GL: Hi Mandy. Where are you from, and when & why did you decide to move to NY?
MC: I’m from Texas. I came to NY in 1998 after being scouted in a shopping mall in Houston and becoming a model.

GL: Who was your greatest fashion inspiration growing up?
MC: My mom. She had an effortless glamour, and mixed vintage pieces with new.

GL: You cut your teeth working alongside fashion designer Camilla Stærk, is it hard to branch out and create your own aesthetic after working for someone else, or did you find it an easy transition into your own style?
MC: I don’t think it was difficult. Our styles are at once similar and wildly different, and my aesthetic was always there, inside me. I don’t think that changes working for someone else- it’s fun to channel someone else’s aesthetic and be a part of that team, and add your personal touch.

GL: Tell me about your first fashion week show. did you have the vision in your head for a long time before realizing it? did it go off without a hitch?
MC: The first time i showed at fashion week I did a presentation, and I did have a concept in my head for quite a while. It went off surprisingly well!

GL: Do you have a team of collaborators that you work with regularly, or do you work with different people all the time?
MC: I always work with Natasha Royt, my stylist and good friend. She keeps me focussed and in line.

GL: Has music had an influence on your clothing design? if so, how?
MC: Yes. I think it influences me indirectly though- it’s more about a mood I’m feeling when I’m designing. And I name all of my pieces after songs.

GL: Do you find you are the same person when designing clothes, as you are when dj’ing?
MC: Somewhat. DJing taught me to make a decision and stick to it, and to go with my gut feeling. You don’t have time to be indecisive when DJing.

GL: What do you think is the most important thing to remember when making clothes for other people?
MC: I think it’s important to think about different body shapes. The whole point is for other people to wear my clothes, not just myself, and I want women to feel confident and special in them.

GL: What’s something you do every single day?
MC: Sketch.

GL: Who do you turn to for business / fashion advice?
MC: I turn to Camilla (Stærk) for advice a lot. She’s such a generous and supportive person.

GL: What’s next for you?
MC: I’d like to start designing Resort and Pre-Fall collections. And a lot more accessories!

GL: Tell me about the designers you wear most, and which of these inspire you?
MC: I love Bernhard Wilhelm- he always keeps a sense of humor in his designs. And I admire Stefano Pilati for what he’s overcome and accomplished.

GL: What was the last thing you bought?
MC: A lapis necklace- lapis is supposed to be good for creativity.

GL: Are you showing at fashion week next week? if so, what plans do you have for the show / what can we expect?
MC: This season I’m changing things up a little- I’m doing private press appointments with editors, so I can personally walk them through the collection. I’m really proud of this collection, and I think an intimate setting is the best way to see it.

GL: And finally, what are your top 3 songs or records of all time?!
MC: Oooooh – this one is hard! Only 3….!?

The Pixies- WHere is my mind

Bronski Beat- Smalltown Boy

Bill Withers- Lovely Day

Cover photo by Wataru “Bob” Shimosato

Next week, as NYFW begins, Assembly New York will debut the new women’s line in an exclusive presentation for buyers, special guests and media. GrandLife caught up with Greg Armas to talk about what inspires him, future plans for Assembly New York and his fave NY hotspots.

GL: Where are you from, and when & why did you decide to move to NY?
GREG: I grew up in a very wooded, secluded part of Oregon and have found myself in NY for a love of being surrounded by people

GL: When did you open assembly, and how would you describe the store aesthetic?
GREG: After having a shop (Scout) in Los Angeles for 6 years, I opened Assembly New York originally as a menswear destination rooted in authenticity, materials, and discrete luxury. 4 years later we stock mens & womens lines, and have the same ideals. In terms of the store aesthetic, I like the term ‘future-primitive’.

GL: What was your greatest fashion inspiration growing up?
GREG: National Geographic..

GL: Do you find that having the store arms you with a better understanding of what customers are looking for in a label, or do you design based upon your own particular aesthetic?
GREG: The retail totally informs the design end of the business. I always keep the collection personal but the motivation is to make clothes that people can actually wear. This sort of authenticity in a garment is important for men and womenswear.

