Of a Kind

“What I Want Now: Of a Kind Founders Covet Baggu Purses and Floral Sweatshirts” Stylecaster, September 19, 2012

Of a Kind

“Tumblr- Based Store “Of a Kind” Grows Up, Tests Marketplace for 3rd Party Sellers” Mashable, September 18, 2012

Of a Kind

“11 Startups Reshaping NYC’s Fashion Industry” PSFK, September 7, 2012 

Falling For: Jedd Rose and Mark Hansen of Topo Designs Get Down With Nature

Jedd Rose and Mark Hansen of Colorado-based Topo Designs are all about nature—just look at the adventure-ready backpack they made for us. So it’s no surprise they opt for good-for-the-world clothing (just as long as it looks good, too). —julia silverman 

“We’re really obsessed with these Jungmaven Henleys for the fall. Our favorite is the white version with the subtly contrasting cuffs and placket. They are not only made in the U.S. but are also from a combination of 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton, so very earth-friendly as well!” —jedd 

Falling For: Shira Entis of Fleabags Found a Way to Show Off a Pedicure Through Fall

Stomping around on perfectly crunchy leaves is the perfect autumn activity, no question. Today, Shira Entis of Fleabags (and this clutch, rockin’ year-round) shares the shoes she wants to get in on the fun. —julia silverman  

“I am absolutely obsessed with the Hex Heel by VPL. I have been searching for thick stockings and Victorian petticoats to wear with them. I can just imagine walking through the Chelsea Flea with a coffee and these amazing shoes! Alex and I are working with Victoria Bartlett on a collaboration for next spring, and every time we go to her VPL studio, we find something else that we want.” —shira

Falling For: Asia Ragland of Feliks + Adrik Wants Just a Little More Leather

How many leather jackets do you really need? Today, Asia Ragland of Feliks + Adrik (and this ring!) explains why the answer is always one more than you currently have. —julia silverman

“Summer, I love you, but I am ready to retire my warm-weather threads. I am a jeans, T-shirt, and boots kinda gal who lives in her leather jacket throughout the remaining months of the year. I have two beloved leather jackets I have worn-in to perfection, yet I have fallen for another! This R13 Leather Moto Jacket has become my new crush.” —asia

The Insider: Lockhart Steele

Talk to Lockhart Steele for ten minutes, and you’ll probably get infected with his passion for NYC—not shocking considering he founded Curbed, Racked, and Eater—three sites dedicated to covering the real estate, fashion, and food scenes across dozens of infinitely lovable locales including his own. Here, the South Street Seaport resident/fan-club president schools us on his old ‘hood (the LES!) and the floral shirts that he’s been known to rock. —jiayi

Q: What made you start Curbed?
A: I was living on the Lower East Side and had a blog where I wrote about the way the neighborhood was changing. I realized that I really dug chronicling the way New York’s neighborhoods evolved.

Q: So, how much would you say the Lower East Side has changed since you lived there?
A: I lived on Rivingston Street for exactly ten years—from March 1, 2001 to March 1, 2011. It changed a lot. Pre-9/11, the streets down there were pretty deserted. Many of the restaurants, like Schiller’s, didn’t come along until 2003 or 2004, which is when the neighborhood began having these cool spots. Then, you have the era of the mid-2000s, which led us to rename the neighborhood Hell Square, because that’s really what it became at night. By the time I left, I’d step outside on a Friday or Saturday night, and it was like I was body-surfing.

Q: Did you grow up having an interest in architecture and neighborhoods?
A: Totally—but just casually. I think architecture and real estate are interesting because they’re both topics that get written about a lot by insiders, who write in a certain lingo that’s completely incomprehensible to anyone who hasn’t learned them. Part of what we wanted to do at Curbed was to demystify that a little bit—and have a little more fun and straightforward honesty around these things.

Q: Racked was founded on the same philosophy. How do you see the relationship between Curbed, Racked, and Eater?
A: The way I think of it, they’re each telling a different side to the neighborhood story. Curbed is coming out of the point of view of real estate, but also the neighborhoods themselves—the characters and the stories that make a neighborhood what it is. One of the thoughts we had in mind when we started Eater was a that single restaurant opening could almost re-define an entire neighborhood. When Keith McNally came to Rivington Street and opened Schiller’s, that was a real big moment for that neighborhood. And then with Racked, it was the same idea. The three of them form a sort of a triangle in my mind—they each show an important part to the local and neighborhood story.

