YOUR WEEKEND PLANS: The Pop-Up Flea Returns Today (Now For Women, Too!)

After a worldwide sojourn taking it from Tokyo to Detroit to London, a favorite New York shopping event, the Pop-Up Flea, returns home this afternoon. This season, the event has grown enough to take over the easily accessible Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea with what looks to be more vendors than ever including, for the first time, some which will offer items for women such as Clare V., Steven Alan and Nova fragrances. Now lady shopping companions will have something for themselves, and guys can take the opportunity to pick up some more Holiday gifts to support the pretense that they are not just shopping for themselves. As usual, there will be lots of vintage items as well as newly manufactured merchandise that meets the particular quality standards of promoters Randy Goldberg and Michael Williams. Regular Fleagoers will recognize popular vendors like Isaora, Red Wing, Tanner Goods and Lotuff as well as some intriguing new additions. The market opens today at 3 and runs through 6 Pm on Sunday, so get you best flannel shirt out and your most carefully weathered artisanal denim jeans and make time for some tasty shopping.
Have a look at the full vendor list and a preview video after the jump

The Pop-up Flea Today through December 14 at the Metropolitan Pavilion 125 West 18th Street between Sixth & Seventh Avenues, Chelsea

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Adidas Originals = Pharrell Williams Comes Back With A Hot Tennis Pack

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One of our favorite recent celebrity collaborations is returning this week with part two of what appears to be a carefully time released collection. The Adidas Originals = Pharrell Williams collection will re-appear in a very select group of retailers this Saturday with three new versions of the collection's signature "Superstar" jacket. The latest iteration of this trimmed-down, luxed-up track jacket comes in soft, micro-perforated nappa leather in pristine white, spring green and a brighter tomato-y red (Check them out in the gallery above). Perfect for Spring.
Oh, is it Fall now?
Whatever.
You have to catch these things when they come to you, not necessarily when they are convenient to wear.
Last month's jackets cost $1,000, and we are guessing that these will run around the same price range. The "Tennis Pack" does not include shoes, although there are bound to be more in the pipeline. The three jackets are set to be available in Adidas Originals boutiques only in Berlin, Shanghai, London and Seoul (Sorry SoHo). The Shophound spotted the last group at Dover Street Market and Ronnie Fieg's newly expanded Kith boutique in NoHo, where they sold very quickly. Eager Adidas fans should check those stores in New York on Saturday if they want to get one in person. Otherwise, sit tight for the next delivery at the end of this month.

UPDATE:
Looks like there are some new shoes after all. Another assortment of matching Stan Smiths (of course), this time in a fuzzy felt not unlike the surface of a tennis ball. (Have a look in the gallery below.)

Previously:
Collaboration Anticipation: Adidas Originals = Pharrell Williams Is Basically Perfect

 

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PREMIER CHOICE: Fall Arrives At ODIN New York With More Exclusives From Mark McNairy, Todd Snyder, Engineered Garments, Alex Mill & More

As far as The Shophound is concerned, the only thing that makes the end of Summer bearable is the promise of new Fall clothes. This season, Odin New York, one of the city's most influential men's retailers, has stepped up its game and worked with its key designer vendors, including several whose first collections were launched by the retailer, to create a brand new, exclusive capsule collection for the three-store chainlet. We have already seen special pieces arrive from Rag & Bone, AC by Cantarelli and Common Projects, and this month brings more exclusives from some of The Shophound's personal favorite labels. New arrivals include a rugged, modern suit with clever functional details from Mark McNairy (pictured above), four variations on Engineered Garments' classic work shirt, Todd Snyder's hooded Trench Jacket, plaid shirts, zip cardigan and dotted trouser, and Alex Mill's exclusive shirts. Check them out in the gallery below and get a closer look at Odin New York stores around the city or online.

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JON CARAMANICA GOES SHOPPING: Under-Prepped Edition

This week's Critical Shopper column sends Jon Caramanica down to Bleecker Street for his response to the new J.Press York Street boutique where he is essentially underwhelmed. His main concern is that the venerable retailer's new, younger line, should —according to our shopper— emphasize and amplify the most eccentric and daring aspects of the Preppy style it has represented for decades, but it doesn't exactly.

