The US-based Giner brothers behind leather bag brand Tano believe that buying a bag is such a personal experience they eschew big name department store chains preferring the personalised service you receive at a specialty boutique. The erudite brothers believe that a bag reflects your personal style and that you have to communicate with it… touching, squeezing, running the zippers, fitting your things in it, making sure that it suits your fashion personality and needs totally…and only then can you make the commitment and take it home!  

Find a Tano Bag at Q that you can commit to and we promise it will commit to you!

Anna Korte harks back to a more glorious and erudite past with her line of limited edition jewellery which she calls AK Vintage. Portland-based Anna hunts antique stores, estate sales and old costume jewellery warehouses to unearth vintage dead-stock baubles and chains to incorporate into her pieces which may also include small pieces of leather sourced from antique leather gloves. 

She adds further dimension to each piece by naming it after a poetic excerpt or phrase culled from the inspirational works of poets, essayists and philosophers including one of my favourite poets…ee cummings. A short excerpt of thankfulness from the poet as we enter 2010 follows:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

Be creative and colorful with vintage-tattoo artwork from Ed Hardy now captured by fashion maverick Christian Audigier on the softest and most comfortable (and easy to clean) cotton or rayon scarves. Measuring 60” x 40”, each scarf may carry some if not all of Ed Hardy’s signature tattoo art: fearsome tigers, prowling panthers, pirate-like skulls, writhing fish and full-blooming flowers and can be worn as a headscarf, belt, top, sarong or as a shawl.

Madeline Beth who paints everything possible in rhinestones – the woman loves bling – now adds another new and dare we say it, innovative new item to her wardrobe of conversation piece accessories. The accessory du jour from MB are these delightful new light-up lipstick holders in blinged-out spendour. No more excuses for lip smudges or feathering allowed! 

Hot Tip: You can also light your way to that minisule keyhole on your front door after a boozy night out armed with one of these!

If you want to rock magazine looks like multi-layered necklaces, flower-accented leather cuffs, and beaded wraps, Chicago-based high-street brand Nakamol will give you more bang for your buck. Extremely well-made (and well-priced), Nakamol is the brand for you!

Former Yves Saint Laurent publicist Rachel Bravman created the very fun and affordable Rachel Leigh line in 2004 and it keeps going from strength to strength with each passing year. Designed for the confident, versatile, ever-changing girl who may sometimes be an uptown sophisticate or can get downtown trendy, the look is so versatile and with such a wide range of styles that it is able to deliver a range of looks and effects.  

Rachel Leigh’s palette of styles includes sophisticated necklaces, stoned cuffs, enamel bangles and amazing wraps. Treat yourself or your loved one to a little (or big) something from Rachel Leigh!

Too faint-hearted to get the real thing…we offer you something even better, just read on. A Southern Californian company has embarked on a plan to harness the creativity of the global tattoo community by giving them a new showcase for their art. Using high grade stainless steel the artists’ work is branded onto the steel surface and then polished and buffed so that it becomes a new form of wearable art. Each cuff carries the name of the artist who created it making each piece very different and totally unique.

They are not candy bars but they look totally delicious. Goody Goody’s floral crafted jelly (jewellery) rolls are great for gifting or for you. And they keep it all safe in one place whether stored in your drawer or in your travel bag. Whip out something pretty, fun, whimsical and wacky…who wants a minimalist spare Muji-esque nylon pouch with a teeny-tiny designer label anyway? Not I, say our Q-ites!

Braid it, bead it, sequin it, twist it, resin it… we have worked hard…hands are aching, backs are breaking but here it is in all its full-flowery glory! Drumroll please Quintessential’s own line of jewellery is on the shelves.  

The QJ line includes rings, brooches, pins, bracelets, necklaces and chokers.

QJ is loud and proud and declares that YOU have entered the room.

Christina Yu the creative talent behind the wonderfully wacky Hanoi-based Ipa-Nima brand has launched the lines’ Spring Summer 2010 collection “Circo Loco” at Q.  

The collection featuring can can dancers, pirouetting elephants, zebras doing handstands and of course clowns, clowns and yes more clowns and set against cotton candy-, chocolate- and licourice-coloured background includes carnival animal keychains, aplique wallets, sequined clutches, shoulder bags and stripey tent-like totes. Christina calls Circo Loco: “A whimsical collection inspired by Vaudeville circus performers from the 1930s who aspired to provide fun and laughter to all after the Great Depression”. How apt is that?