In the know...

My personal favorite, the By The No. beige bubble dress shown at Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair's Fall 08 show.

Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair has always been, hands down, my favorite Swedish contemporary clothing line. When I lived in Stockholm, I'd often stop by their Sodermalm store, and whenever they went on sale, I would try on every single tricky piece, even if it wasn't my size, convinced I could make it work. I once brought home a giant tunic/dress/top that was two sizes too large, which elicited this charming response from my husband: "I hope you're not planning on growing to fit into that thing." Unsurprisingly, he's not a huge fan, since he leans towards the more preppy, clean-cut, A.P.C. loving subculture of Swedish Indie boys.

Well, I've obviously been away from Sweden for quite a long time, because I didn't know about the company's foray into custom made pieces, until I read about their new hand-crafted collection, By The No., on Hapsical. Like the ready to wear line, By The No. follows the same aesthetic of sculptural shapes, exaggerated proportions, and complex geometries, balanced with traditional and classic details, but taken to a more extreme, and non-commercial level. Ideas are pushed to their limits, and the collection does not follow fashion's collection/season system, even though the pieces were shown alongside the RTW line during Stockholm Fashion Week.  Instead, the pieces are individually numbered, and sold by special order.  With the waning kronar, I'm letting myself fantasize about having my own personal order made when I go back to Sweden this summer...

Left: A gigantic satin bolero. Right: The origami-inspired folding technique used to create ruching on the back of the dress is a common motif in many of Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair's garments.

Left: The red dress was inspired by a Japanese kimono.  Right: This dress, which was inspired by broken tiles, also reflects their complex and angular folding techniques.

Left: A padded "Bubble Accessory" worn over a classic suit.  Right: A deconstructed sweater, with a second neckhole that drapes over the shoulder.

This tulle dress is made from over 100 meters of tulle!

-Tiffany