...none of the vibrant, lightning-bright color choices; none of the eyebrow-raising patterns; none of the insouciance of a wearer who directly correlates income level with risk-taking. Prep never apologized. Just ask all the less-privileged people underfoot.

Of course, whether or not the line's creative directors, Shimon and Ariel Ovadia, of the up and coming label Ovadia & Sons, share that point of view remains in question. They seem more concerned with remaking the classic J.Press look in trimmer cuts and more casual fabrics to maximize its commercial appeal to a younger, hipper customer, and to stores like Bloomingdale's which is also selling the line. It's not like there aren't enough designers already deconstructing the prepster. After all, the Gant Rugger shop is only a block or two up the street from J. Press York Street, along with Brooks Brothers' Black Fleece boutique. Still, our shopper does not leave the store empty handed. A blazing red barracuda jacket has caught his eye, amongst the copious Yale memorabilia, but that's really more of a James Dean look —not to be confused with preppy at all.

J.Press York Street 304 Bleecker Street between Grove & Barrow Streets, West Village
Critical Shopper: Preppy Gets a Tweak By Jon Caramanica (NYTimes)
Previously:
Today In Brand Estensions: J. Press Brings York Street To Bleecker Street

FALL PREVIEW CIRCUIT: Looking Ahead To Fall '13 With Levi's

Click all images for a larger view in a new window

Last week the folks at Levi's invited The Shophound down to Milk Studios for a close look at what America's oldest clothing company has to offer us for the Fall 2013. Luckily, there was no hurricane to derail the proceedings like there was last season, and rather than having a blowout cocktail party as they have in the past, the staff scheduled daytime appointments so we could get a guided tour of all the label's collections —so, no beer, but plenty of good, solid clothes. Here are some highlights to keep an eye out for when the Summer starts to wane:

EVERYTHING OLD AND INEXPENSIVE IS NEW AND NOT SO INEXPENSIVE
For the Levi's Vintage Clothing line, the brand's design team comb the archives season after season to meticulously reproduce classic styles right down to the packaging and hangtags. For fall, they have set their sights on the Orange Tab (pictured at right). Readers of a certain age may remember this line as the most popularly priced version of the Levi's brand in the 60s and 70s. For Fall, you'll see Trucker Jackets and Bell Bottoms direct from the 1970s as well as original slim jeans and chambray shirts from the 60s —unfortunately all at premium 21st century prices. The "Boomtown" section (pictured above) spotlights Motown inspired looks from what was then a thriving Motor City, and as always, the latest revisit of the signature 501 denim jean comes from 1978 for everyone feeling nostalgic for the Carter Administration —perfect to wear with that fringed suede western jacket.

MORE FASHION AT THE HIGH END
Levi's top-of-the-line Made & Crafted collection (pictured at left) has always offered the most luxurious versions of the brand's classics, but for fall, get ready for a lot more fashion from this European designed division. You'll see bold, graphic prints, a sophisticated color palette, the softest cotton khakis and lots of stylish accessories that look more like they came from Opening Ceremony than the denim bar.

NEW CLOTHES CAN BE ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE —AND YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN NOTICE
Levi's remains committed to improving the environmental impact of its production methods through its Waste<Less program. Next Fall, the polyester in your bright cotton blend corduroy jeans might come from the water bottle you just recycled, but unlike the brown paper napkins at Starbucks, you won't be able to tell.

DON'T WORRY, THE LEVI'S YOU LOVE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE -ONLY BETTER
Innovation has not pushed out the old reliable basics. The main Red Tab collection (pictured below) will have plenty of the classic and affordable denim jeans, western shirts and jackets that everyone loves. Look for vintage inspired 2-tone variations and witty, modern twists like a women's Trucker jacket with wide, kimono sleeves for a fresh-off-the-runway spin on a mainstay.

