Expired!
The Brachfeld Gallery in Paris has made a series of limited edition fashion tour t-shirts. Designed by SANDBERG&TIMONEN, these shirts are particularly reflexive of the state of fashion right now - with the proliferation of fashion blogs and our growing fixation with which celebrity is wearing what designer, we have elevated the role of designer from behind-the-scenes genius to some sort of rock star, cult following and all. Featured designers include Christopher Kane, Marc Jacobs, Viktor & Rolf, Miuccia Prada, Karl Lagerfeld and more. These babies set you back 50€, but they were made for a good cause: all proceeds will benefit Medecins Sans Frontiéres and their efforts in Haiti. Hurry, though! The sale ends this Sunday the 28th. More information here.

Catch Up On News - 2/23

Hot damn, it's London Fashion Week already! British designer Hannah Marshall just showed her collection of lush velvets and essential body con numbers. Those cut outs are ingenious, especially the velvet mini dress with those garter-like strips. I had the pleasure of being introduced to Marshall during a concert a while back, which ensued in a hilarious photo of me, our mutual friend and her because I was wearing a bold yellow print dress and everything else in the photo was goth as fuck. Not that it's a bad thing! What's up with my latest gravitation towards goth? Anyway, see more of her stunning collection here.
You can always leave it to Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough to shake things up at NY Fashion Week. Those mini-dresses with collar and tie are to die for. Those flirty patterned dresses with the cutouts at the sides are kinda amazing. But most of all, I love those high-waist acid punk printed jeans (a collaborative effort with denim masters J Brand)! The New York Times called these looks "vigorously sexy" yet reflexive of the big trend of the moment: modesty. Whatever. I just know that Proenza Schouler is dead on target season after brilliant season. More at Style.com. Also, I still want these booties so badly.
Love Brigade holds a particular place in my heart because I have watched them from their first season with their medieval-rock inspired clothes to their newest collection full of bright blues and completely wearable designs. True to their haunts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (and much like us at Threads and Shreds) they find inspiration in music and bring it to the forefront with their fashion. (Special shout out to their Justice is Love Brigade and MJ One Glove tee!) And lucky for me the avid online shopper, Love Brigade recently opened up their own online store! Check them out here. And for the fellas, they've got some cool threads for you too.
Sleepwalking. Mexican bordertowns. Melted candle wax. A southwestern road trip. The Mulleavy Sisters of Rodarte managed to weave these ideas and images into their entrancing new collection. Their vision for Fall 2010 comprised of various pieces of knitwear, pops of floral patterns, and their signature crisscrossed swaths of silks. The highlight of the show, however, were the four haunting gowns - call it "ghostly bridal" - at the conclusion of the show. Against a backdrop of flickering candles, the models wearing the aforementioned gowns stood motionless by front of the walkway, waiting for the final walk. The stage lights dimmed and black lights flickered on, transforming those white bridal gowns into otherworldly apparitions. Not only do Kate and Laura Mulleavy know how to tailor gorgeous pieces of art -- they know how to produce lasting images that haunt and inspire. Watch the runway show and an interview with the designers at SHOWstudio and check out the entire collection at Style.com.
Last night, Marc Jacobs showed his Fall 2010 collection at the Armory. His show is undoubtedly one of the main highlights of New York Fashion Week - we look for the drama, the cohesive vision, the spectacular. This season seems a bit "safe" at first, but perhaps the tried-and-true feminine shapes and pastel palette are fitting for these times, when everyone wants to invest in key, lasting pieces rather than fast fashion looks. But there is something very refreshing about the demure hemlines and flats paired with ankle socks, considering the ubiquity of the tough chick look (see below).

Anyway, the first few looks - the demureness of it all? - reminded me of an English romance I've been aching to see: Bright Star. (Totally the wrong time period, I know.) Something about the palette and silhouettes of this collection that brings to mind the fields of bluebonnets. See the entire collection on Style.com.
For those of you living under an unfashionable rock, it is Fashion Week in New York City right now. The final season at Bryant Park! Bouncing off my previous "glam, goth, grunge" post (thank you Andrew for that tweet!), here are my favorite looks from Altuzarra's brilliant Fall 2010. I first heard of the hubbub surrounding this collection when my pal Colleen, a blogger extraordinaire who's romping around tents and studios this week, tweeted about the collection. Those knee-high lace-up boots are to die for! That Dracula-esque collar! Those buckle details! I need that swing coat! If you were wondering, that's some artwork from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in the background. Fitting mood, right? See the entire collection at Style.com.
20% off this item to the lucky person who snags this and enters code "last nite" in message to sellers. Just send your order and wait while we cook up your brand spanking new invoice with the deduction.

