I had the recent pleasure of getting together with Mama and her “locas” to shoot the lookbook for her Holiday collection. Taking it back to a theme she visited in the early days of Mama, her collection entitled “Mi Vida Loca” takes inspiration from classic, west coast Americana style of the lives of L.A. Chola’s depicted in the movie “Mi Vida Loca”. The collection takes us from the Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940’s, to the low rider culture of today.  I always love the research Gabriella puts into her collections. Paying close attention to detail in making sure her collections are true to the theme that inspires her. From the silhouettes of her pieces (can you say Derbay jacket!) to the artists she worked with, Gabriella never disappoints in taking you on a journey and telling a story as if she lived it herself. These are all qualities that come out in her collection every season and I look forward to whats to come! It’s always a pleasure to be the stylist to this star. Welcome to the West Siiiiiiiide!

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20% off the fall collection at Built By Wendy, coast to coast.

New Yorkers, if you missed yesterday’s Manhattan party, there’s always Williamsburg!

• 46 North 6th Street, Brooklyn

• 7938 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles

• 3520 20th Street, San Francisco

80%20′s collection “has come a long way, baby.” I remember when I first heard about the line I was really smitten by the slip-on’s with graphics . For Fall 2008, Ce ce’s gotten all grown and sexy on us. The line definitely has casual shoes for the girl on-the-go, but 80%20’s line has expanded to include boots and heels. The boots come in wedge and heel styles: The wedges seem super comfy and the heels replicate the vintage silhouette in a way that’s nostalgic but still maintains a modern look. They come in all lengths from ankle to over-the-knee. The heels come in basic colors with accents of pop colors and are perfect for day-to-night transitional outfits. The Fall ‘08 collection recently launched and be sure to check out more pics and the video Look Book after the jump.

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While we were in Vegas we had a chance to catch-up with Mitra from Blood Is The New Black at the Pool Tradeshow. There were two artist series’ that really stood out from her new line that we really loved. First, were a series of tees of women’s faces illustrated by Kime Buzzelli of Show Pony fame. Second, was a series by Brian Lichtenberg that catered to the high-fashion lovers amongst us with tees that declared “RIP YSL,” a tromp l’oeil motorcycle vest with Karl on it, and a tee that featured Balenciaga cult favorite shoes. I’m really excited for the launch of these tees and think I need to get some for myself! Check out the rest of the pictures of the tees and the Blood Is The New Black mood board after the jump.

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Ill Parcel, the makers of the infamous Boombox Bag have updated the style to actually include functioning speakers.  Just plug in your iPod or mp3 player, and boom-chicka-boom-boom you’re ghetto blaster is playin’ your tunes.  The bags design has been updated and looks more realistic to me.  The Boomboxes come in several sizes, and varieties including small radio, box radio, combo turntable/cassette player, and small “tape” pouch.

In addition to the Boombox bags, Ill Parcel has a fun collection of bags and small accessories with houndstooth and animal print patterns on a backdrop of fuchsia and turquoise (M.I.S.S. favorites!).  The collection is rounded out with the “undies” cases.  I love all of the bags and accessories and could see myself using all of the pieces.  The pieces are part of the Fall ‘09  collection and can be found at Ill Parcel retailers.  Check out more pics after the jump.

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San Francisco based Nooworks‘ Fall 08 Collection is called Romanced By Horror and is inspired by “70s horror films, camping trips gone bad, zombies, werewolves and motorcycles.” The line has grown to include cut & sew in addition to t-shirts and has some really cute plaid pieces in M.I.S.S. favorite colors purple and red. The line also includes amazing accessories including handbags (complete with zombie zipper pulls and lining!), enamel charm necklaces, and sunglasses. Our favorite accessory is one she produced in conjunction with the O.G. U.S.A. Pencil Box Company - you know the ones - we all kept our pencils in ‘em back in the grade school days! Check out the pics after the jump.

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One of our favorite independent women’s footwear lines, Keep, is expanding their line to include more styles of footwear and more apparel - and we have the pics for you to check it out! One of my favorite collections for Spring 2009 is the Watermelon series (pictured below). The Spring line also includes some great floral prints, pretty plaids, slip on ballet flats and slides. The apparel collection is their largest yet and includes lots of cute cut & sew pieces like sundresses, tops, jackets, leggings, skirtalls and sweat shorts (our fave!). Check out all the pics after the jump.

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Had the chance to chat with the M.O.B. herself, Leah, about what’s new and exciting in the land of what’s Most Official. Lot’s going on with this Lady! One of the many new things going down are these b-ball caps. And please believe these aren’t your everyday New Era joints…M.O.B. is doing it for themselves with these custom caps and they can be yours this Fall!

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Art and culture magazine Beautiful/Decay also has a clothing line that is selling off of shelves.  The collection includes t-shirts with art by some of the artists featured in the magazine.  The women’s collection is small but packs a big punch!  The ladies’ tees feature the art of Aya Kato, a Japanese artist that depicts gorgeous women with layers of intricate patterns.  Wearing one of these tees is like wearing a work of art.  Check out the rest of the Aya Kato tees by Beautiful/Decay after the jump.

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One of my favorite ladies’ t-shirt lines is Cream of the Crop because not only are the graphics cute but the t-shirts are scented! They take me back to my sticker collecting days when I had pages and pages of scratch ‘n sniff stickers - only you can wear these scented lovelies. It was especially nice to meet the founder and designer of Cream, Mika Hatsushima. She’s added several new styles and new scents to the collection including a joint design with No Kiddin and an Andy Warhol inspired series. check out the pics after the jump.

“Holidazed” series: Cream Hill Gang -Mint scented:

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