Because nothing says the start of a long weekend like new a pair of raffia slides
Words by NANDITA KHANNA and MARIE LOOK
La Dolce Vita
As far as hotels go, Hotel Il Pellicano is one of the most luxurious in Italy — if not the world— which is to say, when the brand does a collaboration, we’re all ears. Leave it to Marie-Louise Sciò, Pellicano Hotel Group’s creative director, and Birkenstock CEO Oliver Reichert to dream up the ideal vacation-ready shoe capsule. Collection standouts include the first-ever natural raffia Arizonas, as well as both a bright red and a black satin style with leather piping. Sure, they’re not your average Birkenstocks — but that’s the point, a little dressed up but still delightfully practical, thanks to their sturdy, flat soles. You know, for those long beach walks along the rocky Tuscan coast and whatnot. The collection is available for preorder now on MatchesFashion through May 22, and online at 1774.com on June 15.
Seeing Stars
When Warby Parker launched the Tate frame with Chloë Sevigny last year as part of their philanthropic Pupils Project initiative, it sold out in a month. So it was no surprise when Warby’s founders, Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, went back to Sevigny again — this time to co-create her first solo collection for the brand. Dubbed the Crystal Overlay, the sold-out Tate style is back, and along with it come Daphne, Lindley, Jenkins and Whitaker. Each one features signature muted metal framework layered with an acetate. It’s subtle, but eye-catching. Sevigny also creative-directed the campaign, wrangling friends to model the frames and photographer Alex Phillipe Cohen to shoot the 16-piece collection with the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens as the backdrop.
That’s a Wrap
For San Francisco-based designer Devon Fisher, the decision to launch Pondichérie was wholly personal. Growing up on Kauai, she’d mastered the art of unfussy, relaxed dressing. She works with a weaving partner in India to source hand-dyed textiles that honor and empower the craftswomen who lovingly make them. The pieces are then designed, cut and finished here in the U.S. The result is a collection of light-as-air linen caftans, tunics and beach coats that are meant to be worn all summer long — and get even better with wear. As for Fisher, she wears the Saatchi Beach Coat just about everywhere she goes. “It works just as well on those chillier beach days as it does over jeans with a tank for a night out,” she says.
Beach, Please
Turkish designer Ela Onur launched Else back in 2008 — selling to everyone from Net-a-Porter to Goop, but her West Coast boutique on Melrose Avenue marks the brand’s first U.S. storefront. Much of what lines the racks at Else are lacy bodysuits and underpinnings, but she also has a small assortment of slightly sheer linen shorts and matching tops — the kind that work just as well for lounging around the house as they do grabbing brunch at, say, Little Beach House. There’s also a tight edit of swimwear — from a scoop-neck one-piece to a classic high-waisted bikini set. Don’t miss the woven basket full of Turkish towels, which work just as well poolside as they do as a beach wrap in a pinch.
Denim on Denim
Christy Dawn, the Venice-based designer known for sustainable, vintage-inspired women’s styles, has debuted its first-ever deadstock denim line, which includes jeans and embroidered jackets available in both a light and a dark wash. Signature styles include the Lula jean ($178), with a high waist, patch pockets, contrast stitching and a crop kick flare, and the Sailor jacket ($268), which features floral-inspired embroidery, a button-down front and oversize pockets. Made by local artisans in Downtown L.A. using fabrics left over from other fashion brands, Christy Dawn’s denim is the very stuff weekend uniforms are made of.
Fancy Feet
Call it a match made in footwear heaven: designers Chan Luu and Carrie Forbes, both early adopters in the Downtown L.A. fashion scene, have teamed on a pretty irresistible sandal and anklet pairing. (Yes, you heard that right — sophisticated anklets will be everywhere this summer. Trust.) For the collaboration, Forbes has updated her raffia Salon slide (with a slightly higher block heel and a squared-off toe), while Luu designed two anklets — one crafted with found freshwater pearls, the other made up of mother-of-pearl shell buttons and tassels.
Feature image: BIRKENSTOCK x IL DOLCE FAR NIENTE Arizona raffia sandals, $480.
May 21, 2019
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