coutorture --

Fashion in 50 Seconds 9/4

coutorture — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:38:33 -0700

Phoebe Philo has just been named the Creative Director of Celine. Chloé fans are given permission to jump up and down. This apparently signifies that Bernard Arnault cares about all the brands in his stable at LVMH.

Pantone has released its Spring 2009 Colors. It involves fancy names and numbers.

Sephora is adding a little bit of the social media to its website with product reviews.

We also hope that Thom Brown becomes a brand juggernaut of epic proportions.

Fashion Week is getting more and more expensive for designers. Consumers are also buying less. This is a poor combination.

But even if the above suggests that ostentation is not in expensive designer phones are bigger than ever! This only reminds us we had our Black Berry stolen and must face 24 hours before the new one arrives. PANIC.

But apparently we are all partying and living it up at Fashion Week. To which we say REALLY? Don't you have to work?

Fashion in 50 Seconds 9/3

coutorture — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:35:34 -0700

Despite Isaac Mizrahi's noncompete with Target a few of his sketches for Liz Claiborne have made their way into the open. The consensus from WWD is that they are fresh and very much in the spirit of Isaac.

Lynn Yaeger prepares for Fashion Week at Zara in order to avoid the fuel versus food dilemma.

Which might be fine since apparently it's all just a case of history repeating with this season's trends.

If we are all just lemmings then its no surprise
Japan Fashion Week is being called quirky and derivative.

Or Japan's independent shows are getting lambasted because its just too expensive for many designers to show in the traditional style, taking away valuable resources for real creativity to spark. Even a bare bones show costs $100,000. To which we say just host a nice intimate presentation guys, your editor REALLY prefer the low key stuff. Though we still prefer at least a market appointment not just an video.

In retail news, Chanel is getting more space at Saks and Bergdorfs, ostensibly because they need sage superstar brands in this downturn.

Moschino has opened a new Meatpacking District Flagship. It will carry the full collection as well as diffussion lines like the inappropriately named Chic and Cheap which is only one of those things.

Jil Sander Changes Hands

coutorture — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:48:50 -0700

Here are some new clothes from a brand who just recently changed hands. While officially Out Of The City for the weekend, we were perusing the advertisements in a September glossy when along came a Jil Sander ad. Our boyfriend's mother asked, rightly, 'what sort of woman might wear heels so, so, uncomfortable looking' to which we answered (from the back seat of her smooth gliding non-taxi brand of automobile), that a more forthcoming question would be to ask what kind of woman wouldn't wear them. That is, most. Whatever you are left with, that lone woman with her hand raised, is your Jil Sander customer and you better believe she's not embarrassed to be poised as such. Jil Sander, ever defined by its slick, androgynous, aggressive aesthetic, has just been purchased by Onward Holdings Company for a clean 244 million. The brand, energized by Raf Simons and their previous holding company Change Capital Partners, is expected to keep Raf on board. Here's to a new chapter of Jil Sander and a seemingly confident change of hands. Now if only we could get Yoox to photograph the clothes so that they don't look like they're straight out of a Coldwater Creek catalog.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/22/08

coutorture — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:22:35 -0700

Patrick Robinson's fall collection for the Gap hit stores, and, despite near unanimous praise from the fashion industry, a few have started to question the sell-through. A story in the NY Times today articulates, hilariously, the fact that the only line wrapping around the corner on the day the fall collection hit the store was one for Abercrombie & Fitch, down the street. But c'mon. We all know being that popular and paying your Con Ed bill on time are separate pursuits in this industry.

Proctor & Gamble Co. and Anne Taylor Loft are killing two birds with one stone. The new ads feature a model wearing Anne Taylor Loft clothing while holding a bottle of detergent. Furthermore the ads tell readers that over two thirds of Ann Taylor Loft clothing is machine washable (women spend 1,500 a year on dry cleaning) and that Total Care Tide & Total Care Downy will help that delicate (Ann Taylor) clothing hold up. You know what they say; when life serves you ~~lemons~~ recession...

In other news...there's a quality rumor circling a Yves Saint Laurent handbag and a suspicious store clerk. The average women's size in the U.S. is a 14 and most designers offer a size run that, at most, goes up to 12. All but a few, that is, who see dollar signs in offering larger sizes. Lush is selling sex or, that's what their signs lead you to believe.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/21/08

coutorture — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:32:15 -0700

Anna Sui's trying to save the garment district with a t shirt. A photo gallery of chicsters who wear the shirt during fashion week is expected--one of us will have to put such a thing together. To understand the fight all you need to know is the word "zoning" and you're pretty much caught up to speed. We're going to bedazzle that t-shirt with exclamation points.

Camilla Staerk has opened her first brick and mortar location in Nolita on Mulberry Street. We were worried about the cool quotient for a second there but balance has been restored. Anyway, Jane Mayle is probably moving on to bigger and better things.

The first american apparel is poised to open in Beijing this weekend. They've been dealing with some bureaucracy issues including the Chinese government not allowing them to register their name as the direct translation of "american appareal" because of a copyright law which prohibits brands from using a country name in their brand name. Given all this, we're interested to see how the provocative, sometimes grossly insensitive, advertising is accepted.

Los Angeles Fashion Week, purportedly, will lose its backing by IMG after the Spring shows this October. Speculation as to the outcome of such a change include the idea that LA Fashion Week could become something of a music festival. Yeah, that makes sense to us.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/20/08

coutorture — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:26:21 -0700

Louis Vuitton increases their pricing by 5% when Fall shopping gets underway. Having seen the back end of a boutique or two in our day, we know that this occurs. A lesson in markup: retailers take that measly little wholesale price and they multiply that be 2.25 (brands follow this rule, even if they aren't technically being sold anything). Now, take that basic markup and throw it out the window. The truth is, people will sell things for price at which they can be sold. You can multiply that by 2.25, 2.75, or 8 for all anyone cares. From Louis Vuitton to the guy who sells the fakes.

