Fave Look: Upstate

Attacking the SS13 collections, one getup at a time. See ‘em all here.

Upstate

Of a Kind

For fall, Upstate is delivering one of those dresses that can go, well, anywhere—BF’s work party, rehearsal dinner, drink date—and knock everyone’s Happy Socks off. —erica

A Year in…Studio and Home Tours

A slew of our designers were kind enough to play host.

Not to hate on Cribs and its entertainment value or anything, but sometimes it’s more appealing to explore the pad of someone with taste—who keeps more in the fridge than Dom and Perrier. In the last 12 months, these are the designers’ living quarters and work spaces we were lucky enough to invade:

+ Hillary Taymour’s (Really, Really) Amazing Home (see pic above)

+ Kalen Kaminski and Astrid Chastka Think Big in a Really Small Space

+ The Symmetry Goods (Home) Office

+ Kathryn Bentley Busts a Move

+ Peek Inside Blanca Monros Gomez’s Brooklyn Home

+ Sara Gates Shows Off Her Space

+ Erica Weiner’s (Three-Story!) House

+ A Tour of Annie Larson’s New Brooklyn Pad

Until 2012, you can get a whole 25% off the editions these designers made for Of a Kind—just use the code NEWYEARNEWGEAR on any purchase over $40. You’re welcome!

Next Level: Fall Dye Jobs

Oh, hay. What’s this? We’re rolling out some new/revamped features up in here. Don’t worry: There won’t be any running columns about taking your look from day to night. For “Next Level,” we’ll pick a theme and round up four pieces that suit you whether—to draw a ski comparison—you’re working your way down the bunny hill or whipping around moguls.

Tie-dye doesn’t have to be just a summer thing. You knew that, right? The key is (no surprise) going for moody colors on thicker materials than that wispy, 90-degree-day stuff. —erica

LEVEL I: This made-in-Ethiopia pouch from Sammy is the ideal low-key clutch. It wouldn’t look out of place next to a plate of pizza crusts.

LEVEL II: K, technically this is shibori, but you get the idea. The top that Upstate made for Of a Kind really kills it tucked into anything high-waisted—flared jeans, gray pencil skirts, you get the idea.

LEVEL III: Oh, yes, that’s dyed suede. Somehow Veda makes the biker jacket look fresh over and over and over again.

LEVEL IV: These might just widest legs we’ve ever seen on a pair of pants. Thank you, Wildfox Couture, for going there.

Of a Kind

If you were wondering whether you’re still going to be into maxis next spring, well, Upstate makes a major case for YES. (PS: Still a handful of our exclusive tops from the twosome left here!) —erica

Of a Kind

If you’re in the market for FNO plans in NYC, pretty sure they should be BUY THESE SHOES. Osborn is collaborating with a slew of rad designers like Upstate (see above—the duo also made this amazing top for us), Mary Meyer, Study NY, and Chromat. They’ll be selling these puppies at International Playground, which also happens to be one of our favorite places in town to uncover new lines. 13 Stanton St., 7-10p! —erica

Fan Fiction: We Have a Winner!

Big ups to Sarah Eden who is the ultra-talented, super-official winner of our very first fan fiction contest. Girlfriend went all out: She not only featured two Of a Kind designers—Upstate and Clare Vivier—but she also did illustrations. I’ll pause to let you absorb this information: PICTURES. And I’ll let her take it from here. —erica

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Twenty-six Of a Kind editions ago, Astrid Chastka and Kalen Kaminski, the duo behind Upstate, got their inky hands on one of the 30 Clare Vivier La Pochette wallets. They agreed to share their good fortune, settling on a joint custody arrangement: Saturdays-Tuesdays with Astrid, Wednesdays-Fridays with Kalen, Sundays off to spend time with other Of a Kind family members.

Now life in Brooklyn, where the designers are based, can result in some treacherous situations for a cream-colored wallet. Packed, sticky subways and the need for caffeine encourages a person to buy dark accessories. These risks, however, are nothing compared to a Brooklynite with a passion for shibori. You can wear gloves to protect your hands, but if Dexter has taught us anything it’s that protective plastic can only go so far to shield the rest of your dye zone.

Astrid and Kalen’s La Pochette (affectionately referred to as LP or LaPoche) now looks like this:

“Why,” you ask?

It was the Tuesday before the release of Upstate’s Tri-Fold Dip Top. Being Tuesday, Astrid, of course, had LaPoche. She was in the dye-nook of Kalen’s apartment working on one last detail of the final shirt. Astrid folded #31 and added it to the teetering tower of Tri-Fold tops. “Understated cool. Sure to dazzle for all seasons,” she declared. “After all of that beautiful gray dye, though, I do have a hankering for a little pop of color. Where did I put that glam pink nail polish?”

A slant of light caught LaPoche’s golden knob, reminding Astrid of the polish’s whereabouts. She retrieved the polish from the wallet, placed LP atop the pile of shirts, sat down, pulled out the wand, and painted away. Just then Kalen rushed into the tiny apartment with a stack of certificates of authenticity to sign for the tops. She knocked into a pile of fabric bolts – the certificates flew into the air – and then the bolts tumbled onto the floor. Before Astrid could move out of the way, the fabric crashed into her, shocking the polish out of her hands. Luckily, fabric is soft so Astrid was OK. The polish, however, found a new home on LaPoche and the pile of Of a Kind tops. Chance and a wand: it was indeed magic that gave the Tri-Fold Dip Top—and  LP—their pink touches.

Four Design Couples We’re in Love With

We think our posts accurately convey our affection for designers and stories—not to mention our tendency to occasionally fangirl (yes, it’s a verb)—fairly well. That said, this should come to no surprise: When we found out some of the creative forces behind several of our favorite lines were dating or married to each other, we decided that a very, very early Valentine was in order. —jiayi

1) Robert Geller, who designs the eponymous, CFDA-favorite menswear line, and Ana Lerario-Geller of Lerario Beatriz, who also heads Tribeca showroom Fiftytwo. The pair met while working at Marc Jacobs almost a decade ago and have a one-year-old together.

2) Ryan Sovereign (who is, like Geller, a RISD graduate) of stellar Brooklyn neckwear co. Sovereign Beck, and Lia Cinquegrano of Thomas IV, a handbag line we’re completely obsessed with.

3) Jeff Halmos, one half of Shipley & Halmos, and Lisa Mayock, one half of Vena Cava—we’re itching to get our hands on pieces by both of them.

4) Kalen Kaminski of dye-happy line Upstate—right this way for the edition she and her design partner Astrid made just for us!—and Jeff Thrope, who is behind the wilderness blog Cold Splinters and a collection of killer camp shorts of the same name.

Of a Kind

Magazines are doing round-ups of transition-to-fall pieces right about now, but we’ve decided that you don’t need a whole range of options when this one top by Upstate will do the trick. The hand-dyeing has a summery, weekending-in-Malibu feel, but the jewel tones mesh well with chilly nights and pumpkin patches. And god knows you’re in the market for a perfect pumpkin-patch look. —erica

BUY / 31 of a kind

Read more about Upstate:

+ On their dyeing mistakes
+ On their teeny, awesome studio
+ On how they made this rad shirt