The New York clothing store Colbo opened strong in 2022. In the past year or so it’s firmly established itself as the best new clothing shop in NYC, as far as Blackbird Spyplane is concerned. In part this is because they stock fire under-the-radar lines (And Austin, Archie, Yoko Sakamoto, Ernie Palo) alongside secondhand slappers. In part it’s because they have a bright, airy space where they make great coffee & host cool events (including with Spyfriends like Small Talk Studio, Intramural, Pierce Abernathy and Wrong Answer.) And, increasingly, it’s because Colbo’s house line has become one of the most impressive out: Elegant unisex styles… cut capaciously… from beautiful fabrics… in color schemes precision-engineered for achieving sublime Tonal Swag. The clothes are made in NYC, designed by Colbo co-founder Tal Silberstein, who used to work at Hed Mayner. The other day Tal hit us up with a preview of SS24 — their deepest collection yet — and we knew within seconds of smashing the Dr*pbox that we were dealing with a major C.O.M.M.S. Situation: Certified Outstanding “Mamma Mia” Slappers The collection was produced entirely in NYC’s Garment District “from a mix of Japanese fabrics and globally sourced deadstock.” We’re talking deadstock Italian cotton; Japanese cotton-hemp and cotton-linen; summerweight wool; Japanese cotton that’s been sun-dried for a month to give it a pleasingly crunchy hand-feel that you only get from 30 days’ exposure to HELIOS’ love; and — on some of our favorite pieces, like the 1/2-zip summerweight “parka,” above and below — crinkly deadstock Italian nylon…