GL: Tell me is this your first fashion week presentation? What are you hoping to gain from the showing, and what have you got planned?
GREG: This is a huge season for Assembly. We are debuting our women’s collection after 5 seasons of establishing the mens label. The women’s collection will show first, with a salon style presentation in the shop. We’ll have live music and an amazing, curated set (backdrop). Following that, the men’s collection will be shown at Milk Studios with another band, and some ‘smoke and mirrors’. Really the brand is a cultural endeavor and with any presentation I want to create a context and environment people can respond to. The clothing is only in part, in that life is much more than simply what’s on your back

GL: Do you have a team of collaborators that you work with on the range?
GREG: Always, as the names suggests, I wanted the company to be an assemblage of minds, ideas, contributors. I have Claire Lampert (previous Bodkin designer) working with me on women’s design and we have projects this season with Arielle DePinto, Aesa, Federica Moretti, and some innovative glass jewelry with Malu Byrne, daughter of Talking Heads David Byrne.

GL: Does something other than fashion inspire you creatively?
GREG: Fine art. my background is in installations and curating, so sharing the art world dialogue with fashion is an interesting balance.

GL: When did you decide to start a collection, and what do you think is the most important thing to remember when making clothes for other people?
GREG: I have crept very slowly into design. I started with a small suit line only 3 years ago after a decades of designing clothes in my head. The most important detail to remember is not in the creating but the editing. People dont need to wear a designer’s drawings, they should have thoughtful clothes that don’t rely on trend, decoration or any other distraction.

GL: What’s something you do every single day?
GREG: Stretch. I am like a cat

GL: Who do you turn to for business / fashion advice?
GREG: For advice on design, i am surrounded by friends/co workers with excellent developed taste. I always have my eye on the elderly for fashion inspiration, its a certain refinement of personal style an expression i admire. In terms of business, I watch those around me and trust my instincts.

GL: What’s next for you?
GREG: I want grow Assembly New York into a language. I want to design for other labels. I want to go to Mexico for ten days.

GL: Who are your favorite designers, and what do you covet?
GREG: At the risk of sounded like a hippy, I really dont covet anything material. I have a lot of admiration for larger brands like Dries Van Noten & Martin Margiela, alongside smaller favorites like Fabrics Interseason and Karlota Laspalas

GL: What was the last thing you bought?
GREG: Ha, a chinese foot massage… and before that twenty baseball caps for our presentation

GL: And finally, what is your favorite a) bar b) restaurant c) gallery and d) vintage store in NY?
GREG: a) 9th St Espresso on 10th st (ok its a coffee shop but same thing) b) Cafe Mogador c) Audio Visual Arts on 1st d) Narnia Vintage

The first is the Steven Meisel directed masterpiece for PRADA. Set in a retro gas station, Meisel shot a handful of Prada favorites including Elise Crombez, Guinevere Van Seenus, Meghan Collison, and Ymre Stiekema (all of whom have previously shot Prada and Miu Miu campaigns) alongside Prada first-timers Natasha Poly and Katryn Kruger. This is 50′s fashion Americana referenced at its best.

Die Antwoord are a unique and phenomenal act. Hailing from South Africa, this trio (whose name translates to ‘the answer) describe themselves as “a fre$, futuristik, flame-throw-flow freeking, zef rap-rave krew from da dark dangerous depths of Afrika.” Teaming up with wunderkind, Alexander Wang for his T by Alexander Wang Spring 2012 campaign, this hectic and amazing video which is directed by Daniel Jackson and styled by Alastair McKimm is about as progressive as fashion films get.

GrandLife may be slightly bias in choosing this last film, for, the beautiful leading lady is friend of GrandLife and LOCAL actress, Mena Suvari. Mena stars in this visual look book for designer Christian Siriano, with the backdrop being none other than our very own Soho Grand Hotel.

Serge Becker’s Jamaican luncheonette has a partyish atmosphere that accelerates through dinnertime into a late-night scene. Despite Anna Wintour’s objections (theVogue editrix lives just behind the eatery and opposed its noise potential), it’s a hot spot with the fashion crowd. The staff – mainly Islands-hailing and brightly attired – rivals clientele in flair; but everybody looks good in the disco ball-hung back dining room, papered with old-school album covers and blasting the same.

Fat Radish’s stylish Brit owners Ben Towill and Phil Winser already had an in-crowd following before they opened, thanks to their A-list favorite Silkstone Catering company. The sparely ambient restaurant and its pared down farm-to-table fare – not to mention the many fashion insiders who frequent it – are the height of unaffected cool. And this out-of-the-way Orchard Street block, so far down it’s practically Chinatown, holds a thrill of discovery, plus a slew of interesting boutiques.

