the souchi story

Friday, July 30, 2010

color and shape inspiration from firenze.............










i had such a wonderful time in florence. i went crazy with my camera and managed to take over 300 photos in 5 days! i always have my camera in my bag....and not just when i'm traveling. 


these are some of my favorites:


this first photo caught my eye after my shopping excursion to super cool shop luisaviaroma . i love this photo, because the colors were so vibrant in person that you could see it from the street at the end of a long hallway. what you say? well look at photo #2 to see the end of the hallway to see this amazing door!


wow! the ceiling, the door, door knob (i'm sure there is a more elegant name for this), the iron work....my goodness, i would love to see this everyday. what was also amazing is on the facade of the building there were globe light sconces in the same lavender. so pretty.


clearly i'm having a lavender moment and didn't even know it!


i spent my last morning in the boboli gardens with a caprese salad, tomato pizza and lots of water. it was the first time i had been there without snow. i brought my sketch book and color pencils and spent several hours designing spring 2011. how can you not be inspired with that view and green everywhere. 


i shot this photo of the face from this angle because i loved how the trees & leaves sorta look like a wig. 


i never seem to tire of mint/pistachio/turquoise, sky.....ahhhhh just so serene and fun and easy on the eyes. 




for those of you who don't know me personally.......i LOVE DOORS! i have hundreds of photos of doors from all over the world. i love to see what people do with them. from a simple modern door, to overly ornate to raw, rotting wood and iron work. just makes me happy. plus, i think emotionally i have always relished the saying, 'when one door opens....'. i believe the saying as well as thinking sometimes you just have to open it yourself. now, if any of these doors closed in my face, i'm not sure i'd mind since they are so pretty. 


skylights, lights, circles, again a function that can be done so well. 


people often asks what inspires me? or what do you look for when designing or looking to be inspired? my answer is simple: i don't look at the world as a designer or as someone looking for inspiration. instead, i just look with my eyes and see where they lead me.


vision, literally, is something i don't take for granted. at nine years old, i got in accident and severed the nerves in my eye socket and was suppose to be blind and disfigured. well, when that didn't happen, they said i may be legally blind in that eye by the time i was 18. well, that didn't happen either. 


so, i have no agenda besides just to see what is around me. i am sure i have and will continue to miss many things. but, to find beauty in the things around me is what interests me. and if i'm lucky i may just figure out why.


xo
suzisouchi

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

first souchi fashion question.........from san francisco mom


"I am admittedly totally out of the fashion loop which is why I am able to ask any and all "fashion" questions with absolutely no hint of embarrassment. So here goes...are empire waist dresses super over? 2nd question. If they are, how can I make them more current without trying too hard? Specifically, I have a really cute charcoal gray cashmere (yes, souchi) dress that has a wide boatneck, empire waist, and reallyreallyreally long, cute, cozy sleeves. Obi belt? Is that silly? Cropped sweater or jacket? The solution has to be easy as you know I am "fashion lazy".



hey san francisco! 

ok, so here's my feeling about empire waist: a true classic! from shakespeare thru breakfast at tiffanys thru the 70's with chloe (et all) to betsy johnson lycra to missoni to current souchi (and thru spring 2011) and ports 1961. it's a fashion staple for icons: audry hepburn, talitha getty, nicole ritchie, etc. all souchi images below and ports 1961 are available for fall!!

if you're a bit over wearing it the same way i'd say pick a cool sash (see giselle dress below) and put the top of the sash at the empire seem to make the seam appear a bit lower. i'd say something very simple: gross grain or silk cord or my favorite skinny leather belt by johnny farah (coming late august).

so the moral: wear what you love and are comfortable in. an accessory or belt can alter anything. here are some images to inspire you to bust it out and feel free to be lazy :) BUT DO NOT WEAR BABY DOLL STYLES....i don't want to see those for a very very long time!

xo
suzisouchi



icon: audry

chloe 2008
nicole ritchie....





ports 1961
souchi spring 2010

souchi spring 2010



Friday, July 23, 2010

funny thing happened to me on wednesday..............



so, as you know, i take a break from knitting all the souchi sweaters on wednesdays so i can work in the store. well, unless i'm traveling.


since returning form my trip to florence i've been inspired by film stars from the 50's: sophia loren, marilyn monroe, lucille ball.... and dressing like a 'woman'. since moving to portland i rarely dress up. ok, so i think i rarely dress up, but often i'm considered dressed up. which is infuriating. really, wide leg high waisted linen trousers and a printed blouse is dressy?  


ok, i'm veering off topic. so i decided to sport my favorite souchi spring 2010 dress 'lydia' and throw over it my ports 1961 'with child coat' as i like to call it. i also, added a lanvin beveled lucite bangle & vintage leopard print dolce and gabbanas to play up side swept bangs and pony tail.


