Racked Dealfeed: Gant, Fred Perry & Ron Herman

Gant
Deal: Up to 80% off fall/winter clothing and accessories from Gant, Gant Rugger, and Gant by Michael Bastian
When/Where: Tuesday, October 12 through Friday, October 15. Tues—Thurs 8:30am—6:30pm, Fri 8:30am—5pm. 20 W. 55th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 11th floor

Slane & Slane
Deal: 50% to 60% off modern jewelry, much of it handmade of recycled sterling silver
When/Where:Today through Friday, October 15. Daily 9am—6pm. Misorena, 260 Fifth Ave between 28th and 29th Sts (212-725-5400)

Fred Perry
Deal: 50% to 60% off clothing and accessories for men and women, including Fred Perry by Raf Simons, D.S. Dundee, and selected collabs
When/Where: Today through Saturday, October 16. Mon—Fri 10am—7pm, Sat noon—5pm. Avalon Group Showroom, 547 West 27th St between Tenth and Eleventh Aves, third floor

Mxyplyzyk
Deal: A sidewalk sale of housewares and gifts going for $5 to $25
When/Where: Saturday, October 9 through Monday, October 11. Daily 11am—6pm. 125 Greenwich Ave at W. 13th St (212-989-4300)

Neiman Marcus Last Call
Deal: Extra 30% off your entire purchase
Where/When: Online and in stores

Ron Herman
Deal: 65% off designer merchandise on labels like Alexander Wang, Winter Kate, Prada, Elizabeth & James, and more. Discounts continue as the sales go on.
When/Where: Online and in store

Mad Men Style Recap, Episode 12

Just when Mad Men starts turning into a gossipy, love triangled drama, it grabs the wheel and reverts to its business ways. In episode 12, all of Mad Men’s relationship issues were put down to highlight a bigger issue: That SCDP is down and almost out.

With Lucky Strike gone, SCDP is on its last leg. Don starts the episode in a gray suit and black tie, looking more serious than ever, in a meeting with Heinz. Desperate for business, Don will do anything to sign a client, but the fish aren’t buying. The SCDP accountant brings in more bad news to the conference room where we find Roger in another blue look, this time it’s a three piece suit, Pete in gray, Burt in sky blue, and Faye in a black and white optical print blouse and gray slim skirt. Aside from Burt, who’ll later resign in a khaki colored get-up, the colors of SCDP are dreary.

Roger reverts back to a gray suit later, Don gets gloomier in gray and black, Lane keeps it dark toned and somber in mismatched black jackets and tan vests, and even Peggy can’t help but feel down wearing a jet-black short sleeved dress with white, vertical stripe accents.

But just when you thought it was too bleak to watch, there, out of the bustle of midtown, appears Midge.

Midge may have been one of Don’s favorite girlfriends, or at least one of the audience’s favorites because she introduced the cool, downtown scene to the uptown, uptight world that Mad Men once was. Lurking in the Time & Life building lobby, Midge is a vision in a yellow dress and cobalt cardigan, with chunky beads around her neck and an adorable black beret on her head. She seems to have resolved her beat passions with her business ones, making art for Life Magazine. But just like SCDP, however, Midge’s life has taken a nasty turn. She’s hooked on heroin and looking for Don to make a donation. He shells out $320 and takes one of her strange Ab Ex paintings, a timely coincidence with MoMA’s Ab Ex NY exhibit that just opened.

Upstate, Betty and Sally are moving along well with their therapy… well, at least Sally is. Wearing a variety of cute, plaid ensembles, as well as a peach printed shirt and cerulean skirt that could’ve walked Karen Walker SS11, Sally is handling herself more like an adult, while Betty, in a lilac full dress and later in a white dot slim dress is acting more and more like a child. Betty snaps when she sees Sally sneaking off to play with Glenn, storming out of her car in light green cropped pants and a baby pink shirt. The colors of Betty’s wardrobe this episode are those of a newborn baby, devoid of grown-up emotions, as opposed to Sally’s vibrantly colored clothes. In the most childish move of all, Betty declares herself finally ready to move, solely because Sally is getting the attention that Betty feels she deserves.

