Monica Botkier and Aimee Song from Song of Style

Goodies donated by Swarovski Elements…

Botkier Babe No. 1

Nadia of FrouFrouu with her cool and minimalist DIY design, love!

Great example of the iron-on details we had. This one is inspired by the Flint group for Fall.

Beautiful work ladies!

The scene at Botkier, Aimee and Nadia gettin’ their DIY on!

Lindsay from NY Busy Girl and her lovely creation.

heylilahey

Dear Diary, so today my DD (dear daughter for those not familiar with mommy blog lingo) whipped together an outfit that had me thinking, this kid has some spirit. Completely inspired I thought let’s document these as I wish my mother might have done and create an archive of the ultimate in independent thought and creativity – kid fashion! Hungarian peasant blouse, Gap jeans, moccasins above. Various J.Crew pieces below.

We can see where it all started. Beloved ‘Blankie’ had been turned into a Mad Max type ensemble a few years back. The transformation made us all proud. Stay tuned for more inspired looks from Casa Botkier.

On South Beach with our Eden small satchel in multi-color, Holiday Resort 2011.

South Beach in the afternoon, Aimee is rocking out with color! We love this look, she is wearing the Misha clutch in red, Holiday Resort 2011.

Aimee and Monica keeping cool in the shade of the palms on South Beach. Monica is wearing dear friend and fave designer Tucker polka dot wrap dress.

Behind the scenes of the shoot, notice the tattooed forearm of the photo assistant camera right. That breeze felt good but the reflection board was pure torture shooting silver hard light right into our eyes (yes on purpose! suffer for beauty even on film)

Joe’s Stone Crab, definitely a highlight of the shoot. We had to eat their yummy specialty of Stone Crabs over and over and over again! Then they bought out the hash browns and we were ready for a nap!!

The beautiful Aimee Song towards the end of the shoot outside The Webster, talk about inspiring – fashion, food, architecture, books. Our kind of one stop shop! After shooting for 12 hours in the heat we were beyond thrilled to take it all in. Amazing can’t wait to go back!

How do we love the Sasha, let us count the ways…Turns out that Malin Akerman really gets it! Check out the way she utilizes the versatility we at Botkier pride ourselves on. The Sasha is a perfect Tote as seen above in Malin’s Americana/Rocker look. Below see the Sasha work a Boho Chic look as a hobo.

Last week the whole Botkier team and our fans made Botkier history hosting our first ever online sample sale. We truly could not have imagined the response that we received by all of you who participated in the Exclusive Classics Event. It was the most traffic our website ever got in one day!

A few days have passed since we had to end it early, (yes, we actually ran out of inventory!) and yet we’re still recovering from the shock of it all, who woulda thunk it?!

It’s been such a pleasure seeing how our classics stand up over time – we loved bringing them back in such amazing stand-out colors and trust you all will be rockin’ your new Triggers, Biancas, and Sasha’s all Summer long!(Coral and Periwinkle – perfect Spring/Summer brights!) It was also a longtime plan of ours to be able to extend our sale to the Botkier fans who don’t live in New York City and have never been able to experience the rush and thrill of finding your “it” bag amidst the throngs of SoHo Fashionistas!

Thank you all, so very much! Until next time (maybe ; )

Much love…. The Botkier Team

Summertime seems to have suddenly arrived in Nolita and we don’t think there are enough words to describe how thrilled we are!

Finally, we can do without the layers, embrace the florals, put to use those sandals we just picked up last week hoping that we could have used them then (though the rain seemed to have had other plans!) and get back to wearing anything but BLACK!

A Summertime Must-Have that we love: the crossbody!

Without all the extra things one needs to stay warm and the fact that when it’s hot the last thing you really want to do is carry more than what you actually need, it’s the perfect bag.

The Lobos crossbody in Natural Sunburst is a keeper… more of a medium-sized bag than small, it’s literally the perfect bag for those of you who are just stepping out of the realm of “big bags only”.

We love the soft and supple leather, almost nude though it has a hint of “something else”. (Not your average neautral!) Oh and lets not forget the chain detailing which adds a touch of “downtown” to this everyday boho chic style!

With the perfect bag, you’ll be ready for the perfect day of strolling through Nolita!

Some of our favorite neighborhood spots to hit during the Summer:

The Prince Street Market – Between Mott and Mulberry Street – we love scouring the jewelry stalls here by local designers such as Astrid Schumacher!

The Little Cupcake Bakeshop – On the corner of Prince and Mott Street – They have the perfect iced-coffee to keep you going!

Coclico – On Mott Street between Prince and Houston – One of the best boutiques in the neighborhood – their assortment of summer dresses  is kind of crazy, which is why we love them!

