Scott Gibson in Daily Candy

Scott Gibson, fellow Buddhist and one of our favorite best-kept secrets in the fickle fashion world, got a very cute feature in Daily Candy today. Enjoy, world! He won't be our secret for long.

You Won't See Yourself Coming...

Our resident MySpace editor had a little to say about the importance of supporting independent businesses. I can’t agree with her more, and I am so guilty! I walk down the street with my venti Americano in hand, then grumble in dismay when I hear a chain store wants to push my favorite mom & pop deli out of the neighborhood. We can all do our part; it’s just being conscious of our daily decisions. We may have to walk a block out of the way, or plan a Saturday shopping excursion downtown, but let’s not wait to lament the extinction of the indie business. Enjoy…

My little diatribe du jour, but I cannot stress enough the purchase of INDIE in everyday life.

Of course, our focus in on indie fashion – so let me be clear as to what this is. Our unsung designers are not affiliated with a major fashion house. They are fashion designers who create their own designs, making most by hand in single or limited quantities, or in small production runs usually in the US.

Buying indie is a choice – it is an act against Generica (generic-America). Walking down the city streets these days I see Banana Republic, Chipotle, GAP, Starbucks….. where are the INDIE choices? They are being slowly eliminated by the increase in property values in the inner city.

At Unsung Designers, we are finding emerging designers and putting them on the web (and in many ways on the map). The web allows us to reach people trying to make that Indie choice.

So if you find a great independent coffee shop, grocer, record store – and of course online boutique such as www.unsungdesigners.com - Spread the Word. They will only survive if people start caring about America becoming Generica.

Of course, the added benefit is when you walk down the streets in our unsung designers’ clothes… you won’t see yourself coming!

Introducing Unsung's Newest Young Talent: Miyagi

Check it out. Miyagi's first collection in classic black and white is so technically mature we couldn't believe it was his debut line. His philosophy is mixing sophistication (immaculate tailoring and clean lines) with "cuteness" (faux flower petal adornments), which he believes makes his garments more feminine.

We are enamored of the cropped stretch pants which are like fitted capris, modern knickers, sleek clam-diggers... whatever you want to call them, they are unbelievably modern and girly at the same time. They're made out of a polyurethane blend, so they stretch yet hold their shape much better than other stretch fabrics. The denser fabric also holds you in like a charm, and we love the adorable accordion pockets that make your butt look higher. We've worn them with stiletto sandals, ankle kitten boots, platform wedges...

Miyagi also makes gorgeous, body-skimming blouses with amazing detail, and funky pieces adorned in braided ribbon and even a removable flower brooch.

Parson's 2006 Line Debut

Parsons School of Design did an amazing job on its 2006 line debut fashion show. Set in a beautiful old church in the LES, there was an electric charge in the air. The young designers showing their work were surrounded by friends, family, industry reps and press, who crowded the narrow street outside to get a good seat.

Models from Elite and other agencies shared the catwalk with student models. Designers to watch included Rosalina Pong whose black wool crepe mini dress with wide sleeves sent oohs and ahhs through the crowd, and Shilpa Rajpara whose jewel-toned silk top and flowing beige silk pants were stunning.

Several designers created corset tops or used them to layer and cinch. Raw, neutral tones were predominant in the first part of the show, evoking the hue of natural undyed cotton or muslin. Get ready to see some of these young talents at Unsung Designers before they become the next big thing!

Who's Your Mommy?

Gina Michele Featured in Daily Candy Today

We're happy to see one of our fabulous new designers, Gina Michele, featured in Daily Candy today. Check out the Drawstring Top that Daily Candy loves, or Gina Michele's entire collection of fun dresses, tanks and silkscreen tees.

unsung/offline: Saturday, May 6

first Saturday of every month... protect your identity... buy unsung.

Get away from the herd. Come check out all the great new merchandise we have in for Spring. This Saturday, May 6, noon to 6pm (same time, same place, as always).

