POP-UP REPORT: Don't Miss Pop-Ups From John Bartlett & The Everlane Workshop This Weekend

There will be any number of pop-up shops materializing throughout the city between now and Christmas -way more than we can possibly catalog here- but two we won't want to miss are happening through this weekend.

The Everlane Workshop, which will be open through this Sunday, comes from the innovative web retailer dedicated to bringing high quality luxury basics to the public as directly as possible to keep prices stunningly low. Their workshop at the corner of Gansevoort and Washington streets will allow you to sample their tightly edited but beautifully made product lineup and order for yourself with a few exclusive extras. While the focus and quality is firmly at the luxury level, the prices are more chain store, and though they are not quite Uniqlo-low, they come pretty close. This week, the pop-up will be hosting special pre-reserved workshops that let customers make their own belt, necktie or add a customized cashmere patch to a featherweight cashmere sweater. The shop closes after Sunday, so you only have until then to see for yourself how Everlane's ribbed cashmere scarf that wraps around your neck twice like a cloud is a genuinely incomparable bargain at a mere $75.

Our friend John Bartlett is also revisiting the retail world this week to show off his latest Holiday collection as well as stage a sample sale at 174 Hudson Street in Tribeca through Sunday. In addition to that, this Saturday he will also add a pet adoption event in conjunction with Adopt NY, a league of rescue groups working to save animals from being euthanized and make New York's shelters No-Kill.

The Everlane Workshop runs through December 9th at 74 Gansevoort Street and Washington Street, Meatpacking District
John Bartlett's Holiday Pop-Up & Sample Sale runs through December 9th at 174 Hudson Street between Vestry & Laight Streets, Tribeca

FASHION WEEK DIARY: John Bartlett Retakes The Runway & MADE at Milk Bottlenecks... Again + MM⑥, Diesel Black Gold And More

The Shophound has taken a lighter trip through Fashion Week this season, but there has still been plenty to see. Here are a few highlights from the past few days.

A RETURN TO THE RUNWAY: JOHN BARTLETT has done his own bit of reassessment over the past year or so, closing his own store and refocusing attention toward his wholesale business as well as personal causes like animal rights and welfare. Last season he did a static presentation, but this time he returned to the runway for the first time in two and a half years bringing everything his fans have come to expect from him including perfectly tailored trousers, a breezy djellaba and models with pecs (thanks for sharing, Tobias Sorensen and Pedro Aboud) along with news like the using linen for the entire collection and a new print made from the namaste symbol as an alternative to the camouflage patterns whose popularity shows no sign of waning anytime soon. Also new: bona fide sports stars in the front row like the Giants' Ramses Barden and the Knicks' JR Smith. Their appearance may have come courtesy of Details, who sponsored the space in Lincoln Center's Public Library for independent men's designers like Bartlett, Mark McNairy, Gilded Age, Marlon Gobel and Bespoken.

A FOND FAREWELL: SOPHIA KOKOSALAKI showed her last collection for DIESEL BLACK GOLD yesterday. Over the past two years she has formed the denim giant's premium label into a designer level collection in its own right with its own SoHo boutique to the point that justified huge, star studded runway shows in cavernous Pier 57. Though they keep the space so dark before the show that it is hard to make out exactly who the flashbulbs are popping for, editors like W's Stefano Tonchi, Carine Roitfeld and the one-woman attention machine known as Anna Dello Russo showed up to send Kokosalaki off as well as actor Adrien Brody and model Petra Nemcova who flanked Diesel Chief Renzo Rosso in the front row. The designer took inspiration from skater street style, and put a half pipe at the head of her runway with flipping skateboarders opening the show to underscore the point. Her black and white collection mixed graphic sporty looks with her signature sexy styles like grid mesh dresses and chunky fringed sandals, setting the label up for a seamless transition to her successor, former PHI designer Andreas Melbostad.

A EUROPEAN VISITOR: It's not often that New York gets a Fashion Week visit from overseas designers known for their unconventional fashion shows, but MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA is putting a big push behind the expansion of its more accessible MM⑥ label including its recently opened boutique on Bleecker Street. Instead of a single show, the label staged a revolving series of casual runway shows in its showroom over the course of an entire afternoon. As visitors waited for the models to hit the runway, they were invied to peruse the same looks on racks throughout the multi-mirrored showroom which often created the effect of inadvertently looking at oneself over and over again. it wouldn't be Margiela if there wasn't something a little bit unsettling, now would it?

