Before I sat down with Robin Schwartz she whipped out 9 pairs of jeans from the top of her closet to be in photos. Yes, this girl was perfect for a spotlight jean closet. Robin is many things, one of my closest friends for starters, so I didn’t have to look far for a subject. Robin also hates the taste of coffee and watches the food network obsessively. Between working at Kate Spade in Soho, interning at Beyond Vintage and gearing up to start her senior year at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Robin had a few minutes to chat with me about jeans in particular.
What is your favorite brand of jeans?
Uniqlo, because they are inexpensive and don’t have a lot of ornamental details so they match with everything. Also they fit very well.
What is your go to outfit when you are running late?
V-neck t-shirt, dark Uniqlo jeans and flats.
How does being a fashion student affect your shopping?
I over think. How much did it actually cost to make this, and I’m paying how much?? Also I think about fabric quality more.
If you could steal a celebrity’s jean collection who would it be?
Jennifer Aniston, I feel like she is always wearing jeans and looks good.
What is you’re advice for other denim lovers?
Always try something different. I used to only wear Seven for All Mankind, but then I started to branch out.
Any advice for men about jeans?
[Laugh] Aka, my boyfriend. I took him to Macy’s because they have a lot of variety–be prepared to try a bunch on. Don’t wear them too big, also not too tight. I don’t want to see the outline of your…
Yes Robin we get the picture. Just from this short conversation, I think it’s pretty obvious why I’m friends with her, apart from her killing jean collection, of course.
– Laura Kealey
Tags: Seven For all Mankind, Uniqlo
Today’s featured jeans are from labels: Levi’s, Kill City, Silence & Noise and Jolt. These four labels are high in fashion, but low in price. Now, that’s real nice!
Levi’s gets bleached out, straightened up and the boot!
Levi's 631 Skinny Premium Jean, now $39!
Levi's 424 Straight Jean, now $39!
Levi's 422 Boot Jean, now $19.99
Kill City does tie-dye like nobody’s business without the Balmain inspired price tag. Cool, comfortable and oh so trendy!
Kill City Junkie Tie-Dye, $59
Kill City Mens Junkie Tie-Dye, $39
Kill City Mens Mod Rinse, $90
Kill City Zip Junkie, $64
Silence & Noise, these jeans were made for walking, strutting, and shaking!
Silence & Noise Twig Jean, $39
Silence & Noise Pull-On Jeans, $39.99
Silence & Noise Ripped Twig Jean, $68
Get a Jolt of electrifying jeans without being burned in price.
Jolt ZigZag Pocket Stretch Jeans, $44
Jolt Legging Pick Me Up, $39
Jolt Mend & Repair Jean, $44
–Nikki Cho Russo
Tags: Jolt, Kill City, Levi's, Silence & Noise
KARMEL & ALDEN's The Megan jean.
Los Angeles-based Karmel & Alden Premium Denim is ready to rock your socks off with their fall 2009 collection. Already garnering a celeb following: Jessica Alba, Audrina Partridge, Brody Jenner and Robert Knepper, to name a few, its “key looks” — super-fitted denim legging style (The ???Brooke’ jean), lightweight skinny jean (the ‘Gabrielle’), the boyfriend jean (the ???Caitlin’), boyfriend short (the ‘Scarlett’), a more retro, ideal-sized flare in lightweight, butter-soft denim (‘the Monica’) , the best-selling ???Virginia’, and the straight-leg ???Bridget’ jean (all available in an assortment of washes and treatments) – are poised to be new faves for the fashionista’s denim closet. And, with a mid-weight denim (10.5-11.5 oz.) used throughout their collection, jeans lovers will appreciate its combined softness and durability.
The Caitlin.
The Bridget.
Karmel & Alden is an amalgamation of four names – Karla and Melissa (Karmel) who are founder, Patricia Ramos’ daughters; and Alec and Denielle (Alden), who are CFO and founding partner Ruben Dominguez’s children. Patricia Ramos is the designer, who has over 25 years experience in the denim industry, working for brands such as Levi’s, Lee, Original Penguin and Perry Ellis, to name a few. With credentials like that, I’d take it over some run-of-the-mill “celeb-designed” denim label.
The Virginia.
Founded in 2006, this denim brand established itself as a premium denim label whose collections pay homage to the vintage denim styles and washes that have been worn by all sectors of American society– from the gold miners of the 1860s and the farm workers and cowboys of the early 20th century American West, to the teenage greasers and rockabillies of the 1950s and hippies of the 1960s.
