatto dobbiamo assolutamente assaggiare nel vostro locale?"

 "A me fa impazzire il tartare di cavallo, ma sono siciliano quindi probabilmente non un Benchmark corretto. Ottima anche la polpetta vestita, che risponde all'hamburger americano attingendo dalle ricette della polpetta siciliana delle nostre nonne. Non provate a chiamarlo hamburger! "

 "Che tipi di dolci possiamo gustare da voi? "

"Abbiamo, come dicevo, il cannolo scomposto, che è una rivisitazione a strati del classico cannolo. Inoltre tante torte siciliane, di cui la più buona è la Don Camillo, una delle più famose in Sicilia." 

Siamo in Via delle Asole 4, è la seconda traversa di via Torino, a 100 metri dal Duomo. 

Arancini 

Pasta alla norma

Bombette delle madonie

Tasca di mare

Tartare di Ricciola

Pestato agli agrumi, Mojito al basilico

Mojito al basilico

Caffè al pistacchio

Caffè alla cassata

Canolo scomposto

Tavolo con altalena

Nel locale si possono acquistare i prodotti tipici Siciliani