These are a few of my favorite things...

Coat Couture

Lust:

Rick Owens: This designer needs no introduction... Rick's prices range from $1800-$3800 and can be found on ssense.com, farfetch.com, luisaviaroma.com and net-a-porter.com.

Preen: Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi launched Preen in 1996, selling clothes inspired by iconic Britishisms like Victoriana and Punk Rock. One year later, they had a shop on Portobello Road, and in the years since, the London-based label has earned strong editorial coverage for its clean, fluid lines and slouchy-futuristic elegance. Prices range from $1400-$2500 and can be found on lagarconne.com and net-a-porter.com. LOVE!

Must:

Mackage: Montreal based designers, Elisa Dahan and Eran Elfassy are the creative duo behind this label. Having debuted their fashion careers at the ripe age of 20, their talent and eye for trend setting looks amazes all. The line is well-known to fashionistas in Canada and US for its strength in outerwear and its wonderfully cut leathers. Mackage has no age. It is made for the fashion-forward woman. Prices range from $350-$750 and can be found on bloomingdales.com, ssense.com, revolveclothing.com and luxlabel.com

Isabella Oliver: This UK based label sells their flattering designs directly on their website; isabellaoliver.com. I accidentally found them while I was searching for a black coat on Shopsyle.com & fell in love with some of their affordable chic pieces. They also have an amazing Maternity clothing selection! Coat prices range from $280-$500.

Glove Love

Lust:

American Retro: Don't let the name fool you, American Retro is a fully French, fashion-forward label that delivers serious style. Their pieces have the perfect combination of old-school details & innovative design. American Retro gloves can be found on shopbop.com and prontostyle.com and run from $185-$320.

Click to Read More Holiday Must-Haves

When it comes to clothing, fashionable women have it so much easier than our male counterparts. Think about it; we can walk into an upscale boutique, department store or order most of today’s fabulously futuristic frocks online from sites like net-a-porter, Forwardforward.com and Luisaviaroma.com. Labels such as Balmain, Gareth Pugh, Haider Ackerman, Phi and Rodarte are taking women into the ultramodern by cultivating a post apocalyptic fashion climate, but what about our men? Besides Helmut and Rick, what other options do our fashion forward fella’s really have? I've found a designer who I think just might be able to help level the playing field:

In Aisce: Gaelic translation- in vain.

Brooklyn based designer Jona, has cultivated a powerful, feral, and gilded new men’s collection in aisce. The line which launched in 2009, is inspired by history and war heroes as imagined in a world in the way far out future.

It’s no wonder why this new label is blowing up in Japan. The designs are raw, with asymmetrical cuts and details that are both unusual and wearable- a giant leap outside of the “commercial” men’s fashion box.

Jona hand constructs each one of his minimalistic pieces using top of the line leather and fabric, which is primarily sourced in the US. in aisce utilizes a cool and simple color palette consisting of black, white and grey, with a smattering of neutrals. 

This collection is extremely sexy; laid back, but definitely does not lack sophistication. I have no doubt that we will be hearing a lot more about In Aisce in the not so distant future.

Not too long ago, consumers were only dipping their feet into the prêt-à-porter avant-garde fashion current. Now, we are all practically diving in head first. Just look at a few of today's trendsetters: Vivian Westwood, Karl Lagerfeld, Rick Owens, Alexander Wang, and Rodarte. Just a few years ago, their collections may have been considered “a bit too over the top” for mainstream fashion. These days, they are household names and it seems as though the entire industry’s direction is leaning toward that dark romantic/neo-gothic aesthetic.

Enter Tim Burton and Jean Paul Gaultier's love chid: Katie Gallagher......

Katie’s beautiful and eccentric collection, turns the latest avant-garde trends up a notch, generating a seductive and ethereal edge.

Each piece is raw, yet polished, with great attention to construction. Katie keeps her color palette dark, utilising mostly shades of black and grey- remaining true to her glamour/grunge vision. With her sculptured shoulders and strategic cuts that wrap a women’s body, Katie has an intrinsic knack for contouring her garments to give the illusion of an elongated, sleek feminine frame…

even when there isn't one.

Katie's introspective collection is provoking, sensual and altogether fascinating. She is indeed, a designer ahead of her time. I absolutely love this collection- it is sharp, chic and fabulously futuristic!

To see exclusive SBS picts from the S/S 2010 Fashion Presentation, please click HERE

To view Katie Gallagher's 2010 Collection and Sketches, please click HERE

Industry Background:

Katie Gallagher was raised in a small farm town in Pennsylvania and graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. She worked as an apprentice at Anna Sui and at threeASFOUR, where she continued as a freelance pattern-maker.   

Katie's collection uses a variety of luxury fabrics, treated leathers, soft cashmere mixed with washed jersey, stretch lycra, and light, treated textiles, to create a layered collection offset with chain detailing. Leggings and trousers with curving seams, various types of treated leather jackets, and organza and silk tops with unusual cuts, sculptural forms, and draping techniques make up the basis of the 22 look, 70+ separate collection.

Katie was inspired by the dramatic, hyper-curated beauty of Butoh dancers, and the dystopia of the  low-life and high-tech world of cyberpunk classics like William Gibson’s, Neuromancer, and Neal Stephenson’s, Snow Crash.

What do Angelina Jolie, Liv Tyler, Nicole Richie, and Cameron Diaz all have in common? Well, besides being fashion fixtures on the red carpet, these beautiful A-listers all love wearing the former model turned designer, Michelle Mason’s self-titled Mason collection.

Michelle’s precocious relaxed garments are edgy, sophisticated, sexy and undeniably flattering. Mason’s Fall 09 RTW line carries a similar aesthetic as Fashion’s Godfather of edge and innovation: Rick Owens. (Only slightly less avant-garde with a classier urban spin.)

With sharp lines and feminine asymmetries, her suit inspired pieces combine the perfect balance of fashion and architecture, a union that very few designers are able to effectively execute.

She has a visceral knack for being able to achieve an endogenous yet sexy look with an unequivocal aptitude for tailoring and draping. Her color palette can be defined as deceptively simple with shades of whites, grays, blacks and pops of vibrant royal blues; exquisite.

This L.A. trendsetter’s collection allows a woman (at any age) to look effortlessly cool without going overboard. Her clothing retails anywhere from $200 to the mid 5’s, and can be found at; Shopbop.com, Revolveclothing.com, Blaec.com, Barneys, Atrium NYC, Otte NY, Scoop, Curve, Steve Alan, and Blueberi located in Brooklyn, NY.

The Mason by Michelle Mason collection can be summed up in two words; BAD ASS. (Keep an eye out for her LEATHER skinny pants…)  See for yourself: www.michellemason.net

Industry Background:
Michelle Mason graduated from California State University with a degree in fine arts. She trained under Richard Tyler (where she was able to get her first experience in high-fashion). She lived in London, where she became a fashion Model from '94 to '96, then started her own self-titled shoe label. In 1997 she expanded her line from just shoes to RTW. In 2003 Mason (her diffusion line) was born and has since become a favorite amongst Hollywood’s Who’s Who.