Designed and manufactured entirely in Los Angeles, Karmel & Alden is stocked in over 90 independent and online stores across the USA. As of posting time, the Karmel & Alden peeps informed me they are updating the K&A Web site with a directory of the fall 2009 collection stockists, which should be available next week.
– Kathy Ng Hassan
Tags: Karmel & Alden
Here’s a neat fashion video from H&M, featuring the Jeans Designer of Cheap Monday jeans, ?–rjan Andersson. He says that the more you use your jeans, the better finish it gets. There are so many things you can do to jeans, which is why they’ll never go out of style. Well ain’t that the truth! Plenty more videos to enjoy, including what to wear to a music festival.
– Kathy Ng Hassan
Tags: Cheap Monday, H&M
Lee Jeans Company, one of America’s oldest denim companies, opens their first free standing retail store at The Crossings Premium Outlet in Tannersville, Pa. Lee plans to open three more stores in outlet malls by 2010.
???We launched Lee.com about three years ago, and from that really understood consumers were hungry for a direct experience with the Lee brand and were seeking us out,??? she said. ???Once we realized that we had that level of trust, the next extension was to look at a brick-and-mortar, but knowing that we have a huge relationship with our retailers. We don??™t want to compete ??” we want to enhance their business??? said Liz Cahill, Lee’s vice president of marketing and communications in today’s WWD.
A brief history of Lee; the company was formed in 1889 by Henry David Lee as the Lee Mercantile Company at Salina, Kansas producing dungarees and jackets. The growth of Lee was prompted by the introduction of the Union-All work jumpsuit in 1913 and their first overall in 1920. Later in the 1920s Lee introduced a zipper fly and continued to expand. Around this time, the first children’s overall line was sold.
During the 1930s and 1940s the company became the leading manufacturer of work clothes in the US. In 1944, the Lazy “S” became the official Lee back pocket. In the 1970s Lee shifted its focus from the workwear business and began catering to fashion cycles. Lee created an all-new fit for women under the Ms. Lee label. A youth wear line for boys and girls was introduced.
In 1996 started Lee National Denim Day as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As champions in the fight against breast cancer, Lee works with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Lee National Denim Day has raised over $75 million to help fund breast cancer research programs. Lee will host it’s 14th annual Lee National Denim Day on Oct 2. Employees of US corporations are invited to make a $5 contribution in the fight against breast cancer in exchange for wearing jeans to workfor a day. Lee will donate $5 of every purchase made at The Crossings Outlet store throughout September to the cause.
Men's Low Bootcut
Women's Slender Secret Flap Pocket
Boys Skinny
Girls Bootcut
Lee continues to provide denim globally with an all-American sensibility. Comfortable styles, affordable prices and an unwavering patriotism giving back to the community.
Click here to read the WWD article
–Nikki Cho Russo
Tags: Lee
by
From WWD ISSUE 08/27/2009
After a period of immaculately clean superskinny fits dominating the jeanswear market, the big news for spring is the straight-leg distressed look ??” coupled with extreme ripped denim, soft whiskering and splattered paint-aged effects. Here, five denim trends gaining momentum for the upcoming season.
Photo By: Robert Mitra
Acne??™s cotton denim jeans and DKNY Jeans??™ cotton shirt. Clae sneakers.
Polo By Ralph Lauren??™s cotton denim jeans and J. Lindeberg??™s cotton shirt. Keds shoes.
J Brand??™s cotton denim jeans and What Comes Around Goes Around??™s cotton shirt. Clae sneakers.
Photo By: Robert Mitra
Replay??™s cotton denim jeans and Buckler??™s cotton shirt. Keds shoes.
Diesel??™s cotton denim jeans and Threads 4 Thought??™s cotton shirt. Sperry Top-Sider shoes.
Levi??™s ripped cotton jeans worn with a TSC cotton shirt.
by
From WWD ISSUE 08/27/2009
LOS ANGELES ??” Premium denim brand Citizens of Humanity is giving a twist to T-shirts through a collaboration with artist Will Lemon.
The Huntington Park, Calif.-based company is sprucing up tanks, short-sleeve Ts, tunics and three other women??™s spring styles with Lemon??™s technique of blending screen-printing with hand-painting. A tank top pops in a blue snakeskin print mottled with what resembles neon oil spills, a gray scoop-neck T-shirt is enlivened with a bold splash of azure and ruby raindrops fall all over a yellow tank dress. All will retail for approximately $135.
