je t'aime la musique: Florence and The Machine

Sometimes when you love an artist's first album so much, it's a little nerve-wracking when you hear they are coming up with a follow up release. Can they possibly re-create, or better yet, top the brilliance of the first album? In the case of Florence & the Machine, we're happy to report that her new album Ceremonials, is every bit as passionate, dark, beautiful and intense as her debut album. Full of her characteristic soul baring anthems, blended with ethereal, other worldly vocals, we promise this one won't disappoint.

Ceremonials is officially released next Tuesday, but if you're like us and you just can't wait you can stream the full album right here.

Five Days, Five Looks, One Shoe: WHODUNIT?

When I first laid eyes on the WHODUNIT? Heels I knew I had to have them. The glittery gold heels are clearly perfect for a night out or a fantastic holiday party, but I wanted to find ways to incorporate it into my every day wardrobe. I paired it with five different outfits for five different days. Which look is your favorite?

DAY 1 - A simple yet comfortable outfit that I wore to the office. A little gold brightened up the entire look!

DAY 2 - I love playing with textures, so I paired the shoes with a silk jewel toned shirt and textured mini skirt. A little shimmer to help me get through the work day.

DAY 3 - Prep meets glitter!

DAY 4 - The heels acted as the neutral in the oufit when pairing it with a bright colored dress.

DAY 5 - A late night at work is made so much more fun with the contrast between my WHODUNIT? Heels and a fun patterned skirt. 

Seychelles & Dear Creatures make a splash at LA Fashion Week

Last Saturday night, Gen Art's Fresh Faces in Fashion closed out LA Fashion Week to a standing room only crowd of over 800 people. Beloved clothing line Dear Creatures were selected to grace the runway and we were thrilled when they asked to pair our "Carriage" wedge heels with their beautiful looks. We have been longtime fans of Dear Creatures and we hope this is the first in a series of partnerships.

Way to send LA Fashion Week out in style! Visit our web store to get your own pair of "Carriage" wedge heels.

all photos courtesy of Dear Creatures, shot by Yudi Ela.

Color Blocking.

We love the color blocking trend and are so happy it continues to stick around season after season!

By definition, it means solid colors paired together and we think this dress and our amazing new TOKYO mod-inspired block heels are perfect examples of it.

What colors do you love to pair together? What works and what doesn't?

(courtesy of Tanveer Faisal)

je t'aime la musique: Beirut

We've had a musical crush on Zach Condon of Beirut since he was an 18 year old kid recording Gulag Orkestar in his mom's basement in New Mexico. And his newest release, The Rip Tide, has absolutely sent us over the moon. Known for his lyrics which weave imaginary tales of strangers lives, on The Rip Tide Condon took a huge departure, and a huge risk, by turning his focus inward. This is a collection of his most personal songs to date, accompanied by his characteristic old-world folk instrumentation. If you haven't already fallen madly in love with Beirut, this album will seal the deal.

Style Icon: Jean Barthet

French milliner Jean Barthet rose to the height of fashion in the 1950s and 1960s as the go-to source for innovative accessories. Designing in the traditional manner of great French hat makers, Barthet embellished his creations with trimmings that reflected his own style and imagination, including velvet ribbons and bows. He has dressed the heads of fashion's most iconic women, Brigit Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Sophia Loren, to name a few. We tip our hats to this style innovator.

Behind the Lens: Marianna Rothen

Marianna Rothen is an amazing photographer we just stumbled upon.  So many people in the fashion blogosphere have already given appropriate shout outs and accolades honoring her rare talent and here we are; poised to do the same. 

Here's her story, (in a nutshell) as told by Marianna herself. 

“I was born in Canada in the 80s and began modeling at 15. I took photographs before I started modeling, so for me, modeling was really a way of finding people to photograph and a way of learning how to take better pictures.

Most of the time I shoot on an old Polaroid SX-70 camera, shooting SX-70 film, 600 film, or Impossible film. I work with filtration. Since Polaroids have become so expensive, I have been experimenting in mixed media—mixing analog and digital together. 

My biggest inspirations are European films from the 60s and 70s. That’s what I try to emulate in my work. I want to recreate the warm light of those past times. My models are also actresses, and I like them to have a character or be a caricature of a character, something they can play with. When someone tells me that my photographs look like found pictures from the 1960s, I know they understand my work."

For a complete swoon fest, land here.

