We’re so excited for Selahdor’s SS12 collection! Designer, David Chum’s signature body-skimming silhouettes and ladylike tailoring are balanced by loose-fitting dresses of ethereal chiffon and gauzy cotton A-line skirts. Paired with beach-ready jersey basics, this collection has a resort-y jet-setter vibe that we could literally wear all summer. Every day. Every night. To every event. Ever.

We also loved ultra-chic blogger-turned-model Sophia Chou of Phosphene, who walked in Selahdor’s StyleWeek presentation. For more of Selahdor SS12, check out Sophia’s video of the full show below:

{Photos by Jonathan Knox}

Many Belles Down is a timeless-meets-trendy collection of dresses and separates in vintage-inspired prints and classic silhouettes. Stay tuned to shopcalico.com for Many Belles Down, coming this fall! And be sure to check out their Spring ’11 lookbook video–we’re OBSESSED!

You may remember Boston’s David Chum and his structural space-age clothing line, Selahdor, from past blogs, here & here & here.

Well, David recently scored a coveted spot on reality T.V. institution, Project Runway. We are so proud of our little Chum! How adorable is his camera presence? How Elle Decor is his apartment? And be sure to watch for the plaid blazer in David’s closet video, “from a friend’s boutique!” ie. Calico!

If you love David as much as we do, please vote for him to be fan favorite, by clicking his “like” button here. You can also blow up @selahdor on Twitter, using #PR9david!

{P.S. Check out more of our features and events with David and his line Selahdor here!}

A RISD-trained textile designer, Joe has been producing his eponymous knitwear label, JAS, for three seasons. He also creates a lower-end line called Pretty Snake, a collection of hand-dyed and printed tee’s and artfully-altered of vintage garments and accessories.

{Above: Joe with his army of laser cats}

Along with his two-person team, Joe handmade every piece in his fall collection–right down to the knit-swathed and gemstone-studded footwear! Every textile is hand loom knit in Joe’s Providence studio, then printed, dyed, painted, and embellished by hand.

I absolutely love Joe’s vibrant palette, his mix of patterns and textures, and the sense of humor he brings to his designs (Note the proliferation of googly eyes through-out this collection. Actually, Joe refers to these as “bulging doll eyes.”)

Here’s a little video of behind the scenes action and shots from the runway show:

And be sure to check out more images and photo credits after the jump!

{Photos by Corey Grayhorse and Daniel Gagnon}

Killer, no? Check out more of Leslie’s line, Miss Mouse, in Calico’s webshop!

And stay tuned, because Calico will be hosting a trunk show for Leslie at our Heir outpost in late November! Find us on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up for e-news in the right sidebar!

xoxo,
Elissa

Trained in fine art, David has never taken a sewing class. Or a pattern drafting class. Or a draping class. And this is only his third collection. He continues to wow me with his innovative and ambitious work. (He vehemently refuses, despite my practical urging, to create a graphic tee.)

Fall 2010 is the first Selah D’or collection to embrace the color black, has a dark, gothic-chic vibe, inspired by “the destructive side of nature.” David’s mood board for the collection includes shots of spiderwebs, cyclones, ice caves, and butterfly cocoons, as well as shots of 70′s fashion icons, Abba, current fashion icon, Lady Gaga, and classic silouettes from 50′s Dior.

My personal favorite pieces are style 3004, pictured above, and 3101, worn with the chain apron, pictured below. They are both surprisingly easy-to-wear–yes, even the chain belt–and the full, short skirts and nipped waists are so flattering on a range of figures!

Check out selahdor.com for the Fall collection pre-sale, and stayed tuned to shopcalico.com, where we’ll be offering a few select pieces in the coming weeks!

xoxo,
Elissa

{Click images to enlarge.}

Hit up our NB and PVD locations, because these babies are selling FAST–and may not make it to the webshop!

xoxo,
Elissa

This awesome collection of romance-inspired tees and tanks is one of our favorites–and we know you’re gonna love it, too!

To kick things off, we’re collaborating with Amy of Every Little Counts on a great blog giveaway! Here’s how it works:

Leave a comment on this entry telling us your fave piece from Every Little Counts for a chance to win their “A Literate Romance” Tank, pictured above!

Then, head over to Every Little Counts’ blog and comment about your fave piece from from Calico’s webshop to win a $50 Calico Gift Card!

It’s just that easy!

Comment til Sunday evening (05/23) and we’ll draw the winner the following Monday!

Good luck!

Everyone’s favorite fashion reality show is back in New York—possibly with the most talented crop of designers to date! Who am I routing for? Maya Luz.

I first learned of Maya’s designs, through a photographer I worked with in Boston. Maya was a student, at the time, working on her senior show at Mass Art. I was immediately impressed and shocked to see that a college-level designer was not so college-level after all.

I just had to see the collection for myself! I contacted her, and we set up a date to shoot a lookbook for her S/S 2009 collection, Fashism.

As soon as Maya began to pull out her pieces at the shoot, I knew this girl was a star! The collection was cleanly-sewn and conceptually cohesive—right down to the coordinated leather gloves and handmade avant garde eyewear that Maya brought for styling.

Fashism is inspired by the fashion victim and by the manipulation of beauty. Tools such as an eyelash curler and scalpel are some of her inspirations in designing these garments.

My personal favorite piece of this collection is the dress that was inspired by the syringe. It is completely hand-sewn, white, twill cotton, with wing-like shoulder details, and purposely-frayed, raw edges.

I died immediately after taking a look at Maya’s corresponding accessories collection for S/S 2010. She really turned it out on this one! The collection spawned from the original “ball and chain,” as most of us know it. Maya says that she aims to create an accessory that can also be used as a weapon. (Isn’t that great?!!)

To intensify this theme, she uses ironic materials such as horse hair, spikes, chain, and patent leather. All which is completely hand-crafted into these amazingly-chic—and dangerous-looking–evening bags.

Maya is definitely a designer to know and keep a close eye on. Check her out on Project Runway every Thursday night at 10pm! We can’t wait to see what she does next…

xx,
John

{Maya’s lookbook images by Conor Doherty.
Additional images via Lifetime.com & MayaLuz.com}