It's crazy how the smallest stitch or hemline can turn the denim world upside down. We thought A.P.C. denim news warranted a shoutout for this very reason. Our network partners, We Are The Market and Bored & Beautiful both gave a little nod to the newest jeans being turned out by the French brand. To put it in context, A.P.C.'s New Standard jeans, although there are more narrow cuts, are often thought of as hipster jeans. These jeans, so widely worn, so rarely washed, have become so notorious that the brand has decided to turn out a less trendy version, namely, the Petit Standard. In case you don't know French, that translates to "Mini Hipster" so now boys girls afraid of looking, as Bored & Beautiful puts it, “like fledgling rocker trendies from the 6th arrondissement of Paris, Harajuku or the Lower East Side” can walk in confidence.

Our network partner,The Budget Babe, knows that the exclamation point to any seasonal wardrobe is its outerwear. She, therefore, got all up in arms about this season's anoraks. Yes, it is a Dad jacket. Yes, it can be horribly unflattering if not styled properly and bought in an appropriate size but, baby, worn well, it's a very chic 'neighborhood' look. The fact of the matter is, sometimes it rains and though a Burberry trench gets you right through those breezy mid-season days, it doesn't repel water. Granted, nor do all anoraks. The point is, the ever-powerful concept of utility has resurrected this outerwear shape and it's here to stay. Though some designers experiment with fabrics not quite as functional (see the Peter Som example below) its popularity pivots on the necessity for a lightweight, rain-friendly, coat for jenas-and-a-tshirt days. Check out some of our favorites in addition to a roundup of The Budget Babe's picks.

Tuesday: Dear fashionable ladies, the Chaiken sample sale starts today. With dresses for $125 and trousers for $100, we're pretty sure this whole rain issue we're having here in New York won't be too much of a bother. And, sure, Chaiken can be kind of boring, but simple clothes are often the best sort for a sample sale, 'cause there's nothing like grabbing a blouse for $80 that you end up wearing for 3+ years.


Wednesday: Meet the designers of Rag & Bone, Marcus Wainright and David Neville (left), at Barney's and see the Fall 08 collection up close and personal (that's nice because at Coterie Rag & Bone was like Fort Knox, which is annoying because, uh, it's Rag & Bone). It's a trunk show ladies and gents, ditch work and go see some clothes.



Thursday: Think it's too much to hit up Barney's two days in a row? Nah. I mean, this 'aint no Rag & Bone, this is Louboutin. Take that security deposit you've been holding onto and go grab a pair of heels. It's Thursday, there's a trunk show, and it's supposed to rain so might as well hole up with some tea and drop some cash.


Friday: Olga Kapustina is having a sample sale this week which commences on Friday. Slip over and treat yourself to up 70% off her Summer collection. The rainbow and cocoa combination is really sharp, check out or spread of some the looks you can hope for at the event.

Solar powered handbags? That is a totally killer idea! C'N'C Costume National designer Ennio Capasa has designed a Solar bag with fine strips of mini solar panels that decorate the front of the bag provide power to a supply concealed in the lining. We are thinking this could be super useful for powering that Macbook Air during fashion week.

If the bloggers with laptops photos cliché wasn't yet dead Vogue Australia is intent on bringing it back. Apparently editor Damien Woolnough is quite fond of his Mac Book Air. We don't notice him twittering though so we are still siding with Patty Huntington on the tech savvy editor front.

Nolita-chic shoe line Sigerson Morrison is opening up shop in Malibu at the Malibu Country Mart. We so want to make sure sort of joke but none of them sounded funny but we think you will get where we are coming from. The store will carry the full Sigerson Morrison line as well as lower-priced Belle and their handbag line.

Its a tough time to be in designer retailing. And not just because the dollar is so weak. Supply chain issues thanks to expansion in the far East may be causing several large design houses to miss delivery dates. Rumored late are Chanel, Zegna, Nina Ricci, Roberto Cavalli and Prada.

American Eagle is so not frat boy chic anymore. In fact they seem to be taking some very scary style cues from on neighbors in Williamsburg. Or at least the ones not so up on the trends. Not that we have anything bad to say about scarves in the summer or blue pastel framed glasses. Just saying the merchandising is dated.

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