Naughty and Nice: Locher's

We get so much email that sometimes it's hard to wade through, much less read, but the press release from Locher's totally had me with this description: "[Locher's] new line captures the spirit of a rosy cheeked mountain vixen walking home after a night of rolling in the hay." Hmmm, nature nymphs, making out and rosy cheeks? Right up my alley, methinks! Locher's modus operandi is basic t-shirts, rendered in gentle shapes and colors, embellished with delicate touches of embroidery but spiked with touches of naughty cheekiness. A shirt by the Parisian label might have a gorgeous little flutter sleeve in dusty colors of candy, for example -- but also have a little phrase like "You suck" (or worse!) subtly embroidered amidst sweet little florals on the shoulder. The jewelry is also quite nice: very vintage-inspired and feminine, but with those naughty, potty-mouthed twists. In an era where a t-shirt is emblazoned with huge slogans, I love this subversively sweet yet saucy approach. It's charming and innocent but also devilishly flinty -- a rare combination, but perfect for rebellious sweethearts and charm-school dropouts everywhere.

First Look: Rogan for Target! Not Just Swimwear, Thank God, But Still Organic

We thought we were exhausted from all the high/low collabos lately, but I guess not, because I got all zing-y when images from the Rogan for Target collection broke. Slated to come into stores on May 18th, it turns out that Rogan Gregory is doing a little more for Target than just swimwear, as he said. (Oh, Rogan, you cheeky monkey.) But! The line is still using 100% organic cotton, which is super-exciting; it's nice to see 'green consciousness' seeping into the mainstream, and hopefully it will pave the way for greener, longer-lasting initiatives to take root. Fashion-speaking, some people don't seem too excited by a 'safari-inspired' casual line which also features a lot of animal prints, but personally I like the indie Jane Goodall urban-explorer vibe and all the plaid-y things, which I'm periodically a sucker for. Most people will be able to pick a few pieces and integrate them into existing wardrobes, unless of course your aesthetic is "super-frilly cupcake princess" -- that might be a little harder to work with. We took a pic here from the always with-it nitrolicious, but you should take a gander over there for more images, and check out the ad below, which comes from Manila Fashion Observer.

Rei Kawakubo for H&M

Yes, yes, we know: Rei Kawakubo is doing the next H&M collaboration for this November. It's going to be a huge thing; Kawakubo's probably one of the most revered designers in the world. Relevant details can be scoped here. Rei's always played around with commercialism, so it should be interesting to see what she comes up with; her collection for H&M promises to be one of the most extensive designer collaborations that the mass retailer has done. Being highly conceptual, I wouldn't put it past her to do just a bunch of irregular t-shirts and sell them for $99 and see who bites; but there has always been a playful side to the designs she's done with Comme des Garcons, so that could come out as well.

Oh, Snap! Anna Wintour's Fightin' Words

Have you read the editor's letter in the latest issue of Vogue? (It's the one with Gisele and LeBron James on the cover.) She talks about featuring certain models in the editorial pages of the Shape issue:

"...This month we also feature four newer models -- Caroline Trentini, Doutzen Kroes, Daria Werbowy, and Raquel Zimmermann -- who bring more to the profession than simply a long, lean body that can walk and pose.

It's a strange time in the fashion industry. Our top talents, usually so adept at anticipating their public's preoccupations and desires, appear to me to be utterly disconnected from the cultural stream."

You can almost picture her staring down at the cowering designers over the tops of her dark sunglasses, icy disapproval dripping from her words! Still, she makes a point: past supermodels were a more diverse lot (and would look positively Amazonian and robust next to the whey-faced waifs of today). Fashion is often about fantasy, as always, but who dreams of looking like a sullen teenager who had her favorite toy taken away? I'd never thought I'd be saying this in reaction to Vogue's notoriously prickly editor-in-chief, but here it goes: amen and say it again!

Gap Design Editions Get 3.1 Phillip Lim, Band of Outsiders (Among Others) / Target Gets Botkier

+ Target, Gap, mass, class...I can barely keep all of this straight anymore! Anyway, many of you have probably remember when Gap lined up a pretty stellar line-up of design talent to create white shirts (and frocks) for their Design Editions initiative. Well, this year they're doing the same thing: they've got 3.1 Phillip Lim, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian, Philip Crangi and Threeasfour for this spring. There's a teeny pic over at WWD.com; The shirts will be available at Gap Adult stores from April 15. This time, there will be men's items and jewelry available, diversifying the selections from last time. Crangi, for instance, will be making jewelry for the line, Lim created four pieces, including a bell-sleeve ruched top (I love bell sleeves), and Band of Outsiders is doing a patchwork tunic (in all white, of course).This is the part where everyone gets all skeptical and stuff, but I have the Rodarte tank from the last go-round and it still rocks, so I'm excited to see what comes up with this.

+ In other news, sources say that Target has just signed Botkier to do an accessories line. At this point, they must be raffling off guest lines left and right, but Botkier is very much a "most wanted" type of accessories label and this is good news for those who have coveted a Botkier bag but don't have, oh, a month of New York rent for one. Again, the trick is always to wait for the items to come out in real life; till then, I'm curious to see what Botkier comes up with for the mass retailer.

Richard Chai for Target

This just in (via glamour.com): Richard Chai is the latest designer for Target's Go International initiative! A little unexpected, perhaps, but still a bit exciting, considering his fall collection really wowed the press with its meticulously slouchy "for the boys" feel while still retaining a sense of feminine grace and bits of quirky surprise. Should be interesting: unlike many of the past designers for Target, Chai makes clothes for decidedly grown-up women, so I'm personally curious to see if he retains his sophistication or if he gets all girlied-out on us when he attempts to shift his aesthetic to the Go customer's supposed 15-25 age bracket. The trick with Chai is that he's a bit of a minimalist, a direction that usually requires impeccable cuts and quality materials for the designs to make their impact -- and Target is definitely hit-or-miss on both. Chai's line will bow in August, so we shall see then.

