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Next Level: Blue on Blue
We’re totally into black and blue. And red and blue. But really, right now, we’re seriously hot for intermingling shades of blue. Here, four ways to work ‘em. —erica
LEVEL I: Navy canvas and denim-y leather? Mmm, Waste(Twice), this bag nails it.
LEVEL II: Yes, even your underpants can get in on the fun, per VPL.
LEVEL III: This skirt serves up some work-approp color-blocking if we ever saw it. From The Row!
LEVEL IV: THESE HUES. So good! Boy. by Band of Outsiders adds a little quirk to this shirtdress with a cartoonish dog motif (that’s somehow totally grown-up).
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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
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The Fortunatos Make Collaboration Magic
These jewelry phenoms know how to work a runway.
Lizzie and Kathryn Fortunato have quite a partnership going: Lizzie is a design force to be reckoned with, and Kathryn boasts incredible business savvy. Though the twins push each other plenty, they’ve found that one of the best ways to evolve their own work—to try out new techniques or incorporate untested materials—is to partner up with like-minded clothing designers who are looking to round out their collections with awe-inspiring accessories. Here, a look at the diverse aesthetics the twins have attacked with their runway collaborations, what they’ve learned along the way, and where they want to go next.
VPL
LFJ x VPL spring 2011
Kathryn: “Four years ago, when we were just starting out, I asked Lizzie, ‘Who would you want to collaborate with right now?’ And she said, ‘There’s this clothing line called VPL—the designer’s named Victoria Bartlett, and she’s so amazing about collaborating with jewelry designers.’ She had worked with Alyssa Norton, Brian Crumley—all these people that we really liked. And a season later, sure enough, Victoria approached Lizzie to collaborate with her.”
LFJ x VPL spring 2009
Lizzie: “We worked with her first for spring 2009. There was all of this origami. We found a girl on Craigslist who made origami birds—that was her thing.”
Necklaces from LFJ x VPL spring 2009 and spring 2010
Kathryn: “Victoria was amazing in terms of giving Lizzie incredible freedom. She was like, ‘The sky’s the limit. You can do whatever you want.’ The inspiration would be broad—like underwater, flying, the human body.”
Suno
LFJ x Suno fall 2010
Kathryn: “The same sort of thing happened with Suno that happened with VPL. Lizzie said, ‘Have you heard of this line Suno?’ I hadn’t—it was really early. We didn’t know anything about them, but she just really liked the aesthetic—they appreciate textiles, and so do we. And it was so weird because in January of 2010, four weeks before fashion week, we got an email from Max Osterweis, who is the founder, saying, ‘Hey, I’m Max from Suno. I was in Paris, eating dinner with a friend of mine, and she was wearing an incredible necklace that you made. So I looked you up, and I want to talk to you guys about doing some jewelry with me.’ Whoever that girl in Paris was, bless her heart!”
LFJ x Suno spring 2011
Kathryn: “He and Erin Beatty, the designer, came over to our old live-work space on East Broadway. We used their fabrics, and our jewelry was incorporated into something like seven of the 25 looks. It was really exciting, but it was only a small sign of what was to come. The next season 24 of the 25 looks had our pieces, and there were about ten necklaces on each girl. We started producing the jewelry as it’s own collection.”
LFJ x Suno fall 2011
Lizzie: “For fall 2011, they wanted a more polished look. It was the first time I had ever done so much metal!”
Kathryn: “The collection was inspired by a Diana Vreeland, older-lady character who had been around the world and had this Upper East Side mentality. It was incredibly flattering that Erin came to Lizzie when she could have gone to a number of people who excel in metalwork—Lizzie had never, ever done anything like that. This forced Lizzie to go out of her comfort zone, and, even though she hated it at the time, it was such a blessing in the stars because we probably wouldn’t have evolved our own collection as we did otherwise.”
Metal cuffs from the LFJ spring 2012 collection
Wish List
Lizzie: “In terms of other people we want to work with, there’s something I like about collaborating with lines that are just getting going. We just started working with the retail arm of Jenni Kayne. We love her aesthetic—it’s sleek and amazingly crisp. It would be cool to do clutches with beaded, graphic shapes.”
Kathryn: “This is definitely a dream one, but obviously Rodarte would be incredible. Lizzie has incredible respect for them.”
