Nina Valenti » Markets of New York

Weekend Market Picks – September 24-25, 2011 + Bar Suzette

Nutella Banana Crepe from Bar Suzette at Madison Square Eats

This weekend is jam-packed with exciting market events! The annual London Terrace Street Fair is on Saturday, and I am positively GIDDY about the 25th Annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market and Grand Auction on Sunday I’ve been waiting an entire year for both events!

The mouthwatering image is a nutella and banana crepe from Bar Suzette at Madison Square Eats. This month-long local food market in the Flatiron District is back today, September 23 with more delicious, local savory and sweet treats. Plus beer!

Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25

Crafts on Columbus: This outdoor craft market features fine local and regional artisans on the sidewalk of Columbus Avenue from 77th to 812st Street along side of the Natural History Museum. It also runs October 1-2, and then again on October 15-16.

Saturday Only, September 24

London Terrace Street Fair: It’s time again for the fabulous, annual London Terrace Street fair on West 24th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues in Chelsea. Imagine hundreds of people in the historic London Terrace building emptying out their closets, and there you have an incredible yard sale. Local artisans and food vendors are in the street as well.

Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket: This large GrowNYC farmers market is holding a Pickle Party with Rick’s Picks on Saturday! Meet pickling master Rick Field in the info tent at 11 am as he shows how how to make his famous Smokra, pickled paprika okra!

Agora LIC Market: This Long Island City market is holding its fourth event of the year, featuring crafts, food, family fun, in St. Mary’s Lot, 10-31 49th Avenue, between Vernon Blvd. and Jackson Avenue. I haven’t been able to make it to this market yet, so I’m aiming to check it out this weekend!

Sunday, September 25

Astoria Market: This indoor craft market in Queens is back on Sunday at Bohemian Hall. Stroll among the tables filled with handmade jewerly, t-shirts, toys, and fine arts, and you’ll definitely find a treasure to take home with you!

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market and Grand Auction: Hooray!!! Broadway turns out her closets onto the Shubert Alley and West 44th Street! You may find props, costumes, souvenirs, and playbills galore. And bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences in the live and silent auctions, including a chance to conduct the orchestra for Phantom, an onstage appearance in Mama Mia, and a pre-show “flight call” of Spiderman. Check out all the auction items! Giddy, I tell you! And proceeds go to fight AIDS.

Fairway Market and 92nd Street Y Street Fair: A shout out to my friend Strongman Steve Weiner, who will be doing a strength performance at this family event on Lexington Avenue between 90th and 91st Streets. Steve is seriously strong. He can roll up frying pans, twist horse shoes into hearts, and rip phonebooks vertically with his bare hands. Oh – and combo lift 1000 lbs.

And one more shout out to market veterans Nina Valenti of Nature vs. Future fashion design and Jason Laurits of Paste Graphic T-Shirts, who are hosting an Open Studio sale of their unique, lovely products during the DUMBO Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday starting at noon at 10 Jay Street, #500 in DUMBO.

Have a great weekend and wish for dry weather! A few clouds are good, but no more rain for a while!

Hester Street Fair + Henri Bendel = A Rockin’ Fashion’s Night Out

Last Thursday was Fashion’s Night Out in New York City. This is the first year I have participated because a) I had the makeover, b) I had the perfect Little Black Dress and jewelry, and c) Hester Street Fair was shaking up 5th Avenue!

I started out my day with my friend Angelo Guglielmo at Lincoln Center for the BCBG Max Azria runway show at 10:30 in the morning. We enjoyed the entire venue. And I know I posted that Black is the New Black, but I have a feeling that this crowd knows that black has always been the only color worth bothering with.

That night, I went to Fashion’s Night Out with the Hester Street Fair at Henri Bendel on 5th Avenue. What a crowd! It was a market with in an iconic space featuring amazing handmade, artisanal goods. It had the loud music, the fun crowds, and atmosphere of a club. And most of all, it was a really great meeting of Uptown and Downtown, where the commonalities were design, quality, craftsmanship, and a really great time with some amazing people! Check out all the photos, including:

I wrapped up the evening at opening of the solo show of fine artist Amarillis Kroon at the Red Market Salon in the Meatpacking District. Ami is an extremely talented artist, whose paintings of Nouveau Art Deco Women are extraordinary. Her artwork is up until the end of this month, so definitely go check it out.

And now, about my outfit. My dress is an amazing work of design, craftsmanship, and eco-fabric by the talented Nina Valenti of Nature vs. Future of the Independent Designers Pop Shop at Chelsea Market. My jewelry was a chic, gold, hand-hammered ensemble by Shaya Mehubad of ShayaNYC of the Nolita Market. And my perfume, as ever, was a hand blended potion by Megan Brame of Metropolis Soap Company of various markets around town. I am thrilled to report that I got stopped by no fewer than a dozen strangers throughout the day asking me where I got my dress and my baubles. It was a really great Fashion’s Night Out for this blogger.

Fashion Week with Angelo Guglielmo and Mercedes Benz (photo from Angelo Guglielmo)

Nature vs. Future: Sip & Shop for Eco Fashion

Designer Nina Valenti of Nature vs. Future is a leader in the emerging world of eco-fashion. I first noticed Nina’s designs at the Young Designers Market, where she has been selling her women’s fashion collections for several years. Her designs have a strong, distinct style that is both feminine and edgy, classic yet futuristic.

Nina’s designs first drew me to Nature vs. Future. Her pieces are futuristic classics, as she describes them, and they fit like a flattering dream. I adore her new Swerve Coat (pictured), a gorgeous, geometric twist on the classic overcoat, which I first saw at the Madison Square Market by Urban Space. The wool/cashmere fabric is recycled from the garment industry, and the coats are lined in surprising and fun colors, like purple and teal. What made me love this designer is the advanced thinking behind the brand and the commitment to building a truly environmentally conscious business.

Nina told me she launched her design label, Nature vs. Future, in 2002 after she began thinking about the environment and wondering about technology and how it can and will continue to relate to the organic forces of nature. Being a fashion designer, she thought about the tension between a vision for the future and what nature might actually have in store for us. Her fashion designs are an attempt to leverage that tension into a line that is futuristic and environmentally conscious at the same time. She uses sustainable materials that are recycled, renewable, and sustainably manufactured.

Nature vs. Future is having an End of Season Sip & Shop Sale tomorrow!

What: Nature vs. Future Collection at 20-50% discounts! With spritzers made from fair trade Appollis wine and FAIR. goji berry liquor.

When: Tuesday, February 8, 6 – 9PM

Where: The Glittering Conscience Pop-Up Shop, 96 W Houston (Between Thompson & LaGuardia), New York, NY

Glittering Conscience is a lovely shop space featuring multiple eco-conscious jewelry, accessory and fashion designers. It is a temporary pop-up shop, so don’t miss seeing these amazing products in a beautiful space before it disappears!

Every Weekend is Fashion Week at the Markets!

Nature vs. Future at the Young Designers Market (photo by Yucel Erodogan)

I write a monthly column for The Three Tomatoes, and this month’s piece is about the wonderful fashion designers who sell their unique clothing at the markets every weekend.

The article features five designers:

Roxi Suger of Angelrox Designs – St. Anthony’s Market
Nina Valenti of Nature vs. Future – Young Designers Market/The MarketNYC
Karin Persan of Better Than Jam – Brooklyn Indie Market and the Better Than Jam Coop
Kathy Malone of Fofolle – Brooklyn Indie Market
Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture – Brooklyn Flea

Read all about them on The Three Tomatoes! Even if you do have tickets to the Fashion Week runways, visit the heart of fashion innovation at the markets every weekend.