We began the fashion search at Maguire Steele, the PR company that represents Timo Weiland, a designer we thought would evoke their clean cut hippiness. We arrived to find access to not only Timo, but to the Shipley & Halmos and Billy Reid collections, and Duckie Brown shoes. What a lovely way to start the day. Jeff was surprised to find himself liking this salmon Shipley blazer and green saddle shoes by Duckie; once he put them on, he saw the magic in them. Color and fit; bright and tight. That’s the vision.

Playing the green Timo Weiland vertically striped cardigan against the horizontally striped Billy Reid shirt made for optical illusionism – perfect for on-stage psychedelia. We tried with two Shipley & Halmos ties, one a conglomeration of pin thin geometric shapes, the other made of a mustard velvet (which totally called for heavy petting). We’re taking all of it along.

In the looks above, note the Shipley and Halmos pants: crisp, paper thin, glowing blue. Jeff really dug the look and feel of them. This sparked our next stop – Zara. Known in the masculine for modestly priced, modernly cut suits, I thought he might find a pant with a similar fit. Unfortunately, no fancy pants there captured our attention quite like Shipleys; the drawback to going from such a quality level of design down to one of the quickest of the fast fashion powerhouses (2 week turnaround from sketch to shelf!).

We did however conquer his need for new jeans. Imagine, he’s never owned a pair of skinny jeans! FashionIndie’s first instinct was mustard, for its ability to bring a bright spice to the stage. The look on his face when Mustard Slim Cut Jeans were suggested was dubious to say the least. We insisted he give it a try. In the fitting room, dubious shifted to contemplation, and very quickly to impressed contentment. Sold! To the man in yellow. He liked the fit so much, he got them in heather black as well. (TIP – Gentlemen, go to Zara right now… they’re only $39!)

We perused the rest of rushed retail row on Broadway from Broome to Bleecker from Urban Outfitters to Uniqlo, but nothing was jumping out at us. Man, were we spoiled by the gorgeous goods at Maguire Steele. Plus, mass market seems no place to find pieces to encapsulate the unique Heavy Pets sound. Time to switch things up,take it down real low, down all the way to Brooklyn’s poppin’ top vintage haunt, Beacon’s Closet.

Our instructions for The Pet: grab anything that strikes you. With that we end up with armfuls psychedelic patterns, bronze grommets, cowboy flair and a polyester disaster that shall remain on the hanger.

We pruned the options, ready to take eight new/old shirts in their varying sizes back to the rest of The Heavy Pets. The first piece on the rack? Pierre Cardin, $18.95. He looked at it skeptically, FashionIndie looked at it delightedly on him; we managed to convince acception with the tidbit that Pierre Cardin did introduce The Beatles to the Nehru jacket. Done and done.

The full styling goes down around 6:00 p.m. this evening when they are done with the soundcheck. As they are musicians, and this is fashion, that time is of course a rough estimation. But when it happens, we’ll be live tweeting @FashionIndie & @JessicaLapidos.

Come to The Brooklyn Bowl tonight to see The Heavy Pets perform in their new digs. See you there!

1. Loveday 31, Astoria
Owner and curator Ivona Bilicic knows her stuff – she used to be a buyer at famous rip-off Manhattan vintage store Screaming Mimi’s. But the merchandise at Loveday 31 is far from overpriced and much more carefully selected. Eccentric metallic shirts from the 80s share a rack with silk Givenchy shirts and Prada dresses. Uniquely shaped vintage bags are shown among locally designed jewelry and antique brooches. I recently bought a black, intricately knit shirt with metallic silver threads and 7-inch long fringe for $40.

Credit: Free Williamsburg

2. Beacon’s Closet, Williamsburg & Park Slope
Perhaps the most well-known local Brooklyn thrift store chain, Beacon’s Closet has something for everyone. Both locations have their fine points: the more-crowded Williamsburg store has about four times the merchandise ranging from beat-up tees to Pucci pumps while the slightly more refined selection at Park Slope requires less digging and waiting. Some of my best buys include an $18 Marc by Marc Jacobs sweater and $18 brand new Betseyville shoes.

3. Buffalo Exchange, Williamsburg
You won’t find a ton of vintage merchandise at Buffalo Exchange, but you might come across some cool new digs along the way. Designer denim for men and women usually costs less than $20 and a brand new chunky necklace will set you back about $8. There are great vintage finds too, like a pair of Marc Jacobs sandals I bought for $24 a couple years ago.

4. Housing Works, Upper East Side
Where do all of the wealthy UES women take their Ferragamos and Pradas when they don’t want them any more? Housing Works, of course. In my opinion, this location is the best of the 10 retail stores around the city. There aren’t a million downtown vintage hunters in your face, and the merchandise comes straight from Park and Madison Avenues. It also has the best vintage jewelry selection -  I have at least a dozen pieces from my summer living in the same neighborhood.

