Hand Painted Chanel on the Lower East Side

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Down on Stanton St, the lively boutique A. Turen does more at than just stock the hottest young things like Timo Weiland, Rad Hourani, Jonathan Simkhai and Dannijo. Store owner Ashley Turen is an artist that gets abstract on vintage wares. She takes already valuable pieces like vintage Chanel bags, rare rock tees, motorcycle jackets, and just-plain-cool Levi cutoffs, and paints upon them a cosmic melange of lustrous hues. So what if that Kiss t-shirt is already worth several hundred dollars? A Turen is going to make it more trick it out and add value of her own. 

Designer Daily: Jonathan Simkhai

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Jonathan Simkhai has got the eye. While perusing the better part of his Spring 2012 collection on the Lower East Side at A. Turen (neon tweed with mesh insets, multi texture mullet tees, sheer panelled maxis), store owner Ashley Turen tells me about how once his collection arrived at the store, he spent five hours merchandising the store and tricking out the displays. He’s well involved with his stockists, and is making clothes that want to be worn. A NY native, he got the fashion itch at 14, worked retail on the buying front, continued onto Parsons & FIT, and now at 26, he’s designing salaciously wearable collections. See a taste of Spring and Fall ’12 here. 

VIDEO: DJ Panda Pupstep Blindfolded and Dog-Napped by Skrillex

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Help! DJ Panda Pupstep has been captured! He’s been “blindfolded and driven to a secret location”! Could this be the same secret location Skrillex will be performing at Thursday night? Invitations with those exact no-peeking-allowed instructions for the Best New Artist Grammy nom’s show were indeed scattered across to a lucky few (Who, me??) by We Are The Superlative Conspiracy. True to their namesake’s philosophy, the headphone/skate/denim brand WeSC is planning something sneaky and totally epic. But to dognap this dubsteppin’ pupster? The horror! Sounds like Skrillex already wubbed his way into DJ Panda Pupstep’s doggy head.

Lenny Kravitz Is On The Telephone

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Lenny Kravitz just picked up the phone.

Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Duckie

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

Duckie Brown is slouching their way into womenswear with the debut of Mrs. Brown this fall.

Accessory Alert: My, My Telephone

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Hello? From the second I picked up the Pop Phone one week ago, my ear has not touched my iPhone Blackberry. Speaking into yesteryear’s telephone receiver on the street, in a restaurant, at a wake, is a wholly over-satisfying experience. It warrants passerby reactions anywhere from smiles of amusement, nudges to a friend, giddy laughter and “Damn, that’s so gangsta!” (I got that on two different occasions, no lie). And everyone will ask you where you got it.*

BOUTIQUE CRITIQUE :: A. Turen : Look 4

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

At A. Turen, everything is made with care. That’s just the nature of the designers Ashley Turen keeps in the store. Her hand painted pieces hold their ground next to select designers and and wild accessories. The painting is abstract, meant to give each garment it’s own pattern. How did Ashley get into painting? “I have loved painting since I was about 7 years old. It was only about three years ago that I changed my medium from painting on canvases to clothing. The same technique applies.” See it here.

Want to shop? Mention Fashion Indie when you go to A. Turen and get 10% off!

BOUTIQUE CRITIQUE :: A. Turen : Look 3

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

For Ashley Turen, owning a shop runs in her blood. She tells us, “My grandmother had an incredible store in Alabama. I fell in love with the art and creative freedom of having your own shop. I wanted to open a shop that represented my dream one stop shop.” She recently moved to this new space on Stanton Street from just a few blocks away on Ludlow to make room for shop in the one stop. “My old space was very small, and mainly housed my line, and some jewelry. This store has men’s, women’s, shoes, accessories, lifestyle products, all under one roof.”

Like what you see? Go to A. Turen, mention Fashion Indie and get 10% off!

BOUTIQUE CRITIQUE :: A. Turen : Look 2

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

What, you wanna mess? With this? You crazy?? There might be some vintage teeshirt collectors out there that feel this way about Ashley Turen, for she takes these rare, valuable vintage tees and has her way with them. Crazy? Maybe. But I say fearless. She takes pieces of clothing that have existed in a certain way, and that have exact replicas floating around the universe, and transforms them into one-of-a-kind. Her style of painting gives the shirts an other-worldly, walking-through-space effect. And the cold shoulder cutouts on this one? Divine. And only at A.Turen.

BOUTIQUE CRITIQUE :: A. Turen : Look 1

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Across from the comically delicious Meatball Shop on Stanton St. in New York sits a boutique that boasts some ballsy moves of its own. Alongside brands like Timo Weiland, Martin Margiela and other emerging talents, storeowner Ashley Turen carries her own collection of hand painted pieces. Here’s where balls of steel come in to play: she hand paints vintage Chanel bags and coveted concert tees (see them here this week). For the shopper that wants something rich with history and a fresh coat of paint, A. Turen is the destination.

Want the look? Shop A. Turen and get 10% off when you mention you FashionIndie!