All that Glitters

Simply said, it's time to start thinking about what you're going to wear to the many holiday parties that are coming up in the next two months!! We took it upon ourselves to seek and find and think this is a perfect outfit choice for any of said events and now is the time to start stock piling choices.

The best part? This outfit works together but the "items" are also great to have in your closet to pair with anything. Go for it, you deserve it.

All About Nude.

So we have been mildly obsessed with our new PRIVATE EYE oxford flats ever since we saw them at our design meeting in Summer. They are the epitome of androgyny meets girly and are a perfect addition to one's closet. 

As if the styling alone is not enough to swoon over, the fabulous nude color they come in was (obviously and rightfully) the inspiration for today's post. 

As the old adage says, one can never have enough nude/pale pink in their wardrobe. (Ok we may have made that up, but it's true so go with it.)

1. Dorothy Perkins Nude Midi Pleat Skirt Dress

2. American Vintage Theme Evergreen T-shirt

3. Rag & Bone Nude Mini Skirt Laurie

4. Richard Nicoll Cotton Voile Dress

5. Max and Chloe Argento Vivo Necklace

6. Seychelles Private Eye oxford flats

I Am Listening to: Real Estate

New Jersey band, Real Estate's latest album Days has been on heavy rotation this week. Their laid back beach-pop sounds, reminiscent of The Beach Boys, are perfect for the transition from summer to fall. In Los Angeles, we've been experiencing an extended summer with the heat this week and this album is the ideal soundtrack. Days is a little romantic, a little nostalgic, a little dreamy, and tinged with a bit of sadness.  Take a listen to "Green Aisles" below or you can stream their entire album over at NPR.

Let us know what your favorite fall albums are!

Real Estate - Green Aisles by DominoRecordCo

Reading Corner: Make & Do

As the weather turns cooler and our opportunities for outdoor festivities draw to a close, we're turning our attention indoors and dreaming up dinner parties and gatherings with friends. Now we'll never be at a loss for gorgeous handmade decoration ideas thanks to Mollie Green's self-published tome Make & D0: Paper Fascinations for Every Lovely Occasion. Pick up a copy over at Etsy and start dreaming up your next party.

Come Join Us.

Please come join us this Thursday as we storm the LA ART WALK, set up shop at the amazing new Brigade Boutique and serve wine and shoes. How can you say no?

You can't, so check out the details here, http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2321710298 put it on your calendar and we look forward to meeting you.

L'homme du jour: Mick Jagger

In the spirit of the androgynous looks we've seen on the streets and runways for Fall 2011, we're turning our attention to the guys. It's impossible not to find style inspiration in the classic Mick Jagger. With his slim slacks, tailored vests, blazers and polished hats, he is the epitome of a refined rock star.

1. Seychelles Stakeout Boots

2. Velvet Blazer, Free People

3. Fedora, Libby Story

4. Polka Dot Bow Tie, ASOS

5. Eairth High-Waist Trousers, Anthropologie

Antique Adventures.

(photo courtesy of Adam Gault)

So we were trolling our favorite blogs and found quite a few mentions of a man named Keith Johnson and his amazing job. We realized quickly we needed to be in the loop; so after a bit of frenzied, curiosity filled research, we now know who he is and what he does.

Everyone was right - it's amazing...so amazing in fact the Sundance Channel dedicated a show to him called MAN SHOPS GLOBE detailing his adventures as he shops the globe, antique shopping for...wait for it... ANTHROPOLOGIE. 

I will let the video below explain the rest but Keith Johnson, you gained some new fans today and we here at Seychelles think you quite possibly have the greatest job on the planet. 

Snapshots from Paris.

We love Paris, (who doesn't) and dreamt we were front and center at the shows this past week.  To recap, Spring 2012 hit the scene with material mash-ups, lace, sophisticated silhouettes and color blocking.

In honor of Paris Fashion Week and partially just so we could ogle over the various designer runway collections, we curated a post of our favorite looks. 

Featuring (in order) Valentino, Chloe, Jill Stuart, Alexander McQueen, Vanessa Bruno, Valentino, Preen, Jil Sander and Vionnet. For more loveliness, go to Style.com and search through the looks yourself. 

If you can choose, which look is your favorite?

Seychelles Special Edition

Go Mod this Fall and own a pair of our amazing HELSINKI boots. (Yes the ones that walked the runway in February at New York Fashion Week.)

Which color is your favorite? What would you wear them with?