Catskills Home by Kimberly Peck

[photos by Torkil Stavdal via Kimberly Peck & Houzz]

By the time Labor Day weekend rolls around, I'm always aching for a country getaway. It's a sudden realization that happens every year: Crap! Where did the summer go? Then it's a mad rush to spend the few remaining days of excessive heat and sunshine by a body of water somewhere, preferably surrounded by  trees and nature and all the good things I've overlooked all summer long.

This home in the Catskills, featured on Houzz, would be just the place to spend a lazy week before autumn sets in. Days by a remote lake somewhere and nights roasting marshmallows over a fire, plus enough rustic modern charm to keep a city girl like me happy.

Nail Art by Alice Bartlett (and a Giveaway Winner)

photos by Alice Bartlett [via Flavorwire]

There's no greater compliment than when someone comes across interesting design and thinks of me. That's exactly what happened when my dear friend Jamillah of made-to-travel sent me a link to these tiny works of nail art by Alice Bartlett.

Melting Pot by Sabine Ducasse

[via Behance Network]

Most crafty kids will inevitably recognize Sabine Ducasse's medium as Perler beads. Remember? You used to gingerly place them on a plastic peg board before giving them to your mom to iron down. But whereas we children of the '80s were cranking out two-dimensional hearts and stars, Ducasse has turned the melted plastic beads into intricate works of high fashion.

But who in the world is Ducasse? Based in Shanghai despite her très Parisian name, the only evidence of this designer's talent turns up on the Behance Network, where she has posted her 2012 collection, appropriately titled Melting Pot.

Dog Font Types

Source: moderndogmagazine.com via elizabeth on Pinterest 

Dogs and design - my two great loves. How could I not share this? Plus, I don't feature nearly enough graphic design on The Well-Appointed Catwalk! If you know of any inspiring sites for graphic design projects, feel free to send them my way.

P.S. - Don't forget about my Footzyfolds giveaway. Enter to win a pair of shoes here!

Williams British Handmade

Pieces from the "Crafted Fashion" collection by Williams British Handmade

Sarah Williams, designer of fantastical bespoke luggage under the label Williams British Handmade, once told an interviewer that she was giving up her surrealist leanings to take a proper, paying design job. That was in 2010, following the debut of her first collection, "Crafted Fashion."

But just a year later, the London College of Fashion grad was back at it with "The Orient."

Pre-Fashion Week Giveaway: Footzyfolds

Cockwise from top left: Footzyfolds Snake Ballet in Fuchsia / Nika in Black / Velvet in Wine / Lace-up in Grey 

Roll-up flats were my saving grace during New York Fashion Week last year. Seriously, whoever came up with the idea is a genius! That simple pair of shoes had me hoofing it all over the city until I arrived at my destination, whereupon I folded them up, stuffed them in my clutch and slipped on my heels. Easy peasy.

So, with another NYFW just over two weeks away, I'm thrilled to be partnering with Footzyfolds to offer one of you their rollable, foldable footwear. Impressively, the fall 2012 line has moved beyond the standard roll-up ballet flats to include folding loafers, lace-ups and even boots.

To enter to win a pair of Footzyfolds in your choice of color, size and style:

• Follow The Well-Appointed Catwalk via RSS, email, Facebook or Twitter 
• "Like" Footzyfolds on Facebook
• Leave a comment below
• For an extra entry (total of two entries), you can Tweet about the giveaway or share on Facebook and leave a second comment below.

Remember - no more than two entries per person please! Extra comments will be deleted. As much as I love my international readers, this giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. Entries will be accepted though midnight on Monday, August 27, and I will choose a winner randomly the following day. Good luck, everyone!

*sponsored giveaway*

Fashion and the 'Real People' Factor

[via WWD]

[via WWD]

Hot on the heels of the IFB bloggers and body image fiasco (read about the entire shit show here and here) comes news of J.Crew's ad campaign featuring "real people." Instead of relying on models, the fall ads depict accomplished fashion and media professionals, including Le Figaro deputy editor Virginie Mouzat (above) and Joe Carlucci, contemporary art business director at Phillips de Pury & Co. (right).

Let's ignore for a second that these regular folk look good enough to be models in order to answer an important question:  Are "real people" having a fashion moment?

Let me start off by saying that I understand that models are not made of plastic, because by using the phrase "real people," I'll inevitably hear from at least one person that skinny, beautiful women are real women too! I get it, I really do: Models are perfectly real, even if they happen to be genetically blessed freaks of nature. But from here on out, just let me refer to the non-model crowd as real people (sans quotation marks) for the sake of simplicity.