???I envisioned an outdoor scene and I first saw a snake sunbathing in a field of tall, verdant grass,??? said Lemon, whose previous fashion collaborations were with Marc Jacobs and MAC. ???I also imagined a small stream with a slight waterfall nearby and these first three images that were there in my mind became the metaphors for the prints that eventually ended up on the T-shirts.???
Cut from a soft, light cotton knit, the pieces are also washed and dyed by hand at Citizens of Humanity??™s laundry.
???The collaboration with Will is a highlight of the special things that we can do,??? said Adriano Goldschmied, executive vice president of design at Citizens of Humanity, which also owns his denim brand GoldSign. ???We own already a lot of technology and know-how that we can apply to our T-shirt. We own our own dye house and laundry. Our goal is to make something different.???
Choosing to collaborate with Lemon helps Citizens of Humanity differentiate itself from competitors in a challenging economy as it seeks to expand its jeans business with complementary categories such as T-shirts. Goldschmied said the company is also considering applying Lemon??™s screen-painting technique to jeans and men??™s T-shirts.
–Nikki Cho Russo
Tags: Buckler, Citizens of Humanity, Clae, Diesel, DKNY, J Brand, J. Lindeberg, Keds, Levi's, Polo by Ralph Lauren, Replay, Sperry Top-Sider, Threads 4 Thought, TSC, What Comes Around Goes Around, Will Lemon
CORPUS Stick Acid Wash Jeans, available at Gilt Groupe.
Hey dudes, mozy on over to Gilt Groupe for the fantastic Corpus sale happening right now. I didn’t think skinny jeans on men could translate to a more sophisticated and somewhat grown up look until now. And, I’m loving the laid-back, reversible hoodies.
CORPUS Thin Striped Shirt.
CORPUS Reversible Hoodie in gray.
CORPUS Oxford Pullover.
The preppy J Crew regulars will appreciate the edgy-yet-polished stylings that Corpus offers. It’s better stuff than what I’ve seen offered at other third party retail outlets. Whatever category you may fall in, Corpus is made for men who appreciate individuality without compromise. Sale ends 8/28 at 9AM PDT.
– Kathy Ng Hassan
Tags: corpus
ROBIN'S JEANS. Source: SincerelyCiara.
Robin’s Jeans, anyone heard of these? I hadn’t, and not that I’m the absolute authority, but I am so excited to find a brand that isn’t all over the place. I love wearing things that are unique and individual, something you don’t see on every girl walking down the street. When I saw this photo, I thought “This is what I’m missing in life” so I Googled Robin’s Jeans, and while I didn’t find this exact pair, I did get a rough idea of price point, and reality set in. I LOVE the look, but the price tag may be a bit steep for a trend piece rather than an investment piece so I thought I’d search around a bit and found these jeans from Roxy.
ROXY Till Dawn 2 Jeans.
Very similar, very trendy, and at a $89, very price friendly. Recession be darned….life is good!
– Liza Pinard
Tags: Robin's Jeans
Pair it with your skinny jeans: 7 FOR ALL MANKIND's Ella shoe.
As you may know, many denim labels have spawned their own accessories and apparel categories, including footwear. Check out 7 for All Mankind’s new arrivals in fall footwear. You can find a lot of basics, such as the tall leather boot — flat or stiletto heel — to go with your skinny, easy-to-tuck-in Seven jeans, as well as pumps and wedges. The collection is just nice enough to wear, but not glitzy enough to take all the attention away from your Sevens. My 7 for All Mankind jeans are so cool and uplifting, for more than one reason, that, I doubt any pair of shoes will actually steal the spotlight.
– Kathy Ng Hassan
Tags: 7 for All Mankind
Le Temps des Cerises and Japan Rags were born in 1998 in Marseille between a father and his son, Gil Richardi??re and his son Lylian. The former is an ancient “antiquarian of blue jeans”, who founded the famous secondhand American clothes shop “Propaganda” in Marseille, and the latter is a fashion designer. Both with a fondness for vintage culture and a passion for textiles and authentic clothes pushed them to launch one of the most successful fits and fadings of the current denim industry.
Japan Rags is the mens division of Le Temps des Cerises. Premium washed denim with hand-finished details, intricate appliqu?© patches, stitching and darning attribute to the jeans vintage worn-in look. With an eye to detail and the ease in style, that is unmistakenly French, has brought them global success with more points of sales to open this year.
Naturally, they have launched a new division for kids called “Little Cerises”. What more can you ask for than a mini-me in the coolest clothes with a French accent!
–Nikki Cho Russo
Tags: Japan Rags, Le Temps des Cerises
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