Real Talk: Denim Brands
When it comes to jeans, we all play favorites, forever loyal… >
Real Talk: Denim Brands
When it comes to jeans, we all play favorites, forever loyal to a wash, silhouette, or beloved brand. So perhaps you’ll find a new object of your denim affection among this lineup of brands we’ve come to know and love. Don’t worry, there’s always room for one more devotee.
Give us a little background on your brand.
Current/Elliot was launched in July 2008, and was born out of a love for vintage denim and its Americana roots.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
We are constantly inspired by the past, yet always looking to the future. We love James Dean in Giant, and of course everything about Levi’s 501.
Describe the jeans of your youth.
Washed and worn down—perfect!
Give us your denim philosophy, in five words or less:
It’ll take six: Love to wear, wear to love.
-Serge Azria, CEO and Creative Director
Give us a little background on your brand.
AG Adriano Goldschmied started in 2000 as a partnership between my father, Yul Ku, and Adriano Goldschmied. My father was one of the best jeans producers in the world, and Adriano was widely considered one of the best denim designers, so it seemed to be a great partnership.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Street style, vintage clothing, art and music.
Describe the jeans of your youth.
As a kid, you don’t really think much about the jeans you’re wearing. My jeans were always just a utilitarian choice.
Describe the jeans you were wearing five years ago.
I was probably wearing our Protégé in raw Italian denim. I would wear them nearly every day for as long as I could before washing them.
What’s the next must-have pair?
For Spring ‘13, we think women will be looking for vintage-inspired jeans. Jeans with more wear and love, and also with holes and destruction.
Give us your denim philosophy, in five words or less:
Chic. Sophisticated. Classic.
-Sam Ku, VP and Creative Director
Give us a little background on your brand.
Mother was born in 2008, at a time when black jeggings were all the rage. It was born not out of the need to create another denim brand but out of a need to create something unique, something special.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Every season we pick a song or band, an artist, a rug. This recipe brings tone, color and texture to our designs.
Describe the jeans of your youth.
Easy one: Girbaud stonewashed x-wing fighter pegged jeans, everyday.
Describe the jeans you were wearing five years ago.
Literally the same pair I’m wearing now.
What’s the next must-have pair?
A wider straight-leg jean. Ours is called The Pretender, and it has a marbled vintage wash.
Give us your denim philosophy, in five words or less:
Don’t you want me, baby?
-Time Kaeding, Designer
The Making of: Earth Day Windows
Our visual whizzes never cease to amaze with their displays, but… >
The Making of: Earth Day Windows
Our visual whizzes never cease to amaze with their visual displays, but the artistry of each is equally fascinating. Here, we go behind the scenes to capture our Rockefeller Center store’s Earth Day windows in the making—watch as they grow from everyday materials into verdant urban gardens.
How-To: Dip-Dye
Call us hippies-at-heart if you must, but one of our favorite DIY techniques… >
How-To: Dip-Dye
Call us hippies-at-heart if you must, but one of our favorite DIY techniques is dip-dyeing. In this three-part series, we’re going to show you how to dip-dye items from your bedroom, closet and kitchen. First up is a cotton pillowcase. We chose a dark blue dye that reminded us of our buyer’s inspiration trip to the Aegean, but you can use any dye you wish.
One of the most important things before undergoing any DIY project is to be prepared! We like to set out all of our supplies beforehand so we don’t realize we’re missing something halfway through.
Boil one gallon of water in a kettle. Pour the package of RIT dye into the bottom of your large glass bowl and pour the boiling water over the dye.
Put on your rubber gloves and stir the dye and water with a wooden spoon. Make sure to stir thoroughly until all dye is dissolved—you don’t want any powder left behind. Once completely dissolved, add the laundry detergent and continue to stir.
In a sink, wet your pillowcase to the point you wish the dye to reach. We suggest half to 3/4 of the way up from the bottom. Twist out all excess water to make sure it won’t drip.
Lower your pillowcase into the dye solution to the point where you dampened it. This initial dip-dye needs to be very quick, as the dye absorbs very fast. Literally dip and pull out to the next section. This can be as thin or as wide as you like.
Let the color develop in the second section for 20 seconds and pull the pillowcase up to the last section. Hold this last section for 30 seconds or more, depending on how saturated you want the color.
Pull out the pillowcase, making sure to keep your hands on only the part with dye, so to not spread color to the white section. Twist out all excess dye.
Head back to the sink and run the dip-dyed section of the pillowcase under lukewarm water until the water runs clear. Twist out all excess water, again keeping clear of the white section.
Leave your pillowcase to dry and when ready, wash it on its own to ensure it does not leak any excess dye on your other clothing. Voila! It’s time to pull onto your pillow, sleepyhead.
Spotlight: Women Farmers
Between soil and sky. That’s where you’ll find urban farmers… >
Spotlight: Women Farmers
Between soil and sky. That’s where you’ll find urban farmers Michelle Cotton and Tara Kolla on any given day, and it’s precisely where we happened upon them while shooting our June 2012 catalog in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Their small-scale homesteads are delights to behold and each begets a lifestyle so grounded, so natural, so inspiring, we had to share their stories.