RETURN OF THE CLUSTER€#¢§: Last season, The Shophound was royally pissed off when MADE at Milk Studios thought it would be a good idea to schedule five designer presentations all at the same evening hour. What resulted was a line that wrapped around the block to get inside, and a wait that would have left no time to see anything if you had the patience to gain entry. Clearly this was some kind of ill-conceived boondoggle, right? Well, little did we know when we arrived for the Rochambeau presentation on Sunday at the appointed time that we would be faced with the same scenario all over again, this time in the hot, midday sun. After fuming for a sufficient amount of time, we did what we did the last time and snuck inside to cut the line.
Are we proud? No.
Would we do it again? Yes.
Are we going to tell you how? No.
You can figure it out for yourself if you have to. Look, we have limits to the amount of that kind of nonsense we or any other self-respecting person should put up with. Frankly, we were thisclose to simply turning around and leaving altogether. The upside was seeing all those collections in an efficient hour which included Rochambeau's presentation shrouded in green mist, Carlos Campos' photo shoot setup, and what we like to call "perp lineups" from Public School and Antonio Azzuolo that showed off some impressive tailoring that should get more attention. On top of all that was an entertaining presentation from up-and-coming eyewear brand Illesteva featuring The Eyal Vilner Bog Band along with Dida and Ame, a lively pair of dancers. it is worth mentioning, however that none of the same designers whose guests were faced with the ridiculous line last season, including Bartlett, Tim Hamilton and Erickson Beamon, participated in this season's version. What does that tell you?

Click the slideshow below for more highlights

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GOOD CAUSES: John Bartlett's Latest Puts The Focus On Farm Animals

There may be few designers as dedicated to their personal causes as our friend John Bartlett. His Tiny Tim Rescue Fund has been saving animals from high-kill shelters for a few years now, and this Monday, the designer turns his attention to the farm. Bartlett's latest line will turn over 10% of its proceeds to Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to work on behalf of abused and neglected farm animals. Each of the tees features a Bartlett-style silhouette of a cow, chicken or pig, the three most recognizable farm animals in our country, and a subtle reminder sleeve of how many of them are killed each year (9 billion chickens? Perhaps that's another reason to stay away from Chik-Fil-A —but that's a whole other discussion right there).

Of course, there is no better way to sell these tees than to get them on a handsome model, and the bucolic, new campaign has been shot at Farm Sanctuary’s 175-acre shelter in Watkins Glen, NY. If you are feeling an agrarian mood, click below for a slideshow of some of the images. The tees for men and women will retail for $40 each, and will be available on Monday August 6th at JohnBartlettNY.com.

John Bartlett (Official Site)
Farm Sanctuary (Official Site)
Previously:
John Bartlett's Spring Tiny Tim Collection Is Here—Muscles Not Included

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GOOD CAUSES: John Bartlett's Spring Tiny Tim Collection Is Here —Muscles Not Included

The Shophound just got an email from John Bartlett reminding us that his latest Tiny Tim collection for men and women has arrived and can be ordered on his website in plenty of time to get yourself in shape for Memorial Day Weekend. Bartlett fans will know that the Tiny Tim line is named in honor of the designer's late, beloved three legged dog and company mascot whose silhouette image is on found somewhere each piece, even as the pattern on the camo-print swimsuit pictured above (camouflage is sooo hot right now). 10% of each sale from the line goes directly to the Tiny Tim Rescue Fund, the designer's 501(c)3 animal rescue non-profit which helps to save rescue and shelter animals.

The Spring line also marks the reappearance of popular model Kerry Degman, seen above, a frequent fixture in Bartlett's runway shows who has been flying a bit under the radar lately.
Apparently, Kerry's been busy working out. A lot.
There's plenty more Kerry here, so click away to brighten up a Friday afternoon.

