With everything floral print being red-hot for Spring/Summer ‘08…and with Liberty of London having already plastered flowers on everything from scarves to tea cosies over the years…I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised…but floral print shoes?! There are female sneaker heads out there though - and I’m sure some of you guys are already salivating over these Nike Dunks that are the result of a collaboration between Nike and Liberty. I sort of think that the gum rubber soles make them a bit fugly - but a cool British girl rocking them with say pale grey or black tights, a black dress, and one of the new fedoras by Stetson could likely change my mind. They are actually punk rock due to their complete lack of punk rockness. They are available starting this Saturday, May 10th at Opening Ceremony in New York and L.A. so don’t sleep. - x eddie

I took a walk today to see how things were coming along on The Wreck Center - downtown’s newest hotspot for cool kids. Masterminded by Aaron “A-Ron the Downtown Don” Bondaroff, the spot is getting ready to jump off throughout February with a series of what the Don has described as “private, invitation-only” launches and parties. Refreshingly unlike ridiculous “private” spots such as 1OAK (which are private only if you don’t have any money), The Wreck’s events actually will be private, word-of-mouth, warehouse parties/gallery openings/live music events - open to those that have a clue or to those that know Bondaroff…which might or might not be the same thing. More skate-bowl-at-Deitch-Projects (remember that?) than Butter-on-Mondays, in other words. The fashion industry will want to keep a sharp eye on the secret hangout as Bondaroff says he also intends to use the space to launch several new streetwear labels. Dude knows his stuff too - he’s been involved in the past with Stussy, Supreme, and LES boutique/label aNYthing. Hurry over though as this Wreck is a strictly limited fashion item - the building housing it is due to be torn down in a few weeks.
(A side note concerning The Wreck Center’s location - there isn’t one. Well, I mean there is one but no one is willing to burn it just yet…so for now the address is un-Google-able. No phone number, website, or e-mail contact info either…even the New York Times conspicuously failed to divulge the address when they wrote a short piece about the space recently. I came across a website that asked for someone/anyone to please divulge the address. That site so far has received 3 comments in response: “Prince and Mercer”, “off Lafayette Street”, and my favorite, “Hype Lane between Crap Boulevard and Time to Grow Up and Be a Man Street.”)

Somewhere I’m sure there are people who do not care for champagne, hor d’ouvres, or live lingerie modeling. I however do not count myself among their number - which explains how I ended up tonight at the La Perla party on Madison Ave.

Last night in Soho, Alan Cumming, Willem Dafoe, Paper mag’s Mr. Mickey, Marvin Jarrett of Nylon, the MisShapes, Costume National founder/creative director Ennio Capasa, and a cast of thousands, gathered at the Costume National boutique. The occasion was a cocktail party to celebrate the chic Italian fashion line’s 21st anniversary and the book launch of Costume National 21 by Assouline. I stopped by with my camera to record everyone and their outfits - which ran the gamut from charcoal to black. Have a look…

When it comes to fashion, men often get the short end of the stick - we are encouraged to stick with the basics, the classics, keep the hair cropped short, wear a muted palette. Girls on the other hand have loads of cute options to choose from - things like the new Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony. Whenever I see a girl wearing clothes this damn cute I suffer from a strange mixture of attraction and jealousy. I actually dress in sort of a male version of this look, which requires a great deal of planning, shopping at 14 different stores, and mixing new and vintage. Cool downtown girls just walk over to the OC on their lunch break and boom there you go - the whole look all there on one hanger. So not fair…
The Chloe Sevigny line is for Spring 2008 - that means it will likely be hitting the floor sometime between late January and mid-February - in case you want to start lining up now. I plan to stop by the showroom and take a look at the pieces before then, but from the photos I’ve seen so far, here is my take:

• - The line combines the (Liberty-print) preppy and the punk.
• - It combines an 80’s Merry-Go-Round, cool-store-at-the-mall feel with a 90’s grunge feel.
• - It’s very Opening Ceremony.
• - It has a bit of a preppy/chic French schoolgirl look - I think of Repettos or other oxfords, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and riding a scooter home from class.

In short, it looks like the perfect wardrobe for a cool but somewhat WASP-y gal from Connecticut on the loose in the grungy/cute early 90’s New York of her dreams. Sound familiar?