RETURN ENGAGEMENTS: The Pop-Up Flea Returns This Weekend

One of The Shophound's favorite pop-up events reappears this weekend. The Pop-Up Flea will stage it's fifth edition starting tomorrow afternoon through Sunday, this time at Chelsea's Drive-In studios. Produced by popular blogger and brand consultant Michael Williams of A Continuous Lean and Urban Daddy's Randy Goldberg, it has become an annual shopping bonanza for Heritage brands and younger, artisanal labels which aspire to similar authenticity, and also a symbol of the continuing and strangely paradoxical trendiness of well-worn classics, the more old and busted up, the better. This year's mix of visiting vendors includes regulars like Gitman Brothers, Tellason and Tanner Goods, bigger brands like L.L.Bean Signature, and new additions as well. Click the image above to enlarge the full roster. One of our favorite stores, California's Unionmade will be representing, and Levi's Vintage Clothing is promising a major display of motorcycle jackets and other biker gear and memorabilia from the archives of photographer Danny Lyon.

Expect to see a lot of guys with various iterations of hipster facial hair, an abundance of plaid flannel, and no shortage of men shod in well worn longwing brogues or work boots with white Vibram soles.

The Pop-Up Flea starts Friday November 30th at Drive-In Studios, 443 W 18th Street between 9th & 10th Avenues, Chelsea

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FALL 2012: Will Monika Chiang Be The New Tory Burch? + Duckie Brown Has Big News

Chris Burch is being buzzed about today with rumors that his ex-wife Tory Burch is considering suing the entrepreneur over similarities between her own lines and the newly opened super-popular C.Wonder store concept, but his attentions were focused elsewhere yesterday morning as he presented another one of his nascent businesses, designer MONIKA CHIANG's latest collection. The Shophound made our way up to the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center Plaza to find a stylish but highly commercial lifestyle collection from the designer including shoes and accessories with a prominent initial-based logo that find Ms. Chiang poised for what is clearly planned to be a similar sort of success. Luckily, this designer has a different, more urbane point of view than the ex Mrs. Burch, so there should be no intellectual property issues here, but there are still ballet flats to be had —although these are decorated with spiky studs, a trend that is fast moving from daring to gratuitous. Along with the models posed around a circular platform, blogger/model Hanneli Mustaparta and second-generation glamour girl Elettra Wiedemann were led about the room in Chiang outfits to add extra frisson. The collection wasn't earthshattering, but looked like money in the bank, which should fulfill Mr. Burch's goals well. Click on the thumbnails below for a few highlights.

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Daniel Silver and Steven Cox of DUCKIE BROWN always draw a faithfully enthusiastic crowd even as they toil away as a relatively small, independent label. Lately, they have become almost more noted as shoe designers with their hugely successful collaboration with Florsheim, and yesterday morning the news broke that the duo would become the designers for a new Perry Ellis men's collection line that would be aimed at more upscale retailers. You wouldn't be blamed for imagining that the pair's Fall collection titled "Super Duckie" for their own label (which will continue) was something of an audition for the job, as it incorporated the kind of oatmeal tweeds and murky tartans that the late Mr. Ellis himself made into his own distinctive signatures. They were mixed with the kind of plays on proportion and materials that have made Cox and Silver favorites of the menswear crowd, and the hearty applause for the designers could be interpreted as congratulations not only for a great collection, but also for a prize opportunity that has been a long time coming.

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Strong But Not Overwhelming Response For Jason Wu's Target Line

We can't imagine that Superbowl Sunday had all that much of an effect on Target's launch of its Jason Wu collaboration, because by the time the game began, the morning shopping action sounded like it was long over. While shoppers may still have a bad taste in their mouths from the retailer's system breakdowns surrounding the Missoni collaboration last Fall, the response to Wu's smaller collection dodn't seem to tax the chain too heavily. As usual, the team from Racked was out on location to gauge the crowd response which seemed to range from a ransacking in Brooklyn to more sedate but still enthusiastic shopping in Queens. By now, however, it looks like most of it is gone to (presumably) happy customers. On line, the majority of items are either listed as sold out online or "available in stores" which means take your chances. This morning we found five apparel pieces and no accessories that were still orderable from Target' website.

If you are really set on getting some of this line, we found literally thousands of items listed on eBay, and, from what we could gather, they were not going for much above their retail prices —at least not yet.

Your other option, of course, is to sit tight for a month when H&M's Marni collaboration hits. You will probably be guaranteed a frenzy at the store for that one, but Sofia Coppola's short teaser ad for the collection just hit, and it looks like it will be worth the effort.

