Kiini Bikini

The hot swimwear currently sported by It Girls around the world is the bikini by Kiini and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld smolders in the Kiini Yaz Top and Bottom. Created out of necessity by Turkish born designer Ipek Irgit, each piece by Kiini is crafted by hand from crocheted cotton yarn, elastic, and high tech fabrics using no ties, clasps, or buttons. The colorful crochet accents give the classic cut of the bikini a modern hippie vibe. 

When asked about her inspiration, Irgit explained that she herself was in search of the perfect bikini, “Something different to what’s out there, looks cool and would also support my 34Ds… I really don’t like bikinis that are made with cheap materials that thins out or sags after a couple of wears or the ones with too much push up. I just really dislike padding. They are so annoying. People should stop being afraid of nipples.” The muse struck and Ipek Irgit invented the Kiini. She pictures the ideal Kiini wearer as, "Brave, open-minded and strong. In her words, 'someone not afraid of catching attention because believe me, when you wear a Kiini, it is guaranteed you will be stopped on the beach at least ten times a day'." Julia Restoin-Roitfeld is clearly a Kiini kind of girl.

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Kiini image courtesy of kiini.com. Julia Restoin-Roitfeld in bikini by Kiini courtesy of instagram/juliarestoinroitfeld.

Edie Parker Clutch

The glamorous Lucite clutch spotted in the possession of Julia Restoin-Roitfeld — as well as many of the chicest women on the red carpets and in the hottest venues around the world — is the bespoke bag by Edie Parker. Designed by Brett Heyman and named for her daughter, this little acrylic number has captured the imaginations of women everywhere since the brand's launch in 2010. Inspired by her own collection of vintage handbags and frustrated by the limited availability of new finds, Heyman decided to create a modern take on a classic. 

I adore the marketing copy from the Edie Parker website, my compliments to the copywriter: "These chic, wearable sculptures are objects of delight with retro soul… Edie Parker's sleek lines, creamy surfaces and gem-flaked textures glide timelessly onto today's fashion landscape. And like their mid-century predecessors, each bag is meticulously handcrafted in America." Yes, the Edie Parker clutch not only makes a chic statement, but a patriotic one as well; according to Vogue, the collection is produced entirely in the United States, "Brett Heyman’s line of clutches supports economies in three states: The acrylic is hand-poured in New Jersey, cut and fabricated in Chicago, and assembled on Long Island." Learn more about Heyman's philosophy in this video interview.

Edie Parker, the namesake for the label and daughter of its founder, Brett Heyman

The Edie Parker bespoke monogrammed clutches are available upon request, select the model you prefer (crescent, rectangular, or cube), decide on one of the numerous color combinations, and then choose to inscribe either your name or another word. It looks as if Julia chose the rectangular shape in the steel pearlescent finish with her name in silver confetti script. I personally prefer the look of the Lara Clutch in green confetti with glow-in-the-dark ends, Julia's eyes would pop peeking over the top of it while perfecting her lipstick in the mirror…

Note that the fixation on the Edie Parker clutch is a family affair: Julia's brother's girlfriend, tastemaker and stylist Giovanna Battaglia is also a fan. I love Gio's description from her monthly journal for W Magazine, "The brand Edie Parker made this clutch for me. The 'Giovanna' part is some kind of acrylic that looks like crystals. It's the perfect club bag — no one can steal it, because it has my name on it." Practical and glamorous, chic and unique, who can resist the sparkle of the Edie Parker clutch…

Follow all the chic new developments at Edie Parker
Twitter: @edie_parker
Facebook: Edie-Parker
edie-parker.com

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Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photographs courtesy of instagram.com/juliarestion and © 2015 Into The Gloss, Inc.. Edie Parker photograph courtesy of twitter.com/edie_parker. Clutch photographs courtesy of Edie Parker.

New York Vintage

Among her extensive hand-picked collection of fine vintage, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld prizes an exquisite black lace slip with peek-a-boo shoulders designed by the late, great Yves Saint Laurent. Julia adeptly plucked the piece from the well-curated vintage designer clothing shop, New York Vintage, located in the artsy neighborhood of Chelsea: "This Yves Saint Laurent dress is actually lingerie, which they don't make anymore now. I bought it at New York Vintage on 25th Street. I call it my Shakira dress!"

