We love...Movin

New brand Movin is using smart ecological materials to create a new sportswear concept without losing Rio de Janeiro's signature style. Their core values include saving material during the fabrication process, reducing their environmental impact, and using fashion to spread their word. Their first collection, called "Easy," presents basic pieces in neutral colors, perfect for laid back and relaxed style. The brand is aiming to start the "slow fashion" concept in Brazil, so its all about simple and atemporal pieces.

The Talent Show Presents a Tribute to Sassy Magazine

Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love on the cover of Sassy magazine from Fashionotes and Tavi Gevinson photographed by Sarah Owen

We swung by Littlefield in Brooklyn last night to check out the tribute to the now defunct Sassy Magazine. Amongst the mishmah of events - including bands doing covers of Chia Pet, 90s fashion revival how-to's, Dear Boy Q&A's, and a prepubescent talent contest - Tavi Gevinson from the Style Rookie revealed information about her upcoming website Rookie, and her current boy crush. We managed to snap her street style on the way to the event!

WGSN Loves… Bensimon Shoes

Last summer, one couldn’t walk the flea markets in Los Angeles or crash a rooftop party in Brooklyn without seeing a sea of TOMS in an array of colors. Don’t get us wrong, we love the shoes and everything the company represents but we needed a timeout from TOMS.

Enter Bensimon, a fun, casual line of tennis shoes that not only add a slight touch of quirkiness to an outfit, they feel like you’re walking, dancing, running, and/or driving on air. The lightness of the shoe is what makes them an ideal go-to footwear choice for any casual outfit. Pair them with a vintage skirt or don them with skinny jeans – either way, the shoes are fashionable and functional which was the inspiration behind the design.

In 1982 Serge Bensimon was working in his Parisian army supply shop when he stumbled upon a pair of all white military shoes. Bensimon dyed the shoes and added rubber soles to give the utilitarian style some kick and voila, the classic shoe was born.

For more retail information please visit www.bensimonusa.com.

Juniors Trend Edit Presentation in LA

Join the WGSN US team in LA at the California Market Center on Tuesday August 2 to hear all about our new Juniors Directory. I will be giving a presentation focusing on juniors trends for S/S 12 and F/W 12/13, previewing some of the latest consumer research and design work we have been doing for that market segment. There will be two showings of the presentation. Please click here to register.

PROJECT New York

WGSN is in the thick of tradeshow season. Last week we checked out PROJECT for some key spring/summer 2012 trends, as well as some of our favorite brands like Brooklyn Circus, Alpha Industries, Creep by Hiroshi Awai, Gregory Allen Company, and Adidas SLVR.

We especially loved the show's curated space, by blogger Marcus Troy and Strauss and Co. Furniture, which was created to forge a stronger relationship between bloggers, exhibitors, and customers. The show also held a "made by" section, which allowed the artisanal quality of exhibitors including In God We Trust and Bowery Lane Bicycles, to be practiced for buyers to witness.

Afro-punk Festival 2011, New York

The summer festivals here on the East Coast keep popping up faster than the flea markets in Williamsburg! The 7th Afro-punk Festival comes to Brooklyn on 27-28 August so be sure to save the date. The free festival boasts headliners such as Santigold, Janelle Monae, Cee-Lo Green, Gym Class Heros, Das Racist and Kenna along with the Nike Battle For the Streets Skate and BMX competition.

If the line-up isn't enough of a pull, perhaps the Afro-Punk Bites and Beats Food Truck setup will get you to the festival as they promise to deliver over 20 of the best food vendors in New York City.

Keep an eye out for WGSN street style photographers at the festival as we continue the hunt for New York's trendsetters.

We Love...Little Lucia

Today was the first round of shows at Colombia Moda. My favorite designer so far was Little Lucia, who showed a delightful collection of bold, yet light'hearted accessories. The designer, Natalia Criado kept a playful approach to her gigantic neck pieces and bauble bracelets by incorporating whimsical plastic figurines, such as faux glaxed donuts, unicorns and hamburgers.

We love the fantasy and whimsy of the designers at Colombia Moda, and Little Lucia expressed this concept with youthful sophistication.

Holly's Apartment monetizes the voyeuristic trend

I love blogs like Into the Gloss, The Coveteur and The Selby for allowing me into the secret world of fashion, art and music tastemakers. Sites like these have been popping up in droves over the last couple years and act as an outlet for our intrinsic voyeuristic tendencies, while inspiring us with design ideas and beautiful imagery.

New blog Holly's Apartment takes this Peeping Tom trend and pushes it to the next level by allowing users to shop directly from her apartment. What Holly calls a "High End Designer Wares Pop-up," the online store features thoughtfully merchandised goods from Bottega Veneta, J.Crew Men's, Ralph Lauren and Barbour. Users simply click the item to get details and add it to their cart.

While some may complain about a lack of selection or the inability to try on or see the condition of merchandise, I love the simplicity and presentation of the collection, and I'm happy to do without the quintessential vintage store smell.

holly'sapartment.com

Save the date!

Come and join our Senior Catwalk editor Sue Evans on August 2, as she gives a presentation on next fall's trends. Be quick to register for this opportunity to network, have a drink and be inspired!

Bloomfest LA

One of the things I love about summer in this city are the music and food-infused outdoor street fairs that bring Angelenos together.

