( Projects ) Fashion Collection Catalogue

Every now and then, under the glare of a naked bulb, you succumb to philosophy. An agent provocateur like you lives and dies by allure. So when your plain-clothes tradecraft lapses, take a U-turn down a daring neckline to where it all starts, at the first or second layer after skin. For the latest in undercover action, this is it. Who would have thought bulletproof could look so sexy? Wear it like you mean it…and keep your secrets.

Garment-washed, 2x1 stretchy rib 100% combed cotton, extra length, with lots to give, just like you. This tank looks equally good on different body types. Plain Janes will find their inner diva awakened; would-be Lolitas might consider, for once, their social responsibilities. The design is screened by hand, so please wash inside-out to preserve confidences. Made in the USA

The poet Pope wrote, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” and he was probably thinking of one such as you: archæologist, historian, ersatz time-traveler amid these ruins of an ancient civilization. Already, you felt your hackles rise at imminent curses to be called down by the idols of gods long-forgotten, terrible, and wholly inscrutable. Yet an inexorable will to knowledge drives you on, giving mere scraps and fragments the allure of dense code—at the horizon, a golden cipher…just beyond, the chasm.

Besides, you’re wearing this tank, your lucky horseshoe, seasoned by six continents of action and utility. Setting aside your trusty bullwhip, with the tidiest motion of the brush, you flick away centuries of dust to reveal the incised glyphs. Perhaps, too, as you make out their meaning, you hear another—raspy vipers, dry scales on drier sand, slithering forth from their respective crevices…

Garment-washed, 2x1 stretchy textured rib 100% combed cotton, with lots to give. This tank is equal parts action and inquiry, worthy gear for whatever scrape or conundrum you might face. The design is screened by hand, so wash inside out and dry low if you’re preservation-minded; action heroes won’t notice normal wear-and-tear while dodging thrown spikes or pushing boulders aside (with a suitable lever, of course). Made in the USA

Your Flashdance feeling starts here, out-of-bed beautiful and suddenly street-smart, too. One quick bound across the room to get—allonge—the morning paper and the graceful ballet scoop falls off one shoulder like an afterthought. Last night was only a warm-up…politics, pout, romance, the coming week’s wreck of culture. Tonight work it out on the dancefloor. You really can have it all, you minx.

Ultra-soft, fine-gauge 50% polyester / 50% cotton jersey; garment-washed for shrinkage and a perfect vintage feel. The design is screened by hand, so please wash inside-out and dry flat to preserve the fine details. This garment was modded by our esteemed East Village tailor, Josef. You’ll appreciate his steady hand when you leave others dizzy following your inner rhythm. Made in the USA

Is disco dead? Does old-school breakdance still throw down? Only last week you rocked the halfway house in your freshest attire: beige track suit, ruffled pink tuxedo shirt, immaculate hardtops, two lines of perfect Spanish, and oversized red plastic shades “from the south of France.” Of course, you made it look impossibly easy.

Alas, this weekend night, a sharp wind drives the rain down hard; farther off, thunder rumbles in the low, thick sky. What could call you out into such a gothic landscape…a sinuous bassline whipped round kaleidoscopic lights, the grind of an air-guitar careering hellward on bended wing, legions of imaginary fans, or this little sweatsoaked warrior on your chest clamoring to turn your quiet room into a dance battlefield? Break out your old kicks in this weather, but don’t spare the tambourine—or moonwalk.

Ultra-soft, fine-gauge 50% polyester / 50% cotton jersey; garment-washed for shrinkage and a perfect vintage feel. The design is screened by hand, so please wash inside-out and dry low for perfect grooming when the clientele come knocking. “Back in the day” never left the house; get busy now. Made in the USA

How long has it been since you rode out from home and hearth for the wild country? Papa disapproved but mama in her apron understood, her lowered eyelids good as a nod and fare-thee-well. Those cold nights unrolled almost solitary amid bright stars and the heartache of vast skies, but then some days spent in town bustled with just the opposite: the thrilling cries of the crowd when you championed the saddle, flashbulbs popping in the corner of your eye like smoking sequins, the dusty roses strewn about afterwards. Square your hat, blow a kiss, and forge your frontier mythology again. Maybe this time, lasso some company, willing or not, with only that big low gold moon to chaperone your movements.

