Michelle Nguyen Williams' sweet cocktail dresses and silk separates have been making us swoon for a few seasons now. Her line, Quail, made her a finalist in the Gen Art Fresh Faces ceremony in 2008 and is stocked at boutiques all over the world. The Fall 2009 collection shows off Quail's sweet but rebellious aesthetic with sheer blouses, swinging skirts and bloomers. Check out the look book in the gallery below.
There are sample sales and then there are showroom sample sales, although you can't expect the prices to be rock-bottom what you'll find in a showroom sample sale is often extra special. First off, it hasn't been stomped on in the dressing room floor a million times over, and second, the inventory often amounts to whatever the designer happened to make in multiples--rather than what the retailer couldn't sell. See where we're going with this? What's more, if you like one brand from a showroom, chances are you'll like them all as it's the showroom's job to not only represent individual brands but have a cohesive aesthetic overall. Needless to say these are definitely worth hitting up. Below, our top three picks from the New York showroom sample sales.
Archetype Showroom: Fremont, Eskell, Lorick, and Shipley and Halmos are just a few of the brands at Archetype showroom. Expect all of your birthday outfit and party dress dreams to come true. Located at 676 Broadway, December 4-6, 10-7pm. Check out all of our coverage from Archetype showroom right here.
Denise Williamson: On December 5th and 6th head over to Soho for the Denise Williamson sample sale which will include items from Gilded Age, Operations, Form, and Blue Blood. Trust us, not a wardrobe staple will be left unturned. Located at 119 Mercer Street and running from 8:30 -7:30 on Friday and 11-6 on Saturday. Check out all of our coverage from Williamson PR & Showroom right here.
Edite Showroom: If you fancy unkown contemporary designers with a luxury pedigree edite showroom is where you'll find them. On December 8-10th from 10-7pm check out big time savings on Caroline Hedaya (top left), Lialia, and many more. Located at 134 W.29th Street. Check out all of our coverage from Edite showroom right here.
Fremont certainly played up their all-American side this Spring 09--Devin, Brittany, and Jessica, the three designers behind this contemporary brand, started their business on the sunny shores of California back in Spring 2006. This season, their background came through in the red, white, and blue pieces, boating prints, and bikinis. There were crop tops and high waisted shorts and a few easy-denim pieces that really caught our eye. All in all we'd say this is their best and most self-aware collection yet as it feels young, playful, and all-American--just how we imagine the designers of Fremont to be.
When we stopped over at Archetype showroom last week we couldn't help but snap a picture of these Surface To Air Spring 2009 platform sandals. In three perfectly basic shades, they are sure to be a must-have among downtown fashionistas. In the summer, even though the weather is warm, that doesn't mean you have to walk around in flimsy sandals. These shoes are on our Spring 09 wishlist for sure.
We remember a few years back when everyone went crazy for the hidden platform by 80%20; a small footwear company based in New York. The discreet hidden wedge boots were sold out everywhere with stores wait-listing their entire reorder. Never, at least in New York, have women been so enchanted by a single boot. Priced moderately and sticking with the signature wedge as a backbone to the line, 80%20 has grown into its own. 80%20's designer and founder, Ce Ce Chin, came from a design background with Calvin Klein and Michael Kors which should explain why she knows how to make something people want and stick with it--season after season. To see the 80%20 Spring 2009 look book, click here. To see our snapshots from the showroom, click below.
Eskell's Spring 2009 collection has the sort of antique charm that you might associate with Lyell or Mayle--easy silk dresses with eyelet details, mix and match floral prints, and some clean denim pieces thrown in for good measure. The designers behind the brand, Kelly Whitesell and Elizabeth del Castillo, have been friends since they were 14, started their company out with a collection of one-off repurposed vintage pieces, and thereafter decided to put the concept of 'personal style' high on their list of aesthetic guidelines. This potion, in the end, is how the pair arrived at such a very genuine and sweet aesthetic.
To see the Eskell Fall 2008 look book, click here. To purchase it online, click here. To see our snapshots of the Spring 09 collection, click below.
The Lorick Spring 2009 presentation was so brimming with eye candy, we thought it might not be quite as brilliant to see the collection dangling from a rolling rack--au contraire. The Spring 09 collection can be most accurately described as playing with every vintage silhouette and fabric you always wished you'd dig from the racks of your local thrift store to no avail. These garments merit lace gloves and red lipstick and should (and will), among other things, bring ladylike fashion back en vogue for the twenty-somethings. Just like the vintage costumes they reference these pieces are heavy and substantial in person. These are not garments meant to merely resemble the clothing of another era--they actually rival them. There were, of course, some entirely modern pieces in the collection, like easy silk tanks and cotton shorts, and they mixed nicely with the costumery as neither category went too far down its own path. Check out the Spring 2009 Lorick presentation right here, and, our showroom photos below.
