poetic celebration...

the fall/winter jana kos collection will be shown in redwood shores, ca in just three weeks...
have you booked your appointment?

jana kos fall/winter collection trunk show

october 28 thru november 9

by personal appointment

let me know when you would like to come by...and if you are not able...lucky you...can still order through me...

thought i would show you some of the beautiful pieces that will be shown...

color group one - poetic celebration
get ready to celebrate this season with jewel tone colors, sophisticated black dressing and incredible textures. the season opens with sculpted crepe suiting fit for any special occasion. silk shantung in magenta, emerald satin check, and a variety of multi color patterns all combine in fresh and sophisticated looks for day-to-evening. raven black couture jacquard in your favorite cocoon coat and cropped suiting add drama to every fall wardrobe. we introduce wonderful new knits as well as new colors of our favorite fall pieces such as: cashmere cascade twinset in fuchsia, silk jersey in teal (iris and red in other color groups) and due silky in 5 new colors...
jana kos

men's corner: the best in blazers...

a good navy blazer should be a staple in every man's wardrobe, and in theory, is a rather uncomplicated item of clothing...however, to look your best, a man's blazer should be in the richest shade of navy blue possible...and it goes without saying...should be properly fit...

*generally blazers are more casual than suits and so you have more freedom with fit...since they are frequently layered over other items, a bit more room may be required...if plans are to wear your blazer over a sweater, be sure to take the sweater along when trying on various styles and cuts...

*sleeve length should leave room for about a quarter inch of shirt cuff to show...

*single vents are great if you want a slim profile and do not plan to layer...double vents give more room around the hips and are better for layering...

blazers are one of the most versatile items in a man's wardrobe - they look great with khakis and a tie....when paired with wool trousers and dress shoes....or worn with a collared shirt and dark jeans for dinner on the weekend...

top five shoe trends for fall 09

instyle.com has released the top five shoe trends for fall 09 (drum roll please...)

animal prints - check! (i must admit i have several pairs in this category...including the lovely stuart weitzman pic below...
heavy hardware - check!
extreme platforms - check!
exotic skins - not yet
day-to-night flats - check!

be sure to check out the lovely 53 photos that instyle.com has posted for some great ideas (with a wide range of prices)

still not sure if i am going to get a pair of shoes in exotic skins...but as i'm sure all my friends will attest to...the other categories are fully covered...well...maybe not fully...that would mean that i don't need anymore shoes... =)

and a girl could always use a new pair of shoes...

which shoe trend are you most excited about?

tie one on...

when it comes to scarves...i divide women into two categories...those who know how to wear scarves...and those who don't...for much of my adult life...i was one of the women who didn't...and then i decided to transform myself into one of the women who did...

try it...and see how it makes you feel...

i often tell my clients...this is one of the easiest ways to update an old outfit...or to add color to an outfit...

add a silk scarf to your regular blazer...or...tie one casually onto the side of your purse or your briefcase...(that style was started by babe paley...the wife of cbs owner bill paley...she took hers off and tied it to her handbag, photographers snapped the scene, and within weeks everyone was doing it.)

would you like to feel like grace kelly in the movie to catch a thief? my girlfriend seems to have grasped this moment...and lives it...tie a scarf on your head...don your biggest sunglasses...drive with the top down...and let passersby wonder, "who was that woman?"

the best silk scarves are...of course...from hermes...and they cost upwards of $300...but type the word "hermes" into the search function of ebay...and you'll be delighted at what comes up...

so are you a woman who does wear scarves? what is your favorite way?

men's corner: the art of mixing & matching...

pattern combining is an elusive science to some...and to others...it is pure art...
depending on how you look at it...there is really no scientific method for determining the perfect jacket, shirt, and tie combinations...

the following are a few guidelines to help steer you in the right direction...

if you are going to wear different patterns together...vary their sizes...
for example:
if your have a shirt with a fine pattern, you can go for a bolder-patterned tie
if your shirt is bold, go for a finer-patterned tie...
think of your basic ying and yang...

monochromatic always works...wearing a variety of shades from the same palette looks confident and expensive...think regis philbin...

