London calling

Last week London called. I answered. A quick two hour jaunt via the Eurostar, and there I was.

This city that has always felt like home. Perhaps it’s the dynamic energy felt amidst the international air, much like NYC and certainly something I miss living within the calm and frenchness of Paris. The trip was one of business, as I’m currently working on a new hand-printed London Collection of handbags (where better to conduct market research?), had several shops and showrooms to meet, and equally one of pleasure. Many friends to catch up, exchanging a bottle of red for a pint of cider.

Home became close to Baker Street with a dear friend, Regents Park just minutes away.

I could not avoid central London…

What clever advertising! (Love the classic London cabs, preferably black.)

A walk around Sloane Square and into the world of eggs & Saatchi…

On my last morning I was given a tour of the colorfully posh Primrose Hill.

A walk along the canal beneath London skies, to Camden…

And back again from one world into another.

My trip happily ended in London’s evolving East, Shoreditch.

London has also called Andi of Misadventures with Andi, who just took a gastronomic tour with Context Travel… who knew what a foodie city this was!

learning to fly

A good friend once told me that running a business is much like raising a child. Among other things, a lot of patience and resilience is necessary. Given that she has a child and a successful business, I took these words to heart. Exactly one year later, my child has managed not only to walk but to fly! Certainly the most challenging and rewarding work I have done in my life, and only the beginning.

a girl and her bags by Prête Moi Paris

I have so much gratitude of the past 12 months to express… where to begin? Most noteworthy…

1. My assistant (aka my Italian) has been supportive since day one, always offering solid advice, and even criticism whenever necessary, constructive of course.

2. My network of friends and growing fans keeps me eternally grateful and inspired. Merci à tous!

3. I cannot even list the incredible press I have already received, including Marie Claire, Huffington Post Style, Do it in Paris, Luxsure Magazine… not to mention all the fabulous blog features.

4. Much like I love to travel, so do my bags. They are gaining an international presence, as far away as Malaysia and the Greek Isles. Be sure to enter my travel bag giveaway if you haven’t yet!

5. The French have taken a liking to my aesthetic and I am selling at Le Bon Marché. A great honor!

a little New York in Paris

What’s ahead in 2012 for kasia dietz handbags? Aside from designing new collections and continuing to work on many custom projects, I am always looking for ways to give back, as I did with my Japan fundraiser. In the upcoming months I’m collaborating with a UK company and British filmmaker Fiona Lloyd-Davies to raise awareness and aid abused women in the Congo. Here is a preview of the film and more about the project. A worth cause I am proud to be a part of.

I’m also planning many more handbag painting workshops since the first was a great success!

Lastly and very importantly, friend and bag fan Andi of Misadventures with Andi, is giving away a bag in support of small business owners. (There’s also an interview!) Thank you Andi!

 

travel meets fashion

I love to travel as much as I love designing. Thus, I decided to design a custom travel bag, revealing the three cities closest to my heart. A seemingly easy task, at least for the first two. Paris, since this is now my home and ever since that first visit so many years ago, love at first encounter. New York since it’s where I spent some of the most memorable (and formative) years of my life.

As for the third, that was a challenge. There are many cities I became enamored with, mostly during my journey around the world. Buenos Aires, Hanoi, Ubud (more a town than a city), Sydney, Mumbai, Kyoto, Luang Prabang, Krakow, London, Mexico City… the list goes on. But where was it that stood out in my mind unlike any other? Tokyo. Perhaps because I was there with dear friends on both my first visit and my second. Or perhaps it was due to the freshest sushi I’ve even eaten at 7am after a night of darts and karaoke… or simply, the unique energy and electricity in the air.

Whatever it was, Tokyo won a place on my bag. Along with Paris and New York.

What are your top three?

To make this equally exciting for all fashion savvy travelers out there, I’m giving away one custom hand-painted reversible travel bag to a lucky traveler and fan. With your initials printed on the inside pocket. To enter, leave a comment stating your three favorite cities and join my facebook fan page where I will announce the winner on December 15th. Bonne chance and many a bon voyage!

To order a custom bag or join a bag painting workshop and create your own: info@kasiadietz.com

{inside} art

Art has always provided a source of inspiration, particularly modern and contemporary. Where better to lose yourself but in the mind of an eccentric artist? Lucky for me, I have several friends who moonlight as art connoisseurs, not to mention the artists I have also come to know and collect. One such friend from the early days of New York’s GenArt, invited me to the preview of FIAC, Paris’s grand international contemporary art fair. A reunion at the Grand Palais, parfait!

What contemporary masterpieces did we find within this historic setting? Many.

Beginning with Anish Kapoor.

A literary donkey by Pilar Albarracin.

The humorous and thought provoking Richard Prince.

Even a little ‘walking art’?

My retro tote felt right at home with this Julio Le Parc painting.

This Geneviève Claisse was another favorite.

I was also impressed by these six works by Charline Von Heyl. (Yes, I’m in a black and white phase.)

To end the art tour, a little color infusion with these acrylic on silk paintings by Matti Braun.

New York, New York

New York City. My first love. The one who taught me most about myself. And the one who I will always hold dear. These Paris days, as months turn into years, I look back on my New York chapter with great nostalgia. As a designer and forever a New Yorker, following the success of my Paris Collection, it feels only natural to create a New York Collection to express my affinity. As Paris is becoming a part of me, so too will New York remain. And now (drumroll)… the grand unveiling!

Upside down or rightside up, it’s NY NY!

Forever a downtown girl.

With a high regard for Brooklyn.

Home in the Lower East Side. Available with UES, UWS, Soho…

On the inside a NYC girl. The bag reversed.

All New York bags hand-painted {with love} in Paris. Available soon on my website. If you MUST have one now, contact me at kasia@kasiadietz.com! And let me know your favorite below…

Paris vs New York

Paris and New York. Two cities that could not be more diverse yet equally loved by many. Each a contrast as well as a compliment to the other. Having to choose one that reigns supreme would be impossible. A life between the two, at least to me, is ideal.

I am certainly not alone in this love for both cities. Friend and fellow New Yorker with one foot in Paris Amy Thomas (aka Sweet Freak), recently wrote about an expo of rising star Vahram Muratyan who illustrates with playful sophistication the contrasts between Paris and New York at an exhibition at the trendy Colette. (exhibition ends September 24th)

As a fan of Vahram’s work, seeing it displayed throughout the boutique was a visual treat.

These two are my favorites from the series. Jean-Luc Godard vs Woody Allen, how clever!

Or perhaps these… How about a macaron with an americano?

This was exactly the inspiration I needed as I’m in the midst of designing a hand-printed New York handbag collection to complement my recent Paris collection. Once a New Yorker in Paris, always.

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