Steinunn Sigurd is an a rare mix of sophistication and rawness. The designer featured in our One Train photo editorial shot by Wayne Liu. The Icelandic designer is heavily influenced by the nature of her homeland and yet that organic influence is tempered by her exceptional focus craftsmanship. The combination of virgin wilderness and modern detailing makes for a balanced intellectual reflection on dressing.


Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration for the Fall 08 collection?
My inspiration always comes from Iceland, this season it is the texture of the lava, the orange colour of the magna, the floating lava and the misty silver, grey colour from the steam of the hot springs.


The details of each garment really stand out. This was part of the reason why we chose to shoot the collection with photographer Wayne Liu, in black and white film. Does detail come before, say, color or silhouette in your designs?
I always start with texture, that is the most important part of the collection, it is the reason behind the collection. I didn't know that you choose to shoot in black and white, it must look amazing.


What did your experiences working as Design Director for La Perla and Senior Designer for Tom Ford teach you about what it takes to run your own label?
Mr. Ford made me independent, to stand and work on my own and make my own decisions, He gave me an insight in to sex appeal and rock and roll. La Perla gave my the first oppertunity to prove my independence.


Is there anything you miss about working for another designer?
What I do miss about working with the big fashion houses is the professionalism that surrounds them. Their names stands for crafmanship, pure design and standard that is very high. Everyday I think of this craftmanship.


If Seinunn could go anywhere, be anything--what would be in store for the label?
The most amazing pieces of clothing with crafmanship that can withstand decades...timeless elegance.

6. Outside of Steinunn, what is your everyday life like?

My Reykjavík life is very simple: family, friends, dog, house, summerhouse, gardening and being part of the Reykjavík creative melting pot.

Every photo editorial is the sum of its parts. For our most recent Fall's Top Five: Past & Present photo shoot, each member of our team brought something vital to the shoot. Liz Baca, a Coutorture Network Partner from the website M.I.S.S. Crew, also works as a stylist and vintage supplier to some of the hottest boutiques in America. To see which of her stores she pulled clothing from for our photo shoot, just click on the image and you'll find the credits bottom left. Part of the fun of editorializing fall at the end of August, is knowing that every frock, pair of trousers, and accessory, is available for purchase right now. Thanks to Baca, that includes the vintage items--so long as you're the first the ring or stop by these amazing shops. Below, we asked Baca about her profession (which is of endless interest to us) and what it takes to provide The Goods! to so many chicsters, season after season.

How did you break into wholesaling vintage clothing and accessories?
I am a long time collector, dare I say "hoarder" of stuff. The dictionary defines a hoarder as "a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use". In all my years of hoarding things, I never really thought I was hiding things away for future use...I just liked my things and liked finding them. About 5 years ago it became very clear to me that I was having way more fun hunting and gathering vintage finds then going to my daily job. I had so much stuff as it was but didn't want to stop getting more (I sound like a crazy lady, right?). My friends had (and still have) a high-end vintage shop in San Francisco called Ver Unica, I started out doing trade with them and eventually starting wholesaling to them. I figured there had to be more people that wanted The Goods! and there where. After a year of testing the waters, I quit my job and haven't looked back since.

We know you split your time between SF and NY, can you tell us a little bit about your bicoastal schedule?
My bicoastal schedule is hella crazy son! I hope at least one reader got my East meets West slang. Yeah, sooo, I venture out to NYC every month to bring The Goods! to my accounts. My time spent on the East side is any where from 3.5 days to weeks...I always hope for the later but based on my West Coast schedule as a stylist I sometimes have to fit in where I can get in. It makes for some very exciting and hectic months BUT I figure work hard now so I don't have to later...well, it's a nice thought at least.

How do you incorporate seasonal trends into the vintage stock you bring to stores?
My vintage accounts are trend based for the most part. Each has their own unique style but generally they are seeking the vintage version of what is currently in fashion. They'll just be stocking the real deal vs. looks inspired by an era as you find with modern clothing. Of course there are always the designer gems that are ALWAYS in fashion no matter the season or current trends. So, it's important that I keep up on what's going down the runway every season so I can work with my accounts to bring them the appropriate merchandise.

What draws you to wholesaling vintage rather than, say, becoming a brand rep?
The bottom line is I LOVE vintage clothing. Don't get me wrong, there are modern brands that do it for me but i will always be more interested in the things that inspire clothing of today. I love the idea of vintage being limited and unique. Part of it is the hunting factor too. The process as a whole is very exhilarating. I have worked with modern brands, on the retail and wholesale side and sure I can sell it but it just doesn't give me the same kind of satisfaction that vintage clothing does.

