Posts: 61
T-Shirts and Denim
I went to the Capsule show at the gorgeous and historic Angel Orensanz Center in NY. Capsule showcases new brands and designers for buyers, stylists, and moi. My friend Greg and I went and were even photographed a few times while we were there. As we walked around, I decided I would feature one of my favorite items of clothing from life and from the Capsule event: T-shirts. You can never have too many of them, I always say, and so fell in love with a bunch at Capsule. I also was enamored of a certain denim you will hear about. I guess I am really just a tomboy at heart, just like my grandmother, and T-shirts and jeans will forever be my fashion staples.
Into the Capsule we go.
Cavern is based in L.A. Artist /Designer Adam Tullie greeted us and proceeded to show us his framed artworks, which he prints on the T-shirts. The collection is called Desert Wind and it is for Spring 2009, but I want it all now. Perfect soft T-shirts are dyed, washed, and hung in the sun to fade into dusty grays and purples, then printed with falcon crests, weaves (pictured), Native American neck pieces, hawks, peacocks, and nomads. I also found out they sell them in my neighborhood at the store Oak.
Another line I quite like the tees of is Cassette, also based in L.A., and sold at Steven Alan - whom I know from taking an acting class with him some years ago - what a great guy. For Spring 2009, Cassette's Homme line features soft white T-shirts with cool prints and cute names like Press Play, which looks like a Native American/African design. My favorite one had a zebra print on it and said Cassette across it in red in a new-meets-classic punk design. Their jeans have cute names: VHS and BETA (I love when a brand sticks to their concept), and they have some garments made of bamboo.
My friend Greg's favorite T-shirts that he owns to date are by Endovanera, also based in California. The over-all line is quite gorgeous with beautifully cut, draped, and thoughtfully-built clothes for men and women, in blacks and whites and muted colors. The T-shirts are very simple and very chic, some with buttoned collars.
The denim I must tell you about comes from the self-proclaimed Denim Nerd: Brandon Svarc of Montreal. Naked & Famous Denim is made from rare and raw denim. Brandon showed us many jeans, including a pair that are 30 percent silk and a pair made from the "strongest denim there is," which seems like it really was (we touched it all). He said this pair was so strong they were good for wearing on a motorcycle ride. This man was seriously passionate about his denim; he really is a denim nerd. The denim is raw, simple, and special -- some of the new collection is Japanese selvage denim, made on old-style looms, the finest and most rare (and expensive) denim there is. He laughed when he said "most expensive," because Svarc's jeans are not as expensive as many other companies' and are actually higher in quality.
There is a fit guide on their site and they are made for both men and women. The name of the company is a fun poke at today's celebrities, the logo a 1950s throwback a la Roy Lichtenstein. May this Denim Nerd prevail over the rest.
To wrap up, I say take Capsule for two days and call me in the morning.
Theo Kogan is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Fashion & Design. Her THEOlogy column appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Super Size Me
What do you get when you mix the panache of a European flea market with sleek python snake skin, a welcome dose of vintage flair, and a trusty pearl-wearing Chihuahua named Charo? Jane August handbags, of course! Sold everywhere from Fred Segal, to Bergdorf Goodman, to smaller boutiques in Singapore and beyond, this New York-based emerging accessories designer knows how to work her leather. Originally an international fashion merchant, August draws her design inspiration from personal experience and memories of the past: "I don't necessarily like to be like other designers. I don't follow a trend. I don't copy anybody. I take inspiration from things that have been done in the past." Think old-school fashion magazines and '50s-era photos of her mother at swanky dinner parties. Made from the finest quality Italian leather an