District L

Last year, our 2011 resolutions were to “be more fabulous” (me) and “wear more dude rings” (Nick.) After a successful year of dude-ring-wearing and fabulizing, it begs the question, “What’s next?” How does one possibly outdo 365 triumphant days of spiked skull rings and super-brunching?

Answer: One doesn’t!

2012 will be the year to decide which old acquaintances should be forgot and never brought to mind. Instead of adding another responsibility to our regimen, sometimes it’s best to trim the unnecessary extras. Below is a short list of things I give the nod to “Auld Lang Syne.”

#1. “Fabulous.”

Funny how the aspiration of one year becomes the restriction of the next, but I can finally accept that this word no longer has any real meaning.  Overused, futile, and uninspiring, “fabulous” takes its final bow in 2012, only to return during re-runs of Sex and the City. And let’s be honest, that should be kept to a minimum too.

#2. Feathered Hair Extensions

I would just like to say for the record that, yes, I had feather earrings, feathered clips, feather necklaces, and even silver jewelry in the shape of feathers… but I never, ever, ever, EVER thought it would be a good idea to have someone braid thin feather strings into my hair. Let’s all agree to leave the quail feathers alone for 2012, so they can focus their energy on being my brunch.

#3. “Just sayin’”

Yes, we know you just said it. We were right here.

#4. Bryanboy

In 2012, I vow to unfollow, unlike, and unsubscribe all things Bryanboy. Why? Because he litters my Twitterfeed with his namedropping garbage and mindless whining. STFU, Bryanboy. We’re over it.

Post by Amanda LaMela

“…The Renwick Ruins, an abandoned smallpox hospital still standing on Roosevelt Island, NYC. Something that once was, a haunted romanticism, evoking memories of its past…”

Gauzy cretonne, dusty chandeliers, and a phantasmal energy set a pleasantly disturbing vibe for Sally LaPointe’s SS12 runway. The air inside LaPointe’s usual West Chelsea venue, thick with artificial smog, rendered the typical pre-show fervor murky and indiscernible.

The designer’s familiar, monolithic silhouettes populated this evening’s showing, however this time with a less organic and more deliberate concept behind them.

The showing embodied a certain sense of finality – that an event had just taken place here, somebody once occupied this space, or at one time these objects served a different purpose. Now, the viewer cannot obtain closure from its current state, there is no resolution and no reassurance. LaPointe’s sepulchral forms occupy a space with their own more subtle brand of preterition; they loom like specters, ghostly forms with a palpable presence.

By virtue of the a) amazing weather and b) the fact that I successfully left the house in short-shorts and a mesh tanktop and drank in McCarren Park, District L hereby claims May 28th, 2011 to be the official first day of summer here in New York. With this transition, naturally, comes a new playlist in the DL library - by the looks of things, it would appear that we've already found a front-runner for our summer anthem fix.

Enter 20 year old Russian producer Victor Klyuchnikov, better known as electronic artist Cosmonaut Grechko. One of three flagship artists with the Teenage Gang Records label (also featuring Brazil's Druma Kina and Swiss act Show Your Shoe), Grechko produces sounds that drip of hazy summer days and tipsy rooftop escapades at dusk.

Walking home from a racuous bout of day-drinking to take a quick disconap before heading out on a sizzling Saturday? Bam. Post-coital languorousness on a steamy Sunday? Done. This is well-produced chillwave at it's finest - we dare you to protest otherwise.

Cosmonaut Grechko - All The Time We Were in Love

Capsule - I Wish You (Cosmonaut Grechko Bootleg)

Shinichi Osawa - Heart Goes Boom (feat. The Black Ghosts) - Cosmonaut Grechko Remix

Check out more Cosmonaut Grechko on Soundcloud. Follow him on Twitter as well here.

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

For a fashion site, we’re pretty keen on the impending apocalypse, wouldn’t you say?