Racked always manages to find points comedic relief when there's not much else going on. In The Daily News, a full-fledged article was published on the appropriateness, or lack thereof, of mandals. The word mandals never ceases to amuse us. After this weekend's NY Times article about the lack of news this summer 2008, we're just going to call this a journalistic free-for-all until something finally happens.

Whoa, we haven't been to Style.com much this week. Holy, makeover! When did this happen people? If you haven't checked it out yet, just imagine every slick fashion blog/website you know (cough, cough), give it a slightly more expensive Getty subscription, make the font bigger, the pictures bigger, the fashion show click-through more prominent, and you've got yourself the new site.

So... is it fashion week yet?

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/19/08

coutorture — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:04:57 -0700

Luca Luca has announced itself a new creative director, Raul Melgoza, who will be responsible for the upcoming Spring 09 collection. Luca Luca was acquired by Equitium Group last May and since then, a new chief executive officer, Amir R. Amir, has also been appointed at the company. Luca Luca, founded in 1992, is known for excellent customer service thanks to their conservative approach to expansion.

London Fashion Week will include as many size zero girls in the shows as will New York, Paris, and Milan. Last week those responsible for London Fashion Week announced that size zero models would likely be walking down the runways as none of the other participating cities agreed to set to a minimum for weight.

In other news...Saks Inc. has reported net losses of 31.7 million. Vogue gets slack for it's horribly photoshopped September cover. E-commerce site Fred Flare is opening its first brick and mortar store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/18/08

coutorture — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:10:51 -0700

Much to our disappointment, Mayle is closing its business. The last delivery for the brand, designed by Jane Mayle, will be the Holiday/Resort 09 season this November. The store, located in an ever-gentrifying Nolita (next to SoHo, downtown in New York) will shutter in February. And that will be the end of that. Despite claiming five million in annual sales, Mayle articulates her decision to shut the business down to the ever-demanding contemporary fashion culture, now more centered on celebrity and mid-season deliveries than ever before.

JC Penney is rearranging it's American Living collections in order to make them stronger for a push through the recession. The American Living brand within JC Penney can be likened to a Ralph Lauren aesthetic and Penney's retail equity analyst attributes that similarity to both the collection's success and suffering. Jason Asaeda said, “If you look at department stores these days, you always see some real [Ralph] Lauren influences in the merchandise and that was lacking at Penney’s. It definitely has the same look and the same feel and I think the quality is very good. It was a little bit expensive for the Penney’s shopper at a time when they were cutting back.”
Here's another editorial calling up the lace trend, this one by T Magazine. As often as we've seen Prada's Fall 08 collection butchered in fall editorials (we saw a particularly troubling example in this month's Lucky) there is one such navy shot in this spread that we think does the clothing justice. As many times as this has been done, and it's only August, we're still not sick of it. Bring on the lace.

Vena Cava is collaborating with Via Spiga for the footwear that will be shown with their Spring 09 collection. When footwear was sometimes designed specifically for the runway, and never made it to the stores, designers are now encouraged to turn every aspect of their brand into a commodity for the masses. This capsule will hit stores in September, at the same time as the runway show, so fashionistas can indulge immediately.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/14/08

coutorture — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:36:47 -0700

Polo is going m-commerce, making them the first of the luxury brands to do so. Mobile commerce, already quite popular in Asia and Europe, is a simple as it sounds--at first glance. It's the concept of buying clothing and fashion items from your phone, but there's another element that involves taking photographs of billboard ads and downloading them such that they turn into various style guides and shopping opportunities. We dare you to try to explain this to the eldest member of your family.

Speaking of steadfast fashion being dumped on by the newest shopping endeavor, Sigrid Olsen, a clothing line for baby boomers, got the axe from Liz Claiborne. In today's New York Times article "Her Forced Retirement", Eric Wilson explores the collapse of said market and the J. Jill's, Talbots, and Ann Taylors that are going down with it.

And on to some good, old fashioned sample sale news...Racked is providing comprehensive coverage of the Barney's Warehouse Sale. Cheap Monday's for cheaper, last year's handbags, and size eight Louboutins are a few of the tidbits that have come through the newsroom this morning.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/13/08

coutorture — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:10:08 -0700

Gareth Pugh is showing his Spring 09 collection during Paris Fashion Week rather than London. In an interview for the newly refurbished Dazed Digital, Susanna Lau speaks with Pugh about the transition. Our favorite question from Lau is "Do you ever get tired of yourself?" to which Pugh replies, "that’s the annoying thing where you have all these people helping you but they can’t do it as well as you know you could do."

Speaking of fashion people with tireless self confidence, in a recent interview with Refinery 29, model Erin Wasson told the hip what it takes to be fashionable. When asked which trend she'd most like to see fade away, she replied, "Leggings, dude. If I see one more girl showing off her bad ankles, I'm going to vomit. It's just not cute.". Talk about tact! We don't know about you guys but we now officially dislike this woman.

Cintra Wilson made it over to the Rick Owens store in Tribeca with an Owens enthusiast, who shared stories of Michele Lamy as they tried on various garments. Funny how Wilson can wrap her mind around a 65,000 dollar Owens jacket though the OAK store on Bond Street kind of blew her mind.

Three of the four WWD headlines this morning report economic decline. Take it away...Liz Claiborne Reports Loss, Macy's Profits, Sales Fall, and Apparel, Textile Imports from China Fall. Hey, don't be such a worry wart! In their splash they ease the consumer conscious with loungewear for Resort. It's all about balance, folks.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/12/08

coutorture — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:05:52 -0700

The first shot of the Commes des Garcon for H&M collection, poised to hit stores in November, has popped up online. W Magazine is running a feature in their September issue and the post to match is living on the site. The trick will be seeing the clothing in person. Those harem shorts could make you look like a avant garde budget-shopper or our seventh grade math teacher.

