4 posts tagged "Saint James"
Colette’s Super Sweet Sixteen
On March 21, 1997, Colette opened its doors on tony Rue Saint-Honoré. Now, sixteen years later, founder Sarah Andelman’s magic touch has helped the concept shop grow into a cult mega-mecca, where skateboards and sneakers mix with wares from Comme des Garçons and Alaïa. It’s become Paris’ premiere shopping destination for the savvy set. But with all her sweet success, Andelman was hesitant to celebrate.
“After last year’s Colette Carnaval (the store pitched a giant tent in the Tuileries Gardens for games and shopping to fete fifteen years), we promised ourselves we’d never do another birthday party,” said Andelman. “But the idea of a sweet sixteen was so appealing that we couldn’t resist celebrating one more time.” Needless to say, Colette celebrated in style. The soiree was held at Le Privilege—the mythic VIP room in Paris’ Le Palace disco, where the likes of Kenzo, Claude Montana, Yves Saint Laurent, and Thierry Mugler boogied away the late seventies and early eighties.
After wading through a sea of pink balloons, Catherine Baba, Carven’s Guillaume Henry, Yaz Bukey, Maison Kitsuné’s Gildas Loaëc, and more performed karaoke throughout the night. For good measure, Colette also had makeup sessions on the balcony and roller girls handing out Marc Jacobs’ new Diet Coke bottles. But it would seem this was actually the after-party—Andelman kicked things off in-store earlier in the day with a selection of special-edition cakes, celebratory T-shirts from Saint James, and postcards from Soledad. Colette’s birthday swag is on sale now, and should keep the store’s sixteen sweet throughout the month of March.
The Calendar Kids Of Saint James
For French heritage brand Saint James, not a lot changes from year to year. They’ve made their name on their Breton stripe shirts (the shirt that has been part of the French naval uniform since 1848) and that’s what customers keep coming back for.
This week, their loyal fans get even more to love with the debut of the eight-piece Saint James capsule collection exclusively for Barneys. For the series of menswear styles ($115-$625, hitting Barneys stores this week), which includes crewneck sweatshirts, henleys, and a bomber jacket, the brand enlisted former Freemans Sporting Club creative director Martin Carvajal to create looks to complement the Saint James core classics. Fashion insiders will get a first in-person look at the collection at a private launch party in New York tonight, but before then, Style.com has an early glimpse at the accompanying calendar. The photos, lensed by Backyard Bill, feature a series of personalities (and longtime Saint James wearers) including Glenn O’Brien, his son Oscar O’Brien, Zani Gugelmann, Paddle8 founder Alexander Gilkes (pictured, above), The Fat Radish chef Benjamin Towill, Hudson Clearwater owners John and Mark Barboni (pictured, below), and Angus McIntosh of Saturdays Surf, all wearing the new looks along with some of the brand’s staple items. “My father’s navy Breton Saint James jumper would always be a staple item in his weekend bat-suit,” Gilkes tells Style.com. “I was proudly able to emulate him when I was finally given my mini version, which I would wear with my favorite Postman Pat wellies.” Also coming soon from Saint James: a new Manhattan flagship shop. We’re guessing this calendar crowd will be especially happy about that.
Bienvenidos, Buenos Aires
Opening Ceremony spent the past year immersed in French culture, working with labels like Jean Paul Gaultier, Agnès B., and Repetto (in between eating Ladurée macarons and celebrating Bastille Day with the French heritage label Saint James). This week, O.C.’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim announced that it’s time to continue globetrotting, and they have landed on Argentina as this year’s country of focus for their stores.
“There’s some really great, interesting younger designers there,” Leon, who made his first trip to Argentina with Lim about five months ago, tells Style.com. “You will see some of these designers, but we also focused on the local artisans and culture—we found incredible felt hats made in the mountains and leather cowhide bags.” (Speaking of cows: “You cannot get enough of the steak,” Leon says of the country’s non-fashion attractions. “It’s incredible.”)
After more than 60 studio visits, the duo settled on a select group of designers and brands, including Ale Sly, Chicco Ruiz, Yanina Solnicki of El Camarin, Paula Selby Avallaneda, María Pryor, and classic Argentinian brands like Felix and Alpargatas—a 125-year-old textile company. In their usual manner, they worked with the labels to create custom colors, fabrics, and styles, available in O.C. stores in September.
For Alpargatas’ U.S. debut, the O.C. team created a series of specialty shoes, including “cool, two-toned canvas” shoes in high- and low-top styles. “The goal is to have Argentinians walk into our store and see these brands and get excited because they are authentic,” Leon explains.
To kick off their South American year, Leon and Lim have planned a carnival market at the Ace Hotel for Fashion’s Night Out, where the festivities will include street vendors, dancers outfitted by Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Suno, and O.C., customizable Havianas, and more.
Vive Monsieur André
French nightlife impresario André Saraiva has his hands full these days. Last month, he made his directorial debut in Paris with his short film The Shoe, starring girlfriend Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Leo Fitzpatrick, Poppy Delevingne, and Josephine de la Baume. Last week, as he celebrated the launch of his collaboration with Saint James, the heritage brand that has made its name with the Breton striped shirt) at Le Bain, he opened up on another project he’s digging into. (Aside from the big one, of course: the eagerly anticipated New York location of Le Baron, which he confirmed will open in Chinatown during New York fashion week in September.)
“I’m filming another movie with a good friend in just a few days,” Saraiva, who will direct the film, told Style.com. “It’s called A Frenchman in New York and it’s kind of my tribute to the city—I love New York.” (His favorite hangout in the city: his Chinatown apartment, of course.)
The friend, he revealed, is French actor Melvil Poupaud, and the duo will be shooting around the city at various locations, including the famous Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal. As for the supporting cast members, he would not share the details just yet, but it’s likely we will see a few of his Shoe stars make an appearance in this film as well. “It makes sense; I like to work with my friends,” he added, smiling.