CITYist

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Nancy Bacich and Fragments have teamed up with Women At Risk to create a chic mesh wrap bracelet exclusive to Fragments. The $88 bracelet is on sale all month in the Prince Street store in SoHo and online for those who do not live in the area. All of the profits go to Women at Risk, a grassroots organization founded in 1991 whose mission is to educate and support women at risk for breast cancer. Go out and support.

Swedish artists Maria Larsson and Maria Olevik are getting some amazing support at Anthropologie’s gallery exhibition of their beautiful porcelain pieces. In Every Tree is now showcasing at Anthropologie’s 50 Rockefeller Center location until November 3rd; the pieces range from $200 to $6,000. Take a look at the video of art and antiques buyer Keith Johnson meeting with Larsson and Olevik in their home country.

There may be many eco-friendly lines out there, but there isn’t one as cheeky as Anti-eco’s new line. Organic tee shirts and tote bags are not just trends anymore—they’re basically necessities. With tee shirt designs bearing saucy French phrases and sarcastic English quips, the line is sure to take over one of your dresser drawers. But the brand is more than just fun and games: a percentage of the proceeds from purchases goes to cleaning up the Gulf oil spill and preserving wildlife. And hey, their website is kosher and gluten-free, too.

Former Yigal Azrouel menswear designer Alex Casertano’s eponymous line is one to talk about.  His second runway show on September 9th at New York Fashion Week was influenced by modernist art, and we can see that through his incredible color blocking schemes, clean-cut palettes and simple lines. Oh-so-American sportswear with a unique approach, this collection can be interpreted as more of a motorcycle trip than a trip to the gym. Work wear, party wear and casual wear are all embraced in this one collection.

Admit it, CITYist—we all have an undying love for Sanrio’s Hello Kitty and friends products. Well, with the upcoming holidays, and it being Sanrio’s 50th anniversary, Sanrio has partnered up with mega brand Target for a special collection of adorable products that you might have to fight your five-year-old niece for when she opens her Christmas gifts. Following in the steps of many pop-up shops, Small Gift is a mobile pop-up shop going on a tour across the states with plenty of stops in cities including New York. The tour begins in San Francisco on October 23rd, so get your hands on some of the products before somebody else snatches them! Target is now selling exclusive on a special section of their website.
With Hello Kitty Monopoly, lunch boxes, wallets and more, how can we choose? We’d like to add the entire Small Gift collection to our wish lists.

Innovative minds Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have just opened a multi-brand store in Milan: Spiga2. A fantastic concept and inspirational to boot, it will sell Dolce&Gabbana accessories and various young designer’s collections. The Spiga2 space is simple and sophisticated—it resembles a glamourous closet rather than a store. With brands such as Kinder Aggugini (based in London), Heather Williams (based in New York), Araks (based in New York), Fausto Puglisi (based in Milan), Girls From Omsk (based in Bruxelles) and many more, young designer’s collections from all over the world have been personally chosen by Mr. Dolce and Mr. Gabbana to be sold at their store. The fashion veterans came up with the concept because they wanted to offer newer designers from various cultures a helping hand in the fashion world. Now that’s what we call mentoring.

It’s about time for you to be able to steal more than just your boyfriend’s shirts from his closet. Famous denim brand Ksubi has launched an eyewear collection on Karmaloop with tons of designs—more for us to purchase! We especially like the aviator style sunglasses—Ksubi utilizes this classic style with an edgy touch, as they always do. And of course, they all have 100% UV protection to guard your precious eyes on your commute to work or trip to the beach. The sunglasses are available for $185-$210 a pair.

E-commerce is here to stay. With longer workdays and busier schedules, online shopping has made wardrobe additions much easier to achieve. With the re-launched Tibi website’s pristine layout, CITYist cannot deny the greatness of this ultra chic contemporary line. Designer Amy Smilovic includes videos and a blog on Tibi—because what would a website be like these days without multimedia? We love Tibi’s feminine frocks and perfect balance of neutrals and brights. We must say, this line is the ideal young woman’s closet, with items for nights on the town as well as long workdays.

CITYist, your favorite classic sneaker is now available in leather. The Keds for Jeffrey duo has designed patent leather style Keds this autumn. Available only at Jeffrey New York, Atlanta and Fred Segal Feet LA, the sneakers come in black, white, red and navy, and retail at only $110 a pair. Wear them with your favorite pair of Sunday jeans and you’re good to go.

We know you’re counting down the hours and with so many events going on for Fashion’s Night Out, we thought we’d suggest a few things that the CITYist would enjoy. We too are anticipating everything going on tomorrow night and the official Fashion’s Night Out t-shirts.

You know you’ve spotted it on the runway and whether you’re going to your ski cabin in Colorado or flying to the Alps, the Lily Twist bag from the D&G fall/winter accessories collection will keep all of your essentials safe from the snow. With beautiful fox fur and adorable charms, we think the Lily Twist bag should be this winter’s “It bag”. Stylish, soft and efficient, it’s something you will want to pack in your suitcase next to your boyfriend’s ski wear for this winter’s vacation.

