As the trend for pant rise continues to climb, we have released our super high-waisted Harrison Ultra Hi-Rise Flare, which hugs the hips almost up to the belly button. The Harrison is a brand new body style in the HABITUAL line, and also happens to be on the inside cover of our Spring 2012 look book. To style pants like this, you don’t need to over-do it – let the pants do most of the talking. Try an airy top in a solid color like coral with minimal jewelry. You also won’t need to worry about having the perfect shoes, because the pants will cover them, but make sure they are the right height so the hem doesn’t drag on the ground.

Tops: J.Crew Silk pintuck blouse in neon rose (left), Chloe Pussy-bow silk crepe de chine blouse (right)
Jeans: HABITUAL Harrison Ultra Hi-Rise Flare in Serene at DNA Las Vegas or Chicago, or at Fred Segal Girl.
Bracelet: Kenneth Jay Lane alligator bracelet
Shoes: See By Chloe leather and wood sandal in Nude

We’re beyond excited to share the newest colors of our coated denim. After debuting our Color Coated Denim with warmer hues like Luggage, Chianti, and Vermilion earlier in the year, we’re turning down the temperature a bit with a new collection in an icier palette. As we saw on the Spring 2012 runways, cooler colors like dark purple and turquoise are right on trend, and we’re bringing our tones out early. Look for the same Coated you love, now in  Dark Feather, Dark Taupe, Turquoise, Alabaster and Purple Mountain. The first shipments will hit stores in November!

The last of our favorite trends from the European Fashion Weeks was a tendency to strong color. While color is always featured on the spring runways, the 2012 lines were especially vibrant, with labels showing solids and bright prints in unconventional color combinations. Some of our favorite uses of color came from Haider Ackerman, who showed cool greens, violets and blues with metallic sheen, Burberry Prorsum, who mixed army greens and navy blues with yellow and orange detailing, and Gucci, who favored a bold emerald green and rusty orange with their usual black and white sexy aesthetic.

Denim will take similar color cues from the spring runways - HABITUAL is showing a variety of strong tones in the new line, including our Acid Red crackle coating, several new hues for our Color Coated denim, including the Alice Skinny in a dark, vivid green called Tea Leaf, a subtle salmon pink called Taj Mahal, and a sandy taupe called Goa, along with dyed denim washes like the acid yellow Tapestry and a cooler tone called Dark Teal.

If acid yellow was the dominant color story coming out of Europe last week, it was a push towards “ladylike” cuts that caught our eye in the shape department. We saw classically feminine silhouettes in the dresses and skirts on nearly every runway, and many designers also showed beautiful high waisted pants, jeans and bottoms in both skinny and wide legs.

We use the term “ladylike”, because a high waisted pant is a more mature, sophisticated look, offering extra coverage for the wearer in both the front and the back, so you don’t feel like a teenager with your backside hanging out. The silhouette also shows a woman’s curves in all the right places, drawing attention to a small waist, and hiding “flaws” like thicker thighs and legs, for those that might be insecure about those areas.

Some of our favorite high waisted looks came from J. Crew and Vena Cava, who went with wider leg cuts, and Gucci, who led off their show with a slimmer version featuring button cuffs. Oh and hey, there’s that acid yellow again in a wide leg street look.  HABITUAL will offer several ladylike, high waisted looks in both wide and narrow leg for Spring, including the Almas Hi Rise Zip Skinny, the Harrison Ultra Hi Rise Bell Bottom, and also the Thalia and Inga Ultra Hi Rise shorts.

Paris and London Fashion weeks wrapped up last week and it looks like Yellow is a clear winner when it comes to color story. The tone showed up in nearly every line. On the lighter end, some of our favorite looks included a lemon yellow gown with bead detailing by Andrew Gn and a separates skirt blouse combination by Rue du Mail. On the darker end, Elie Saab did a group of his signature red carpet dresses in a smooth mustard color, and Burberry went the closest to the gold end of the spectrum with a couple of leather jackets. What all of the Spring yellows have in common is an “acid” tone: these are bold yellows, which go deeper than your typical springtime pastel so they have a bit more spice and strength.

Our own take on the yellow trend for Spring 2012 is a wash called “Tapestry”, a mid-range acid yellow dyed denim that falls somewhere between pastel and gold. You will see the Almas Hi Rise Zip Skinny, one of our newest cuts, in the Tapestry wash after the new year.

Valentino, Ferrari, Alessi, Ferragamo – Italy is synonymous with a culture of design. So much so that Prada, one of the most iconic Italian labels, recently took some flack from the blogs for veering from tradition to manufacture several limited edition handbags in India. For spring, we’re pulling in a bit of that Italian design sensibility with the Almas Hi Rise Zip Skinny in Acid Red. The Almas is a skinny cut denim that shows off the legs down below, but comes together up top in a slightly higher rise, perfectly suited to the modern woman (as Refinery 29 asks, who is still buying low rise denim?). But the most exciting part of this style is the Acid Red wash, featuring a beautiful Italian “crackle coating” treatment, which draws upon the colored denim trend and updates it with a bit of extra texture – just the thing to brighten up your mood once winter’s over. And don’t worry, if red’s not quite your thing, the Almas will also come in a black crackle coating called “Night”, an easy, worn-in blue wash called “Ceremonial”, a grey wash called “Rain”, and a clean white wash called “Snowfall”.

It appears we’re trending from the 70’s back to the 50’s and 60’s. Prada showed their Spring 2012 Collection yesterday at Milan Fashion Week, and one of the big influences was 1950’s and 60’s Southern California, an iconic era of customized muscle cars and surfer babes, made forever famous in songs from The Beach Boys, films like Grease, and books by Tom Wolfe.

Some of our favorites from the collection included dresses with hot rod flame details burning up the hem, and the throwback one piece swimsuits that still manage to flatter the figure.  Ms. Prada also presented some very literal hot rod prints that could easily double as young boys pajamas, if the silhouette wasn’t so perfectly feminine. She even took the car motif into several pairs of strappy heels with flames shooting out of the proverbial tailpipe.

By the way, we are really loving how accessible the fashion business has become. Once a closed up industry reserved only for the VIPS invited to attend each show, practically every brand is making investments in digital media, streaming the runway walks live from the tents, and exciting a whole new generation of fashionistas. It’s also a fuller picture, as the public gains exposure to the creativity that goes beyond the clothes and into the styling, music and overall show presentation. For example, you can watch the entire Prada Spring 2012 Show right on YouTube:

It’s time again for ENK Vegas, running Monday, August 22 – Wednesday, August 24. We’ll be there with our Resort and Spring 2012 collections, along with the brand new Men’s line. If you have plans to be there, be sure to stop by the booth, number 11015.

For media appointments, please contact Christina Zamarripa, Christina.Zamarripa@pmkbnc.com.

Here is a sneak peak of the Harrison Ultra Hi Rise Bell Bottom in Iris, a  new style from the HABITUAL Spring 2012 line, which picks up on both the 70’s and high waisted trends. We’re excited because Spring 2012 marks the first full HABITUAL collection for our Design Director, Jennifer Wojinski. We’ve also selected the Harrison, and this particular shot, to serve as the opener for our Spring 2012 look book, which just went off to the printers.

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.