We’ve made no secret of our love for Beckley Boutique owner Melissa Akkaway’s first namesake collection, Beckley by Melissa. And now that we’ve seen her second incarnation, we love the line even more. With a 1960s-inspired flare that feels totally modernized, Beckley by Melissa’s spring 2012 offerings include nude leather running shorts, ladylike cut out skirts, darling day dresses and sumptuous shift tops — each part of a casual, wearable navy/yellow/neutral palette. Check out a few of our favorite easy, breezy pieces from the look book, below:

We love Sharlene Durfey, the East Side graphic designer and photographer who counts our Style Section L.A. logo among her past work (she’s also shot musician Ariana Delawari and designed textiles for Mossimo, but obviously our logo ranks among her most notable achievements).

And now, the Bay Area native has launched a line of graphical printed tops and tees called Secession. The line is all about art, gaining its name from the Austrian Secession movement from the late 1800s (of which Gustav Klimt was a member) and borrowing geometric flavors from Vorticism, a “rebel” art and literary movement founded in England in 1914.

The women’s line consists of twelve drapey T-shirts, tank tops and one cotton dress, most stamped with non-offensive shapes, photographs and modern art-esque abstracts. While a men’s collection features thirteen tees — some of them with the same trippy circular and triangular  shapes on the ladies gear.  Prices start at $65 and will be available on Seccession’s website and at Live on Sunset after the launch.

And this Thursday, Durfey will be celebrating her collection with a party at Harvard & Stone (FYI — our favorite bar at the moment and the place where Foster the People happened to have partied after the VMAs), where local nail art company NCLA will be stamping guest’s talons with their signature designs and Silversun Pickup keyboardist Joe Lester will be “curating” tunes (we think that might just be a fancy word for “DJing”). And of course we can’t forget the most important part of this fiesta — an open bar from 7 to 10 p.m..

All sounds groovy — good clothing line, good bar, good times.

Seccession launch party: Thursday, September 1. 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Harvard & Stone, 5221 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. RSVP with full name to info@seccessioninc.com.

More pictures of the line, after the jump.

What proper fashion girl doesn’t have bags of old clothes laying in her closets, hallway and car trunk just waiting to be sold or donated? (This fashion girl counts her parents house, a Culver City storage locker and un-used kitchen cabinets as clothing, uh, storage, too.)

Elizabeth Kott, Rachel Zoe’s former manager of marketing and digital content, knows that there are plenty of stylish hoarders to be found. And Closet Rich, her just-launched website, proves it.

The site is designed to turn the standard consignment shop business model on its head, with Kott personally visiting the closets of clients (complimentary, we might add) to peruse their wardrobes for sellable gear. Garb that happens to have a special somethin’ somethin’ — say a designer label, on-trend look or vintage birthday — gets photographed for sale on the website, with clients getting a 50 percent cut when the piece sells.

Items that aren’t exactly right for Kott’s clotheshorse customer base get donated to the Hollywood chapter of Dress for Success, an organization that helps outfit underprivileged women as they embark on careers. And of course, if there’s stuff that clients don’t want to part with, Kott will offer her expert opinion on the art of altering, tailoring and making wardrobes feel current.

“I’m a therapist for their closets,” she joked on the phone earlier today.

Kott began the business after an epiphany had while helping her grandmother move earlier this year. “Your stuff owns you. And there’s a clarity of mind that comes from making room to only have what you need.”

Her new venture is bringing zen to some seriously stylish closets, including that of Kristen Reiter, a close friend who co-authors the way popular blog BleachBlack and is the action sports design director at Nike. According to Closet Rich’s Posterous blog, an Emporio Armani blouse from Reiter’s closet is available now for pre-order. Reiter is also a creative consultant for the site and served as its first model.

Pieces currently yours for the taking include a new pair of Lanvin sunglasses ($75), Derek Lam wood-and-leather T-strap heels ($50) and a cashmere Alexander Wang tank dress ($150), with a smattering of low-key vintage bags from Gucci, Fendi and Neiman Marcus thrown in. The site boasts eight pages of merchandise at the moment, with 140 reserve pieces being rotated in every week. And Kott is in the process of taking on new clients to ensure a constant stream of fresh meat.

