Corpus

Ecco Domani announced their 2009 Fashion Foundation award winners today. The recipients are Lyn Devon, Matthew Ames, Cushnie et Ochs by Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs, and Ohne Titel by Alex Adams for womenswear, Corpus by Jerrod Cornish & Keith Richardson for menswear, and Monique Pean for jewelry, Eviana Hartman and Samantha Pleet for sustainable design. 

WWD talks with Jane Birkin about her cashmere pieces for Lutz & Patmos and her oldest pair of UGG boots. We never thought we'd say this but UGGs are getting a lot of good press these days.

 Billion Dollar Babes is jumping on the bandwagon and starting their own sample sale e-commerce site. 

It was recently announced that the magazine would go down to two issues per year and now there's a rumor that Men's Vogue will no longer be publishing magazines at all. 

This weekend, having gone to Nolita to celebrate one of the last Mayle sample sales, we found ourselves gloomy about the state of the contemporary brand and the expense of a simple silk dress. We walked over to our friend's pop-up thereafter, not really knowing much about its permanence or scope. When we got to talking we realized that their new store, Inven.tory, is neither a pop-up nor a sample sale frenzy. Inven.tory, we discovered, is a permanent shopping destination that sells contemporary brands at wholesale prices. The items are, in fact, overstock, but are edited and curated, like any other boutique, to tell a story. On our first visit we found brands like Corpus and Orthodox at prices that made our jaws drop (sixty dollars?!). The store has both women's and men's clothing, and both had us drooling--especially, for the ladies, did Secta's brushed cotton separates. There was no 'sifting', there were no 'mass dressing rooms'. When we left we felt happy for our friends, who we are sure will profit from this well-timed idea, for the contemporary brands who can maintain integrity when selling off extras, and for ourselves because, well, we're growing tired of supporting brands whose 'contemporary' clothing is still five hundred dollars at a sample sale.

Photo via Thrillist.

American Apparel Acid WashAcid wash is back. That is right you heard it here first. Acid wash is making a comeback and we couldn't be more excited. We grant we aren't quite ready for an acid wash denim jacket with fringes and matching jeans, but like our community partner The Budget Fashionista, the pale end of the denim spectrum is beginning to look really appealing. And we can't stop the feeling. Corpus has some crazy colored acid wash jeans for fall which if you pair with American Apparel's Unisex Acid Wash Jersey Deep V-Neck Short just might make us plotz. But if you aren't quite as adventurous as the colored acid wash trend (that is right we are calling it a trend) there are still plenty of acid wash options that stay in light denim range from these Stella McCartney High Waisted Trouser Jeans to Ksubi Super Skinny Zip Jeans in Uzi Blue Vein. That's right we have got you covered from high waisted trousers to super skinny jeans. No excuses now huh?

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For our girl porn photo shoot, we've featured a few brands that all have (at least) one thing in common. Namely, all are represented by New York showroom Archetype. Every showroom has it's own personality, cultivated by everything from whom they represent, to the space they occupy, to the state of their toilet and the condition of the their sample closet. As a designer, choosing (or being chosen by) a showroom can play a great deal of importance in your image and success. After all, this is how those precious collections get picked up by buyers or pulled for press.


Archetype, who reps, among others, Corpus, Fremont, Samantha Pleet, The Cast, and Surface to Air is a showroom with a relaxed vibe and a handsome staff. In a space with huge windows and wooden floors sit May Kwok and Steven Rojas, press representatives for Womens and Menswear respectively. The two give off the air of being the cool brother and sister team you used to chill with when you were little. Indeed, while they finish each others sentences, you begin the understand that Archetype is not as disjointed as other operations and that, because of the showroom's history and the personality of the lines they represent, they've a unique strength and purpose.


Archetype, just a few years old, cultivates that appeal by way of their penchant for friendship. Where both Kwok and Rojas have been with the showroom since it's inception (Rojas previously worked with the founder, Audrey Gingras) the showroom also represents brands that have connections outside of Archetype. The Los Angeles based designers of Fremont and Corpus, for instance, have been friends for years. This was, pointedly, the first thing Kwok told us when we asked her about the showroom.


Why is this good? This is good because the press and buyers respond to the cohesion. Simply put, if Corpus is a brand that suits your boutique, chances are Fremont will too. If you're featuring Samantha Pleet in a photo shoot, there's porbably a Jenny Yuen handbag to suit the look. Although other showrooms strive for this sense of lifestyle, Archetype pulls it off earnestly and and successfully.


For more on Archetype, check out our quick interview with May Kwok below, and, to see the Archetype cohesion in action, take a peek at our girl porn photo shoot.


What attitude or personality best describes Archetype and the lines that you represent?
The lines we represent all have a strong connection in the art, cinema, music, and fashion world.


Is this identity ever misunderstood or misrepresented by the press? If so, how do you strive to correct misrepresentations?
No. We are never misunderstood. We make sure each publication, website, client, and fashionista understands what Archetype Showroom is and does!


What are some of the differences between working with the larger publications versus smaller ones or websites?
We are reaching different demographic of people from the uptown fashionista to the downtown fashion icon.


What is your average day at the showroom like?
The showroom has such a great & relaxed environment! I come in, answer emails, work on product/editorial requests and stylist pulls, developing new, creative ways to promote the brands and garnish larger feature pieces. Brainstorm publicity opportunities for the brands. Play with our showroom mascot, Sullivan (The cutest dog ever!) There is always something for me to do.. It never ends.


What is the most stressful part of your job?
I have to admit – I have a love and hate relationship with events. There are so much entailed in producing events and fashion shows… but you know, I'm fine after a few cocktails!


And, your favorite part of your job?
My daily communication with the wonderful people I work with in all the different publications, stylists, the designers and the joy I get when I see them represented in a magazine… Its great! Oh and the free clothes isn't bad either.

This week, a creaky wooden building in the Lower East Side hosts the Capsule trade show where emerging menswear labels get sized up by New York's hippest retailers. Capsule, like any tradeshow, is charged with the energy of the unknown and the anticipation for what could be. One thing is for sure, the era of the urban gentlemen is in full-effect, where even the downtown hipsters will be dressing like dandies, as soon as Odin, Opening Ceremony, and Oak get their hands on these lines. (As an aside, we don't think we've ever seen so many handsome men occupy the same space at the same time. It was like a fourth dimension.) This year's show was sponsored by We Are The Market, a long-time Coutorture partner.


After the jump, our top five favorites at the show and a gallery of the event for your viewing pleasure.

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