Maybe it's partly due to the military-wear moment we're having this season, and partly due to my fixation on beautiful and comfortable clothes, but this crush is pretty serious. Serious as in full-blown batty. As in hide my wallet and credit cards now.
Da-Nang is rooted in a sort of minimalist, found-fabric aesthetic, coupled with a feminine sensibility for embellishment. I'm no fan of bedazzling, but Da-Nang's painstakingly-crafted, sensibly-applied embroidery and studs and sequins elevate their designs from basic to artful. The label takes its inspiration from East Asian and Vietnamese art and culture (Da Nang is actually a port city in Central Vietnam), from military apparel, and from a sort of romanticized vision of backpacker/explorer wear. In practice, this translates into loosely but lovingly tailored, well-fitting, lush and comfortable haute-casual pieces.
All that attention to detail and cut also means pretty steep prices in the $75 - $300 range. Luckily for us, sample sale sites (love!) are all over Da-Nang lately: I've seen Da-Nang sales on ideeli, Rue La La, and Hautelook, off the top of my head, over the past few months. At sample sale prices, this brand becomes pretty affordable, with their gorgeous henleys, hoodies, and jackets in the $30 to $100 range. I've recently scored a Da-Nang cropped bomber jacket, an embroidered brown hoodie that cost $40 and looks about a million bucks, and an embroidered silk shirt thanks to the wonder of online sample sales. Be on the lookout, ladies: this brand is worth it.
