Heralded as the future of perfumers, Alexandra Balahoutis is as unique and original as the fragrances she creates. Since she was a child, Alexandra has always known that she was to follow the path of a perfumer. Rather than take the traditional study of fragrance production in Paris, Balahoutis formulated an intense independent study including mentorship by  John Steele, master perfumer, archaeologist and anthropologist. By her mid 20s, she had already defined herself as a creator of luxury botanical perfumery, Strange Invisible.

The results of her creativity are an ever growing selection of tantalizing natural fragrances. Using only fresh ingredients, her aromas are distilled and grown in California. The veils of hypnotic aromas include notes of Frankincense, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Magnolia, Vanilla, Ylang-Ylang, Lemon, and long lists of other ingredients. Balahoutis arranges them in liquid harmonic form as if composing a bouquet of blossoms to spring out of the mist. Titled to form questions of mystery, such as Prima Ballerina, Moon Garden, and L’Invisible, Strange Invisible’s intoxicating perfumes are a perfect match for the Juno & Jove customer who wants an organically rich and refined experience.  Truly, the essence of luxury.

Enter to win a perfume of your choice in our Valentine Gift-Away!

Distinctive is a word that describes Calleen Cordero’s Turquoise Cab Cuff.

Bracelets were a natural evolution from Cordero’s shoe and handbag collections, which use captivating combinations with leather, metal and stone. Her soft and sturdy signature designs are handcrafted in the USA with great care that results in high quality products very much in demand by fashion-minded seekers of the unique.

Calleen uses minerals noted to have healing properties such as the greenish-blue opaque stone that is centered in the Turquoise Cab Cuff. Turquoise, which is formed with copper and aluminum, has been attributed to transforming negative energy into positive. Such a natural component included in an adornment is an added benefit considering it may help
bring a bit more balance to your day while it definitely makes a beautiful statement floating atop your arm.

Calleen’s designs have delighted our Juno & Jove customers from the beginning of their appearance in our store and our JunoAndJove.com online boutique. Enjoy hearing her describe a bit about her creative process in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=624IagHKsh8

Edun’s Spring ’12 Women’s Collection was a surprising mix of Bohemian flow and, of all things, grommeted glam.  Held in an old riverside warehouse in Tribeca, the celeb-studded event marked Edun’s third collection under the LV Group wing.  With the exception of the awkwardly pitched heels, the show was styled to great aplomb.  As always, tremendous prints were balanced with a unique combination of textures including draped leather, mesh knits, eyelet and laser cut silks.  Look for unforgettable flowy dresses, open knits, perfect pinks and exceptional black and whites.

After the runway we all met up at the Red Rooster to honor 10 men with “substance and style” at the inaugural EDUN Pioneers Event.  This talented collection of men are “doing great things in their community and beyond”. One of the honorees was food activist and gracious owner of Red Rooster, celeb chef, Marcus Samuelsson who seduced us all with his luscious mac n’cheese, mini biscuits and saucy crab cakes.

After dinner we caught up with Sean Carusso, the founder of Falling Whistles, an organization that is devoted to bringing awareness and reform to the citizens of  war-torn Congo.  Graham Hill, the founder of one of our fave websites, Treehugger.com, was also one of the renaissance men of note. The other leading men of the first class of EDUN Pioneers is as follows:

Jonathan Prince – a “social athli-vist” who runs to raise money to promoting recovery and positive change

Waris – An American Sikh jewelry designer and actor

Aaron Rose – Documentary Filmaker and Founder of the Make Something Art School

Adam Braun – Founder of Pencils of Promise

Jeffery Azize – An Actor and Artist

Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa – Founders of the ethical eyewear company Warby Parker

and last, but not least

Jim Moriarty – CEO of the Surfrider Foundation

Overall, an awesome Fashion Week weekend!

Soooo this pending Autumn continues to excite me…  To ring in the season we’ve teamed up with one of our FAVE accessories designers, Ashley Watson, to bring YOU a FAB BAG GIVEAWAY!

Last time we visited with Ashley in her Vancouver studio to pick out our Fall order‘s color palette from her collection of secondhand leather clothing, we asked her a few questions that might be of interest to all of you aficionados out there…

Where did you learn your craft? I did a fine art degree in Nova Scotia at NSCAD and then did a fashion design program here in Vancouver at a community college.  In terms of my specific craft working with leather – I guess I kind of taught myself.

What inspired you to produce your collection? My inspirations are all over the place, but for the most part anything antique or vintage really inspires me!

How do you find your muse? I guess by doing – I’m not a draw-a-whole-bunch-of-designs designer – I start with a small idea, draft a pattern and change it five million times until I have the finished piece that I like.

Do you have a favorite story of appreciation of your work? I once got a letter from a man that had bought a bag for his wife as a present and he wrote the letter to say thanks…it said something like, “Thank you for the bag.  My wife loves the bag almost more than me!”  It was just really cute and really sweet that he bothered to write that to me.

If you could change one thing about the fashion industry what would it be? I think it would be the disposable nature of the fashion industry – always needing something new.  This mindset really encourages things being made cheaply because the average person can’t sustain their fashion needs by buying ethically, etc….they can’t afford it!  So then people turn to big box stores that get things made very cheaply and unethically – which honestly, for me, is very hard to compete with as well as horrible for the environment.  Admittedly, I am completely guilty of this myself…it has become so prevalent that it’s impossible to avoid entirely.  If we all were just happy with buying one more expensive thing every so often as opposed to ten cheap things it could be realistic to sustain.

Do you have a favorite piece that you’ve created? My favorites change all the time, but right now I’d say my favorite style of mine is the Grebe – it is what I carry every day!

Favorite tunes for work and/or play? My music obsessions change all the time, but I’m currently obsessed with the whole Head and the Heart album as well as a Decemberists song called June Hymn.  While I work, I usually listen to podcasts – my favorite is by two comedians from Vancouver and its called Stop Podcasting Yourself.

If you weren’t reincarnating beautiful leathers into fabulous accessories what else would you be doing? I have always wanted to have a jewelry line and thought that would be what I’d do instead of making handbags, but I’m actually currently in the process of starting a jewelry line that will be available for fall!  Other than that I would probably do something to do with food as I love everything to do with it – cooking it, eating it, etc. etc.

…Sounds like we’ve got a lot of good things to look forward to!  Don’t forget to enter to win the Heron Handbag! Thank you to Ashley and Good Luck to everyone! : )