Recently in Fashion | Design Category

Ok, I couldn't resist!
Girls, how much do you love this ring? "It's my bling ring, bitch!" Artist, Ben Blanc, nailed it with this one. It's a must have for those special occasions.

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If you have been looking for the perfect case for your iPhone (and when are we not?), another reader suggested we check out "more."

Twinelite

Twinelite looks really sophisticated and unique. Makes the iPhone even more of an accessory with one of these dressings.

Vintage

The Vintage series is really handsome. I could see this leather breaking in beautifully and look awesome in the back pocket of some G-Star.

Noel
Lastly, for those attracted to the slick and shiny, the Noel collection is hot.

I can't decide! Dare I say, I want "more."

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Extraordinique means featuring people, products and ideas around the world that look at life and creations in innovative and a new light. In today's economy, there's even more opportunities and challenges with brilliant and creative solutions. Borrowing from old to make new, I've recently absolutely fell in love with Sukie Iron-On prints. Making the plain white T into something all your own. For adults or kids, what a better way to make the standard t-shirt into something fun, fresh, retro-hip and new.

Sukie, a british design studio, has an array of fun and unique prints used for stationary, textiles and other handmade items. 

Totally fun, totally Extraordinique!

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We are popping the cork here at Extraordinique in celebration of our first review published on September 21, 2007. With close to 150 reviews since that day, we have enjoyed sharing our favorite finds with you. Taking a look back in the Archives, we revisited some of our top favorites. The team worked to identify a Top 10 list for Extraordinique - A Year in Review, but we all agreed if they are in the Archive, they are all Extraordinique in our view.

For 2007-08, revisit these favorite finds and let us know what you think.

Vibram FiveFingers
We first started Extraordinique with Vibram FiveFingers footwear, making one of Time Magazine's best inventions in 2007. Since our first post, it also looks like FiveFingers has come out with two more lines - KSO and Flow. Vibram FiveFingers was catalytic in our concept for Extraordinique. In an era of innovation and "smart" technology, footwear has been taken to a whole new level with Vibram FiveFingers.

Vosges Haute Chocolate
Vosges is a fun one because a year later, we still find family and friends talking about Mo's Bacon Bar or the truffles we brought home, which included a symphonic blend of sweet and salt. Muah! Delish!

Christine J. Brandt
Another artist bringing elements together in an extraordinary way is jewelry designer Christine J. Brandt. Her jewelry collection is beyond words - setting stones and minerals in rich wood carvings for rings, necklaces, and cufflinks. The color, shape and texture of all of her pieces embody the word - Extraordinique!

Ego
There is no such thing as "check your 'Ego' at the door" if you own one of these artistically and fashion-inspired notebooks. Winner of this year's Microsoft Fashion PC Award and nominated for the 2009 German designprize Ego will be competing with brands such as BMW and Porsche for uber design excellence.

SIGG
Eco-friendly SIGG bottles became our favorite functional, go-anywhere water bottle for the car, the gym, and our weekend bike rides this year. We found them to be ultra durable and kept our drinks cool and refreshing.

Stokke Strollers
Over the past year, Stokke seems to have had a major influence in the design of baby strollers and it doesn't stop there. Now, Stokke is featuring the Tripp Trapp - designed to "invite your child to the table" like no other high chair can. Again, Extraordinique!

Flip Video
The best in plug-in-play digital video recorders, we flipped for Flip Video. End of story!

Easy Glider
Taking "people mover" to a whole new level, we found EasyGlider to be the ultimate mash up of inline skating, skateboarding and surfing melded into the design of a "scooter."

Coal
As Fall is upon us, Coal is still the first company I think of for super cool (or should I say toasty) knitted caps and scarves that we love. Debuting their latest 2008  Winter collection, you gotta check them out.

Pi
In a year of outrageous gas prices, Pi took electric mobility to a whole new level with a highly functional and beautifully designed electric bike.

If you have a favorite, please comment and let us know what enjoyed the most from Extraordinique - All Things Extraordinary & Unique.

Now, to celebrate, if only we had some Bling H20!

I have to admit, I've often liked the Crocs concept - colorful, fun, creative shoes and certainly their back story on how these fun(ctional) and funky shoes were conceived, but I've never actually bought a pair. I even went so far as trying some on at the Crocs store in Santa Monica, but again, I didn't pull the trigger. Now, that I found that Crocs have come out with these really cute Prima Ballet slip-ons, I'm thinking how can I get one in each color.

As a side note, in doing research on Crocs, I ran across an interesting article Slate ran in 2007 that exposes the Croc Epidemic. ;)

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With such a diverse collection of beautifully hand-crafted glass jewelry made by the most skilled glass artisans of Italy, Yummi Glass is yummy indeed!

I would love nothing more than to do this entire post in pictures to show you some of my favorite rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and cuff links.

I would describe many of these pieces as exquisite, classic, sophisticated and fun. And, oh yeah, extraordinique!

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A world-renowned asian art glass studio has opened its first gallery store in the United States, Liuligongfang in San Francisco, right off Union Square. Artist, Loretta Hui-Shan Yang is internationally recognized for perfecting and reviving the ancient Chinese art glass technique called Liuli (literally "beautiful glass").  She has devoted the last 20 years of her life to Liuli and seeks harmony between art and life with every art glass piece she creates. Yang compiles each Liuli collection to reflect the beauty of life and nature, "revealing both authentic and modern expressions of Chinese culture."

Yang has expressed her artistic talents in Liuli and in acting. Yang, was a critically acclaimed and award-winning Taiwanese film star in the 1970s, but left the movie industry in 1987, at the height of her career, to pursue "enlightenment." While studying the French glass-making process pate-de verre, which translates to paste of glass, Yang learned that the art form had actually originated in China and could be traced back 3,000 years to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Yang and former film director, and now husband, Yi Chang became determined to resurrect the ancient art of Liuli and return it to the forefront of the art world.

Art for Yang, is "an evocative manifestation of love, life and spirituality." Her work, for example, includes these beautiful glass bowls she created as a set called, Tranquility of Heaven and Earth. Her collections also include jewelry and other collectibles for the home.

Liuligongfang is a 3,100 square-foot gallery store that showcases the amazing beauty of their creations and invites you to sip tea at their glass bar. While at the bar, you can enjoy tea served from Liuli teapots in Liuli cups and learn about pate-de-verre casting techniques and the Liuli story.

Extraordinque!

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