*disclaimer: i loathe having my picture taken, so i promise this dress is way more flattering than my stance indicates :)


wed was a busy day: boot camp 5:30 am (usually i do 7:30), then doctor appt, then tea with my very fashionable friend mary, then work, then dinner w/ my new friend sharon at cafe mingo so a cute outfit was needed.


anyways, so i park my car by the store at 9:30am and am walking to the store with my purse, computer bag and a laundry basket filled with new fall souchi sweaters and my caprese salad in it's container. i take a few steps and the caprese container slides off the basket onto the street. out of nowhere a man swoops in and picks it up. 'thank you' i say. 'no problem' he says. i cross the street and drop it again. out comes a different guy (from the new pop up shop) to pick it up. thank you again. a version of no problem again. i walk a few doors down and while holding all of these things i try to lift the lower gate latch with my sassy dolce's but it's not cooperating...i KID YOU NOT......2 more men swoop in! one to hold the basket and one to open the gate!


now, i was dressed cute, but i was not dressed like a lady who would have 4 men out of nowhere show up to help a damsel in distress,


i was thinking 'does my with child coat' really look as if i'm with child? is it the retro 50's look that makes men behave like gentleman with a lady in their presence? or is it the simple fact that a woman is dressed like a lady? 


i leave you with the idea to take this test yourself. i felt absolutely fantastic being a lady and not to mention i sold 2 lydia dresses.


so ladies, girls, gals & vixens:  enjoy being a lady and realize it doesn't always have to be tight, short or sheer to attract a mans attention. and by attention i don't mean being hit on. i mean just being noticed.


fashion is always interesting and fun....so try something new and see what happens. 


xo
suzisouchi

part 3.........tilda.......avante garde brilliance..................













love love love..........tilda swinton! she is a woman that kicks ass! she is striking, cool, strong and confident. do i know her? no. then how do i know these things? because you can't make the choices she does with fashion and have such an ease to her walk unless she is all of those things.

i love:

-that her stride (see shot 3) says she knows exactly where she is going
-that her face appears to change yet it is exactly the same! huh? well, look at these photos: she is striking, beautiful, pretty, harsh, scary, other worldly, strong, shy, confident. see what i mean?
-this woman can handle tons of make-up and strong light and then no make-up and both are equally intriguing.
-those long long long legs!
-that each choice is strong enough to make a statement but is probably not her intention.
-that she is having a damn good time with fashion.
-that she has probably NEVER asked herself, 'does this work for me?' or 'but will i wear this?' or 'how will i wear this?' or 'is this too much'.... ahhhhhhhhh
-that people either love or hate her style. nobody wavers with tilda
-she has a closet full (ok, probably more than one) of clothes that could be it's own fashion retrospective at the snootiest of galleries
-that she's often on the worst dressed list when i'd die (hey we've all got to have a final resting place outfit!) for what she wears
-that the strength in her bone structure, height, stance, brain is not overshadowed by the warmth in her eyes.

what i wish for you all is that you experiment with something you don't usually wear. see the response. there is bound to be something from friends or maybe the reactions from co-workers, people on the street....change and experience are so widely believed to be necessities in life so include change and experience in your closets too.

ok, and on a wish......maybe one day i'll see her in souchi..... a girl can dream.

what do you think of tilda?

xo
suzisouchi

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

fashion inspirations........part 2........bold by milla







milla jovovich = my biggest girl crush


i think of her style as bold because there is no fear in her choice of color, print, accessories, hair....anything. i love that it all looks right on her and never contrived. these images i've selected to inspire you and mostly me for stepping up on my accessories this season. when you see a color you love, think milla, not 'but what will i wear this with'. you'll note most accessories she chooses are contrasts and not matchy. i love her style & i love her smile. and i loved jovovich-hawk.....re-launch please!!


image 1:
that face & smile & cool hair. no accessory will ever beat a great smile!


image 2:
i love love love this look. grey wool flannel newsboy hat paired with a silk floral ruffle front dress because it's not what you'd expect. usually you'd see a beret to give it a french feel or a cloche to make it look vintage. i think what really makes this is the choppy bowl cut & tiny lil necklace. a great example of masculine and feminine.


lesson: have fun w/ fashion!


image 3:
pearls, veil, flower, tassel and silk charmeuse, oh my! just saying all that sounds like it'd be over the top but it's not. this is perfectly polished and she seems so relaxed. it gives the impression she's lounging at home like the silent movie actresses. 


