This year’s fashion’s night out (FNO) was absolutely juiced up! Although a number of fashion houses send invites to celebrities, socialites, media reps and the like any fashionista can strut the night away and stop by many locations sans an invite. Fashion’s Night Out is really a shindig for everybody.

The streets of New York City were indeed the runway of style. Whether  Miranda Priestley (the devil wears prada) would give the nod or not, hundreds of locals and out-of-towners strutted their “stuff” as they pick up deals and bubblies throughout the night.

I was invited to join the Dockers® brand, GQ, and Bloomingdale’s in toasting celebrated designer Alexander Wang on his winning GQ’s Best New Menswear Designer in America award.

Wang’s resulting contribution to the collaboratively designed GQ Best New Menswear Designers in America Dockers® Collection was fully revealed and went on sale during  night of FNO, along with interpretations of the iconic khaki look developed by his fellow nominees:  Patrik Ervell, Miller’s Oath, Michael Bastian, Riviera Club, and Warriors of Radness. The work of each of these six nominated designers comprises this limited-edition, highly collectible collection.

Although this was the highlight of my night, the party went on and on. Honestly, one has to sit down a couple of days before to map out and create a timeline for night. From soho, madison avenue, meatpacking district, fifth avenue, upper west side to even Williamsburg DJs were spinning HOT beats and swags were being given away as deals were offered to all shoppers. Kudos to Anna Wintour for making this annual event a fashion runway to all walks of life. I had a fabulous time… And yes, I was sporting some prada that night!

Kevin “Saer” Leong’s Spring/Summer 2012 Origami collection fashion show debut showcased his heritage, talent and personality. The quick-witted and young Asian-American hip-hop icon is a second generation designer. Amidst the pressure of having this first show for spring-summer 2012 run smoothly Kevin remained calm and carried on a cool vibe as he chats with the models, staff, friends and of course his parents and sister before the show started.

As the Samsung Experience spot at the Time Warner Building-Columbus Circle, NYC got flooded with the hip-hop socialites and fashionistas, Hennessy managed to drench us with three signature cocktails. DJ Cassidy provided current beat that I even caught myself doing a “head bounce”. The seats are aligned and the faux grass was in place making it the runway for the flawless models to strut their stuff. Kevin started the show with grateful endearments to those people who have supported him through the years- to Russel Simmons, his family and friends like us to name a few. The light dims , DJ Cassidy turns up the volume as the models went off.

The Fashion show debut featured a technology-enhanced, unisex Spring/ Summer 2012 collection. Although kevin designs mainly for men, female models were mostly used to play with the runway’s sexuality. Fabrication such as DuPont™ Tyvek® and shredded U.S. currency act as insulation for stand out pieces like the “Origami Money Vest” – filled with approximately $1,000 worth of U.S. currency. The green grasshopper logo represents the ORIGAMI support for green living through sustainable fabrics. I must say that the collection is really something that you would on the streets – whether you’re in New York City, London or Hong Kong.

Tyvek®, a sponsor for the debut fashion show, donated the recyclable material to be incorporated on and off the runway in a custom Galaxy Tab 10.1 case commissioned by Samsung.

It was indeed a bouncy night of comfort luxury. The Swarovski crystals around kevin’s neck did give it away. Amidst this luxury, Kevin stays humble and true to himself. Kevin, thank you for the personal backstage access and for being a swipelife fan!

For more grasshopping visit http://foldyourpaper.com

New York Fashionistas flocked The Parlor on 286 Spring Street Tuesday night to rub elbows with Tom Stubbs, INC EDITOR-at-Large to launch the INC International Concepts Fall 2011 Campaign. The Brit stylist has styled celebrities including kevin Bacon, Michael Sheen, David Beckham, Mark Ronson, Rio Ferdinand nd Ray Winston to drop a few. The celebrity stylist and fashion editor dusted the event with six jasper-look-a-likes donning Macy’s INC International Concepts fall 2011 collection. Edgy, Laid-back, Cosmopolitan. Opulent fabrics sewn to a style that will upgrade your wardrobe this Fall season.

Glasses of reds, whites and proseccos were constantly poured at the bar while lip-smacking hors d’oeuvres were passed around. Some are just born with the eye of fashion. Tom picked up that I am a writer from the threads that I was sporting. I say, “those who can’t sew, writes!” Stubbs’ styling tips are hysterically funny and insightful. He pulls his creative opus from his culture, travels and the ‘feel of the moment”. For that moment, one feels gorgeous.