“When you like clothes, all of your money is in your closet and no where else. Thats’s where your investment is, and everything else falls to the wayside,” Kott says, hitting the major twenty-something female money woe nail right on the head. “I really want to help my clients make as much of a profit as they can.”

closetrich.com 

Photo: Kott, right, and Reiter during their Closet Rich photo shoot. Reiter is sporting a pretty redonk pleated dress by Michon Schur, for sale on the site at$70. 

I’m not wishing away summer in any way, shape or form. But I have to admit that thinking about holiday parties, crowded shopping malls and my favorite velvet dresses does make my stomach do a little flip — even though it’s only July. So naturally seeing the holiday 2011 look book of local design darling Corey Lynn Calter got me giddy with thoughts of snow (I was a Midwestern girl in my former life, after all). Dubbed “Orient Express” in a press release, the collection claims to have both Asian and 1970s disco influences. I also see a lot of 1920s Beijing-style Art Deco glamour in there, too. Whatever the flavors, I’m a fan and may throw a Chanukah party at my house just to wear the long green skirt at bottom. Here are a few of my favorite looks. And to get industry info on the brand, visit TheLookbook.com. 

Living in Cali affords us quite a few perks — such as driving to San Francisco whenever we please, having a mountain in our backyard and walking on the beach in November. So we really shouldn’t complain that as California residents, we can’t legally buy python without leaving the state. And we wouldn’t, if only scrumptious fall bag, shoe and belt offerings from the likes of Prada, Valentino and Gucci didn’t happen to be swathed in contraband snakeskin.

Since having to weekend in Vegas to buy Prada’s oversize python clutch would drain our oversized python clutch budget (and , uh, our rent fund), we’re sticking to python-esque accessory choices this season that don’t break any laws.

Here are six options that have a python feel but can still be ordered and purchased in our great Golden State:

Gap faux snakeskin belt, $24.99. Gap.com

Raven Kauffman rubber vegan Stella clutch, $395. vivre.com

Jimmy Choo Folly elaphe snake wedges, $795. net-a-porter.com

Halston Heritage Susan watersnake clutch, $136.50. shopbop.com

Steve Madden Koool flats, $69.95. stevemadden.com

Milly embossed leather bucket bag, $595. neimanmarcus.com

Photo, top: A bevy of Prada python. 

Last night, we stopped by a party at What Goes Around Comes Around to officially fete their new La Brea Avenue digs. And when we arrived — as we always do when visiting the vintage emporium — we made a beeline to the back where an entire rack is devoted to tunics and caftans, our old-lady outfit accouterment of choice.

But this time around, instead of sifting through the Earth Wind and Fire-ready dashikis, Indian-made embroidered numbers and prairie-style Mama Cass muu-muus all by our lonesome, we happened upon a fellow vintage fashion freak who is just as enamored with long, loose fitting garments as we are.

“Oh I live in caftans,” Jessica Lynn told us, wearing a light pink metallic one that once belonged to her grandmother. Lynn, a friend of WGACA co-owner Gerard Maione, was the co-owner of vintage store Parker Pettit, a groovy shop tucked into an Abbot Kinney cottage in Venice that closed in 2009. But it turned out she was much happier wearing caftans than selling them. “I absolutely hated it,” she said of owning her store. “We used to sit in the store and drink all day. I was an awful salesperson.”

Today, Lynn lives in Venice and has an entire garage full of vintage fashion — 1960s caftans, ’70s-style muu-muus and trippy tunics included.

“Caftans are amazing because you can hike them up a little, show some leg and hide your stomach,” she said. “They conceal all.”

159 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. 323-933-0250. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday noon to 7 p.m.  whatgoesaroundnyc.com

We adore Marimekko, the Finish textile maker who, since launching in 1951, has become known for instantly-recognizable, vibrant pop-art prints.

This spring, the company opened a retail store within Crate & Barrel’s location at The Grove that mostly carries furniture. And now that the brand has launched Marimekko.com, fans can finally get their fill of colorful accessories, apparel, toys and housewares from the comfort of their couch.

The site features fruit-stamped pillows, abstract aprons, polka dotted shower curtains, dishes and makeup bags in Marimekko’s quirky, signature designs. And of course the company’s famous oversized Unikko floral — which was designed by Maija Isola in 1964, after Marimekko founder Armi Ratia claimed florals would never sell — is available on almost everything.