*lesson: dressing up is fun


image 4:
why do basic black when you can do floor length turquoise and a canary yellow bag! i am so in love with this for so many reasons. i love black but what a statement of confidence to wear a color and accessory that is electric. note, keep hair simple, beachy and relaxed so it doesn't compete with the dress or color.


lesson: you do need an alternative to the LBD and make it a statement piece


image 5:
beaded, big floral, small floral, flutter sleeves and a beaded clutch can be subtle, pretty and sophisticated.


lesson: don't be afraid of a lot going on


image 6:
jewelry can be part of a garment and look cool. i love this hair band.


lesson: bold prints & shape look best with simple hair and clean make-up and minimal accessories. 


image 7:
grey flannel can be anything but boring! especially when done by chanel & sporting an enormous accessory. i love the choice of slick back hair and bold lips. it's classic uptown but done with milla flair: fringe trim, sleevless & a gigantic tassel broche


lesson: you can be cool, sexy & conservative.


i am always inspired by milla and her wardrobe choices. i would love love love to raid her closet. but, since that's probably creepy and a tad illegal, i will settle for inspiration. oh and hopes that she and carmen revive jovovich-hawk.


here's to dreaming.


xo
suzisouchi

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

fashion inspirations...part 1.......





carolyn bessette-kennedy does classics best.

perhaps, it was because she epitomized east coast affluent culture that was so opposite my upbringing. i grew up in southern california where casual meant levis with holes, cut off shorts, bikini tops or tanks and flip flops. don't get me wrong i still like that too (i'm sure you've seen my favorite paint covered levis with holes!) but, to make casual classic and sophisticated at the same time was a fairly new fashion concept in the late 90's. designer jeans (except calvins) were just hitting the stores. can you imagine a time when you couldn't wear jeans and a cool top out to a fancy restaurant? yes, kiddies, it was not so long ago.

i was 27 when the fashion world began to take notice of carolyn. i loved how clean, classic & completely dressed she always looked. the perfect coat, bag, boot, hat & scarf....ALWAYS! not to mention her skin was always fresh and bare but for the scarlet lipstick and shiny clean simple hair.

image 1:
classic carolyn head to toe.
i love the sense of humor with the pointy knit hat w/ ear flaps worn with a birkin bag, prada coat & my guess of manolo stretch suede boots. perfect.


image 2:
a kercheif, simple sunglasses, navy jacket, white cami, and cropped flared jeans & cool shoes. *please note this cut of jeans is now the pant you'll want for fall :)
i wore this look so much in 1997 while in art school. my god, i made so many crop flared pants to wear with my monkey boots and i always had something on my head: beret, kerchief, skull cap....ah the good ol days. maybe time for a re-do?


image 3:
classic......faded beat up jeans you've worn thru high school, college and breakups and weekend marathon of dirty dancing (not me!). here, she wears them for a weekend in hyannis port. please note, the place for these was a beach weekend not dinner at corton! i love these. they say comfort and i don't mean fit...i mean comfort in who you are and the memories you've had wearing these.....perhaps a fashion girls replacement of a baby blanket?


image 4:
an awesome black jacket. what makes this great and a classic? it's simple, severe and easy elegance. why? because the details and fit are impeccable. did you notice the darts on the arms? the multiple closely placed buttons? this is a piece i wish i owned.


image 5:
classic black muscle tank! this works great with jeans, pencil skirt, mens trousers, just perfect. notice how it just adds a little something to the simple jeans. yet, a sexy shoe while walking the dog is something that i loved when i first saw this picture. no need for teva's or tennis shoes.... perhaps some inspiration for carrie bradshaw?


image 6:
classic camel cords & a black turtleneck....well and a hot man to walk down the street with. well 2 out of 3 is still pretty good right? when i saw this photo, i had just seen the audry hepburn movie 'wait until dark' and i thought...did carolyn just see this too? probably not, but this look i never tire of. 


carolyn's style proved the point:  invest in the classics because they will forever work.




XO 
suzisouchi


Monday, July 19, 2010

THE FORERUNNERS.........





these are the styles/cut/colors that have been chosen by you the readers.....ok, so, all these waves made me think that i needed to get a perm. i have some waves but not enough. 


i mentioned the 'p' word to a few friends and they were 'no, no, no' (except nicole who said go for it!) just use 'curlers'. 


ok, i'm sorry it's 2010 right? curlers? i had no idea that they were still used at home. i thought only in salons or in the movies or at grandmas house. 


for the last many years i've pretty much have had a straight bob with heavy bangs. sometimes chin length, sometimes shoulder length, sometimes angled, mostly straight. so i'm feeling like it's time for messy big hair. i'm looking at my fall collection of warm colors and cozy knits and feel like i want my hair to have way more movement and a bit more feminine as opposed to the chick in george michaels father figure video.


now, to perm or not to perm? curlers or no curlers? i've attached
an amazing photo my friend chris sent me and i must say....if i could rock curlers out in public (ok, like this even in private) AND have a bandage on my nose, well then no perm is needed.


....................fashion & beauty..............it's always interesting.


what do you do to get ready for the next season?
xo
suzisouchi