While things were looking down on Mad Men this episode, there’s always something to liven our spirits. Megan sported a variety of cute ensembles, from a navy dress with coral scarf, to a ringer for the Café Gitane uniforms (that’s lime green A-line dresses), and even her seafoam ensemble from some episodes ago, which she wore in a shot that placed her behind a glass wall, between Don and Faye. Faye, who’s style is not the most elegant, wore a red suit at this episode’s close that looked like what the drag version of Mao would wear. It was truly horrific. Joan, who made but a brief appearance, was in peach and later blue florals. Peggy sported a coral and white dress that emphasized her super tiny waist, and Trudy, the true star of Mad Men style, wore a light blue tent top and pencil skirt proving that post-pregnancy and new motherhood is no excuse not to look fabulous.

That Didn’t Take Long: Gap Goes Back to Original Logo

Last week, Gap abruptly changed their logo. Nobody liked it. The switch from the brand’s classic blue box logo to a lowercase Helvetica font with a blue square in the right hand corner inspired much vitriol across the internet, the twitterverse, and in the comments section on Gap’s Facebook page. Some gems from this site include, “I think [the logo] could be slightly more boring if they really made the effort. They can’t even do boring right anymore,” and “What I think of when I look at that new Gap logo is a pharmaceutical company.”

We weren’t fans either, but tried to understand the change, noting that Gap had been using the font in their 1969 denim campaign for some time.

Gap listened to their angry fans, and late last night, released a statement that they would return to the “iconic blue box logo.”

“Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback. We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers. So instead of crowd sourcing, we’re bringing back the Blue Box tonight,” Gap posted on their Facebook page last night.

A week is pretty quick for Gap to be ditching their new logo. A huge brand like Gap doesn’t make a change to their logo on a whim. Tropicana even waited out the hate for their new logo for about a month before deciding to go back to their original logo a few years ago.

“We’ve learned a lot in this process,” Gap Brand North America president Marka Hansen said in a statement. “And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community. This wasn’t the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing.”

The full release from Gap Brand North America President Hansen:
“Since we rolled out an updated version of our logo last week on our website, we’ve seen an outpouring of comments from customers and the online community in support of the iconic blue box logo.

“Last week, we moved to address the feedback and began exploring how we could tap into all of the passion. Ultimately, we’ve learned just how much energy there is around our brand. All roads were leading us back to the blue box, so we’ve made the decision not to use the new logo on gap.com any further.

“At Gap brand, our customers have always come first. We’ve been listening to and watching all of the comments this past week. We heard them say over and over again they are passionate about our blue box logo, and they want it back. So we’ve made the decision to do just that – we will bring it back across all channels.

“In the meantime, the website will go back to our iconic blue box logo and, for Holiday, we’ll turn our blue box red for our seasonal campaign.

“We’ve learned a lot in this process. And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community. This wasn’t the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing.

“There may be a time to evolve our logo, but if and when that time comes, we’ll handle it in a different way. “

The Best Shoes of Spring/Summer 2011

Forget diamonds–shoes are a girl’s best friend.

The SS11 runways were full of new “best friends” for shoe addicts everywhere. From Alexander McQueen’s and Rodarte’s sculpted wedges to Calvin Klein’s lucite and wood stilettos, there’s something for every girl, even sneakers (from Giles and Yohji Yamamoto, of course)! Trying to pick a favorite may cost you hours, so why not just love them all?

Click through to see the best of the best shoes from the Spring runways!

Kim Kardashian Is Very N@ked in the New W

A very n@ked Kim Kardashian graces the cover of November W with the headline “It’s all about me…I mean you..I mean me” strategically covering her bits. Who would have thought the reality star, best known for her butt and twitter following, would figure into Stefano Tonchi’s new “Who, What, When, Where and Why In The World of Style” tagline for the mag?

At a press conference about the revamping of W a couple months ago, Tonchi said he would take the high fashion Conde title beyond the clothes to tell the stories of interesting people. Kim Kardashian might not be interesting to everyone. She’s certainly not of interest, I would think, to W’s readers as a fashion person–her sartorial choices extend to skimpy bikinis and skin tight mini dresses and her design experience is limited to a “collaboration” with Bebe. But I don’t doubt that Lynn Hirschberg’s profile of Kim (out tomorrow) will be interesting. And her n@ked body will certainly sell magazines.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Kim has posed n@ked. She posed for Playboy in 2007, and later confessed to Harper’s Bazaar in their May issue, where she, um, also posed n@ked, that she regretted the Playboy shoot. There was also that whole s=x tape thing with Ray J.