Chris Santos’ (Stanton Social) stunning two-floor restaurant, concealed by a faux pawn shop, verges on clubby but ultimately is just good, stylish fun. In ‘60s glam surroundings — gilded peacocks, anyone? — the lithe clientele looks the part in chic cocktail dresses and slim silhouettes. Shareable bites including short-rib tamales and whipped ricotta on toast are tastier then they need to be, and cocktails like the Masterly Touch, with orbs of Campari gelatin, are a treat too. Plus, the free champagne in the ladies’ room never stops flowing.

This clubbish spot, along the lines of chef-partner John DeLucie’s past joints the Waverly Inn and the Lion, keeps the riffraff out with tough-to-land reservations and inflated prices. It’s not about the food but rather the ultra-posh townhouse scene, with its marble staircase, candle light, and velvet upholstery. The crowd is just as sparkly, with serious jewelry, designer handbags, and nary a highlighted strand out of place. Look elsewhere for late-night as this one winds down post-dinner.

What would the title of your auto-biography be? Dear Charlotte Charlotte.

What can’t you travel without and why? My phone/blackberry because it allows me to keep in touch with my friends and family while I’m traveling.

Where is your favorite travel destination? Harbor Island.

If you could choose one person to show you “their New YorkCity”, who would it be? Jackie O.

What or who has inspired you recently and why? My twin sister, Samantha…always.

As a result of this creative connection, she’s been instrumental in defining the visual identity of an ever-expanding pool of well-known musicians and performers. She’s photographed Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Death Cab for Cutie, The White Stripes, Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith and many other artists for album covers, press and editorial spreads.

Recently, her work also includes writing/directing/shooting a print campaign and branded film for Oliver Peoples as well as concentrating on an on-going, thorough documentation of the daring work of young American-couture design team, Rodarte.

Today, Autumn de Wilde and Rodarte released a snapshot/sneak preview of the new Rodarte Spring 2012 campaign images, featuring Lindsay Wixon. We’ll bring you more images as they are released, so watch this space.

rodarte.net
autumndewilde.tumblr.com

The event will be presented in collaboration with MoMA PS1 and Clown & Sunset Aesthetics, Jarr’s newly formed interdisciplinary culture house with film producer Noah Kraft. Clown & Sunset Aesthetics is the parent company of Jaar’s record label Clown & Sunset.

“From Scratch” will premiere a new five-hour, multidisciplinary performance from Jaar, with musical collaborators Will Epstein, Dave Harrington (Jaar’s partner in Darkside), and Sasha Spielberg.

Taking place inside a geodesic dome, the MoMA PS1 Performance Dome, the improvised, audio-visual performance will include a live movement piece designed specifically for that space, and sound-derived video art from CSA’s filmmaker-in-residence, Ryan Staake of Pomp & Clout.

The event is the inaugural installment of MoMA PS1′s “Sunday Sessions,” a winter programming series that will take place in the MoMA PS1 Performance Dome every Sunday from February 5 through May 13, 2012 from 12PM to 6PM.

The event is free with admission to MoMA PS1.

Nicolas Jaar recently released this track which features saxophone from Will Epstein (who is performing at the MoMA event) and vocals from Scout LaRue, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.

When 25-year Cajun standby Acme announced last spring that it was done, everyone with college-era beer-and-wings memories mourned the news. But the Acme that reopened last month with the team from hot spots Indochine and Kittichai at the helm is as sophisticated and stylish as the Noho neighborhood that surrounds it, and possibly even more fun than the original restaurant.

Waiters in crisp white shirts and skinny black ties preside over the black-and-white, candlelit dining room. Everyone seems attractive, and seems to know each other, table-hopping even at this early stage. There’s that actor from Heroes over there, and a world-famous chef and his entourage at the next booth over. If you’re lucky, you’ll score one of several clubby, curving banquettes, designed for the whole gang to pile in.

The monthly-changing, Scandinavian-tinged menu from Mads Refslund (who hails from Noma in Copenhagen) is made for sharing, too. It’s grounded in the kind of comfort food people crave these days, but with a twist: A chicken & eggs entrée is a pot of flavorful chicken breast and potato chunks, mingling with taffy-like eggs that have been poached and fried. Meanwhile, heirloom carrots emerge as exquisitely sweet veggie slices topped with a layer of that magical butter-in-pork-fat-form, lardo. And don’t miss the desserts, particularly a large bowl of “bread porridge,” stirred through with salty-sweet caramel and with an earthy hops base.

But as familiar-yet-interesting as the food is, the real draw here is the buzzy scene, fueled by a reasonably priced wine list and cocktails like the green-pepper-basil-gin-laced Graffiti Green. A soaring half-moon mirror along the side wall reflects it all back, and the walls pop with an eclectic art collection – a checkerboard of Richard Prince bunnies in one corner, an oversize metal lobster overseeing the whole room.

