Designer Handbags in Authentic Python

Handbag Designer Laura Vela Launches Capsule Collection With Exclusive Preview Trunk Show

Manhattan-based fashion accessories designer Laura Vela, specializing in luxury handbags for the stylishly confident woman, is debuting her latest collection at New York’s leading women’s fashion retailer WiNK. Designed for exclusive release through WiNK stores, the “Capsule Collection” for Spring /Summer 2014 presents progressive handbag designs in premium leather with striking compliments of exotic snake skin.

“A woman’s handbag is the most personal part of her wardrobe. It should be a reflection of her, both inside and out,” informs Vela of her design approach. Through this her handbags compliment the free-spirited woman who exudes chic and effortless style; the true woman within all women.

Crafted with only the highest quality leather sourced from Italy, Argentina and Spain, Laura Vela is redefining luxury through global influences to edgy, minimalist designs. This latest Capsule Collection incorporates uniquely versatile python skin to offer luxury handbags at a refreshingly accessible price - MRRP $250-$560.

WHO:         New York designer handbag brand Laura Vela.

WHAT:       Fall Trunk Show 

WHERE:      WiNK, 129 Prince St, SoHo, New York City

WHEN:        Tuesday, December 17, 2013

                   5pm-6pm    - Private Press Preview

                   6pm-9pm    - Cocktails & Trunk Show (open to public)

WHY:          To preview the SS14 Capsule Collection in authentic python, New York designer handbag brand Laura Vela is hosting a Trunk Show at the SoHo location of exclusive fashion retailer WiNK.

Laura Vela is available at select boutiques nationwide and online at www.lauravela.com. 

From Girl to Young Woman, a New York Fashion Story

A Staple for Young Fashionables Continues as Frankie, a Concept Store by Pixie Market.

One of New York City’s most beloved fashion-forward boutiques is set to reemerge rebranded and recreated. Under the discerning curation of the Pixie Market founders, Frankie is set to inspire the girl who enjoys affordable luxe-looking basics that connect with her dynamic city lifestyle; whether by taxi, subway, bike or cobblestone.

Where some girls dress for their friends, others dress for men. The Frankie girl dresses for herself, and is the best-dressed girl in the room. As a career-mined girl her days are long; she needs an outfit that stands strong in the office, takes her out for a quick drink then moves on for dinner and a nightcap. Frankie doesn’t wear a cocktail dress to a party; she wears a tux black jumpsuit or a mock neck chunky sweater with a black sequin pencil skirt. She mixes high and low designers and labels, is well travelled, smart as a whip, imperfectly beautiful and quietly confident. She’s Pixie Market girl’s older sister, and she’s arriving at 100 Stanton St., New York, on November 14.

Established in 2006 by Gaelle Drevet and Magda Pietrobelli, Pixie Market quickly developed a cult following by the city’s of-the-moment girls to make a subtly bold statement through their personal take on contemporary style. With the immense online interest in Pixie Market, the Lower East Side boutique now continues as Frankie with the same leitmotif of uniquely fashion-current items with a one-of-a-kind feeling; somewhat boy-meets-girl, affordable but not disposable, and more than likely you’d never find it anywhere else. While representing the city itself, the store experience goes far beyond to give the visitor a glimpse into emerging refined style from around the world. In this, Frankie reignites the excitement of discovery that one felt when visiting Pixie Market.

For more information please visit www.thefrankieshop.com. 

Five Years, Three Stores, By Robert James

New York Tailor, Robert James, Celebrates Fifth Anniversary With Brooklyn Expansion

Robert James, designer, creative director and namesake of timeless menswear brand By Robert James, is proud to celebrate five years of successful clothing mastery and retail with the opening of its second Brooklyn storefront. Founded in 2008 and produced by hand in the Garment District, By Robert James benefits from the founder’s twenty years of industry experience. By Robert James focuses on simple and enduring menswear forms with the nuance of the modern age.

