Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Time has seriously flown by since the May opening of We the People Fashion Collective on Stanton Street. September is almost upon us and despite the still oppressive heat, we can't wait to get our hands on some fall gear. We the People is on top of that, debuting the new fall designers yesterday. We dropped by for a look at the new line-up hand-picked by owner Vera Ng, including: Bedford Street Laundry, N:F:P, Sunghee Bang, Chelsea Sutrisno, Inima and 0++0.
We were really impressed with Bedford Street Laundry, which is heartwarmingly named after designer Jessica Yuen's parents' old East Village laundromat. The unique pieces follow a consistent blue/brown/grey palette and are artfully detailed and carefully crafted. We coveted the cropped blue suede jacket with twisted jersey detail ($599) and admired a soft grey mid-length jacket with a navy suede belt and brown waffle lining on the collar (also $599), a bib dress with triple textures ($270) and sleek grey "break away" leggings (which are exactly what they sound like for $150).
This was the second time this month we've encountered the knitwear line N:F:P (New Form Perspective) and we were just as impressed with the totally ingenious multi-wear pieces designed by Gail Travis. Last we checked, we were still in a recession so these uber-soft knit items that you can wear two-plus ways are totally practical, as well as flattering. Like the shrug doubling as a scarf for $125, the dress that's also a shrug for $285 and a cardie that can be worn slouchy one way and more structured if you turn it upside down for $270.
We were also drawn to Sunghee Bang's tough and sexy sleek lines, like the soft cropped caramel moto-vest for $230 and comfy thick grey riding pants with a front zip for $298. We also loved the handmade tube scarfs (aka snoods) named after Brooklyn nabes like the Bedford (wool for $210) and the Bushwick ($500 for brown and gold woven leather). Chelsea Sutrisno's all-black palette includes a super sexy long sleeved scooped back dress with strong leather detail on the shoulders ("kind of space age" observed a fellow shopper). Inima's black and white striped slashed tops ($95 for short sleeve and $275 for long sleeve with spaghetti like ribbons piled on shoulders) provided the prints and 0++0's fluttery dual layered rough edge silk tops ($225) provided extra texture.
We know what you're thinking and we get it—the price tags are on the higher end. However, we all keep talking about supporting the independent designer and keeping small locally owned stores in business. So, if you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket or want to make an investment on a truly unique piece, this is a fantastic place to start.
· A Sneak Peek Before We the People Opens on Saturday [Racked]
· We the People [Official Site]