These days, $50 doesn’t seem to get us much, but designer Chris Stamp has changed that with his brand new sneaker line, Study Footwear. Stamp created the unisex line to create a charity where the proceeds will go into creating school supplies for children in lower income areas. The designer is a sure-fire positive influence, going from classroom to classroom to motivate study habits in students as well as discuss the arts and how they’ve inspired his own life. The footwear is unique in itself with the various cheerful prints and simple design. We might just have to grab more than a pair with the downright reasonable price and charitableness of the brand.

Our favorite “Back to Basics” store has a new tagline, “Made for All”. We know you love UNIQLO’s well-crafted and simple items, but we especially adore the brand because they are committed to making clothing that is available to everybody, no matter what their age, sex, income or nationality is. Actors Charlize Theron and Orlando Bloom are the new Global Brand Ambassadors for this philosophy. Theron has been committed to several charity projects in Africa while Bloom is a UNICEF Ambassador and supports several charities.

New York City-based designer Gary Graham’s pieces conjure up imagery of a metropolitan wonderland with unique textures and prints in quirkily layered ensembles. Lucky for us, Graham has launched a new website so we can gaze at past collections and look books galore. Graham’s skirts, jackets and other separates offer a solid alternative to stuffy office wear, while the draped shirts and dresses, luxurious fur and knit leggings provide alternately romantic and trendy weekend looks. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes news, event listings and even the designer’s online journal for a look into the design process (think sketches and insiders’ views of the studio). All in all, it’s a young professional’s online shopping paradise.

Get over Hump Day with a little boozin’ at the NYC Indy Spirits Expo next Wednesday at 6:30 (VIP entrance at 5 p.m.). Yes—locally produced, independent liquor is the latest in the foodie/drink snob trend. From vodka to cognac, the unique spirits come from small operations in New England to bigger indie brands from all over the world. You’ll even meet the people behind the fine drinks—exhibitors from Love Potion No. 9 to Square One Organic Vodka.

While it seems that practically everyone has up and fancied themselves a jewelry designer these days, Jennifer Carol Kramer and Heather Marie White certainly have the credentials, working at both W magazine and Marie Claire between them. Their magazine and PR background means they know the value of good styling, good materials and a good story—their debut Jewelry collection, Carol Marie, cites Greek “reef knots” and Byzantine prayer beads as inspiration.

Vice has long been of interest in the art community. Tortured artists have nursed their brilliant minds with booze, pills and smokes for centuries. And now, in the ultimate pop cultural statement, you can wear your poison of choice around your neck. Cast of Vices takes the detritus of our debauchery—bottle caps, cigarette butts, pills and vials—and covers it in silver and gold.

Though some people still protest the major 80s resurgence that is leggings, no one can deny the trend’s longevity. And even though summer’s fast approaching, layering stays in style all year long. These leggings by New York-based lingerie brand Brulee feature jet black jersey, studded hardware at the ankle and hook and eye-closures to add a bit of rock n’ roll to the basic leg covering.

Romantic, winsome and somehow mournful, Clare Grill’s new exhibit, “The Forest for the Trees,” is a stirring collection of intricately layered and sanded paintings. Resembling foreign film stills or even illustrations from a rather serious children’s book, the pieces, now showing at Sloan Fine Art, are as haunting as they are beautiful.

Last night, CITYist headed over to the Manhattan Automobile Company’s Showroom for a runway show of exceptional Russian Designers from New York City, kicking off Immigrant Heritage Week. And it was certainly interesting: the designs varied from tribal, floral and body conscious dresses to apparel made with Metrocards. Yes, Metrocards.

Swimwear has never looked so creative—and so, for lack of a better word—hot. Australian duo Nicky and Simone Zimmermann have opened their first U.S. boutique in Soho—but just like their apparel and swimwear, they’ve gone cutting edge: ZIMMERMANN is a “concept store” only open until June.

ZIMMERMANN’s designs are chock-full of feminine wear, but their swimwear is their signature. The pop-up shop will be offering Zimmermann’s handbags, footwear and of course, bathing suits, right on time for beach season.

Last night, CITYist made an appearance at the Freelance Whales album release show at the Bowery Ballroom. Sherlock’s Daughter and Lawrence Arabia (no, these are not novels and films, but two bands from Australia and New Zealand, respectively) opened for the band—an indie pop group that sound like “somebody wired their heart to a synthesizer.”

CITYist has its eyes everywhere—even the New York International Auto Show. For all you autophiles out there, we tuned in to get the latest news in the car world. Turns out the hot new accessory is carbon fiber—which cropped up everywhere from Audi’s splitter to a Mini Cooper’s hood scoop.

Marc Jacobs is the king of urban playful cool. And we’re sure serious fans have been rather anxious for the debut of the new Marc by Marc Jacobs Ophthalmic Collection—considering that the last one came out in July 2008. Two years later, Marc is betting on eleven new styles through Safilo USA to stand out from the pack of vintage-inspired specs.

Whether you consider yourself eco-friendly or not, a little earth-inspired pampering never hurt anyone, especially this time of year. Spring cleaning doesn’t strictly apply to houses. For all of you natural product junkies out there, or even to the uninitiated, we bring four organic beauty brands that are sure to have you going vegan by summer.