District L

What do you get when you cross Halloween, Thanksgiving, the SF Pride Parade, and assign it a springtime façade?

Elaborate Fifth Avenue festivities injected some outrageous fun into Easter – reaching beyond the bunnies and pastel eggs attached to the holiday’s more traditional commercial translation. Chubby flower twins, a top-quality Frank Sinatra imitation, costumed newsboys, and a slew of other decorative individuals traipsed past Saks and up towards Bergdorf’s. Performers passed The Peninsula and danced by Henri Bendel for a Sunday afternoon of ornamental entertainment.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Curiously conquering the aftermaths of our eventful Saturday evenings, DL-and-friends met for Sunday brunch at Caliu.

“Perfect. Just small enough for us to get kicked out,” we mused aloud, as we descended upon the cozy West Village establishment in leather, fur, and last-night’s hair. We quickly began our bottomless mimosa session, sunglasses barely concealing our caustic glances at neighboring tables, and ordered enough Papas Bravas to soak up the afternoon.

Jenni Kayne

Rachel Zoe

Our second stop was the Tribeca Grand Hotel for serious coffee consumption, gold-flecked chocolate tarts, and… an afternoon nap. Yup, it’s all fun and games until someone passes out in The Lounge.

Thankfully, this Pre-Fall season was all about uncomplicated brunch-dressing – easy layering, oversized fur, and playfully grown-up accessories. And it’s okayyy… we’re not real adults yet.

No. 21

Post by Amanda LaMela

Has fall finally fallen – or is summer here to stay? Despite the unpredictable weather forecast, we harvested our festive spirit on Saturday for an afternoon of brunch, shopping, and pumpkin “picking” at the Chelsea Market.

Heading west for this weekend’s ID Pop Shop, we first stopped to grab a bite to eat at La Bottega in The Maritime Hotel. After an odd combination of food and beverage orders, we crossed the street and braved the weekend crowd to visit Lois Eastlund at the Independent Designer’s pop-up shop. Also making stops at Vernakular Photo Designs and ATTITUDE by Jeanne, we finished our Westside Story with a bottle of champagne from the Chelsea Wine Vault.

Just after the sun set, it was time to journey uptown for Ladytron at Terminal 5. VHS or Beta opened around 8:30pm, stirring the crowd for a Night on Fire -- and by 11pm, we were already Destroying Everything We Touched.

So, before gravity became the seducer, we trekked back downtown for a birthday-turned-soft-opening-party at Parlor New York. We toasted our final few drinks of the night to celebrate 25 fabulous years of Sarah Frances Cagianese -- one-half of the talented sibling duo, Frances Rose.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Two weekends ago, we spent our post-brunch Saturday afternoon on the High Line, people-watching and terrorizing children with bubbles. Ever since its opening in June 2009, The High Line has managed to maintain its stylish appeal to locals and visitors alike. With People’s Pops, The Porch, and Melt Bakery, everyone’s favorite elevated park boasts everything but the Nutz4Nuts and street-meat that never fails to stink up your hair.

Living up to its magnetic reputation, the High Line Park has again lured expanding retail to our feet. New York’s newest Intermix frontier opened last month at the High Line’s southern entrance. Located on 812 Washington Street, this spot was formally occupied by The Manhattan Refrigerating Company, with trains that ran straight through the shop to off-load inside. The two-story boutique retained the building’s overhead steel tracks, embracing the area’s history while enjoying its chic transformation.

Post by Amanda LaMela

During an aimless jaunt around Soho, the District L duo wandered into Opening Ceremony on Howard Street. Amongst racks of mesh t-shirts, Sevigny-sanctioned merchandise, and ironic ruffle leggings, I spotted a small, yet provocative shoulder bag by Fleet Ilya. The structural cage frame, embossed leather strap, and stud-detailing prompted my post-brunch investigation.

Fleet Ilya’s husband-and-wife design team maintains an underlying outright theme of bondage and fetishism in their luxury leather creations. With meticulous attention to functionality and a continuous focus on sensual power, this playful label certainly exhibits an ability to dominate.

Post by Amanda LaMela

When your daily motions start becoming routine and you find yourself sitting at the same Sunday brunch locations week after week, you know it's time to step out of the box -- This is New York, after all; there are no excuses for living in monotony.

Slip out of your comfort zone and into something memorable.for a weekend of new-boozing and subconcious contemplation.

As you head over to Bowery's New Museum to check out George Condo's "Mental States" exhibition, make sure to dress the part. Nothing accurately communicates one's unrelenting mental condition quite like properly applied punctuation. When paired with a mimimalist Lois Eastlund minidress of maximum graphic proportions, a girl can still grab glances on either side of Delancey.

And as quickly as we learned to say it loudly in Helvetica, Plastique Shop creates more shiny irony for us to wear during these weekend escapades.

