ÉDITÉ SHOWROOM-ISHII, LOVENIA, CAROLINE HEDAYA, VERRIERES & SAKO, LIALIA, PAMPLEMOSSES, PRING, 3GRUPPO3
May 2nd, NYC
EDITORIAL’S NEW ‘IT’ SPOT PICKS WINNING DESIGNERS WITH SOPHISTICATED EDGE
Text, Photos by J. Ecochard with special thanks to Rachel Wood, AE
It was a brief chance chat on the glam E. 53rd Street- Four Seasons Restaurant’s coat check queue-and a quick swap of business cards…. that got us some email blasts from the newish Édité Showroom.
Well the flat images on our laptops made a personal appointment an imperative…but after our May 2nd mid-day look see, we totally get why all the leading editorial stylists have scoped out at this trendy oasis on 29th street.
Founders Julia Simon and Rachel Paletsky…and their team… are like heat seeking missiles zeroing in on skilled emerging talent with distinct points of views. Their garment district stable's meticulously crafted garments and sculptured shoes for Fall 2008, all winners out of the gate, will soon be seen in magazines like Vogue, In Style, Elle, etc. and are being ordered by retail trendoids like Saks, Tracey Ross, Gail Rothwell in East Hampton N.Y., Intermix etc.
But this is the Internet…so we’ve got the 411 now.
ISHII NYC
A sailor savvy jersey top with oversized white cotton collar and white leather buttons- is in an upcoming In Style editorial…but rest assured Tamae Ishii’s other “uptown-chic” classically inspired silhouettes are as equally fetching.
A Parsons grad with work stints at fashionable superstars Valentino, Jean-Paul Gautlier, Calvin Klein and Zac Posens-Ishii’s Fall 2008 collection (her third) turns the sexy secretary look up a few notches with a super sleek Italian wool herringbone bustier dress with black patent leather piping (and a more modest neckline version with cap sleeves).
Equally lovely are the Italian silk chiffon tops with box pleated or asymmetrical collars and leather buttons details- in black, teal or aubergine, and an Italian wool tweed sleeveless sheath with washed silk panels that highlight the bold toned jeweled neckline.
Urbane types who crave day to night outfits with a hint of D&G sexiness should check out Ishii. Retail prices range from $150-$700.
LOVENIA
Heidi Handler, a mid-thirties gal dexterously straddles her Pennsylvania present and past Art Nouveau center- Vienna student days under Jean-Charles de Castelbajac …for her Lovenia Fall 2008 line of languidly fluid 1920’s style glamour.
We particularly loved a plush drop waist silk velvet flapper dress (that snagged the cover of a recent WWD and is pictured above), a woven criss-cross mud cloth dress, and a pleated French silk charmeuse dress with delicate draped shoulder straps and sash in deep blue (soon to adorn starlet Scarlett Johanssen). Posh accents include basket weave silk insets, the subtle glitter of hand beading, and a deft use of feminine bows in c
ontrasting colors. Retail prices for Handler’s second collection are from $600-$2000.
CAROLINE HEDAYA
Now in their fourth season, FIT grads Caroline Hedaya and Donna Baxter sassed up their Fall 2008 collection fusing sexy 70’s cocktail dresses with clean lines and lacy cascading panels.
Sticking to black, pale pink, and a navy palette, Hedaya’s strapless silk chiffon, taffeta, and corset dresses have just enough girly ruffles to give the looks something special. Unseen silk lined details also set the line apart from cheaply made competitors that well, look cheap.
We can see the youngish Hollywood sets (or their stylists who think and breathe for them) hoofing a fast track to hip shops like Tracy Ross, Lisa Klein, Dolce Vita and Debut New York to nab these feminine looks.
VERRIÈRES & SAKO
We were surprised …and then not surprised AT ALL- to learn that the duo behind the Verrières & Sako label hailed from San Francisco. Tapping Hollywood’s glam Film Noir past (and not its casual denim omnipresence), these ladies deploy skilled hands to achieve elegantly ruched puff sleeve dresses and office savvy separates that we can see on our 21st century bods.
Needless to say, we also found favor with V&S’s use of neutral toned, renewable bamboo fabrics-blended with shape retaining Lycra- available in a swirly lace inset cami, a turtle neck overlay knit dress, and a sensual caplet top played up with a long bowed front sash that’s a little nit Morgane le Faye looking.
Verrières & Sako’s affordable line ($100-$500) hits stores in late summer.
LIALIA
Sisters Julia and Natalia Alarcon are set to score big, having been anointed by editrix Meredith Melling-Burke for an upcoming Vogue clip this summer.
We can see why-as their Fall 2008 collection-a modern take on 1940’s high society blended with a touch of Hitchcock’s heroine Joan Fontaine (in the classic flick, Suspicion) is a knock-out. We thought of some of the better Chloe collections of a few years back- that had buyers flocking to its boutiques and department store counters…after a two minute review of the line. It shows great.
We particularly covet the sleeveless keyhole necked mohair tops ($695) in bright colors like citrine, chartreuse, and jade-that are nattily shaped just so- as to be flattering (and silk lined for comfort).
High waist, wide leg satin wool garbadine pants ($795), a tuxedo ‘smoking’ jumpsuit ($1395), a pin tucked, pleated wool crepe blouse in sapphire ($740), and the curvy hour glass shaped pearl grey skirt with nautical button details ($695) could all be staples in any gal’s wardrobe…even if the coldest winter temps bottom out a balmy 65F degrees.
Information and the latest retail availability can be found on their website Lialiacollection.com.
PAMPLEMOSSES
We are big supporters of eco-lines and are happy to learn about the California based Pamplemosses bunch of comfy 100% organic bamboo v and crew neck tees for guys, cute onesies for tots, and sexy racer back tanks and scoop back long sleeve tops for gals.
What will turn a few heads on the street or beach, are the collection’s whimsical water based ink -silk screen designs on the natural state fabrics. We love the softness of the garb…and durability of the textiles – a must given that we’d wear these tops everyday.
PRING
Pring Paris is a collection of art deco inspired shoes crafted by the Thai based family of the Parisian Pring Chindahporn. Luckily for us (as a trip to Pring’s boutique on Rue de Charlot, Paris 75003 is not in the cards), her striking architectural kickers are onsale worldwide.
Dance inspired, the Roxanne Boot is a showroom favorite while we admired the modified platform samples with suede and metallic inserts- that play up the fun of mixed textures.
We also noticed a lot of snake, sea snake (?) and cow as base materials for the collection-as Thailand is known for its high quality of exotic skins. But we’d love to see this obvious talent work with fabrics.
3GRUPPO3
Straight out of Milan, Italy- quality merino and cashmere wools from the design trio 3Gruppo3 manages to outdo other ‘tasteful’ sweaters with alluring cut-outs and contrasting color accents that bring to mind contemporary art geometrics.
Scanning the clothing rack chock full of samples, in a toute de de suite moment- we eyeball a black v-neck sweater “made progressive” with a white cut-out pocket and a crew neck gray/black sample, a man’s gray vest with white diamond patch insert, and a slew of à la mode tanks with matching scarves- that we can see ourselves swathed in on breezy summer nights.
And even with the Euro kicking our US dollar into a deepening black hole, the 3Gruppo3 line is expected to retail in the affordable range- averaging $110-$200 (scarves) and $200-$500 (separates).