Carine for President

Worker bees, enjoy your Presidents Day off! We're taking a bit of a breather for today, but if you're just starving for fashion reading, why not peruse this fantastic article from New York Magazine about one of our favorite fashion people ever, the indomitable Carine Roitfeld. While everyone's taking a gander at that nude Lindsay Lohan-as-Marilyn shoot, I am much more interested in La Roitfeld, who is way more idiosyncratically sexy. I always love interviews with her because she makes such pronouncements in the way that only the editor of a French fashion magazine can: "I am monster" and banning what she calls "Hugg boots" from her office because they are "hugly." But she doesn't weigh her girls! That's important to know. If there's any brand of fashion-insanity I'd like to be one day, it's hers.

Skulls on Film

I never noticed before about thirteen minutes ago what a raging preoccupation I have with skulls in fashion. I never woulda guessed! I tend to associate the presence of skulls in streetwear with lame-o mall punk Pete Wentz kind of crap, so it came as quite a surprise to me when I took a step back and realized that I currently have no less than six, count 'em, six skull-centric items of clothing in heavy wardrobe rotation. I think I am mostly drawn to "The Skull" because of how clearly it communicates an anti-authority sentiment; also, I'm attracted to skull motifs more as a means of subversion than anything else. I coined the term "J. Crew on J. Crack" to describe my personal style quite a while ago, and what could embody this concept better than a pair of khaki shorts printed with skulls rather than the traditional anchor print? You know-- Alcatraz, not Connecticut.

Behold Thee Skeletor:

(from clockwise: purple See by Chloe sweater with crocheted skull-print; phony Alexander McQueen skull scarf bought off the street in London; the infamous "RIP John & George" tee; my Chronic Youth t-shirt, a Christmas present from Chelsea; Chief Skull Vans slip-ons; Ralph Lauren Rugby skull-print shorts)

Sadly for me, the coolest piece of skullery I've ever worn belongs to my friend Rachel. I seriously dream about this "Skull Hall of Fame" sweatshirt at least twice a week every week. Based on the above, I think it's obvious that I deserve it more than anyone in the world. But putting all feelings of entitlement aside- the image at below left is "The One That Got Away"; at right is the original drawing by girl punk cartoonist Shawn Kerri.

If anyone reading this happens upon a Skull Hall of Fame sweatshirt, please contact me at laura@nogoodforme.com. I'll give you my first-born son if you want, I swear it.

Tees Please

My wardrobe is at this point so out-of-control ginormous that it takes three closets, a chest of drawers, and a fairly large trunk to contain it all. Nevertheless, I consistently choose to neglect 95% of it, opting instead to wear some variation on the classic formula of jeans/t-shirt/sweater every single day of my life.

This paradox has become a major bone of contention in my life, being a neurotic obsessive-type by nature. "Why, Laura, why?" I ask myself while dressing. "Why don't you wear a dress today? What about a blazer? A blouse, perhaps?"

Then I get fed up with myself, lose interest in the whole situation, and end up throwing on some stupid t-shirt.

But you know what? I wear a t-shirt every day because I have a really fabulous t-shirt collection. I have no time for bells and whistles in my life. T-shirts are the ultimate item of clothing for lazy people- if you've got a cool t-shirt on, you're totally off the hook with every other aspect of your outfit- the t-shirt does all the work for you!

So, this post is an ode to my favorite t-shirts. I love each and every one of you more than all the rest of my clothes put together. You improve the quality of my life immeasurably, and you always make sure I look fly. From my Lil' Nino tee I bought for $3 off the street in Bushwick to my overpriced and gorgeously tasteless send-up of With the Beatles, the whole lot of you say everything I never could. And I am so, so grateful. Cheers!

Christopher Kane for Topshop Now Online...Maybe?

For those looking to get their fashionista-on-the-cheap fix, Topshop has released their Christopher Kane capsule collection on their website. Kind of? Maybe? Because there are no sizes and quantities available as of this New York morning, except for like a UK size 14 in the jacket and a few other random ones. Either the first run sold out (not entirely unlikely) or the release is just a bit premature, which happens often in the world of online fashion. (Target, after all, is sort of notorious for putting their Go International items online before their stated arrival date.) Either way, I'm not as fond of this collection as the last; I should be, because I do like goth and I do like prairie chic, but somehow the two aren't working for me in this particular remix -- there's something declawed about the pieces themselves, a bit flat and lacking in the fierce factor we all have come to expect from Kane. Still, I do love that skirt -- but for reals, is there only a UK size 8 left in it?

ETA: Seems all systems go now: sizes and quantities now available!

Reinventing the Gap?

Fashion-speaking, everyone knows the Gap is in trouble: retail flagging blah blah blah, boring and too basic blah blah blah, shops closing blah blah blah, lack of direction blah blah blah. They've been taking small steps towards turning it around: the Design Editions collections with designers like Rodarte and Doo.Ri, an upcoming shoe offering by Pierre Hardy and now they've just presented their Fall 2008 collection, the first one helmed by new creative director Patrick Robinson, he of the generally fabulous hair and demeanor. I have to say, there's a lot in this collection I'd wear: it has a type of grunge-y slouchiness I love, as well as a minimal yet pretty color palette and an almost European play with proportion and detail. It's all very casual, but still styled with sophistication. What with my usual sportswear love A.P.C. putting in some lackluster work the past few seasons (oh, the agony), can it be that Gap will jump in to take their place?

Some pics below; catch the whole presentation at style.com:

Jonathan Saunders for Target?