Michelle Cotton, Inner Gardens
There’s nary a dull moment at Michelle Cotton’s farm, for it teems with a menagerie of herbs, veggies and too-many-to-count critters. Just as the morning sun crests at Topanga Canyon hills, she’s up and at ‘em, for there are eggs to be collected, cheeses to be made, seedlings to be tended and about a dozen other labors of love. Yes, the plate of this farmer is ever full, but Cotton’s passion is undeniable; at the end of a week filled with hard work and baby goat kisses, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
give your green thumb a go
shop garden and outdoor
load up on durability
shop denim
Say hello to the winners of our… >
Say hello to the winners of our #APerfectPair contest with @agjeans —
@floralthoughts, @betsytrem @saryi87! We’re crazy about their head-to-toe looks featuring AG Jeans and yours truly, and can’t wait to see how they wear their winnings. Many thanks to all who entered!
Where I Work: Tami
Go ahead, call her tastes particular: she certainly won’t mind… >
Where I Work: Tami
Go ahead, call her taste particular: she certainly won’t mind. Meet Tami, the woman once voted “most bizarre” in high school, whose askew point of view has been guiding our store merchandising teams for over 13 years. The former Brooklynite and Boston terrier devotee is the brains behind those meticulously detailed nooks in our stores—things like an individually labeled 54-drawer cabinet filled with staffers’ personal belongings and a wall of ruffles that took four days to sew by hand. This month, Tami lets us poke around her wonderfully particular workspace.
“I’m not really into sweets—I eat maybe one piece of candy a day—so these jars are purely aesthetic. The yellow candies are a mainstay and I swap out the others each season.”
“A way to stay organized. I believe it was an orphaned prop.”
“I’ve had this $10 yard-sale pineapple girl for 20 some years. It’s one of my favorite things.”
“This is a photograph of my grandparents, to whom I was very close. They were both a little nuts, and I’m kind of obsessed with peanuts, so I clipped them to this card.”
“How can you not love that face?”
“Our team is always trying to outdo one another when it comes to decorating our desks, but this fall we somehow managed to agree on the same birch-tree pattern.”
“A parting gift from a former colleague and friend. I’ve been fortunate enough to work alongside some brilliant, creative people in my career.”
“I keep a fake egg inside this cookie jar. I’m not sure why.”
“Pairing these deer with our woodsy wedding photo seemed right.”
“One of the best gifts I’ve ever received. It was handmade by my friend Ann, who chose all 29 fortunes. May you grow rich. A personal is never too old to learn. Keep true to the dreams of your youth.”
“I love dogs. I imagine myself as an old lady, taking care of a bunch of pups. In the meantime, I collect all kinds of dog figurines and hope to do something amazing with them when I have thousands.”
“I think everything is ‘bananas.’ I use the word a lot. “That’s bananas!’ ‘My day is bananas!’ This is driving me bananas!’”
Our Knotted Melati Hanging Chair… >
Our Knotted Melati Hanging Chair makes a perfect dog perch, don’t you think? Thanks to our friends at @chandeliercreative for the snap!
Dog of the Month: Norm
Each month we’ll be introducing you to one of the beloved dogs… >
Dog of the Month: Norm
Each month we’ll be introducing you to one of the beloved dogs that joins us at home office every day. This is Norm, a ten-year-old pug who has been coming to work for the past nine years. He collects vintage bow-ties, loves pizza and even has his own Instagram hashtag, #normiscool. To keep up with his adventures, follow him on Twitter @Normthepug.
Employee Must-Haves: The Charlie
Here at the home office, we needn’t look far for style inspiration… >
Employee Must-Haves: The Charlie
Here at the home office, we needn’t look far for style inspiration—our colleagues are some of the most fashion-minded folks we know. So when it came to outfitting our just-launched Charlie trousers from Cartonnier, it seemed only natural to turn to two of our own, who also moonlight as fashion bloggers: visual experience manager Ashley of Fancy Fine and senior visual manager Laura of Ascot Friday. On two different coasts (and two different ends of the style spectrum), this pair of fashionistas took to Instagram to share how they’re wearing our menswear pant of the moment.
Name: Ashley Age: 28 Location: Philadelphia
Personal style: feminine with a dose of quirk
Fashion icon: anyone who dares to dress originally
Her blog in her words: A celebration of all things vintage and vintage-inspired
Proudest blogging moment: it helped me snag my dream job at Anthropologie!
On the Charlie: “The print on this pair is really fun, so I kept the rest of the outfit understated with a silk blouse and flats.”
Name: Laura Age: 32 Location: Los Angeles
Personal style: layered, edgy, bohemian
Fashion icon: Anita Pallenberg
Her blog in her words: style, fashion and life through the eyes of an adventure-seeking, thrift-store-shopping SoCal mom
Proudest blogging moment: when the reader lets me know I inspire their style
On the Charlie: “I love the neon pop! I chose a classic top and sneaks, so the stripe could carry the outfit.”
GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR PERSONAL SHOPPER (it’s free!)
Rebecca Rebouché in New Orleans
Oh, New Orleans. You didn’t even give us a chance. From the beignets… >
Rebecca Rebouché in New Orleans
Oh, New Orleans. You didn’t even give us a chance. From the beignets to the balconies to the sweet lulling music, it was love at first visit. But you know what really stole our hearts about The Big Easy? The artists we found flourishing there—namely, painter Rebecca Rebouché. To us, she is inspiration in the truest sense. Get to know her, her work, and what she adores most from our July collection.
