A few years ago our girlfriend Leah said men are the new women. She was clearly ahead of the curve as menswear keeps getting bigger, better, and vainer each season. The contemporary menswear tradeshow Capsule is in town. Organized by community member We Are The Market and Brand Pimps, the five floor extravaganza in the Lower East Side has brought out the best of breed for men's market week in New York. We took some time yesterday to explore the five levels of fashion in the Angel Orensanz Foundation on Norfolk Street.

We were tremendously impressed with the quality of the labels on display this year. Many traditional staples in the streetwear community were included but the real joy was the younger labels making their debut. We will be covering Capsule throughout the week focusing on designers of note.

The halter top is saddled with all kinds of unfortunate cultural associations. Your editor had a veritable closet full during her sorority days thanks to the good folks of Express Fashions (ask her about her miniskirt collection someday). Thus, when community partner Fashion Pad reminded us that baring your shoulders during the hot summer months is a good look for many women and not to mention quite cool, we did a double take on the halter top. We didn't want some boob hugging up in your face "why don't you buy me a drink, spare the roofie please, check out my sequins" contraption obviously. We wanted something that was in line with the fashion we already consume. A quick shopping trip has shown us that we are being rewarded by the gods of merchandising this summer. The hippest of the hip from across the cool spectrum including Martin Margiela, Mayle and Humanoid all have options we can sincerely endorse.

Its easy to take potshots at hiptser fashion as being a bit silly. Unwearable clothing is a pastime in our hood and a few of your editors have been known to indulge. But we were never completely convinced that the Williamsburg set was dim. But it would seem a few other designers are not totally sold on just how bright they are as a demographic Stained Couture introduced us to this Marc by Marc Twinsie Cardigan. And then we saw it again on Chic and Untroubled. Sure its a bit cute that it has the two tone action going on. Every diffusion line needs a design gimmick in order to justify its price tag as far as we are concerned. But then we came across this pair of American Apparel leggings that is going the two tone route as well. Is this some sort of subtle kindergarten nudge to help us all remember which arm or leg is our "other left" appendage? In which case wearing both garments at the same time is sure to help drunk or otherwise addled fashion hipsters to remember how to turn left at Houston.

The weekend clearly wasn't long enough for at least a few people. The Daily Obsession and M.I.S.S Crew are both jonesing for some spa time. But since we are all paranoid about the recession these days it just might not be time for a full day of spa indulgence; unless of course you do it at home! The Daily Obsession has a list of products a mile long to get a spa feel at home and M.I.S.S Crew has one powerful tip on our favorite part of the spa day process.

A nice robe, some fuzzy shoes, a decent scrub, and a nice foot bath all sound ideal to us but we sure wish we could find a way to bring a good massage home. And somehow we don't think those "at home massage" devices are going to do the trick on our sore shoulders. They seem to be better at making other body parts sore.

Image Via Getty

The best style is shaped by a strong personality. But sometimes it can be hard to know what your personality should mean when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. Community member The Space Between My Peers has listed her personal colors and asked her readers to think about their own signatures. When your editors took an informal poll of the office we discovered, if pressed, the majority of us would claim navy as our signature color. We had a lone dissenting pink. Which leads this editor to wonder if anyone of us can even lay claim to have a signature color. Navy is one of the original fashion basics and as Diana Vreeland once said "pink is the navy blue of India."

Thus perhaps your editors don't in fact have signature colors but prefer to flock to signature basics. When you cope with the constant shifting landscape of trends and cultural signifiers, it may in fact be better to choose a basic, even if its black, to help you navigate getting dressed in the morning. For Between My Peers, we would wager her favorite basic is pewter gray. In tumultuous times we can think of no greater comfort than throwing together basic pieces in basic colors. Times are tough and as good fashionistas we choose navy to keep us on course.