Everyone loves a comfy sweater but sometimes they are hard to come by –either very expensive or super itchy! Well..Shae NY is the answer! Led by creative director Tony Smith, whose past resume includes working with heavy-hitting brands like Isaac Mizrahi and Billy Reid, and head designer Amber Hofmann, the newly debuted label is fresh, modern, and incredibly easy to wear. “Each sweater is more than a sweater,” says Tony Smith, creative director of Shae. “Our goal is for each piece to have a distinct personality.  Spring 2013 marks the first official collection for the brand, inspired by downtown New York street style, but with bursts of color that the true urbanist’s wardrobe often lacks.  The pieces are a range of bright, poppy shades as well as calmer neutrals and all designed with unexpected details. Sporty color-blocking, nothing new on the trend forefront, is big for them, but feels modern with dramatic peekaboo cutouts.  This knitwear is far from ordinary with vibrant pops of color and unique patterns. “It’s all about the easy, cool street style of New York girls as well as refined sporty pieces, like 1930s ski outfits,” Smith says. “Slightly off-kilter preppy classics.”

We love how comfortable and stylish the knits are and how great they pair with denim!

www.shaeny.com

It’s that time of the year again! Make sure to check us out this year for Fashion Coterie at the Javits Center in New York.  We are located at Pier 94 Booth #2408.  See anything you like?

This holiday season, NYLON is hosting a Pop-Up Shop in New York, which is quite the unique VIP shopping experience. It started last Friday, and since you’ll find some of our favorite merchandise there, we stopped by and took a few photos on the opening day! Nylon has created a space that makes shoppers feel as though they are on the set of an exclusive NYLON photo shoot.  When we walked into the space NYLON truly made it feel like the pages of the magazine came to life – the merchandise is set up amazingly! They also created a custom bar that features everything you need to complete DIY fashion projects and the latest beauty trends. We had so much fun – it’s open until December 18, so if you are in the area be sure to stop by!

Today it seems like there is no shortage of nautical inspired items. The style and color scheme of the Eastern Seaboard’s favorite pastime continues to make its way into the hearts and homes of those out West.

Another amazing “Made in the USA” line, with superior craftsmanship and a 110% dedication to its customers, is WM J. Mills & Co. Hailing from a quaint little coastal town on the tip of Long Island, it’s five generations of authentic heavy-duty marine canvas – and nautically trend-setting bags.

First popular in the fifties when yachters used them as a way to carry their seafaring accessories these highly practical totes have since made their way into the closets of numerous fashionistas.  Bob Mills’ statement behind their product, “We overbuild our bags,” could not be closer to the truth, as the legacy of William J. Mills, the sail maker from Scotland who founded Wm. J. Mills & Co. in 1880, continues on over 100 years later.

Mills’ canvas bags retail from $110 to $200 and can be found at http://shop.millscanvas.com.

Opened in the mid-seventies, Raoul’s is a Soho standard with an air of Europe, the way Soho used to be, before it became a haven of yuppies, communal tables, and high-fashion boutiques. While we try to hit the latest and greatest in New York hotspots whenever we’re in town, it’s hard to resist the consistent perfection of Raoul’s Steak au poivre with crispy frites, al dente haricot verts and the charming French décor: pressed tin ceiling, bistro tables, and Degas-style nudes. It might be old, but it still feels rightly hip to us, even if you can get away with a reservation on Open Table.

180 Prince St. (Cross street: Sullivan)
New York, NY 10012
212.966.3518

We are on the road again! From Vegas ENK show, our HABITUAL sales team is now in New York at the Javits Center for New York Fashion Coterie.  We will be there from Feb. 21-23 at Booth 3900. Be sure to stop by and check out our new Fall collection!

Along with ice-skating, extravagant window displays are part of the holiday tradition in New York City, with millions of tourists and locals passing by the big department stores every year (turns out out it might actually be worthwhile – a new study suggests that the best displays do in fact attract shoppers). If you’ll be in New York for the holidays, here’s our rundown of the top window displays:

Barney’s is betting big on its Gaga’s Workshop concept, with a fantasy Lady Gaga Boudoir, Gaga’s Cave of Crystals, and an entranceway that feels like you are walking into a deck of cards.

Macy’s Herald Square has dedicated their windows to the Make-A-Wish foundation, merging the fantastic with the futuristic in a white and navy blue series of windows. On-lookers can also design ther own holiday ornament and take it home on their mobile phone.

Saks is accompanying its windows with a holiday light show projection inspired by the book “Who Makes the Snow,” and will feature dresses by designers Stella McCartney, Marchesa and Alexander McQueen.

Bloomingdale’s is revisting its own holiday shopping bags from seasons past as inspiration for this year’s designs.