It's good to know that, through the wonders of the Internet, I can still keep apace with fashion news even when I'm traipsing through the dusty sois of Bangkok a whole hemisphere away. And the latest news for those interested in the next designer mass-market collaboration is how British designer Jonathan Saunders is rumored to be in talks with Target to be the next Go International designer. Saunders could follow in the footsteps of Erin Fetherston (from this winter) and Jovovich-Hawk (this upcoming spring); as you all well know, the likes of Proenza Schouler, Paul & Joe, Alice Temperley, Behnaz Sarafpour and Luella Bartley have all been alumni of the Go International banner, which highlights "emerging" talents in fashion (as opposed to the 'heavy-hitters' that H&M, for instance, tends to go after.) Saunders is best known for his unique prints, but if you've been keeping up with his shows, you know that a certain artful interpretation of body-con dressing has emerged as a constant in his designs, along with a bold use of color and a clean use of line. Should be interesting to see how Saunders interprets his aesthetic on the cheap, but we may have a bit of a preview, since he'll be doing a capsule collection for British retailer Topshop, set to bow later this month.

Below, some pics from his spring 2008 show:

Laura Jane's Easy Guide to Instant Class

Step One:
Go to a coffee shop (hopefully a cool one) and order nothing. Next, sit in a prominent location, preferably one close to the window so that more people can look at you. If you can't afford a Birkin bag, you should probably compensate by wearing red elbow-length kid leather gloves or pearl earrings or something.

Step Two:
Sip casually from a bottle of Vichy Celestins mineral water (it's the kind that tastes like salt, which is considerably chic-er than water that doesn't taste like salt).

Step Three:
Eat a Dolfin Noir Green Aniseed (A L'Anis Vert) chocolate bar, and make a big show of unwrapping it, as to show others just how sexy/elegant the packaging is (and, by proxy, how sexy/elegant you are for choosing to eat a Dolfin rather than, like, a Twix bar or whatever). Eat it slowly, savoring every bite, ensuring maximum jalouse-ity. You are also permitted to eat a Dolfin with Pink Peppercorn, Earl Grey Tea, or Crystallized Orange Peel. But no other flavours, sorry.

Step Four:
Write something really brilliant and/or sexy and/or tragic in your G. Lalo Verge de France writing tablet. You may use the writing implement of your choice, as I know that such matters are subjective and vary from person to person, but I beg you not to go and ruin it all by using some free ballpoint you stole from your dentist's office.

Have a lovely afternoon!

Excitement: Gryson for Target / Lady Amanda Harlech

Nitrolicious is reporting that, following the upcoming Loeffler Randall collection, the next accessories collaboration for Target will be Gryson, they of beautifully crafted and designed handbags and the like. Some may be going "mmmmm...who?" But Joy Gryson, the head designer, was a former head accessories designer for the one and only Marc Jacobs, during what I think of as the Stella era -- which to me is the best MJ accessories era because the Stella is really the best MJ bag, hands down. (Yes, the Stam is lovely, but I would rather just get a Chanel bag if you're going in for quilting.) Bag talk aside, Gryson's designs have an emphasis on hardware and detail, so if you're looking a dose of "It-ness" on the cheap, do check it out when it hits stores.

And to go to something else entirely unrelated, there's a fun article about the ever-fantastic Amanda Harlech in The Telegraph. Harlech is one of my favorite "characters" in fashion: the sort of beautiful, spirited, free-thinking displaced-aristo with an insanely glamorous life. (I always thought of her in the vein of Countess Ellen Olenska from The Age of Innocence.) She's got a suite at the Ritz in Paris! She's works for Chanel! She rides horses! God, who really lives like this? Still, I love her for her style, which is always elegant, impervious to trends and individualistic, and I love her more because she turns the whole sexist "muse" notion on its head: she's the type of character that usually has novels written about her, but the woman would rather write the book herself. And that is always eternally cool.

Fashion, Crowds and Chaos: Roberto Cavalli at H&M and Supreme's Nike Air Trainer Launch

Dudes, I feel like it's "crowd chaos day" in the fashion world. Racked has tons of coverage of how nutsy the crowds got at the Roberto Cavalli for H&M and at Supreme for the launch of the Nike Air Trainers TWII. Fistfights? Police? "Bitch I'm gonna cut you"? It's all kind of disgusting, if you ask me.

I understand that these type of events are designed for publicity and make higher-end design more accessible to people. I'm all for fashion democracy, which is why we like to report on it. But there are ways of handling this sort of thing -- I think Uniqlo did a fine job when their Phillip Lim collaboration launched -- and H&M does it poorly. (I'm also a little surprised that H&M doesn't see the legal liability in all this.) I've been off H&M for awhile now, what with their higher prices, their shoddy construction and cheap fabrics and a disenchantment with fast fashion in general. (Plus, I hate that potato sack shit that's been in the stores for the past season.) I think this is pretty much the nail in the coffin for me and that store!

ETA: Oh, I just got an email from someone who said that a group of dudes came in, lifted an entire rack and ran off with it? No doubt Ebay pirates, who are probably the worst.

Get Your Art On: Cindy Sherman, Elizabeth Peyton, Jeff Koons, Kehinde Wiley and Target's Artist Towel Series

We're doing this thing lately of being mindful and all that in regards to all matters fashion. It means we buy a lot less a lot less often, but we still have the jones for beautiful, interesting design -- which has now been sublimated into thinking about stuff like dishes and bed linens and guitar straps. And we still love Target, so it all came nicely together when they announced their latest design endeavor: a series of limited edition fine-art towels designed by artists to benefit Art Production Fund's initiatives for major civic artwork projects. All part of a design to take art out of the white cube and into unexpected places, these aren't just any artists: they're genuine greats, like Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Kehinde Wiley and Elizabeth Peyton. (Part of the proceeds for the Koons towel will go to the Koons Family Institute, which is a resource of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.) You can peep the designs below; the towels are available on November 19 for $50 on target.com and worksonwhatever.com. (And at Art Basel Miami on December 5-9, if you're artsy and jet-settery that way.)

