District L

Viva la labyrinth!

From White Noise to Fashion Forward, Kirill to DJ Keiichiro -- the current look of New York’s seasonal transition encourages clash and mixed media. Whether the genre is edgy glamrock or soft bohemian, going beyond controlled chaos is the new common goal.

24hpp.com - Commes de Garcon Archive Sale

KirillWasHere.com - Kirill Bichutsky

District L - Lois Eastlund dress @ Le Bain NYC

Jumpsuit by Daha Vintage - Fashion Forward Fashion Show LES

The Wild Ones @ White Noise, Jes Leppard

Post by Amanda LaMela

Today is Tuesday, but we are still feeling the ache from weekend separation pains. There is nothing like waking up without an alarm and heading to brunch for bottomless mimosas at 2pm, hunting around for designer mesh at the Gilt Warehouse Sale and stomping around the East Village late at night in faux fur.

The weekend began at White Noise for “The Wild Ones” party. Hosted by Samuel Valentine, the party attracted the most eclectic, irreverent crowd found south of 14^th Street. Every Friday, the wild ones of Lower Manhattan are lured to this quasi-hidden location with nostalgic music, glamrock décor and about a half-a-dozen photographers.

Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye. Nicolas spent the better part of his day revisiting the long-lost Altman building for the Gilt Warehouse Sale. While he sifted through rare, discounted designer merchandise amongst cocktails and Vita Coco, I spent the morning shopping around the West Village. But when the January doldrums rendered regular retail hopeless, I shared an afternoon of gluten-free goodness at two Lower East Side establishments, Pala and Babycakes.

The sun went down and it was time to plan the night’s festivities once more: Bedlam was the first stop on the itinerary. Anderson Cooper’s boyfriend, Benjamin Maisani, opened Bedlam in September 2010 and the bar has since welcomed bold-faces names like Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Alan Cumming. Full of large taxidermy projects, vintage anatomy graphs, and yellowed photo wallpaper, the bar also attracts an anonymous mix of stylish PYTs.

When Sunday morning rolled around, it was time to make the last make-or-break decision: Where to brunch?

Nicolas, Rachel, and I decided to venture away from the norm and head uptown to Zucchero E Pomodori. While the crowd was more “B&T state school sorority reunion” than “pre-fashion week urbanite,” the three of us wholeheartedly enjoyed our delicious dishes and unlimited mimosas. After our brunchtastic rendezvous, we made our way to Rachel’s abode to check out some of her newest projects.

To ease the pain of having our weekend ripped away like a sticky band-aid, I aimlessly sifted through Saturday’s neglected mail. And what do I find, but a certain unmistakable plexi-glass Fashion Week invite? Withdrawals, be gone: With Fashion Week just around the corner, we have no time to fret the hours between 9-and-5!

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