Q: There was a NYT article that mentioned your fondness for floral shirts—how would you describe your style?
A: Downtown preppy. I have a certain fondness for Paul Smith shirts. But I’m usually pretty casual.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about New York?
A: My favorite thing is just the way the city is constantly reinventing itself. Oh my god, I wake up from one construction site to another construction site—from the South Street Seaport, where I live now, to Cooper Square in the East Village, where I work— which I think is perfect considering that I started Curbed.

Read up on more awesome people here!

Where They Were Then: Ralph Lauren

One of the biggest names in American fashion? Check. First designer to appear in his own ads? Yup. Olympic designer extraordinaire? Ummhmm (see how we’re being timely?). Those are just the Ralph Lauren basics. Here’s the whole story. —callia hargrove

1939 - Born Ralph Lipshitz to two Jewish immigrants from Belarus, Lauren’s taste for luxury was there from the get-go: He’s save his moolah from his after-school job at tie maker A. Rivetz and Co. for expensive suits.

1955 - At age 16, Ralph changes his last name to Lauren. In an interview with Oprah, he later explains: “My given name has the word shit in it. So I just thought, ‘I’m going to pick a nice last name’—it wasn’t particularly connected to anything or anyone.”

1957 –Lauren attends classes at City College while still in HS and starts making ties. In his senior yearbook, when asked what he wants to do with his life, he responds that he just wants to be a millionaire. Oh, not billionaire?

1960 - After some time at college (Baruch) and in the army, he goes to work in retail at Brooks Brothers and picks up that tie habit once again. His super-bright and wide creations get scooped up by Beau Brumell, a super-fashion-y menswear store of the day, and become a bestseller.

1967 - Bloomies approaches Lauren about carrying his ties but recommends that he remove his name from the label and pushes to make them narrower. Lauren says, “HELLZ NO” (not a direct quote). Soon after, with the financial help of clothing connoisseur Norman Hilton, he opens a store in Manhattan and sells the ties under the label Polo.

1970 – Ties give way to a full-blown collection that wins lots of prep fanboys. Suits come the same year, along with that now-classic polo emblem on the lapel, offering the Armani stuff on the scene some competition. 

1972 - The first batch of polos land, in 24 colors. BAM. Insta-hit.

1974 - Lauren is asked to costume the original Great Gatsby movie…and some people even compare him to the titular character, with his ambition, self-invention, and all that. He goes on to do the get-ups for Annie Hall, too.

1983 - RL decides to delve into the world of home decor, releasing a line of sheets, towels, and furniture—and making him the first designer to take on the task of selling a whole lifestyle. That’s how he rolls.

1984 - The Rhinelander Mansion, formerly home to world famous photog Edgar de Evia and the equally famous interior designer Robert Denning, is transformed into Polo Ralph Lauren’s flagship store. Again: lifestyle.

1989 – To bring on some fresh talent, Lauren appoints a pre-fame Vera Wang as a designer—before that, she was an editor at Vogue.

1992 –Audrey Hepburn presents RL with the CFDA lifetime achievement award. Icon, meet icon.

1999 – Remember that whole kissing Ralph Lauren snafu with Rachel and Phoebe in that one episode of Friends? Yah, that happened.

2000 – Joining the digital revolution, he signs a 30-year deal with NBC to take his game to the internet, TV, and print.

2006 - Partnering with PETA, Lauren announces that he will no longer use fur in any of his collections.

2007 – For the company’s 40^th anni, Lauren hosts a huge soiree in Central Park. Lots of Kennedys and Bushes in attendance and one SJP.

2010 - Next comes an award from French Prez Nicolas Sarkozy praising his “abilities as a businessman and his undeniable work at the head of one of the most successful empires in the world.” While in the country accepting, RL opens his first French flagship store—his largest Euro store to date, with six floors and a restaurant.

2012 - Lauren is asked to create the American uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies for the London Olympics. Although he caught some slack for the duds not being produced in the U.S., no one can deny that the uniforms look amaze. (Also: promises they’ll be made in the good ol’ US of A for 2014.)

For more designer history lessons, click here.

Designer’s Designer: Joanne Lee of Eayrslee Does Summer in the City with Delfina Balda

Let’s just be honest: We’d all love to take a summer vacation right about now. But if a tropical getaway isn’t in the cards, we can still dress the part, right? Today, Joanne Lee of the ridiculously chic bag—and wallet!—line Eayrslee shows us how it’s done. —julia silverman

“My Delfina Balda tunic is the perfect thing for this ridiculous heat wave: light and breezy, but totally standout. Delfina has created this exotic vacation fantasy world with her brand—I love wearing my tunic and going over to her backyard to sip umbrella cocktails. I’ve literally been living in mine since I got it two weeks ago, and people are starting to think I only own one dress!” —joanne

Want to see more brilliant ‘n breezy designer picks? We’ve got you covered here.