How does M.I.S.S. Crew fit in to the picture?
M.I.S.S. Crew is a labor of love! It provides an outlet that forces me to have to be in the "know", to be searching out the latest and greatest and a stage to showcase some of my skills. Gabriella of Mama Clothing, my partner in M.I.S.S., and I work hard to "bring it" for the ladies. We work around our skills and talents as well as the skills and talents of the many ladies that we have the pleasure of working with. That is the beauty of creating your own environment.

How does styling fit in to the picture?
Well it all goes hand-in-hand. Styling keeps me up on and involved in current fashion happenings, which can provide content and focus for M.I.S.S. and can also keep me in the loop as to what my vintage accounts might be looking for. Being a vintage clothing dealer provides access to unique items for my styling work and knowledge of what inspired current fashion which can provide fun content/education for M.I.S.S. and my own blog. I can also provide press and exposure to my vintage accounts by pulling items from their stores for my styling work, which can't be a bad thing. In the end it all comes full circle, each helping out the other. These are the things I love in life therefore I have chosen to make it work.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you pulled together the looks for our trend shoot?
There are so many trends every season. I loved the idea of showing the past vs. the present, right up my ally! So I picked trends that I felt had strong roots from eras gone by or would just be fun to showcase fabulous vintage pieces...like Luxe Layers, that vintage Whitng & David top is serious or that Saint Laurent Dress from Winter's Summer. That is a rare piece, the pattern is called the "Picasso Print"...so amazing.

What was your favorite piece in the shoot?
That's really a hard one. It was exciting to work with brands like Christian Louboutin...and the Saint Laurent dress...I'd have to go for favorite looks and that would have to be the vintage "Country Living" and "Boy's Club". Country Living came together like a dream for me and the Boy's Club, although so simple, is something I would totally wear and I felt really represented a strong 80's inspired menswear look. I can't just pick a piece!!!

What advice would you give people about shopping for vintage clothing?
Be patient. It is not as easy as running into the department store and grabbing a blouse or little black dress. Vintage items are unique and limited. Try things on but don't force the fit! There currently is and has never been any sort of standardization in sizing. A vintage size 10 can be a modern size 4, yes it's that crazy.

What don't people know about your profession?
That it is hard work...a true hustle. People always say that I have the best job and granted I have to agree BUT it is the best job for me. Might not be for everyone. It is long hours, early morning digs in the dark, piles and miles of modern day cast off's to find that one gem, lot's of driving, sometimes sleeping in your car, mending and repairing...breathing life back into things that have been left for dead. I call it search and rescue. it's a strange love and wonderful life and it is the life for me.

We think it's interesting to paint the fashion picture from all perspectives. You know, when we meet someone interesting in the fashion industry, we interview them. As far as we're concerned that person has just as important a perspective as the designer or brand themselves. That said, when we began work on our Fall's Top Five: Past & Present photo shoot we knew right away that we would want to interview our photographer Shannon Sinclair for the site. A young mother, an accomplished photographer, a leggy gal whom, at first glance, you might confuse for the model, we thought her insight would be interesting to share in a post. As things progressed, her husband, Bryn Bowen, who happens to work in our office, got involved. His company, We Are Rocket Science, builds world class sets and installation pieces for fashion editorial. Before we knew it, both Shannon and Bryn were committed to the shoot, and we had quite a little production on our hands. Below, a few questions answered from the talented pair, and, below that, some out-takes captured by Shannon.


What are the advantages to working in the same industry?
B. Knowing where each of us are coming from when dealing with outside work. We don't get the opportunity to work together very often, so knowing the highs and lows of the industry helps with understanding each other.
S. The industry has a tendency to be very word-of-mouth. At times, we have been able to be each other's PR manager.

What are the disadvantages?
B. The inconsistent income.
S. The Hours! Some days he isn't home until late! We have a 2 year old so I find myself wondering where my break is.

Do you often bring in each other on board to the projects you are working on?
B. We always look at each other's work and critique it. Everyone needs that extra opinion sometimes even if they don't want it. She sees things I don't and vice versa.
S. I value Bryn's opinion. I always ask him what he thinks of my concepts for shoots. We agree to disagree!

Shannon, how has Bryn made you a better photographer?
S. He has a wonderful creative eye. He always brings ideas to the table when I am shooting with him. He also keeps me grounded and calm.

Bryn, how has Shannon made you a better designer?
B. I wouldn't know to think about a crop, movement, or when to stop working if it wasn't for her.

What inspired the set for the trend shoot?
B. There were so many shots and so many different looks. The simplest idea was to take inconspicuous walls and add texture, depth, and color. Do it in a way that wouldn't take away from the clothes but, instead, compliment.