Cool Supermodel

These days there are all kinds of celebrities branching out in new directions: sports stars singing, singers acting and starting clothing lines, actors directing and becoming global ambassadors, models hosting talk shows and designing clothes... but one must wonder: how much are they really invested in their new ventures? In supermodel Alek Wek's case, she is dedicated and passionate. I was surprised and impressed to see her personally showing her handbag line Wek1933 at Designers & Agents today. Alek is not only stunningly gorgeous as we all know, but gracious and down to earth and obviously believes in her work. I mean, how many celebrities do you know who would personally go pitch their work if it wasn't on Oprah or the Tonight Show or some star-studded event? Alek Wek is real and I adore her for doing things the way the rest of us do, rather than using her money and fame to bypass the usual processes. Everyone should check out her handbag line. (I love the Akua Bag shown here.) They're beautiful and functional, and much of what she does goes back to her support of charities and humanitarian causes.

Unsung Trunk Show: Saturday, April 22

We would love for you to join us for our first trunk show, featuring handbag designer Oovoo and jewelry designer Barefoot Czarina. We are having a virtual trunk show for our customers who don't live in the D.C. area. A discount will be automatically calculated when you buy anything by these two designers online!

Scott Gibson Gets a Nice Blurb in the New York Times

When he's not busy designing beautiful clothes for Unsung, Scott Gibson finds time to support the arts. Scott was mentioned in the New York Times dance review for a new work inspired by 9/11, called Fissures:

"This mix of hope and sadness is communicated through movement alone by Mr. Passafiume's five dancers, whom the costume designer, Scott Gibson, turns into everymen and everywomen dressed in bits and pieces of clothes in earth tones. They look like people who have lives and thoughts outside the dance studios where they have trained long and hard."
-Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times, Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Scott designed the gorgeous costumes for the performance, which is now playing at Lincoln Center. (Photo by Richard Termine, New York Times.)

Prizy Sebastian in New York Moves

We're a long-time fan of Prizy Sebastian's for her utterly feminine clothing. Dresses and blouses in whisper-soft fabrics, jewel tones and exquisite detailing. One of Prizy's signature dresses makes an appearance in New York Moves magazine this month.

New York Moves covers fashion and lifestyle for urban women. We're big fans of the edgy articles and monthly columns with great headers like: "bitch" (letters to the editor), "chow" (food), and "scope" (as in horo).

New York Moves Design Edition, April 2006. (Photograph by Emily Travis.)

Check Out Our Myspace

Don't forget to check out our myspace, lovingly crafted by our resident fashion vixen Lulu. Lulu always has her hand on the pulse of the lastest and greatest fashion news, and she shares her views with us there. We also love to hear what Lulu is listening to at any given moment. The girl knows how to rock out!

Project Runway Open Casting: Update

Unsung's ultra-talented designer and namesake of the Sirius clothing and accessories line (she had the name way before the satellite radio company) tried out for Project Runway today. I was lucky enough to accompany Siri on this exciting day, but I had to sign a release not to spill any of their inner workings so I'm sorry I can't report more, except to say: the long line was made bearable by all the raw energy (creativity, excitement, nerves) and great people-watching.

I do want to pass on this piece of advice: to all the emerging designers out there, it's worth it to try out next year. Even if you don't get chosen for the show, you get to meet amazing people with similar goals and dreams, get a behind-the-scenes look at one of your favorite shows, practice presenting yourself and your work (artistic philosophy, technique), get feedback from the folks at PR (who, if you think about it, have seen so many designers they can give an honest opinion if you want it), and meet some of the people who make the show happen. That's a pretty decent day's work.

Here's a picture of Siri, with friends Stephen (a fellow designer) and Jane (his model), whom we met in line.

Project Runway Open Casting this Weekend

NYC is the final city for open casting for Project Runway. Several of our designers will be standing in line at Macy's this weekend, auditioning for season 3. We know how talented they are and we'll be there to give moral support. (Check back for pictures.)

Better get your dibs on the merchandise at Unsung before some of these designers become the next big thing!

Belabunda Bikini Featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2006

I keep the SI Swimsuit page bookmarked to give me incentive to eat well, but even if my diet consisted of celery and Metamucil I would never look like these models. However, I can get the same bikini as the one worn here by Bridgett Hall.

The simple suit is Belabunda's most basic bikini style and even normal human beings look good in it. The halter top gives great push-up and you can adjust the bottom to sit lower on your hips or higher on your belly.

The bikinis are Brazilian style, so they are cut small. But they're so much fun and so flattering that once you get used to baring a bit more behind, you'll want to stay near water just to keep one on.