Hint pays attention to retail


In a cheeky response to demands for an accessories line, the ever-contrary Brian Kirkby and Zowie Broach of Boudicca have produced what they call The Black Rabbit, the first in their new "Parts" series—items with no other function than to serve as icons for their cerebral collections. Currently available only at the Comme des Garçons Dover Street Market in London or directly by special order, the big-ticket bunny ($525) is stitched together from the sparkly wool used in their fall coats, as well as traditional glass eyes and cotter pin joints. Followers of the London label will remember a previous incarnation of the glittery critter as last year's advertising image for the couple's partnership with American Express. But the doll's provenance goes back still further as it takes its inspiration not only from Victorian-era automata—self-operating machines—but also Donnie Darko, the 2001 film about a giant, menacing rabbit that predicts the end of the world. Inscribed on the hanging plaque reads a line from the cult classic: "Why are you wearing that silly human suit?" Ah, fashion sarcasm at its best.
You don't have to be a superhero to pull off a cape. Or put one on, rather. This batwinged version from man-of-the-moment Raf Simons—the Belgian men's designer who's something of a hero himself, poised to rescue label-in-distress Jil Sander—guarantees a memorable entrance. In addition, the unisex, multi-pocketed blanket coat (worn here with cowboy boots by Wendy & Jim) is made of a lightweight polyamide material and has a sizable arm span so that, with a small gust, you can make an equally dramatic exit. Other styles are available at Atelier, 125 Crosby Street, 212-941-8435 or by email through Seven New York. -Suleman Anaya

"I make a sort of mourning jewelry," says Tom Meyers about his mostly unisex TEM line of sterling silver necklaces dripping with pearls, fur, silk, antique lace, burned feathers, old British coins, antique gems and rhinestones. "Most pieces are black, and I burn most of the silver to turn it dark." Funereal or otherwise, the exquisitely weighty pieces ($450-$3000)—which we recommend wearing piled high for added shimmer—are not for the faint-of-heart or weak-of-neck. As usual, Barneys is neither. The retailer is among the first to sell a selection of pieces the designer describes as "Patti Smith as an 18th Century duchess sitting for her Gainsborough portrait." Self-taught, Meyers also makes hats, bibs, suspenders, feather mohawks, safety-pinned gloves and has lately been thinking about reworking vintage shoes. Barneys New York, 660 Madison Ave., 212-826-8900.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Study fashion at Parsons The New School for Design in NYC
 

The long-awaited Comme des Garçons guerrilla store in Berlin is now open at Karl-Marx-Allee 78 10243�We hear that Belgian designer Veronique Leroy has signed the lease for her first boutique, set to open later this year at 10 Rue d'Alger in Paris�Speaking of Belgians, Martin Margiela is keeping mum about chatter that has him opening a store in New York soon. Stay tuned�We chortled when we saw the above ads created by Glasgow artist David Shrigley for the Swiss fashion collective Real Time Society�Vintage Halston, Oleg Cassini, Bob Mackie and more can be found among contemporary Vivienne Westwood, Daryl K. and Imitation of Christ from August 4-11 at Eva, 227 Mulberry St., New York, 917-607-1118�We love the tees at Victor-Schechter�The high-tech down jackets Nicolas Ghesquière created for the French outerwear brand Moncler will hit the Chelsea Balenciaga shop any day now. We're told they're as hot as those designed by Junya Watanabe last year.

Here at Hint, we�re devoted to life's simple pleasures: online shopping, minimalist design and small numbers. We're not lazy, just bad at math. So imagine our squeals when we learned that Zero, Maria Cornejo's cultish garage-cum-boutique, now sells its women's wares on the web. If your tastes also run toward the unfussy, look no further than the bubble dresses, Jodhpur pants and kimono tops found here, as well as summer basics for any figure. Plus, ordering from the site is no less intimate than visiting the Nolita shop, where Cornejo herself can often be seen stitching away in back. Once her austere designs have seduced you, just fill up your shopping cart, click send, and a sales associate will contact you within 24 hours for final purchase. But if you need to complete a transaction right now, we have your number—check out the eye-catching limited-edition Zero T-shirt designed exclusively for the Hint Shop. -Carolyn Martins Bonilha



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