Refinery29 Pipeline

The Pipeline: L.A. Fashion Week Loses Its Sugardaddy?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:28:51 -0500

All those be-dazzled denim lines and belly-baring models might not have the impact of a Proenza show, but L.A. Fashion Week has been known to host some credible West Coast talent (Eduardo, we love ya!). And, as Racked reported today, now that runway powerhouse IMG is said to be pulling out, the future of the west-coast showings are up in the air. Will Smashbox brothers Dean and Davis Factor save the day and take it over themselves, or, even more interesting, could it turn into a "festival of fashion, music, film, and art organized by stylist Steven Gerstein (we know, who??). We're hoping for the latter—who doesn't love a "festival"? (Racked)

The Pipeline: Doggie Bag: Bike Suits, Rampling Style, and Save the Garment District

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:55:48 -0500

The holiday season of 1986 was a good time to be a man. (Jezebel)

Now that's fast fashion. (Wired)

We think Japanese people should be more open too. (Hypebeast)

Louis Vuitton wins in the highly coveted "Most Ripped Off" category. (Gawker)

If you can't catch the Colette pop-up store, there's always Target. (NYMag)

We're already getting "WWCRW" shirts made. (Style.com)

A t-shirt to save the Garment District, where $20 track suits rule the streets. (Racked)

Attention Fashion Week, pixie blogger Verena Von Pfetten needs more caffeine in her runway shows—stat! (Huffington Post)

The Pipeline: Update: Your Guesses on the 'Hipster Hooker'

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:09:12 -0500

Well, like we said when we first covered Jessica Pilot's Radar story featuring a professional escort who goes by the nom de hookie "Heather" and is, ""a 28-year-old who has a coveted job in fashion media," we aren't in the gossip business. Our lack of facility with the finer points of tabloid journalism were confirmed by our subsequent investigations and, most particularly, your responses to our calls for information. Nonetheless, one intrepid tipster had a hot nugget of scuttlebutt we couldn't help but report.

The Pipeline: Table Tennis Anyone?: Uniforms for the Dedicated Menswear

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:51:26 -0500

Leave it to the Swedes to produce yet another award-winning team (alas, one without baby-faced Michael Phelps…sigh.) New to our eyes, menswear artist collective Uniforms for the Dedicated has combined the flavor of Steven Alan's casuals with Whyred's sharp shapes for their debut collection, Underground Loop.

The Pipeline: March of the Penguins: CRICAaccessories' Antarctic Necklaces

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:29:24 -0500

When we first spied these necklaces by CRICAaccessories designer Chrintina Hora, we were impressed by the cut and etched acrylic, the colors, and the unique shapes. Then we looked closer at the pattern of her large, lace-like pieces. Omigod—Penguins! Instant love.

The Pipeline: Front and Center: The Latest Scarf Styles Get Tied Up

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:59:46 -0500

We've seen keffiyehs wrapped in casually calculated poses, bandannas low slung for a cowboy-meets-anarchist feel, and petite neckerchiefs tied in perky knots. The latest scarf shape, however, takes a more dignified approach. Worn over the shoulders and tied neatly in front, the classic preppy look has been resurrected by the street scene crowd. The look first got our attention when in José Ramon Reyes' fall 2008 show. Inspired by Whit Stillman's Last Days of Disco the show and the look captures the chic hipness of the recent Hampshire grad mixing her publishing day job workwear and Studio 54 diggs while stealing pieces from her uptown mom's closet. But you aren't limited to Hermés: We caught the look in Berlin with bright yellow tights, in Los Angeles with questionably authentic Chanel, and in Melbourne with a creatively-styled button-up managing to mimic a ladylike silhouette.

The Pipeline: We Want to Believe: An Ebay Monster Mash

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:01:07 -0500

As reported elsewhere, this summer has been the season of the monster. From the Montauk Monster, to Bigfoot, to El Chupacabra (the office favorite), legendary critters have been in the news and on our minds. Naturally, our imaginations always inform our browsing, so we ventured into the deepest, darkest forests of eBay under cover of darkness and emerged with these eerie artifacts. Beware—the freaks come out at night.

The Pipeline: Sales of the Day: John Varvatos and Pixie Market

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:48:56 -0500

New York

John Varvatos Sample Sale
Gents, take advantage of John Varvatos' summer sample sale beginning this Thursday, August 21, through Saturday, August 23, where the designer's signature sportswear, classic suits, footwear, and accessories are up to 75% off. Items include his signature tailored suits (now $450), jeans (now $55), and boots (now $200), as well as select items for the ladies. Thursday and Friday, from 8 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, from 10 to 5 p.m. John Varvatos Sample Sale, 260 Fifth Avenue, (between 28th and 29th streets); no phone.

