The novelty has long since worn off for most designer retail collaborations. Gap's much hyped Design Editions Project with the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund warranted the cover of Vogue last year but now in its second season it has created only a minor buzz despite the fashion heavy hitters. The collection features designers Philip Lim, ThreeAsFour, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastion, and Phillip Craingi. They created looks that varied from western influenced shirts to easy sun dresses. The collection included not only womenswear but menswear from Michael Bastion and jewelry from Phillip Craingi. Despite the lack of excitement, the wider fashion blogging community weighed in even as the boredom with this marketing gambit has become almost palpable across the world. Our dutiful community nonetheless reported on the launch. Catwalk Queen thinks its a great antidote to the fashions on High Street currently. MISS Crew thinks the collection is quite unique and points us to some of the video assets available on the Gap website. Both Hip Candy and The Fashion Bomb focused on the launch party with pretty photos of celebrities unfamiliar to us. And ShopDiary reminds us just how quickly the collection sold out last year. And Fashion Indie gets excited that this season has menswear so he can get in on the action.

Just when you think all possible interesting designer collaborations have been exhausted something new pops up. The frenzy for coolest possible fast fashion line has been won by Swedish retail giant H&M. For its next designer collaboration, H&M is bringing the Japanese avant-garde to the masses with a line by Rei Kawakubo.

A one-time Comme des Garçons for H&M collection is slated to launch in early November as the Swedish fast-fashion giant opens its first stores in Japan: a 10,000-square-foot unit in Tokyo’s Ginza district and a 16,000-square-foot location in hyper-trendy Harajuku. An international rollout will follow.

We are unsure just how the Kawakubo's highly conceptual work will translate into clothing for the hoi polloi. As much as many a young hipster or art student craves a Comme des Garçons look, Kawakubo's designs in cheap polyester could end up leaving the joke on the third estate. The line will include apparel and accessories for women, men, children, and a first for H&M, a unisex fragrance.


While we admit the last time we shopped an H&M collaboration was Stella McCartney three years ago we think we might have to check this one out. But in the end we remain skeptical. Comme des Garcons specializes in deconstructed garments. That austere look works with fine materials and great styling, but go cheap and we are going to look cheap. Her preferred color palette of black, grays, and whites won't help matters either there won't be vibrant prints or colors to distract from the poor construction. On the bright side, draped, frayed, and unfinished materials with the occasional hole or asymmetry means that even if the goods you buy start to disintegrate no one is going to notice. Well, either that or it will look terrible and not in that effortless good way. Thus instead of looking like the boys you will just look like the poverty stricken third estate. Which if you shop this line you probably are anyway.

For more on the collaboration check out Coutorture's community with posts on the subject from ShopDiary, Sugarshock, Shiny Style, and Miss Crew.

Uniqlo's Designer Invitation Project is back and Brazilian designer Julianna Jabour is leading the pack. The designer created a bubble dress and boatneck dress in sophisticated prints. A low-waisted tunic and sleeveless top to be worn with jeans round out the looks.

This collaboration marks Julianna Jabour as fashion's new favorite Brazilian (Sorry Atil!). After making pits stops in Washington D.C to study politics at Georgetown and in London as a department store buyer she has established herself as a Sao Paulo presence felt around the globe. Her line references the 70s and 80s using knits, viscose, gaze and linen to create a breezy look that is a step up from beachy longewear while still evoking the body conscious sensual aesthetic of so many Brazilian women. And its just a little bit out there which makes us hum the theme from Brazil over Girl From Ipanema if you know what we mean. Terry Gilliam would be proud.

Subversive Jewelry's Justin Giunta is a popular man about to go populist. While news has been out for some time that he is set to launch a limited-edition accessories collection called Subversive for Target we think his visibility is just hitting critical mass. And that means he is really ready to go mass market just a few weeks before his March 23 debut at Target stores nationwide and on Target.com.

And as we learned from our video interview with Justin and our photo editorial with Bubsy the Bobcat his modus operandi is "more is more" thus even his more budget oriented collections reflect that aesthetic. The collection piles on the goodies with charm bracelets, drop earrings, and colorful block necklaces. And the price range starts at $14.99 with the most expensive piece clocking in at just $59.99. Which is a lot more affordable than his regular work. Our only question is how will we know the difference? We are sure a more discerning lady than us would know naturally.

In April of this year, Target will be releasing a line of faux-leather handbags designed by Joy Gryson. Gryson, who has designed for Coach and Marc Jacobs, had enough it-bag experience to catapult her own line, Gryson, into mass popularity. And everyone knows, once you become an 'it' designer, Target will come knocking on your door. The Gryson line for Target introduces the Bottega Veneta-like woven leather that Gryson uses in her own collections, in a sophisticated palate of hunter green, black, slate blue, and white.


Photo from Gryson Fall 07/08, a likely resemblance to those appearing in the Target collection (tempting, isn't it?).

We also have impressive designer video interviews and original editorial spreads. May we cordially suggest perusing our selection? Enjoy New York Fashion Week Designer Video Interviews from Oscar De La Renta, Donna Karan for DKNY,Michael Kors, Isaac Mizrahi, Nicole Miller, Erin Fetherston, Ashleigh Verrier , Adam Lippes, James Coviello, John Varvatos , Monique Lhuillier, Joanna Mastroianni, Tory Burch, Neeam Khan

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