Sneak Peek: Rachel Comey Fall Inventory

We know you love Rachel Comey as much as we do. We also know that at times it can be a tad difficult to get your mitts on certain items -- oh, I don't know, a particular honey colored clog instantly comes to mind.

Our Rachel Comey obsession aptly continues:

Rachel Comey Eye on You Dress in nougat (pictured above) & Switch Mocassin Booties in chocolate (pictured above)

After taking a gander at Rachel's Fall lineup, we simply could not walk away without one of her prints. So we didn't. In for Fall is the Rachel Comey dip back button dress in the Eye on You nougat print. Gorgeous print, simple shape = easy choice.

The cut-out mocassin booties were also a no-brainer for us. They tie. They have cut-outs. What more can I ask for? Something about this shoe is darling, but not in an overtly saccharine way.

Rachel Comey Jonen closed clogs in mud (pictured above)

Now, for those of you who missed out on the Ackees and who are still searching for a substantial well-heeled alternative, look no further! Seriously, the Jonens are the next best thing. The color "mud" is more appealing than it sounds: imagine the perfect neutral shade, a mix of gray and brown, that is muted enough to go with everything, yet isn't a bore of a color. I think it would make a great counterpoint to most brilliantly bright items. I don't know about you, but I wear my Ackees with almost everything.

As usual, sizing is limited on all items. We take pre-orders!!!

Expected shipment date is mid-September.

Autumn

Source: Helga Ni via Flickr

Summer is slowly fading away, dissolving into a faint memory, an afterthought.

Just yesterday, as the resident male and I drove to have brunch at Screendoor (yummy yum yum southern cooking with numerous vegetarian options), a single yellow leaf fell onto the car. I screamed, "No, not yet!"

You are conscious of the slow shift in the seasons; the air is crisper, the rain has returned. Also, as I peer outside my window every morning, staring at the different shades of green on the rolling Sylvan hills (interrupted only by dots with chimneys and different colored roofs), the familiar autumn mist steadily encroaches the sky, threatening to consume the hills.

All this is a reminder that autumn is at the door.

Stockholm Syndrome

[Stretch. Yawn.]

We're back from our self-enforced blogcation.

I came across this picture and post on the Sart website, entitled, "On the Street .... The Stockholm Look Via Los Angeles."

source: The Sartorialist

I scrolled through the readers' comments, where there was a healthy debate as to whether or not this look was sooo uncharacteristic of LA. The majority agreed that it was not characteristic at all.

Really? It has been about five years since the resident male and I lived near--as in, only an hour drive to--or frequented Los Angeles, and we're admittedly a bit out of touch.

Is this so atypically L.A.? Apart from the Hollywood vibe and corresponding dress code (e.g., what others term as the "tanorexics" -- yeah, broad generalization here) that is so often loathed--explictly so by readers of sites like the Sart--this look can't be that foreign there, no? What about in the eclectic, gentrified pockets of Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Los Feliz? I'm genuinely curious, so please let me know.

In any case, I like it.

Say It Ain't So: Mayle Closes Shop

source: Mayle

****We interrupt this otherwise-scheduled blogcation with an announcement****

SYNOPSIS: Much to our lament, designer and dressmaker extraordinaire Jane Mayle has decided to close shop. Say it ain't so. Well, lovelies, it unfortunately is, and somewhere on the streets of Nolita, a chic girl silently mourns, finding herself in a veritable existential crisis.

THE DETAILS: After ten years of garbing women (and presumably others) in perfectly feminine-meets-vintage designs, Mayle announced that her 242 Elizabeth Street shop and the gorgeous line which it houses are coming to a tragic end in February. Gone are the days of delicately executed Mayle silk blouses adorned with just the right touches to make a garment "special"; likewise, my few pairs of Caribbeas--those which I selfishly guard--will never multiply. This is a hard pill to swallow.

Once dubbed the "uniform for cool girls," this line will be missed by many, although I suspect our wallets will flourish as a result. (Yeah, I know we don't carry this line, but trust me, we will miss it. Trust me.)

Said the designer of her decision:

"How I came to this business was all about dreaming and building a wardrobe you would be seduced by. That mystery and remoteness and insouciance have disappeared from fashion in order to accelerate the product. I feel I have just become another cog in that machinery.”

Mayle's announcement to close shop comes at what we hope is the tail end of similar designer announcements.

CONCLUDING REMARKS: Boo hoo.

P.S. Thanks for the heads up, Allison.

Blogcation Eye Candy

source: Style

The folks at SOTTO are taking a little "blogcation" for the next week or so. Don't worry. You can still get a hold of us. And, of course, your orders will still be processed as usual.

In the meantime, and to get you aptly excited for FW08 (as you no doubt should be!), we're posting this little Charlotte Ronson campaign video, which stars the designer's half-sibling Annabelle Dexter-Jones and the Virgins' lead singer Donald Cummings ... and is adorable.

Enjoy.

Until we meet again,

SOTTO

SHOP TALK: Eskell Ashby Shorts

source: Chicago Fashion via Eskell

I forgot I had these pictures on file. We have a handful of Ashby shorts left.

A Wall of My Own

source: Arch Daily

Some people dream of their dream home and dream kitchen. Not me.

I dream of a room dedicated to books. I want an entire wall full of shelving in which I place tattered, torn and generously loved books, books that I have earmarked or tossed around in my backpack while traveling, books saturated with memories.

And, this wall will, among other things, encase a room with a piano ... and a desk with numerous compartments, some secret.

Eskell Fall 2008

source: Teen Vogue

Eskell's upcoming fall/winter line is nothing short of darling. We've stocked up on a few essential silk blouses and a dress that I am dying to get my hands on.

(Psssst. You can click on the images to enlarge. But you already knew that, didn't you? Smartypants.)

Carson Hot Springs

source: Carson Hot Springs

On my short list of things to do this summer is a visit to the Carson Hot Springs, which, as I've been told, is only a hop and skip away in neighboring Washington and across the Bridge of the Gods. I am intrigued.

The springs were discovered in 1876 by Isadore St. Martin during a hunting excursion. After claiming the land under Indian Homestead, he ultimately set up shop. Word of the springs spread, and soon people visited in droves.
The old bathhouse is still used and in addition to taking a mineral bath in those old bear claw tubs, you can get a "wrap," which essentially requires being swaddled, cocoon-like, in mineral-drenched cloth or something like that.

Anticipation: Mociun Fall 2008

Mociun's fall line, upon first glimpse, immediately conjured for me images of velvet sunsets and the stirring of the warm summer air, just at the delicate cusp of the seasons' change. That's just me.

Pretty.

The Summer Sale Continues!!!!

Okay, folks, we're getting ready for fall to come in any day now, so we will be marking down the few items we have left in stock! Now is the prime time to stock up on Devotte sandals, Charlotte Ronson tops and dresses, and Eskell pieces. We also have a handful of Rachel Comey shoes left, so if you are a size 7 or 8 (or somewhere in that ballpark), today is your lucky day.

In fact, here are close-ups of our spring shoes.

As usual, please please please feel free to email us with any questions about measurements, fit, etc.

xoxo,
SOTTO