The Pipeline: Morning Java: The History of Man, Retrosexuals, and Dov's Afrika

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:54:13 -0500

Learn the history of men's fashion from the '30s to the present in three minutes or less. (Pictured, Esquire)

So there's this new thing called the Retrosexual which is either a "Mad Men" style throwback or just "Metrosexual" pronounced by Scooby-Doo. (Black Book)

For eons, alchemists and scientists toiled to turn lead into gold. They failed. But now you can transform your butt fat into bigger bosoms, which is almost as good. (NYMag)

Dov Charney throws a racial curveball by using no African-American or even African models for his "Afrika" line. (Gawker)

Can we go to Bali Fashion Week? We don't care about the shows. (AHN)

That said, you can keep Pet Fashion Week. (Blog Talk Radio)

Genders, still bending (Forbes)

The Pipeline: Food Fight: Converse's Tasty Fall Campaign

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:26:09 -0500

Some things might change, but good food and good kicks never go out of fashion. John Varvatos, who has a penchant for immortalizing New York's subcultural monuments, has captured French bistro-diner Florent for eternity in his latest ad campaign for Converse.

The Pipeline: Doggie Bag: Love Your Hair, Coco on the Tube, and Peaches Comes to Our Shores

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:43:20 -0500

Pamela Love needs a hat for her amazing, unmanageable hair. Word to Ms. Love: We prefer it flyin' free. (NYMag)

Coco Chanel's rags-to-riches life story has just enough glamour, war, sex, and style to become an Academy-Award© winning film—or a Lifetime Movie of the Week—same diff. (Black Book)

David Arquette and Ben Harper are starting a clothing line that will present at New York Fashion Week. Yeah, that's right. (Show Biz Spy)

Oh crap, nail the furniture to the floor—Cory Kennedy is back in town. (Cory Kennedy)

Speaking of incoming hot messes, Peaches Geldof will be landing here soon. (Mirror UK)

We have never heard of this "NoLITa" of which you speak, but we'd like to know more. (Gridskipper)

Hadley Freeman has had it up to mutherfuckin here with your high-fashion/high-street collaborations. (Guardian UK)

The Pipeline: This Just In: Mooka Kinney's Alison Lewis Launches Solo Line

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:03:58 -0500

Last month, we reported that Rachel Antonoff, one half of the disbanded label Mooka Kinney, had released a self-titled collection of sugar-sweet dresses. Now Alision Lewis (pictured), the other partner in the duo, reports that she too will be unveiling her own eponymous brand, titled "Lewis," just in time for fashion week. Since the split, Lewis has kept herself busy and her work on store shelves through a jewelry collaboration with Samantha House, Lewis & House. There's no word from Lewis on just what "Lewis" will be like, but we'll be checking the mailbox for her lookbook and sending the goods on to you as soon as we can.

The Pipeline: On Air: MODEL.LIVE Falls Flat

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:44:16 -0500

"This isn't a reality show…you're actually going to experience the world of modeling," says the announcer in Vogue.TV's new show, MODEL.LIVE (why exactly that period is necessary?). This statement prepared us for an exciting foray into the tumultuous existence of up-and-coming models. Instead, we got an excruciatingly long clip of a board meeting at IMG, a soundtrack that sounded like a Lifetime special, and pacing that would make Ingmar Bergman yawn. When we first heard about the series, we were excited to go behind the scenes of the modeling world and hear from some of its gazelle-like inhabitants. While it was nice briefly meeting you girls, we have to say&mdash—we'd rather watch other fashion-related reality fare like "Project Runway," "America's Next Top Model," or "The Dog Whisperer," thank you very much. If you'd like something to induce an afternoon nap, watch the video here.

The Pipeline: Sales of the Day: Castor & Pollux and Madison

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:24:35 -0500

New York

Castor & Pollux
Now through the first week of September, Castor & Pollux is beating the mid-summer blues with discounts of up to 70% off their spring/summer '08 stock. Sale items include a Sonia by Sonia Rykiel red and white sweater (now $86), a Built by Wendy Provence print quilted jacket (now $110), as well as items from Rodebjer, Acne, and more. Castor and Pollux, 238 West 10th Street, (between Hudson and Bleecker streets); 212-645-6572; and online at www.castorandpolluxstore.com.

The Pipeline: Lost in the Mayle: Is NoLIta's Favorite Dressmaker Seeking a New Zip Code?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:37:55 -0500

Naturally, we were disappointed when we read in yesterday's WWD that one of our Favorites, Jane Mayle, would be folding her line of "magpie-style" womenswear after her holiday resort collection and shuttering her Elizabeth Street store this January. After we had a good cry, we looked at the piece a little closer and found this juicy nugget from Mayle herself rather intriguing: "What I learned from having this business, I could apply anywhere,…It could be interiors, graphics, scents—anything evoking an atmosphere. That's where I'd like to situate myself." Naturally, smart, political businesspeak like this had us wondering: What is Jane's next move and does she already have one?

In theWWD piece, the British-born Mayle claims that the expatriation of her NoLIta store's lease had her thinking about the fashion world in general instead of just re-upping or finding a new location. "We knew we didn't want to reinvest in the neighborhood," Jane said. But given her claims that the 10-year-old brand has 65 wholesalers (including Opening Ceremony and Barneys) pulled in over $5 million last year (atsa spicy meatball), the decision to close runs directly contrary to good business sense. There's only two conclusions we can draw form this—one, Ms. Mayle is really sick of the game or, more likely, she's moving on to something bigger.