Tiny Tim Spring Collection at John Bartlett (Official Site)

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FALL 2012: John Bartlett Comes Back Strong But Milk Studios Makes A Mess Of Things + Tim Hamilton & Erickson Beamon

Its been a couple of years since Shophound fave John Bartlett's last foray into the ever sprawling series of events known as New York Fashion Week, but we knew his break wouldn't be for too long. Bartlett told us a while back that he didn't want to show another collection until he could do it on his own terms using eco-friendly materials and no animal products, but while last night's presentation at Milk Studios fit all of those criteria, the designer smartly didn't hit you over the head with ideology. In a return to top form, he went back to his roots with his signature sexy take on sportswear, and if you look the time to notice, you would see that the motorcycle jacket was made of soft, hi-tech Ultrasuede. Long johns and twisted tartans will please longtime Bartlett fans disappointed by last years closing of his West village boutique. It was all shown on a group of expertly cast models smudged with soot from a day of hard work ...or maybe play? Click the thumbnails below for a look at the entire presentation.

Of course, it wasn't easy to get into the show as Milk Studios decided, in a dazzling feat of boneheadedness, that it would be a good idea to book five, count 'em FIVE events all at the same time. How they thought this would be a good idea after several seasons of Fashion Week participation is beyond The Shophound, but as we arrived at the appointed 9 PM time for Bartlett, we found what is commonly known as a "clusterf#¢k" at the entrance. Milk is always kind of a pain in the ass what with the elevators and multi-levels, but this time we, along with most of the other folks invited to the various shows, found ourselves in a line extending all the way to Tenth Avenue.
And we were. Not. Happy.

Eventually, after a half an hour, as the line inched along, we, and some other showgoers discovered an open side door which we promptly took advantage of like a pack of kids trying to sneak into a nightclub. Even John Bartlett guessed that we were forced to sneak our way in when we finally stumbled our way onto the eighth floor —which is kind of ridiculous since we were legitimately invited. Anyway, once up there we could see the party-like appeal with various events in different rooms and several bars, but the incompetence at the door remains a disservice to the designers who show there, undermining all of their efforts to make a good impression on tired buyers and press after at the end of a full day of shows. Expect the same mess to be repeated on Saturday night as four young designers are once again booked for shows all at the same time at Milk.

Once inside, however, we got a look at Tim Hamilton's Redux line as well as the waning moments of Erickson Beamon's elaborate 1920's speakeasy cabaret. Click the thumbnails below for images.

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: John Bartlett Debuts His Latest Team-Up with Bon-Ton

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There may be no more determined designer than John Bartlett. After an effort to bring sophistication to moderately priced menswear fizzled as the Claiborne brands he was designing was licensed to JCPenney, the designer turned around and within months signed an agreement with The Bon-Ton Stores for an even wider ranging line that will debut this Fall in all of the company's 264 locations. Last night, Bartlett unveiled his latest effort at the Ace Hotel to admiring industry insiders. He is actually heading up two labels, John Bartlett Statements furnishings and suit separates and John Bartlett Consensus sportswear which will bear the designer's familiar circular logo featuring the designer's late but much loved three-legged dog, Tiny Tim. In keeping with his cruelty-free ethos, Bartlett eschewed animal skins for the apparel lines, and is including vegan leather jackets which, at $200, are the most expensive items in the collection. The dedicated pet owner is even introducing a line of pet accessories and gifts for the chain. The rest of the sportswear will retail for well under $100, and while the three groups, Updated Ivy, G.I. Joe College and Refined Lumberjack lean to the classic, Bartlett has worked hard to trim down and update the silhouettes while keeping the fit realistic for the chain's customers to appealing effect.

Last night at the Ace's downstairs lounge, the ever genial Bartlett personally greeted guests and walked The Shophound through the collection which was being presented on 20 typically expertly cast models (oh, how we hope he returns to the runways soon). It all looked smart and appealing and exceedingly well priced. New Yorkers may not be terribly familiar with Bon-Ton and its stable of department store nameplates which also includes Carson Pirie Scott, Younker's, Boston Store, Elder-Beerman, Bergner's and Herberger's. While the Pennsylvania based chain operates in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, the closest ones to the city are about 50 miles away in Newburgh, New York or Brick, New Jersey. We haven't been able to ascertain whether or not Bartlett will be selling any parts of the lines in his own West Village boutique, but we hope we provincial Manhattanites will get a chance to buy the line soon without going too far out of our way.