It is only fitting that the stylish Julia would shop for vintage here. New York Vintage houses a bountiful array of high end, rare, vintage clothing, whose origins span over 100 years. The store caters to fashion’s top stylists, designers, celebrities... any and all vintage fashion aficionados who seek to indulge their most wanton fashion desires.

When visiting New York Vintage, prepare to fulfill your fashion fix — all that a fashion-lover craves is organized by era, from the 19th century and beyond. Everything is in immaculate condition, so it is best to be at the ready for some steep prices.

Have a special event coming up? Do what Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, and Sarah Jessica Parker have done: Call ahead and book an appointment to peruse the 5,000 square foot rental-only archive. You can rent that Missoni knit dress at a fraction of the purchase price and be the belle of the ball. Just be ready to part ways with it once the clock strikes midnight...

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and New York Vintage photographs courtesy of talesofendearment.com and windowwatchernyc.com

Natalie Joos

The beautiful model and art director, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, was featured last year on a popular blog called Tales of Endearment, and like the protagonists in Rear Window, fashion afficianados around the world participated in a voyeuristic peek into her closet which houses an impressive and impeccably organized collection of vintage fashion. Julia is friends with the founder of the blog, Ms. Natalie Joos, and the two have been photographed out partying together among fashion’s in crowd.

Tales of Endearment is a blog whose draw proves that Hitchcock was right, there is a little voyeur in all of us. The blog chronicles the fashionable life of its founder, Natalie Joos, a New York-based casting director admired globally online for her personal style. Think of Tales of Endearment as an online journal of practically every girl’s dream life — jetting to Europe for Fashion Week, shopping in Milan, attending fashion shows. The blog peeps inside the closets of Joos’ fashionable and famous friends and her photographs always incorporate a vintage vibe.

We observe Joos' life and admire her style:  It is bright, pretty, quirky, and sexy. Of course it doesn’t hurt that she happens to be a leggy beauty with access to the best that fashion has to offer, but Natalie Joos is more than just another pretty face. Hailing from Belgium, she worked as a model and earned a degree in journalism before moving to New York City in 1997. With no set plan for her career, Joos started working as a personal assistant to the accomplished art, music, and fashion writer, Glenn O’Brien. Her stint with O’Brien led to an enviable position as studio manager for the renowned fashion photographer, Craig McDean.

In 2003, after six years learning the ropes in Craig McDean’s studio, and with the encouragement of Mr. McDean himself, Natalie Joos struck out on her own, opening her own casting company. She has a knack for picking the right face and has cast models in editorials for V Magazine, Purple, and Vogue Germany, in advertising campaigns such as Helmut Lang, Hugo Boss, and Rocawear, and in runway shows including Costello Tagliapietra and Cynthia Rowley. She writes for fashion magazines and of course blogs, but that is on the side. Just like the curious and mesmerized voyeurs in Rear Window, we will keep watching as long as she does....

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Natalie Joos et al photos courtesy of Billy Farrell Agency,Twitter, Facebook, Purse Forum, amtvintageblog.blogspot.com, and Fashion Spot.

Mark Fast

Though Mark Fast may have been beaten out for the ANDAM Fashion Award this year by Hakaan Yildirim, the form-fitting knitwear that he designs is fast becoming a favorite of Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. She chose to wear one of his memorable dresses for the British Fashion Awards this past December, no small compliment. Fast grew up in Canada outside of Winnipeg then moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins. He describes himself as obsessed with texture and his distinctive work constantly explores the connection between the garment and the human body. Fast's designs take shape on a domestic knitting machine, forming to the figure stitch by stitch. The innovative methods he has devised for stitching work to create areas of tension and volume across the body thereby enhancing most figures. To sculpt his knits, Fast prefers angora, wool, and lycra blended with viscose, the latter of which he is particularly fond. Note that Julia is not just wearing Fast's gorgeous creations — the designer selected her to create the lookbook for his new Faster collection as well.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Robert Konjic, Mark Fast photographs courtesy of Beauty Confessional, brownsfashion.com, Condé Nast, and style.com

Update on mercredi 24 novembre 2010 by kellina

I keep meaning to mention that I was thrilled to notice Mark Fast himself added this post to his Facebook page the day after I published it...