I have never been big into laces. There is just something inherently clumsy to me about them – they lack control, flop around based solely on their whim, often unravel and attempt to trip me. In a world of velcro and all sorts of clever fastenings, they just feel obsolete to me. Some bygone, whimsical artifact of the 1950′s.

Christian Siriano seems to agree. I love this clever spin he has created on the standard Converse. I love the clever use of the zipper on the seams, the ultra-feminine, satiny pale pink partnered with the patent bone toecap. It is the perfect blending of rugged and flirty, of boyish and girly.

Move over Chuck. Your little sister wants to play…

February 11, 2010, New York City Independent designers can always find a home at Nolcha during fashion week, and this year was no exception during Nolcha’s 2010 Style Tour, held at the aesthetic playground that is the Bo Concept Studio, 144 West 18th Street. A hand-picked and diverse community of talented designers from all over the world were in attendance at the event, and Nolcha staff travelled throughout the space presenting “tours” of the showcase, offering unique information and insight regarding the collections featured.

Photos and video after the cut…

Dora Abodi is a graduate of the French MODART International Art and Fashion Academy Budapest. Influenced by literature, old tales, comics, music videos, and science fiction to name a few, her newest collection, entitled “David Bowie In Atlantis,” taps into the realms of fantasy and ultra-pop culture. Bursting with hyper-color, space age fabrics and gaudy embellishment, Dora’s work truly feels like something out of this world.

Whether it’s a dress bursting with jewels, to accessories that glitter and gleam like dragon scales, Dora’s collection bridges that gap between childhood delights and grown sensibility, creating a collection that will transform you into a shining star for a night on the town.

Here’s Dora, discussing her motivations and inspirations for this collection:

To see more of Dora Abodi’s work, visit doraabodi.com.

I love shwag. It reminds me of going to birthday parties as a kid, and receiving goodie bags. I think more things in life should involve goodie bags. I would be much happier about going to the dentist or getting the oil changes if there was a little bag of goodies I could look forward to at the end of it. And that bag better not have any toothbrushes in it, because we all know that a goodie bag that encourages you to do something responsible i nary a goodie bag at all.

The schwag bag from the IFB “Evolving Influence” Conference did not fail to impress. It was chock-full of all sorts of lovely, versatile and fashionable goodies. Some of the bits of niceness included:

- an infinity scarf from affordablescarves.com

- neon socks from We Love Colors

- fake eyelashes a la Revlon

- a mix cd and stuffed denim rhino keychain from G-Star Raw

I think the rhino was definitely my favorite. His cross-stitched eye simply destroys me.

Suffice to say, the idea of monochromatic personal style simply mystifies me.

The idea of living your life in one color palette is one I find fascinating and amazing, mostly because it is the furthest direction from my own style. The amount of dedication and care it takes is awe-inspiring, and the results breathtaking.

If you could live your life in one color, what would it be? Why?

The brainchild of NYC-based designer, Cody Ross, Priestess NYC is a collection that sparkles, pops and gleams upon the wearer. Consisting of bright iridescent activewear-inspired dresses, tunics, slacks and jackets, Priestess combines bright colors with bold, neon prints for a look that is both 80′s-retro and hyper-futuristic. The quirky silk prints are also buzz-worthy: whimsically-rendered sperm, weaponry, piranha and blowfish are just a few of the motifs. However, all the glitz aside, the foundational shapes are extremely comfortable and functional – making for a garment that will dazzle but remain utilitarian enough for daily wear.

Not only is Cody Ross’ collection inspiring and lovely, but now it’s benefiting an excellent cause: In response to the tragic February 28 earthquake in Chile, Priestess NYC and Patricia Field are making an effort to raise cash for the country’s victims. Starting March 3, sales proceeds of Priestess NYC clothing and acessories will go to the country via the Red Cross International Fund for immediate critical relief and long-term recovery efforts to help those who are most in need of assistance.

So find the goods at Patricia Field now. Look fly and feel good doing it!

February 11, 2010: In snow-filled Mahattan, a steady stream of poshly dressed socialites in rather precarious shoes for the weather could be seen making their way down a darkened alley off of Lafayette. No, this wasn’t some nefarious large-scale-snow-bunny-designer-drug transaction, but the location of the presentation of the newest collection from up-and-coming designer Karolina Zmarlak.

More photos and a video interview after the jump…

The venue itself lent a certain amount of excitement to the affair, held in new East Village hotspot E_P, most notably known for being the location of the the old CBGBs. This being my first visit to the new face of the historical rock landmark, I experienced a pang of nostalgia for the old punk haunt as I made my way downstairs. Where once musical legends vomited and sang, young socialites and artists now sipped champagne, chatting politely. New York City does nothing, if not change.

Reminiscing aside, the location felt like the ideal venue for this new collection by Zmarlak, and up-and-coming young designer whose sense of grace in her designs is equally proportioned with a puckish flair. A former intern at both Theory and Carolina Herrera, Karolina is a Gen Art Styles winner and FIT graduate whose first RTW collection was launched in Fall of 2009. Though very new on the scene, her designs are already generating a significant amount of buzz, and as her new collection continues to show, for very good reason.

Elegant, tight tailoring was present throughout the collection, topped off with quirky and audacious details that lent the outfits a strange and sexy appeal. Though Karolina would later tell me she was inspired by the 1950′s, I personally felt a strong 30′s vibe throughout the clothes, and the aviator-like swim caps worn by the models only made this more so. Amelia Earhart, welcome to 2010…

Though spinning about like a top between photos and mingling, Karolina was kind enough to take a few moments with me in a (slightly more) quiet corner to talk more in detail about her collection:

All in all, a brilliant showing. Keep your eye on this one.

