COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Get Ready For Adidas x Yeezy Stores Coming Soon

 

Courtesy Photo: Eric Liedtke of Adidas with Kanye West

It may not be the first musician/sneaker collaboration, or even the best, but Kanye West's Adidas x Yeezy team up is set to be the biggest. While the collection's Yeezy Boost shoes have been an unqualified hit, selling out almost instantaneously, the apparel and accessories have been a rockier road. First shown for Fall 2015, they were surprisingly well-received but the press and retailers, but upon delivery, the high prices for sweatshirts and stretch separates rattled even manufacturer Adidas, who stated that they would only be working on the shoes going forward. The Spring 2016 apparel line seems not to have materialized, and the coming Fall line boasted glittery collaborations with Balmain shown at a combination fashion presentation/album release party at Madison Square Garden that threatened to overshadow anything else that may have happened during Fashion Week. Now that the dust has settled, Adidas is back in the fold with plans for the future that include not only more Yeezy sportswear, but performance athletic wear and freestanding retail stores. A whole new division, Kanye West + Adidas has been created to produce Yeezy products for men and women based out of Adidas U.S. headquarters in Portland, Oregon.
Adidas group executive board member Eric Liedtke calls the West "a true creator who has the ability to see things others don’t". A timeline for the full flowering of the collaboration is unclear, but it seems likely that New York would be high on the list —if not at the top— of locations for one of the new stores. If there is one thing we have learned about West as a showman, it's that he doesn't like to come at these sorts of reveals in a normal way. A last minute addition to either the upcoming men's or later women's New York Fashion Weeks would not be out of the question, but then neither would a crashing of Paris Couture Week, so keep an eye out for Kanye's next sneak attack as his apparel ambitions seem, against all odds, to be taking shape in a big way.

 

Adidas and Kanye West Step Up Collaboration (WWD)

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Ralph Lauren Home, Gant, Selima's Sunglass Blowout, The CFDA Incubator & More

It's starting to look like we might have a somewhat busier Summer Sample sale season than we have had in the past, and as we head into the independence Day weekend, there's plenty to keep shoppers spending. Here are some highlights:

MONDAY JUNE 27th
A few popular sales got an early start yesterday including seasonal favorite RALPH LAUREN HOME. As usual, this sale is at the Metropolitan Pavilion North (entry on 19th Street) through Wednesday. Look for tons substantial but slightly random furniture pieces (i.e. don't look for matched sets) as well as heaps of merchandise from other home lines like bed & Bath and tabletop. Shop through Thursday
Eyewear maven SELIMA OPTIQUE is having a blowout at her Bond Street headquarters that includes deep discounts on her stylish sunglasses and frames as well as the of other designers. Vintage styles as well as accessories will also be included, and a 20% discount will also be applied to optical lenses. Shop through Thursday the 30th, just in time to fortify you summer sunglass wardrobe.

TUESDAY, JUNE 28th
It's time for the GANT sale again (pictured again). We have been through the years with this one since it was a small showroom affair, and it has gone through some twists and turns. It has once again transformed somewhat with the changes in the company's product lineup and the exit of both the creative director and the end of the Gant by Michael Bastian collection. At yesterday's preview, we saw neatly arranged racks of merchandise with no size markers. That's because this year all apparel is sample sized M, so, for the most part, other sized men can keep walking past 260 Fifth Avenue. There is still a great deal of aged merchandise (noted by the redesigned labels) which sale regulars will probably recognize, and a smattering of women's merchandise including some shoes and some apparel whose fabrics and prints reveal it to be from the Bastian line of several years ago. The prices appear to have gone down a bit compared to last season (see the lists after the jump), however, and the best deal is likely to be found in the back where all shoes are a mere $30 including a range of sizes. Shop through Sunday the 3rd by which time some additional discounts will have been taken if past form holds.
Also on Tuesday, popular chain DESIGUAL will be bringing its dizzying printed apparel back to Clothingline one more time. The label seems to be hitting the sale circuit quite regularly these days, which we are sure is good news for its fans. This event run-through Thursday the 30th

WEDNESDAY JUNE 29th
The big event for Wednesday will be a sale of the emerging American designers at the CFDA Fashion Incubator in the Garment District. Led by accessory label HÆRFEST and rising star THADDEUS O’NEIL, the lineup also includes Alix, Brother Vellies, DDugoff, Haus Alkire, Ji Oh, K/LLer Collection and Yestadt Millinery. The event runs through Thursday the 30th, and offers a great opportunity to support some of tomorrow's important designers as they build their businesses.

Be sure to keep an eye on our SALE ROLL sidebar at left for locations and other details. next week, look out for Melissa Shoes and New York's first sample sale from swimwear masters Orlebar Brown.

See the Gant Sample Sale price lists after the jump

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Prada, Persol, Givenchy, Ferragamo, Fendi, Christian Louboutin & More

Here is your weekly sampling of some of the brands you can expect to find on the bigger online Flash Sale Sites this week. You should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events, and be sure to check for the correct start time for each sale. Shop well!