Appealing equally to high-end fashion as to the modern gent, By Robert James takes its inspiration from music and historic men’s garments and themes, while honoring the tradition of honest, hard work. Although the brand’s fit immediately communicates thoughtful design and impeccable construction, garments can be tailored to fit free of charge on the premises, making the wearer feel as strikingly handsome as the clothes themselves. Selecting premium local and sourced fabrics from Japan, Italy and London, By Robert James consciously employs local manufacturing, ensuring that each item is not only of the highest standard for the consumer, but has a deeper environmental conscience while supporting local businesses with the community. This is a direct reflection of Jame’s upbringing in a small Ohio manufacturing town, where as a preacher’s son he felt deeply the connection and responsibility within the community, and very real association between local business and local harmony.

Outgrowing two locations in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, By Robert James settled in its current flagship studio-boutique on Orchard Street. As the calendar marked its fourth anniversary of business, By Robert James then also opened its doors across the river in the Brooklyn neighborhood gem of Williamsburg. While managing the immense momentum of success received at this new location, James is mapping out the opening of the third retail space to be situated in Brooklyn’s historic Boerum Hill.

This five-year triumph is owed to James’ commitment to classic utilitarian and masculine styles. Musing on his approach, he comments “How I design can be summarized in three words: simple, honest and handsome”; which is same philosophy that brought customers into the first humble LES store. Manhattan-made garments will be superbly featured in the upcoming Brooklyn addition and the distinctive looks will undoubtedly find a home in the wardrobe of By Robert James’ discerning new neighbors.

By Robert James studio-boutique is located at 74 Orchard Street in Manhattan’s LES. The first of the two Brooklyn additions is at 193 Grand Street in Williamsburg, and the second in Boerum Hill scheduled for December 2013. 

About Robert James

Robert James, a rural Ohio native, is the brainchild behind By Robert James.  After graduating from The Ohio State University and FIT, James pursued a design career in apparel design, with the purpose of honing his skills for his own brand.  That day has arrived and James now works to bring his passion for men’s fashion to life by designing, a head to toe line of jackets, coats, jeans, trousers, and craft knitwear.  

Fashion Casual Footwear for the People, by People

People FootwearTM Launches as the Exciting & Invigorating Shoe that is More with Less, for All.

Canadian entrepreneurs Damian Van Zyll De Jong and Matt Penner, original founders of Native Shoes, have recently launched People Footwear. With a view to reinvigorate the footwear market that struggles to tangibly evolve with the modern lifestyle, People is taking cues from the timeless to create footwear for our time.

It’s the simple things that turn out to be the best. People Footwear is about bringing people together; stepping outside to see where the day takes you, who you might meet along the way and knowing an adventure awaits if you’re up for it. And that starts with wearing what looks and feels right.

Shoes don’t have to be complicated. People offer a contemporary design of common sense in a shoe that is stripped down to its simplest form. From construction to production, nothing is wasted and everything is streamlined to produce footwear for today that connects the best styles of the past with the best technology of the future.

Constructed from molded foam, People shoes are the epitome of harmonious comfort making them ideal to throw on to get out. Inspired from famed classic casuals of eras past, they then become a shoe of thoughtful style that, through their minimal aesthetic, subtly compliment your personal style for any casual adventure the day may hold.

Each of the four styles launching for Spring/Summer 2014 are based on a core construction of People’s own Skylite™ and Super Cush™ performance foams, being water repellant, shock-absorbing, easy to clean and best of all, odor resistant. The fully molded style (The Senna – see below) is comprised almost entirely of this super-light and supremely comfortable foam, with secondary materials such as rubber tread elements and removable laces strategically incorporated for added functionality. The three hybrid styles (The Phillips, The Stanley and The Lennon) combine molded Skylite™ foam components with fabric uppers and modern seamless construction techniques for breathable all-season functionality. Two People models (The Phillips and The Stanley) boast 3D printing, the latest in no-sew technology applied selectively to fabrics for structural and aesthetic detail.

Taking the performance hallmarks of an athletic shoe into daily footwear, People have created shoes that envelope your feet and express a balance of support and freedom. Simplification can revolutionize existing staples in ways previously unimagined. And so it is with People Footwear, from design and production through to the freedom felt when wearing them. This is how shoes should feel.