One of the best things we discovered on Martha’s Vineyard was jewelry designer Stephanie Wolf. Using glass tiles sourced from the Czech Republic, this island-based artist creates unusual, eye-catching pieces. Contrasting color at the edge of each tile adds an antiquey feel to her “Trilogy” necklaces and bracelets, priced from $35-$85 and available in 10 colors.

The summery necklaces look great with beach-chic clothes by Roberta Freymann, Trina Turk and the like. Come fall, Stefanie Wolf’s vermilion tile necklace would add a great pop of color to your standard roster of all-black outfits.

Stefanie Wolf Designs, available at CB Stark Jewelers in Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs and online at stefaniewolfdesigns.com.

There’s long been a crossover between the fashion world and Sonic Youth, the post-punk band that put on a surprise performance at a recent Marc Jacobs show. Though “rocker” is considered a category of dress now, this genre-bending band can’t be pigeonholed into a singular style, musical or otherwise. Along with dark rocker looks, they embrace the bright colors and plastic sunglasses of the early ’80s, and their fans followed suit at a concert in Prospect Park this past Saturday.

Proof that you can combine feminine and rocker looks, this outfit of a floral romper, combat boots and plenty of tattoos is classic concert wear for summer 2010. Continue reading…

As anyone with S.A.D. could tell you, the days are already getting perceptibly shorter. The only thing that can get us excited about the approaching end of summer is the arrival of new fall clothes and accessories in stores – like these kick-ass Alexander Wang horsehair boots. Daring but not totally over-the-top, they tap into fall’s fur trend with kinder, gentler horsehair and a towering platform heel that’s sure to be a fave among fashion editors. They sure aren’t cheap, but they scrape just under the $1K mark at $995. Get ‘em while they last….

Alexander Wang boots, $995 at 5F Bergdorf Goodman.

Usually I’m skeptical about buying clothes from street markets because you never know if the cut is going to be off. But it wasn’t just the vibrant African prints that set the rows of fetching Annabelle dresses apart at the Brooklyn Flea last weekend; it was the beautiful tailoring. Strapless dresses in particular have to be perfectly constructed to stay up, and this one, on sale for $80, way exceeds expectations for a flea market find, even if it is this designer-centric market.

Winner of Bravo’s “The Fashion Show” last summer, designer Anna McCraney is selling many of the Annabelle designs you saw last year now at the Flea. Sourced from African stores in the neighborhood, the traditional fabrics have been worked into sexy, modern cuts. McCraney’s designs seem even more timely this year with the smash hit Fela on Broadway. One look at this show, Tony winner for best costumes, and you will see both the strong influence African culture has had on fashion (Marc by Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga come to mind) and wonder why we don’t see more of it.

And at this point in the season, the collection is on sale! Think of Annabelle as the perfect party dress for a crazy-hot night.

Annabelle clothing, $25 and up on sale, at the Fort Greene Brooklyn Flea on Saturdays.

I have a (very aesthetically inclined) friend who’s obsessed with airline safety diagrams and has collected them – ok, stolen them from planes – around the world. Cartoonish yet macabre, they sum up so much of what’s wrong with travel today.

But when in airport hell, this cheeky carry-on throws it right back at ‘em when you have to pay that baggage fee. Next time you’re in the security line, take your quart-size, clear plastic bag full of 3-oz-or-less gels and liquids out of Flight 001’s Safety Dopp Case ($32), which parodies the genre with lines like “Please stow all babies under your seat.” At least it will provide some levity if you’re forced to throw away that souvenir snow globe.

Safety Dopp Case, $32 at flight001.com.