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:

Give More...

Happy Holidays from Debut

As our gift to you

Please enjoy 20% off of your purchase of a gift card

 From now until January 1, 2010.

Happy hunting.

- Debut New York

Please inquire directly about specific details pertaining to this special offer.

info@debutnewyork.com

212.343.2717

Equilibrium of Contrasts

To Long-Nam is a young, Paris-based designer who feels elusive in the best possible way, like cherry blossom “season” in Manhattan, or the lone perfect blazer in our size in the recesses of a small boutique. We admit that we feel a bit giddy to have a range from his Autumn/Winter 2009 collection at Debut New York presently. These capture all that is wonderful about discovering a new designer skilled in the creation of classic-yet-not.

Inky wool “suiting” pieces include draped, meticulously seamed and finished blazers with a hint of equestrian tailoring, and faint echoes of the European masters of construction. A hand-pleated organza tuxedo blouse is intensely delicate, but offers a modern compromise with a knitted, adjustable fold over neckline. A perfect sheath in white silk with a night-black inset down the front has a looping seam detail around the right shoulder, which offsets the stark palette without detracting from the simplicity and straight-forward nature of the design.

Structured yet somehow liquid silhouettes exemplify Long-Nam’s use of contrasting elements to create a harmonious design language. We feel this serves as a solid foundation for the essentials that arrive in spurts in this world – Jil Sander and Helmut Lang for instance now both erstwhile from their namesake brands – and Long-Nam, we hope, will be here for the duration.

* This jacket is the most intricate: a "waist coat" blazer in black wool/cashmere 

* A silk shift with seam detail and black contrast inset

* Black wool/silk contoured blazer

* These three are easily the most deceptively simple: the white button down is a classic "perfect" shape; however notice the contoured sleeve; the organza "tuxedo" blouse features a knitted turtleneck with hidden snaps for an adjustable fit; the classic wool crewneck is light weight and its contoured shoulder seams offer a subtle differentiation.

New In...

New in Debut New York: Meredith Wendell clutches...

Please call 212.343.2717 or email info@debutnewyork.com for inquiries.

Heart-Reker

Douglas Reker is akin to the elusive fashion wunderkind we dream of discovering on a daily basis. Like many of the designers we introduce at Debut, Reker is a dyed in the wool creative force with old world technique, which he uses to further the exploration of modern processes.

Reker is a master with prints having forged his hand creating “surface embellishment” at a few illustrious posts following graduation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Fortunately for the consumer public he returned to the art of complete garment design, and has since rendered three collections (the Autumn/Winter 2009 “Tiny Things” collection currently residing in Debut is his third). His developing signature is a blend of architectural and natural ease with a passing nod at tradition en route to alluring flights of fancy.

Take for instance “Tiny Things” where whimsy and a slightly dark take on glamour are at play: a perfectly weighted jersey is infused with a light as air lace and ivy print. The tactile appearance, smooth hand and partially-obscured mini characters that surface as if from a trick of the eye game offer a teasing, if subtle glimpse at a story. As to what the story is lies between the wearer and her garment. And what garments these are – mini dresses of layered, scalloped jersey and cap-sleeved angular sheaths trimmed in leather that recall Tippi Hedren if she roamed our SoHo streets today.

Debut New York's Open Call to Designers

DEBUT NEW YORK

DESIGNER OPEN CALL

 

What: Debut New York extends an invitation to new and aspiring womenswear designers to submit portfolios for our inaugural Designer Open Call. In accordance with our aim to introduce distinctive new collections the open call will provide a forum and an opportunity for undiscovered designers to present and sell their work for the Spring 2010 season.

Details: Notice for portfolio submissions is effective immediately calling for designers to send artwork inclusive of sketches and photos to opencall@debutnewyork.com by Tuesday, November 10th. Debut New York will review all material and highlight select entrants on the boutique’s blog (debutnewyork.blogspot.com) throughout the process.

Up to 3 finalists will be designated and invited for a presentation on Tuesday, November 17th at Debut’s Mulberry Street location (those who cannot make it in person will still be considered).

Conclusion: Winner(s) will be announced on Monday, November 23rd, and Debut New York will feature the winning designs in our Spring 2010 lineup.

Wrap Me Up

The general calm and sense of security a perfect, slouchy sweater induces is often undercut by the wearer’s knowledge that the item in question isn’t necessarily as cool or inviting towards others as it ideally would be.

We’ve found the answer to this dilemma in Micaela Greg’s Autumn/Winter 2009 collection – the label’s inaugural – a range of super soft knitwear inspired by optical art and origami folding techniques. The designers are San Francisco-based sisters who had the lofty influences of a master dressmaker grandmother and a grandfather skilled in the fine art of shoemaking and pursuant of the inventive properties lurking in the design world. With inherited attention to perfect craftsmanship and a natural inclination towards the innovative the sisters achieved design school degrees in knitwear (Masters at that) and design with an emphasis on pattern-making. The collective experiences bred a debut collection founded on patterns and structures out of the ordinary that celebrate an authentic design tradition and capture an insouciant, downtown attitude of modernity.

