Rag Rug Chic

By Haskell Harris | August 18, 2010 | Design

Growing up, I spent countless weekends exploring the creeks, woods, and apple orchards near the farmhouse my dad built in Woolwine, Virginia. The house itself had all kinds of charms, from multiple sleeping lofts that you could only get to by wooden ladder, to big stone fireplaces, to banks of windows facing the Blue Ridge. But I also loved the rag rugs my Mom used throughout the house. Alive with multiple colors, the mottled, raw texture was soft underfoot and absolutely beautiful.

And that's certainly why I gravitated toward the work of North Carolinean Elizabeth Yarborough for our August-September New Faces of Southern Style issue. I loved the idea that her newest work was inspired by this soulful, primitive art form long tied to the South.

Yarborough took the look in a fashion forward, modern direction, weaving her own "rag yarn" from graphic Liberty of London floral prints to create fabric-covered bangles. Here's my favorite shot from the newly photographed line.

Aren't they great?

Does anybody else love rag rugs as much as I do? 

Total Charmers

By Haskell Harris | February 10, 2009 | Design

I am really picky about jewelry. A piece isn't beautiful to me unless there is a compelling story behind it.

Otherwise, it's just more useless, meaningless stuff.

Right now, I currently have a crush on two types of charms that both have a great narrative: fobs and intaglios.

Fobs (pictured below) became popular in Victorian England when pocket watches were all the rage. Often made of pinched gold, they acted as weights to keep the chain tangle-free and usually featured the family seal of the watch owner on the bottom (which came in handy back then, since that dapper generation still sealed letters with wax).

 Courtesy of limogebox.com

I love the idea of wearing a fob as a necklace for two reasons. First, the idea of wearing a seal is great. It's like a little mini work of art right there on the bottom of the charm. So cool. Second, wearing a fob as a necklace is a great way to feminize an otherwise masculine accessory. I like the allure of that contrast. You know, like when a woman wears a menswear-inspired trench coat? Um, exactly.

Okay, so now onto intaglios. An intaglio is the opposite of a cameo. It's carved INTO a stone, while a cameo is more of a raised carving. Intaglio also refers to a form of printing (on paper or on wax), a process that's been around since ancient Rome. Back then, intaglios were thought to bring good luck. They often featured pastoral or military scenes and were also worn as jewelry. In Victorian England, intaglios often displayed silhouettes. The bracelet below is a modern reproduction that includes both intaglios and cameos. All you need with it is a white T-shirt and jeans. Done.

Courtesy of extasia.com

Some intaglios are too pretty to wear and work better as art (below, courtesy of 1stdibs.com)

Imagine about ten of those framed over a little settee in an entryway. Amazing!!