Jenni Kayne, is married and has two french bulldogs. She recently opened her first boutique and has been selling her clothing to the major department stores since showing her first collection, in 2003. You might be surprised to hear, given those accomplishments, that Kayne is a mere 25 years old. Although it doesn't dictate her brand, her age is an indication of the designers ruthless ambition and, in fashion, that means staying power. The Kayne look is one of cool glamour. Her collections reveal a mature ladylike aesthetic that is, however stately, not inappropriate to be worn by a twenty-something. In fact, the look is reminiscent of the way young women used to dress, when maturity and poise were attributes young women aspired to convey in their wardrobe. This dichotomy is only fitting for the designer who showed her first collection at age 19. For Kayne's Fall 08 collection we've been given fur and leopard prints, navy and black houndstooth blazers (oh my, oh my) and floor dusting knit dresses and wool trousers.


Psst, that's our girl Lauren Hanawalt, with Elite Model Management (top left). See her in our Brace Yourself shoot.

nostalgia

brace yourself

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Mooka Kinney's A/W 08 was packed full of pretty young things who'd just gotten off work (and not in the tents). From the collection expect the usual vintage-inspired dresses for gals who haven't the time to sift through thrift stores. The presentation, which took place at a packed Hanger Bar in the East Village, was attended by the pre-Opening Ceremony party crowd and modeled by girls from Nylon, television show Arrested Development, and the musical Spring Awakening. It's a perfect example of "off site" fashion sense, where the desire to dress people of status, throw memorable parties, and be associated with like minded brands, involves an entirely different cast of characters, no matter how similar the formula.

Yeah, the Alice Ritter show was kind of nuts. Only the French would take something so stressful, throw back the booze, and turn it into a totally chilled out opportunity to talk about politics and how everyone's weekend went down. There were a few models walking around in, you know, the collection, but there were also a lot of Ritter's friends who were well-dressed and mingling in such a way that you couldn't really tell just what was what. To further complicate things some of Ritter's pals, like Au Revoir Simone, were modeling in the show. In other words, the people looked like models, and the models, people. Below, our video of the madness, and a gallery of the looks as a point of clarification.

Okay, we might have gone for some friendly gawking. We mostly attended, though, because we think Gilded Age is a sharp line (especially after talking to them at Capsule). So, we just stepped out and wanted to get you this first look at their A/W 08 collection. Looks like Gilded Age is channeling the golden age, where unlaced boots and polo clad men prove a simple formula for a handsomeness. The bowler caps and sharp layering were key, however, and gave the collection a little something beyond a tip of the hat to a 1990's Abercrombie and Fitch.