5. Monk Vintage, Williamsburg
Where can you buy a rainbow striped bow tie, cummerbund and pocket square matching set? Monk Vintage in Brooklyn has about 10 for you to choose from. From the tutus suspended from the ceiling to mounds of vintage jewelry, you will find super fun and unique vintage pieces here. Dresses run from around $25 – $40 while a full suit will cost you about $100. Everything is in pretty good condition and the store is small, so you won’t spend hours looking for an outfit. The peach Polo Ralph Lauren Western shirt I got for $35 is still one of my favorites.

6. Goodwill, Chelsea
Of all the Goodwills in the city, why this one? Are the workers nicer? Absolutely not, but the selection is all that. This fairly new outlet isn’t too crowded, but it is fairly organized. If you’re familiar with Goodwill, expect all of the same prices and merchandise categories. Last week, I found a leather Coach computer bag in good condition for $20.

7. Vintage Thrift, Gramercy
From Manolos to mink throw pillows, this store literally has everything. You can get a stack of records with your dining room table and Italian designer ties with a retro KitchenAid mixer. Not only has Vintage Thrift been named Zagat’s #1 NYC thrift store four years in a row, profits go to The United Jewish Council of the East Side.

8. Viceversa, Williamsburg
Maybe the most overlooked Williamsburg thrift store, Viceversa is definitely worth your time. Stocked with equal parts men’s and women’s apparel, you can find everything from red cowboy boots to sequined muumuus. Prices here are dynamite – you can snag a fur coat for as little as $40. I bought an 80s rainbow sequin dress for $20 last year; I recently saw the same exact dress on Nasty Gal retailing for more than $200.

9. The Antiques Garage, Chelsea
Lauren from Corvus Noir introduced me to The Antiques Garage last summer when I interviewed her for FashionIndie. This place is insane. From 9 am – 5 pm every Saturday and Sunday, you can walk through this concrete jungle of every antique imaginable. It can be a little overwhelming, so take it slow – one table at a time. I bought a gorgeous leather, color-block bag with a chain strap for $10 the last time I was there.

10. No Relation Vintage, East Village
Nestled among the dozens of nail salons and pizzerias on First Avenue, No Relation Vintage is a rare gem. Little nooks throughout the store hold specifics like shoes or sundresses while scarves sit in a basket by the register, waiting to be impulsed purchased. In true East Village fashion, you won’t find a shortage of leather jackets or distressed band tees. Many a silk scarf from this old school thrift store hangs in my apartment.

Did I miss anything? What is your favorite NYC thrift store?

I’m always surprised at how busy and nutty-acting everyone gets during Fashion Week prep. Everyone is in a huff. I’ve seen a lot of models in Soho, they’re almost all in huffs. Except for the “It” models, you know like Ash and Jethro. I bet they’re never in anything like a huff, they’re only in magazines. Is Cole Mohr still “It”?

Anyway, I got invited to the model casting for Duckie Brown. It made me feel a little special, but whenever I told anyone they sort of laughed. Everyone thought I was trying out to be a model, I wasn’t. Duckie wanted me there to cast models, and pretend to DJ. I really like pretending.

It was self-defeating though. The casting, I mean.  I was the short, pasty, black-clad kid with grandma glasses and bad hair. Everyone around me was 6 foot tall, healthy, fit, and beautiful. It was awful, and amazing. Amazing because they were changing and naked and trying on great clothes.

Two boys I party with came on a go-see. Is that an official term? Go-see? Or did Tyra make that up for America’s Next Top Model? But, right, Jace and Harvey came on a go-see. It was nice seeing them out and about during the day. And I think both of them were cast, because they have amazing walks and are so handsome.

Oh. Did anyone see that Craiglist missed connection from Tuesday? A friend posted it to my Facebook. I think someone I know, a boy, gave a man a blowjob at the Box while his girlfriend watched. It all happened on the balcony, I mean, I must have been a few feet away. Was it you? Tell me the truth. I need the scoop.

I think it’s a good nightlife when things like this can still happen. It reminds me of Studio 54.

It’s so sad that the Ruff Club is ending. I don’t know what else to say. It’s the end of an era, or something. There’s a rumor that Peaches Geldof and Jethro Cave will be there. That they’re going to DJ. I love Nick Cave, and his son Jethro is amazing. I didn’t know that Peaches is still around. Can I have her job? What is her job?

P.S.

I forgot to mention I met Christopher Sauve and Julia Frakes yesterday while creeping Soho with Alex. Chris was the nicest, like so pleasant. Julia was a button, but I kind of think I squeezed her hand too hard. Alex thought her pants were a great Beacon’s find, but of course they were Erin Wasson. Nicollette said Julia was a downtown luminary.

I guess she must be if she’s curating a collection at Screaming Mimi’s for Fashion’s Night Out. I’m jealous, wish I was curating a collection.

Did you know that even the Disney Channel changes its New York programming before and during Fashion Week? I told you, nutty-acting. Everyone.