Vintage Point
If you’ve ever wanted to shop the closets of serious vintage collectors, now’s your chance. Renee Barletta, vice president at fashion public-relations firm KCD, and close friend and fellow fashionista Julie Janklow have partnered on a curated collection of vintage finds under the label Barlow. “I always wore vintage. It’s a big hobby of mine, and one day I realized I have so much stuff and I collect so much stuff that I wanted to share it with people,” said Janklow of the venture. “I love the thrill of the hunt. I’m like Harrison Ford looking for the treasure. I’m Indiana Jones, or some cheesy version of him.”
Barlow—a combination of the founders’ last names—features seasonal one-of-a-kind items the pair sourced from their favorite vintage haunts and antique dealers throughout Los Angeles, New York, and London. A bohemian mix of lace tunics, beaded caftans, white cotton day dresses, and colorfully embroidered capes and ponchos, Barlow’s debut summer assortment takes cues from muses such as Talitha Getty, Loretta Lynn, and Brooke Shields. The pieces range from $100 for a simple top to $3,000 for a handwoven ombré cape. Accessories include cowboy hats, belts, and one statement necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane.
Barlow hits shelves June 18, exclusively at Warm, Winnie Beattie and Rob Magnotta’s Nolita boutique that specializes in resort wear by independent labels. Barlow is the first line to be showcased during Warm’s summer pop-up series. “I’m from L.A., and the summer collection is very beachy, with a nod to the runway,” said Janklow. “It’s inspired by the kind of girl who shops at Warm.”
Warm is located at 181 Mott Street, New York, NY 10012; (212)925-1200.
Stubbs & Wootton Fetes the Big 2-0
While riding what appears to be a never-waning wave of popularity, Stubbs & Wootton has gained fans near and far—East, that is—becoming a mainstay at the BLITZ concept space at Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford. To celebrate its twentieth anniversary, the footwear brand, which is best known for its velvet slippers, enlisted a diverse range of collaborators to create personal styles. Former Japanese soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata designed his own version, as did Kenneth Jay Lane, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, and Olympia Le-Tan, among others.
Describing Stubbs as “timeless, classic, and chic at your feet,” new mom Roitfeld turned to her astrological sign—Scorpio—for her bespoke slipper, incorporating a golden scorpion and precious stitched heart. “[Scorpios] are tricky and stubborn, but we are extremely loyal and honest, and when we love, we love,” she says, noting that she hopes the designs will speak to fellow Scorpio women. Le-Tan—already a fan, with a few pairs in her closet—customized her designs with her insignia. She plans to wear her Stubbs kicks “at home, in my pajamas; with a sexy black dress and fishnet tights at night; and with jeans during the day.” The wares, which will be available at Lane Crawford and online from 10 a.m. tomorrow Hong Kong time or 10 p.m. tonight EDT, are truly limited editions—only eight pairs of each style have been produced. The shoes ship worldwide, and proceeds will be donated to the Hong Kong Children’s Cancer Foundation.
Shop the Look: Fleur Fatale
Florals have long been the quintessential symbol of summer femininity, and this season the look is bold and graphic. However, designers gave Spring ’13′s blossoms a dark, moody twist, resulting in wares that are certainly not for the demure floraphile. From Christopher Kane and Marni’s Man Ray-esque prints to Roberto Cavalli’s romantic painted pumps, shop our gothic garden picks, below.
1. 3.1 Phillip Lim jeans, $495, available at www.farfetch.com
2. Christopher Kane top, $780, available at www.farfetch.com
3. Roberto Cavalli pumps, $1,126, available at www.luisaviaroma.com
4. Givenchy Dahlia Noir eau de parfum, $90, available at www.sephora.com
5. Marni shopper, $350, available at www.saksfifthavenue.com
Assembly New York: In L.A.
Before establishing his Lower East Side store and CFDA short-listed line, Assembly, as a bastion of downtown cool, designer Greg Armas was an L.A. boy. “This was my first client base, my first audience, the first place I started the conversation with art and commerce and fashion,” explained Armas. “But since opening Assembly five years ago, I haven’t had much presence here.”
That’s about to change. Tomorrow, Armas returns to his creative origins with the opening of a three-week-long pop-up shop co-curated by denim-heavy label Perfect 69. The store, which is housed in Hollywood’s Space 15 Twenty, will feature a host of one-of-a-kind collaborations, all made specifically for the project. “We have denim crumple dresses with eyes from Rowena Sartin, solid-gold jewelry made with 69 from Kathleen Whitaker, beautiful leather bags by Building Block, and lifestyle items—like some amazing bicycles that I brought in from Tokyo called TokyoBike—that take the space beyond clothing,” said Armas.
The designers, artisans, and other collaborators, like local furniture designers Waka Waka, are all expressly under the radar. “The intention was to really bring some of the quiet ones out,” quipped Armas. “We wanted to show people who may not be making everyday sort of clothes, and L.A. is a great environment for that.” Continue Reading “Assembly New York: In L.A.” »
Saint Laurent Opens in Soho
Hedi Slimane’s latest brick in the rebuilt house of Saint Laurent is now in place: As of this afternoon, the label’s first downtown store is open on Soho’s Greene Street. Saint Laurent (né Yves) has long had a presence on East 57th Street, which it maintains, but under Slimane, the direction has gone decidedly, as the marketers say, “downtown.” As one on-message Saint Laurent exec said, shrugging, at a preview this morning: “Some of my friends don’t ever make it as far as 57th Street.”
Soho feels right for the new Saint Laurent, and the 4,000-square-foot space has the look and feel of an open-plan photo studio—all light and space and monitors displaying Slimane’s campaigns—with many original details intact, from the tin ceiling to the structural columns. (The store sits in the Soho-Cast Iron Historic District, and if you believe in retail mojo, was Helmut Lang’s New York outpost in the good old days.) Bags and shoes line the marble shelves on the walls: mostly new standards like the Duffle, the Sac de Jour, and the Betty, but with a few best-selling leftovers from earlier days, too, such as the Cabas Chyc bag and the Tribute and Trib Too heels. Slimane himself picked the high-minded vintage furniture that decks out the space (by Jean Prouvé, Marcel Breuer, et al.), customized the playlist (Richard Hell and Nirvana as of this morning), and designed all the fixtures. I can personally vouch that his new collections hang on them, despite their absence above. They include not only the Spring line but select previews of pre-fall available for pre-order, which tend toward the unstintingly luxurious. For men, there are the sequined jackets worn by Daft Punk in Slimane’s photos; for women, the embellished baby-doll dress worn by Cara Delevingne in the new ad campaign. It will run you a cool $68,000. But as spaces to consider such a life-altering purchase go, the new store is very good.
Saint Laurent Paris is now open at 80 Greene Street, NYC, ysl.com.