Bon-Ton Launching Pair of Private Brands (WWD)

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK • SPRING 2011: John Bartlett Previews & Siki Im's West Side Garage Story

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The Shophound has become accustomed to starting Fashion Week with John Bartlett lately, and so even though we had already seen his collection at Capsule a few weeks ago, we stopped by his West Village studio yesterday for a press preview and another chance to chat with John. We got a better look at the clothes that will be hanging in his shop next season inspired by, among other things, Bruce Weber's classic photographs for GQ from the late 1970s. We still love the camouflage pattern made from an image of his three-legged dog and mascot Tiny Tim who made a special appearance for the occasion. We picked our favorite images from the look book for you below (Oh which picture of model Jason Morgan in a tiny swimsuit to choose? Such decisions!).

Later on, we headed to the Western end of 25^th street to what we thought would be a gallery space for Siki Im's presentation. It turned out to be a parking garage. We had always heard of fashion shows taking place in odd places, but this was the first time we actually found ourselves at one. All we could think of was what would happen if someone needed to get their Mercedes between the hours of 6 and 7 PM. As the guests drifted into the muggy space, we discovered that it is apparently still legal to smoke in garages —or maybe not. Either way, people were lighting up left and right. Luckily, it didn't distract from the inventive clothes. Im is one of the recent winners of the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation grant, and he continues re-jiggering the proportions of menswear with imaginative precision. As the models filed across the pavement, they periodically shifted positions, each one moving to the forefront to be photographed individually. Then the music blew out which we took as a signal move on, heading out to look for some Rosh Hashanah brisket.

TRADE SHOW REPORT: The Shophound At CAPSULE Part I

As we slog through the Summer doldrums, it occurred to The Shophound that we had never bothered to cover any of the Men's trade shows that are hitting New York this week to sell the Spring 2011 collections. Yes, it's actually time for retailers and press to think about next Spring, as the European runway shows were already held last month. Since we were pretty sure it was air conditioned, we headed to the western end of 22^nd Street to CAPSULE for the New York leg of the trade show that presents top men's designer and contemporary collections. We knew it was a good sign when instead of a dorky ID badge, we were handed a tiny metal capsule pendant on a cord upon registering. Upstairs we found three floors of booths featuring over 150 exhibitors including everything from designer labels to sunglasses to shoes to artisanal denim to leathergoods and accessories. There was a strong contingent from Stockholm It's a little overwhelming, but eventually felt like shopping in the best indoor flea market ever.

First up was Shophound friend and favorite John Bartlett who landed a coveted bit of real estate right at the show's entrance. After focusing on his own boutique and design duties for Claiborne for the past few seasons, Bartlett is re-entering the wholesale market. His buoyant collection featured bright Hare Krishna-inspired colors and a custom designed camouflage print based on his now famous three-legged dog and company mascot Tiny Tim. It covered everything from polos to yoga bags and sneakers that were proving to be a surprise hit for the season. For his first offerings after forgoing leather and other animal products, Bartlett is instead using vibrantly colored Ultrasuede in a soft, supple version that is a far cry from the stiff jackets of years ago. He shrewdly added a personal dimension to his own favorite workwear and military themes that also happen to be so current at the moment, putting him several steps ahead of many exhibitors.

There was no shortage of the Americana trend that continues to dominate the men's market, and so called "heritage brands" abounded, hoping to further fuel their collective resurgences. Next door to Bartlett was Florsheim's ever expanding Duckie Brown collection which added corded suede oxfords and woven wallaby styles for Spring. The collaboration has been a runaway success, and reps told us that even Brooks Brothers was picking up an exclusive selection, and a limited women's capsule collection is also on the way.

We soon realized that if we went through the entire show in exhaustive detail, it would easily take the rest of the week, so here are some highlights (see a slideshow HERE):

The Perfect Tangent, a Hong Kong based label eschews fit models in favor of the Concept of the Golden Ratio (ø = 1.618034) and scales each size down to the collar and cuff using the Fibonacci sequence. The fit model is not an actual human, but Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. Sound hopelessly nerdy to you, or just plain inscrutable? Well, the luxurious fabrics and inventively detailed sportswear prove that mathlete and fashion designer need not be mutually exclusive terms.

