Hello! I’m here with the deuxième partie of Tuesday’s Open Calls. The write-up is just a little too thorough for one T&C girl to attack! I just want to add in my two cents: Having watched this program grow since our first season in 2008, I have to say that we’ve never seen this many professional, talented designers step through our doors in one day. Our appointments were filled with driven, creative women; to all of the men designing out there: “Watch Your Back!”
Monalda4
I have to admit that Rand didn’t fess up to un petit scheduling glitch that happened at 11AM on Tues. Usually we’re pretty on the ball with our appointments, but sometimes the demand for Open Call slots is just too great! But Bonnie Friedman, who founded Monalda in November 2008, was very understanding, and our thoughts soon drifted from our gaffe to the former fashion stylist-cum-magazine-editor’s bejeweled hair accessories! Named after a former address of hers in Florence, the comfortable headbands have already developed quite a press following, with features in Glamour, People Style Watch, and Shape. And can I just say, she also had the prettiest models (in the form of her friends and her sister) in any lookbook we saw that day!
Fischer
Kristina Angelozzi’s debut collection, called Fischer for a family name from way back when, was simply adorable. Rand and I especially loved the Ella dress: a simple, plaid (obvi) cotton sundress, replete with pockets and antique looking buttons at the front. Also a contender: the Kathleen blouse. The printed silk blouse (a pink and green diamond pattern) had a delicate ruffle at the neck and cap sleeve, and again, tiny buttons down the front. And look out, ladies, Fischer might just be a one-stop-shop for your family: Kristina designs menswear too (hello suspenders…!).
Saskia de Vries Designs
Saskia deVries spent a whole year traveling around the world with her husband—and has the stones to prove it (we were particularly taken with one wine colored bead sourced in Amsterdam). We also were attracted to her wide selection of dangley earrings, all vintage (many sourced from antique store buckets—Saskia said she would dig through them until she found a match). Her statement necklaces, though, would provide any drab outfit with some festive flair!
Knot Studio
Samantha Lopez, a Pratt grad, Clinton Hill resident, and Knot Studio founder, got her start in sculpture. And it’s easy to see how this interest translated into jewelry making when shown her delicate silver mesh creations. Using “tiny needles,” Lopez ostensibly knits her designs into being. Particularly fascinating to me were a pair of triple braided earrings—I couldn’t imagine how much her hands must have hurt trying to coax her teeny needles into producing a web of silver.
Virgina Galvan Jewelry
Both Rand and I fell head over heels with Virginia Galvan’s wax castings of leaves and flowers. The sheer three dimensionality of a piece, as well as the emphasis on texture, was astounding for such a seemingly simple design. Virginia explores working with linen cord, as well as oxidized silver, for an unexpected twist. She’s sold at cult shop Cogg and Pearl —a veritable stamp of approval, if you will!
Manisse
Julia Djaafar brightened up the end of our day with gem-hued jersey dresses and tunics, currently a hit at Barneys in Tokyo. At once flirtatious and demure, her silhouettes hug the body in all the right places (and know when to blouse out gracefully in the wrong ones!). My favorite was a playful two-tone large collared dress—navy and bright watermelon. It was very reminiscent of a peter pan dress by Quail that we carried two summers back, but here, the lighter-than-air jersey felt more luxe and the drape better thought out.
SML Bags
Our penultimate guest was Shana Luther, designer of SML Bags. Each clutch was hand-sewn by Shana herself—and highly affordable given that no factory touches these beauties! Rand and I adored a silver metallic clutch whose pebbeled leather would only get better with age. Rand was love-struck by Shana’s applique florets—namely one in a green/blue/grey striped fabric. The accessible, easy nature of the pieces are perfect for the Brooklyn girl on the go!
Caeli NYC
And last, but certainly not least, was Claire Perez from New Jersey with Caeli NYC. Claire started her line focusing on bridal and evening attire, but has since moved into ready to wear. And I think NYC is ready to wear Caeli! (OK, that was a horrible joke. I’m sorry). I could see myself wearing one adorable tulip skirted ruffle dress in a gray matte silk—easily transitioned from day with a blazer, to night with high-to-the-sky heels.
And that’s all she wrote! We’ll be posting pics of the lovely ladies picked next week. If you’d like to weigh in, email us at info@thistleclover.com
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