Elizabeth Peyton:

Cindy Sherman:

Jeff Koons:

Kehinde Wiley:

I don't know how they're going to get some of this detail on terrycloth, but that's part of the surprise, no? Naturally, our favorite is the Elizabeth Peyton towel; I like the idea of toweling off with Sid Vicious in a strange way.

Short Film: "Dollhouse," Featuring Erin Fetherston for Target

Have you seen "Dollhouse," a short film featuring clothes from the Erin Fetherston for Target line? It's odd, charming and slightly creepy, although the clothes have more of a "Wonderland" vibe to me. Don't touch the white powder...

DOLLHOUSE

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Coming Up: Cavalli, H&M, you know the drill...

Annie NYC has pics up of the full collection preview for the Roberto Cavalli for H&M collection, coming out this November 8. This collection is probably going to show up in the fewest amount of H&M stores of all the previous designer collections -- part of me wonders if they are deliberately tightening the supply in order to stimulate hype and demand. (You know how that goes -- wanting what you can't have, although if you saw it everywhere, you'd probably be all "meh.") At any rate, it will guarantee that the Ebay selling prices will be out of control.

The collection itself is glam in that red-carpet way, which is what Cavalli was going for. But I think I'm opting out of this one, not because I hate the clothes (I actually think some of the pieces look promising if you are a va-va-voom sort of lady) but because va-va-voom doesn't really have a place in my life these days. There are some pretty cool-looking jewelry pieces, however, particularly some snake bracelets. But is it worth dealing with the crowds and standing in line for a bracelet?

Bowie by Keanan Duffty

Okay, it's a rare thing when Pitchfork scoops us for fashion news -- we've had an off month, so there you go. But we're intrigued a bit by the Bowie by Keanan Duffty line that came out at Target last Sunday. (It's online for the strictly urban among you.) This one's for the lads, but I could be persuaded to raid the other side's closet on this one, if only to find that perfectly narrow yet slouchy jean that exists in my head. Maybe my Platonic denim ideal can be found in Duffty's offerings: skinny jeans, narrow cut blazers and tuxedo jackets and what looks like a wicked cool trench coat, all drawing inspiration from Bowie himself. Is the man an archangel or something? First he donates $11,000 to a legal defense fund for the Jena Six, next he'll make a guest appearance on "SpongeBob SquarePants" on November 11th. My favorite cameo of his was of course the walk-off emcee in Zoolander (we are a fashion blog, after all) but the man rules in any medium -- and of course is a muse for every hour.

Peep some images:

Oh, go ahead, just watch the walk-off scene from Zoolander already:

McQueen for the Win!

So, yes, we've been off the radar a bit: work, freelancing, dudes, post-production, travel and rehab will do that for you. (Just kidding on that last one!) A slowdown always seems to happen around various Fashion Weeks for us, which is sort of counter-intuitive since we're supposed to be a fashion blog -- but not so because most Fashion Weeks kind of don't intrigue us, partly because we're contrary that way and partly because they really do bore us. (I can say "us" because I suspect my compadres feel the same way. And I suspect my compadres are also more interested in what Carine Roitfeld and the whole Vogue Paris crew are wearing way more than what's actually on the runway. Would someone like to be part of my Vogue Paris group costume for Halloween with me? It's easy, just wear fierce heels, black clothes and tons of eyeliner.)

But then of course Alexander McQueen has to come around and make me eat my words because his show was so totally brilliant that even I had to bow down to its ingenuity and sheer, total dominant genius. It's a tribute to the late, great stylist Isabella Blow but it's more than that: a flight of fancy, a feast for the eyes, a spectacle of astonishment that combines incredible beauty and daredevil craftsmanship with the streak of savagery he's known for. Who cares if you can't wear most of it and ew, are those really dead birds? Just look at it, for God's sake! Check it:

(P.S. - I liked Balenciaga, too. And Limi Feu!)

Riot in the Streets: London, Summer 2007

This past August, I was lucky enough to visit London, England, my favorite city in the world. While there, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity of my being surrounded by people who don't dress like boring garbage all the time, and document some of the best examples of personal style that I saw. I have been procrastinating posting them to this blog for the past two months, but, seeing as I haven't posted anything of note for weeks and weeks, I think it's time to return from my needless hiatus and unleash some of these hot babes upon the world.

I hope to make Riot in the Streets into a regular Street Style feature on this blog. Some detractors might argue that street style has been shot down dead by the Internet/H&M/Nicole Richie, but I disagree. The psychology of how people dress themselves every morning and why they do it the way they do is a subject I always seem to find myself contemplating. So many people can't be bothered to make themselves look anything but middling, and I feel that it is my obligation to congratulate and make known the rare few who turn the everyday ritual of getting dressed into something innovative and celebratory.

And with that, here are my London picks:

left to right:

1. This girl is a great example of why I find street style so much more compelling than high fashion. Casual daywear, when executed correctly, looks infinitely cooler than all-jazzed-up rich people garbage. First and foremost: nice bangs. Secondly, I appreciate the fact that this girl was intelligent enough to find the exact most flattering jeans for her body type. Not very many people are smart enough to do that, and I know this for a fact because I spend approximately 90% of my time selling jeans to idiots. Her outfit would look so much worse if she was wearing purple skinny jeans or whatever. And last but not least, this is one of the coolest hoodies I have ever seen in my life. Some mornings when I feel like I have nothing to wear I think about this hoody and how cool I'd look in it. Seriously.