But perhaps our favorite is Bergdorf Goodman’s “Carnival of the Animals” theme. Windows include a brass metalwork menagerie, a sparkling undersea world of fish made with rhinestones and sequins, and a white upholstered Arctic scene called “Breaking the Ice”.

Katie Holmes wore the Alie Shoe Cut in Adore to Chelsea Piers in New York yesterday. She paired the jeans with A.L.C.’s color block sweater and suede boots, perfect for a fall day outside. We only wish we had a pair for Suri! You can see Katie taking a turn at horror in Guillermo del Toro’s new flick, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, in theaters now.

Thanks to Just Jared for first spotting this! Find the Alie Shoe Cut online at Code C.

There is big news coming from the HABITUAL brand for the spring season - we’re launching a line of premium men’s denim.

HABITUAL saw a void in the marketplace for a sophisticated, handcrafted men’s jean. The line is all about clean, modern, “city-inspired” looks and Handmade in USA craftsmanship. In the words of Design Director Jennifer Wojinski, “It’s a very tailored and sophisticated look with a European aesthetic. It’s more of a city look than the vintage look a lot of other brands are going for these days.”

Fit and Wash:

We’ve chosen a comfortable, higher rise that sits right at the hips, going against the trend of lower rise denim that has been prevalent the past several years. You’ll be able to find slim straight, straight, skinny, and relaxed boot fits, along with denim trousers and jackets. We are focusing on medium indigo, dark indigo, grey and black washes. You will also see a hand-applied black pigment coating, available on the skinny fit and the jacket, lending a leathery, rock & roll inspired feel. Some designs will have a minimal amount of hand-distressing.

Craftsmanship:

All of the looks will be hand crafted and hand finished in HABITUAL’s Los Angeles Factory with as little machinery as possible. The designs are cut from the best European denim fabrics, and laundering is done by denim artisans. We use fair labor practices at all levels of the production process.

How can you spot HABITUAL Men’s Denim?

We’ve opted away from aggressive embellishments and focused on a few subtle identifiers that will set HABITUAL Men’s apart and signify premium craftsmanship.

For most of the men’s line, you will find our signature Glory pocket in the front, on the coin pocket, along with a white contrast stitching that stretches up to the waistband. We are featuring both button and zipper flies, all with custom hardware and rivets. In back, you’ll see a leather patch stamped with the HABITUAL logo and tucked neatly underneath the top seam of the pocket, along with a white bartack on the back center belt loop. Inside, an artist-designed pocket lining features a skull, a crying eye, and an architectural arch along with a variety of text elements. Reinforced seams feature a black binding with the word “Believe” subtly visible.

The Fine Print:

The line will be available at retail in January 2012 at specialty department and specialty stores, retailing from $175 to $195 for basic washes, $225 for looks with hand distressing, and up to $325 for premium selvage. The denim jackets will retail at $275, except for one with calf leather sleeves, which will run $575.

Buyers and editors can get a true first look at the line at ENK, in Las Vegas, August 22-24th. You Can Find HABITUAL at booth number 11015. To make an appointment, please contact Christina Zamarripa at christina.zamarripa@pmkbnc.com.

LA Weekly’s annual fashion issue is on stands now, and the paper explores the question, ‘Does LA Have a Fashion Identity?‘ We certainly think so.

For all of the LA style archetypes described in the article – the rocker vampire, the Morrissey, the scarecrow, the skateboarding surfer – the throughline is a great pair of jeans. Writer Gendy Alimurung relays how the average LA resident “hikes and has a dog and eats well” to get that perfect LA body; nothing shows off a great body like a pair of jeans and the right tee.

It’s the confusion about LA’s fashion identity referred to in this piece that gives LA a reputation for being one of worst dressed cities in the US. We think publications like GQ that make this claim are missing the point. LA is stuck taking the blame for the overembellished Ed Hardy look you can find on Melrose Avenue because he happened to set up shop here, but this is not an acceptable look for the majority of Angelenos. Rather, the constant here in LA, jeans, has become an increasingly central piece of a fashion forward equation, which is why you see everyone from Kate Middleton to Emanuelle Alt in the latest rise, and an army of denim bloggers behind them sharing each and every look.

There’s no dispute that New York is the hub of fashion, but the best denim in the world comes from LA. Any brand that wants to compete in premium denim has to have a presence in LA to develop the most current washes and fits and understand how people are wearing denim right now. New York-based brands like Theory, Ralph Lauren, and Johann Lindeberg’s BLK DNM have all crossed the country to develop their denim offering, and San Francisco-based Levi’s produces all of their premium lines out of LA. Even apparel behemoth GAP recently splurged on a 5,400 sq ft. design space called the Pico Creative Loft to house its 1969 denim line, and better position itself to compete with LA’s luxury denim makers.

The article gets closest to the mark when it says “Los Angeles is casual”. We’ll take it a step further, and say Los Angeles is denim, because no fabric exudes “casual” quite like denim.