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InAisce FW 2013 Women's capsule collection

For Fall '13, New York-based designer Jona recently released his first stand-alone women’s capsule collection via his avant-garde label, InAisce. Since 2009, InAisce (Gaelic for “in vain”) has explored menswear that embodies an aesthetic of sleek contours, modern androgyny, and lots of texture—a nomadic, almost Highlander-esque vibe.

And the women’s collection stays true to that plush, pastoral style. With a cool neutral palette of gray, black, and blue, shearling-lined jackets and draping felted wraps layer over silks and wool with sculpted hemlines that skim the floor. It’s an elegant approach to utilitarian dressing.

Photos by Greg Kessler

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery has always been a somewhat subversive space, especially considering it's a place of worship. The church is also one of the few community art spaces left in Manhattan's East Village and, since the summer of 1966, a side-room in the gated complex has been the home of the venerable Poetry Project.

The space made sense for Chloë Sevigny's Opening Ceremony presentation: a mod-influenced line inspired by the clothes of Occupy Wall Street, modeled with faux protest signs and straight-faced, stone-still models. 

The church was outfitted with five music stages, including a main stage that included Sevigny herself and the drum duo I.U.D. The models flanked the other four stages, two women at each end. There was something awkward about the arrangement at first. The stillness of the models placed directly in front of the bands seemed to disarm the performers. Plus for full bands like Bleached, with four members, things were more than a little crowded. After the first round of songs (the bands alternated performances), the musicians figured out how to share an extremely limited amount of space.

Bleached's garage pop paired well with the clothes on their stage, which included a crowd favorite pair of shoes made of clear plastic. 

Light Asylum shared their stage with model Kish Robinson, who you may know as Kilo Kish

Kim Gordon, a longtime friend and collaborator of the designer, who has her own fashion line and has featured Chloë Sevigny as a model in the past, hosted a few headline items on her stage including a hip-length corduroy jacket, a high-waisted pants suit, and a bright red skirt. 

It turns out the way we watch concerts is also a pretty great way to see a new line. By dressing both the bands and the models in the collection, the audience was able to maintain an intense focus. The bands commanded attention, and the models stared blankly through the audience. While waiting their turn, most bands took swigs from provided tiny Champagne bottles.

At hour two, the room hit a sort of equilibrium. The crowd finally seemed comfortable with the routine of rotating to each stage, snapping photos, and squeezing past aggressive networking in progress. The straight-faced models fidgeted only slightly. A few minutes before 3:00PM the house lights went off, the PA was cut, and without an announcement every model and every band disappeared backstage.

Photo by: Hannah Thomson | Lauren Moffatt Fall 2013

Inspired by a recent trip to the Catskill Mountains, Lauren Moffatt’s Fall 2013 collection is a breath of fresh upstate air in the sea of bleak colors for which wintry season shows are typically known. We checked out Moffatt’s presentation at 94 Prince Street yesterday and felt as though we had just embarked on our first day of summer camp, or stumbled onto the set of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, in all its vintage, Kodachrome glory.

And now for the details:

The scene:

Models standing on large discs of lumber showcased Moffatt’s charming pieces—a quirky, indie touch that wasn't lost on us. A bearded musician sat in the corner of the room strumming an acoustic guitar. Next to him, a rustic wooden plaque engraved with Lauren’s name was mounted on the wall. The tiny space was packed with well-heeled editors, photographers, and likely a few downtown NYC socialites.

The collection:

Moffatt’s knack for pairing traditional silhouettes with intricate prints and patterns abounds. The dreamy, muted color palette is whimsical, with shocks of brightness sprinkled in to amp up the looks. Embroidered silk dresses, pintuck tops, chevron-striped dresses—even a gold sequin mini—are tempered by adorably cozy beanies and hand muffs, along with the occasional lantern. Can a tomboy be sophisticated? Absolutely.

Our favorites:

A chevron print mini-dress in red, white and blue, anchored by a navy coat with cream lapels. Incredibly feminine yet sensible, the look is comfy enough for an autumn night by the campfire.

A cream/navy pintuck top embellished with gold buttons, paired with silk floral pants. The effortless mix-and-match vibe is chic, yet restrained.

Hair/Makeup:

Simple vintage waves—so very Lauren Moffatt. Prim and charming, not prissy. The makeup? Barely there with a strong brow.  

Shoes:

Casual lace-up oxfords and ankle boots by Dieppa Restrepo in neutral tones of tan, cream, and gray looked polished yet practical.

Lauren Moffatt

Verameat Terrier Ring

On February 9 in celebration of New York Fashion Week, the Ace Hotel is hooking up with 3D printing company Shapeways, a select group of talented analog jewelry designers, and CAD modelers to show how digital technology can revolutionize the industry.  

Designers including VeraMeat, Ursa Major, In God We Trust, and others will team up with CAD modelers thefuturefuture, Bits to Atoms’ Duann Scott, and Kostika Spaho for an interactive jewelry bazaar that lets visitors take part in the creation of their own custom-made pieces via MakerBot 3D printers.

But how will this whole thing work exactly? We asked Vera Balyura of VeraMeat for the details:

NoMA: How will the interactive part of the jewelry bazaar work? Did you have to prepare designs in advance?

VeraMeat: We did prepare and design a custom-made two finger duster ring. I think the original idea was to have our ring printed in front of the customer, but now due to time limitations the orders will be made after the event with the personalized custom details. We have fun working in this new way and are excited to get customer feedback once they receive their VeraMeat. We’re so excited to be a part of this Ace event as we love Ace. And it's wonderful to learn a new technique.

NM: Were there any materials that you normally use that you could not due to the 3D printing process?

VM: We use silver a lot and that was an option so we didn’t have a problem.

NM: You’re analog design process is intricate and on a smaller scale which makes your pieces special. Do you see 3D printing as a way to branch out and pursue further retail opportunities—more products for a larger audience?

We have three retail stores and an online store already—two stores in New York and one new store opening in Beverly Hills on February 12. So we have been able to grow the VeraMeat brand using normal casting technique. We have a lot of flexibility with this historic style. 3D printing is just another exciting option.  

Local Designers Print 3D is open to the public Feb 9, 1-5pm in the lobby of the Ace Hotel, NYC.

Ace Hotel, 20 W 29th St  New York, NY 10001; (212) 679-2222