Visit the Macys near you for the Fall 2011 collection.

Excited about what shoes are coming out for Spring/Summer 2012? If you’re like us, then you’re already probably thinking about footwear options for next year. So we have the solution to your future footwear conundrums. Not only did we go and check out the Compass Show, which is masterfully done by the good folks at BPMW, but we also took pictures of the countless of styles from all different brands that were present at the show. We didn’t get too picky about brands or styles for this round. We just wanted to see the trends that each of the brands were following and we see a delightful pattern for next summer season. Can you spot which they are? No worries. Take your time browsing through 31 pages of brands and more than 300 footwear styles that caught our eye. Enjoy!

Start with the pages below:

For all our West Coast readers, or anyone who will be in Costa Mesa on August 5th, come check out the opening event of PRISM BREAK, the art of James “Dalek” Marshall. The event will take place at the Hurley SPACE Gallery. For enhance views of the exhibits, everyone gets special “4D” glasses. Expect to see, “floor-to-ceiling, multi-colored spries and a fun house maze entry, attendees will be allowed the unique opportunity to be completely immersed in a Dalek-created 4D universe”

There will also be products on display such as the Nike Air Max 90 x Hurley sneakers (only 500 created). In collaboration with LDG, a custom series of hand painted fixed gear bikes and a custom 4D surfboard will be shown. Skullcandy also worked with Hurley for a 4D inspired version of the highly-anticipated Mix Master Mike headphones.

The information again is:

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Read the rest of this post with more images at: PRISM BREAK – The Art of James “Dalek” Marshall

The brand recently welcomed  the cars and teams of the American Le Mans series as they prepare for the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. ‘Twas great to see the team endorse such a cool collection. Classic items modernized by surprises like inventive buttons and practical pockets make the wall street in you a savvy fashionista.

Stocked with the usual suspects:  hundreds of sample shirts and handfuls of unique and of course exclusive suits, jackets, trousers, polos and sweaters. Crisp, playful and cleanly unconstructured. SEIZE sur VINGT does not cease to seize my fashion crave.

The SALE continues through Sunday, August 14th

Hours:    Monday through Saturday 11-7, Sunday 12-6

Place:    ONLY at the downtown store, 78 Greene Street, between Spring and Broome

Dude, am I in the east village? Nah. Williamsburg- in Brooklyn, pare ko! Every day, New York surprises me with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It’s absolutely a concrete jungle where dreams are happening.

Oberhofer & Porcelain Raft’s dreams were indeed happening in Williamsburg at last Wednesday’s event. Dropping songs like gulping a bottle of cold Budweiser after feasting on Fette Sau’s BBQ. Hot. Different. Garage.

The Brooklyn Denim Co on N3rd Street was packed with urbanistas donning unique cool spunk. A table full of nuts, various cheese & hors d’ouvres was served. Although Nudie Jeans were spread & on the denim wall, the chandelier definitely was such an unexpected topper. It was brilliant!

Lydia Kellam of the swede beat provided some cool vibe at the shindig while the main”playas” are hydrating with glaceau’s vitamin water. It was absolutely steaming with fun and excitement.

Williamsburg definitely a must stop if you’re in the big apple.

The night was Hot! Check out why…  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk9dTYy-VQw

Porcelain Raft 2011 Tour Dates

081911 . Brooklyn, NY @ the Camero Gallery with The War on Drugs

082011 . New York, NY @ the Mercury Lounge with The War on Drugs

082111 .  Boston, MA @the Brighton Music Hall with The War on Drugs

082311 . Montreal, QC @ the Casa del Popolo with The War on Drugs

082411 . Toronto, ON @ the Drake Hotel with The War on Drugs

Monocle teams up with Italian boutique ZOE di Pietrasanta (Lucca) for a Summer Pop-Up Shop that will showcase “a curated selection of Monocle magazine, accessories, co-Brading and the launch of the new ‘Mediterranean’ , the special seasonal newspaper format.” The shop will open this Saturday, July 30th and will run for two weeks. So if you find yourself in Pietrasanta, Italy in the next couple of weeks make sure to stop by the Monocle x ZOE Summer Shop.