Bit & Piece – On Mott Street between Prince and Houston – On a budget but still wanna dress to the nines? Stop by Bit and Piece for everything from your everyday basics to the perfect bikini!

Cafe Habana – On the corner of Elizabeth and Prince – One of the best Mexican restaurants in New York, which also happens to be right around the corner from us. We’re addicted to their corn and the fish sandwich, so good!  Dine any time though we recommend avoiding brunch hours during the weekend, unless you don’t mind a long wait.

There’s so much to discover in Nolita – we’ll be updating this list and sharing more of our favorite Summer Must-Haves soon.

Shop online or stop by our Nolita boutique today for your very own Lobos crossbody… and share with us what you love to do come Sunshine & Summertime!

We’re so happy to announce that Monica’s Miami-inspired eyewear designs were selected as a part of The Council of Fashion Designers of America and Luxottica/Vogue Eyewear partnership that supports brands that have their sights set on optical eyewear.

(Such as ourselves.. ; )

For the second consecutive year, the CFDA partnered with the eyewear label on a program under which Monica and two other designers were chosen to conceptualize and create sunglasses to be sold exclusively at Sunglass Hut come September.

The inspiration behind Monica’s designs:

” MIAMI – Bathed in pastels and faded glory as well as new promises, there is something that resonates with me. South Beach feels like a continual party on the beach long after the party is over. Eyewear tells your story, yet keeps your secrets. Here the idea is bold and fun, never anonymous.”

We’re sure her time spent with her aunt in Miami had something to do with it too, check her out poolside… even then she was all about the bold, fresh, and modern style!

Botkier has always been a very “New York” brand but we’re so happy and excited that Miami has become our muse during this amazing opportunity and experience.

To get all the juicy details about the project check out WWD here: http://bitly.com/dHDl0k and look for the shades later this year in Sunglass Huts nationwide!

Monday evening we celebrated our exclusive collaboration with Lake Bell & Oxfam with some of the industry’s top editors and style mavens at New York’s newest hotspots, The Lion.

Nestled in the West Village on 9th St. between 5th and 6th Avenue The Lion’s vibe of vintage “faded glory” (we loved the antiques and all the art, including works by Basquiat, David La Chapelle, and Marilu Nordenflycht) only highlighted the chef’s great take on American comfort food… we literally couldn’t get enough of the fries!

Highlights from our evening included meeting Lake’s mom Robin Bell (love seeing them together):

Lake and her mom  – not only does Lake get her beauty from her, but also her great sense of humor and style!

Lyndsay Cruz from Oxfam with Lake and Monica – passionate women with great style – making a difference.

Lake’s brother and  some stunning friends… love that gold top!

Marie Jacobs from Glamour and David Thielebeule from Harper’s Bazaar – need to get a leather jacket, love theirs!

Justin Livingston from Shine Media PR with Hannah Deely and Hayley Starr from US Weekly

Lake and Monica sharing a moment – good times!

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It was an incredible night… lots of memories to add to this wonderful collaboration with Lake Bell and the team at Oxfam.

Help make a difference, support Oxfam and get your very own Lake Satchel today at Shopbop here: http://bitly.com/gAWGSB

What better way to honor Bill Cunningham, the original street-style photographer and fellow New Yorker, than to offer one of our loyal fans the chance to get their “street-style” on?

Beginning Thursday March 24^th, 2011 we’ll be offering one lucky Botkier fan the chance to win a Spring 2011 Botkier bag and to be featured in a street style shoot by Monica Botkier.

Also one lucky winner will win two tickets to see “Bill Cunningham New York” at the Film Forum here in New York City, to be announced Saturday, March 26th, 2011.

We love seeing Botkier street style and we’re constantly inspired by some of our favorite bloggers, as seen above (Aimee Song and Carolina Engeman).

Essentially, that’s how Botkier began – a girl, with her camera, and a bag.

Become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or visit our Nolita Boutique to enter – the winner will be chosen on Friday, April 1st, 2011.

About the film:

“We all get dressed for Bill,” says Vogue editrix Anna Wintour.

The “Bill” in question is 80+ New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham. For decades, this Schwinn-riding cultural anthropologist has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirées for the Times Style section in his columns “On the Street” and “Evening Hours.” Documenting uptown fixtures (Wintour, Tom Wolfe, Brooke Astor, David Rockefeller—who all appear in the film out of their love for Bill), downtown eccentrics and everyone in between, Cunningham’s enormous body of work is more reliable than any catwalk as an expression of time, place and individual flair. In turn, Bill Cunningham New York is a delicate, funny and often poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace.

*No Purchase Necessary

* Photographs by Mattias Swenson for Fashion Squad, Aimee Song of Song of Style + Tanya Brown