High Low Style at it's best

I was determined not to wind up in Duane Reade stockings at my fashion week presentation.  But true to form, with two minutes to spare before the doors opened, my Woolford's caught a corner of a birdcage and pulled a major run down my leg.  I was in drugstore sheers before the clock struck 9.  And a $600 pajama top.  This is really ARI DEIN high low dressing in it's truest form, but I wanted to share a few other style (splurge) cravings I've had lately and their little sisters in a less aspirational price range.  You know all of my lingerie designs are inspired by architecture and antiquated furnishings, but just because I have fancy taste doesn't mean I'm one to waste money.  I love a good bargain, and I love to invest in a select few special pieces that will last/ withstand trends changing through time.  It's your job and mine to then fill the spaces in between with a little elbow grease and creativity.  Like pairing an ARI DEIN cami and a pair of H&M jeans and a vintage Chanel chain belt.  The details you chose bring the cami's desgin to life, not the other way around.

Really loving the texture a plain, tufted couch adds to a living area:

Restoration Hardware Soho Sofa's could set you back as much as $8000

But this sofette from Pottery Barn is a better Manhattan apartment fit, and I like that it's elevated so you can reach the dust bunnies more easily.  Only $1200

Other budget friendly designs that have caught my eye are this raw steel end table from West Elm ($249 left). It's listed under bathroom furniture but I think it makes a great accent in between upholstered chairs and you can use it to display something fragile or even just art books.  The one on the right from Boltz is practically identical and twice the price.

This natural wood bistro table also from West Elm is on sale for $339, but reads much pricier.  I would love to pair it with my antique yellow Chippendales and it's petite enough to fit in a small eat-in kitchen.

I love the combination of neutral wood and laquer accents.  If you don't have originals Chippendales you can get remakes from Jonathan Adler for $550-650.  Or you can do what I did in the office, and order banquet seating from online event distributors and grab 6-8 chairs for about $35 each!

Splurge but comes in custom upholstered colors and nearly identical to the real thing.

Bamboo Chiavari's are a steal and they stack up to 8 tall which is quite handing in apartment living!

Another one of my design tips is shopping the children's versions of Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn.  Many times they make slightly smaller or modified versions of their best sellers for hundreds less than the main store offerings, and frankly- you can't tell the difference and the sizing is preferable for apartment living.  The Anthropologie sale rack is also a great way to find slightly dinged mirrors or gently worn upholstery with a bohemian chic twist.  Happy furnishing!
xx,
Ari

Ta Ta Terrific

I don't often find a product so extraordinary it's worth endorsing... at 9pm on a Friday night no less.  But today I found the holy grail of sports bras and I want to share the news.  As a 32E, I've never been able to run or really enjoy any kind of cardio activity without doubling up Champions five sizes too small.  


Lately, I've become addicted to Urban Rebounding, which is kind of like a kickboxing class on a mini trampoline.  And especially in case of weight loss where you're dropping a few sizes, the workout support tops of yesteryear (college anyone?) aren't cutting it- even more than usual.  And so I give you: The Lululemon TA TA TAMER.  I fit into a 32D quite snuggly (because I like it to feel like a wetsuit and I've probably come down at least one cup size since taking this class), and there was even a rebounder in the store to test gravity while jumping.  


Their slogan caught my eye before I even tried it on: "If ta tas were lions, this sports bra would be the starring attraction at the circus."  I'll save you the technical details which you can read on their website, but I just wanted to give this product my firm endorsement and encourage you to give it a try if you're still on the quest for the best athletic boobie coverage available on the market.  If this didn't exist, you can believe I would be designing it myself.  


http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-sports-bras/Ta-Ta-Tamer-31503


xx,
Ari

"The lion is most handsome when looking for food."

"It's morphine."

