Saturday, August 29, 2009

Put Your Pants Back On

It's cold now. No more short shorts, no more summer dresses, no more fun. It's is time to get serious, get off the beach and go back to work. So for the Back-to-School/Office push, start looking into a new pair of pants, and of those, we have plenty.

Here are some examples, you may have seen a few of these before, but come try them on, you never know with pants.

Sass & Bide:


Rittenhouse:

Claude Maus:

And Bassike:

Keep your eye out for upcoming events at Line Gallery this fall, and for god's sake keep your pants on.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Rittenhouse Squared


As the sun begins to set earlier, the evenings get a little chillier, and the mid-summer afternoon rain that kept the grass in the parks green, lush and perfect to laze around on has more or less faded out, we begin looking ahead to Autumn. While I love summer in Berlin, a city with copious amounts of public space that lends itself easily to lots of serious business hanging, it is, in the end, land-locked. So the prospect of Autumn is somewhat of a relief, in that the desire to flee in any direction in search of a large body of cold water might soon begin to dissipate. But forgetting this haunting tendency towards vigorous escapism, we will enjoy the last days of sun in the parks and on the river banks, getting as much of a tan as possible so that it lasts through the 9 months of cold and dark that we have to look forward to.

The third installment of "Meet the Labels" is dedicated to another simple, elegant and experimental Australian label, Rittenhouse. Sticking with our "public space lends itself to hanging" theme, Rittenhouse was named after Philadelphia's beautiful and sort of bo-bo square, one of the 5 original open-space parks planned by William Penn, the city's founder, in the 17th Century.

Sally MacDonald and Micah Hamdorf, the label's owners, officially began working on the project in 1997 in Philadelphia's historic square, but eventually moved it back to their hometown, Sydney, where they have been living and working ever since. The label explores traditional, everyday classics for men and women, adding flourishes to every piece that mark them as unique and immediately recognizable. Within these flourishes, the couple subtly pushes the boundaries of textiles and prints, making each piece remarkable and endlessly exciting (surprises in every fold). Rittenhouse's work is as elaborate as it is humble and understated. We are so glad to have them on board and look forward to seeing the upcoming 2010 S/S line. Here are some pieces from the 2009 A/W collection:













Thursday, August 6, 2009

Always Better to Stick to the Bassikes




Now officially just over a month old, Line Gallery's owner is about to take her first weekend off (store will still be open) and head up to the Swedish Archipelago for the weekend. What do you think she will be packing for a few days of camping on the beach?

You got it, a Bassike T-shirt, a Bassike singlet and maybe a few more Bassike singlets. Decidedly the most comfortable and versatile pieces in any owner's wardrobe, the shirts and pants of theirs that we carry, as well as those arriving in the fall, are as suitable for roughing it on the beach as they are for modernising any traditional suit.


In their own words:
"bassike offers men's and women's luxury basics in cleverly designed silhouettes. The product represents simplicity while still maintaining a strong identity and evolving from season to season. bassike offers the highest quality organic cotton jersey in the market, making the product beautiful to wear. The decision to use organic fibres, is part of the push towards ecologically sustainable clothing production."

Founded in 2006 by Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan (formerly of Ksubi), Bassike was seemingly meant as a local response to the growing demand for simple cotton basics. Before Bassike, Australians were forced to rely on overpriced imports. Not only did the label fill the cave-like void that desperately needed filling, they did it with such style and grace that they seem to be knocking the socks off of their competitors.


Bassike's cuts are unique and ubiquitously flattering. Their organic fabrics are impressively as soft as they are responsible and sustainable. So come by the shop sometime, at least to have a little feel. Here are some more images:







...but if we were in town this weekend we would go to the

aperitivo bar SOCIÉTÉ DE 032c x SANG BLEU, Saturday 19:00-22:00