Though we’ve always been a fan of Marimekko’s collaborative collections (they did a line with H&M back in 2008, Manolo Blahnik heels that same year and are launching colored square-covered Converse for fall), we never realized just how stellar their own apparel is.

Mod ’60s shift dresses, trippy tunics and colorful hippie prairie maxis — which range from $69 to $375 — make up the surprisingly awesome array of womenswear. There’s some pretty damn cute goods for kids, too. But since the recent acquisition of our roommate’s Beta fish is a bit too much for us to handle, we’re fine being selfish solo shoppers for now.

Photo, from left: Lasi dress, $215; Heina dress, $375; Kaste tunic, $229. marimekko.com 

Or does Gap have some ridiculously awesome, wearable leather pieces (including our beloved leather pants) in their fall collection??

Photos: Gap

We’re longtime fans of Beckley, the well-edited Melrose Avenue boutique where Elizabeth and James jersey dresses peacefully co-exist with billowy Chris Benz blazers and colorful statement rings by Erickson Beamon (a 2nd location recently opened at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas).

And for fall, owner Melissa Richardson Akkaway is launching her very first namesake line, Beckley by Melissa. The collection features a bevy of basic, interchangeable pieces that have luxury materials, detailing and tailoring in mind — think leather leggings, chiffon bow dresses that double as an oversized blouse and chiffon tops that could work with skirts, trousers or denim with ease.

The whole “casual L.A. basics” thing can sometimes be a bit boring. But Akkaway has done it in a way that steps it up, creating pieces that feel fresher and more refined than most. And who isn’t already craving a killer pair of leather leggings to round out their fall wardrobe (it’s a major item on our personal wish list, for sure).

These are a few of our favorite shots from the Beckley by Melissa fall 2011 look book:

8620 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. 310-652-3500. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m. beckleyboutique.com

While we’re all about cute bathing suits, we’re not even a little bit about spending between $250 and $300 on one. Like, at all. Salt water, chlorine, sweat, suntan lotion and the scorching rays of the sun  are all foes of our favorite bikinis, leaving us disappointed and pissed each time one of them gets ruined — we could have spent that money on a roundtrip on Southwest, after all.  Not to mention the fact that each summer, the amount of time we’re able to hit the gym seems to dwindle and certain styles don’t, uh, lay like they once did.

The solution? Spending slightly less on our poolside ensembles than we would if we had disposable incomes. This summer, we capped our swimwear budget at $100 a pop to see if it would be possible to feel hot for less than a quarter of our monthly rent. Shock and awe — it is. Here are our picks if you’d like to “follow suit.” HA.

1. Old Navy black String Bikini

Price: $17.50 for the top + $10 for the bottoms

Grand total: $27.50

It’s a black string bikini, it’s not winning any medals. But it’s a great swimwear staple and would look cute under a sheer, bohemian sundress on the days you feel like channeling summer sans the beach.

2. Rod Beatie ruffled polka dotted bikini

Price: $57.75 for the top + $30 for the bottoms

Grand total: $87.75

This black and white polka dotted number happens to come from the country’s best-selling swimwear designer (true story, according to research group NPD). We love it because it reminds us of a similar, 1980s one-piece style by Bill Blass that once belonged to our mother. Red lips, hoops, done.

3. Forever 21 Seaside Stripes bikini

$10.80 for the top + $9.80 for the bottoms

Grand total: $20.60

You’re not buying Forever 21 anything to pass down to your children, obviously.  So who cares that this cute, patriotic two-piece may not make it through this summer’s beatdown? It will do the trick and look good along the way, and you truly won’t care if you accidentally leave it hanging over a friend’s shower rod.

4. Madewell Electric Ikat bikini

$46 for the top + $44 for the bottoms = $90

Dear Madewell,

We adore your desert boots and your silk summer dresses. At the moment, your website also carries a knee-length denim skirt that we’d forgo a few lunches for. And now, we’re obsessed with your swimsuits ‚ including this Ikat number that is just waiting to be paired with a slew of bold, tribal accessories. That is all.

5. Urban Outfitters Crochet Underwire bikini

$44 for the top + $39 for the bottom

Grand total: $95

High waist, yesteryear suits feel modern and sophisticated. But if the style shows any hint of stodginess, watch out — you’ll look like you’re taking water aerobics at the home. Luckily this cream-colored, crocheted two-piece gets the young body/old soul vibe just right.