The new Prada scent, Infusion d'Homme, is being alloted video treatment from a sampling of talented young directors. Film editor Pietro Scalia, with two Oscar's under his belt, will edit the nine videos into one feature which will be projected in the Prada flagships worldwide. The videos can be seen now at Prada.com.

In other news...contemporary designer Charlotte Ronson and her tabloid friendly siblings are being dressed up in costume for Harpers Bazaar....Our current menswear obsession, Generic Man, gets a pop-up at Fred Segal in Los Angeles. If only we were male and living in Los Angeles. Actually, um, no... The Sun (via Racked) recently ripped apart a Chanel jacket to see what was inside. Yep, news is slow.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/11/08

coutorture — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:48:50 -0700

E-commerce sites are faring well on the accessories front. What's the easiest online sell? Bags and shoes. Today, a little insider info about the accessories market online and it's different manifestations. From single brand to boutique e-commerce sites, recession or not, the add-ons continue to thrive. Check out a few of our e-commerce posts, including Five Reasons to Shop Online and our Top Ten Rules For Shopping Online.

This week, Bill Cunningham comments on how often New York women wear the color black. Yeah, this isn't really a white linen kind of town. Especially now that the city is empty of everyone with a spare minute to vacation. This island is a pretty serious one.

Interview magazine has been given a makeover. After major masthead renovations the magazine whipped up a new logo, layout, paper stock, and more. Says editorial director Fabian Baron, “Quality needs to be put into magazines today, otherwise there will be no reason for magazines to exist.” which supposedly will translate into more dynamic photo editorial, interviews, and articles. September marks the first issue from the new team and the topic is, appropriately, fashion.

The Ralph Lauren uniforms for the American Olympic team are stirring up controversy because they look waspy and the logo is a little too big. If product placement and unabashed self-interest disguised as team spirit aren't American, we don't know what is. Gawker makes some jokes.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/8/08

coutorture — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:04:57 -0700

Barney's is going sixties for the holidays, confident that the election (and Mad Men) will stir up plenty of peace and love in those baby boomer cum yuppie hearts. Simon Doonan, the creative director, is making sure that theme is fully explored by way of psychedelic backgammon sets, green t-shirts, Fendi bags with peace sign keychains, and more.

Luella's capsule for Urban Outfitters launched today and a few girls are hot on its trail. The red check muslin stuff (left) looks pretty darn cute but apparently that's not new season? Sigh, we can't keep up with Urban Outfitters anymore. Upon further investigation we discover that this is a UK-only offer which is fine because anyone who is going to spend U.S. two hundred on a muslin scarf at Urban Outfitters probably travels a lot anyway.

This one's for you mom... apparently July didn't look so good for retailers and famed tunic megastore, Chico's, is suffering along with the best of them. The bigger department stores project more confident numbers going into the 'back-to-school' season but the less-back-to-school friendly among them, Chicos included, are faced with even greater loses. We don't know about you guys but when we went back-to-school shopping, our mother would always throw in a couple things for herself. Maybe we should write them a letter saying "Hey guys, guess what? It's going to be ohhhhhkay." (hehe)

The New York Times got crazy with the whole 'olympics' thing with a whopping six-image fashion spread. Is it just us or is the wussy approach to everything in the Style section of the NYT (save for Horyn) totally annoying? Six images? Make them bigger! For a site that has all the fixes and pretty lightbox-y features one could ask for (not to mention the connections and time to spare) you'd think they'd be able to squeeze out slightly bigger galleries and slight punchier content. Why we let this get to us every morning when we write the news is beyond us. Our apologies.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/7/08

coutorture — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:37:50 -0700

Looks like Odin isn't the only one to open a shop for the ladies. Greenpoint's Alter (one of a dozen reasons people say Greenpoint is 'up-and-coming') is opening a ladies shop called Alter 140 tomorrow. Funny thing is, we were just over there yesterday, drenching in sweat and trying to find an office, and saw 140 but thought it was a mirage or a sign change or a mistake on our part for thinking it had previously been on the other side of the street. Looks like they're going e-commerce too.

Pheobe Philo might be pulled in to takeover Celine. Everyone in Paris is on vacation all month but the rumor is that LVMH might bring Philo in as early as September. Looks like Ivana Omazic, Celine's current creative director and former consultant for Prada, Miu Miu, and Jil Sander, might just be out on the street after fashion week.

The inaugural issue of WWD (1910) was pulled out of the archives just in time to amp up the romance before fashion week. A design assistant was thrown into the archives and told to come out with some content for a new 'Back In Time' feature. Nothing like asking a freelancer to put things into perspective.

Scandinavian fashion is making itself more relevant by banding together in the name of sustainability. To this end, The Swedish Fashion Council, the Icelandic Fashion Council, Oslo Fashion Week, Helsinki Design Week and the Danish Fashion Institute will become the Nordic Fashion Association. Eva Kruse, executive director of the Danish Fashion Institute said, “We know that the fashion industry is one of the big sinners, not only in terms of the environmental impact from the production of textiles, but also because lots of textiles, jewelry and fashion are produced in low-cost countries, often in very poor conditions”. We hate to say this but if they keep calling people out like that, we think their coverage will remain strong.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/6/08

coutorture — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:58:37 -0700

Wang is adding a diffusion and shoe wear line to his company, which now calls an 8,000 square foot Tribeca loft, home. The diffusion line will be comprised of $50-$200 dollar cotton basics, all stretched out out and 'wilted' in the signature Wang aesthetic. Shoes are taking a modest start and will retail only through Wang's strongest accounts. Priced at $250-$500 dollars, the shoes are vampy and sexy and everything a six foot tall model would wear with a wilted t-shirt and tattered jeans.

Jovovich-Hawk has called it quits by way of the September Lucky? We're confused. The line began back in 2003 which actually makes us feel old because it's one of the first times a brand we liked was borne, rose to success, and folded in the span of our fashion-conscious years. We suppose this leaves room for some other model-and-her-friend collaborations.