What inspired the lighting and photographic techniques?
S. I wanted to go back to the way of shooting that I like which is more on the conceptual side. The last several shoots I have done I have kept the lighting
pretty straight forward. I wanted to be more creative with the mood of the shoot. We were going to be shooting clothing that had a lot of texture and color
and I wanted to enhance that. I decided to use several different lights to create a sort of blurred effect, with the feeling of movement and fluidity. I think the lighting brought a lot of life & color to the shoot.

What don't people realize about the fields that you work in?
B. That I can still make a living at making art.
S. It's hard work being a photographer! It isn't as easy as you would think it would be. The photographer wears many hats. We don't just stand there and push a button. We are orchestrating an entire job. Oh, and we control the ipod.

What don't people realize about the fashion industry at large?
B. Its a huge stone that we each have to chip away at to get ahead. I think what ever people think about it is true. It can be fast, creative, and fulfilling at all the right times. One can always find either a city or a designer that inspires them to either create or think outside the box.
S. That there are hundreds of people doing different jobs to make the fashion industry go round. There is much more going on than just pretty models, cool magazines, and a fancy party.

Samantha Pleet is one New Yorker with a lot on her plate. On top of designing her own line (which debuted while she was still in college), Pleet has recently teamed up with Urban Outfitters to produce an exclusive collaboration entitled Rapscallion. The collection, true to its name, features adorable button-downed jumpers, feminized tuxedo shirts and military-esque jackets and capes. "I was so excited when found out that I would have the opportunity to work with them on designing a line...I grew up shopping at Urban Outfitters". Rapscallion will debut in October and house a total of six new collections--one delivering every other month. A pop-up shop will also be erected in Los Angeles, stocking the designer's full range for Urban Outfitters, her ready to wear line, and other design endeavors, including Pleet's eco-friendly line, Bodkin.

For Bodkin (worthy of its own post), Pleet collaborates with studio-mate Eviana Hartman--a freelance writer and former features editor at Nylon. The line, which started out as a weekend experiment transforming dusty clothes into handbags, offers an monochrome collection of edgy separates not without their own delicate softness. Bodkin is made entirely out of recycled and organic fabrics.

To read our review of Pleet's Fall 08 collection, click here. Below, our interview with the designer and below that, the Rapscallion look book.

Can you give us some background on your Samantha Pleet Fall '08 collection and the mugshots you used to depict the collection?
The Fall 08 collection reflects a madcap array of inspirations. From Dickensian urchins to vintage black-and-white police mug shots to sharp-dressed sixties rock bands— and marks the introduction of a small menswear line, Patrick Pleet...We started collecting vintage police mug shots some were from the turn of the century. We found them at flea markets and image libraries. Each shot told a story and some of people in them had a really inspiring style, a few of them looked crazy those were usually the best ones.It was a great way for me to incorporate real people that found inspiring and asked them to let me "arrest them".

You seem to draw inspirations from lots of different places like music, literature and art. What is your process for narrowing this down to a story and from there into actual clothes?
This process happens very organically for me. My subconscious seams to be able to blend everything together. I do a lot of image gathering, thinking, sewing, sketching, and sourcing. It is not until I start to put a few of the samples together that I begin to see the collection take shape. This is a never ending story because I have to keep designing.

What is a typical day in the studio?
I only live 10 minutes away, so I walk to work get coffee at Oslo with Patrick. I usually have to go to the garment district during the day for a fitting at my sample maker. I now work with my friend Dusting McSwane, he does my technical design, which is amazing. I usually distract my studio mates Susan (designer of Dirty Librarian Chains) and Eviana (writer and Bodkin partner) with new samples to show them. We all try them on to see how they fit. It is a wonderful and inspiring place to work.

What do you enjoy doing on your days outside of the studio?
My life is my work so even when im not in the studio I like to gather inspiration. I love to wonder around the city. My perfect day would be to have brunch at Diner walk over the Williamsburg bridge, wander into shops in the Lower east side, walk over to 9th street in the East Village get coffee, and then over to Soho check out some more shops--go to an art exhibition or two on the journey. Later to go see a concert and then join friends in the evening, which usually turns into talking about doing another project. Finally I would go home and watch a film or read a book and listen to music.

Do you have any personal favorites from the Rapscallion collection?
I love everything in the line but my favorite is the Cape dress. It's a wool dress with a detachable cape, I will be wearing this a
lot. I also love the high wasted jeans, the banner dress.

What do you have in store for curating the pop-up shop for Urban Outfitters?
It doesn't open until November in LA. We still have a lot of planning to do. Patrick, my husband who is an architect, will be working with them on the space. It will carry the first two Rapscallion collections, my Fall 08 collection, Bodkin, and I will be curating some vintage clothing, gifts, and jewelry, and other curiosities.

