Collective Sensibility

Over the weeks we’ve written about brands that provoke and intrigue; infrequently, however have we touched on the concept of design staples that are the keystone of a woman’s wardrobe. Obakki, founded in 2005 by Owner Treana Peake, seeks to provide creative classics that will serve as the aesthetic foundation for, and provide added value to wearers.

Obakki is in essence a collective; a cohesive sensibility of talented upstart designers that operates as a platform for innovation and excellence in fashion.  Each piece is a relevant contribution to ready-to-wear, and retains the Obakki finesse: the polished yet rustic slant Peake is recognized for today in her home-base of Vancouver. We appreciate that her inspiration is the young talent she finds herself surrounded by, and this is likewise a fundamental consideration in Debut’s approach to fashion.

This season it’s been a marriage of perfect proportions and fabrications: Obakki’s asymmetric thin leather jacket is razor-sharp in fit, and a pullover sheath dress in grey herringbone is ruched in the front and back, creating our new catch-phrase: “magic”. The dress has been snapped up by everyone who tries it on, including one woman who was looking specifically NOT looking for dresses; it was that good. 

* Contact Debut now to learn more about our sale: info@debutnewyork.com 

Running With the Shadows of the Light

Shadowplay is one of Debut’s newest treasures. The collection of hand-crafted “jewelry” - a term we use loosely, for the nature of this brand is so ephemeral - is comprised of lighter-than-air necklaces spun in the vein of cotton candy. Each piece is a harmony of 100% natural fibers: bamboo, cotton, silk, cashmere, mohair and organic and naturally-dyed merino wool. For excellent measure these mingle with Crystallized ™ Swarovski elements and certified Fair Trade black silver.

The evident workmanship and unabashedly luxe nature of the materials keeps the jewelry from veering into precious or craft-like territory. We’ve instantly taken to layering Shadowplay necklaces with simple t-shirts to add a hint of color and sparkle to our faces, and undoubtedly will be calling on these for impending festivities, or to hoist ourselves from mid-season sartorial melancholy.

Debut New York will host a trunk show this coming week to introduce the collection and designer Heather Goldberg, now based in Los Angeles where she creates her well-edited range of amorphous, mystical jewelry that seems born from the land, sea and everywhere unseen in between.

 

Debut Invites You...

Dress Me Up in Diamonds

Whilst not technically composed of diamonds, Holly Fulton’s eponymous Perspex, Swarovski crystal and metal jewelry designs stand alone. So strong is the aesthetic impact of each that we liken the effect to the dazzle of a diamond in the proverbial rough.

Winner of the Young Designer of the Year category at the Scottish Fashion Awards, her debut Autumn/Winter 2009 collection synthesized the linear, yet seductive qualities of Art Deco design and paired the unique patterns with clean, monochromatic – yet sing-song bold – colors. The Holly Fulton look, it seems, is one that pops: visually gratifying with a tactile, nearly audible presence.

She abstracted the key elements of her RTW into glam neckwear, which we’ve loaded up on for the season. Each necklace is a relief of Holly’s rendering of Deco on steroids, imagined with glam robotic inflections. We find these have an intrigue of their own (our visitors often wonder just what the pieces are), and wear so well that they’ve invoked the simple and ultimate compliment, “wow,” on more than a few occasions. Holly Fulton jewelry should be paired with anything and everything.

Debut is Having a Party!

Debut's Debutantes

Brittney Major named winner of Debut New York’s inaugural Designer Open Call.

For the past month Debut has combed through designer portfolio submissions from qualified entrants to our first Designer Open Call initiative. Individuals from around the country braved the specters that the processes of competition and scrutiny invoke, and put forth their personal best for our review. We marveled as always at the surge of talent, and while it is indisputably difficult to choose one talent from many, we found ourselves piqued by Brittney Major, a recent graduate from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Propelled by her passion for the inherent artistry of fashion design, and the relevance of the medium in a modern woman’s wardrobe, Brittney’s foundation is solid. She offers a point of view that feels at once new and easy, and in this sense embodies the idea of “discovery” that is at our core.

We will launch her full collection exclusively this Spring 2010 season – look for more about Brittney and her work from us in the New Year.

Because the difficulty of our choice was absolute, we’ve selected a runner up in Jie Pan. Jie is also an Academy of Art graduate, and displayed a heightened level of stirring, technical wizardry. We will celebrate Jie’s achievement by carrying a selection of looks through February 2010.

Cocktails and Dreams...

Paris-based, Belgian designer Cathy Pill is a designer hyphenate: splashy-yet-sophisticated, stirring-conversational-feminine…we can go on. Highly regarded in the editorial realm from the start, she has been characterized as having “zing”, as well as a “sensitivity and an analytical approach”.

We’ve found that the fashion critics have agreed on a common truth: Cathy Pill has a design lexicon fully stocked with Belgian Art Nouveau references, and an intuition for combining structure, draping and unique colors and patterns. Without appearing overly complicated, the work evokes intrigue in nearly anybody passing by.

Each design has its own specific identity and purpose, resulting from Cathy’s common language. Take for instance our window this week. We’ve noticed a few shoppers stalking a particular dress: a shift with a gently folded asymmetric neckline. The applied pattern is a quiet riot of lava flow orange, and newspaper black and white – an organic, nearly living and breathing work of art.

Begging to be worn under a sharply-tailored blazer is an asymmetric sheer dress, cut on the bias with a high neck and inverted “train” hem. It’s a subdued cousin of our window dress, and a distant, refined relative of the phoenix red, deconstructed “swing dress”, an exaggerated thing that can be manipulated 10+ ways on the body. Beyond the surface aesthetic, Cathy Pill designs are shape-shifters – once on the female form they take on new life, becoming the wearer’s own. This is our second season with the collection, and we’re pleased to be bringing this forward for Spring 2010 – stay tuned.

Springing to life on the runway:

Simple Drama: