You're probably wondering who makes those slick yellow trousers in our [Summer] In The City shoot.

One afternoon, while shooting a quick preview of some Trovata duds at Denise Williamson showroom, we bumped into Catherine Holstein trying on some trousers from her Fall 08 collection. As petite and pretty in person as she is in photographs, the young designer exudes the kind of cool that will keep her contemporary label buzz-worthy season after season. She like, Jenni Kayne, seems to fall into the category of young, attractive solo-female designers whose sophisticated clothing is only made hipster by the black framed glasses both have used in their presentations.

For Fall, Holstein rightly used a bight shade of lemon yellow to create high waisted narrow trousers (not skinny though, nor too high), a color block dress, and full pleated skirt. She says of the collection, "You could throw the whole collection in a suitcase and that's all you would need" which, coming from some, wouldn't be true, however, something about her way of editing the color palate (navy and lemon yellow being dominant for fall) and of keeping the silhouettes clean and strong, makes you agree. Hers are sophisticated, easy to wear clothes that are readily available for those day-to-night (or New York to LA) moments. The picture to the right is courtesy of our Network Partner, Fashion Indie, who reviewed and photographed Holstein's collection during New York Fashion Week.

>> Irina Lazareanu has been working with Sean Lennon on her album, Some Place Along the Way, since 2006, but it looks like 2008 is the year we'll finally get to have a listen to the final product. 

Tuesday night, the musician-cum-model said the album, which is produced by Patti Smith and features some songs by Irina's close friend/maybe boyfriend Pete Doherty, is due out in September: "All we need to do is get Sean [Lennon] and Patti in the same town and make sure Pete's not in prison and we can get rolling." 

As for potential stagewear, Balenciaga is her staple, "but I find brands like Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela also look fabulous on stage."

For a preview of the folkiness to come, here's Irina's duet with Sean, "Strange Places," which debuted in July 2006:

There's a rumor going round that Opening Ceremony plans to go ecommerce in the near future. It's not a far-fetched idea. Because we couldn't find much of anything on the all-powerful world wide web, we went into the backyard, took out our smallish pad of paper and pencil, and rang the damn store. This is how it went down...more or less...

"Hello, Opening Ceremony"
"Hey there. My friend told me that you guys are starting a website for, like, the store...Is it true?"
"Yeah"
"O rly?"
"Yeah, it's not launched yet but hopefully it will be by the end of the summer."
"Neat. Will there be the same inventory as in the store?"
"Yeah, that's what we are trying to figure out right now. Like, how much to put on the site because our inventory is always rotating you know?"
"Yeah, I do know. That's what I like about you guys."
"Thanks."
"Hey so, are you going to put the Topshop stuff on the site? Hell, are you going to even carry Topshop anymore?"
"Yeah, we're not going to put it on the site because of the new [Topshop] store. We're probably not going to carry it at all once the store opens up."
"Kind of like the Acne thing."
"Yeah, exactly...but hey, we're getting a new delivery of Kate Moss for Topshop today."
"Sweet, I'll tell all my friends."

There you have it folks. Opening Ceremony is going ecommerce and giving the flyover states something to believe in. All we can say is that if Topshop ends up opening at the same time Opening Ceremony goes ecommerce (October-ecommerce never launches on time) fashion will have hit some kind of monumental vortex and our wardrobes might disappear in the middle of the night.

>> Another day, another legal scuffle for Naomi Campbell: The British Crown Prosecution Service has just charged her with six offenses related to her troubles with British Airways at Heathrow Airport last month.

The supermodel faces a maximum sentence of a six-month jail penalty and/or a fine of $9,850 for three counts of assaulting a policeman, plus fines of up to $1,970 for each of her three additional charges — one count of disorderly conduct, and two counts of using threatening behavior and abusive words to the airplane's crew.

Her trial is set for June 20, but until then, let's hope Naomi stays out of trouble.
*images: source

We were going to skip writing another maxi-dress post, but then we realized the monochrome angle hasn't been properly articulated. Like our wanting to constantly discuss the recession, we just can't let this topic go down without a fight.

The allure of a maxi dress. Picture the follow scenario:

It's a sweltering day. Perhaps you've reached the dreaded "in between" stage in your shaving/waxing/laser hair removal regime and donning a skirt would be unwise. Putting in the effort to style an outfit just isn't worth it, as you're likely to end up looking like a sweat-soaked fashion victim with your carefully selected designer duds sticking to your most unflattering bits.

Save yourself a drycleaning bill (recession, after all), because at this point, throwing on a tent-like thing sounds like a winning idea. As Spring/Summer picks up, the fashion blogosphere is buzzing with love for the maxi (as we gave them shout in our print-centric maxi post) . Our network partners Shopalicious and Margarite Elaine have been busy picking their favorite styles. She Finds discovers them at bargain prices on Bluefly, Catwalk Queen advises against ruffled versions, and Budget Babe ponders how best to wear them. We're thinking, with flats. Definitely flats. You don't want to resemble a circus freak on stilts, as the elongating, column-like silhouette doesn't require more height. Try a flat leather sandal (see our paean to Devotte shoes).

Print verus monochrome:

Because the maxi covers almost the entire body, and a busy pattern can become positively seizure-inducing when draped over a large surface area -- especially one that walks and moves. If you're nervous about print stick to the solid hues, as they tend to be slimming and are an easier, simpler way to wear this length. The idea is to use those long lines and draping fabrics to create an elegant, willowy silhouette that flatters. If you find, however, a print that you're drawn to, like we were to many of the DVF options, there are just a few styling rules to adhere to.

The rules:

We like the maxi accessorized, but don't overdo it. We're not trying to channel the jewelry-laden gypsy chic from the last time this trend came our way. Oversized earrings, a small necklace, or a couple of stacked bangles will do, and not all at once. We also like big bags to cart around all our summer essentials. If wearing a print, choose a solid leather bag, and if wearing a solid hue, try punching the look up a bit with a bright or printed canvas tote. You'll look (and feel) as cool as a cucumber.

Finally, we're maxed out on the maxi-topic. Now let's everyone slip into one and go for a celebratory ice cream cone. We promise we'll go to the gym with you tomorrow.

The monochrome spread:

Alberta Ferretti will open its first US flagship in Los Angeles this fall. The space, over 5,000 square feet, will carry all of the Italian fashion label's lines. The company hired a London based design firm who will make sure the place is as conceptual as it is profitable.

WWD reports that Monday night's CFDA awards "are shaping up to feature quite a few celebrity presenters". Is this a 'scoop'? Not really. Among the designers standing behind the celebrity presenters are, for Womenswear Designer Of The Year, Marc Jacobs, Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein, and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler.

Burberry is faring well in the United States, even though many fashion labels are seeing a decline in profits. Apparently Americans are just now moving beyond seeing the label as synonymous with trench coats. Burberry, headed by designer Christopher Bailey, considers itself just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of American growth. They anticipate future growth, in part, from Buberry's presence in the Sex And The City film.

Miami, saturated with residential development, is seeing growth in commercial spaces, particularly for contemporary boutiques. Apparently consumers who shop at a contemporary price point are plentiful in Miami, which doesn't come as a surprise as the city is just short of high-end though it still sees weekend traffic from young jetsetters who could easily be staying the Best Western for all anyone knows.