Daily Gems & other musings

viv&ingrid now offers Curbside Pickup for your online orders in Downtown Berkeley! Picking up your order is simple and easy - place your order online at vivandingrid.com and select Curbside Pickup as your shipping option.  You can either immediately schedule your appointment by visiting this link, or we will reach out to you to coordinate a date and time. When it's your pickup time, we will meet you curbside in Downtown Berkeley: 1935 Addison Street | Berkeley, CA VIEW MAP HERE > There is minimal signage outside of our location, so when you see Rush Bowls Berkeley, you'll know you're in...

In creating our Diversity in Design Style Board series, we set out to find and feature established and emerging designers that we both loved for their work on the runway as well as for how and why it's all created.  In discovering the line Maki Oh, founded by Amaka Osakwe, we were inspired not only by beautiful design, but also by the brand's vision to extend "beyond physical beauty to a textured, layered, and three-dimensional aesthetic, embodying the philosophies of sustainability, preservation, strength and complex simplicity."  The brand is centred in a strong sense of identity and culture, creating narrative pieces...

When we discovered Anaïs Jourden Mak's collection when creating our Diversity in Design StyleBoard series, we became instantly obsessed with the Hong Kong-born designers modern, unique take on femininity, something that felt so refreshing and new. Anaïs gained popularity quickly, with her designs seen on celebrities like Ariana Grande and Bella Hadid.  When we discovered her Ready to Wear collection, we were immediately drawn to elements like sweet polka dot details paired with edgy combat boots, classic bow accent on this super-modern fuchsia dress and a classic, feminine sweater set atop a sparkly black skirt. Perhaps our favorite discovery was when we discovered that,...

Image via eco-age.com Not only does Studio 189 create beautiful, colorfully printed pieces that we want to wear everywhere, but they are a beyond inspiring brand.  We discovered the brand when curating our Diversity in Design Styleboard Series, and immediately went to work to learn more.  Co-founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, Studio 189 "is an artisan produced fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise that focuses on empowerment, creating jobs and supporting education and skills training.  The brand currently operates a store in Accra (Ghana), an ecommerce site, a manufacturing facility in Accra, and supports various community led projects in Africa and...

Happy Monday, friends!  With the holidays just days away, we're keeping the Small Business Gift Guides coming - next up:  the best in Coffee and Tea! This round, we're not only featuring some of our very favorite brands for a coffee or tea buzz, but you can visit these locations in the East Bay to enjoy all of these five-star reviewed goodies and pick up your sweet treats in person for all those last minute gifting needs!   Bundts & Crumpets Specialty Teas @ the Mel & Ash Beau-Tea Lounge We've been obsessed with premium loose leaf teas ever since Bundts...