hey i’m just updating my links. bringing them to the front page here. so that mess to the right is a work in progress!

i don’t look anything like her.

cliches become cliches because of excessive overuse or love. cliches are truth. and black is ground zero for fashion cliches. you can use black as a wardrobe base. or tiny ballerinas leotards. and for all manner of stealth gear- think ninjas and AK47s. you can force yourself to abandon it momentarily, explaining to friends and shopgirls that “oh my god all i wear is black, i have to wear some colour!” you can “reduce” it to funeral gear. OR workout gear! and the ONLY colour of shoes you wear [your 50 plus pairs? your army of shoes? i have such an army]. but it will never go away. sometimes there is nothing cozier, sexier, beautiful & intelligent than layer upon layer of black, covering your body and protecting it from winter and anything else you might fear. or love.

FENDI F/W 08 / ETRO F/W 08. photos style.com. clickclick for bigger pics.

and because i’m not finding perfect examples of this for women, back to menswear, again.

all JULIUS S/S 09. i 1st found Julius through Flickr friend Mafia Hunt. and these pics i think originate from fashionmag.fr.

you know all i really care about is that i can wear piles of black again and not be looked at like some morbid pretentious freak.

Jennie Robinson built this SwanDiamondRose blog along with Henry Faber of Bento Box. Jennie is also Surgeon Jennieral, a member of the Bay City Bruisers rollerderby team. Here she is [finally a pic!] on a log in Victoria, Canada, with… her SWANclothing Straight XL tote that I made.

photo by Henry Faber aka hfabulous.

i hear there is an Ocean Cloud vacationing in Malta… i hope you take pics Jessica ;)

and London-based Susanna Lau a.k.a. Susie Bubble of UK fashion blog Style Bubble received her new Rose Quilted Louche.

mentioned here in her Dear Grey Jersey entry…

“If I pull something of you out of my wardrobe be it a t-shirt, a racerback, or use a bag made out of you (the newest one being a large quilted louche tote courtesy of Swan Diamond Rose), I know I’m not going to get any nasty surprises. Reliable, trusty and no, that never descends into the Volvo state of things. It never gets uninteresting because you have happily obliged to be paired with more colourful things lurking in the closet. You don’t mind playing second fiddle to some sequins, some fringed tights, neon lace or sometimes all three…”

[the jersey totes will be available this fall.] Susie’s been a Louche supporter from the get go pretty much, which i love. and those pics are just wow, sigh-soft grey rainbows. so nice. thanks Susie :)

just wanted to add, i am getting a little jealous maybe? of these totes travels. but mostly i just love it. more to come later this week.

i will blatantly copy this look. i even have a new-to-me striped vintage shirt ready to go.

Via The Facehunter.

i’m NOT doing the Portobello fair this Sunday but will do the next one. which is the last Sunday of August. i’ll blog when that happens.

hi all! i love that you visit my little blog over here at SDR. i would be even happier if some of the lurkers unlurked!

come say hi! introduce your sweet selves.

i’d <3 to hear from you…

this is so brief. i am recovering from working too many all-nighters and still have a small pile of orders to go. it’s funny, it’s not actually that i have hundreds of orders over here. it’s just that each tote takes a fair amount of time.

but here is something i often think about and have for a long while. i am starting to have those “i want a sweet space” feelings again, instead of studio-work-vault tricked out with laptop/sewing machine/tripods that i never leave. and in this sweet space i would love some antique Black Forest furniture. i love animal carvings in wood but i’m pretty specific. i don’t really like cute. i like austere, mysterious, mythical, gentle, majestic and a little naive. at least for this. and in dark woods, old endlessly rubbed woods, and Bog wood. my favourite. it’s black, just like it shared space with some dinosaurs in a tar pit.

here is a small example. a hand carved Victorian/Edwardian era deskbox [or casket].

Box information and photo credit here.

i’ve been up until 5 a.m. a lot lately. working. it’s pretty rough on my mind & body. but seems to be the only way to get things done right now. deadlines piled up in some sort of forest that i had to chop away at. the oddness of that metaphor i think reflects perfectly my messy state of mind. but i just wanted to say thank you to my patient friends & family. many who have & are visiting this summer, and i’ve had so little time for you. just thank you for your patience and support.

and thank you for the orders i have been getting too. without them, there would be no SWANny nothin’. [and thank you for Honey-Nut Cheerios while i’m at it…]

ok, yesterday i made this swan chariot tote with accompanying chains and star charm and headband for a local Vancouver Urban Outfitter charity auction. it’s based on my SWANclothing STRAIGHT totes. the chariot customizes a Mini Munny by Kid Robot. people do this, it’s a thing they do. see here for proof…

i’m not sure exactly when the auction is taking place but will post when i know.

it was really really fun to make something i wouldn’t normally and having it actually work out is a bonus. even if people think it is odd, i totally love it :) i mean if i was that small i would certainly want to be carried around in a SWAN chariot mini tote. barking irrelevant [or squeeking?] orders at useless giant humans. demanding grapes! glittery things! and the companionship of butterflies! [see, i told you i was tired].

heck watch the video! feel free to hum along…

tote with Mini Munny in the shots are in my Flickr stream here…