2. I don't even know where to begin with this one. My boyfriend wants to marry this girl, and I want to be her BFF. Or maybe just be her? To be honest, I don't know if I've ever seen anyone look cooler (except for maybe Maurice Gibb in the music video for Stayin' Alive). Everything about this girl's outfit is perfect. She's perfect.

3. This girl actually just got off a motorbike about ten seconds before I took her picture. If I had just spent an extended amount of time Vespa-ing around London, I would probably have sweaty hair, a red face, and dirt all over my clothing. Yet this girl manages to look more put together than the entire Royal Family combined. She should be in a Zara ad. Or on the Sartorialist. But no! Just nogoodforme.com!

left to right:

1. Talk about Rupert Grint Chic done right! I saw this boy walking with two of his friends in Camden Town. When I asked if I could take his photo for a fashion blog, he acted all, "Why would you want to take my picture?" Yeah right! As if you don't wake up every morning and perfectly tousle your ginger mop, not to mention roll up your burgundy corduroy trousers to exact perfect mid-calf length. But that's great! It's all worth it, because he looks totally hot.

2. I saw this girl reading British Vogue (which is just called Vogue there) while waiting for the tube at Notting Hill Gate. I love England- if this girl were American, she'd probably be wearing pink sweatpants with the name of her university stitched on the butt. But since she's British, she looks like Gwyneth Paltrow's rascally little sister. I can totally picture this girl fighting with her boyfriend in their Ikea-furnished flat and then exclaiming "Kiss me, you gorgeous arsehole!". Totally irresistable.

3. Isn't this girl the cutest thing you've ever seen in your life? She's actually as cute as a baby animal. With those teeth, any outfit would look fabulous, but I like how she actually does not give a shit and just threw on some okay jeans and a boring t-shirt. If someone had told me six months ago that I would ever respond well to a dyed-burgundy asymmetrical haircut I would've laughed in their face, but this cutie-pie proved me way wrong. It's a clever strategy to have your haircut make such a strong statement that you can slack off entirely on your outfit and still look more exciting than any other person in your whole city.

It's Donatella's World, We Just Live In It

Probably my favorite moment in the New Yorker's Style Issue profile of Donatella Versace:

Manolo Blahnik, the shoe designer, was in town and had decided to drop by the party. "Sorry, I been crazy," he said. "I been working all day, and I have twenty minutes to put on my little tie, wash my hair, and come down. I don't do that very often. For Donatella, I would." He went on, "I adore her. She is one of the few women I respect in fashion. I love the Versaces a million years ago. This is, by God, a proper Italian warm people. Donatella, with time, is going to be one of the few -- few! -- talents in fashion, I promise you. She has something that nobody has: talent." He began to yell. "Talent! Talento. Waa! Waa! Waa!

Donatella approached, greeting him with a kiss on each cheek.

"Lady, lady, you see: this is Donatella," he said. "No time, always the future!"

"Don't believe Manolo. He knows me too much," Donatella demurred.

"Is the truth! Is the truth, you bitch!"

Man, I'm a screenwriter, but such brilliant dialogue can only really come from real life. No time, always the future!

Coming Soon: A New Contemporary Collection from Yohji Yamamoto

Announcements of secondary lines is so bread-and-butter these days that it's hard to get excited, but the "OMG! factor" definitely lit up our radar when we heard that Yohji Yamamoto is doing a contemporary line, set to be unveiled this January during men's fashion week in Milan. Called "Coming Soon," it lines up alongside Y-3 as one of the ways in which Yamamoto is branching out from his very expensive, very cultlike, very high-design main collection. The collection is described as "a mix-and-match collection of easy-to-wear styles, from blouson jackets to T-shirts and accessories" and prices will range from $96 to $300, with about $200 for jeans.

First Look: Roberto Cavalli for H&M

So, yeah, we kind of blew off Fashion Week through a combination of being busy, technical difficulties, travel and good old-fashioned disinclination. It's probably sacrilege for a blog that covers fashion, but on my part I'm sort of into the idea of "slow fashion" these days and trying to take myself out of commercial cycles of fashion. Whimsy and instinct: that's kind of what we're about here. But I can't help but post this glimpse into the Roberto Cavalli for H&M collection coming in November, from UK Elle. (H&M may be blog haters, but whatever, we'll let them be boring that way.) A first look reveals not the fantasia of leopard print and va-va-voom lots were expecting, but some very wearable pieces. Enjoy!

I LOVE CAT PARTY

This is a picture of a textile I saw mounted on the wall of my cheapie local Indian restaurant. I think it's pretty beautiful. Wouldn't it be hot if someone got a tattoo of that spirograph-with-people thing in the middle?

I was inspired to post this photograph to nogoodforme because of CAT PARTY (http://ilovecatparty.blogspot.com), which is actually the whole point of this post (the Indian restaurant wall-art thing was just a cute little opener). CAT PARTY is a gorgeous, intelligent and unconventional new fashion blog run by three really cute girls: hardcore magazine-head Chelsea, self-proclaimed "textile geek" Joanna (she's the one I got my inspiration from), and vintage-obsessed Megan.

To truly capture my attention, a blog has to turn me on to cool things that I've never heard about, and wouldn't have without it. This boring e-Universe in which we live is chock-a-block with Cory Kennedy rip-offs posting blah photos of Nicole Richie and, like, a handbag, so happening upon a fashion blog that I find wholly educational is definitely a sweet deal. All CAT PARTY's writers share a snappy, pointed writing style, but differ in their self-assured and well-developed perspectives on "WHAT THEY DIG". So, the content ends up a juicy, eclectic melange, discussing everything from Cleopatra Jones-as-fashion-icon to girly Lyell separates to an ancient Indonesian dyeing technique called Ikat. The blog is also good for up-to-date news on things like Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony and etc.