GILT GROUPE

Love Moschino, Tweezerman, Black Halo, OneFortyEight by Lafayette 148, Babakul, Bix & Sofia by Vix, Fendi, Montblanc, Inkkas Footwear, Prada Accessories, Camper Shoes, Thakoon, ABS by Allen Schwartz, Persol, Unsimply Stitched, Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy, Kenneth Cole, Pyrrha  —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Brooks Brothers, Alice & Trixie, King Baby Studio, Tommy Hilfiger Bed & Bath, HelloFresh, Kenneth Cole, Christian Louboutin, Christian Van Sant, Tory Burch, New Balance, Charles David, Vince. —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Ted Baker London, ABS by Allen Schwartz, Matt Bernson, Tommy Bahama, Dress Forum, Ivanka Trump, Reef —join HERE

MODE SPONSORED POST: See 100 Years Of Men's Underwear In Under 4 Minutes

We don't know what anyone wore under their clothes before, but our friends at Mode.com have chronicled the last 100 years in the evolution of men's underwear. It's up to you to decide whether or not it is safe for you to watch at work, but at the very least, we can all agree that the progression from baggy union suits to sleek, high tech square cut briefs proves that this is one area where stretch fibers are very much our friends.

RIP: Bill Cunningham, The World's Greatest Street Style Photographer Dies At 87

Bill Cunningham photographs Rachel Roy's Spring 2012 collection during Fashion Week at Lincoln Center

Bill Cunningham, the street style photographer for The New York Times, passed away today at 87. Cunningham had recently suffered a stroke.
Cunningham could often be found at his favorite haunts, most prominently the intersection of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, intensely observing the crowd and picking out the most strikingly attired passersby to be featured in his long running collage of pictures in the Sunday Times Styles Section. Events like the Central Park Conservancy luncheon and the Gay Pride parade, which he just missed this year, were among his favorite events to revisit year after year. He was also known for an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion past and present, and often slyly pointed out when one designer's work mysteriously resembled that of another in the extensive seasonal runway round-ups he compiled for the pre-Condé Nast version of Details magazine during the 1980s. While he has inspired numerous blogs, Tumblrs and Instagram accounts, Cunningham has always been recognized as the originator, and few have come close to rivaling his sharp eyes for original style and spotting a trend. Then upcoming fashion weeks will be a bit less glamorous without him to pick out the most exciting dressers.

Bill Cunningham, Legendary Times Fashion Photographer, Dies at 87 By Jacob Bernstein (NYTimes)

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Rag & Bone's Sample Sale Is Happening, But Not The Way You Are Used To —And It's Tomorrow

Af there the announcement that RAG & BONE would be moving their sample sale to L.A., we, like a lot of other people, thought that we would be missing out on the popular brand's reliable sale this season, but it turns out that the R&B folks wouldn't do that to us faithful New Yorkers. The sale is happening, just not at its usual Chelsea Market location.
The brand is joining forces with STEVEN ALAN, who just held what we thought would be his final clearance last week in SoHo. Alan's sale will be continuing with deeper discounts to 80% off in Industry City, Brooklyn's current hotbed of development. Rag & Bone will be joining him with their sale. We have no idea whether or not it will be as extensive as what we are used to, but it's probably worth a trek out to Brooklyn to find out. Officially, it starts on Friday the 24th at noon, and we have no idea whether or not Rag & Bone's traditionally easy-to-get into VIP preview is happening today or not, but at least we know that the label hasn't forsaken its hometown sample sale shoppers just yet.

See the sale notice after the jump.

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: A Summer Sale Onslaught Including J.Crew, Theory & Helmut Lang Redux, Canali, MCM And More

As Summer kicks in officially this week, it has brought a barrage of Sample Sales along with it. Here are some highlights:

MONDAY 6/20
Yesterday kicked off some heavy hitters including the always highly anticipated J.CREW, CREWCUTS and MADEWELL sales divided between 260 Fifth Avenue and its satellite location on Wooster Street for menswear (pictured above) for a solid week through Sunday. Longtime shoppers will find the sales pretty much the same as always, featuring a smattering of stock pieces, but mostly composed of samples from various seasons. Sometimes that means that quality is not at regular production level, but it can also mean that items in exclusive materials or colors that are not available to regular customers. At the early morning preview yesterday, we found much of what we expected with a particularly good selection of shoes including random pairs form Nike, Sperry, New Balance and other brands.
Also on Monday, Soiffer Haskin debuted a 4-day CANALI sale featuring luxurious suits, furnishing and sportswear from the tony Italian label.
At Clothingline's Garment District location, another installment of the multiple Th and HL sample sale tour opened featuring samples for men and women along with slightly irregular pieces which should translate into great prices, but buyer beware of hidden flaws and damages.