When I was little, we used to read a book picture book called "Door to Door".  The illustrations peered into people's homes doll house style, and inside was all the action: the mailman being threatened by dogs, a missing hamster stuck between floors, the birthday cake being attacked by spoons, even an illicit affair behind closed doors (we had the BEST books ever in our house).  Anyywayyy.... memories.  Point: The people in the book move one block down, and they are sad to leave but happy to go.  Yes, it's going to be a glass case of emotion to leave 307 in April.  It's the first place (in four plus years) I've really made my home in Manhattan, and it's more my spot than my own apartment.  But I'm ready for new challenges, and 10x the sq. ft.  Bring on the Incubator, at 209.

xx,

Ari

“Learn to limit yourself; to content yourself with some definite work; dare to be what you are and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not; and to believe in your own individuality.” ~Henri Frederic Amiel

Shanghaied at the Bryant Park Hotel for NYFW

About a month ago, I got a call from the Bryant Park Hotel offering ARI DEIN an opportunity to show at New York Fashion Week. I was so excited to accept their invitation because I have never shown a collection to the fashion community at large and was eager to expand the visibility of my (still) very young brand. I thought, "one month is definitely enough time to pull off an event like this- never mind I don't have a single sample finished yet!"

Five short but busy weeks later, the presentation went off without a hitch! We were ready to open the doors at 8:59pm with 17 models serenaded by a world class Opera singer. Since the collection nods to a vintage, art deco explosion in the 1920's far east, she began with excepts from Madame Butterfly and literally set the tone.  The hair and makeup were dramatic and divine, the atmosphere was perfect. It was such an accomplishment that I shared with no less than 60 people; the girls, the prep teams, the photographers, the hotel staff, the volunteers, the stylist, etc. It truly takes a village to get a one hour event off the ground, and I'm still amazed by how gracefully we were able to carry out the day under such a schedule with so many hands on deck. This night was a dream come true for everyone who was a part of it, and I am so proud.


I hope you enjoy the pics from photographer David Ducane.
Happy Fashion Week!
xx, Ari

Today's the big day!

After 10 great weeks of collaborating with the CFDA and Stern Consulting Corps, I'm finally ready to present my business to an incredible panel of advisors.  Big thanks to Britt and Jonathan but especially to Tara (our amazing Stern MBA Candidates) who held my hand through the whole process- and until 3am this morning finishing our lovely teal charts and graphs- and helped me develop a strong set of books and plans for the future.  For our powerpoint, we borrowed images taken by style blogger Love Maegen, who featured herself in her master bedroom in SoCal enjoying our best selling pj set!

If you disagree with my mentor Gary and believe I am in fact deserving on an honorary MBA at this point, sign a petition in the comments below! JK- I don't need a certificate. I'm about to give a presentation to the greatest business of fashion minds in New York City in an NYU auditorium in my pajamas- #alreadywinning! ;P

xx,

Ari

In today's installment of you wish you were there...

and also

This is the best dating advice column I have ever read:

Read the full remarks on Huffington Post and see my favorite part, the conclusion, reposted below:

Antique Boutique Hotel Camsiole, 100% silk chiffon with 100% silk charmeuse hand made ribbon applique trim

"The good news is that I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner. You're just going to need to get rid of the idea that marriage will make you happy. It won't. Once the initial high wears off, you'll just be you, except with twice as much laundry.

Because ultimately, marriage is not about getting something -- it's about giving it. Strangely, men understand this more than we do. Probably because for them marriage involves sacrificing their most treasured possession -- a free-agent penis -- and for us, it's the culmination of a princess fantasy so universal, it built Disneyland.

The bottom line is that marriage is just a long-term opportunity to practice loving someone even when they don't deserve it. Because most of the time, your messy, farting, macaroni-and-cheese eating man will not be doing what you want him to. But as you give him love anyway -- because you have made up your mind to transform yourself into a person who is practicing being kind, deep, virtuous, truthful, giving, and most of all, accepting of your own dear self -- you will find that you will experience the very thing you wanted all along:

Love." --Tracy McMillan

Well damn, that's far too long to inscribe inside a wedding band, but I wouldn't mind thinking of it while I'm saying my vows and/or wearing this camisole.

xx,
Ari

Classic Boutique Hotel PJ Set Featured on Who What Wear!!!

New York Magazine!

Our Classic Boutique Hotel Pajama Set is featured in this week's (Dec. 5th) New York Magazine!  I LOVE the spread which pictures a bun-head girl in silhouette donning threads from Salvatore Ferragamo, Celine, Louis Vuitton and the like.  What a group to sit next to!

In purple: Journelle.com
In navy or rust: Shopbop.com
In rust or peach: Lilleboutique.com
In rust or navy: FiveStory NY (69th St.)
In navy or ivory: Gotham Beauty Lounge (Bryant Park)
Always and forever on ARIDEIN.COM!

Happy Pajamashopping!
xx,
Ari