The new fall-autumn cashmere collection by Allude …

Once cashmere, always cashmere – that was the well-intentioned advice of my mother-in-law, long time ago, and now a saying in my family. Whoever believes Cashmere is solely a material for the cold season, has probably never worn a soft sweater made of light summer cashmere. The ideal companion for cool evenings and my savior during my vacation in Ibiza, where someone like me, who feels the cold quite easily, does not want to miss this woolen companion – even in the super hot months of June, July or August.

… by designer and author Andrea Karg

I still remember vividly how I demolished my favorite sweater, a casual, anthracite-colored cashmere sweater with a (back then) mega-trendy V-neck, in the washing machine: 60 degrees and the full spin program made it – and myself – the purest whiner. Why a noble cashmere piece nevertheless must not be chemically cleaned, how the favorite sweater is best stored and what you can do about the annoying pilling is written by Andrea Karg, the German cashmere queen and founder of the luxury label Allude, in a beautiful coffeetable book.

Allude designer Andrea Karg discusses her new collection

In twelve chapters, Allude designer Andrea Karg tells the story of the noble yarn and takes us on a journey beginning with the cashmere extraction to a finished Allude collection, which incidentally does not only include sweaters and scarves! The casual, light-gray coat (see below ;-)) would be right up my alley and the cushions from the home collection would do nicely on my own sofa.

Gorgeous coat made of the coveted luxury wool by Allude

By the way, cashmere-goats are not all the same. There are 20 goat species, to which the term applies and which are all originated in the Central Asian highlands. Cashmere is one of the most wanted and most nobly materials in the world and is not a product of our modern crave of luxury. “The use of goats’ hair for clothing, carpets, tents or wall decoration has been an old tradition in Asia over two millennia”, says Andrea Karg, who founded her own label in 1993 and, with her innovative collections, brought the material to the Paris catwalks of Pret-à-Porter in 2012. Cashmere – an informative book and aesthetic photos for fans of the cuddly noble yarn. BvH

Cashmere-goats are not all the same. There are 20 goat species

Allude designer Andrea Karg about the history of the noble yarn in her coffeetable book

Cozy, not only during the cold season: luxury cushions from Allude homecollection

So sweet: Small cloak from the precious yarn for the youngsters

A critical look at the sweaters of her luxury collection: Designer Andrea Karg

Cashmere Tip:

Small moth holes can be repair by a cashmere-professional, for example in the Allude cashmere clinic

Info:

Cashmere
by Andrea Karg
published by Callwey

All pics by Allude

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Time for a break: Gabriele Frantzen at the cozy fireplace. At her arm she wears the ‘Watch-Candy’ from her new collection. Her styling tip: consciously over the blouse!

Her jewelry is available in New York, London and Berlin. And she’s also regularly featured in Vogue, Elle or Madame: Accessory designer Gabriele Frantzen is ubiquitous and very busy. I meet the jetsetter in Munich. Cozily at the fireplace, we drink tea and revel in jewelry – exactly the right thing to do on a grey autumn-afternoon.

Colorful: Fur scarves are new in the collection, for example ‚Patchwork Phantasie’. “My accessories are often colorful, because the clothes are mostly worn monochrome.”

“I’m very lucky that I met Fern Mallis, who’s the founder of the New York Fashion Week, in the USA”, tells Gabriele. “She’s a real puppet master and an ingenious communicator.” And she wears the necklaces of Gabriele. And suddenly everyone wanted to wear those incredible-statement-pieces of the German designer – including fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker. That was the breakthrough.

The designer got her idea of the lasso necklace from the favorite German pop song of her grandfather: “I want a cowboy as husband.” Funny!

Everything started with a small boutique in the Bavarian Olching, where Gabriele Frantzen operated a so-called multi brand-store together with her mother, who’s a learned tailor. At a time when the word didn’t even exist and the fashion imperium ‘My Theresa’ was still very small. “We had brands like Miu Miu and Prada”, says Gabriele. “This was new at that time.” But for what do you have the prettiest dress if you don’t have the matching accessory? “Wherever I was looking for it, I couldn’t find any.” Encouraged by her husband Jürgen, with who she’s leading ‘Best of 19’, an agency for fashion sales, Gabriele began to make her first valuables. Directly out of the material.

