Eugene Rabkin is the founder of stylezeitgeist.com. He has contributed articles on fashion and culture to The Business of Fashion, Vogue Russia, Buro247, the Haaretz Daily Newspaper, and other publications. He has taught critical writing and fashion writing courses at Parsons the New School for Design.

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Studio Visit: Alexandre Plokhov

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Yesterday I visited Alexandre Plokhov’s studio in New York’s Flatiron district to check out his Fall/Winter 2013 collection. Plokhov was in a pretty serene mood despite his mind-boggling schedule (he was hopping on the plane the same afternoon to go to Premiere Vision in Paris.).

The collection reflected Plokhov’s continuous refinement of his style. In a way Plokhov presented a full wardrobe, from the most casual to the most sophisticated looks – there was even his version of a tuxedo (perhaps for our fist black tie party?).

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Tobias Wistisen Jewelry

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Two days ago, Daniel and I were sitting in a cafe in Paris and he said, “We should’ve tracked down Tobias Wistisen since we are here; he makes great jewelry.” That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to find Wistisen a few hours later at the Tranoi fair. The Danish designer cut his teeth assisting John Galliano, but he was inevitably drawn to jewelry design. “Paris has a deep tradition of jewelry making,” he told me. Wistisen works with artisans many of whom are well into their 60s and 70s, and he is taking full advantage of their skills. “They get so excited when you ask them to experiment,” said Wistisen, “because they are tired of making wedding bands.” That’s where Wistisen comes in with his unconventional designs and unusual metal treatments.

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Atelier New York 10 Year Anniversary

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Last Saturday we were honored to be a part of another important celebration. Atelier New York, the cutting edge menswear boutique, feted their ten year anniversary. It was an intimate gathering, with designers and representatives from various labels the shop carries flying in from Europe. To mark the occasion, designers from Yohji Yamamoto to Boris Bidjan Saberi produced exclusive pieces for Atelier (my favorite was a version of Ann Demeulemeester’s feather necklace, dipped in silver and stamped “A NY X 10”).

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VOLUME 3 NYC LAUNCH | TRIBECA GRAND

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Thank you everyone for making yesterday an overwhelming success: to all those who came and packed the place full, to Jennifer Tzar and her musicians for putting on a kick-ass performance, to teams from Boris Bidjan Saberi, _Julius, Guidi,  M.A.+, Augusta and Werkstatt Munchen for coming half the way across the world to be there with us, and to the gracious staff at TriBeCa Grand.

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Deborah Turbeville | Unseen Versailles

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As I was packing for Europe last Monday I got an email about the opening of Deborah Turbeville’s new show “Unseen Versailles.” It was to be on the one full day I was in Paris, and Turbeville would be attending. There is something especially joyful about meeting someone half way across the world from whom you are normally separated by a subway ride. Needless to say, I went.

The exhibit is quintessential Turbeville in its feeling of intimacy. It is held in the Galerie Serge Aboukrat, which must be the smallest gallery in the world (two people holding hands would be able to span its perimeter). Tucked away in a postcard-picturesque and postage stamp-sized Parisian square complete with a roundabout that can barely fit a car and an ornamented lamppost straight out of a fairy tale, the gallery is not easy to find, but the exhibit is well worth the trouble, as was evidenced by the intimate gathering that included the singer Charlotte Gainsbourg and the designer Haider Ackermann.

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Mad et Len | In Search of Lost Scent

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“The smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, ready to remind us, waiting and hoping for their moment, and the ruins of all the rest; and bear unfaltering, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection.” – Marcel Proust, Swann’s Way

I first saw Mad et Len candles at Pitti Uomo in Florence. I walked by, then did a double take, attracted by the black brushed iron cases. They were pointedly anti-luxury. I walked back and took a whiff of the Black Fig candle. Instant love. I examined the other scents. Incense. Tobacco. Amber. Leather. Pot-pourri made from lava rock. It has never occurred to me before to put the words “dark” and “scent” together. I made a mental note.

SZ MIX | EUGENE RABKIN

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Here is my StyleZeitgeist mix. These are some of the songs that I hold dear for various reasons; some reflect my thoughts and emotions, some have influenced my style, some possess the sheer excruciating beauty that needs no comment.

Naturally, quite a few of the songs are from the 90s and the 00’s – the impressionable time that I sometimes miss, the years before my tastes coalesced. The mix starts out fast and hard and ends up slow and soft. It’s a long hard road out of hell. Enjoy it.

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A Few Words With: Uma Wang

Fashion, Features/Op-EdLeave a comment

Last Friday night I met Uma Wang, one of the most promising contemporary Chinese fashion designers, whose work I’ve been following for over a year. Currently in New York for forty days, courtesy of the CFDA, Wang is learning the ropes of the American way of doing business at companies like Theory and Google. We caught up over coffee and cola at Café Gitane inside the Jane Hotel in the West Village. It was her last day at the Theory’s headquarters in the meatpacking district, and Wang was glad to unwind after a week of sitting in on meetings and watching Theory’s design team in action.