Sigh, The New York Times has a ground-breaking review of the Rogan store on Bowery. Why must they perpetually miss the boat? The Rogan store and the whole gentrification of Bowery was sooo early summer. This annoys us (and we understand why it shouldn't) because it's not like the sea wouldn't part should they want to cover something that was actually of the moment. Ohhhh, so that's what that blog is all about!

Cartier is suing Donna Karen for calling her watches by names that use the word 'tank'--a supposed reference to Cartier's 1917 timepiece. The Tank watches by Cartier retail for as much as 10,000 dollars. When an 'Ion-Plated Tank Watch' by Karan retails for a little over one hundred dollars, Cartier claims there's a strong possibility the Karan association will dilute their hard earned luxury cred. Uh, yep.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/5/08

coutorture — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:24:31 -0700

Pictures of the Spring & Clifton capsule for Urban Outfitters, poised to hit stores in September, have found their way to Flickr. Grey Ant is also poised to collaborate with the retailer, with a collection called Grey Antics. Yesterday, we brought you the look book from Rapscallion, Samantha Pleet's collection for the retailer. We don't blame you if you can't keep these straight, we're totally overwhelmed ourselves.

It looks like that Dior collection everyone loved so much is an example that, even in a recession, beautiful clothing can be sold to uber-rich consumers. Christian Dior Couture increased in sales by five percent in the first half. The Christian Dior Group, who partially owns LVMH in addition to Christian Dior Haute Couture, also saw overall profits rise.

The six covers for Pop magazine's September issue have been released via their MySpace page and the cover models are Naomi Campbell, Natalia Vodianova, Jourdan Dunn, Agyness Deyn, Amber Valletta, and newcomer Oluchi Onweagba (who is, pictured, stunning). We mention this only because the models are dressed in Prada's Fall 08--what is swiftly becoming the most significant offering from the season.

The London Fashion Week schedule is out! Our favorite trilogy? Monday September 15th when we'll bring you Luella, Marios Schwab, and Temperley London back to back. Only five weeks until New York Fashion Week kicks off which means there are exactly five weeks left of summer. We recommend throwing on a baseball t-shirt and shorts and soaking up these last few weeks of calm summer recreation.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/4/08

coutorture — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:43:36 -0700

Calvin Klein, always the advertorial trouble maker, has had its new fragrance commercials censored in the United States. Fabien Baron, the creative director for the commercial, gives undiplomatic sound-bites to the press. Apparently the commercial shows one famous actress rolling around a bit. Breasts are exposed. The Americans can't handle such vulgarity. After all, we're known for our modesty, social appropriateness, and self-restraint. Are we not?

Our network partner, Style Bubble, clued us into an Observer article on Penelope Tree; famous model from the 1960's. Tree, who looks a bit like Susanna Lau, is a off-kilter and makes for a good interview. She rarely gives them so here's your chance for Monday morning tidbits on Vreeland and the like.

Diane Von Furstenburg is using Warhol prints on a few Resort and Spring 09 deliveries. The designer is working with The Andy Warhol Foundation in reproducing these images on wraps and swimsuits that will surely sell like hot-cakes in the department stores. DVF has officially trumped 90% of collaborations announced this summer.

A hedge fund might just save Steve & Barry's from going bankrupt. Pervious to this, Gap and Sears Holdings have been sited as possible companies to overhaul the 276 stores. You can read the press release from July 9th here.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 8/1/08

coutorture — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:16:09 -0700

Just in time for back to school--Rugby Ralph Lauren is going e-commerce! We're e-commerce obsessives so hearing about the interactive features and perfectly branded front page is making our Friday morning. Of course it's perfectly branded; it's Ralph Lauren. The website will be the first real test of the brand on a national scale--don't forget, Rugby opened its first store back in 2004 on Newbury Street in Boston. Rugby.com launches August 12th.

Odin's going hetero with a women's shop called Pas de Deux. The usual suspects will be there, like Alex and Lim. The shop will be in the East Village, right next to Odin and it's little Pop-up shop, Den. The decor will be some kind of reincarnation of quaint French something or other. The only part of this that we find exciting is the thought that the East Village could become cool again (so many good restaurants!) and that now we have an excuse to walk by Odin five million times when we're in the neighborhood.

Eyewear designer Alain Mikli is celebrating his 30th anniversary by re-releasing the classics. Thank heavens the gent chose the eighties as his starting point. The "Twist" collection looks retro (right) but they're still not all that different from what Mikli is designing now--which probably explains why he's around to celebrate his 30th.

In other news...Vogue UK has a September cover fashion critics can agree with. There's an offer in for Jil Sander from mysterious 'Chinese Investors' and WWD is being really sweet abut using detective language in their reportage. J. Crew had to apologize to their e-commerce shoppers and it's only adding fuel to the fire.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/30/08

coutorture — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:34:06 -0700

Maria Cornejo, who collaborated with shoe designer Eileen Shields for the footwear in her Fall 08 runway show, will be releasing the collection this fall. Pink haircalf loafers never looked so good.

LVMH is still making money despite the fact that no one else really is. They reported 7 percent first-half profit growth with Louis Vuitton leading the way, earning double digit profits. A spokesperson for the French conglomerate was quoted in saying, "We have seen no slowdown in the U.S. or Europe or China,” he said. “Every year we find a new pocket of riches around the world”.

Artist Damien Hirst purchased 16,000 in punk clothing which he soon discovered were knock-offs. The clothing, thought to be from the 1970's shop that Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren (Sex PIstols) once owned, was confirmed by McLaren to be fake. Now Christie's is calling McLaren, paranoid that their collection is also a rip-off, but the merchant who sold Hirst the clothing is insisting that McLaren is crazy. We're open to both possibilities.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/29/08

coutorture — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:54:04 -0700

Our favorite designer crush, Adam Lippes, is going to start blogging on his website. We caught wind that there was a position open at the site and we're wondering if this new hire hasn't convinced the team that blogging is the way to go. Either way, we are super excited to read Adam's fashion musings, alongside other members from his team. The blogging starts Monday.