a few rules to go by...
make sure everything you are wearing belongs in the same season...
for example:
a cashmere sweater looks smart under a wool sport coat...
a cotton oxford does well under a khaki blazer...
a thick wool sweater under a linen blazer...well...just looks odd...don't do it!

see pics below for inspiration...and as always...if you are needing some assistance...i can help!!

two patterns

3 patterns (could easily add a patterned pocket square to make 4 patterns) simply tre chic

monochromatic

the classic trench...

awww...the classic trench...

it started life in the nineteenth century as a soldier's coat...two world wars imprinted the trench on our minds: we saw it in misty railroad stations...saying stoic good-byes...

bogart wore it best...he seemed to fill the familiar khaki shape...its military-style epaulets and separate back yoke...with just the right dose of tragic romance...

we can appreciate the nostalgia and practicality of a trench coat without requiring it to be long, beige, heavy, and lined...after all...we are not looking to lead an expedition to the south pole in it...the staple of office workers of the western world...those who invest in styles with removable linings may wear it three seasons a year...

the trench's classic style also lends itself beautifully to wild reinterpretation...it can be short and sexy...in a featherweight microfiber or a delicate silk...it can shock with color...be daring in leopard...or dramatic in gold...when it's worn luxuriously long...the trench will cloak all that it covers...so you need not worry about warring hem-lines or clashing with what's underneath...

i tend to lean on the side of reinterpretation...i do not own a khaki/tan standard trench...most likely never will...unless...of course...i have the fortunate opportunity to trip over a vintage burberry trench with its ever so beautiful plaid lining...such as i wrote about yesterday in the trenches

but until i stumble upon such an incredible find...i am pretty happy with the two trench coats that i own...here they are in all their glory...

silver metallic leopard print trench

gold metallic short trench coat

i did a little survey to see what others own...most seem to lean on the side of reinterpretation...

and most own more than one...

one female client owns two...one in zebra print & the other in bright red (how perfect for a grey gloomy day)

one friend owns three...black satin, silver, & gold metallic (yes, we like a lot of the same things)

another female client owns one...pumpkin orange (nice fall color)

my dad...classic khaki (you know if it was a burberry it would now be in my closet)

male client...classic khaki

and one of my twitter friends who sells vintage...sent me a picture of her favorite trench...a vintage peruzzi leather...but she admitted she has over 5 trench coats...why not?? they are so classic...

check out her picture below...but also...check out her vintage at joules etsy shop

joules modeling her vintage peruzzi leather trench

so how about you?? do you lean towards the more classic or reinterpretation?

in the trenches...

years ago...when my girlfriends father passed away...she and her siblings had the daunting task of going through his things...her dad was a very simple man...clothes to him where nothing more than a necessity...most of his things were bought in local thrift stores...he did not look at labels...and he didn't believe that clothes warranted a lot of spending...

as they rifled through his things...they pulled out a trench coat...the brothers recalled how he wore it for everyday use...not really caring all that much for it...they remembered a time that he had even taken it off and used it as a "rug" while he needed to check something on the underside of his car...

the mother confirmed that he had bought it for a few dollars at the local thrift shop...there was no denying it...the lining...the well-known check lining...

what it was...was an authentic burberry trench...a vintage burberry trench...a burberry trench that now sells for 1300 a piece...

now...of course when i heard this story i was beside myself...being an avid vintage collector...this was truly a find...my girlfriend's sister is now the proud owner...of course...to her...it is much more than an authentic vintage burberry trench coat...it is a memory of her dad...the simple man that valued other people...and would have given the shirt of his back for pretty much anyone...

in 1856, the british sportswear manufacturer thomas burberry came up with the trench coat, a breathable alternative to the rubber-lined mackintosh...improving upon the shepherd's closely woven linen smocks, he wove wool with cotton in a gabardine twill...the trench was a virtual uniform for nineteenth-century adventurers: burberry outfittet balloonists, expeditions to the poles, and travelers to india and other british colonies...lightweight and strong, his trench coat has sold more than a million since 1917...

the burberry check, registered as a trademark, was introduced as a lining to the trench coat in the 1920's...the burberry check is what most people connect the burberry name to...

and now...a little over 150 years later...burberry is an internationally recognized luxury brand...