Good afternoon, friends. I'm back from my sojourn to Southland (really Southeast, but you know). It was lovely to see David's family and catch up with some of his old friends from high school- great people all and we had a lot of fun, sans Khan feeling crappy for most of it. Much like his mama, he's not much of a country dog, though he did absolutely love his Uncle Cosmo, a gorgeous Goldendoodle as hospitable as they come. Was fun to watch them kick it together. Miss that big guy already.
And now that I'm back in the city, I was happy to take a nice walk for lunch time today and run some errands as well as pop into Story- that fabulous concept store on 10th Avenue just below 20th Street that functions much like a magazine- switching out "content" (merch) every few months to keep things fresh and interesting. This month's offering was curated by some friends of mine who started an agency called MADE, which focuses on celebrating, selling, and creating awareness for all things made right here in the US of A (many of you reading this know them already, but if you don't you should). Living in Brooklyn I can't help but sometimes feel skeptical about this whole Americana movement- I'm a bit over the beard and suspenders thing at this point, but really- buying US of A is the least we can do. It's true that on a mass level it's a real challenge to keep things here, but if you're the boutiquey,indie type, you really should do your part.
Anyhoo, the store is fabulously turned out with all things Etats Unis- amongst some brands I have heard of was a great tee shirt line called Small Trades. I love love love their pieces, one of my favorites being the ribbed tee shirt dress shown here, which retails for under $100. I'm not sure you know this, but the possibilities for such a dress are ENDLESS. Think flip flops for Summer, and then tights and boots for chillier days. I myself love the plain black one, but the striped options are equally loaded with cuteness and functionality. According to their site, the line was "inspired by the 1950's photo series by Irving Penn documenting men and women representing the tools of their trade.The first project under the Small Trades label are 100% cotton panel rib knit t-shirts made in the USA by a Factory that is family owned and operated since 1907". I like this. A lot.
And what is more American than a good tee shirt? We sort of own that provenance. And this line is keeping it all alive. And though many things being made in this country are plenty alarming right now (more in the newsmaking arena), why not laud the great American staple and buy a cute something or other from this lovely company? And that's what's up this pledging allegiance to retail kind of Monday in the 212. XO