Channel your inner optimist with this week's uplifting @anotherloves edit
“Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room,” American journalist Mary Schmich once wrote – and this week’s @anotherloves selection takes her advice very much to heart. From socks to rocking chairs, leather perfectos to striking sunnies, we’ve amassed a collection of accessories guaranteed to lull you out of wet-weather inactivity and embrace a more animated start to the weekend – and we've thrown some industrialist homewares thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!
First thing's first, it's time for sock lovers to rejoice: French brand Bonne Maison focuses entirely on the creation of finely crafted Egyptian cotton chausettes, adorned with some of the best patterns we’ve seen – from a magnificent, sprawling octopus to these Matisse-esque dancers on a terracotta background, Loved by AnOther fashion coordinator Chloe Grace Press. "Everyone should own at least one pair of fun socks, and these ones are guaranteed to make for very happy feet."
There's nothing better than a beautiful plant housed in an equally aesthetically pleasing pot. Which is where DR Designs comes in. Spearheaded by sculptor and product designer Daniela Rubino, the studio offers "handmade minimal homewares designed with raw and exciting materials", including these marvellous, marbled concrete planters, which caught the eye of AnOther Lover Maisie Skidmore. "I'm on a slow but determined mission to turn my living quarters into a greenhouse of rainforest-esque density," she says, "and Rubino's industrialist concrete creations are a long-awaited antidote to too much cutesy pottery."
New York-based fashion designer Sandy Liang has been making waves with her casual but distinctly chic aesthetic, inspired by her Chinese grandmother's striking and carefree sartorial approach. This blossoming leather jacket is her self-professed favourite piece from her spring/summer collection and is definitive of her work. "It’s something you can throw around and wear for years," she told Watch That Label, "but it still stands out from other leather jackets. And it’s embroidered with tiny teeny flowers and little blue lighters."
The odd April shower aside, the sun has been gracing us with its presence in recent weeks, sparking a burgeoning desire to invest in a new pair of sunglasses. Complete with yellow cat-eye detailing and the swirling S/S16 'Carretto' print, based on that of the iconic Sicilian horse-drawn carts, this Dolce and Gabbana pair is high on our list. As AnOther Lover Daisy Woodward observes, "If you're a devoted black and navy wearer, which I tend to be, then you've got to embrace colourful accessories or you run the risk of fading into the background entirely. These are just the right level of eccentric – Peggy Guggenheim would most probably approve – but in a beautiful, wearable way."
For Salone del Mobile 2016, Marni has transformed its space at Viale Umbria 42 into an opulent ballroom, dubbed Marni Ballhaus. Taking as its theme the ancient Colombian dance Cumbia, the installation offers the public the chance to watch professional dancers in action as well as to learn some of the rhythmic moves, and acts as the backdrop to the house's new furniture range, created especially for Milan Design Week. This comprises "chairs, chaise longues and rocking chairs, alongside numerous small tables, lamps and vases made of metal, wood and hand-woven PVC cord," in a glorious array of colours inspired by Colombian tradition. All of the beautiful pieces were handcrafted in Colombia by a group of women "who have gained independence and freedom through work."
