new No.6 prints for spring

 

The two founders of No.6 did a Q&A on the Steven Alan blog this week where they described their inspiration for the spring collection. They also referred to several prints from the "second delivery" of the No.6 clothing collection. This really piqued my interest as the No.6 prints are what I love and I have been known to go to the ends of the earth to track them down. Apparently, several of them were created by artists, including Paul Wackers, and then given to No.6 to use in the clothing. Here is the text describing them:

We included the Flower of Life symbol, which represents the sun. We expanded the print to cover the whole silk screen so that each dress would be unique. The Flower of Life in delivery two was scaled down to create a polkadot print. The Flowers in Vase print by artist Paul Wackers, titled “The Closer You Are the Quicker it Hits You,” was given to us to print on silk and became a random print, so no one garment will be alike. For our second delivery, landscape artist Elissa Gore created a water color stripe print especially for us on the porch of the cabin.

Karin and Morgan also revealed they are working on developing a full-on web store, which I hope will include the apparel as well and not be just clogs.

And then today, one of the prints in question popped up on the No.6 blog:

I don't usually like prints that are like wearing a painting wrapped around your body but I might have to make an exception for this one. It is pricey at $415 but the detail on the neckline is stunning.

A sneakpeak at the spring look book and several of these prints popped up on Refinery29 a while ago. All images below are taken from that link:

Another small interview appeared a little while ago on another website called Dossier. It's more about the history of No.6 but well worth a look for serious No.6 fans out there.

Madewell Birdslife print

Spring is here in Portland. I know other parts of the country are still getting snow. But here we had three straight days of sunshine (unheard of). And I woke up this morning after setting the clocks forward yesterday to birds chirping away and pink blossoms of Daphne filling the air with its wonderful scent.

Which has inspired me to write about Birdslife, a very spring-y print from Madewell's spring collection that I have been admiring for several weeks now. It really looks like something from Rachel Comey or No.6 and is now on sale and they are even running an extra 20% off sale promotion.

The romper is my favorite and it sold out right away. However, many thanks to Mickey Drexler and his wonderful assistants who so nicely tracked one down for me and had it sent express shipping (Gotta love their customer service, truly impressive.) Although all of a sudden, there are a couple sizes in the romper available online again.

The dress is great too although more expensive. And it has also been spotted on Reese Witherspoon.

Lastly there was a camisole tank but it has now sold out. If you are near a Madewell store, unlike me, I would suggest scouring the store for this one.

Isabel Marant Basley boot

To be honest, I can't quite get on board with these. They are moccasins, which for me had a big moment in 2007-2008 and that was it. Yes they have the hidden wedge, it's true. But for $600 I'd rather buy the Betty or the Bobby sneaker and end the torture. 

These remind me of shoes I'd see when I was a shoe buyer: not a sneaker, not a boot....just a sneaker-boot "hybrid". And using the word hybrid to describe a shoe is never a good thing.

They are already sold out on mytheresa.com and I'm sure la garconne is next, so what do I know? Still I have to say, I love the Jenny boot way more than the Basley and I never pulled the trigger on the Jenny, more because of comfort than anything. Also I kind of have a rule against shoes with tassels. So for me, I think I will pass.  

For those who are so inclined, the Basley is $600 and is available in the camel suede and anthracite suede at most IM stores: including Barneys, Bird, Creatures of Comfort, La Garconne, Diani, Heist, and soon at Odessa in Portland, although only in the camel. La Garconne is also carrying it in white. For what it's worth, I think that in an overall look the anthracite actually looks the best. Then it looks more like a boot and less like a moccasin-sneaker...thing.