STAY SAFE, STAY HEALTHY. XOXO

FEBRUARY 2020 I WAS IN MILAN FOR LINEA PELLE, THE ITALIAN LEATHER FAIR. I HAD SOME TIME TO MYSELF AND DECIDED TO TRAVEL TO VENICE FOR THE WEEKEND. I’M ALMOST ALWAYS IN ITALY FOR WORK, SO I HAD NEVER BEEN. THE CITY WAS BUSY, BUT NOT PACKED.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD WAS THE FINAL DAY OF CARNIVALE. OF COURSE I WENT OUT TO SEE THE SIGHTS. I ARRIVED TO PIAZZA SAN MARCO EXPECTING TO TAKE IN THE COSTUMES AND FESTIVE ENVIRONMENT. I WAS QUITE PERPLEXED TO SEE ONLY A SMALL HANDFUL OF PEOPLE DRESSED FOR THE CELEBRATION, AND ALMOST NO ONE IN THE SQUARE.

MY ITALIAN IS QUITE RUDIMENTARY, SO IT WAS POINTLESS TO WATCH THE NEWS OR READ THE PAPER. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING ALL AROUND ME.

I RETURNED TO MY HOTEL THAT EVENING TO A FLOOD OF TEXTS AND CALLS FROM MY HUSBAND. VENICE HAD CANCELLED THE CARNIVAL, AND THE LOMBARDY REGION WAS ENTERING INTO LOCKDOWN.

I RETURNED TO MILAN ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH FOR A MEETING (WHICH NEVER HAPPENED). I LEFT A LIVELY CITY ON FRIDAY AND RETURNED TO AN EMPTY CITY ON MONDAY.

LUCKILY I WAS LEAVING ON TUESDAY. BY MARCH 8TH, NORTHERN ITALY WAS IN TOTAL LOCKDOWN.

THESE ARE THE LAST PICTURES I TOOK IN ITALY. THE FIRST IS FROM THE ISLAND OF BURANO THE MORNING OF SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD. THE SECOND AND THIRD ARE FROM PIAZZA SAN MARCO LATER THAT EVENING… THE LAST PHOTO IS FROM THE PLANE ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH FLYING OVER THE ITALIAN ALPS ON MY WAY BACK TO NEW YORK.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN I WILL BE BACK…

JENNIFER LOPEZ ROCKING THE UPDATE TO THE COACH CLASSIC WILLIS TOP-HANDLE. NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE. IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!

AMAZING TO GET TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH TABITHA SIMMONS AND STUART VEVERS, RAID THE COACH ARCHIVES AND CREATE THIS EXCLUSIVE RANGE OF BAGS! AN OVER-THE-TOP FEMININE FLORAL EXPLOSION!

Very special to be able to create a totally custom bag for Maggie Rogers to wear to the Met Gala!

This was a fantastic project to work on. We developed 21 totally unique bags for the Istean flagship store in Tokyo, and they were displayed in a custom pop-up shop on the main-floor. Over 80 pieces of hardware were specifically developed for this project, and the entire range sold out in 3 days!

A fantastic collaboration with Japanese-American model Kiko Mizuhara. We worked closely with Kiko to capture her fun, yet punky aesthetic.

VERY COOL TO SEE JEREMY SCOTT UPDATE THE HANDBAGS I DID FOR HIM WAY BACK IN 2002 FOR HIS SS2017 COLLECTION! PROVES THAT A GOOD IDEA NEVER GROWS OLD. THE FW2002 BAGS ARE ON THE LEFT, AND THE SS2017 UPDATES ARE ON THE RIGHT. 

In collaboration with one of the top global sunglasses manufacturers, I designed and developed a new range of sunglasses. The hinge design on the internal temple is my favourite part, as it not only holds the Country Road logo, but on the opposite temple each pair is engraved with the style name. 

It's all in the details... 

As part of our mission to deliver the best quality / value equation, I traveled to Italy to initiate a new collaboration with a small Tuscan handbag factory. Each of these bags are made in small quantities by skilled Italian craftsmen to our specifications from Italian leathers. 

Another great project to lead, and a truly 'top of the pyramid' capsule collection for our customer! 

So happy I took some me time after a recent visit with family in Colorado and went to see this. Ugo Rondinone's installation is unexpected, bold and a definite break with the colour palette of the Mojave Desert. So much fun!  

This was a fantastic project to lead.

As part of our mission to deliver the best quality and value equation, I began working with a small factory in Portugal, in the Felgueiras region, which is famous for their men's quality footwear. I worked directly with the factory out side of Oporto, to create a beautiful capsule collection of 3 men's styles. 

Details include a Blake stitch construction, fine Italian leathers, and the outsole design incorporates a direct injection into the forepart, delivering the timelessness of a leather sole with the durability of a rubber sole.

All of this attention to detail, and value for money, was delivered to the customer for under 300.00. 

I'm so lucky to be in this fabulous city 3 times a year! 

This is such a beautiful city to visit for work. The environment and the food make for a welcome break form the long travel schedule and days working on the new season. 

Even when you're running around like crazy with work, there's still so many unexpected beauties that pop-up along the way.

The department store Samaritaine, shuttered for years, rising from the ashes. Thank you to LVMH for resurrecting this beauty on the Seine. 

The Ai Weiwei exhibit at Le Bon Marché was a nice, unexpected surprise!

For Winter 2015, we took inspiration from the authentic outdoors.

I went to outdoor stores, and found a wood handle pick axe and a few hatchets which we painted. The imagery of winter camping was inspirational for our VM team which translated the concept for in-store.

Unfortunately, VM couldn't use real axes, because of health & safety laws! 

The team was a walking Lichtenstein and I was Andy Warhol... a great effort, especially when you throw in the Village People! 

For summer 2016, there is a return to hand techniques in footwear. Hand-woven leathers, crochet and beading are all important. This is some early seasonal development on-site in our factory in Noida, outside New Delhi.

The craftsman in this region are amazing. Their skill and speed is truly exciting to witness. They are able to bead almost as fast as I can sketch! 

Here you see some sketches and development, along with sourcing for inspiration. Everything from woven leather mats to necklaces. 

Popped up to Milan from Florence for the weekend... for a bit more work! 

This is the production of our block heel mule. I've spent most of my time upstairs working on new-season development, all while the factory is busy downstairs getting this beauty ready to ship!