Beautiful: The new ‘Watch-Candy’ collection with a sportive band

Fashion-lover Frantzen, who’s the brand ambassador for the labels ‘Phillip Lim’ and ‘Alice & Olivia’, collected her inspirations for her designs in her daily life. “Women are continuously busy with their phones. Therefore the arm is getting into focus, especially the wrist.” And all of a sudden the idea for the new Wrap-Bracelet was born. “I consciously renounce trends. When everyone wears Isabel Marant vests, I definitely don’t want one.” Individualization and resistance are important to her – next to quality of the materials and the processing. Today the collection – which meanwhile also includes fur-accessories – is made in Germany. “China won’t be an option.” BvH

Color up your outfit

“Meet Gabriele”: At so-called trunk shows, like recently in the concept store ‘Apropos’, Gabriele Frantzen personalizes the bracelets of her customers. Those sales shows are part of the American sales culture and are getting more and more popular

XXL fox scarf ‚Click it –Moritz‘ with a practical click-fastener

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend

Gabriele Frantzen loves sustainable fashion. “I wear designs that outlast the season.” Her trousers by Odeeh, cape by Jil Sander, shoes by Lanvin and bag by Marni with the fur trinket “Cheerleader” from her own collection and a blouse by Fonnesbech, the favorite label of the Danish princess Mary

Contact:

www.gabriele-frantzen.com

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Typical space-staging by designer Abigail Ahern*

When I recently strolled through my fav interior exhibition ‘Maison et Objet’ in Paris I spotted a booth with an amazing interior collection, which I would love to introduce to you. Abigail Ahern is one of the most influential interior designers and tastemakers. Whether she is pioneering faux flowers or dark, inky color palettes, Abigail is consistently ahead of the design trail. She started her career in interior design in the United States, where she designed residential properties and chic hotels.

Furs and thick carpets make our homes well prepared for the upcoming season*

Beside her retail and product designs the Brit Abigail Ahern is also a best-selling author of interior books and runs an interior-blog and international design masterclasses. Her advice: Be fearless, when decorating. If you ever have the opportunity to visit her shop in London, go – it is worth it!  BvH

The new tablelamps of the fall-winter-collection – cosy!*

The brass ‘Brewer Trolley’ in the 50s look is a must-have*

These mirrors are new items of the latest collection*

Abigail Ahern’s top 10 tips on how to color boost your home

1. Start by picking a color for your biggest room – say your living room or kitchen.
Choose a hue that feels beautiful and inspiring, and true to what you love. Build on this to create a limited palette of colors for your entire home, using different combinations of those colors in each room.
2. Use an existing feature in your pad to inspire the basis of your color scheme.
This could be a view from the window, a work of art or any favourite item you own.
3. Think about what you want from your home to communicate to the outside world.
No one will be talking about your beige-on-beige home, so go a little crazy. Be reckless, I say! The more your confidence grows, the more you’ll feel like experimenting with colour.

At the exhibition ‘Maison et Objet’ in Paris Abigail Ahern presented an ambience in which I would move in immediately

4. Be brave!
To start with, decorating with color can seem like a daunting task.
Color behaves differently according to where you put it. The effect changes again once you add lighting, pattern, texture and greenery into the mix. I think this is why people favour whites over any other color group, as they distort less when other elements are thrown into the mix. However, to me, this is a bit like decorating by numbers. Too easy!
Bold hues, on the other hand, make everything on display feel grander, cooler, more intense, with beautiful undertones subtly changing in the daylight. You’ll never look back!
5. Remember, there are no no-nos. Well almost none.
Pastels are one grouping I never want to work with. But then plop me in Miami and I’m sure I’d be instantly seduced!

The greenery in the background is deceptively authentic. Abigail Ahern loves this retro scenarios with cactus-landscapes

6. Use color in unexpected places
Behind closed doors, inside kitchen cupboards, bedroom wardrobes, the loo – all those tucked away places that surprise the minute you enter.
7. Remember the small stuff
Introduce color through cushions, vases, bowls, fruit, greenery – you name it. There should be splashes everywhere for your eye to alight on!
8. All color schemes are improved by accents:
the final touches of color that add an element of surprise, and bring rooms to life.
There are no fixed rules when it comes to choosing these; just take care with the amount of color you use and where you use it. As fab as that bright orange might look on a pillow, it may not feel quite so amazing on four walls because the impact will be so much stronger.

The ‘Wild Bill Sofa’ is as cozy as it looks!

9. Patterns provide necessary punctuation; don’t neglect them …
… They anchor a space like nothing else I know.
10. Create the illusion of space by blurring the boundaries between walls and ceilings.
Paint them all out the same color and suddenly you’ve made your space a zillion times bigger. Promise!

Please have a seat: The ‘Saloon Barrel Chair’ is MyStylery’s favorite chair

Contact:

Abigail Ahern
137 Upper Street
London N1 1QP
www.abigailahern.com

**Abigail Ahern: Colour – Quadrille publishing house
* Featured pic and pics marked* by Abigail Ahern

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