Jason Wu for Target Is Practically Gone from Atlantic Avenue, A Measured Mania for Jason Wu at the Queens Target (RACKED)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: UU uniqlo undercover To Hit Stores On March 16

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Only a few hours ago, a web page went live and images hit the magical interwebs to finally illuminate us about UU Uniqlo Undercover, UNIQLO's highly anticipated follow up to the much loved +J  collaboration with the designer Jil Sander.

Anyone looking for some of Undercover designer Jun Takahashi's more avant-garde looks translated to a better price point might be surprised to see some fairly traditional family scenes here in the initial lookbook images. In fact, UU is being promoted as "clothing for the families of today", and unlike the chain's preceding collaboration, the 105 piece collection will include 43 items for men, 34 items for women, 27 items for children and even 5 things for babies. The designer collaborated with his wife and partner RICO for the children's collection, inspired in part by their own kids. It's a little hard to pick out the details in the promotional images that have just been released, but Uniqlo describes the looks as follows:

The men's line matches gentle colors with darker tones, while 's offerings for women are based upon an exciting palette of colors and patterns drawn from Takahashi's groundbreaking label. Both the men's and women's lines feature a diverse range of fashionable cuts and patterns.

As the parents of two children, the couple lavished attention on the designs for children and babies to produce a playful combination of vibrant colors, unique prints and fine details, pushing this collection far beyond the conventional realm of children's clothing. With the new collection, UNIQLO and Takahashi have developed an eclectic range of fine designs for the whole family, so parents can have fun complementing their children's looks.

That should whet your appetite just a bit for the next  six weeks or so until the collection arrives in Uniqlo's flagship stores. If the line does not seem quite as experimental as some might have expected, it should delight fans of more prosaic, everyday Japanese sportswear. The launch is set to debut with the opening of the chain's latest global flagship in Tokyo's Ginza district, and presumably will hit New York's three flagships at the same time. If we receive the entire line, it will also mark the return of children's apparel to Uniqlo's New York stores, something Uniqlo's U.S. President Shin Odake promised The Shophound last October when we toured the new 34th Street store.

Sadly, we only have price ranges in Japanese yen, so to tell you that the line will retail from ¥790 to ¥7990 (roughly $10.50 to $105) might not mean much until the line is priced for the U.S. market given taxes, duties and whatever else comes into comes into consideration in making those decisions.

We will certainly miss +J (and there's still some left at great sale prices —especially outerwear at the 34th street store) but this new collection couldn't look more promising, and we'll be keeping an eye out for more images and information as they hopefully appear before mid-March.

UU Uniqlo Undercover launches at UNIQLO stores on March 16th
UNIQLO To Release UU On March 16. First Collaboration With Jun Takahashi's Undercover Label To Focus On Fashionable Family Apparel (Fast Retailing Press Release)
Click thumbnails above to see full sized images

RUNWAY RESURGENCE: John Bartlett Is Returning To Fashion Week

A few months ago, The Shophound and a lot of other folks were disappointed to discover that John Bartlett had shuttered his much admired West Village boutique. As anyone who is familiar with his history knows, however, this particular designer is not to be counted out after a setback. While he has continued producing exclusive collections for Bon-Ton stores as well as a range of a range of casual items available through his website featuring his late beloved mascot, Tiny Tim the three-legged dog, we were fairly certain that he still had big things in mind for his own label. After a two year absence from the runways, Bartlett will present a new collection next month during Fashion Week under the sponsorship of automaker Lexus.

Since his last runway show, designer's personal ethos has evolved as he has sworn off using leather and other animal products in his collections and stepped up his work promoting pet rescue and animal protection. This collection will be sustainable and eco-friendly, as the designer tells The Fashion Informer, "...I looked to nature and developed a fantasy of guys living off the grid in some kind of 'future-rustic' universe." Bartlett promises organic shapes in plant-based organic cottons and recycled microfiber ultra suedes as well as upcycled/repurposed wool. With a little time out of the spotlight, we we feel confident that he has stocked up tons of good ideas, so we can't wait to see what he has cooked up for next Fall.

Fall 2012 Preview: John Bartlett (The Fashion Informer)
Previously: 
Closing Notices: John Bartlett Departs (8.30.2011)