Magic Elixir

When renowned stylist Linda Rodin wanted to launch an understated line of beauty products rooted in her sartorial philosophy of "easy elegance," she didn't seek out a cosmetic chemist. Instead she began mixing essential oils in her New York apartment, hoping to formulate an all-in-one face oil "that noticeably [caressed] the skin." Her successful potion, olio lusso, launched to instant acclaim among skincare enthusiasts and beauty editors, with some calling it their new permanent essential. A luxe blend of 11 essential oils — neroli, rosehip, jojoba, and jasmine, to name a few — olio lusso packs a fragrant punch of vitamins and antioxidants that revitalize aging, troublesome, and/or stressed skin on contact. Linda's line has since expanded steadily, and now includes a shea-butter-based lip balm that tastes of fresh oranges, an ultra-nourishing hair oil developed in collaboration with famed hairstylist Bob Recine, and a towerlike candle that smells just like olio lusso's signature scent. Just as marvelous, though, are the apothecary-inspired glass dropper bottles and sleek Perspex cases that house the products. We think they're worthy of display on a living-room mantel, where friends can gape with envy at your architecturally packaged skincare must-haves without having to pilfer through your bathroom cabinets for clues about your luminous complexion.

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Rodin Candle

Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil / Luxury Hair Oil

Men At Work

Maison Martin Margiela's latest industrial-minded men's accessories — toolbox essentials repurposed as novel but understated hand jewelry — might initially look steeped in literalism, but a close inspection of the detailing tells a different story. Barb-wire-looking twine is woven into a brass chain-link bracelet for a hybrid-fence feel; a lapis "nail" bracelet, curiously, shows distressed detailing on the shaft, not the head; and the metal splines of a lug nut are elevated to a cerulean ceramic in a rough-hewn ring. The collection tactfully evidences the house's tradition of elegantly evoking an austere, mechanistic world, while jestfully suggesting that men's jewelry can transcend the usual essentials.

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Maison Martin Mariegla's Chain Bracelet / "Nail" Bracelet / Rough-hewn Ring

Marant-Philes

While we love Isabel Marant's grunge-inspired pre-fall collection of nubby knits and babydoll miniskirts, it's her celebrated shoe models — which underwent an achromatic and textural revision for next season — that are dearest to us Marant-philes. Styles of particular interest include the Blossom high-top sneaker in a grrr-factor ponyskin tiger print; the militaristic Tacy bootie, whose Sgt. Pepper's buckles are blackened in a punkish design gesture; and the slouchy Nowles snow boot, with a cozy shearling lining and an interior wedge heel for a runway-worthy boost. Isabel's Chamonix-meets-Champs Élysées approach to the boot shows she's still in step with her globe-trotting, nuance-loving customer — and it keeps us craving more.

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Isabel Marant Nowles Snow Boot

Space Crafted

For Pre-Fall 2013, Maison Martin Margiela ushers in the autumn stargazing season with a reincarnation of their "Sock Boot," one emblazoned with an ethereal, arc-shaped print of the Milky Way. Its streamlined silhouette, based on the same last as the house's beloved Tabi boot, takes off into uncharted territory with a smattering of novel flourishes, like a base of calf-leather diamonds tessellated for a snakeskin effect, celestial glitter accents, and aurora-inspired hues, which make the galaxy print appear from afar like a high-voltage rendition of Van Gogh's "Starry Night."

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Maison Martin Margiela Line 22 Sock Boot

Branching Out

Lindsey Adelman, the New York-based industrial designer best known for her chandeliers of brass and hand-blown glass, has been making waves in the lighting-design world since her namesake studio's inception in 2006. "Classic but modern," as she says, her nature-meets-modern-mechanics ethos is ever-present in her recently launched jewelry line, which reanimates some of the signature elements of her lighting fixtures (think tree limbs and mechanical joints). Her gold-plated-brass rib necklace, for instance, connects a mesh chain link to a hooklike bone charm, slightly rough-hewn upon close inspection, while the twig-shaped ornament on her stick necklace hints at the telltale branches of her cult-status candelabras. The branch motif reappears in two of our must-have pieces — the three-stick earring and the one-stick stud. To create the former, Lindsey grouped together three brass sticks of varying lengths, giving the drop-style earring the look of a mini-fleet of minnows. The latter, as its name suggests, features just one stick, and looks graphically dramatic when juxtaposed with its more ornate counterpart. No double piercing? Then wear one of each style at the earlobes for an unpredictable look of polished asymmetry.

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Lindsey Adelman One Stick Necklace / Rib Necklace / Three Stick Earrings

Updo Upgrade

Designer Sylvain Le Hen's burnished elliptical hair pins and sculptural barrettes — an instant hit with beauty editors and Parisian girls alike — have been on our most-wanted list since we first laid eyes on the minimalist hair accessories.   Fashioned from a myriad of colors including silver and rose gold and mounted with micro-screws, they are a substantive upgrade on nostalgic Goody-brand styles from childhood, adding refined style and sculptural interest to effortless chignons or the simplest of ponytails.  With the sudden appearance of hazy summer here on the east coast, we love this solution to putting our hair up in style.

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Sylvain Le Hen Epingle 014 / Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 021 XL / Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 021 XL / Sylvain Le Hen Epingle 014 / Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 021 XL / Sylvain Le Hen Epingle 014 / Sylvain le Hen Barrette 021 XS

Clockwise from top left: Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 047 / Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 021 XL / Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 077 / Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 077 / (center) Sylvain Le Hen Barrette 047

Girls on Film

When Glen Luchford, the London-based fashion photographer who shot to industry fame in the early '90s with his of-the-moment brand of moody minimalism, lost thousands of negatives due to water damage at a storage facility, he wasn't one to fret. The mishap, he says, allowed him to reconceptualize the recovered images in a way that speaks to the mechanized and often ephemeral nature of fashion. Luckily for fans of the cult lensman — whose austere, modern-fairy-tale ad campaigns for Prada garnered several museum exhibitions — the resulting black-and-white and sepia prints were compiled for his new book, "Damaged Negatives," released last December. The swells of ink, flecks of mold, and flamelike water marks, many of which obfuscate his subjects' identity, remind us of how the '90s can at times feel like a mythical, bygone era. Our favorite print is of a cK One-era Kate Moss, whose face — otherwise pristine and sirenous as ever — evades by a millimeter what looks like a cigarette burn, adding a dimensional element to notions of beauty. 

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