Ultra-soft, fine-gauge 50% polyester / 50% cotton jersey with flocking detail; garment-washed for shrinkage and a perfect vintage feel. This garment was modded by our esteemed East Village tailor, Josef: curled raw edges along cropped sleeves and a seductive scoop, front-to-back, draped on one shoulder or two, all these delicacies belie your sturdy moral fiber. The design is screened by hand, so please wash inside-out and dry gently to keep in character—strong, silent woman or devil-may-care coquette, whichever strikes your fancy. Made in the USA

Mama, listen: we can keep a secret. Your prom night was smashing—that gown a devout consummation of tulle and organza; your coiffure worthy of Botticelli; the eyes impossibly mysterious, proud, coy, exultant—even sweat felt like warm summer rain. How many hearts did you set afire, what jealousies ensued?

Sic transit gloria mundi—we saw you the day after, when make-up caked and stocking ran… and so it went, has gone, and goes, but like a perfect cocktail you withstand it all. Emergency facial, dark glasses, cinched trenchcoat, a quick chignon, and brisk gait leaning into the wind: by minor measures you reclaim your lost territory. Now for your close-up.

Ultra-soft, fine-gauge 50% polyester / 50% cotton jersey; garment-washed for shrinkage and an authentic vintage feel. Our esteemed East Village tailor, Josef, cropped the sleeves and scooped out the neck and shoulders front-to-back with a precision so daring it achieves the vers libre abandon of Old World streets. This design is screened by hand, so please wash inside-out and dry gently to hang onto what you’ve got. You can’t rewind to youth nor have life move in slow motion, so do better—give it as good you get. Made in the USA

In a dream you wandered barefoot through a primæval forest, where the quiet hung about like white mist after rain, here and there frayed by the rustle of high-lying boughs or birdsong coruscating through the upper reaches. Had you been here before, you were wondering, when the sky flew away at one immense thunderclap. Torn clouds became leaves falling, the unseeing wind scattering star and insect alike…

Awake, you see the early morning’s drizzle has given way to an overcast sky. At any moment it might rain again. How pleasant you find this, to be so willing and unconcerned. City and sounds rush by. You walk slowly, losing yourself in the smell of wet blossoms along the avenue. Something thought lost and forgotten might well in time be found again.

Ultra-soft, fine-gauge 50% polyester / 50% cotton ringspun jersey; this shirt has been subjected to extensive weathering to yield prized vintage striations and worn-in feel, like a thing of patience and long experience. The design is screened by hand, so please wash inside-out and dry gently; washing with rainwater and line-drying in the sun encouraged. Made in the USA

What a dirty little joint, with all the derelict glamour of low-watt, low-fi, low-set ways—and you, pausing backlit at the open door, looking like you’re looking for trouble. Kohl-lined eyes narrowed to slits, you level a double-barreled intention at the life within: jumble of man-shapes, a squally cat, the bluesy yowler in the corner with a devil-bought guitar trampling redemption and turning every spotlit dusty mote into a torpid angel.

No good, no bad,
no promises to break or keep,
no Sunday-sad…

With one flick of the wrist, you toss back a shot, whip out your harp, and bear down on it till you kick out such a wail as to set the whole crowd thumping a righteous gospel of the jilted. Now that ought to push up the daisies outside.

Ultra-soft, fine-gauge 50% polyester / 50% cotton ringspun jersey; this shirt has been subjected to extensive weathering to yield prized vintage striations and worn-in feel, looking like it’s been through nearly as much as you. The design is screened by hand, so please wash inside-out and dry gently to keep on keeping them guessing what comes next. Made in the USA