Now... according to a rule somebody once made up somewhere, trends come in threes, and the J.Crew campaign is indeed the third high-profile instance of real people in fashion this year. It began with the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Men's Fashion Week in June, which saw 70 Joe Schmoes (albeit good-looking ones) plucked from the island of Sicily to walk the runway. The show was declared a massive hit, praised for its authenticity.

Fall at Chestnut Hill: Handbag Collections

Pasaralto and Keepme by Stuart Weitzman

Despite the new arrivals in stores, it just seems wrong to have to consider my fall wardrobe when it's 80 degrees out with 80 percent humidity. You want me to try on what? Leather pants and cashmere sweaters? Nuh uh, not gonna happen. But fall bags? Fall bags I can get behind in any weather.

With the opening of its new store at the Mall at Chestnut Hill on Thursday, Stuart Weitzman is relaunching its handbag collection with some true beauties (above). The official handbag collection returns after a two-year hiatus, and if the quality is anything like it was the first time around, we're in luck. (My buttery shoulder bag circa 2007 is still in mint condition.)

Martinhal Beach Resort, Portugal

[all photos via Martinhal Beach Resort]

Where has the summer gone? Despite my best efforts, I've only had one beach day all season, and the jellyfish in Israel tried their damnedest to ruin even that. Now that we're midway though August, work seems to get in the way of every sun-soaked opportunity, and I find myself envying Europeans who get to spend the whole month en vacances while the rest of us swelter in the city.

The French Riviera or the Greek Isles would do just fine, of course, but the Algarve Coast of Portugal jumped to the top of my dream destination list once I saw photos of the Martinhal Beach Resort. Located within a protected national park near the fishing port of Sagres, the design of the place is one part minimalist modern, one part pure luxury, all with a nod to midcentury design. In other words, it's right up my alley.

Grand Opening: Marimekko Boston

I pass the window of 140 Newbury Street nearly every day, so I couldn't fail to notice when brightly patterned paper suddenly covered the glass of the former Benetton space. It looks so very Marimekko, I thought to myself, but what are the chances?

Turns out I was right, and I was thrilled to see a sign weeks later announcing the impending arrival of only the third Marimekko outpost in the country (after Cambridge and New York). The Finnish print masters opened the doors Tuesday night for a grand opening party filled with color, pattern and a few ridiculously good-looking Scandinavians. 

Click through for the party photos...

Designer Discovery: CJY

[all photos via Not Just A Label]

Wearable? Maybe not, but no one can ever accuse London label CJY of being boring.

Having graduated from Central St. Martins just this year, the designer refers to herself as only CJ, though I think I've identified her as Chun Jie Yao. (Thanks, interwebs!) Inspired by ancient musical instruments, CJ has named her seasonless 2012 collection "Wood Be," interweaving knits and crochets with wood to form visually arresting shapes.

A Ring Thing

I've been oohing and ahhing over big, chunky statement rings ever since picking up that one in the center at an artists' market in Tel Aviv. It reminded me of the YSL Arty Ring I had been coveting for so long, and at a fraction of the price, there was no question that this ring would be my vacation souvenir.

While the Arty Ring remains a favorite, I have to admit that it's become a little... ubiquitous. Flash that bauble at a fashion party, and everyone will know exactly what it is.Why not go for something just as beautiful but less identifiable, like one of these?

Clockwise from top (excluding center):
Unearthen Crown Heirloom Ring
Lucifer Vir Honestus Turquoise Quercus Ring
Dara Ettinger Dara Ring
Scotch & Soda Large Roman Stamp Ring
Sevan Bicakci Bird Carved Lemon Topaz Ring 

Colsubsidio Book Exchange by LOWE/SSP3

Thanks to Gloria of Little White Whale for spotting this campaign by Colombian ad agency LOWE/SSP3 for the Colsubsidio Book Exchange. To highlight the tagline - "come with a story and leave with another" - each minimalist illustration hides the shape of a second literary character within the lines of the first. Just shift your vision. Can you see them?

Answers after the jump...

A Matter of Taste by Fulvio Bonavia

[all photos by Fulvio Bonavia]

I've proclaimed here before that fashion does not make food appetizing, nor does food make fashion sexy. I had to eat my words when I saw the work of Italian photographer and digital artist Fulvio Bonavia for the first time recently.

Bonavia's stunner of a coffee table book, A Matter of Taste, came out in 2008, but its worth revisiting... because the appeal of a blueberry minaudiere is timeless.