fashion low down

Image via WENN

Last night, Crushable editor Erin Carlson hit up an event for GLAAD in New York. She was nice enough to get some fashion goss for us while she was there. She spoke with Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen of The Real Housewives of New York, and the twosome talked about their favorite designers.

Alex: [My favorite designer is] anybody creative.  We like to wear people whom we know, like Walter Baker, who’s a friend of ours who we go out to dinner with. Of course we wear his clothes.

Simon: His clothes or him?

Alex: No I wear his clothes… Malan Breton is another one who’s amazing. We also like bigger designers like Roberto Cavalli. Or I love the stuff that Marc Jacobs did for Louis Vuitton. You mix it up.

Simon: “We’ve had a chance, in season three particularly, to bring exposure to small designers. I wore a lot of John Bartlett and John Barlett’s not so small.

Post from: TheGloss

A name synonymous with draped womenswear since 1998, Yigal Azrouel has something new up his sleeve–a younger, more modern collection of looks under the name Cut25.

While his ready-to-wear collection is slinky and definitely sexy, this collection boasts more of rock-star influence, making it the rebellious twenty-something cousin of Azrouel’s other lines. Expect leather and even a sequin or two, starting at $180 with most items in the $300 range.

Intermix just received its first fall shipment, and the collection will also be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Bloomingdale’s, and other retailers across the country.

Click through to see images from the fall look book.

Sometimes I feel like summer style is the middle child of fashion. As are the Resort Collections that don’t really have the glitzy glamor of Holiday Collections as most of us tend to lounge around in that tank top/cut-off shorts/flip flops combo during the hottest months. So when I had the chance to view the Cynthia Rowley Resort 2011 collection, I had to do it, because lord knows I needed to dress up my summer wardrobe.

I really love the girly themes Cynthia Rowley sticks with. Each collection is definitely for that vintage inspired femme du jour. This collection is no exception, with a wonderful coral print bandeau bikini with the high waisted boy-short, with a rubberized polka dot cardigan. All the silks had a flow about them with quirky details, like an asymmetric hem, or a slash, or a tassel. My favorites were the accessories, floral print leathers, woven denim platform shoes, and of course her sunglasses, which are amongst my favorites.

I love the longer lengths… oh boy, it’s time for that. Also, take note of the denim dress, you can’t really see here, but it’s panled with a sheer silk. So pretty.

I didn’t see this in the lookbook, but here’s a gorgeous coral print dress, so pretty!

And the accessories, I have to say again, adorbs.

I am in LOVE with that fish necklace!

Here are some sunglasses for next year…

Diane von Furstenberg told me she thinks you may not be the best designer aesthetically, but that you’re by far the smartest.

And look at her prints, hmm? Maybe I’ve known her for too many years. Maybe she’s right, I don’t know. If she were an expert, perhaps her designs may be more impressive. – Karl Lagerfeld

I don’t think this is so much a “darndest thing” as it is as “Karl Lagerfeld sort of bitchslapped Diane von Furstenberg.”

Post from: TheGloss

It doesn’t take much to get me excited about new work from Norwegian Wood.  Last season I loved the statement wooden necklaces made from left-over material from another local Montreal designer, transforming the material into something completely unique. This season she does it again. Taking her surroundings and transforming them into something completely unique and true to her own experiences. The new collection pulls from designer, Angie Johnson’s experiences…

“For SS10 I was inspired by a group of local ladies from an old neighbourhood I used to live in.” says Angie, “The area was a little rundown, especially the main business street (where my apartment happened to be, gorgeous apartment, crap area). The street was very grey, rundown, lots of concrete, few trees. But there were these amazing ladies who would get all done up in traditional dress on Sundays to go to church. I was always mesmerized by the bright graphic patterns of the West African wax cloth fabric used to make their outfits, contrasted against the ugly grey background of our area. They were so happy and excited to see all their friends and although I’m not a religious person, I could see that their religion and church was VERY important to them. It immediately would put me in a good mood, and I never forgot that. I saw these fabrics again and again in my local fabric district, and I knew I finally had the perfect reason to use them.”

I find that with designers they often pull inspirations from rather abstract places, either from books, and idea or something far away, it’s rather rare to read releases that divulge that a designer found inspiration from their every day surroundings. Architecture, color palettes, the way people dress in particular neighborhoods (I live near Chinatown, which has very distinctive aesthetic). It would be hard not to be inspired by what you see everyday, it has to be like brainwashing. Anyway, I’m in love with the idea of the colorful textiles worn in the concrete landscape, it’s such a vivid juxtaposition.

You can find this collection at the Norwegian Wood shop on Etsy, Angie says she’ll be releasing the pieces over the next few weeks, the tanks and some of the accessories are already up, so take a peek!

At last week’s trunk show, I happened upon a New York based accessories designer, Crumley, headed by Brian Crumley (pictured left) has a diverse spectrum of collection as well as collaborations with VPL, Rachel Comey, and Serial Cultura. At the show, the thing that caught my eye was artfully mixed textiles with jewelry, silk necklaces using the fabrics from Serial Cultura’s fall collection, bits of ribbon, zippers and leather. Each piece is a mixed media sensation.

I quite liked the mixture of texture, the silk necklaces had a surprising weight to them that made them more substantial than pieces of fabric alone. The artful clasps and are as much statement as the rest of the piece. The glass bobble necklace reminded me of a delightful glass yo-yo, and the zippers, well who can get enough of zippers? Though it’s not so new to use fabrics as jewelry, I do really appreciate the knotting to create a sculptural effect, something I often try at home and never can seem to get right. Perhaps that’s why sailors had to learn how to tie knots…it’s not as intuitive as you think!

To buy this lovely jewlery, contact info@crumleynewyork.com

San Francisco may not be the fashion capital of the world, but there are a few great designers around here. Serial Cultura is one of those designers whose collections will be sold at OAK NYC next season, so keep an eye out on this label. I have been in contact with Jen Jennings, the designer for some time, but we didn’t meet until the AOK SF pop-up shop last month. Immediately I noticed how beautiful her scarf and blouse was, soft cottons and lush silks, with prints that could easily be works of art themselves. Serial Cultura’s signature is the original printing, and unique twists to classic pieces, a tee shirt, isn’t just a tee, it has cut to it that’s both flattering and modern.

As much as I love going to trunk shows, I think I need a new lens…the place was packed, and I could hardly get a good shot of the clothing on the racks. So I lifted the AW10 photos by Eva Kolenko to show some of what’s in store next season.

Worn in real life… Jen Jennings, the designer for Serial Cultura, the times I’ve seen her, she wears her own label so naturally.

Stylist for the AW10 shoot, Sharon Maloney, seen at the trunk show looking chic in Serial Cultura.