Hasta La Ideas

A festive marketplace by Meghan Folsom and Terrific Mag

Having launched their delightfully titled online magazine, Terrific nearly a year ago, Rachel Kichler and Blair Pfander seem to have mastered a winning formula, supplementing solidly smart content highlighting local and international music, art and fashion talent with parties.

This summer a stellar roster of independent local-NYC designers—mostly pulled from Terrific’s virtual pages—gathered at Union Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for their inaugural marketplace, “Pool Supplies,” kicking back with margaritas and a taco truck in the spirit of supporting small artisanal businesses.

As the holidays gain steam the Terrific girls are back, and in partnership with fashion editor-turned-consultant Meghan Folsom are throwing “Deck the Halls,” 12 days of shopping beginning 10 December 2011 with another roll-out of apparel, accessories and jewelry designers in an old school—a venue officially called The Old School—in Nolita. Applying an editorial eye to the selection of goods as well as to the charmingly kitschy setting, Folsom, Pfander and Kichler were primarily motivated by the seasonal spirit of giving. Not only does Deck the Halls offer a piece of the extremely pricey Nolita real estate pie to these mostly smaller-scale designers, the market ventures to take the stress out of December shopping.

“Holiday shopping is hell,” says Folsom,” but here, you can drink wine, hear music and chill out and buy gifts from some of the most talented people in New York City.” Plus, adds Pfander, “because designers are customizing each of their spaces, walking through the market will feel a little bit like being inside a magical, indie mall—just with lots of cool gear instead of Annie’s Pretzels. Oh, and cookies. Lots of cookies.”

Among the designers who will be peddling their wares over the 12-day stint will be Mociun, Baggu, Outlier, Shabd, AANDD, DLC Brooklyn and several others. “Terrific focuses primarily on up-and-coming, New York-based designers, ranging from the bigger guys like Timo Weiland to relative newbies like Beatrixe,” says Kichler. She also gives credit to the events they’ve held in sustaining their word-of-mouth model to uncovering the best talent. “The best part, we’ve found, is that because it’s such a tight-knit community, a lot of introductions seem to happen very organically—lots of friends of friends.”

We spoke with one of the event’s headliners, Caitlin Mociun, who told us that Deck the Halls will serve as a “mini-debut” of her forthcoming first boutique. “I am in the works of opening my own store,” she reveals. “It will showcase my textile and jewelry designs as well as the work of other jewelry, accessory and home product designers whose work I love. Being in the NYC design world for six years with my own line I have gotten an amazing response from other designers wanting to be part of my new endeavor. I was eager to get the ball rolling.” As a gift celebrating her store sneak preview, she’ll be sending Mociun purchases home in a free Mociun Baggu bag.

“Deck the Halls” starts 10 December 2011 at The Old School. Check out their Deck the Halls Tumblr for more of what will be up for sale.

Dutch designer tries his hand at travel-inspired leather goods

After 18 years in the fashion industry, John van Dorst has made a foray into leather goods, debuting Vandorst in a test phase earlier this month. Van Dorst happened upon the leather accessories and diaries from his grandparents’ travels during the 1920s, which served as inspiration for the eponymous brand.

Van Dorst quickly discovered the challenges of working with a prestige material like leather, spending a year and a half studying its finishes and nuances. Each of Vandorst’s six bags and four small pouches are created with the finest skins possible, sourced from central Europe and finished in the Netherlands’ last remaining tannery.

Constructed in the same atelier that produces the country’s leather footwear, the pieces speak to the heritage of leatherwork in the Holland. “All this is my passion,” says Van Dorst. “I decided to make my own bags and accessories borne from a personal quest for the ideal product. The entire collection has been created in classic shapes like the briefcase, the sports bag and the tote.”

As a nod to the travel accessories created for the wife of King George III of England, each bag is lined in royal blue. Those wishing to get their hands on a Vandorst bag will have to be patient—the line’s “launch” this month sent 15 individuals on a journey to road-test the various styles, but the collection won’t be available to the general public until next year. Van Dorst tells us that he’s been inundated by orders already, so visit the site’s contact page to get your name on the waiting list.

Our favorite cashmere gadget gloves in a Cool Hunting exclusive colorway

For this year’s Cool Hunting Edition of Freehands gloves we stuck with the cashmere but added new colorways and narrowed the stripes. We also partnered up with our friends at fab.com to exclusively sell these warm and functional gloves.

The fab.com sale starts Wednesday, 30 November 2011, at 11am EST but can be previewed here. All other styles of Freehands can be found at freehands.com.

From sunglasses to leather-scented cologne, premium gift picks for the old man

The holiday season marks the only time of year it’s acceptable to ignore the man—he may say he doesn’t want any gifts, but get him something anyway.

Tom Ford Tuscan Leather Perfume

Coming in what is perhaps the most masculine perfume bottle ever designed, Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather Perfume
is rich in leather, black suede and amber wood notes. This bottle deserves a prominent place on the dresser of any well-scented dad. ($195)

J. Crew Collars and Cuffs Stain Bar

A good shirt deserves a little love now and again. This stain bar
from the Laundress New York and J. Crew will keep dad looking dapper by removing grime around the hardest-hit parts of the shirt, the cuffs and collar. Made from vegetable soap and natural borax, the all-natural bar won’t harm the fabric like a trip to the cleaners, so he’ll get the most out of his shirts. ($7)

Persol Crystal Sunglasses

There’s cool, and then there’s Steve McQueen cool. Get dad eyewear fit for the king of cool with these striking blue Persol sunglasses made of durable acetate with stylish silver hinges.

Guts and Glory

Celebrate the brutality of early American pigskin with a photographic collection of the hardest hits in football. Photographer Neil Leifer compiles his best shots from 1958-1978 as he documents the sport’s rise into the national consciousness. ($50)

Gekkota Golf Multitool

You never want to be without your ball marker, money clip, divot fixer, bottle opener and screwdriver. This slim multitool is versatile and convenient, attaching to your keychain and folding up into an oval disk. It will help Dad save room in his bag for what’s really important: booze. ($30)

A new collection of classic neckties with a modern silhouette, hand-sewn in America

Since opening their first brick and mortar outpost in South Williamsburg this past summer, Brooklyn Tailors has been busy building their bespoke tailoring clientele and expanding their line of off-the-rack menswear. Now well into the fall season they’ve released a selection of neckties made entirely from 100% English wool, save for a corduroy style. Designed with the same attention to detail and reverence for proper, traditional craftsmanship as their tailored garments and shirts, the necktie collection offers an ever-expanding selection of fabrics styled in a classic yet modern silhouette.

Brooklyn Tailors with a third-generation tie-maker based in New Jersey, allowing them to oversee the operation through each step, from sourcing fabrics to final production. Each tie is hand-sewn with a free-floating interlining and finished with a hand-slip stitching and bar tack. To lend a slightly more contemporary feel to the accessory, the line adheres to a slightly more trim—though not “skinny”—width than your father’s old-reliable work tie.

Another element of their slightly-more-modern aesthetic is length, with each tie cut roughly three inches shorter than the industry standard. Co-founder Daniel Lewis expands on the decision, “I’ve never liked seeing the tie reach past the belt line on a person’s trousers. So we’ve sized our tie a bit shorter for a length that looks cleaner, and more intentional.”

The collection currently comprises eight neckties, with several more styles debuting in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for more offerings along the lines of wool tweeds, Japanese cotton twill and, later in the year, chambray and oxford. Priced at $85 each, they’re likely an investment piece for the holiday season, but with a level of craftsmanship to match. The necktie collection is now available at their Brooklyn shop and online boutique.