Jil Sander might be for sale which, in our experience, is just a politically correct way of saying it is for sale. Change Capital Partners, who acquired the company from Prada in 2006, is tired of waiting for critical acclaim to catch up with profits. Since CCP has acquired the brand, however, profits have gone from decreasing annually to breaking even and some say the next leg of the journey need be started by a acquisition.

We just died and went to swimwear heaven. Hayden Harnett, who we've reported is launching swimwear and footwear for Spring 09, has released some images. After all of those orange bodies and belly button rings we saw during Miami swim, we have to say, this is our idea of beach goddess. It comes as no surprise that a Brooklyn-based design team honed in on our discomfort with the typical swim look.

After one pair of acetate frames pushed J.Crew from WASP to hipster, the flood gates have opened. The brand, apparently, is going about selling vintage Rolex watches on their website. Refinery 29 reports that Steven Alan already did that and we're going let stew the idea that J.Crew is carving out two aesthetic spaces for themselves without having to sacrifice anything. There is the J.Crew we know via The Mall and the J.Crew we know via The Internet and these two companies, though they are one, are becoming increasingly distinct.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/28/08

coutorture — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:19:38 -0700

Learn what will help businesses (and consumers) survive the recession. WWD reports this morning with interviews from analysts and CEOs on their strategies for keeping things in the green until this all subsides. Some take the 'one day at a time' approach and some focus on the big picture. Consumers, it turns out, can be divided into like minded categories.

Julie Chaiken is moving camp to San Francisco. The designer and mother of two, lives in San Francisco (and has lived there, since before her company took off) and commutes to New York for buying season, fashion week, and other necessary circumstances. Chaiken will not be showing during New York Fashion Week this September.

Lacoste and Visionaire magazine have collaborated on the next issue of the magazine which will exist entirely in t-shirts. Is this Visionaire's smart way of escaping the slump in magazine sales as of late? Or perhaps their way of out-shining the thousand page Fall issues? Photo spreads and original content will be printed on shirts, made into gallery installations, and sold to the public for $250 a pop--this buys them a shiny suitcase, some print-outs, and Limited Edition three printed Lacoste shirts.

Working at a sample sale and see someone have a freakout? Rep a brand and hear about the designer's recent, ahem, engagements? That's what Fashionista is there for. Somehow Fashionista has turned everyone working 'on the floor' into spies. The most recent leak, just in this morning, reports a premium denim incident not so different than what the teenage gang members are doing--except this heist happened in the Hamptons.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/25/08

coutorture — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:38:08 -0700

Peter Som resigned as creative director at Bill Blass exactly one year after joining the company. Som is said to have been inspired to leave after the company canceled the September show due to financial woes. Executives had been trying to dissuade Som from leaving as they feared it would detract investors from buying the company, which is currently owned by NexCen Brands, Inc. NexCen bought Bill Blass two years ago for $54.6 million, however, their current offers hover somewhere around $28 million.

Looks like Som isn't the only leaving the nest. After three years as creative director for Pucci, Matthew Williamson might be moving on to other things. Namely, his own growing business. Williamson succeeded Christian Lacroix when he became creative director, and for his replacement Emilio Pucci is said to be looking within the company.

The V&A Museum in London is hosting an exhibition on the relationship between sportswear and ready to wear, called Fashion V Sport, with examples of cross-pollination from both categories. Stella McCartney, Dries van Noten, and Sonia Rykiel are among the designers included in the exhibition. What, no Juicy Couture?

In other exhibition news (looks like everything comes in pairs today), Commes des Garcon has arranged a retrospective in China where gallery walls are adorned with images from printed material. Rather than mannequins, Kawakubo called up everything from magazine ads to invitation cards. She said of the retrospective, "In a way, seeing a dress on a mannequin is less powerful than seeing [printed matter] blown up.”

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/24/08

coutorture — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:24:41 -0700

A factory in Queens has just been shut down for operating under unlawful conditions. Workers, making clothing for Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, and Macy's, were found to have been paid one third of the minimum wage (that's $3.79 an hour) and made to lie to the authorities about their work. Numerous steps were taking to dissuade the authorities.

Beach books are likened to Capote's Breakfast At Tiffany's and fall short. It seems beach books, like Chasing Harry Winston and Brining Home The Birkin, pivot on the character's obsession with fashion items, which to everyone but, ahem, most of America, is kind of déclassé. Holly Golightly never cared much for the inferiority complexes and greed of the fashion folk, but today's IT-girl novels sure do. In other words, Horyn thinks there's no style in these books.

Ralph Lauren's Olympic-inspired collection is out and The Shophound predicts we'll be overrun with product from here on out. The Olympics start in a couple of weeks which should be just enough time for companies to churn out the, pardon us, crap. We like Ralph Lauren but a polo with a giant chinese character insignia that reads 'Beijing' isn't really our cup of tea.

Daily Candy is being sold to Comcast for a reported 75 million. Gawker takes a stab at why they might have gone and done such a thing. One explanation, given by a VP at Comcast, is that "When you add the social dimension to these products, you can navigate through those platforms based on what your friends are doing.”. To which we say, teehee...

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/23/08

coutorture — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:04:45 -0700

Buyers are taking their christmas shopping very seriously. We were expecting this article, and more like it, on the impact of the economy on the holiday season. Today we learn that department stores are mitigating the risk by looking closely at each item they purchase for the season. Sweaters are big as are accessories and gift-able home wares. Holiday ready to wear clothing might move slowly as buyers anticipate that this is where consumers will cut back most.

Hayden Harnett, the handbag and clothing line poised to start makin' shoes any time now has also, it has been announced, teamed up with Target for a new capsule collection in the accessories department. When renegade Brooklyn lines make it to Target and Michel Gondry moves to Bushwick, well, you can officially say 'there goes the neighborhood' (but in a good way).