Lizzie: “It would be fun to go crazy and dive into a whole new market—to do something for Matthew Williamson for London Fashion Week. You know, to open doors that are really out of our minds.”
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Meet Lizzie Fortunato Jewels
Serious demand practically forced the sisters to launch a line.
Most designers worry about the sales of their wares covering things like rent and groceries, but when Lizzie (left) and her twin Kathryn (right) got started, they were primarily concerned about paying for spring break. As undergrads at Duke University, the two Wilmington, Delaware, natives sold their attention-grabbing jewelry at on-campus trunk shows, drawing in swarms of girls looking for something stand-out to wear for a special occasion. “If a trunk show started at 6p, there would already be a line at 5:30, and everything would be gone by 6:15. They would be madness—like, sorority girls gone wild,” Kathryn recalls.
Lizzie handled the design end of things, and Kathryn fielded the business and marketing side. But when they moved to Manhattan after graduation, they pursued the kind of careers that come with a regular paycheck and health insurance—Lizzie headed into fashion PR and Kathryn into a job at Goldman Sachs. Some of their college pals infiltrated the New York fashion scene, though, and commissioned Lizzie to create hulking necklaces or layered bracelets for photo shoots or runway shows. Soon enough, the interest basically demanded that the girls launch a full-blown collection.
Their fanbase grew exponentially from there—with clothing designers like Suno and VPL wanting to collaborate, too—and the Lizzie Fortunato Jewels loyalists remain as hardcore as ever. “It’s amazing: The girls who used to buy three pieces back then are still the ones who get a piece every season,” Kathryn explains. “Some of them have collections better than anything we have of our own work.”
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Who knew zippers could be such compelling accessories in their own right? Apparently the women of Lizzie Fortunato Jewels, makers of our gorgeous Crystal Ship necklace did—they just brought the designer Brian Crumley, who’s based in Austin and has collaborated with the likes of Rachel Comey and VPL, to our attention. We’re kind of in love (and not just because he has a big, scruffy beard). —erica
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A Case For…Insane Leggings
Claire has been wearing the same pair of leggings for the last five days. I am not exaggerating for effect. And while I don’t exactly endorse this behavior, I certainly understand it: We want to be over what we would have once called stretch pants, but they are just so ridiculously comfortable and easy. So, we’ve decided to really embrace the look. These eight options are loud in the very best way. —erica
1) Laugh Cry Repeat knee leggings: Oh, yes—those are silk patches on the knees.
2) Ostwald Helgason leggings: This pair defines successful pattern-mixing.
3) ALL Knitwear rainbow stripe leggings: Good luck finding anything in your closet as cheery as these.
4) VPL Curvate leggings: They’re gold, they’re ribbed, and they’re not messing around.
5) Stine Goya chaps leggings: Woodsy in the most sophisticated way.
6) PAM Chip printed leggings: These are just like the PJs you wanted when you were six.
7) Future Classics long placket leggings: I’m not sure why you would need buttons on your thighs, but they’re as cute as…well, you know.
8) Shabd deep kaleidoscope leggings: The Brooklyn designer hand-dyes these suckers. Rad, right?
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Lizzie Fortunato Jewels
Most designers worry about the sales of their wares covering things like rent and groceries, but when Lizzie (left) and her twin Kathryn (right) got started, they were primarily concerned about paying for spring break. As undergrads at Duke University, the two Wilmington, Delaware, natives sold their attention-grabbing jewelry at on-campus trunk shows, drawing in swarms of girls looking for something stand-out to wear for a special occasion. “If a trunk show started at 6p, there would already be a line at 5:30, and everything would be gone by 6:15. They would be madness—like, sorority girls gone wild,” Kathryn recalls.
Lizzie handled the design end of things, and Kathryn fielded the business and marketing side. But when they moved to Manhattan after graduation, they pursued the kind of careers that come with a regular paycheck and health insurance—Lizzie headed into fashion PR and Kathryn into a
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Question: Do you think it would be ok to wear this VPL sweater with just tights and boots? Because I feel like slouching around in it—accessorized with a messy bun as though I’m studying for finals— all week. In my mind, those strong shoulders make it seem stately, as though you’re not a total slob deciding whether to fuel yourself with Cool Ranch Doritos or Salsa Verde ones. —erica