Most importantly, however, CAT PARTY opened my eyes to Pancake Meow, a jewelry line devoted entirely to making charms that resemble decadent desserts. It's nice to know that now I can finally express my sweet tooth through accessorizing! The "Stack-o-pancakes" ring (which actually smells like maple) is my personal fave:

Jovovich Hawk for Target

Those sneaky little fashion news pixies! Clever to leak this right on the holiday weekend, but luckily I'm an insomniac: According to latimes.com, Jovovich Hawk is set to be Target's next designer capsule collection for Spring 2008, most likely following the heels of Erin Fetherston, whose collection is set to bow for the holidays. Jovovich Hawk, of course, is model Milla Jovovich's baby in collaboration with Carmen Hawk, and the line is very vintage-influenced and feminine. They recently did a few dresses for Mango, but the Target line sounds more extensive. In the article, Jovovich says, "Our Target line will have all our classic pieces: smock dresses, tunics, minis, all vintage-inspired, great prints...We took the things that sold the best for us but we're doing it on a bigger scale. To be able to do it with a big company that can afford to do it for a good price so that real girls can afford it. That's the reason we were interested." I'm excited, being the proud owner of a few swishy Jovovich Hawk dresses, and can't wait for images to inevitably leak all over the blogosphere.

Sneak Peek: Kate Moss for Topshop, Fall 2007

God, I do my best not to be interested, to be full of jaded, proper, politically astute integrity and skeptical, sober critical thought -- and yet I'm still excited to see what everyone's favorite scandalous person, Kate Moss, is up to for fall, fashion-speaking. I thought we'd be Mossed out by now, but this Grazia article promises that the fall Kate Moss for Topshop collection is more trend-driven and confident. Does it really matter? People will still go nuts because I just looked at that crepe dress and felt that "I want that right now" instinct light up on the radar. Oh, Kate, what's in your water? Now if you could get Philip Green to look into those exploitative labor charges, pronto, because I know you probably have the power to save the world if you really wanted to. If you could do it before September 5th, when the fall collection is set to launch, that'd be even better.

First Look: Loeffler Randall for Target

The news has scarcely been out on Loeffler Randall's collection for Target, and now the first sneak peek pictures have already leaked to the blogosphere! These come via Racked, who got them from Market Girl. (Oh, what a hall of mirrors we weave!) While these are not professional snaps, I'm still psyched about these: it looks like Loeffler Randall's sense of graceful proportion and attention to detail are still intact, even at a much lower price-point. Excitement! Now, to wait at least five months...

Free Irina?

Liz and I both noticed that we had a goodly amount of hits yesterday from searches for Irina Lazareanu, the model/muse du jour. She's got a record coming out soon, but we were still puzzled with the flurry of interest -- till we realized that she may have been arrested along with on/off/maybe-on-again (ex-)boyfriend Pete Doherty a few days ago. This begs a few questions:

1. What is going on with this Kate Moss/Pete Doherty/Irina Lazareanu triangle?
2. How does Pete Doherty continually elude jail?
3. And just "wtf" in general on the whole thing.

At any rate, it all points out the fact that we don't have nearly enough pictures of Ms. Lazareanu in this blog. We're not usually model-y people here, but she's just too cool-looking for us to be haters. So here is my favorite picture of her:

Be Still My Heart! Loeffler Randall To Do a Target Collection!

Gleaned via the ever-awesome Racked: fantastico-fabulous shoe and accessories designer Loeffler Randall to design a shoe line for Target in early 2008! While these "mass with class" collabos are coming on so fast-and-furious that we barely bat an eye these days, this one really sets the radar tingling because of how much we always seem to covet from Loeffler Randall's main collection. I really hope they just unabashedly rip themselves off and do a boot like these Sylvie ones from Shopbop:

Now all I need to make me completely fashion-apoplectic is to hear that Bing Bang will be doing a Target collection. Anyone from Target out there listening? Come on, really make my heart race!

First Look: Roberto Cavalli for H&M

The first images from Roberto Cavalli for H&M have leaked (via Cafe)! While it's hard to really glean a sense of the entire collection from these, the strongest impression I get is that the fashionable gents out there might be pleasantly surprised by this collection because the suits look kind of nice. Enjoy!

Isabel Marant for La Redoute...Kind Of

Sometimes the vagaries of global fashion conglomeration elude me. Why is it that Isabel Marant can do her usual ineffably chic thing for La Redoute in France, and not quite yet for the one for the U.S.? As modeled by the impeccably pedigreed Lou Doillon, what woman anywhere wouldn't want a perfectly draped dress or charmingly awkward wool coat for fall?

Cat Power Models for Vanessa Bruno

Chan Marshall: such a fashionista. Not only is she in with Chanel, she's modelling for one of our favorite designers, Vanessa Bruno, in her catalog for fall. Shot by Mark Borthwick, who we've shown previous love for, the images are like outtakes from the photographs of our second-favorite Cat Power record, You Are Free. (The first would be the fragile, ghostly Moon Pix.)

Christian Lacroix for La Redoute

Have you checked out the capsule collection that famed couturier Christian Lacroix is doing for La Redoute? There's a fanciful take on the trench and a romantic silk taffeta dress among the offerings, but nothing truly strikes me, although I might put the dress on "online sales stalk" alert for the holidays. And at prices like $299, it's a fair bit pricier than usual for La Redoute, even for their previous designer collaborations...

Picks: Resort 2008

First Place: Lanvin

I've never even seen one wedding dress that I like before, let alone four that I love.

Second Place: Chloe

Paulo Andersson is really, really good. This little collection embodies everything about everything I want to wear. These garments are offbeat without being straight-up wack, girlish but still cerebral, totally wearable but not even close to boring. The scribbly dress at right is my particular fave.