Carlos Souza former creative director for Valentino, is being brought in to direct Brazil's up and coming swim week. Fashion people are being flown in, top models are being booked, and Miami, it seems, will fade out as a result. Rio is hotter than Miami anyway, right? We'll find out in October.

Bazaar is launching a runway report magazine that will sit on the newstands for a few months just in case your Macbook and iPhone die and you forget that you can get all the shows (and more) online. But hey, some people need hardcopies. We're actually not as hostile about it as it may sound. The Report is being sold for a mere seven dollars and boasts a couple hundred pages of fashion shows. Now that we think about it, that's actually pretty darn awesome. Our computers can get heavy sometimes.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/22/08

coutorture — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:13:59 -0700

The Italian industrialist behind Diesel has acquired the majority of Dutch designer firm, Viktor & Rolf. Renzo Rosso plans to erect freestanding stores, boost the ready to wear business, and catapult licensed products such as sunglasses for the brand. This arrangement has been in the works for almost a year now, and the designer's say it was partly due to their wanting to make sure Rosso was a right fit. They were finally convinced of the partnership by watching Rosso successfully back and promote Margiela--a designer who is similarly 'off-the-wall' and who, even with Rosso making a major investment in his brand, seems to design just exactly how he pleases.

Gucci is partnering with Vodaphone who is partnering with iPhone and soon you will be able to buy Gucci handbags as easily as you can find the 'nearest Gelato parlour'. Our grandparents say life is getting more complicated, but we're pretty sure it's just getting easier. The Gucci feature will only be available in Italy for the time being--hence the Vodaphone bit.

In other news, well-styled television shows make people want to buy clothing (we know this) but Mad Men might be just the recession-appropriate drama for viewers to emulate. Prada's moving 5,650 square feet to San Francisco, as the eleventh Prada store in the U.S. and the first to open since 2004. Bill Cunningham loves a dandy.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/21/08

coutorture — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:11:24 -0700

Hussein Chalayan has been given real estate in Dover Street Market; a big accomplishment for the designer whose career has been snowballing towards the canon. His clothing (some exclusives) will be located on the third floor, next to the likes of Lanvin, Givenchy, and Nina Ricci. The company has recently been aquired by PPR and has ambitious global expansion plans in the pipeline.

Burberry model Ben Grimes and her friend, Lily Cole are launching their clothing line, LPBG, this September during London Fashion Week. Apparently they've ruled out the possibility of 'long dresses' and sited their inspiration as coming from 1970's editions of Vogue. Hmmm, sounds kind of like the clothing we dreamt up with our BFF...back in middle school.

Ad pages are declining for magazines, from 6.4 percent in the first quarter to 8.2 in the second. This decline is reflected in the upcoming September issues which 'make or break' magazines for the year. Every year the books get bigger but this year might be the first in which they do not. At least in terms of ads. Today WWD reported the figures complete with a chart comparing the pages in September issues with their relative ads.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/18/08

coutorture — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:26:36 -0700

Karl Lagerfeld will launch a new trio of fragrances, called Kapsule, this Fall. The three separate fragrances can be worn separately or together (see the capsule reference) and are unisex. Slick, angular bottles originate from Lagerfeld's 'love of geometry'.

Berlin Fashion Week kicked off yesterday and the themes, after just a few shows, are emerging. For Spring 09, from Berlin, influences from the 1920's and 1960's stood out in addition to Joop's futuristic usage of textiles.

The Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation has added a new category to its awards. The Sustainable Design Award will ask both men's and womenswear designs to excel in three elements of sustainability. Namely, environment, social equity, and economic viability.

Despite an economic downturn and waning consumer confidence a nine billion dollar luxury condominum/retail centre will be erected in Las Vegas. The best architects, interior designers, and retailers will be included in the project.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/17/08

coutorture — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:51:39 -0700

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge's art collection will be auctioned off by Christie's in February. The collection is said to include works by Matisse, Goya, Mondrian, and Gericault in addition to a collection of valuable furniture. Half of the proceeds will go to Berge, and the other half, to the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge Foundation. The foundation is responsible for carrying on the legacy of Yves Saint Laurent, which ceased its haute couture business in 2002.

We're going to have a new president (which means a new first lady to style iconize), Isaac Mizrahi is creative director of Liz Claiborne, and Kimora Lee Simmons doesn't see the difference between one hundred and one hundred twenty dollars in regards to her line at JC Penney. See? The recession isn't so bad is it? Look at the bright side!

Vogue signed the dotted line on the unthinkable: a reality television show. This one is wound up a little more tightly than, say, Project Runway. Alas, it's still Three real life models trying to make it in the fashion industry.

In case you missed it yesterday, the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Award nominees have been announced. They are Richard Chai (right, from Fall 08), Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Irene Neuwirth, Albertus Q. Swanepoel of Albertus Quartus, Alejandro Ingelmo, Juan Carlos Obando, Swaim and Christina Hutson of Obedient Sons & Daughters, John Patrick of Organic, and Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava. The winners and runners-up will be announced in Novemeber at a gala after New York fashion week has come and gone.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/16/08

coutorture — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:24:29 -0700

Marco Zanini is rumored to have been asked to leave his position as creative director for Halston. The brand, which was popular in the seventies thanks to its charismatic disco-loving namesake, has suffered since 1990 when Halston passed away. With Harvey Weinstein backing the brand, Tamara Mellon as the business executive (she founded Jimmy Choo), and Rachel Zoe as stylist with an agenda, you'd think this one would last. Guess not.

Maybe Mellon isn't the golden child after all? Or maybe Choo can't survive without her? Or maybe it's just a really horrendous sample sale (hey, even Uniqlo has them). Either way, we hear that the Jimmy Choo sample sale in New York this week was downright offensive.

Weyves Couture, a London-based firm that pairs fashion designers with yacht owners has asked Thierry Mulger to design the interior of a motorboat that holds several speed records. The boat is also currently for sale.

