Situated in Harlem, Rocky Coulbourne‘s designs echo the street-style  aesthetic, reminiscent of American Apparel. He established Coulbourne+ in 2007 and draws his inspiration from the multifaceted sense of diversity in New York, acknowledging the array of ethnicities, religions, lifestyles, and fashion. The simple aesthetic of his spring collection is a reaction to the hordes of messages thrown at us by modern media and conveys one image at a time, letting the “+” imply the rest. His Spring 2010 Preview, held in a make-shift artist loft, was dec0rated with caution tape and a mobile clothing rack. The line features graphic t-shirts, distressed denim, cozy cardigans and swimwear which was admired by the press. Shop his collection here and follow the brand as it evolves.

-Maria Eilersen

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Fused by a shared passion for sun, surf, and fashion, Cynthia Rowley collaborates with Roxy this spring in the exclusive collection available only at Barney’s New York and Colette Paris. Ranging from $13-$225, the affordable line mixes function and design in effort to see fashion embrace the laid back surf lifestyle. Comprised of forty pieces of accessories, sportswear, and swimwear, the line reverberates with bright neon & neoprene, ranging from short wetsuits to silk tassle leather sandals. Recalling the outfit driven Adidas designer collection and add the innovative aesthetic of a notable fashion designer, Cynthia Rowley, and the result is a malleable collection of fashionable and comfortable items that take you from the beach to the bar. Models and guests rocked the new pieces amidst the fashionable throng, showing off how to work the collaborative collection into a your existing wardrobe. Oh, and don’t fret – the partnership is said to continue for the next three years. Shop the new collection here.

-Maria Eilersen

Known for his use of unique materials – cork, wallpaper, 24-karat gold – high-end shoe designer Stuart Weitzman’s latest endeavor has been…jelly. Semi-translucent, plastic-feeling, jelly is a texture that is cute, girly, apt for a stroll under the afternoon sun but infused with a slight sense of futurism at the same time. For his first jelly collection, Stuart Weitzman has combined all these qualities with a touch of glam: embellished with beads and studs, Weitzman makes sure that your plastic shoes will not remind you of your shopping bags. Available in a range of colors and silhouettes – sandals, flats, rain boots – this jelly collection is sweetly chic and practical.

- Justina Lee

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Designer Tia Cibani is an avid traveler, something that is always apparent in her globally-inspired shows. For Ports 1961′s Spring 2010 collection, “Fleure,” her destination of choice was Japan. Elements of oriental design were woven through the nature-heavy collection, from geisha-inspired hair and makeup to Obi sashes, kimono silhouettes, and Origami. The palette consists mainly of earthy tones, ivories, crimsons, lavendars, and pale pinks strewn against different fabrics and textures, such as silk, cotton, metallics, and linen. Though many of the pieces were literal takes on traditional Japanese style of dress, they were nevertheless modern and wearable.

-Sarah Nason

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The jeans are made from feather-light Japanese denim with a 5% stretch, which makes them extremely soft and comfortable with an awesome body-conscious silhouette. In fact, the brand boasts that its product “is where uptown quality meets downtown edge” – something I can certainly agree with, especially when you take into consideration the line’s superior cuts and fabrics with a price point more affordable than other brands of similar quality (basic styles are around $180).

For those of you interested in eco-friendly brands, you’re sure to like Blue Notch. They own their own washing factory (one of the only denim houses in the world to do so!) in Korea that uses natural springs and includes a special water filtration system that works to reduce their carbon footprint.

For their Spring 2010 collection, you can expect to find their lightweight denim in traditional cuts, as well as boyfriend cutoffs, denim jackets, and jeans featuring embellishments such as cool zipper and studding details.

If you’re on the hunt for a new pair of jeans that’ll last you a long time, look no further than Blue Notch. For those of you in NYC, you can pick up a pair at Henri Bendel, Icon, True Boutique, Barney’s Co-op, or Atrium – if you’re not in the area, visit their website for additional info.

-Sarah Nason

[Images from Wire Images]

Fendi

Fendi’s Spring 2010 collection successfully embodied some of my very favorite things: sheer fabrics, raw edges, lots of neutral tones, and a romantic-yet-rough overall aesthetic (not to mention, the runway show was set to my favorite album of the year, The Dead Weather’s ‘Horehound’!). Karl Lagerfeld took the season’s obsession with transparency to a whole new level, all the way  down to completely see-through evening clutches. The collection successfully blended toughness and relaxed femininity and the outcome was one of the best Fendi shows in recent years.

[Images via Wire Images]

Dolce & Gabbana

The design duo’s S/S 2010 show was heavy on the lace in a super charming, incredibly flirty, burlesque-meets-tango sort of way. The mixture of textures and fabrics that one might not initially think would be well meshed (such as denim and lace) turned out to be a hit as the details were impeccable and the collection was true to the house’s Sicilian roots. The show lacked the giant ball gowns that have been prominent in its last few seasons, instead showing a return to form with tailored suits, hotpants, corsets, and mini dresses.

[Images from Wire Images]

Alberta Ferretti

Romantic chiffon dresses were all the rage at Alberta Ferretti’s Spring/Summer 2010 show. The soft, delicate dresses featured this season’s trendy pastel palette with a few strong splashes of color and embroidery hidden amongst the nightwear-inspired floaty fabrics. Though this season has seen no shortage of gauzy feminine gowns, Ferretti’s are among the best as they are very wearable, beautiful, and timeless.

-Sarah Nason

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