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Style

Susan Standen's Silk Scarves Are the Antidote to Fast-Fashion Fatigue

Susan Standen's line of luxury scarves started simply enough: Her husband loved to buy vintage scarves from a place called Drakes in London, but they were becoming increasingly difficult to find. So Standen decided to make him a few of his beloved scarves by hand for a Christmas gift. That might have been the end of the story -- if Standen's husband hadn't happened to be Dirk Standen, the editor in chief of Style.com.

Shopping

Under-the-Radar Summer Sales to Shop Now

This sale season has been particularly good, hasn't it? (A little too good.) I'm sure you've spent as many hours as I have on J.Crew, Madewell and Net-a-Porter deciding between a Band of Outsiders blazer and Leah's perfect pajama dress. I chose the dress, because the Band-heavy Net-a-Porter sale just closed. Gah. And J.Crew says that the "extra 30% off sale items ends today." Argh. Yet there's still fantastic news: tons of other sales are happening, and they're really good. Here are eight great ones I've been shopping. Because, you know, it's my job....

Shopping

Meet the 26-Year-Old Behind New Boutique (and Colette Rival) FiveStory

When New York native Claire Distenfeld hit 25, like most young 20-somethings, she had something of a quarterlife crisis. "I had a few months of 'What am I going to do with my life?' moments" she told me. Unlike most 20-somethings, the answer for Distenfeld was an incredibly ambitious undertaking: to launch a luxury retail space in New York to rival Colette in Paris or Corso Como in Milan. Last night, fashion's elite gathered to celebrate the opening of Distenfeld's boutique, FiveStory, which is not five stories, but two and a half floors of a gorgeous townhouse on East 68th St (number 18, if you're in the neighborhood). The boutique, which Claire opened with the help of her father, Fred, displays a meticulously curated and unexpected selection of women's and men's apparel, accessories, jewelry, shoes, kids and home wares displayed just-so in a space designed by Ryan Korbon. The floors are black and white marble and the staircases are lined with wrought iron balustrade. Read: This store is fancy. Thankfully, the upscale setting and location doesn't necessarily mean that what's for sale there is prohibitively pricey. There is contemporary clothing too, priced between $200 and $600. We caught up with Claire to ask her how a 26 year old managed to pull this whole thing off.

Business

Fashion News Roundup: Isabel Marant Is Opening a Los Angeles Store, Nicki Minaj Covers Complex, and How John Varvatos Feels About Being On Fashion Star

Isabel Marant is Coming to Los Angeles: The French designer is packing her wedge sneakers and high-tailing it to Los Angeles, where she will open a 2,500 square foot store in West Hollywood. {WWD subscription required} Rag & Bone Opts For in-House PR: The brand has tapped Tanja Ruhnke for their newly-created Head of Communications post. Ruhnke, who just left a position at KCD Paris, served as Internal Communications Director at Helmut Lang until 2004. Clearly, she is well-equipped to helm the Communications department at Rag & Bone. {Fashionista inbox} Nicki Minaj Covers Complex's 10th Anniversary Issue: The emcee dons a platinum blonde wig and brandishes a black and white lollipop for the glossy's celebratory cover. {Complex}

Style

January Mood Board

It may be January, but here at Fashionista we're dreaming of a hot sunny, days and bright happy clothes. With the temperature in New York at over 60