It’s certainly a controversial cover choice for Tonchi. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Oh, and click through for the NSFW n@ked photos of Kim covered in silver paint, courtesy of Egotastic.

Fashion News Roundup: Chilean Miners to be Saved by $450 Oakleys, Scott Sternberg’s New Line Hits Korea and Justin Bieber is Shilling Nail Polish

More Like cool miners: In Chile tonight, 33 miners, who have been trapped in a hot, humid, dark cave for over two months, will begin their ascent above ground with a little help from Oakley. “The miners will emerge wearing the sunglasses, donated by the American company, Oakley, which will provide 100 per cent protection from ultraviolet light. Medics have warned of damage to the miners’ retinas when they reach daylight after so long underground.” While many of the victims’ wives have been taking steps to beautify themselves in preparation, these men probably won’t be looking their best, but at least they’ll have some hot sunglasses to wear when reuniting with their loved ones. {Telegraph UK}

Shepard Fairey Goes to Lit: The guy who conceived Obama’s “HOPE” poster is just like us. Here are his top five favorite NYC hangouts. {Refinery29}

I wish I lived in South Korea: Band of Outsiders did lower-priced line for men and women in collaboration with Bean Pole, a major brand in South Korea. Chloe Sevigny is the face of the campaign. This basically sounds like the coolest thing ever and we are extremely bummed it’s not available in the states. With Girl debuting for Spring ’11, we hope this means more lower priced options to come from Sternberg, for men and women alike. {Blackbook}

Lennon’s Style: In celebration of John Lennon’s would-be 70th birthday, Opening Ceremony shows us how to get his signature look today. We’re especially digging the Alexander Wang X Linda Farrow shades. {Opening Ceremony}

One Less Unpolished Nail: Tweens everywhere will be pillaging Walmarts come December when Justin Bieber‘s nail polish hits stores. That’s right, the Biebs has collaborated with Nicole on a range of sparkly nail polishes. Should we buy this or Chanel’s Khaki line? We just can’t decide. {Huffington Post}

Brow Bleaching: Do NOT Try This At Home, Kids

Bleached, non-existent brows have become commonplace on the runway, if not yet on the subway, over the last few seasons. Lara Stone is the obvious poster girl for this look, and it has slowly become ubiquitous at shows and in editorials. Take a look at the recent SS2011 runways: Marc Jacobs, Alex Wang, YSL—nary a brow in sight.

I’ve seen this look enough now that it doesn’t seem as shocking, bizarre, and otherworldly as it once did. Is this a sign that it’s a trend that’s ready for adoption by the masses?

I spoke to hair colorist Laurie Foley, who was responsible for the brows–or lack thereof—at both the Marc Jacobs and Rodarte SS2011 shows. Laurie has her own salon, L’Atelier de Laurie and is a Wella Color Ambassador. She’s been a professional stylist and colorist for 33 years, with a specialty in innovative and challenging hair trends.

Laurie doesn’t offer the process at her salon, because well, she can’t. It’s not what hair dye is manufactured for. (In the medical world, when you use a drug for something for which it wasn’t originally intended, it’s called an “off-label use.” Same concept here.) Read on.

Fashionista: What’s the process for bleaching the brows?
Laurie Foley: At the Rodarte and Marc Jacobs shows, I began the process by protecting the eyes with cotton pads, as well as the surrounding skin with Wella Performance Plus, a low pH conditioner that prevents chemicals from wandering and causing irritation. I then used Wella Professionals Blondor Lightening Powder, the most gentle of lighteners, to lift the color.

F: Is there long-term damage if you bleach, then re-dye back to the original color?
LF: Damage to eyebrows can occur if the lightening process is not done by someone experienced. But, re-coloring your brows back will not create damage if a low or no ammonia color product is used.

F: Is this easy to do at home or do you recommend an expert?
LF: Safety first! And I must stress that dyeing one’s brows is for show purposes only! I definitely do NOT recommend doing this at home! See someone very experienced if you’re interested in trying out this new trend. Typically, brow dyeing is only performed during a hair color process and ONLY if a waiver is signed beforehand. (Author note: Yikes.)

F: Is there any temporary way to get this look?
LF: While the dye itself is permanent, eyebrows grow incredibly fast and in about 4-5 weeks, they will have completely grown out. This is such a wonderfully fun and extreme look that it’s really meant for just a temporary “wow”!

