Our choice of Preen's Fall 08 as part of our Fall Top Five is based a different set of criteria. We're not going to pretend that Preen and Prada are really comparable brands but what makes a Top Five list fun to invent is that there need not be the same rules for including each collection. The Preen show was held off site on the Sunday of Fashion Week, which set it off on the right foot to begin with. This was the first time we weren't frenzied and stressed and we felt like the collection conjured that same kind of cool calm. Down the runway glided electric blue, powder puff, and blue plaid looks--it was glam and relaxed all at once. We hate to say this but it was the kind of collection we hoped we'd see from someone like Karen Walker and didn't. When a contemporary brand is capable of conjuring 'hipster' without sacrificing 'beauty' we've fallen in love. After Fashion Week was said and done, and the trends emerged in our minds, Preen deserved a mention for more than one. Transparency, shearling, plaid, sequins, luxe layers, and andogyny were all trends from Fall 08, touched upon in this collection. Preen is quickly becoming one of our favorite independent brands, and, judging by the sheer editorial coverage they've gotten from Fall 08, we're not alone.

The aggressive debate over whether it's better to be in 'in the city' or "in the country" has raged since Plato's Republic. Strong feelings about what constitutes the good life in relation to the city have been active since antiquity as we ponder our place as individual in society. The current iteration of the debate seems to center around that elusive topic of "summering." For New Yorkers in particular, that means a discussion over how much time should (or could) be spent in The Hamptons. But no matter where you live, 'summer in the city' is a concept which requires defending.

To that end, when we grabbed hold of pieces from the Karen Walker Fall 08 collection we immediately thought of our shoot's concept (or argument, if you will). Although the collection winks to many different fashion eras, something about the striped turtlenecks, the vibrant colors, and the lux velvet tie-dye trousers, said 1970's and thus we found our angle. What era is the hands-down the most infamous (and surprisingly celebrated) era in the history of New York? The 1970's of course. When you think of New York in the 1970's you think of crime, of parties, of politics, and of, at the very least, personality. From there we pulled a navy striped Jets swimsuit, some high waist jeans by Denim & Thread, and some of Catherine Holstein's amazingly 70's Fall pieces (including all that bright yellow and one velvet tie dyed shirt).

If there's anything a homebound New Yorker can put on the table when his friends flock to the beach for the weekend, it's the fact that the city is the place where everything happens (no, the opening of a Rugby store does not an event make). While those beach bound city-dwellers are tanning and shopping, the rest of the city is sweating and drinking margaritas in the street, playing baseball under bright white lights, having rooftop cocktails to the sound of sirens in the background, and wearing clothes that fall somewhere outside of the sarong and flip flops category. If something is going to happen, there's going to be concrete around and there will not be sarongs.

It might sound crazy, but to us, that possibility might just keep us here weekend after weekend. In honor of summers in the city, everywhere, here's our 1970's salute to saturated color (both on our clothing and our building facades) and saturated experience.

Our original Coutorture editorial, [Summer] In The City, pivoted on the Fall 08 collection by Karen Walker. We'd been wanting to shoot this particular Fall 08 since we saw the collection at Fashion Week a few months back. Walker has an interesting reputation as she's a designer that has managed to please the magazines and other for-the-masses press, while also remaining a cult favorite in New York. Her designs are always quirky, vibrant, and smart in the way that keeps young trendsetters shopping the collection in spite of the designer's growing popularity. It's not easy to be simultaneously counter-culture and mainstream, though the two can coexist when the qualities required to belong to each camp do not contradict one another.

This Fall 08 was a perfect example of this balance. The quirk came out in hand knitted hats and purses, tie-dyed trousers, and the pairing of striped leggings with turtlenecks and grunge-inspired t-shirts. As for the masses, there were solid frocks and silk floral numbers that were so crowd pleasing it hurt. It came together with a rock n' roll attitude, a pretty mish-mash of influences from the 60's, 70's, and 90's. For the more trendy of Walker's fans, they would have liked how it all came together a little off-kilter and for the more mainstream or conservative fashionistas, they could easily have broken down the looks to find many covetable 'basics'. This is also a success story for the ever-growing argument that contemporary designers lack vision and originality, Walker's collections are her own, even if more than a handful of people can actually afford to wear her clothing.

Get your shades while they're hot. Summer is quickly approaching (or so we hope) which means you deserve a fresh pair of shades. After all, you will invariably live in them come June. If we must say, Karen Walker's Spring 2008 eyewear collection is one of our favorites. The shapes are diverse this season with dense frames in strong matte colors. These shades are selling out everywhere which means those who spent hundreds on polarized Wayfarers have finally decided to get with times and kick it up a notch. If you're a New Yorker, you're in luck because Den (the Odin concept store) is nearly fully stocked with the collection. Better get a move on though as the Karen Walker collections will soon be replaced by menswear designer Robert Geller's duds. Baby, it's going to be a good summer.

Does all the Fall 2008 coverage have you wishing the collections would just get here already? You could always head to New Zealand, where Fall '08 is now. Judging from the strength of the collections shown at New Zealand Fashion Week, it might not be a bad idea. Aussie designers have been making waves in recent years, dominating the glossies, but we think fashion is due for a Kiwi moment. The New Zealand design scene has been quietly gaining momentum. With breakout stars like Karen Walker and Deborah Sweeney having garnered praise in the international fashion community, paving the way for a new crop of talented, fledgling designers, we're betting that the oft-ignored island will capture the attention of many a fashion editrix. To get you familiar with names you'll want to know, here's a primer on some of the hot talent and interesting goings-on in the world of New Zealand style.


Stella McCartney's recent collaboration with Bendon, New Zealand's underwear dons. It pairs the comfort of your everyday underthings with Stella's trademark ingenuity with fabric. Clever combinations of mesh, silk, cotton, and stretch lace abound in a soft palette of sheer pinks and nudes.


Salasai: Salasai's Kirscha Whitcher creates modern silhouettes with luxe jersey that drapes beautifully and grazes the body at just the right places. Her Fall 2008 collection, entitled Domestic Maid in Waiting, features streetwear with a distinctively high fashion look. She even makes the old tee-shirt dress and leggings combo look new again. This collection makes us want to hold on to ours.


Cybele: Cybele Wiren's Eclipse collection features mesmerizing prints (designed in-house) and bold, saturated hues. The lovely tonality is all the more striking when complimented with black and neutrals. tones. With impeccable cuts and modern silhouettes, her clothes simultaneously channel an edgy youthfulness as well as grown-up sophistication.


Nom.d: Nom.d hails from Dunedin, a city on the rugged South Island, whose influence is reflected in their designs. Husband-and-wife duo Margarita and Chris Robertson's neo-grunge, utilitarian aesthetic was heavily infused with a punk vibe for their recent Fall '08 collection. The integration of vintage pieces into their designs makes for artfully deconstructed pieces that are equal parts street and sexy. They're also responsible for a pair of bloomers that recently covered a very toned and very famous ass: Maddona wore them in a Timbaland music video and kept them for herself. Ever since the awe-inspiring cone bra of Blond Ambition fame, Lady Madge's taste in racy underthings has been a harbinger of all that is cool in the realm of intimate apparel.