Sales & Shopping

January 25, 2008

trade shows menswear mens accessories

Shopping Roundup

Fair Trade

Capsule returns for its second season of the man show. By Gabriel Bell

From left: Gilded Age accessories, Gilded Age's weathered bags, Cavern's new denim line.

"We wanted to keep the same vibe," said Edina Sultanik of the second season of Capsule, New York's first carefully edited men's trade show that she co-founded in 2007. "We wanted to keep it small, keep it family—but just make it a bit bigger." Indeed, it's not the scope of this relaxed and manageable show that has increased—it's the depth. Even though organizers literally lifted the presentation to the rafters by opening up the third floor of the Angel Orensanz center on the Lower East Side, it was the little things that impressed this time around.

From left: Ksubi sunglasses, Krane's new jacket line, Chronicles of Never shoes.

On top of impressive new collections by our favorites—Public School, B.Son, Josh Podoll, Pa:Nuu and others—small changes and small items sparked our interest. Gilded Age, for instance, didn't alter their turn-of-the-century workmanlike spirit. Instead, they refocused it with a new high-end capsule line—Gilded—a new partnership with Loro Piana cashmere, and a collection of gorgeous, weathered luggage. Similarly, Cavern introduced a new denim line streaked with chartreuse that's a perfect match for their extravagant, hand spun T-shirts. Ksubi seems to be selling as much of its bright eyewear as its signature denim and we'll be looking out for Cassette's limited run of waxed jeans. Both YMC and Endovanera are adding depth to their practice with new women's lines, and Krane has introduced a series of jackets that match their sharply constructed soft bags.

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