Third Place (tie): Prada

After blowing everyone's mind with the extreme ugliness of Prada Fall 2008, Miuccia has redeemed herself with this soft-spoken stunner of a collection. I love the bobby-soxer silhouette, the heavy, textured florals, and the jammer chic vibe of the center look.

Third Place (tie): Stella McCartney

God Stella McCartney, why do you have to be SO CHILL? Oh right, because you were raised in the English countryside by Paul & Linda. That'll do it. Anyway, the little number at left looks like the most comfortable dress in the world, but it's still totally fly. You could just throw it on with wet hair, walk out the door, and look like a million bucks. The dress at right makes me want to be forty years old and a famous author; I'd wear this to the launch party of my seventh novel or whatever.

Runners-Up:

(from left) pink bridesmaid-y confection plus corsage by Doo.Ri; Balenciaga boots; chill daywear from Thakoon

Pssst: Libertine for Target is Already in At Least One Store

New Yorkers looking to get a jump on the Libertine for Target collection, here's a hint: it's out on the floor right now at the Bronx Target on 225th Street. The racks are full, there are loads of sizes and plenty of customers looking with interest at the cute whale-printed skirts and screenprinted t-shirts. And while I'd dismissed this as kind of juvenile (and there are definitely a lot of candy punk-prep adorable pieces if that's your thing), there are some nice, sophisticated, even luxurious pieces. The black crepe dress with cream crocheted collar border is well-cut and the material much better than the $39.99 price tag, and the creme silk bolero with black edging is also well-done. Of course, the t-shirts are fun (especially the creme t-shirt with the tree), but a nice surprise were some of the accessories. Those looking for a quirky overnight bag could pick up the blue whale-print duffle, and there are three highly collectable scarves available: a royal blue with colorful border and a Libertine script written all over it, a solid grey with a pink border and a Libertine logo in the corner, and a black and creme one with printed birds, skulls, small Libertine script and other motifs dotted all over it. (It's pictured below.) Anyway, check it out and enjoy...

Summer Longing

Many women venturing into the balmiest of seasons have in different ways waxed poetic about what might be the consummate summer dress. Well we've found a candidate, the elusive piece of clothing that seems to simplify one's life and have seemingly transformative powers. Many are simple brilliance, but rare is the one that is pure magic. Imagine it dressed up with classic skimmers or dressed down with either those canvas flats that all the kids (young and old) are sporting nowadays.

This gem is by NYC-based label, Flowers Of Romance, one to definitely keep an eye on as the warmth of summer gives way to the cool autumn air. If you can't afford this version, we recommend you keep an eye out at the vintage stores- this charming silhouette was popular in the seventies.

Available at Bird (in store) and Deskohan (online).

Beth Ditto to Design for New Look

We'd be totally remiss if we didn't mention that Beth Ditto, the amazing lead singer of the Gossip, is in talks with British retailer New Look to design her own range. Blessed with a fantastic voice and major stage presence, Ditto made waves earlier this year by refusing to perform at an instore gig at Topshop because they don't make clothes for plus-sized women - so we're pretty sure her designs for New Look will be curvy-friendly. Most of all, we're just excited to be able to post the "Jealous Girls" video here:

Couture Me Up, Couture Me Down: Celeb Spotting at Dior's 60th Anniversary Couture Show

So I'm sure there must be loads of people writing and blogging about the 60th anniversary Dior couture show, and about how all the dresses were inspired by artists, and how there were real supermodels walking the runway, and, did you hear, Kate Moss pulled out at the last minute? and blah blah blah. Yeah, the dresses were pretty astonishing, but I was more interested in seeing what the celeb-packed audience were wearing. My personal favorites:

The incomparable Carine Roitfeld, legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris. I would like to be her when I grow up, thank you very much.

Sofia Coppola, both a fixation for me and Liz, wearing a dress from Dior's cruise line. (She's with her baby daddy, Thomas Mars of the pop band Phoenix. Is it just me, or does he always look slightly uncomfortable and bored at these fashion events?)

And Dita Von Teese, looking ever-immaculate and old-school glamorous in lilac. Marilyn who? (Am I the only one icked out by Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood? And how she's kind of starting to dress like Dita these days?)

And just for good measure, here's Kate Hudson in canary yellow. Don't ask me what's going on with that look on her face, but the dress is kind of groovy.

Take A Look: Erin Fetherston for Target

The first images from Erin Fetherston's line for Target's Go initiative have just leaked (these are from fashionista.com), and the word is girly, girly, girly. I almost got a toothache looking at these because everything is so sweet and innocent! This range hits squarely in Target's Go demographic (women and girls between the ages of 15 to 25). I find it tremendously cute and adorable but almost completely unwearable for me, having banned all traces of dollybird from my wardrobe. But it's just as well because it means I can spend more on Alice Temperley's Target line, which skewed unexpectedly darker and heroic than I'd expected. Fashion always has a silver lining...

Love Forever: Sophia Kokosalaki for Topshop

Words cannot express how much I love Sophia Kokosalaki. I kind of want her to take over the sartorial world and clad us all in the nonchalantly powerful dresses she does so well. She manages to combine so many things I love about clothes into one line: a bit of Greek, a classical, restrained sense of romance, touches of Victoriana and a sinister dash of S&M just to keep it all interesting. The result are pieces that make you feel elegant and even a bit heroic, and who doesn't want that? She keeps doing all these design collaborations (Nine West and La Redoute), and while some people are "over it," how can you not be excited when a designer you love is much more accessible and affordable? So all the haters can go ahead and ignore the upcoming mini-collection she's doing for Topshop, launching next week. Ah...now you're intrigued, no?

Christian Joy at Topshop

Regardless of the ambivalence we sometimes feel about fast fashion, we can't deny that it is kind of awesome to have access to interesting designers. So here it is: Christian Joy, the New York-based designer who initially became famous for designing the stage clothes of the lead singer of a little Brooklyn band called the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, has some designs available through Topshop. (And yes, Topshop does deliver to the U.S.)

