You'll know what we know.
You may have noticed a lot of blazers and light v-necks floating around in the past few weeks, but we’d like to make the case for the spring cardigan. This particular item just arrived at New York’s BBlessing, and it’s lightweight enough to serve as the perfect middle layer until June gets here. Those white stripes are twill, brought in for an extra jolt of twee, which in this case works just about perfectly.
It’s a classic, but the Christmas sweater has its share of issues. Bright colors and big patterns? Sure. Baggy, shapeless wool? Not so much. We’d say an update is in order.
This Folk sweater just arrived (already on sale) at Bblessing, and while the window for wearing it is probably limited to the next three weeks, we can’t help but gawk a little. A standard downtown version of the classic item would have been interesting enough, but the real prize here is the Carmen-Miranda-meets-Space-Invaders pattern running across the arms in place of the usual fair isle variant. We bet it goes great with egg nog.
As your RSS feed can testify, Blue-collar nostalgia has gotten pretty hot lately. But while actual domestic production may be restricted to a smaller clique of labels, the iconography can still take you places.
Exhibit A: the latest line from BBlessing, a set of henleyed pullovers, dour pea coats, and appropriately gritty fingerless gloves. The sweaters especially bring out the spirit of declinist angst, but on a few items—the plaid dress shirts and tweed-y pants in particular—the BBlessing boys give away their twee origins. Not that we’re complaining; in fact, they’re to be some of the collection’s strongest pieces.
As for the industrial setting, it makes for a pretty striking photoset, but we doubt they’ll be cornering the dockworker demographic any time soon.
| ALL Labeled |
TAGS
|
When a particularly good sale comes down the transom, we like to pause and take stock.
Manhattan’s Bblessing is giving up to 80% off this weekend to clear their shelves for spring. We’ve been fans for a while, and not just because of their clothes.
One of SoHo’s best specialty boutiques for menswear since April ‘06, BBlessing (say: “Blessing,” the first “B” is a nod to the owners’ previous retail project, BBS Tokyo) has an offsite sample sale over the next two days.
There’s still 8+ full rails to sort through after friends and family picked over 4 seasons of button downs, blazers, coats, trenches, trousers, knits, and $80 jeans from the store’s amazing designer group (see flyer). In terms of sizing, the bulk is 30-34 waist bottoms and M/L for tops. It’s also the first time that the house label’s hoodies and tops have gone the way of the discount; the line will expand into ready-to-wear for Spring/Summer ‘08.
5 Crosby Street is Bblessing buyer Josh Safalow’s showroom space and easy to find from Canal or Spring St. stations.
The Sale Leaflet:
—M.C.
| ALL Sale-ing |
TAGS
|
