There are many reasons we really want to go to Art Basel in Miami. From (of course) the art to the beyond chic crowd and parties. And just the general fun one can have in sunny Miami because you know, “Miami, Miami, you’ve got style. Blue skies, sunshine, white sand by the mile…” (If you get that reference, we’re pretty much automatically friends.)

But I digress. We just learned about another cool thing that will be at the upcoming Art Basel: a super swanky vending machine at the Mondrian Hotel filled with special edition goodies curated by Interview magazine.

Inside you’ll find this Pringle of Scotland t-shirt (pictured) designed by artist David Shrigley, hand-drawn Vena Cava shoes, art from the Gossip Girl set, old archival issues of Interview, and even an out-of-print copy of the Fabien Baron art directed Madonna Sex book.

So much better than the Doritos and Snickers you usually find in a vending machine.

Save Fashion returns this week and if today’s Luella news is any indication, there’s still a lot of saving to be done in this fair industry of ours.

But what to buy?

Here’s advice straight from some of the participants:

—“I’d say the one must-have item from VC at Save Fashion is our leather leggings.
The color makes them more unique than your basic black leather leggings, and the price is pretty killer too. Also, they’re a surprisingly solid winter staple - really warm and cozy!” -Lisa Mayock, Vena Cava

—“The Egyptian dictionary dress is my favorite. It’s silk chiffon with hand written words from an Egyptian glossary written all over it. Definitely a conversation piece and it will leave you wanting to figure out what a lot of the words are.” -Sophie Buhai, Vena Cava

—“There will be lots of one-of-a-kind pieces straight from my shows. I would invest in one of the coats. Don’t let this weather fool you. I’m predicting a very very cold winter.” - Thuy Diep, Thuy

Last season, one couldn’t squeeze into a show without being knocked around by a pair of expensive shoulders. Though the Balmain or Margiela or any shoulder interpretation of the two have stuck around here and there, SS10’s featured a healthy crop of anti-shoulders so far.

Designers ranging from Richard Nicoll to the team at Topshop, from Australian Josh Goot to the Brooklyn based Vena Cava girls, haven’t just ignored shoulder pads, they’ve actually cut out the shoulders of their tops and dresses. Julien Macdonald placed extra larges slits at the shoulders of his slashed dress and Osman Yousefzada cut the shoulders out of a handful of looks in his all-white collection.

Will it knock its opposite off the runways? All eyes on you Carine.

At yesterday’s Vena Cava production, no one quite knew whether they were at a show or presentation.

There were no seating assignments, but there was a runway. Ladders perched in the middle of said runway, but lights went down and there was a start and finish. It ended up being a bit of both, set to The Fiery Furnaces and starring some of Sophie and Lisa’s classics.

We spotted cut out triangles, zip fronts and sheer dresses in the best prints; a gorgeous dove grey gown and safety pin patterns; cummerbund belts and fishnet knit layers. We also spotted GAP’s Patrick Robinson chatting with Nicole Phelps in the pit and Sally Singer maneuvering through the crowd for a semi-decent seat.

Like three people said in the space of the hour, “Those girls just keep getting better and better.”

We love Sharpies here at Fashionista. They come in very handy with our graphic tendencies and the rainbow of colors they now come in is quite lovely. That said, we never expected to hear them attached to Fashion Week. But apparently, they are.

It was thought that perhaps MAC wanted to get out of their IMG relationship in part because of the overcrowded sponsorship mania that now goes on at the Tents. You know, with people like McDonald’s and whatnot. Um, maybe this is what they were talking about?

The first solid details on the tentatively titled MAC at Milk shows we’ve been talking about since the cosmetics company decided to end its partnership with IMG leaving Maybelline to jump in as the official makeup sponsor at Bryant Park.

And the initial list of designers signed on for events at Milk Studios is very, very strong: Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Peter Som, Threeasfour, Vena Cava, Band of Outsiders, Adam Lippes, Altuzarra, Barbara Tfank, Costello Tagliapietra, Erin Fetherston, Pamela Love, Preen and Temperley London.

Silver Fox: Jeffrey Monteiro’s resort collection’s already made its TV debut, courtesy of our noted girl crush, Kim Gordon performing on Jimmy Fallon. Though even a Sonic Youth appearance makes it hard for us to stomach that show. {StyleFile}

Invention Convention: Fashion’s most ethically minded innovators get recognized. Reading this cleared our palate of the NYC Prep aftertaste. {Vogue UK}

Urban Dips Into Sea of Shoes: What do you think of Jane Aldridge’s first collection for UO? We’re not in love, but that flat is kinda cute. {Refinery29}

Less is More: Or so Saks thinks for the upcoming year. Translation: if you want your size, you have to shop early…and don’t expect the discounts you’ve seen lately. {Bloomberg}

We’ve been anxiously awaiting the new CFDA Design Edition khakis at the GAP. Not as much as the white shirts, but still we’re excited.