Topshop's Fall 08 campaign will be set with the backdrop of London's trains and buses--albeit cleaned up and reupholstered. The idea behind the campaign is to capture the 'movers and shakers' that are the Topshop customer (curious) while also bragging to Britain that they're going to set up a sparkling new home over in America (dangerous?).

Fashion in 50 Seconds 7/15/08

coutorture — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:31:19 -0700

Tiffany & Co lost to Ebay in a lawsuit against Ebay claiming that the auction house is responsible for the sale of counterfeit goods. Earlier this summer LVMH won against Ebay in a similar battle but it seems the tides are changing; at least to American companies. As WWD reports, "Judge Richard Sullivan ruled that it is the burden of Tiffany, not eBay, to maintain and enforce its mark". Tiffany plans to appeal the ruling.

When the Olympic Games kick off, this August 8th, clothing store Opening Ceremony will host a 72-hour party in both their New York and Los Angeles locations. Scrabble games, ice cream trucks, and limited edition Nike merch will occupy partygoers time. We wonder which dedicated hipsters will make it all 72 hours without passing out or going bankrupt.

Diane Von Furstenburg will launch a capsule collection with Warner Brothers pivoting on the comic book character, Wonder Woman. Sales from the collection will help raise money for Vital Voices Global Partnership, which seeks to empower female entrepreneurs. The collection will pull from Wonder Woman's famous uniform and spawn quirky frocks (right), leather accessories, and footwear.

Hemlines are dropping in accordance with the stock market. Suzy Menkes for The International Herald Tribune writes today on recession-foreshadowing trends and the desire to cover up when the economy is suffering. Menkes warns us to expect weather-appropriate versions of the maxi to surface come Fall, because, unfortunately, we'll still be in the thick of it.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/14/08

coutorture — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:16:52 -0700

Gold is the new gold for resort season--especially when it come to accessories. There's something about a season borne out of necessity featuring a trend that never goes away that has us less than thrilled. Also, the corresponding photo gallery kind of looks like it was shot by an unsuspecting intern.

The beauty of having rampant collaborations pop-ing up every other day is that, eventually, two of your favorite brands are bound to bump into each other. For one of your editors, it's happening on July 19th. Salvatore Ferragamo is releasing an exclusive collection of 80-odd pairs from their archives (of course with new materials and colors and whatnot) which will live in Rei Kawakubo's Dover Street Market this month.

Urban Outfitters Inc, which owns both Anthropologie and Free People, have similar catalog tactics (hell, the fact that they even have a catalog makes us giggle) which, to a skilled suburban-borne young person, are easily discernible. Now this is what we call a quiz.

We've all noticed the curiously amazing selection on the sale racks this season. More than likely, we're all nearing broke because of it. With such drastic markdowns, consumers are buying from bigger labels, and young brands like Alexander Wang and Phillip Lim are being, in these cases, overlooked. There are some whispers that this New York Fashion Week will host more 'intimate presentations' than expected, perhaps because of slow-moving merchandise.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/11

coutorture — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:28:02 -0700

The CFDA is worried about New York City's Garment District. Forty percent of the Manhattan Garment District's production base could vanish in the next three years, according to a new survey done by the Garment Industry Development Corp, and designers are being urged to press City Hall to preserve a stable and enforceable production core.

Women's Wear Daily has a blog so we can all quit now. What a relief huh?

Speaking of WWD they have a fragrance insert today (hope that advertisers liked it) including pieces on the troubled Prestige Market's desired comeback, the vast number of fragrance launches in the coming months (15 in July alone), and innovations in mass fragrance.

Maison Martin Margiela's debut fine jewelry collection, in partnership with Italy's Damiani Group, is deliciously oversized. The creative on this signet ring upsized to bracelet proportions makes us very much desire the piece which makes us feel strange since its a powder white hand. The collection of 14 items is to arrive in November in 14 Margiela boutiques with prices ranging from $1,100 to $61,800

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/9

coutorture — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:30:35 -0700

The West will bring freedom and Democracy to Iraq by uh opening up crappy fast fashion chains? Spanish chain Mango has plans to open a store Abril a city of one million people in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. "We're going to open a shop in Iraq very soon," said Isak Halfon, Mango's president of expansion. "The people are starving for something like this." Huh, perhaps not the best choice of words. The clothing will be designed by Zuhair Murad, a Lebanese designer and thankfully will not include the typical array of skimpy goods, leading us to think this might actually be a pretty good store. This may answer the question what to wear on holiday to Dubai though if you spent all of your money on luxury accommodations naturally.

Derek Lam has sold a stake of his company to Labelux. The most exciting news involved with the new financing? A freestanding Derek Lam store is planned on Crosby street.

"Market conditions" are keeping Roberto Cavalli from putting his namesake company for sale. Low season for leopard print it would seem.

Anti-Pope fashion? Huh?

There are apparently compulsive folders that simply must redo anyone's poor clothing folding. This explains a few of our ex-boyfriends.

Luxury consumers are becoming more pragmatic in the recession. Of course, in this piece they say anyone making over 100K a year is a luxury consumer. Yeah the middle class in New York is cutting back for sure!

On the other end of th economic spectrum, Wal-Mart just doesn't know when its been beat by fashion.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/8/08

coutorture — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:07:01 -0700

Looking back on couture week, we saw sleeves with quite a bit of volume. We know the strong shoulder is back, we know blazers are back, we know wide leg trousers are back, and so it only makes sense that, when it comes to dress up, sleeves keep their aggressive stance on Fall 08.

Another trustworthy fashion publication also mused on the shape of things above the collar bone. This time, the neckline. Referenced as evidence are the Fall 08 collections from Brian Reyes, John Galliano, and Jil Sander, among others. Something's going to have to balance out those generous trousers. Especially as we're all used to wearing leggings and skin-tight skinnies.

Our favorite New York website quipped on the circulation figures for Vogue's most recent, and highly controversial, issues. The Le Bron James/Gisele cover sold a mere 100,000 copies where the average was, uh, 350,000. Click on the peripheral tags for all kinds of Vogue gossip. Just, you know, saying.

