I just came across this awesome Aussie designer, Karla Spetic. Her Autumn/Winter 2010 collection is titled "Dreamer" and I think it's a perfect name for the mute, pastel palate (though punctuated with exciting bits of bold orange). My favorite pieces of the collection are the suit and pants combo with illustrations by local artist Caitlin Shearer for a truly unique pattern (see above). It looks like, for now, all her stuff is Down Under. Let's hope her pieces become more widely available. Stateside, stat!!

Happy spring, by the way! (Well, it feels like it now.)

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.

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:

1. bird watch necklace

2. chain bars necklace

3. sail anchor necklace

Yoyo Pan and Michelle Wu have created one of the most sculptural and intricate pieces of art for their footwear label Heavy Machine. Between the two, the design duo boast degrees from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Polimoda in Florence, and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology from down under, and that makes perfect sense because it takes some crazy geniuses to conjure up shoes like these. Pan and Wu, now located in Taiwan, have already garnered some buzz in the fashion blogosphere, with adulation from U.K.'s Susie Bubble, Elle Taiwan and more. I'm smitten!
Check out their latest look book at their website and become a Facebook Fan here.

As an avid shopper and an obsessive virtual window shopper, it is surprising that I am rather confined to designers on this side of the globe. Call it an irrational fear of pining for something so distant and inaccessible. But when I stumbled upon Barcelona-born Gemma Degara, I couldn't help but start a long-distance romance. Beautiful and infinitely wearable, her clothes exude an effortless cool. Nature prints + lovely draping = I'm sold. And lucky for me, she sell's on Etsy! Check out her past and present collections here.

To say that Alexander McQueen rocks is a great understatement. How can I even begin to describe his latest masterpiece of a collection? Those shoes! That make-up! Those digital prints! This Spring/Summer 2010 collection has a lot to digest and a lot to draw inspiration from.

Anyway, I forgot to put up some songs for my last post, so I'll insert one here. I have just seen three of these bands (kind of) during the WFMU Fest in Brooklyn, which I was photographing for The Fader. Pissed Jeans, on the venerable label Sub Pop, is friggin amazing live. Talk Normal is a promising new local band. Lydia Lunch is still as badass as ever. I'm throwing in a track by Zola Jesus, a.k.a. Nika Roza Danilova, another prolific young musician who I want to be BFFs with.

Like they say, fashion is always ahead of its time. Here's Vivienne Tam's Spring 2010 collection that I've been greedily eyeing (gotta plan ahead even if spring is two seasons away). Loving the turquoise (surprise, surprise), sequins, and butterfly prints! What's more, these ladies are lookin' fierce with their netbook clutches! Seeing as I am updating from my very own brand new netbook at the moment (completely zoning out boring lecture class...), I very much approve. Check out some of our cute prints and vintage accessories (no netbooks unfortunately!) here:

1. Home Sweet Home Floral Embroidered Clutch/Purse

2. Sheer Rustic Countryside Blouse

3. I Heart Jumper

Bow, Menswear
Alice + Olivia
Forever in Love

Gotta love that sassy chic that is Alice + Olivia's fall collection. Over-sized knitwear, rocker bows, and androgynous goodness. I'm loving the grey/black tiered dress with the large bow (second from right) and using elements of the 80s in a fashion-forward way. Definitely going to have to save up and splurge on some of these items (because college loans can stretch just a liiiiiiiitle bit farther right? right?). If you're looking to get inspired, try mixing up some of these classic elements in your wardrobe, vintage style. Like this bow dress, or ruffled blouse.

Happy September, everyone! Consider the ladylike prints and shapes of Marni as you're packing away your summertime clothes and bringing back your fall / winter gear into your wardrobe. While the Fall / Winter 2009 collection was a superb exercise in "rich, dark layering of texture and iridescence," I very much love Marni because of the lighter patterns. Believe me, I will be winterizing my purple Marni shift (...I went all out shopping in tax-free Hong Kong) well into the dreary, cold season with thick colored tights and heavy cardigans. But yeah, I always support injecting some color and prints into your fall / winter wardrobe because it is always so much sunnier that way! Anyway, check out Threads and Shreds for our own Marni look for a fraction of the Marni price.

Oh, Chloe. The simplicity of these designs are what draws me to them. It's all about the fitted lady suits, shirt dresses, and bling bling pants. Harem pants always make me think of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. It's out with the skinnies and in with the... big and poofy? You'd think shiny gold poofy pants would look gaudy, wouldn't you? Instead, this model from Chloe's Spring 2009 collection looks classy and sassy.

Feel like channeling the classy simplicity of Chloe and/or the badass-ery of Princess Jasmine? Today's your lucky day. Check out Threads & Shreds: 1 , 2

Floral prints, zippers, plaid, blazers galore! Charlotte Ronson proves once again that designers can produce very, very wearable pieces. Gotta love the simple pieces with a little extra side of BAMF (that's Bad Ass Motha F*cker). I can see myself rocking that purple zippered shoulder cut-off dress to an after party, or taking the detailed jet black blazer out on the town. Lastly, if there is one moral to be had, it's that you can make your outfit pop without the nu rave colors or pants pre-ripped to within an inch of their life. Yeah, I went there. Here's some items for inspiration: Uno, Dos, Tres!