Grab it quick; this offer only lasts until Saturday 2/20. Happy shopping!

OFFER EXPIRED

I've been listening to She&Him a lot lately (mostly because of my renewed love for Zooey Deschanel after watching 500 Days of Summer) and this is what I imagine the songs would look like if they were clothes. Plus, Valentine's Day is coming up! Get inspired by these flirty, romantic looks. In the meantime enjoy some tunes.

Looks from left to right:




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There's been a bit of a rumble about H&M and their supposedly not-so-organic line of "organic clothing." Sure, if you care to wear 100% organic, being fooled into thinking partially modified material is the good stuff is a crap move. Then I came across Fashionista's recounting of the story which spilled into a little op-ed piece extolling how very unsustainable "the bigger picture" is. Namely, the fuel used in shipping materials from place to place during production and then during shipment to H&M's worldwide stores. So, the article concludes, "if you’re that committed to wearing sustainable fashion, you should be buying items that are produced locally with locally-grown materials." Even designers are saying you should buy locally.

So what if you don't live in New York City? Or LA?

And what if you're that small business and there's demand outside of the confines of your brick-and-mortar store? Do you just ignore the promise of a bigger customer base and shun those who don't have the money to make the pilgrimage (which btw would also cost "gas guzzling fuel" unless you walked it or had a purely electric car). I mean, shuttling around your goods from boutique to boutique is a smaller-scaled version of what big chains do no?

Point is, "buying locally" is great and all, but to me it's just not realistic unless you live in a big fashion metropolis or there's a fuel-free alternative to shipping.

What do you think? How important is purely sustainable fashion? More importantly, how realistic do you think it is?

"It's like the triple G's: Glam, goth, grunge. Like, what I'm wearing has the power to completely entrance you." I have to thank my pal Jamie for turning me to my favorite new reality T.V. show, Bravo's Kell on Earth, which follows fashion PR firm People's Revolution and its leader Kelly Cutrone. But for all I care, the show can simply follow Cutrone's assistant Andrew Mukamal around. He is the best part of the show. He said that quote above in regards to one of his fashion week oufits: a floor-length sequined gown paired with a flannel shirt, dark boots, and an artillery of silver hardware accessories. Also noteworthy in this post: Kate Lanphear, style director at Elle, with her signature platinum bob and coveted collection of studded and shiny accessories. Anyway, these two are now prominently pinned to my mental mood board, prompting me to build my own mass of threatening accessories. See you on the dark side...! (OMG I just realized this show is ON tonight!)

Looks (left to right):
1. Barcelona Fashion Week (Lookbook.Nu)
2. Kate Lanphear (Streetpeeper)
3. BARCELONE - davinia (Facehunter)
4. Andrew Mukamal (Streetpeeper, kinda old)

Some music. Oldies but goodies to go with this glam-goth-grunge feeling.


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This week's Hit of the Week offer is a Sheer Rustic Countryside Blouse. A truly unique vintage find! Message us with the code "rustic" at checkout for a 20% discount. Offer expires 2/13.

Offer Expired!

I was flipping through a copy of Bust magazine when I saw one of the models in a spread workin' a vintage watch face necklace. I'd never heard of Thea Grant but I went to her website and fell in love. Looking through her collections made me feel like a child at a candy store. I spent almost an hour picking out which items to showcase in the above jpeg. I keep going back and deciding I like something else better but then changing my mind yet again. Bascially, I LOVE EVERYTHING!!! For store locations, click here.

I was browsing Forever 21's jewelry section the other day and found a couple of things that reminded me of Thea Grant's stuff. Check it out:

Full disclosure: those YSL rings are the only reason I'm making this post. The chunky artsy rings first came into my life maybe a year ago, but they were sold out by the time I decided to take the plunge and splurge. Now they're back in stores and back on my consciousness. Why?! Why do this to me? I will be broke. (But baroque!) Oh yeah, I found some comparably awesome baubles, but YSL really hits the spot with these rings.

(Clockwise from top left)
Yves Saint Laurent Artsy Dots Ring
Alexis Bittar Crystal Cocktail Ring
Yves Saint Laurent Arty Ovale Ring
Made Her Think Talon Knuckle Buster Classic
Forever 21 Beaded Beholder Ring

In the words of the incomparable Lady Gaga: "Ice cream topped with honey / But we got no money."