Friday Video Indulgence

We're a little excited for the weekend to be here and thought we'd just get this out of the way. We're going to suggest you take tomorrow off completely. We know, we know--you have to 'work', but hear us out. First of all, if you're anything like us you've been working all summer, writing/reading/dreaming about going away from behind your desk. That, if you ask us, is not okay. Especially with the insanity of fashion week quickly approaching. We're going to need to be well-rested because we're going to have to absorb a lot of information (and champagne) and someone along the line will snap and scream in our faces or do something else completely unladylike and declasse. These are things you need to prepare for. To that end, if in New York, we've got you covered. Today marks the start of a nice little sample sale with brands like Form, Jenny Yuen, Whistle & Flute, and Fremont. The sample sale includes silk jersey dresses that were 600 and now hover around 100 and it's in Nolita of all places (170 Elizabeth Street). So, get up late, go there at noon when it opens, and grab lunch in the neighborhood thereafter. Later on, you know, that whole bicoastal Opening Ceremony Olympics party gets underway. The Friday night party is private (cough, cough, 8808NYC@openingceremony.us) and it goes from 7-10. After that, grab a bottle of wine, a kick ball, and some friends and go to the park. Parks at night are what summer is all about. Especially when you're wearing something you just got at an end-of-season sample sale and it's all in celebration of the Olympics.

Okay folks, we are officially drenched in sweat and feeling rather inhibited by the large quantities of sparkling things we consumed at dinner last night. But from something sweaty and gross comes something beautiful, right? Right. Just like butterflies...

Last night we attended what was marketed by our marketing friend as a 'business meeting' which, to our surprise, meant twenty-five of our friends, a lot of warm rolls, and about a million bottles of Lambrusco (it still gives you red teeth, but it tastes like champagne!). That said between the reps, buyers, designers, writers, and pr folks, everyone just about chugged their wine and laughed nervously about how, um, tired they were. The moral of the story is that everyone is really overworked and kind of cracking up under the heat and pressure and recession. But there was still a good spirit in the air. It might just be the nature of New York and fashion at large, in the end.

Moving on...

Today we watched this because we were reading our network partner, The Coveted, who posted on Grace Jones and it inspired a You Tube adventure in the lady's honor. It will blow your mind so you might want to watch after you read the whole post (anyway, it's at the bottom). By the way, reading The Coveted is what we do when we're tired from the sparkling things--there's something really comforting about her whole 'brand', you should try it out.

On Monday we're headed to Capsule so please stay tuned for that. Capsule is a trade show that happens in New York and Paris and it's known to bring up some of the best contemporary menswear around. Menswear has had a revival in New York and we're really excited to see what everyone has cooked up for the season. We covered the Fall 08 show, you can read about that here (Sorry the pictures are gone. That is one long story). After the second day of Capsule there's an OAK/Julian Red/Orthodox/DFA party and if you're in town you should come. The party really goes until 4am (but a flyer never says that) and there's some floating commas but we're pretty sure that's because the person who made the flyer was at the dinner last night.

Miami swim week has kicked off so we'll get you some photo galleries this weekend and early in the week. In other good news, Frock opened a store in Park Slope and, wanting to write a post that wasn't too NY-centric, we found this kind of cool site and, most importantly, these pants (top left).

Kathy Horn wrote an interesting piece on the Halston situation today. She stirs up some ideas of why that whole thing just isn't working out. Maybe Georgina Chapman will be the next creative director? Good point.

Oh, by the way. Recession much? Photo editorials like this and this are taking over fashion right now.

Well, happy Friday ladies and gents. We've all kinds of swim and trade show things happening next week. Have yourself a wonderful weekend. Until then...

Everyone's always talking about how there are few designers that actually forge new concepts in fashion and we agree. This Fall, for example, no one came close to what Balenciaga, Prada, and Yves Saint Laurent put out and we suppose, in a way, that is perfectly fine. There should be designers who just make nice clothes. Not everyone, that is, can really push the boundaries of what think of the human form. You know, Alexander Wang can make his boyfriend jeans and Phillip Lim his cotton frocks. There's a place for these designers and it doesn't mean they aren't talented, it's just that their office is down the hall in a different department so to speak (the line between Couture and Ready To Wear does not explain these differences the way it used to). What we think is boring is a blanket generalization that suggests that the fashion climate is somehow less-capable than it used to be. That somehow newness is a thing we once had and now do not. That's total double speak if you ask us and, paired with a recession, it's frankly scary.

That said, it's raining and grey in New York and this weather has us in grilled cheese-and-a-glass-of-milk mode. We're going to listen to some James Taylor and Stevie Wonder and remember when riding in a station wagon was the highlight of our day. We know that the only not-new thing about fashion is that godforsaken slogan and that understanding the difference between nostalgic or somewhat easy collections and total stagnancy is key. For your Friday video indulgence, three videos, James Taylor (hottest man alive?) for nostalgia, Isaac Mizrahi for easy style, and Lanvin for something you can't expect from just anybody.

Everything about the Spring 08 collection by Sonia Rykiel gives us chills. The show began with 70's inspired brights, a yellow head wrap that is the 'hats are back' poster product if there ever were one and then, then there was the grand finale. With 'Paint It Black' playing in the background, feathers floating in the air, barefoot models slinking down the running, twirling, all smiles, Rykiel really gave the industry a run for their money. Nothing was more cool than these chiffon maxi dresses, nothing more nude, more transparent, more sexy (i.e. nothing more representative of what would be the major trends of the season) than this. And even if there was an air of rock n' roll, a wink at acid tripping hippies, the angelic sweetness of these garments made it all seem very fun if slightly innocent. For our Friday Video Indulgence, check out the Spring 08 Rykiel runway show and, what we thought of when we first saw this collection, the trailer to the Virgin Suicides. If this season ends up anything like Rykiel's collection, it's going to be one hot summer.

We know what Friday's are like for most people, that is, at the end of the day you just need a little video indulgence. We live in an age where most of us are too busy to watch TV (not necessarily a bad thing, eh?) so the You Tube video reigns as the ultimate 15 minute chill out session. Now, every Friday, we're going to bring you our mix of fashion and veg-out videos. This week, still reeling from yesterday's 82 degree day, we've decided to turn on The Beach Boys. With one-piece swimsuits making a comeback this summer, we thought it only appropriate. Below that, the runway show from Lacoste for Spring 08, because if there ever were a low-key, beach-ready collection, this would be it. Finish off your midday break with a clip of swimwear from 1952, you'll see plenty of the references from modern designs, and, be gently reminded that 'the perfect silhouette' is a relative concept.