There’s a downstairs lounge, too (it was a live music venue in the old Acme), with nearly as large a footprint as the dining room above. While that’s still building buzz, now would be an ideal time to reserve it for a party or another event, before the crowds take over. Co-owner Jean-Marc Houmard says the eventual plan is to offer late-night bites downstairs.

For now, the red awning from the original Acme winks out to Great Jones Street, beckoning only the in-the-know to this haven of cool. That might get replaced, Houmard says, since the “Cajun Food” it promises is no more. And sad as that might be for nostalgists, what’s taken its place is far more fitting to this corner of the city, at this particular New York moment.

Originally designed by the Italian master in 1965, the 4801 chair is famous for being the only Kartell piece ever to be made entirely of wood. Now, nearly fifty years later, Kartell has developed the complex and technically challenging engineering methods necessary to produce the design as originally envisioned, in its signature plastic.

To celebrate the release of the 4801 chair, Kartell and the Kartell Museum will partner with R 20th Century, one of the premier design galleries in the U.S., to present an exhibition examining Colombo’s rich collaboration with the company, one that gave rise to some of the most seminal designs of the 1960’s. In addition to both original and new 4801 chairs, the exhibition at R 20th Century in New York City will feature Colombo’s entire body of work for Kartell, alongside sketches and photographs from the Joe Colombo Archive.

Joe Colombo (b. 1930) created a dozen pieces for Kartell from 1964 until his untimely death in 1971. The Milanese designer initially began collaborating with the company by designing lighting fixtures, and eventually chairs and accessories.

In addition to the 4801, Colombo is renowned for designing the 4867 chair, also known as the “Universale” (1968) – the first chair in the world made entirely of injection-moulded ABS in a single mould, still sold by Kartell to this day. A limited number of wood 4801 chairs were produced in the ‘60s, when the technologies did not exist to produce Colombo’s design using Kartell’s material of choice.

The original chair was crafted with a bent pressed plywood seat, back and frame fitted together without any metallic parts or glue, painted in of-the-era hues of white, green, orange and black. As a tribute to Colombo and the company’s history with the legendary designer, Kartell has revisited the 4801 design with advanced industrial moulding technologies.

The second generation of the 4801 chair, to be available in a numbered series beginning in February 2012, captures the curving sinuous lines and exact proportions of Colombo’s design, now in sleek transparent, white and black plastic (PMMA).

An authentic symbol of design in the ‘60s, the highly sought-after 4801 chair is revered by private collectors and institutions alike, and has been displayed internationally at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

HOMAGE TO JOE COLOMBO

Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 1st

(BY INVITATION ONLY)

Karma is a tiny shop in the front of an office where owner, Brendan Dugan sells his own catalog of pop-minimalist art books and posters alongside books and objects that inspire him. Dugan started the publishing arm of his business, An Art Serice in 2009 as an additional platform for the artists whose web sites and books he was already designing.

An Art Service, is a graphic design and art direction firm that Brendan Dugan founded in New York City in 2007. Recognized by its signature ‘reductive’ style, An Art Service has collaborated with artists: Richard Aldrich, Carol Bove, Dan Colen, Hanna Liden, Nate Lowman, The Estate of Lee Lozano, Paul McCarthy, Ryan McGinley, Adam McEwen, Bjarne Melgaard, Katy Perry, Richard Prince, Rob Pruitt, Dash Snow, Piotr Uklanski and others.

In addition to its own titles, Karma stocks periodicals, artworks, artists’ editions, rare & out-of-print items and other in-print titles by noted publishers.

DASHWOOD BOOKS

Opened in 2005, Dashwood Books, at 33 Bond Street is an independent bookstore devoted entirely to photography.

The last ten years has seen a radical change in the publishing of books on photography bringing about a new appreciation of the medium. So much so that the photographic book is recognized as an art-form on a par with the print, and a strong collectors’ market has developed with prices for rare books tripling over the past decade.

Dashwood Books is owned and operated by David Strettell, formerly the Cultural Director of Magnum Photos.

With a carefully curated inventory Dashwood Books specializes in the latest quality books on contemporary photography from the 1960s to the present, produced by fine publishers from Japan, Europe and the United States. Dashwood Books also specializes in rare vintage books as well as numerous other out-of-print and quality used titles.

The bookstore holds regular book-signings and events with recent guests including, Michael Stipe of R.E.M, Tim Barber, Jack Webb, Jason Nocito, Coley Brown and Ari Marcopoulos.