Mostly variations on the same type of design (an intriguingly named "bean" dress), they're a little more restrained than the sort of "everything and the kitchen sink" thing she had going with the YYYs, but it's all still plenty cute for the summer. I'm fond of the pinstripe number with the rope belt: it fits in with the nautical note happening at the moment, but there's something classic-preppy about it as well, which should ideally give it a bit more life after the season's over.

(By the way, check out the People Tree stuff over at Topshop as well: fair trade cotton, hello! I have one of the tops, they are quite lovely.)

Bitten: A Q&A with Sarah Jessica Parker and Cathy Horyn

Whoever thought that a humble little line of sportswear could cause so much ruckus? That's what I kept thinking when I read the latest post on the incomparable Cathy Horyn's blog, a Q&A with Sarah Jessica Parker talking about Bitten, her line of sportswear for Steve & Barry's. It's a fascinating interview because Horyn, one of the great critical minds of fashion, dares to ask the pointed questions we all think deep down:

Q: Did you have any concern that maybe we don't need more stuff clogging the planet. There is H & M and Target, and Topshop wants to open here.

A: Of course. I think I would have felt that if I didn't understand the Steve and Barry's customer. There aren't H & Ms everywhere. And that's very trendy fashion - it's not what every woman wants. I don't feel there is this surplus, in a way. To me, it's about access.

The result of Horyn's sharp questioning creates weird little fissures in the interview where it seems that SJP is spinning her wheels a little. It's clear, though, that SJP has good intentions and has her heart in the right place, but Horyn's summation of the line still stands: it's good for basics, but could use a little surprise here and there. (My own feelings and opinions are similar to Horyn's: great t-shirts and basics and jeans, could use a dash of eccentricity and they could be a little better in quality control.)

But lately, especially since writing about Vera Wang's line for Kohl's, I've been thinking beyond the clothes and trying to wrap my mind around why Bitten has become so controversial within certain fashion communities. (My thoughts are pretty scattered about it all, but I think it's worth putting down here if only because, well, where else am I going to put them?) There have been tons of other celebrity fashion lines, yet something about this particular and particularly non-exciting one, fronted by one of the most relatable and affable celebrities ever, has somehow sparked an interesting flurry of debate. For me, if you scan a lot of this gauntlet-throwing and discussion, I think I boil it down to a simple question of: Who does fashion belong to?

By "fashion," I don't just mean simply clothes, I mean the aura and pleasure that clothes confer to their wearers, and how that aura is created and by whom. A lot of it is marketing, and there's no doubt that Bitten gained a lot of attention from its association with SJP - it was a brilliant marketing move on Steve and Barry's part. And a lot of aura comes from the media, which we read to find out what has "it" and what doesn't. But a lot of "aura" comes from within a design itself: what tradition, lineage, history or narrative it evokes and how the wearer participates in that. And it's clear here that a lot of fashionista critics felt that the clothes had little "aura": they expected a lot more, perhaps more of the eccentricity that marked SJP's most famous character, the iconic Carrie Bradshaw. When SJP and Steve & Barry's defend themselves against these critics by saying that the line is not aimed at them, critics again countered that Bitten underestimates their customer, that they deserve more than t-shirts and jeans, that the people deserve fabulousness and fashion and are ready for it. (In fact, they would think of themselves as belonging to "the people," too.) What I don't think gets mentioned very often is that most of these design collaborations have been aimed at the fashionista segment, so I'm sure the expectation was there that they'd get the same strong design direction that Proenza Schouler or Viktor & Rolf gave for their respective retailers. But when they realized it was not aimed at them and they didn't get what they expected, well, we know how that went. And the result is an exhausting push-pull, where words like "elitist" and "charity" get thrown around unproductively and everyone trying to interpret what "the people" want to wear, what they should wear, what they deserve, etc.

Sometimes I think the fashionistas are right, and there could have been a bit more of an aesthetic risk. Because there could have been a few things that "pushed it," but I'll give them the possibility that they played it safe right out of the gate. And there's something to be said about broadening the imaginative possibilities of clothing whenever you can: after all, design is everywhere, and it wouldn't hurt to bring a flight of imagination, whimsy and even beauty in even the most humblest collection. Everyone deserves beauty and good, imaginative design, even at a low price point. But sometimes I think SJP is right, because deep down I believe most people in America opt out of "fashion" in the way that it's been conceived of by the fashion industry, the one that magazines like Vogue and most fashion blogs center around, and they just want to wear what is practical and what works. They don't keep up, they don't care about whether Kate Moss wears flares or not, they don't know who the hell Karl Lagerfeld is and if they did they'd think he was a real creep, and yeah, they don't have a lot of money to spend on clothes because they're for better or for worse paying for gas in their cars right now, or paying up their noses for health insurance, or paying off student loans that get more and more exorbitant, all in the middle of an incredibly consumerist society in which participation is equated with buying power, for better or for worse. But clothing is, after all, a necessity, and maybe "people" just want to be comfortable and wear cute things and go on with their lives like everyone else. You could shove all sorts of aspirational silhouettes in their faces, but they're not going to buy those damn skinny jeans as long as they still make bootcut ones because, well, people like what they like. They want to buy something that works and get on with it. And after all, as we all know, what (and who) the fashion industry thinks is beautiful can be incredibly narrow and confining. You could debate it, ad nauseum, really, and get no closer to the answer of "What should Bitten be?"

But this is a debate that characterizes a lot of fashion in America, so how was the case of Bitten different? Here's my theory: Maybe the sin of the "Bitten" line is that it knows that there are poor people in America, acknowledges this in the nicest way it can without saying "We know you're broke," and attempts to address it, albeit through se