Four Your Eyes Only: Trendcue hosts pop shop at Askan boutique

Mannequin wearing isidoro francisco bomber jacket

It took a while to get to the pop shop at the fashion boutique Askan in the Lower East Side. It was a designer promo event curated by Trendcue that featured a DJ spinning music and drinks. The brands showcased were Dafne, isidoro francisco, Mr. John Wright and Label & Lébal.

When I arrived at 6:15pm, Askan was buzzing with people. The first person I saw was the wonderful Isidoro Francisco who I gave a big hug. He's the man behind the satin boys of new york bomber jackets that feature flawless embroidery on the back that says "boys of new york."

I was busy snapping pictures on my iPhone of the clothing on the rack that caught my eye. While I did this, I saw a man in a black fur coat. The man was Ryan Wiltshire, the owner of curating company Trendcue. I said "Hi" and he said "You're the blogger." See, I met him at the "Ice Cream" pop shop at the Hotel Americano last month.

Some of the pieces I took pictures of were the navy bomber jacket that isidoro francisco designed in collaboration with Label & Lébal featuring the number "718" embroidered in yellow on the left breast. 718 is the area code for Brooklyn, you know.

Then I finally got to see the light gray pinstriped suit in person from the isidoro francisco Fall 2016 collection. The suit was also known as the Uniform. I love the sporty elastic waistband on the pants with a drawstring. They're like sweats, but they're dressy. Oh, and those long side zipper pockets that Isidoro Francisco talked to me about at the "Ice Cream" pop shop. The matching jacket was classically double-breasted, but not stuffy.

The backpacks and purses by Dafne were hand-painted with vibrant colors. The hand-painted images included the All-Seeing Eye of God (eye in front of pyramid like on the one dollar bill) and a skull.

The Askan boutique carried a lot of interesting clothing on their racks that were not in part of the showcased designers. A quilted butterscotch coat made by Fairplay glowed with luxury. There was a 3/4 length sleeve minidress by Animapop that bursted with Asian flavor thanks to a pagoda print. I read that Animapop dresses are reversible with a solid color flip side. Continuing with the Asian theme was a graphic bomber jacket from Qilo with an Asian print incorporating Asian writing.

Other dresses that wowed me were the lavender bandage dress from FEMME Los Angeles that put me in mind of early 90s Versace and Madonna's iconic Jean Paul Gaultier bustier top. The last stunner was the mohair wool tank dress from Greylin that brimmed with 1920s abandon with a waist that could be drop-waist or fit and flare. I'd have to see it on a model or mannequin.

As the Askan owners began to start closing up shop, the piece de resistance was a silver metallic mannequin standing tall in the boutique's window wearing a burgundy isidoro francisco bomber jacket. I felt like lead character in Confessions of a Shopaholic because the mannequin was speaking to me. They even looked like the same type of mannequins in the movie.

While people moved tables around getting the boutique back into its original form, a friend of the designer stood. She was a gorgeous Latina with a crinkly bob and thick velvet choker. Her red-painted lips matched the red-painted lips printed on her t-shirt. Suede thigh-high boots capped off the outfit. She was a fashionista indeed and was a woman who I could imagine wearing the dresses mentioned above. The perfect model.