Whoever said New York is dead, obviously wasn't hanging around with this pack. Now with a showroom, magazine, Brooklyn and Manhattan store locations, and an online store that's selling so much inventory it can barely keep items in stock, OAK is literally taking fashion in New York by storm. The last party they threw, to celebrate their newest issue of Oakazine, called for a few hundred people and the rsvps came in at well over a thousand. At the party were designers, artists, writers, and anyone else who gives a damn about fashion, there to support OAK's efforts. For today's interview, we talked with Kim Christenson, OAK's buyer and all-around stand up gal, on what it takes to buy for the boutique. Christenson's job is not an easy one, many eyes are on her (including other buyers who let her take the risks while they poach up-and-comers) as she's someone who can greatly influence what become major New York fashion trends. Here's what she had to say...



As a buyer, your professional duties must fall into a rhythm according to when collections are shown to the public and then officially shown to you. Do you also pick up lines for OAK under more spontaneous circumstances?
Absolutely! We are always searching for new designers and innovative ideas. Obviously the best time to find new lines is during market but I am constantly scouring blogs, boutiques, my personal email, etc for a line that we would consider a positive addition to our store. Most of our best lines collaborate with us and form a more personal bond then just a business one.


What lines are you really excited about right now that perhaps people don't know OAK carries or you haven't received deliveries for just yet?
We just received Rick Owen’s lower priced denim heavy line DKSHDW which is completely stunning and dramatic for both men and women. Another line that I just put a reorder in for is called Complex Geometries (out of Canada). The designer focuses on creating new shapes out of mainly cotton or wool jersey that is creative and architectural while remaining completely wearable. It always blows out.

As far as next season goes, the line list for men’s fall is going to be amazing. I personally think that the menswear field stepped up to the plate and is really outdoing itself for next season. We picked up a bunch of new edgy labels like Public School, Wrath Arcane, Chronicles of Never, Raf Simons and men’s Helmut Lang. Labels for women’s that were real stand outs were Fifth Ave Shoe Repair, Cavern, Marios and Les Chiffoniers.

As always, I am excited for our own private Oak label as well. Next season is based on heavy metal and I know it will be super fun and easy.

What do you think makes a good designer? Does this necessarily mean you will carry the line or do you sometimes have to buy based on consumer demand (rather than pure innovation)?
We pride ourselves on finding fresh, innovative designers but I often times buy things that I wouldn’t necessary wear but I know that the customer will really like. Not everyone wants some crazy 90’s flash back tie-dye shoulder pad dress (like me). You have to offer goods to many different niches. I live and work out of Williamsburg and the customers on Bond Street and in Park Slope overlap in some respects to the Williamsburg aesthetics but it is important to differentiate. We are also trying to offer more “basics” (in addition to the more editorial pieces) that help round out a wardrobe like easy tees and tanks that can be worn everyday alongside the fantastic ones.


Do you always buy clothes that you, yourself, would wear?
I put in my share of personal orders but being a good buyer means that you can see a sellable piece and not think about yourself. Otherwise, I have my muses…friends, co-workers, customers that help the buy. The store has to keep an aesthetic and I try to keep to that as best I can with out my own personal wardrobe getting in the way.

How do you study the inventory in the stores? Is it a numbers game or is it more casual than that?
I find it is most beneficial to actually interview the sales associates about inventory and demand. Not to say I don’t also check the figures added by the computer system, but I can learn about what is doing well, what customers are avoiding and what is demanded by them. You can’t see that by staring at numbers on a screen.


We know that OAK has an unwavering reputation for scouting out new and hip designers. Why else do people shop at OAK?
We work hard to offer a very curated selection from each line. A lot of thought and time goes into the buying of each and every collection so shopping at the store can be effortless.

In addition, Oak has always associated itself with a Brooklyn aesthetic which people really seem to get and embrace. It’s more “downtown” than “downtown”. Cool, edgy, casual and sexy.

We also make it a point to buy for multiple price points. Not everyone can afford a $900 leather vest but want to shop at the store. So we try to offer a range accessible to just about everybody.

How does buying for the website differ from buying for the actual stores?
Our site does best with editorial pieces and limited editions as well as hard to find but amazing labels. Many people are shopping from locations that lack the resources so they can come to us for remarkable and hard to find pieces. It’s no easy task getting these items into our store but I want to be able to offer the most edgy and cool styles to our customers world wide.

Our buy for the website remains pretty similar to that of the stores as well. It is more practical for everybody. Many of our customers are actually New York based so they check the website for new additions before coming into the store. Often times they come into the store specifically to try on something they saw online so it only makes sense to offer that option.