PS: Upon leaving the venue, I came across this little gem in the alley. Is someone missing a unicorn-cash register?

Love the new, tie-dye-esque washes of this collection by Citizens of Humanity. The antique colors and romantic, quirky embellishments have a sensibility mixed with a sense of fun. The mottled dyes gives the jeans an extremely sensual, tactile appearance. Shabby-chic bohemian all the way

See the full collection at citizensofhumanity.com.

Do you remember BluBlockers? I do, specifically from growing up in the eighties; those overly-excited commercials that touted these specs like they were the visual equivalent to the first moon landing. And who knew? Maybe they were. Being about six, I really couldn’t afford them at the time. The advertising certainly made you feel like all other sunglasses were completely unprepared to handle blocking out the sun, and they looked so futuristic and crazy with their sleek amber lenses and black matte plastic frames. For the past twenty-three years they have been a throw-back item, something to kindle delight, nostalgia and a bit of humor. Nowadays you can still catch the kids sporting these iconic originals in all their ironic glory, most notably Zach Galifianakis’ character in, “The Hangover.”

However, that’s all about to change. BluBlockers have caught up with the times. These ain’t yo mama’s sunglasses:

BluBlockers now has a micro-site, MyBluBlockers.com, that features their new line: speical edition frames in a vibrant assortment of colors and lens effects, including a revamp of their original tortoiseshell design.

Once I caught wind of these babies, I couldn’t resist grabbing up a pair. Particularly when I discovered they had a version in gold. And let’s be honest, I would buy monkey dung if it was gold-plated.

Monkey dung these are not. They are quite the opposite. Arriving in this hot, sporty little purple case, the BluBlockers were like some awesome pirate booty from Prince Island. The gold frames were a lovely warm golden color, and you can literally see-yourself in the ultra-reflective frames, exclusive to this model (yeah, that’s me in the right lens – ‘Sup?).

Wearing these proved to be quite the experience. See, I remember how the commercials would claim these would create a “cleaner, crisper” sunglass-wearing experience. What seemed to have slipped my mind was that it would turn the entire universe NEON FRICKIN YELLOW. It was exactly like this…

“BluBlocked” by toastforbrekkie

Once I got over the initial shock, the entire visual experience became pretty darn awesome. Imagine it like night-vision, but in the daytime. It makes the entire world brighter, but magically without hurting your eyes. Also, I have discovered that these are super on rainy days, as it often makes it significantly easier to see while driving, or doing other mundane activities, like blocking the color blue (Oh I get it THEY BLOCK THE COLOR BLUE! Ha!).

So yeah, BluBlockers are pretty awesome. And I must admit, they make my face a lot more “Blingy.”

Top: Mystique Boutique; Shorts: Gadzooks; Shawl: Conway; Boots: Thrifted; Sunglasses: Blu Blockers; Necklace, Watch: Thrifted

I stumbled upon Ashley Cheeks’ Etsy shop a couple of days ago, and have to admit I am rather smitten by her wares, and the quirky, somewhat comedic, romantic and whimsical photographs she takes to display said wares. They make me think of some sort of surreal sister of the Mad Hatter.

You can find her shop here. She also has a rather nice blog, here.

1. La Calavera Catrina (by llaurellovesllamas):

La Calvera Catrina is a Mexican icon of Día de los Muertos, a symbol of celebration and beauty in the face of death.

Related Costume: Sugar Skull

2. Pinata (by rachelvn):

Feeling a little festive? Guss yourself up as a piece of candy, a sweet or favorite yummy treat!

Related Costume: Cupcake & Chef

3. Rainy Day (by elsiecake):

Rather than dressing as a person or object, try becoming a force of nature. Choose your favorite weather condition or natural phenomena, and get creative in the interpretation.

Related Costume: Autumn

4. Jareth (from Labyrinth) (by corkyswiss):

Make the magic dance with your favorite fantastic characters from your childhood. Jim Henson offers a cornucopia of surreal, imaginative costume ideas.

Related Costume: Kira (from The Dark Crystal)

5. Steampunk Princess (by mandilouise):

The lovely style of Steampunk is the rising star subcultural phenomena. For most of us the style is a little too over-the-top for day-to-day apparel. However, Halloween is the perfect opportunity to don those goggles, spats and machine gears. Snake optional.

Related Costume: Medusa

6. Hunted Deer: (by eatmydesign)

Why dress up as animal, when you can dress as a thematic animal? Adding small details creates a character that is captivating, engaging and an extremely unique costume.

Related Costume: Crying Swan

7. Black Kitty Cat (by eastsidejax):

There is no costume as classic and timeless as a black cat. This costume is a great stand-by, and offers a myriad of takes and styles.

Related Costume: Fifty’s Kitty

8. Psycho-Killer (by dietrich):

Movies are the perfect place to find an excellent costume. Rather than just dressing as a character, get some friends together and try to build an entire scene as perfectly as you can.

Related Costumes: Eraserhead; The Birds

9. Jellyfish (by eatmydesign):

Choosing to dress as a strange or unique creature is a great opportunity to come up with unique interpretations about how to execute something so peculiar.

Related Costume: Bumblebee; Lioness

10. Ghostly Couple (by loupiote):

When in doubt, a ghost is a reliable standby. But nix that silly old sheet, and don lovely white clothes, and go crazy with the baby powder.

Related Costume: Murdered Bride

………………..
Honorable Mentions:

Deviled Egg
Abolitionist
Virgin of Guadalupe
Dalek (from Dr. Who)
Mermaid
One Little Indian