A Hairy Hipster Supermodel

photos via Where I Was From

You know I just can't resist when dogs and design join forces. Meet Shake, my latest muse and the model bitch behind Brooklyn vintage shop Where I Was From.

Architecture in Sand by Calvin Seibert

photos by Calvin Seibert [via Flickr]

Good news! Come April, it looks like I'll be sipping daiquiris on the shores of the Red Sea. The soon-to-be Mr. Well-Appointed Catwalk is always up for visiting friends and family in Israel, and I'm always up for a beach vacation, so the resort town of Eilat is perfect for both of us. Despite all of the interesting architecture in Israel, though, I don't imagine there will be any sand castles that quite measure up to these.

Sand castle artist Calvin Seibert created these modernist structures sans blueprints, designing on the fly and using two simple plastic putty knives and a five-gallon bucket. Each sand castle can take Seibert anywhere from four hours to a couple of days to complete, only to be captured in a photo and then washed away by the waves.

IKEA Flat Pack Direct Mailer by Leo Rosa Borges

[photos via Behance Network]

It's not a real marketing campaign, but it sure would be a great one! Brazilian-born and Dubai-based designer Leo Rosa Borges conceived of this direct mailer for IKEA, mimicking the store's flat-pack furniture with a clever pop-up design.

The idea is to demonstrate how easily IKEA furniture is transformed from flat to finished. Of course, anyone who has spent countless hours with a screwdriver and a set of umlaut-accented directions know the folly of that statement, but it's an imaginative design none the less.

Ralph Lauren on the Downton Abbey Runway

photos by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren [via Facebook]

If you watched the season premiere of Downton Abbey on Sunday, you may have caught Ralph Lauren's sponsorship message, but did you catch the runway show?

The photographic evidence appeared on Facebook two months ago, but thanks to some seriously late-breaking news from Racked, I'm just now privy to the fact that Lauren turned the Crawley estate into his own personal runway. As a follow-up to his Fall 2013 show in New York, Lauren presented the collection for a second time at the real Downtown Abbey, otherwise known as Highclere Castle in Hampshire.

Click through for all the behind-the-scenes shots, and commence swooning.

Colorblock Coats

Top: Kate Spade Allie Coat / Akris Colorblock Camel Coat / L'Agence Colorblock Coat
Center: French Connection Color Block Coat / Neiman Marcus Colorblock Toggle Coat / Ellen Tracy Colorblock Coat
Bottom: Mason by Michelle Mason Dual Tone Coat / O'2nd Colorblock Slim Fit Coat / Jason Wu Bi-Color Coat

The weather in Boston was bitterly cold last week - the kind of cold that tempts you to give the fashion gods the metaphorical middle finger and plod about town in a Snuggie and some Uggs. Well, almost. 

Thankfully, there's an alternative in these bold, colorblocked winter coats. Best of all, every single one is on sale! Click on the links in the photo caption for details, and stay warm out there!

Midweek Covet: A.L.C. Daltrey Haircalf Skirt

A.L.C. Daltry Haircalf Skirt

End-of-season sales are in full swing, and the goods are going quickly over at Shopbop. This Daltry Haircalf Skirt by A.L.C. is calling to me, but even at 50% off, it's a splurge. Do I wait for one more round of mark downs and keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't sell out?

Happy New Year!

via Paperless Post

So... I took a little break without announcing it, but we can all use a refresh once in a while. This week, it's back to work, back to reality and back to blogging of course. (You know I can't stay away for long.)

In the meantime, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Here's to a new year filled with health, happiness and brilliant design!