We’ve recently been reaching quickly for the open-front cocoon sweater created with spun sugar wool in milk-and-cookies black and white; warming when it needs to be, and light and breathable when the sun hits our shoulders during Sunday afternoon brunch. At night we were curled up on the sofa of our glowing apartments wearing the lean, perfectly tailored optic knit leggings, which on a more ambitious evening we’d pair with heels and a sharp, long blazer for dinner. And while it isn’t all knitwear all of the time for us, it could be – Micaela Greg’s butterfly wing draped skirt has a twisted-classic appeal that will work in the office on Monday with a bare leg, or over-the-knee boots. 

* above: trapezoid high-waisted "butterfly" skirt

 

* above left: classic slim-fit "geo" cardigan, above right: oversized optical "cocoon" sweater

 

* above left: "op" leggings, above right: "geo" leggings

Fashion Reverberation

The froth of “Fashion Month” has lost a bit of its addictive essence, and editors have returned to their desks (finally!), remembered what their fall clothes look like (it’s officially cold in the fashion capitals) and perhaps embarked on side travels to cover the Frieze Art Fair and Los Angeles Fashion Week. In the throes of the season Debut New York remains focused on what’s next, and turns with renewed anticipation to Japan Fashion Week taking place presently half a world away in Tokyo. 

Specifically one of our current in-store favorites will be showing his second collection, and we find it fitting to focus on the premier range - exclusively available in the Americas at Debut – of Sachio Kawasaki. His namesake collection is a study of depth in every sense. The formally trained designer studied in London at the Chelsea College of Art & Design and Central Saint Martins - with a stint at Balenciaga to boot – and officially debuted for the Autumn/Winter 2009 season with a runway show at Japan Fashion Week (his graduate collection for A/W 2008 was presented in London). The designer fuses the multi-dimensional elements of textile and structure to create a pure aesthetic stretching beyond basic luxury, and into fine art territory.

Titled “Wave of Sound,” the collection is simple, yet deceptively elegant. Kawasaki’s creations are whipped up with the intrinsically linked components of inspired, unique 2-D patterns and 3-D shapes, and softly, precisely draped into the most wearable separates that attain a new manipulation and balance of proportion.

The purity of this approach has rendered the perfect Little Black dress, albeit one with a subtle, origami-like construction in the lightest silk. A Mia Farrow circa Rosemary’s Baby empire waist blouson sleeve dress appears at first glance to be made from lustrous duchess satin, yet is in fact a smooth and sculpted cashmere/silk blend of ivory with jet black looping graphic lines that draw the eye across natural contours – a true harmony.

Heard: Debut New York Fetes

Please join us this week on Tuesday and Wednesday for two distinctive events: 

Tuesday, October 20

Debut New York hosts a trunk show for emerging designer Fabiola Arias. Fabiola is a recent Parson’s graduate whose unique style has already generated a following within the international fashion community - please visit www.fabiolaarias.com. Meet the designer and enjoy complementary cocktails from 5-7 at Debut.

 

Wednesday, October 21

Lucia Tait and Amanda Sheppard of Coup de Coeur

Host a shopping event at Debut New York

Featuring the Fall 2009 collections of Karolina Zmarlak and jewelry designer Holly Fulton

Appearance and clinic 1-6pm

Cocktail reception 6-8pm

Please contact us directly at info@debutnewyork.com or 212.343.2717 for inquiries

Gray Days and Bright Nights

Last week we wrote about one of our favorite new brands emerging from the U.K. and launching with Debut this season. This week we feel compelled to wax poetically about another such brand, and it’s quite the foil to Felder Felder’s stormy palette and studded glamour. Louise Gray’s eponymous collection of separates, including the slickest denim and softest chiffons we’ve pawed this fall, also launches with Debut for Autumn/Winter 2009. Gray bases her collections on the credo that things never have to be as they seem, an ethos that she executes in a diverse offering of signature – yet far from basic – silk chiffon tunics, bright hues and through-the-looking-glass arrangement of textures and materials. 

This season Gray ushers in plush, form-fitting optical cashmere knits, neon layers of chiffon with hand-sewn embroidery and a take on the omnipresent “jegging”, a skinny, dark jean backed in black cotton spandex with a subtly sinister pointed stud at each hip. These have the lovely, and as of yet untapped party in the front, business in the back appeal – pair with an elongated tuxedo jacket, or a slouchy, soft knit and spiky heels. We love each distinctive piece; however what captured our immediate attention (and will surely steal yours) are the mirror adorned pieces. A cropped denim bustier has the controlled chaos of glass shattered, then artfully rearranged and stitched down to create a new form. The effect lends definition, shape and depth to the design, a jewelry-like approach that Gray also daringly applies to a delicate chiffon tank dress.

The Louise Gray collection is a harmony of colors and textures fit for glittering city streets, dark corner booths and smoky dance floors.

* Denim and mirror-embroidered cropped bustier top

* Denim / cotton stretch skinny jean

      

* Fuchsia/grey marled cashmere open-backed tunic-length sweater.

* Lemon/eggplant silk chiffon mirror-embroidered sleeveless mini dress

For inquiries and order information on the Louise Gray collection please contact Debut New York at info@debutnewyork.com or 212.343.2717.