Well, maybe not lunch unless you like to munch on couture, but I can’t imagine too many people will complain about free fashion either. In celebration of their new Fall line, Brooklyn-based Hayden-Harnett is holding a contest for a $500 gift certificate good at both their Greenpoint Design Shop as well as on their website. Contest ends September 15th, and all they need is your name and email for entry.
For our NY readers, here’s a quick heads-up that seems to fit with the theme of the week. The legendary(?) Barney’s Warehouse Sale is going on right now, here. It runs through Monday, Labor Day (day off anyone?).
If anyone has had the opportunity to swing by (in NY or LA) and is willing to share your experience, please let us know! Was it a mad-house? Were the deals amazing? Was it in some creepy loft space? What’s the scoop??
Yup, that’s right. The question that’s ever-present for every woman has invaded the world of men.
I’ve been on the lookout for a bit more “grown-up” bag for quite a while now. My Timbuk is great for beach days and the like, but it’s been feeling a little…young…for the NY streets lately. Not to mention cavernous (it was purchased to tote my now long-defunct 15″ powerbook).
Of course, if I’m gonna drop the money on a killer bag, I definitely want something that’ll stand out and stand up. The Carga bag caught my eye on a recent perusal of Refinery29, one of my favorite fashion stops on the web. Made by LA-based All Purpose, the Carga is an interesting mix of felt and leather with some substantial metal detailing to boot. Maybe its because the design world is on a bit of a felt kick lately, but there’s something about the slight awkwardness of this bag that I find appealing.
Another favorite that’s been on my list for a while now is the Satchel Bag (in landscape, please) from Tanner. I love the simplicity and the detailing on this one; they’ve clearly put a lot of thought into the design. Just check out the removable interior pockets. I also have a belt from Tanner that I love, so supporting these guys feels better to me than heading to the dept. store for something similar.
How bout the readers? Can anyone point me toward something else I should consider?
Continuing the kick, and to answer my own question below, I’d like to direct you to the Styleforum. I stumbled onto this seeminly hidden away spot a while ago, and swing by to peruse the, rather ironically, unstylish but functional message board every once in a while. What the site lacks in aesthetics, however, it makes up for in content. Featuring over a million posts dedicated to making you a better-dressed man, the Styleforum is populated with some of most detail-oriented clothes hounds I’ve every come across.
The guys here can answer just about any style or clothing question you can toss at them. What look will fit your body type, where to find an obscure fabric or custom suit-maker near you, etc. You name it, these guys can answer it. Of course, if you’re a complete fashionista, some of the responses may prove slightly over-the-top. But that just makes them all the more fun to read, right?
Can’t find what you’re looking for on the forum? They’ve also put together a pretty serious collection of books in their amazon store for your perusal.
[and who’s more stylish than Bond?]
No, it isn’t some obscure reference to the home of a norse god. Odin, the well-known boutique sporting a couple of Manhattan locations, is a bit of a hot spot for men’s fashions. Though I haven’t had a chance to swing by myself, it’s been recommended a number of times in conversation. Based on the reviews I’ve read, I won’t expect much in the way of service, though the selection is supposed to be pretty solid.
Spreading their reach a bit, the crew at Odin opened Den not long ago. Den is a 350 square foot adjunct to Odin’s East Village location featuring the work of a single designer for a limited period of time. Essentially a revolving mini-store for the up-and-coming designers that you want to know about. Unlike Odin, Den will show both men’s and women’s clothing, depending on the designer.
Den is currently showcasing the work of Common Projects, a relative newcomer to the footwear market. Keep an eye on Den’s site for their upcoming collaborations with Engineered Garments and Shipley & Halmos.
Since we’re on a fashion kick right now, how about sharing some of your favorites from the fashion world?
Who are your favorite designers/brands?
Where do you like to shop for them?
Do you prefer to shop online or in the store?
Where do you find the best deals?
What are you predictions for upcoming fall trends?
Have any underground sites that you’re willing to share?
My head is in the fashion world! As you may have caught on our AmongMany mini-feed, I spent yesterday afternoon munching and chatting with Yuyu Chen, a graphic and fashion designer based here in NYC. Reasonably, much of our discussion centered around the fashion world…I need clothes, she designs clothes…it all fits. So much of my Sunday evening was spent surfing through my repository of fashion sites and blogs in search of interesting stuff. And, apparently I hit the jackpot.
We already mentioned Gilt Groupe - and offered up invites as well. Here’s another sweet little find from last night’s adventures in web-world: The Choosy Beggar is one of those difficult to find resources in the fashion world. They scout out the best “sales, deals, and trends fit for New York men”. That’s right, a fashion site dedicated to helping us guys find deals on the good stuff!
Top of the page right now is up to 70% off at the L.E.S. boutique Bblessing (both in store and online)…
There isn’t much more “New York” than the sample sale. Riding the freight elevator to some random loft space with a group of people who look like they’re willing to go to battle over the right shirt is an experience to behold. Of course, it’s also rather unpleasant as far as shopping experiences go. You might be getting boutique names, but for the price, you’re sure not getting boutique service…
Now you don’t have to deal with any of that though; the sample sale has now gone digital. Thanks to Gilt Groupe, all you need now is a few quick clicks to grab that coveted piece. And you can do it all from the comfort of your own computer.
Established last year, Gilt Groupe is already garnering pieces from some of the top names in fashion. This week’s sales feature Zac Posen, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, and John Hardy jewelry, among others. (Last week’s line-up featured Rag & Bone.)
Sound too good to be true? Well, its not, but there are a couple of catches… They sell out FAST (and, unfortunately, their remind emails are always late), so if you’re excited about a designer, set a remind for yourself and hop online as soon as the sale starts.
AND, Gilt Groupe is invite only. Luckily, I have invites to spare. If you’re interested, leave your email address in comments or drop us a line and we’ll get ya set up!
It’s not terribly unusual for us to get a look at early work from print artists or designers. Seeing where these minds have come from, how they’ve grown, and how they got started is relatively commonplace. Even the widely esteemed Michael Beirut has shared his student portfolio with the world (and its well-worth a perusal if you haven’t seen it yet!).
It’s a bit more rare, though, to have the opportunity to gain the same insight into the world of a cinematic director. Directors seem to pop up out of nowhere or squeeze out an indie hit that then propels them on to bigger things. The difficulties are ten-fold when we’re looking at someone who’s much more a video artist than a big-screen director. Someone like, say, Chris Cunningham. Most well-known for his work on Bjork’s All is Full of Love video (view here) and Aphex Twin’s Come to Daddy video, Cunningham is now one of the most widely recognized names in music video.
Given his notoriety, and the fact that I love his All is Full of Love video, I was really excited to stumble onto a reel of Cunningham’s early work. This is perportedly the reel that scored Chris his first directorial job. It’s a 7.5 minute look into one of the more creative minds out there right now!
On August 30, 2007, YouTube user Levinator poked a little fun at game-maker EA for their “glitch” in PGA Tour ‘08:
One year later, in preparation for the launch of PGA Tour ‘09, EA responded:
EA just took a HUGE step up in my book. (Now someone prove me wrong and show me that EA was behind both videos.)