Even better, we just learned that GAP’s Patrick Robinson along with designers Alexander Wang, Albertus Swanepoel, and the Vena Cava girls Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai will all be at the 54th and 5th store on Tuesday at 10:30 to say hi and launch the collection.

The lines will be likely be major. Go early, or risk going home empty-handed. And if you pick up one of Alexander Wang’s motorcycle jackets for us while you’re there, we’ll love you forever.

We’ll sum up the Miss Sixty show quickly - Stam opened, Coco sat front row next to Mischa Barton, Karlie death-walked, Sasha’s hair looked dirty, there were denim jumpsuits, Pretty Woman hats, slogan tees and this one red coat we really loved - because we need to talk about what American Express is doing to Fashion Week.

Let me preface this by saying that if I wasn’t lucky enough to be invited to fashion shows and had the money to buy my way in, I probably would. But the divide between those in the industry and those looking for a party in the tents is widening and making it increasingly frustrating for those needing to do their jobs.

Chelsea’s the indie version of the tents. Its small venues have housed Vena Cava, Band of Outsiders, Ohne Titel, Preen - all shows mostly attended by those who work in fashion (plus Kanye). Despite lines and small entrances, there is no pushing (ok, Rag & Bone doesn’t count), no grabbing, and no yelling because everyone will get inside, everyone will see the clothes and everyone will politely and graciously do their jobs.

In comparision, the tents are a battlefield. Just getting in line is a nightmare full of groping, shoving, attitude and foot stomping. At Erin Fetherston, we witnessed a girl try to scare an editor out of his seat by screaming, “I paid good money for this seat!” We’ve overheard AmEx customers speak to the frazzled PR girls like they’re twelve when unhappy with their $200 seats. The girls behind me at Herve (their bought tickets were a gift) laughed obnoxiously at the falling models. And if you dare block the elite skybox in the big tent, which cuts down the standing section considerably, you risk being escorted out by security.

It’s easy to forget that Fashion Week is, essentially, just a semi-glamorous convention. Everyone within a very small industry convenes in one place to discuss its changing nature and see what’s new. It is both exhausting and rewarding work made that much harder by those looking for a Devil Wears Prada moment.

Should AmEx stop their support of fashion week? No, but they should probably include an etiquette book with their ticket package.

The Vena Cava presentation was a bit of a drive-by for most people since it was stuck in between the Barbie extravaganza and Alexander Wang (which was the first show you could rightly call a “show”, for the record).

The collection seemed like a darker take on Vena Cava’s past, with a few surprises like fringe (sometimes like for a flapper, sometimes like for a Hell’s Angel), and a disco ball miniskirt.

Of note: Bright orange eyeliner we know will make it into a Teen Vogue beauty editorial, more cut-outs (like at Charlotte Ronson, Shipley & Halmos, Ohne Titel and Costello), and sandals. For Fall.

Though we guess it bears mentioning that we haven’t had to button our coat once this week, so maybe the girls are on to something.

We love street style blogs - from Garance, to Scott, to Jak&Jil - and Phil from StreetPeeper just made his even more fun.

He’s added a search feature so that you can enter a name - whether a designer’s, a label’s or an individual’s - to narrow your search and see how real, albeit super stylish, people incorporate Rick Owens and Marchesa into actual wardrobes - not editorials.

And to make things more interesting, he’s starting a new feature in which he recruits some pretty awesome fashion people to pick their favorite looks from the site. First up is Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava who doesn’t just choose the most inspiring, most creative outfits but actually explains what she likes about them and why she wants to be reincarnated as a dude.

Rogan and Kate Lanphear are compiling their lists - so we’d suggest checking in rather frequently.

Chace Crawford may have no idea who he is, but at least everyone else does -

Alexander Wang took home the CFDA’s biggest prize last night, flanked by runners-up Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava, and Albertus Q. Swanepoel of Albertus Quartus.

Wang now joins the ranks of past winners Proenza, Trovata, Doo Ri and Rogan to go with his two years of mentorship, not to mention the $200,000 to grow his business. So between his CFDA award and his Shu deal, Alex should be rolling in it like Scrooge McDuck.

Money jackets a la Jeremy Scott for Fall 09?

If you’ve spent years listening to your boyfriend/intern/best man friend rave about Odin and you’re like, “OK, I get it. Enough,” then it’s finally your turn.

Eddy and Paul, the revered team behind the beloved men’s store, opened a women’s outpost in September, called Pas de Deux on 11th between 1st and 2nd, and we finally took a moment to hang out with Paul this morning.