We’ve only mentioned the end of the world in regards to Starbucks and Henri Bendel. And then, of course, we exposed the apocalyptic warnings hidden within the collections of Sally LaPointe, Maisonette 1977, and MARTINmartin. Oh, yeah… we also brought it up again this past weekend…just for fun.

But all jokes aside, if this New York rain doesn’t stop anytime soon, we’re going to have to start boarding an arc. And by arc, I mean a luxury-class Giga yacht.

Thinking about how we’re going to deal with all of those goddamn animals is enough to induce an anxiety attack. Dare I remind you of the stress that comes with packing?! So that is why I created this helpful list:

HOW TO PACK FOR NOAH’S ARC YACHT

Before you start packing things, it’s imperative that you start considering a travel partner. Your initial thought may be to quickly find your soulmate so you can sail happily-ever-after into a sea of nothingness.

But your initial thought is wrong. Cruises are good for one thing – meeting attractive people of the opposite gender. So if you’re going to pick a person to cruise with for all of apocalyptic eternity, it might as well be someone who has great accessories.

Multi-functional clothing. No, I don’t mean jeggings. I am talking about United Nude’s Pin heel. With a shoe that doubles as a weapon, you’ll be more prepared than a soccer mom at a Kleenex conference. And a hell of a lot sexier.

Cotton is chic. And it doesn’t wrinkle like linen. Expect to be psyched when you start unrolling those 40 Lois Eastlund dresses out of your suitcase – you’ll have way more clothing options than anyone else on that boat without exceeding the luggage weight-limit. Plus, dry-clean-only is not ideal for prolonged rainstorms.

EFFEN Vodka. Need I say more?

Sun protection. But sunscreen smells, so what’s a lady to do? We suggested you invest in a wide-brim Carmen Marc Valvo hat and call it a day. It’ll also double as an excuse when you pretend to not notice your irritating neighbors waving from down the hall.

There you have it: District L – your one-stop shop for fashion news and end-of-the-world preparation. You’re welcome, dear readers.

Post by Amanda LaMela

This Tuesday, District L will be attending Sauza Tequila's "Ladies Who Brunch" event, hosted by expert party planner, Cathy Riva. When you're invited to enjoy fresh margaritas, express manicures, and chair massages, you cannot say no.

Riva, who's built her career by throwing top-notch soirees for socialites and making informative appearances on NBC's The Today Show, will be put to the DL test.

Because, let's face it, we know a good party.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Images [from top to bottom, left to right]: Caitlin Moe, Rebecca Formichella, Amanda LaMela, Nicolas Sera-Leyva, Amanda Lepore

The weekend began with EFFEN vodka and edgy electronic beats by Savoy – and it ended with Sunday’s sidewalk visit to Hulbert Waldroup, the infamous artist on West Broadway. Toss in a few glasses of champagne, a brunch session at Freemans, one major OAK sale, and a lazy afternoon at the Tribeca Grand Hotel…

No amount of youth is being wasted on these PYTs.

And if the rumors are true, spring is right around the corner. Toss your winter coats into storage and prepare to match your wardrobe to that new abundant social calendar:

Brunch at Marc Forgione: Two-Toned Heels by Kathryn Amberleigh (219 Mott Street)

Art Shopping on West Broadway: Crescendo Dot Dress by Lois Eastlund (153 Ludlow Street)

Nighttime Rooftop Pregame: Impact Silk Crop Jacket by Stylein (EVA New York)

Post by Amanda LaMela

I'm Hyden Yoo in a dark corner while I run out and pull more cash from the ATM.

Enjoy these precious last days in your apartment, because you're not making rent this month, ladies. OAK + Friend's Sample Sale is happening this weekend at OAK Williamsburg, and with rigoddamndiculous discounts on everything from Hyden Yoo and Standard Issue to THEM Atelier and Rick Owens DRKSHDW, you're kind of fucked. We'll see you bright and early on Saturday morning, and we're looking forward to watching you cry as you fork over 3/4 of your paycheck.

