/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61203135/racked_placeholder.4.0.1421629111.0.jpg)
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.
At the end of a dimly lit hallway on the eighth floor of the Ace Hotel, ten New York based designers are hosting a small pop-up showroom and sample sale in one of the guest rooms. While it's slightly inconvenient that as a non-hotel guest you must go to the front desk to gain access to the elevator, the sale itself is warm and welcoming, with most designers standing by their goods willing to answer any questions. Considering that this is the first show for some of the smaller brands, and considering that most labels were displaying new collections, the event has the potential to be chaotic. Instead, there are tastefully displayed, sometimes pricey lines, all of which are local-minded and eco-friendly.
The sale's clothing selection is mostly limited to silk-screened tees. We liked Christian Beaujean $65 hand-screened t-shirts, especially the one with Courtney Love's face emblazoned on the front. Bhon, a brand new line, has nine styles of cotton jersey tops for $50 with braided details and anatomical references. There are two full clothing lines, Liber—which is pricier menswear but will most likely be adopted by women—and Miss Lonelyhearts, a 1970s-inspired collection of graphic tees, jeans, and jumpsuits made of organic cotton and hemp denim.
Some of the jewelry lines at the sale might sound familiar, such as Species by the Thousands and Erin Considine, which sell at Oak and Castor & Pollux respectively. But there were some promising newcomers, such as I Like You as a Friend's charming collection based on vintage toys. Chicago-based Laura Lombardi is selling sleek and expensive looking geometric earrings and necklaces beginning at $20, while Elizabeth Knight has gold hammered rings for $36 and tougher skeletal sterling silver pieces. Triskaidekaphobia, a playful line that uses unexpected materials and images, featured their new mostly plastic collection inspired by time machines, with prices hovering around $100. All of the baubles at the sale were hand-crafted, detail oriented and unique, and almost all of them cost under $200.
The shop, which is run in collaboration with The Shiny Squirrel, lasts from 11am to 8pm daily through this Thursday, September 23 in room 811. From 5pm to 8pm Wednesday all of the designers will put goods on sale, and while the discounts will be on past seasons' collections, this might be the time to go and support young local labels.—Rachel Traub
· Ace Hotel Pop-Up Showroom [Official Site]