He showed us the tightly edited selection of Wang, Lim, Engineered Garments (an Odin favorite), Vena Cava, Coventry, etc, merchandised together for easy-to-understand shopping. The clothes, basically our dream wardrobe, are accessorized with hard-to-find shoe styles from Repetto and Loeffler Randall, sunglasses from Karen Walker and Linda Farrow, and a handful of jewelry from mostly Brooklyn designers.

For Spring, they’re introducing Coming Soon by Yohji Yamamoto and Richard Chai (who conveniently happens to be Eddy’s brother). The tiny, and gorgeous store is meant to be your dream closet, and the blue wall paper, mirrors and girly chandeliers scream Holly Golightly - a very elegant scream, of course.

If we could’ve left with an entirely new outfit - save for our motorcycle boots - we would’ve. Instead, we left with a new favorite store and big plans for our closet.

Want to save 40% on dresses today? Of course you do.

So, go to Owl’s Lab, all dresses will be 40% off - sale and regular price.

All you have to do is type in the magic code at the check-out (DRESS40) and voila, that Vena Cava zipper dress we’ve been dreaming about is now 40% more justifiable.

But click quick because this promotion only lasts until tonight at midnight!

Sharing is caring.

—HAYLEY PHELAN

Hurricane Hanna decided to hit on our way to Vena Cava from Frank Tell.

We were soaked to the bone, crawling into the Chelsea Art Museum when we realized Vena Cava was throwing a party and their clothes just happened to be on display.

Impossibly cool girls, (think they knew Scott Schuman would be there?), hung around the perimeter in their designer frocks and rompers holding an unlikely accessory - cans of Budweiser in custom Vena Cava beer koozies.

Models stood on a central platform in their drapey, dressed-up-in-Brooklyn outfits. The girls had mentioned their Nile/Ancient Egypt inspiration and you could see it in the colors - muted blues, sea green, gold - and the jewelry.

The models all wore Vena Cava for Via Spiga shoes, of course, which were also piled high against a wall in case you needed a closer look. The shoes were much more impressive in person than in the original sketches and we desperately wanted to snag a pair.

But we had to run to catch those delicious macaroons at Bumble before Catherine Holstein started!

The other day, we told you that Oak’s Bond Street store and website’s selling limited-edition designs from some of their favorite designers starting Monday, September 8th.

And now, we bring you a few of the looks from Vena Cava, LD Tuttle, Boyfriend, Wrath Arcane and Complex Geometries.

The full list of participating designers includes: Philip Crangi, Filippa K, A Peace Treaty, Aesa, Alex and Chloe, Antoine Dom, Bess, Brian Lichtenberg, Carlos Campos, Cavern, Form, Dar-de, Erik Hart, Jeffrey Campbell, Julian Red, Maharishi, Obesity and Speed, S2VS, Wrath Arcane, Yarnz, Andrea Buzyn, Eairth, Unconditional, Eugene Tsai, Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons, Crate, Freemont, Corpus, Harmon, Hood by Air, Hyden Yoo, J Lindeberg, Jason Nevikov, Orthodox, Public School, Trastaverine, and those previously mentioned.

We know it’s a little tough to make out the clothes in teaser photos, but we think the vibe comes across nicely.

For too long, zippers have been hidden amidst layers of fabric, disguised in neutral colors - the point being, you don’t see them. But not so this Fall; finally, zippers are having their moment!

And, really, we couldn’t be more ecstatic - nothing toughens up a tight dress like a metal zipper ripping through the middle, like this sweet Vena Cava. And à la Wang, a prominent zipper on a pair of pants adds interest and street cred (bonus points if they’re leather). Of course, zippers on jackets are nothing new but what is, is their unabashed silver teeth (as opposed to discreet black), their extra length, and prominence.

And hey, it’s easier than buttons.

—HAYLEY PHELAN

Hi Blake,

We love your show. And while some in our office might be on Team Blair, we love you, too.

And so we’re kind of worried about you. Have you lost track of where Serena Van Der Woodsen ends and Blake Lively begins?

It’s ok that you’re dating your on-screen boyfriend off-screen, apparently everyone does that, but we’re concerned with your wardrobe. See, Serena’s outfits are ok for TV, (truthfully, sometimes they’re a little much), but they’re not ok for real life. And yet you pile on the accessories and carry the outrageous bags through New York as if you can’t leave GG world.

We love Vena Cava too, but they’re Serena’s favorite brand and there’s really no need for you to wear every single romper they’ve ever made.

And the outfit you wore to the premiere party this weekend, at left, had us super worried until we realized that it was the premier party and you’re probably just getting into character.

You should talk to Sarah Jessica Parker about this, she managed to learn a lot from Pat Field without ever actually dressing like Carrie.

Can’t wait til the 1st!

xo,
F

p.s. “F” always = Fashionista!