Warmi Up!

While surfing the loveliest e-shop on the internet, The Moon and Mars (maybe I'm a bit biased since we sell there), I came across the most amazing new line of fun, colorful and kooky knits, Warmi.  Designed by Sylvia Toth in Paris, and then hand knit in the towns of Tausa and Sutatausa in Colombia by artisans, the line combines traditional Latin American textile craftsmanship with Parisian fashion-forwardness.  While I love the cartoonish depictions of snakes, birds, and other fuzzy four-legged creatures, I also appreciate Warmi's dedication to the craft of knitting.  Each of the Colombian artisans is featured in a small bio on the website, and all of them sign the pieces that they create.  Additionally, Warmi encourages people to knit their own pieces, selling kits so you can get started on a leopard-print armband project, and perhaps move on to more complex things from there.  Warmi has certainly inspired me to pick up my own set of needles soon--maybe I'll knit up my own phantasmagoric creature to keep me warm this winter.

-Tiffany

Take Me Upstate

Upstate's hand-dyed scarves and garments have a dreamy, escapist feel, and this spring's gorgeous lookbook has me fantasizing about a long weekend in the country.  Each piece is individually dyed by designers Astrid and Kalen using traditional shibori techniques, making them one of a kind, as well as infusing them with a certain wabi-sabi quality of imperfect perfection.  Structured grids and geometric patterns go fuzzy around the edges, and the cuts are simple, yet often convertible, and versatile.

-Tiffany

Factory People

As much as I've tried to organize my life via Google calendar, plotting appointments, meetings and events with obsessive compulsive attention to time/location/date, I inevitably wind up making a fair share of mistakes.  One such mishap involved arriving an hour late to the Factory by Erik Hart presentation during fashion week, only to see all the show-goers exit, and the models run off to their next shows dressed in their civilian attire.  I had no idea what I missed until I stopped by the showroom to take a look at the collection in person. Hart is both a designer and an artist, and his multidisciplinary approach is evident in his collection of elegant, minimalist designs, and his directional silhouettes.  His Spring 2012 collection echoes the 90's work of another artist/designer, Helmut Lang, and all of his clothes appear to be made for a gallery girl in Berlin.  Every piece is cool, elegant, and sophisticated, yet still completely wearable.  And, if you're living on a meager gallery assistant's salary, Hart's clothes are miraculously within reach: prices start just below $100.

-Tiffany

Natural Wonder

I first came across Serial Cultura a year ago, and was immediately taken in by the dynamic prints and fluid cuts. Each season, designer Jennifer Jennings creates a new batch of lovingly hand-painted patterns, which are then digital printed onto the fabrics.  I love the combination of old world craftsmanship with modern day technology, and both processes serve to infuse each print with wildly varied colors, which work perfectly with the flowing and organically draped silhouettes.  This season, Jennings was inspired by natural topography, aerial views of landscapes, and elements of the environment.  These subjects have been abstracted beyond recognition, but still can be felt in the rich hues, which echo minerals and rocks, as well as the sky at sunset.  As if the garments weren't hypnotizing enough, they're also made from organic and sustainable fabrics.

-Tiffany

True Blood

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with a psychedelic romp through the graveyard?  Blood is  the New Black's new "Nocte Virginis" video and accompanying lookbook, directed by Jesus Rivera of Demonbabies, was inspired by the campy horror films of director Jean Rollin.  Long before True Blood, Rollin perfected the art of the silly, sexy vampire genre, producing a long repertoire of cult horror films.  It looks like blood suckers won't be going out of style anytime soon, and the trippy occultist theme seems to be the perfect match for the new Holiday collection.  As always, BITNB taps different artists to design their tees every season, and this new collection includes prints by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fumi Nakamura, and of course Demonbabies.  All of the tees featured in the lookbook will be arriving in stores on October 31st, right in time to get your sacrificial virgin look on.

-Tiffany

Triskaidekaphobia Fall 2011 Lookbook

Finally, our Triskaidekaphobia Lookbook is done!  This season was inspired by high school memories, keepsakes, and friendship/promise rings, Sweet Sixteen parties and Bat Mitzvahs, and our favorite song lyrics and quotes. We have two necklaces made of pennants, one which says "LOVE" on one side and "FEAR" on the other, and another which says "HIDE" on one side and "SEEK" on the other. We also have a banner that says "you can be my silver springs" from the Fleetwood Mac song "Silver Springs," and another banner which says "I started a joke which started the whole world crying" which is from the Bee Gee's song "I Started A Joke." The collection will be arriving in stores shortly, you can view our full stocklist here.

Special thanks to all of our talented friends who helped make it all possible, in spite of a nasty rainstorm in the middle: our gorgeous model, Lulu Chang, our photographer, Serichai Traipoom, our Hair Stylist, Dakota Heman, and our Makeup Artists, Terese Bennett.  

-Tiffany

Siren Song

Nettie Kent could serve as an inspirational example for all the readers who email asking for tips on how to break into the design industry.  Like many other emerging jewelry designers, Kent did not receive any formal training in school, but instead got her jewelry education on the job, apprenticing for established jewelers like Philip Crangi and Jill Platner.  Her experience helped her forge her eponymous line of ethically made brass jewelry, which often takes on organic or geometric shapes.  For this season's Siren Collection, layered and interlocking triangles acts as a recurring motif.  Modeled entirely by illustrious local chanteuses like Nicole Atkins, Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, and Elizabeth Harper from Class Actress, the lookbook alone is evidence of Kent's impressive list of friends/fans.  As a designer though, I find myself most impressed by the fact that Nettie keeps track of her metal sources, uses recycled materials, and produces everything locally in New York.  It is an important model to look up to, as the jewelry business is one of the most environmentally damaging and unethical industries in the world.  Perhaps we can all find reasons to be inspired by Nettie Kent.

-Tiffany