Visit: Monocle

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Read the rest of this post with more images at: Monocle x ZOE Summer Shop

Last night I attended the Hennessy and KAWS collaboration project party.  Hennessy teamed up with world-renowned graphic artist, KAWS, and designed a special edition bottle which will hit shelves in September 2011.  Each bottle has signature KAWS artwork and is individually numbered.   Only 420,000 were made.   This is Hennessey’s first customized collaborative project in 2011.

Most of you may already know something about Hennessy.  But if you dont, here is some information. Hennessey is the top selling cognac in the world.  Its sells about 50 million bottles a year worldwide, more than 40%  of the world’s Cognac.  They currently have 6 different bottles of  Hennessey:  Hennessey V.S., Hennessey Black, Hennessey Privilege, Hennessey X.O., Hennessey Paradis, and the Richard Hennessy bottle.

The Hennessey cognac distillery was founded in 1765 by an Irishman, (yes an Irishman) Richard Hennesy.  Hennessey has always remained family owned.  In 1971 Kilian Hennessy (5th generation Hennessey) merged the company with Moet et Chandon, creating Moet-Hennessey.  In 1987 the company merged with LouisVuitton creating LVMH.  Today the company is owned by Patrisha J. Hennessy whos grandsons Tyler and Landen are in line to take over.

KAWS, on the other hand, is Brian Donnelly, born in Jersey City, NJ .  KAWS is known to the world as a graffiti artist.  In the 90′s KAWS turned to creating vinyl toys.  He has recently reworked figures such as: Sponge Bob SquarePants, the Michelin Man, and the Smurfs.

The event was held at the New Museum on Bowery in New York City, the Toby Devan Lewis Sky Room.  The entertainment for the evening was provided by none other than the legendary Questlove of The Roots, who was on the 1′s and 2′s all evening spinning classic hits.  Questlove kept the vibe going throughout the night and kept the people dancing.  The bartenders prepared 4 signature cocktails: The Hennessey Apple, Citrus, Ginger, and my favorite Berry.  Although I do prefer the Hennessey like my Scotch, 2 icecubes and a splash of water.

The room was decked out with Hennessey bottles all over and a projection screen showing various old videos that suited the 80′s graffitti and breakdancing era.  The outside patio area which over looked the city was covered with transparent copies of the Hennessey x KAWS label.  Including the glass windows of the room.

The event lasted 3 hours and on our way out all guests were treated to a Hennessey x KAWS canvas bag and a take home bottle of the Special Edition Hennessey.

Much respect goes out to Hennessey for putting on a great event,  KAWS for his fantastic work and talents,  Questlove for his Musical talent, the Bartenders for keeping the drinks flowing, and especially the New Museum for hosting the event.

I had heard from the SwipeLife guys that tradeshows are a great event to go to.  I did not know what to expect but I decided to venture out on my own and see what it was about.  I have to admit I can’t wait to go to my next one.

I attended the AGENDA SHOW in NYC (Chelsea Art Museum 556 West 22nd St.) and as soon as I entered the registration area I could just feel the vibe that this was going to be an awesome experience.

As I went to the registration counter I was treated with an Agenda backpack from EARTHWISE.  I was then told to chose 1 of 3 different FLEXFIT fitted “Agenda” hats.  I had to go with the style that resembled my beloved NY Knicks!  In addition to the hat we were given a pair of socks from STANCE , and publications from THE HUNDREDS and ANTENNA .

So I entered the first floor and got started.  My first booth was TWO IN THE SHIRT (TITS).  I was definitely surprised by the design of the shirts.  They use very sexy and exotic women and out them on a shirt with various sayings.  Here are a few samples of whats coming out in the Fall 2011.

Next was DURKL , an independent American sportswear/streetwear brand based in Washington, DC.  Most of their tops range from the $60 – $90 range.  Their products were for Holiday 2011 and Spring 2012 so I was unable to take any pictures if those.  Most of the companies were also showing their Spring 2012 line so I am unable to show you what they look like but hopefully as soon as they release the information we will have it for you.

Here are a few of the companies I was able to photograph:

BLACK APPLE

PSYBERIA

LRG (LIFTED RESEARCH GROUP) 

FLUD WATCHES 

SABRE

NOOKA 

HOUSE OF MARLEY

SKULLCANDY

ROYAL ELASTICS

ARTFUL DODGER

PUBLISH

DGK

ASHBURY

Here is a list of all the participants in The Agenda Show NYC.

Thank you for a wonderful show Agenda!!  See you in California, August 3rd and 4th.