Topshop's debut in New York is still being discussed and someone thinks they may have a date for the grand opening. Come October 16th (or 17th, or 18th), just in time for the 'you know, I actually hate my entire wardrobe' seasonal switch, Topshop will generously open its doors to impulsive New York women. It's far too hot to speculate the results of this major shift in New York fashion but we'll stick with what we've said from the start: it's going to be epic.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/3/08

coutorture — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:09:55 -0700

In honor of Fourth of July weekend (yes, weekend) we've rounded up a little bit of denim news. Denim after all, is about as American as fashion gets and we'd like to spend the day getting into the spirit of things. Otherwise, it would just be news about the recession and reviews of the couture shows (which we will happily provide for you later today).

Our network partner, Denimology, has a spread of the DSquared Spring 09 menswear show with images of their denim offerings. DSquared, who can make denim look really tacky or really smart, thankfully went the former route this season. Denim cropped up as suiting and, in an example we love, as shorts paired with hiked-up argyle socks.

Atlanta is having a problem keeping their premium denim on lock down. WWD reports today that blue jean bandits (what the police call them) have stolen over one million dollars in denin and 140,000 dollars in the last eight months. As one police officer said, "It's harder to convict someone caught with a pair of jeans than someone caught with crack cocaine." but in our weak economy a retailer who loses that kind of merchandise, well, it could shutter their business.

The lovely Susie Bubble, our Network Partner don't you know, just came back from the Acne Jeans Spring 09 fashion show. She's all kinds of stories to tell about a particularly coveted skirt and some images of the collection. We're also kind of obsessed with her Marni shoes.

A.P.C. is like the malt liquor of denim news. Apparently, A.P.C., always with the condescending sense of humor, is releasing a new series of jeans called the 'Butler Worn Out Series' in which their signature denim has been worn in by an actual person. We've always wanted denim lines to carry stock of their vintage styles and now one of our favorites is actually doing it. The fact that their marketing it this way is, well, very A.P.C., but we think we can get past it.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/2/08

coutorture — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:29:35 -0700

Brooks Brothers' signature Black Fleece label, headed by Thom Browne, will open a store in the West Village this Fall. Despite reports that the women's line didn't fare well in the last year, the men's collection seems to be doing just fine. The interior of the new store, the first of its kind, will be paired down and decorated with grey flannel upholstered furniture and antique ornament. Seems to us like those RL fans will have another West Village outpost with which to indulge in high end chinos and collared shirts.

Olivier Theyskens, apparently, photographs his own look book. The designer photographed the look book for his most recent Nina Ricci Resort collection and has been said to capture more than just that one collection. We like hearing stories about designers who take matters into their own hands. Formulaic look book or not.

So the verdict is out on the Chanel show, with titles like 'Totally Tubular' poking a little fun at the theme of the collection. Some were frustrated with scale of the space, rightly pointing out that the details that set couture apart from ready to wear, are lost in such a vast setting. The overall concession about the clothing, is that it was grown up and more so than last time around. Suzy Menkes took at stab at the piping theme, "Could this be Karl Lagerfeld's commentary on pipe lines of oil gushing moneyed clients into haute couture?".

Fashion In 50 Seconds 7/1/08

coutorture — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:54:29 -0700

Cathy Horyn writes a wrap up of the menswear shows in Milan and Paris. She, like many of us, saw the ultra-feminine embellishments and silhouettes to be kind of old news. She does commend, however, Comme des Garcon and, in particular, Raf Simons. She writes,"But how much of this stuff actually means anything or has a chance of changing our eye? That’s what Mr. Simons does, now more sharply than ever."

The first women's collection out of the gates from design house Thierry Mulger proved to be a bit too conservative in an effort to start out slow. Among the 15 pieces that made up this first collection were lean suiting and body skimming jersey pieces. Perhaps it's better to go unnoticed when relaunching a line, however, we can't help but make the analogy of the wild, dangerous boyfriend who comes crawling back on his hands and knees.

The online ladies at the website that refuses to be titled in accordance with its respective magazine, Style.com, have put together a summer reading list for fashion obsessives. A funny quip leading you into the list reads, "...and we don't mean US Weekly" (well said, ladies) followed by a nice click-generating shortlist of titles from Proust to Hemingway. Although we fail to see a strong connection between The Old Man And The Sea and the plight of a modern fashionista, we appreciate their encouraging women to put down the beach books that so inhibit their ability to think about fashion as it was pre-The Devil Wears Prada days.

If you fancy yourself an Anna Wintour-obsessive, and defend your beach books that dish all the inside gossip, then perhaps you'd like to know which editors have been attending which couture shows and, gasp, where they are staying. This is about at US Weekly as we get, here is the link.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 6/30/08

coutorture — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:31:47 -0700

Couture flourishes despite a worldwide economic downturn. At a couture price point, inaccessible to all but a few hundred clients worldwide, a recession will have virtually zero impact. This, admittedly, is not news but we think tightened purse strings for the rest of the fashion world should make our heads turn to couture this Spring 09. If only to marvel in something so unwavering.

Today Bill Cunningham rigged up his usual piece of street style mastery, this time with a feature on designer handbags. If you're curious who's toting the Richard Prince for Louis Vuitton bags, or Balenciaga, Prada, and Yohj Yamamoto's incarnations, take a look. He even snaps a few knock offs, proving that no one is fooled when you opt for the fake stuff.

Chloe had its resort showing and there's a lace number that dares to be right on trend for its delivery date. The collection, said to include seventies and eighties-inspired pieces, also plays with colors other than the uniform red, white, blue, and washed out pastel. From Chloe we saw navy and olive, leopard prints, nautical stripes, and an eggplant chiffon blouse. Quite daring in light of the steadfast color traditions we typically see during mid-season.

Suzy Menkes for the International Herald Tribune writes a nice piece on the castings of this year's menswear shows in relation to the spirit of the clothing. She's disappointed with Galliano, that much can be said.