We are lucky, lucky people.

Obama won (woo-hoo!) and now, Abaeté (a forever-favorite label of mine) is having is having it’s seasonal sample sale tomorrow. And you know what that means ladies…

40-60% savings on a bevy of beautiful dresses, amazing coats, sexy skirts, and great easy tees usually found in Bergdorf, Saks, and Bendels. Lots of styles - especially in sizes 4 and 6.

Thursday, 11/6 | 11am-7pm
Friday, 11/7 | 11am-7pm
Saturday, 11/8 | 12pm-6pm

560 Broadway, Suite 509 (at Prince Street in SoHo)
Trains: R/W to Prince | B/D/F/V to Broadway/Lafayette
credit cards and cash gladly accepted

Want to know more about Abaeté?
See my review of the Spring ‘09 Collection, a trend alert, and see how the label contributed greatly to my personal style.

I have to be very honest here - I have always felt that contemporary lines should not show during fashion week, that they dilute what is special about runway shows; that runway should be reserved for more theatrical pieces shown on dazzling sets, etc…

However, after working in the industry for a while now, I have not only come to accept the inclusion of contemporary collections, but truly appreciate their presence at fashion week. After all, the contemporary collections are the ones we’ll actually be wearing.

I barely made it to the tents in time for Abaeté’s Spring 09 Collection on Saturday, but did thanks to one slightly crazy driver who nearly ran over a film crew. My first ‘real job’ was at Abaeté (I was there for over 3 years handling the pr and marketing) and so this line, designer Laura Poretzky, and all of the amazing people there will always be very, very dear to me.

For Spring 09, Poretzky was inspired by the dichotomy of the two sides of a woman: the good and the bad. She also looked at clothing from the inside out and paid close attention to underpinnings (lingerie, girdles, netting, etc). The bad girl, according to Poretzky, is celebrated with bondage-tight black jersey pieces, corseted details, and peek-a-boo netting. The girl girl, with ultra feminine, flirty bows and a pretty pastel palate (which was inspired by summers spent in France).

Because I’ve been through so many seasons with Abaeté, I probably view the shows a little bit differently than other people do, paying special attention to all of the people in the audience (like Neiman Marcus’ Ken Downing and ELLE’s Kate Lanphear), the new collection of footwear for Payless (which is always good) - and then of course to the clothing! All of the pieces in yellow and a sheer blue striped silk were super pretty and the I loved the more dramatic make-up and swept back hair this season. Her blouses and top were also quite strong, but the bike shorts, layering of tops, and use of tights in a few of the looks were a bit much. An overtly sporty departure for Poretzky, but still a collection true to her signature feminine aesthetic.

My top picks from Abaeté’s Spring 09 Collection? The trench in look 14 was ridiculously chic, look 21 was perfect amounts of sweet and sexy, both the bowed white/blue swim suit and the yellow one with corseted details were gorgeous, and the yellow one strap dress would look fantastic in an episode of Gossip Girl (and I mean this in a good way).

Right after the lights went back up at Abaeté, I ran out of the tents and straight into a cab to rush over to the ADAM by Adam Lippes Spring 2009 Collection Show. The show was set to take place in the garden of the New York Theological Seminary, but was moved inside a gorgeous Gothic church due to the looming rain storm.

For his spring 09 collection, Lippes was inspired by color, ease, and MoMA’s Color Chart exhibition months earlier. The first few looks were sent out with loose knit hats embellished with big studs that looked hideous in person, but once the hats were gone, things started looking better. There was bright pink, vibrant yellow, electric blue, lots of white and black too. My favorite look was the last one (especially the amber silk georgette floor-length shirt dress) and it was great seeing Siri walk.

After the show I walked in the pouring rain for blocks, practically ruining a pair of satin Celine peep-toe pumps. Needless to say that by the time I got home I was hating on fashion week and swore off going to any parties I had RSVP’d to for the evening. Of course I ended up going out later that evening (and had a great time), but it took watching Margaret Cho and eating couple slices of pizza to get me back in the mood.

Click below to see more images from Abaeté and ADAM by Adam Lippes including links to their full runway collctions.

Some people have big issues with clothing, shoe, or bag styles being named after women - I am not one of them. I like, for example, knowing that I’m wearing Earnest Sewn’s Harlan jeans not only because I like the name, but because it is much easier to remember a name than a sku, which also comes in handy when shopping.

In general, I enjoy the idea of naming things (especially how names are chosen to evoke certain feelings in others), and appreciate that the meaning of a name is meant to grow and change along with you. A name is one of the first things you own, and day by day, it slowly becomes you.

Through the years, we end up creating very personal associations with various names, which, of course, becomes an incredibly powerful tool, especially for marketing. Marc Jacobs’ ‘Stam’ bag, named for model Jessica Stam, is a cute bag sure, but this bag is so special, it might just make you look like a supermodel. Abaeté experienced a huge hit with their Marnie dress, but mainly after it had been seen on Jessica Simpson, where it then became known as the ‘Jessica Simpson Dress’.

All that being said, I actually love finding things with the same name as me. I keep waiting to find and fall in love with the most amazing ‘Casey’ shoe. Today I did happen to see my name on an advertisement for net-a-porter.com on Bag Snob, which featured Marc Jacob’s ‘Casey’ bag. The bag is quilted, gray, sort of boring, and really not my style, BUT when I first saw it, I instantly clicked it just because we share the same name - and now I’m sitting here, staring at it, and it’s starting to grow on me.

I wonder if Marc knows a girl/boy named Casey and if this bag was named for them, or if it is just a random name given to a random bag. In any case, I do not think this bag was named correctly, but that’s just me. The ‘Casey’ bag should: a) not be created by Marc Jacobs (love him, but I’m just not a Marc girl). b) be sexy, fun, full of character, and have much better hardware. c) make me happy, not make me think of rainy days (like this one does). d) a bag that looks better as it ages, becoming a vintage item to covet.

What would your bag look like?

And while this bag isn’t really me (although now it’s growing on me), you can buy it here.