After an hour or two of cerebral celebration, it will be time to shift into another mental state achieved only by determined brunching. L'asso on 192 Mott Street combines Dov Charney-like decor with modernized Italian cuisine and a Shazam-worthy playlist.

Before sauntering deep into Nolita, be sure to prove your devotion to Italian design -- as it is always appreciated just north of Canal. A pair of Cesare Paciotti shooties will certainly evoke a "ciao bella" or two as you make your way down Mulberry. Just keep your balance on those uneven sidewalks.

Post by Amanda LaMela

While right now is prime preparation time for Friday night's festivities, there is news that just cannot wait until post-Saturday-brunch.

District L favorite, Lois Eastlund, just launched her exclusive line for Glam 504. The brand new boutique opened March 2, 2011 on New Orleans' famed Magazine Street.

Glam 504 owner, Jess Galetz, elaborates, “I found these great independent designers in New York who I love and wear […] I noticed that there is nothing here like this."

In order to bring some Lower East Side style further South and equally east, Galetz opened her store with an expertly blended attitude. "The vibe of the store is a 60s Warhol pop-vibe with a little Rock n’ Roll thrown in, while still mixing together special aspects of New Orleans. Many items will be one-of-a-kind, custom-made pieces that will represent everything I love about New York while maintaining the vibe of New Orleans."

Lois’s exclusive line will include her signature modish, Ludlow-esteemed designs, as well as limited-edition dresses adorned in fleur-de-lis and painted bead prints.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Three-day weekends are like invitation-only sample sales or open-bar fashion week parties – and District L hates abrupt, unwelcome endings. We celebrated the weekend’s start with a few rooftop cocktails at the Park Avenue Gansevoort. Despite the strong G&Ts and modern décor, the DL team kept Friday’s gathering short in order to make the most of our Saturday morning trip to Philadelphia. As we headed southbound on Saturday with Starbucks in tow, we enjoyed an AM impulse purchase from Plastique.

After arriving in Philadelphia, we held a fashion-fueled meeting with Lisa from Local Boutique. Although we were in the land of the Liberty Bell, we certainly maintained our New York state of mind.

We returned to New York later that evening and celebrated the day’s accomplishments at White Noise. Classic glamrock vibes kept us going until the wee hours of the morning. But Lou Reed quickly turned to Reade Street, with just a short nap separating our night-time follies from our brunch-time activities. We took to the streets of TriBeCa for some Sunday indulgence and stopped by Marc Forgione for bottomless mimosas and contemporary dishes. ­­After a few hours of excessive consumption, we sauntered around the neighborhood, visiting buzz-worthy shops like Working Class Emporium.

When the cold became too unbearable, we stumbled into the Tribeca Grand Hotel for a warming cappuccino. Finally, with the help of Nurse Bettie and her Rosemary Gin & Tonics, we returned to the Lower East Side for our Sunday nightcap.

We woke up to a work-free Monday and sartorial plans with Lois Eastlund. Wall Street was on a “red alert,” as we staged a rooftop photo shoot with a February theme.

After Lois left, our Monday melancholy returned with a vengeance. Fortunately, we will be curing these blues tomorrow at Irina Shabayeva’s preview event. From 5:30-7:30pm, District L will be swilling cocktails and chatting with the designer at Trump Soho.

Post by Amanda LaMela

As we quickly approach another week of glittering runway shows and booze-fueled model presentations, it’s important to take a moment for some fashion reflection. New York has the driving force of the industry in its name: New. When the rent is too damn high, it takes a whole new level of newness to motivate New Yorkers to buzz, shop around, and spend. Last season, it was the burgeoning, younger designers that caused a stir on the scene, so District L outlined a few points of interest on the FW2011 radar:

Last season, Ann Yee nonchalantly peppered ION Studios with her colorful array of softly layered looks. After making a notable encore appearance at CUE Art Foundation’s Night of Fashion, Yee further proved her budding star-power.

There is a whole lot to love about Jac Langheim. And what's love without a little Latex? Her latest collection presented clean, wearable silhouettes from a fabric so scandalous, that it developed its own reputation. The result? Crisp, unique pieces that can effortlessly debut at brunch and linger past cocktail hour.

If you don’t recall, District L nearly had a coronary upon leaving Sally LaPointe’s debut runway show last season. It’s rare to see ‘smoke and mirrors’ fluidly combined with actual talent. And a mere four months after her jaw-dropping presentation, the 26-year-old designer gained international awareness: Just last week, Lady Gaga wore a gown of LaPointe’s to a Las Vegas Polaroid Launch.

[Listen, Lady. We saw it first.]

Post by Amanda LaMela

Continued from "Last night's mascara is today's eyeliner."

Photography © Copyright 2010 Rachel A. Cuyler 2010 All rights reserved