Tuesday's Fad features Alabama Chanin

ALABAMA CHANIN-- Alabama Chanin is an eco-friendly company that focuses on designing an array of unique products through slow and careful design. What I admire most about Alabama Chanin, is that they craft limited-edition items for an individual as well as for a home. They even have a bridal line with gowns perfect for a relaxed ceremony outside.

All of the products are made by hand using a combination of new, organic, and recycled materials. Constructed by talented artisans, this line of sustainable style seems to exude a relaxed, playful feeling of being free—preferably in a whimsical garden somewhere down south.

Notable press includes; American Vogue, Japanese Vogue, Interior Design, Surface, Vogue Living, Bloom, NOWNESS, and the New York Times online.  

If you would like to see for yourself, Alabama Chanin will be featured tonight at Skylight West—500 West 36^th at 10^th Avenue at 7:00 p.m. Other eco-friendly designers will be featured as well; Behnaz Sarafpour, Costello Tagliapietra, and Johnson Hartig. Music will be provided by, Fabrizio Moretti (from the Strokes) with an open bar and delicious hors d’oeuvres, compliments of Lexus. If you would like to go and see Alabama Chanin rock the runway tonight, I would strongly advise you to join us razz girls. See you there!

Xx AT

Shop Alabama Chanin

*Photos taken from the Alabama Chanin Website



Also, feel free to click this link and vote for Alabama Chanin! They are tied for first and need to win!! You can say you did your good deed for the day...
http://www.articulate-sf.net/lexus/lhl3/competitions/competitions-fashion/vote 

Tuesday's Fad features James Coviello

After visiting the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side this past weekend, it was only natural for us to look forward to poached eggs and mimosas afterwards followed by a stroll down Orchard St. to peek into some of the boutiques. Since I am a certified Shopoholic, I squeeled—yes squeeled, when I reached the James Coviello shop located at 70 Orchard St. If the sign outside the door isn’t rustic and vintage enough, wait until you step inside.

James Coviello, is an Italian designer who surprisingly grew up in Fairfield, CT. Immediately after high-school, he enrolled in Parsons School of Design. In 1987, he left Parsons to design jewelry for Erickson Beamon. Soon after, his eye for accessory design gained him recognition in the press; especially with his hat collection. James eventually met Anna Sui, who asked him to help her create a line of hats and knitwear for her first runway show. To this day, it is still a flourishing line. Then in 2000, James created and put on his first runway collection that included ready-to-wear, knitwear, and accessories. His latest project, JamesCoviello.com, is a website designed to stimulate viewers around the world about his many-faceted interests and specific design philosophies.

His only shop, located on Orchard, is filled with carefully detailed floral dresses, vintage post cards and sunglasses, hand made headbands, and tons of one-of-a-kind accessories. I was in heaven. What it made it more heavenly, was the fact that James himself uses the space behind his boutique to design his latest creations. The girls who work retail there also assist him in designing. I picked up some sunglasses and a turquoise dress that had fall colors woven into the fabric.

If you are in the neighborhood, I would strongly suggest stopping into James Coviello’s expert shop. It is one of those rare shops that still represent the magic of a designer—not feeding into the desires of the public but staying true to his own.


http://www.jamescoviello.com/

Monday's Marks

It was green on Greene this weekend in Soho at the pop-up gallery put on by Adrian Grenier and film producer Peter Glatzer’s eco-focused website SHFT, and pureDKNY—the latest, eco-friendly scent from Donna Karen. The exhibition was focused on sustainable or recycled materials, products for sale as well as over 50 pieces of art on display.  The connection between the items being sold and the artwork often blurred, signifying the transient lines between art and trade—how easy and beautiful it can be to integrate a love of this planet, art and fashion—an easy shift in our state of mind!

 The pieces for the show were curated by Edie Kahula Pereira and designer Lauren Gropper, who featured several local artists including Basil Bouris, Tierney Gearon, Kevin Cooley and Ward Yoshimoto. I was particularly struck by the photographs from Tierney Gearon and Kevin Cooley. The simple but saturated colors and light were perfect complements to the vibrant yet unassuming message the gallery presented. The merchandise was also urbane and inspired, featuring everything from a lemon-juice powered clock by Kikkerland, NY to sustainable furniture of a number of local companies like ALS Designs and Andre Joyau from Brooklyn.

As our generation calls for increasingly eco-conscious approaches to the way we live, we were thrilled to see SHFT showing exactly how artists and designers are responding through art, fashion, and design. SHFT goes straight to the source of change: creation and inspiration—and rather than preaching the environmental problems, they presented tangible and inspiring views of a new way of life—a more holistic relationship between us, art and the environment.

pureDKNY and SHFT.com Pop-up Gallery was open Friday, October 22nd and Saturday, October 23rd 112 Greene Street (between Prince Street and Spring Street). Hopefully the success of this awesome exhibit leads to more in the near future!! 

xo, MSS                                                                              http://www.shft.com/