Here are some more cockteasers below - YOU GUYS IT HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET AND YOU'RE ALREADY MISSING IT WTF ARE YOU GOING TO DO AHHHHHHHHHH

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

Quentin Dupieux, otherwise known as Ed Banger Record's Mr. Oizo, brought us his first feature film "Steak" in 2007. Now, he's got something even better in store for us - the grimy, oil-slicked supernatural horror comedy "Rubber", due to release in theaters on April 1st.

"Rubber" is the story of Robert, an off-brand tire left to rot in a desert garbage dump. Upon inexplicably gaining sentience one fateful afternoon, he discovers his own powers of instant, telepathic destruction. At first content to prey upon small creatures and inanimate objects, he soon masters his own horrific abilities and embarks on an asphalt sealed epic of revenge upon humanity.

So basically, an odyessy of wanton mechanical destruction with a bangin' soundtrack by Mr. Oizo - we're sold. All we have at the moment is a well-designed one-sheet (above), and a trailer + example from the soundtrack (below), but our oil clogged robotic hearts are already aflutter on all 8 cylinders.

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

So I'm more than a little obsessed with Mjölk in general - I've been impatient to see what they have in store for Fall since covering them for S/S 11. The preview video they put together for A/W 11 is visually stunning, so I had to go through and grab some of these more poignant moments. Look out for the entire A/W collection, which (we hope) is coming soon.

-Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

In typical District L style, we'd perhaps open this post with a clever paragraph wherein we reminisce fondly about last week - what with all the rushing too and fro between venues, furious, finger-callusing live-tweeting, and countless moments of anticipation as the plastic was peeled back from the runway time and time again. We might even throw in an alcohol-related pun, hurl a barb at the sucky realities of returning to the daily grind, and spit some vitriol about people on the subway.

But the fact of the matter is that it's 10 PM on a Tuesday and we'd rather just jump straight to the LaPointe (sorry, had to) - here are our top 5 picks for best collections from NYFW A/W 2011:

1. Sally LaPointe

This one should come as no surprise - ever since attending the plucky designer's debut show last September, we've been staunch supporters of LaPointe's dark, alien aesthetic that resonates as simultaneously precise and effortless. Did her Fall collection climb straight out of the primordial ooze of a Roland Flexner print? Or did it reverse sublimate from thin air to monolithic vibrancy?

2. Bensoni

Gothic wedding vignette? How rad was that? The duo behind Bensoni is all about balance, taking inspiration from the past yet tempering it with forward thinking. Needless to say, they didn't disappoint for Fall. There was a hefty dose of 90's gloom and doom in their presentation this season, but taken to the next level with an infusion of minute detail and texture play that has become a contemporary design mainstay.

3. Mik Cire

Mik Cire's Eric Kim is an accomplished design professional, and his collection this season made that fact more evident than ever. Last Spring, Kim gave us slouchy asymmetricality in linen and jersey; this Fall, he presented crisp, sharp tailoring in leather and gabardine. A quality that we value most in a designer is something Kim possesses in spades - the ability to surprise and deliver the unexpected without allowing their trademark sensibilities to become lost.

4. Maisonette 1977

Designer Jane Ibrahim stirred something far down inside of us with her evocative Fall line for Maisonette 1977. Taking inspiration from Christopher Nolan's "Inception", she served as the architect behind a towering metropolis rising out of the ether of the subconscious. It was well-edited, modern, and to be quite honest it just had a certain je ne sais quoi about it that drew us in deeper, deeper, and deeper still.

5. NOMIA

Like Bensoni, NOMIA was another delightfully intimate affair in the Standard's Highline Room - a perfect setting for an enticing collection of sleek, geometric sportswear that can easily find a home in any closet (or bedroom floor, whatever). We have to give praise to lines like NOMIA that strike rest firmly in that hard-to-hit intersection of concept and accessibility. Like Madisen said, "[The Standard's] attuned blend of nature, urbanity, and notorious exhibitionism matched perfectly with the theme of NOMIA’s runway."

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva