Spring Fashion Show at Toad's Place

This past spring, Jason Primrose hosted Amour de Mode, the first fashion show to take place at Toad's Place downtown. He stopped in Rumors the other day and showed us an album of the Rumors segment of the show....here are some of our favorites....The lines shown include CTRL from Finland, 21 MC from South Africa, Schwipe from Australia, Girls from OMSK from Belgium, Pharmacy Industry from Italy, Soundgirl from New York, and LA Made from California. A lot of these items have since sold out, but due to the slower summer buying season, some are still available....feel free to call or write us with inquiries.

VCU Arts Intensive Photoshoot

For the past 3 weeks I have been surrounded by inspired high school art students of all different mediums. Of course I eat, sleep and breathe with the fashion kids as they learn to sew, plan a fashion show, and deal with the stresses of the fashion industry with the guidance of the professors of the VCU Department of Fashion. Last night all 20 fashion students were accompanied by 5 of the photography students in planning, staging and executing a fashion shoot around Rumors Boutique. Most of them had never had the artistic opportunity to model, choreograph, and shoot a fashion shoot that had no set regulations. The results were pretty fantastic.

Some Italian Style

Hey, my name is Bonnie and I guess you could call me an intern. I just got back from spending a month in Italy, so I thought I'd write a little bit about the Italian fashion scene. Because of the tanking dollar in relation to the euro nothing in Europe is cheap! However, if you stay long enough your definition of cheap simply shifts. I'm not much for designer clothing but it's worth mentioning that outside Florence there is a designer outlet known simply as "The Mall." They have previous collections from everyone from Stella McCartney to Alexander McQueen on sale.

Halfway into my stay in Florence all the display windows began showing winter clothing. This was because Florence hosted the Pitti Imagine Uomo 2008 tradeshow. Pitti Uomo showcased upcoming menswear collections for Fall Winter 08/09. D*Face (not the British graffiti artist) stood out because of their jeans in various washes.

www.dreamingface.com

I also liked 400 gr a lot. This was a menswear show so I only saw half of the collection. But they do have a womenswear line as well. (I actually think they're Parisian but I liked them a lot so I'll write about them here)

www.400gr.net

The last line I'd like to mention is Patafisic. She is a local Florentine designer who used to be an architect. She chooses a geometrical shape as her inspiration for each collection. A lot of the clothes have double uses - a dress unsnaps to become a skirt etc

www.patafisic.it

- Bonnie

recession is near shop local. the decline of western civilization

When I was a young girl I dreamed of one day making it in the big world. One day I would find my niche and I would open up my own business. Be my own boss.

So I moved to this enchanted place called Richmond Virginia where the streets were still made of cobblestone and I could walk into a bar where everyone knew my name. I could spend a restless Sunday going into independent shops in carytown then catch brunch at a mom and pops little diner. Those days are becoming few and far between. With the economy spanking America the way it is. I watch my favorite bars, shops, galleries and restaurants put up their going out of business signs.

I've always had so much pride for the fan district keeping out major business. But how long will it be before there is a taco bell on campus. When will a H&M or Forever21 move across the street from my boutique. When will Ikea and Walmart open up on VCU campus. And when will Fridays and Olive Garden put all of our diners out of business. These are the days approaching. We are IN A RECESSION. why isn't anyone talking about it. Have you noticed how impossible it is to find a job. Have you noticed how high unemployment is. Do you realize how high gas is. This is a reality. Why is it not on the covers of all the newspapers. How can people care so much about what is happening in the rest of the world and care so little about what is happening in their own home. RECESSION is not near it is here.

recession

Casey and I work over 80 hours a week to keep our store open. And we are proud of it. We have amazing customers who refuse to let us do bad. So thank you so much. But time is ticking and lots of people need help. Supplement 4 things you do a week with independent business. It may be a little less convenient but you know where your money is going. And its right back into the city. Here are some suggestions.

CHOP SUEY BOOKS over Barnes and nobles

CROSSROADS COFFEE or ROSTOVS over Starbucks (and if you go to Starbucks you should know better)

PLAN 9 or Rumors records over Amazon (that is right there are no more record shops in Richmond... because everyone stopped going to record shops a long time ago)

Hospitality, EuroTrash, Henry, Ftwrks, Need, Rumors over Forever 21, American Apparel, H&M and urban outfitters

821 cafe over fast food

Strawberry st cafe, Nicks, Ellwoods or the Farmers Market over Ukrops and Kroger

House of Lukaya over 10,000 villages.

Fan Video over netflix and blockbuster

It would be that simple to save Richmond Small business. Even when it comes to buying gas. Stop going to 7-11!!!! that money does not go back into the city. It doesn't. Its that clear. And its really that simple. Just wait until it hits you.

goodbye, nonesuch, acacia,bogarts,jumpin j's, Ukrops,Movie Gallery, Good-bye art supply store on broad. Nancy Raygun, Poesis, Le Petite France and the list goes on and on.....

Marshe'

"The economy is getting worse, according to 79 percent of small-business owners polled in the survey. That's up from 71 percent last month and reverses a previous decline. Even more worrisome is that while the number of businesses experiencing cash-flow problems had also fallen in May, it has increased now, from 39 percent to 42 percent."

"This country needs and will hit rock bottom in the near future and then we will open our eyes to bringing back manufacturing and a sense of pride and patriotism to the country that was founded by our relatives.

Importing, Immigration, Job creation, Health care and rising prices for fuel, groceries and health costs are key concerns for our politicians and society to take a very serious look at in the very near future.

Matthew Bandyk from usnews.com

I AM SO ANGRY AND I AM 24. why isnt anyone else angry..... why isnt anyone angry.

Mexico City: urban style guide

Our first morning in Mexico city, we left our artsy hostel located in Roma in search of the boutiques I'd read about on superfuture.com's mexico city guide. Based off of the pictures id seen in various Mexican party and art blogs, mexico city 20-somethings have a vivacious sense of style and i couldnt wait to see it for myself.

Almost immediately, we spotted a guy wearing pink sunglasses with coordinating Vans and thought that shadowing him might lead us in the right direction--- to the boutiques of Condesa I'd read so much about. Before we could even follow him the length of a cross walk, we spotted another Nike wearing, Ray Ban clad hipster heading the opposite way. We quickly realized that in Mexico city's stylish Roma and Condesa neighborhoods there is not just one path that leads to the numerous unique boutiques and restaurants. You do however, have to know exactly what you're trying to find. If you ever have the chance to visit Mexico City, here are the shops you need to check out.

Sicarios

located at Colima 124 in Roma

As soon as we walked in this split level boutique, we were aknowledged then left alone to explore. The smaller first level offered a fantastic collection of jewelry, sunglasses, magazines, and hand drawn postcards.

Following the muraled walls along the staircase upstairs, we found a small but well-laid out second floor, complete with artistic fixture displays and hand made tables. The only clothing line I recognized was Diesel, but they had a large selection of t shirts, jackets, and accessories to compliment the major label. After listening to my broken Spanish, the girl at the counter gave us a free bottle of water on our way out and wished us a good trip.

www.sicario.tv

Shelter

located at Colima 134 in Roma

Although the exterior of this shop is dark and mysterious, the inside is full of elite boutique lines and great spacial design. Focused on nike sneakers, this specialty shop offers collections by Fuct, The Hundreds, and Futura Laboratories that complement the extensive footwear available.

www.shelter.com.mx

Kong

located at Colima 143 in Roma

Down on the corner, conveniently located by a little old man who sold delicious fresh mangos for $100 pesos was Kong. Brightly decorated, this art-focused shop was full of graffiti books, design magazines, comic decorations and creative journals and figurines. A back room focused on gallery pieces by local artists, and all the employees were very helpful.

www.kong.com.mx

Fabrica Social

located at Tamaulipas 66. in Condesa

Specializing in handmade, socially conscious clothing and accessories that are oh-so-cute, this small boutique stands out on a block of bars and nice restaurants. All the products are locally made, and this place is conveniently located next to a coffee shop called Momo that would be easy to hang out in all afternoon.

www.fabricasocial.org

Ocho

located at Nuevo Leon 8 in Condesa

Although Echo is another sneaker focused streetwear boutique, this shop stands out for having a very decently sized female section. Of course, like most other sneaker focused boutiques, Echo offers great displays of Nike shoes.

However, what stood out the most to us was a female line of casual dress shoes by Melissa. I'd seen the collection online but never in person, and I wanted to take home every pair.

www.ochostore.com

Fre de Sang

This small boutique stood out from every other for 2 main reasons: they didn't carry Nike and they had equal focus on male and female product. They offered artistic Adidas and Reeboks with correlating tshirts and bags, and they carried a unique line called Fat Cop that I hadn't seen anywhere before.

DRGN

located at Alvaro Obregon esq. Merida. in Roma

By far the most outstanding, not to mention the most secretly located, was a fashion focused, skateboard oriented boutique called DRGN. This multi room boutique takes up the entire second floor of what seems to be a very homey apartment building, and it features a decorative yet definitely skateable ramp.

This mystery store carries shoes that are coveted in Mexico such as Vans, DC, and Alife, as well as hard to find clothing collections by Perks and Mini, Henrik Vibskov, Wood Wood, Penfield, In4mation, ANYthing, and Upper Playground. However, these unique items sold for a pretty price; a pair of Italian Pharmacy Industry mens jeans will set you back $196 US while we have them generously priced for $96 at Richmond's very own Rumors.

DRGN also offers an extensive assortment of books, sunglasses, and skateboards by Shut. I hope a store this impressive isn't going unnoticed; we were the only visitors throughout our one hour long exploration of the place.

Youthful street fashion in Mexico City embodies elements of style that most US hipster kids lack. While style inspiration is easy to come by in any major US city, these kids really connect with their fashion expression. They have to seek out, create, and dedicate themselves to mix together individual pieces to complete and create a cohesive look. I absolutely love it.