This weekend, the FREE music and arts festival, Bloomfest LA, will be held in the Downtown Arts District. The annual event will feature art, food, shopping and great music from over eight live bands, including indie-rock headliners, Grouplove and psychedelic-soul band, Voxhaul Broadcast.

For those interested in taking a tour of Downtown LA’s street art, Daniel Lahoda of Lahoda Fine Arts will be offering guided hour-long street art tours during the festival.

Among the many local artisan vendors and art booths, there will be plenty of food trucks and a beer garden to satisfy your cravings.

Bloomfest LA takes place on Saturday, July 23 from 2pm to 10pm in LA’s Downtown Arts District.

We love Melissa + Jason Wu

Famous brazilian plastic shoe brand Melissa just launched a new partnership, this time with Jason Wu. The CFDA Fashion Award winner designed two styles for Melissa, the Ultra and Lady Dragon.

“I am so thrilled to be collaborating with Melissa because it gave me a chance to work with a brand new material, plastic," Wu said. "I find it both an exciting challenge and a great opportunity to be able to present my work on a new platform.”

The Melissa + Jason Wu Ultra Girl design is inspired by Miss Wu, the designer's iconic wide-eye owl logo, while the Melissa + Jason Wu Lady Dragon style is inspired by his autumn/winter 2011 collection referencing Versailles.

The range launched yesterday at the footwear retailer's Sao Paulo flagship, which was redecorated to reflect the shoe's romantic embroidery detail on the sole.

Capsule Spring/Summer 2012 Collections

WGSN attended Capsule in New York yesterday to spot the latest menswear looks. Our top brands from the tradeshow include Comune, Camo, Scout Original, Gilbert & Lewis, Velour, Rochambeau, Baldwin Denim, Monitaly, Skingraft, Todd Snyder and Remi Relief.

Yuketen stall and a reworked jacket from Scout Original

Jose Abellar from Gilbert & Lewis and Comune's extensive range of jeans

The scene at Capsule and Clae's hiker sneaker

StyleMint, be Olsen clad for under $30!

The Olsens have done it again! The dynamic duo recently launched StyleMint.com, a membership site that offers a monthly curated selection of t-shirts (and eventually knitwear). Members fill out a personal style quiz and then receive an email each month with t-shirt selections made for them based on their StyleProfile.

Users have up to five days to purchase as many of the selected styles as they like for $29.99 each. They can also opt to browse more styles offered that month or can simply skip a month at no charge. The site also offers free shipping and returns and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

We Love...Kanye West's new album cover

Kanye West recently broke his near two-month long silence on Twitter by offering the world a look at his ostentatious new album cover for Watch the Throne. The elaborate artwork for this collaborative album between West and Jay-Z, created by former Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, is sending the blogosphere abuzz with comments on the intricately designed metallic artwork.

We love the no-text, image-only bas-relief work alluding to the rapper's regal style. I take this as a sign that bling is going Baroque. Knowing that Kanye fans and fashionistas have emulated his aesthetic cues, I have a feeling this album will lead designers on a trip for all things majestic and grandiose - note, the crown and star crest in all four corners of the album cover.

Although the album titles and music content remain top secret, we have heard that Beyonce and Frank Ocean of Odd Future appear on two tracks of the disc.

The hotly hyped album is due for release on August 2, 2011.

For further Baroque inspiration, check out WGSN's new downloadable Baroque clip art file on www.wgsn.com

Reserva+ in Rio

Galeria River is a must go if you are looking for sportswear inspiration in Rio. After Osklen opened his specialty surfwear store, other active stores are popping up as well, including Reserva, one of WGSN's 2011 Global Fashion Awards finalists.

Designed by architect Carlos Motta, the 645 square foot space is a concept store focused on sports and lifestyle. Inside, shoppers can find objects by Gávea Garage and art director Evans Queiroz, bikes by Reserva + Tag and Juice, skate and surf boards, lomography cameras and books. The store also features a small café and a stage for pocket shows, performances, lectures and exhibitions.

Reserva+

Rua Francisco Otaviano, 67

www.usereserva.com.br

Walk in Warhol's footsteps

This book is probably the closest you'll get to walking in Andy Warhol's footsteps. Join the author Thomas Kiedrowski, and illustrator Vito Giallo - who worked as Warhol's studio assistant - as they celebrate the launch of Andy Warhol's New York City: Four Walks, Uptown to Downtown at The Clic Bookstore & Gallery tonight.

Superdry opens

Superdry opened their second New York City store on Water Street at

the South Street Seaport earlier this month. Spanning over 4,000

square-foot, the giant space not only boasts grandiose architecture and

waterfront views but also their trademark jam jar lights, juxtaposed

steel pillars and vintage wallpaper.

Photos by SDUSA

Warby Parker, A Humanitarian Spectacle

Warby Parker has eliminated the middle man. The e-tailer offers vintage-inspired prescription eyewear direct from their website for the singular price of $95. The "virtual try-on" feature allows customers to take potential new frames for a spin by uploading photos of themselves or by using webcam still shots. Customers can also have up to five pairs sent to their home to try before purchasing, free of charge. Those located in New York, San Francisco and Oklahoma City can make appointments at local Warby Parker offices. The best part? For every pair sold, the company donates another to a person in need.

www.warbyparker.com