F: Is there a certain skin tone/hair color that seems to pull this look off best?
LF: Blondes or brunettes with already extreme hot or cool tones tend to look great with this high-impact style. The brows have to match the personality, and chances are someone with an already radical hue has the personality to fit. Aside from personality, this style also looks best on strong, prominent facial structures and makes a strong impact, as you saw on the runway models this past season.

F: Do you think it could ever go mainstream? What feedback have you heard from the models? It seems like some of them keep the look post-shows.
LF: Let’s just say it’s for those that like to have a little fun now and then! Models dig the look, and they have a blast with it! Some do keep the color even after the show, but of course, it only lasts for about 4-5 weeks. They rock it for a short period, and then go back to their natural color.

There you have it. Like impossibly long limbs and fabulous shoes that never get manufactured, this trend may stop with runway models.

If you’re disappointed by this, remember….strong brows are back, too!

Most Wanted: Haute Hiking Boots

This season, traditional workboots have been transformed into sleek and chic hiking boots–styles you can wear as easily with a flirty dress as you can with denim and thick, woolly socks. Here are a few of our favorites:

Tory Burch “Halima” Bootie: The “it” shoe of the season, Tory Burch’s bootie combines a slim, stacked heel and platform with grey suede and laces that look more Upstate than Downtown. We love these paired with leather pants.

Steven by Steve Madden “Destined” Ankle Boot:The cognac leather booties have a four-inch spiky heels, which means they look great with skinny jeans or body-con mini skirts. Wear them without socks in warmer weather, or thick tights once it cools down.

Steven by Steve Madden “Isolate” Ankle Boot: We love the squared-off, stacked heel on these comfortable lace-ups. Wear them with thick wool socks, blue jeans, and an oatmeal cable knit sweater.

Kenneth Cole New York “925 – Land Bridge” Ankle Boot: For the girl who just can’t get enough black in her wardrobe, these soft 3.5″ heel stunners look as good paired with black tights and a pleated school girl skirt as they do with skinny black trousers.

Seychelles “Romance” Bootie: This pair of beautiful cream booties have a distinct ’80s vibe. Wear them with your favorite vintage fair isle sweater. We also love the adorable floral lining.

Dolce Vita “Agner” Boot: This menswear inspired boot has a pretty low heel–2.5″– which means you can walk in them all day. Plus, we love how close the laces are–it makes the boot look more formal. Prettier, event.

For more fall fashion insight and to share your own thoughts on this season’s top trends, join the conversation at Nordstrom.

Street Style: Rick and His Rings

Name: Rick

Age: 36

Occupation: Jewelry Designer/ Actor/ Writer

What is your jewelry line called? Light Armor Studios

How would you describe your style? Classic with an edge

What are the most prominent colors in your wardrobe? Black, Blue, Green… a lot of earth tones.

What are you listening to? Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Raconteurs

What inspires your jewelry? Lots of old architecture, religious icons

What is your favorite museum? The Met is my church.

What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate mud cake

What is your go to NYC hangout spot? Bar Veloce

Where is your jacket from? Jan Hilmer

And your vest? It’s vintage.

**All photos by Ashley Jahncke.

First Look: Bruce II Spring 2011

Bruce, a designer line started in 1998 by Daphne Gutierrez and Nicole Noselli, has been pretty under-the-radar as of late. The New York-based line won the coveted CFDA Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear in 2001, took a break from 2004 to 2007 and have kept things pretty low key ever since. Right now, they are smartly focusing on their lower-priced line Bruce II, which can be found in cool Williamsburg boutiques like Bird and Jumelle and online at La Garconne. Yesterday, we stopped by their modest studio in Chinatown to check out Spring ’11 and it did not disappoint.

The clothes were pretty, versatile, wearable, understated and unpretentious. Their intention was to make easy-to-wear clothes that would appeal to a wide age range and they succeeded. There were a lot of low-key separates and simple pieces in great cuts that could fit seamlessly into any girl’s wardrobe. What made every piece special were details like interesting prints and cut-outs. I loved the blouses, shorts, and dresses made of this beautiful, soft Japanese hand-dyed fabric (making them a tad more expensive), as well as a range of more affordable jersey dresses, shorts and jumpsuits. I also wanted every pair of pants on the rack. Click through for our favorite looks from the collection.