It took a birthday, a friend, and three sisters to lead me to UnderOurSky, a delicious (and dangerously desirous) website of beautiful objects.
My birthday occurred in March when I was in Buenos Aires; my friend, Maita, in her inimitable generous fashion, dropped a present off at the hotel; the three sisters are Maita’s beautiful daughters and founders of UnderOurSky, a website featuring a collection of Argentine-designed-and-made bags, jewelry, fashion and objects.
The present was a bracelet..not the one above but similar..and one that I have worn ceaselessly and to great admiration.
The rap on Argentina is this: “beautiful country, charming people, gorgeous landscapes, but little to offer artisanally.” I have to admit that I am often dismayed by the paucity of folk artisans in this huge and gorgeous part of the world (for you can include Chile and Uruguay in the same breath). But, to be honest, one also has to redefine artisans for there are plenty of designers and artisans here..they just happen to be of European descent, and they are not engaged in folk art but rather in contemporary design that competes equally with anything in London, Paris, New York and Rome.
Back to UnderOurSky and the three beautiful sisters, Sofia, Catalina and Lucia. Well connected as they are and living between Paris, New York and Buenos Aires, they took it upon themselves to gather what their eyes saw as the best, most original design coming out of their country and to launch this eye-popping website. They tell their story and the stories of their designers and they offer shopping and efficient shipping to all parts of the world.
Take a look and discover Argentina..its metals, its wools, its hides, its woods and its horn. Their offerings add a dimension to this extraordinarily beautiful country and, for those of you who travel with us and love to shop, we can arrange for visits to the workshops of many of these artisans.
John Derian is a treasure. It's not that there aren't many with talent and vision because there are, the world over. But Derian has other attributes that make him so beloved. His eye is unerring, his sense of scale is perfect, he layers cultures and eras seamlessly in a room. And he is accessible in brick and mortar. His two shops on East Second Street have been haunts for years. One carries the decoupage he designs and constructs locally (and that make the best gifts ever) along with the coveted ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The second Dry Goods store next door showcases quirky antiques, an assortment of vintage furniture, stacks of heavy french linen, Moroccan rugs and soft cotton Indian clothing. Both are small, but intriguing and interesting enough to seduce you on a journey of the senses.
And now, Derian has opened on Christopher Street in a double-windowed storefront of a two-story 18th century house. It's like walking in to another world. Traditional Astier, and the later Derian/Astier collaborative pieces, line the walls from roof to floor of the front room. The back room, wallpapered in his new cabbage rose design and lit by beautiful Balthus-designed standing lamps with parchment shades, offers a living room in which to settle in, thumb through books and albums, and rest the soul.
So, go to shop, or simply go to travel in spirit to another place and time.
https://www.johnderian.com/pages/our-locations"
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