Spurr, now the sportier, more gently priced label from designer Simon Spurr updated his classic leather bombers with motorcycle zips and translated his signature jeans into lightweight cotton and linen.

Kitsuné, the music label-cum-sportswear brand brought their French take on Preppy sportswear to New York for the first time and introduced a shoe line made for them by Maine moccasin masters Quoddy.

Grahame Fowler recreated the idiosyncratic ambiance of his own West Village boutique to make his collection available to selected retailers for the first time.

Onia, a swimwear line showing its second collection managed to show the kind of sleek, well-cut and thoughtfully detailed bathing suits that tons of men wish they could find.

Fremont, the young L.A based sportswear line has found a way past the preppy/surfer archetypes dominating the men's market by adding an architectural edge to classics.

Schott, the original motorcycle jacket company, offered its premium Perfecto Label in softer, more luxurious leathers and updated cuts, just if you don't happen to have years to break in a steerhide original.

Parabellum's accessories are made from North American Bison hides reinforced with Kevlar, but it's the military grade ceramic buckles and fittings that intrigued us, especially on thoughtfully designed laptop and iPad cases lined with vintage cashmere.

Oh, there's so much more. Tomorrow, the shoes!

Gay Pride Gets Toned Down On Bleecker This Year

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We haven't done a full survey, but we are pretty sure that the Black Fleece store on Bleecker Street is the only Brooks Brothers location with Gay Pride rainbow flags in its windows (pictured above). We wouldn't actually expect to see them anywhere else. Every year at the end of June, however, several of the stores on Bleecker seem to be in a competition to see who can look extra gay for a few weeks, even if its just a few flags tossed in like Black Fleece has. This year, however, things seem a bit more subdued even as, ironically, gay issues like Don't Ask, Don't Tell and Marriage Equality move to the political forefront. Perhaps last year's exuberance was too much for the increasingly tourist packed crowds shopping on Bleecker.

Are the multicolored lights on the "R" and "L" in Ralph Lauren's men's shop windows (at left) meant to represent a rainbow? If so, it's a much subtler message than the racks of rainbow polo shirts he has used in season's past, although the mannequins dressed to go right to The White Party, which is pretty gay.

Marc Jacobs, generally the leader in this activity, has settled on a message, "That's so gay! Be proud!" inscribed on the windows of each of his stores (at right). It's a clever subversion of the persistent pejorative use of the word "gay", and though it's much quieter than last year's exuberant graffiti, it's definitely an improvement over the "Rebel Pride" t-shirts from a couple of years ago, which didn't go over so well as we recall.

Newcomer Gant Rugger (at left) joins in with a "Happy Plaid" message (oh, the puns this year!) and polo shirts layered to recall rainbow colors, a solid effort with little window space.

And finally, we're not entirely sure if John Bartlett's new Tiny Tim rainbow tees around the corner in his 7^th Avenue windows (below) are specifically meant for Gay Pride. They feature John's own three-legged dog and mascot, and a portion of their proceeds go to the North Shore Animal League, but aesthetically, they fit the theme, so we'll give him credit for double duty in the West Village. 

Previously,
Ralph, Marc & Bloomingdale's Commemorate As Gay Pride Hits Middle Age
Can Marc Jacobs Make The Rainbow Flag Chic?

STORE PARTIES: John Bartlett & RGJB Pack The House

The crowd spilled out onto the sidewalk last night as designer John Bartlett fêted RGJB, the continuation of his successful team-up with Rogues Gallery. After all, there's only so much room inside Despite the obvious
flouting of open container laws, guest enjoyed beer and unseasonably mild weather as Barltett launched the collection featuring a clever take on Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities that are just begging for their first weekend at the beach. There are no cozy long johns this season, but instead you'll find tees, tanks and muscle shirts with witty prints dreamed up by Bartlett and Rogue's gallery designer Alex Carleton along with canvas totes and accessories for the summer.

Also on display was Bartlett's Spring collection as well as the last pieces from his extremely well priced Claiborne line. The RGJB collection will be available while supplies last, and last season's assortment sold out quickly, so eager beachgoers should act fast.

RGJB at John Bartlett 143 Seventh Avenue South at Charles Street, West Village