TUESDAY 6/21
contemporary favorite NANETTE LEPORE launches a 4-day sale in her Garment District showroom on Tuesday featuring Spring and Summer samples and stock.
Luxury ready-to-wear designer PRABAL GURING has, in typical New York fashion, let us know at the last minute that his sample sale will run from Tuesday to Thursday featuring current and past collections, but mostly small sizes, so be warned.
Contemporary women's designer JONATHAN SIMKHAI will be offering a hefty 70% off current and past collections, and as a coincidental bonus, both sales are on different floors of the same building, for your ease of shopping.
SHOWROOM SEVEN, which is responsible for introducing many an emerging designer, is starting its four-day sale in Western Chelsea on Tuesday featuring a multitude of apparel, accessory and shoe designers.
Most prominently, the mens custom tailor and haberdasher SEIZE sur VINGT is kicking off its extend 11-day sale on Tuesday through July 1. In its Greene Street boutique, look for samples, stock and exclusive items from theblabel's current and past collections.

WEDNESDAY 6/22
In more of a fast-fashion vein, veteran sportswear chain FRENCH CONNECTION launches a 2-day sale on Wednesday featuring 80% off men's and women's summer collections for a wear-now treat at what can be presumed will be some pretty irresistible prices.

THURSDAY 6/23
Designer SIMON MILLER is holding a rare 3-day sample sale in NoLita featuring his signature made-in-the-USA sportswear crafted from artisanal Japanese fabrics crated into apparel.
A few blocks away, luxurious but sporty handmade shoe label FEIT will be launching a four-day sale including both men's and women's footwear, and over on West Broadway, Canadian accessory brand m0851 will be offering up to 80% off bags and outerwear.
Also in SoHo, resurgent status label MCM will be slashing up to 80% off bags and accessories for women and men making for a conveniently localized quartet of sales.

That's just a small sampling of what's going on this week. Make sure to check the SALE ROLL sidebar at left for locations and details as well as more sales and as many late-breaking events as we can keep up with.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Suno, Carven, Ray-Ban, Lilla P, TUMI, Diane vonFurstenberg, Oliver Peoples, John Hardy & More

Here is your weekly sampling of some of the brands you can expect to find on the bigger online Flash Sale Sites this week. You should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events, and be sure to check for the correct start time for each sale. Shop well!

GILT GROUPE

Timor Weiland, Suno, Carven, Chantelle, Shoshanna Swim, JACHS, Abito, Moschino, Rogue Footwear, John Hardy, Cole Haan, Adrianna Papell, Haute Hippie, Luca Roda, Hook & Albert, British Belt Company, CVifa Speakers —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Ray-Ban, Splendid, Lilla P, Lafayette 148, Paula Dorf Cosmetics, Jean Dubost Cutlery, Janice Girardi, Peach and Lily,    —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

TUMI, Ellen Tracy, Nine West, Tailor Vintage, Sol Angeles, 14th & Union, Psycho Bunny, Diane von Furstenberg, Travis Matthews, Ethan Williams, Avoce Men, Oliver Peoples, Laura Geller New York, Havaianas, Eva Franco, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger —join HERE

SWIM STAR: Orlebar Brown Debuts Its New York Boutique

 

Image: OrlebarBrown.com

Summer will officially begin next week which is the perfect time for a swimwear store to open, and so Orlebar Brown, the cult brand that has been instrumental in banishing baggy board shorts from beaches everywhere, has opened its first New York store in SoHo.
Known for their sleekly tailored bathing shorts that are hemmed a a good, healthy distance above the knee, the brand has earned a faithful following by finding an alternative beach look somewhere between the unflattering aforementioned surfing shorts and the skimpy racing or square-cut suit. Their bathing suits are so well-made that they come with a 5-year guarantee. As the swimming shorts have taken off, the label has expanded into a full sportswear line but always with a beachy, resort-style attitude. In fact, the new SoHo store is but a taste of the label's offerings at a compact 395 square feet. The real show is at the East Hampton store opening this weekend at around 3,000 square feet also carrying the women's and children's collections. For those who prefer to shop in the city, however, a trip to Broome Street will be at the top of the to-do the list for gentlemen who are putting together an impeccable vacation wardrobe.

Orlebar Brown, 451 Broome Street between Broadway & Mercer Street, SoHo

 

WESTWARD HO: The Rag & Bone Sample Sale is Moving . . . To California?

There are a few things that we New York City sample sale watchers can reasonably count on. There will be numerous Theory and Helmut Lang sales. If there is an Hermès sale, then people will wait in a ridiculous line for it, and Rag & Bone will show up with a sample sale at the Chelsea Market every season like clockwork. Rag & Bone does have one of the longer running and most consistent sales, and they are going to have another one this month.
In Santa Monica.
Yes folks, Rag & Bone has moved its sample sale to the greater L.A. area from June 23rd to the 25th as you can see in the official flyer pictured below. We don't know that this precludes its regular New York sale, but we sure hope it doesn't. The sale is being promoted by Privé, which also tends to operate the sales in the Chelsea Market space that Rag & Bone usually uses, but it's only for three days which is a bit shorter than its usual NYC run. Typically, the sale here would be happening around now, but sometimes these designers like to break up the predictable pattern.
Call us cautious, but concerned. It's all well and good that L.A. should have some sample sales, too, but not at the expense of our New York schedule. There are a lot of New Yorkers who count on that sale to replenish our wardrobes of cool sportswear at a neatly reduced price. We will keep this issue updated as necessary.