Coach Goes Back to Basics for Spring 2011 and We Like It

We popped by Coach’s charming West Village “legacy” boutique to preview the Spring 2011 collection. There were enough handbags, shoes and other accessories to fill the entire store and we were pleased to find a lot of things we actually liked. The collection subtly indicated a return to simplicity. There was nary a monogram print to be found.

While there was plenty to satisfy lovers of the ultra-girly and overly embellished, the more stripped down options showcased what we consider to be Coach’s best qualities–good craftsmanship, quality materials and timeless shapes. (The new Poppy collection, inspired by Coach’s new scent, occupies the former category.) My favorites were a large navy leather tote and a slouchy beige drawstring bag.

The simplified aesthetic carried over into a newly expanded range of lust-worthy shoes. Seriously, almost every pair was perfect–the perfect espadrille, the perfect sandal, the perfect stacked heel, the perfect wedge, etc. Everything, from the height to the color, was just right. Still, there were a few pairs of jewel-encrusted ballet flats I could have done without and my heart sank when I noticed the subtle monogram detailing on the leather upper of the perfect pair of black peep-toe wooden wedges. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think monograms belong on shoes .

There was also a rack of fantastic lightweight outerwear, including khaki and navy trenches with skinny brown leather belts and a swing jacket in mustard yellow. They had a very J.Crew/A.P.C. clean-cut simplicity to them, but with shinier gold buttons. Click through for pics from the preview.

Fashion News Roundup: Karl’s Crazy Fashion Island, ADR’s Rules to Wearing Fruit on Your Head and Fashion’s Night In

A Women’s Right To Headpieces: This fantastic blog post by Vogue Nippon editor Anna Dello Russo includes a photo montage of the fruit-inspired headwear she’s been sporting lately, the frenzy around which has inspired her to explain her 10 RULES to wearing headpieces. Our favorite pieces of advice: “4. Try the LOOK! At the end you have to look pretty in your face.

” and “9. Don’t take off the hat when you get inside, 
it’s part of your LOOK!

” {ADR}

Matthew Williamson Diffuses: Diffusion lines are all the rage these days and now British designer Matthew Williamson is no exception. The collection, which will sit next to the likes of Marc by Marc and See by Chloe, is set to debut next Februrary. “It will carry all the essence of the Williamson woman but it’ll be for her younger sister and at a lower price point,” said Williamson. Sounds good to us. {Vogue UK}

Fashion Island: It looks like Karl Lagerfeld and his fabulous friends will have somewhere other than Saint-Tropez to take fabulous breaks from their fabulous lives. Check out Isla Moda (yes that’s really what it’s called), a man-made fashion-centric island off the coast of Dubai that Karl himself is helping design. There are now renderings of the island and s*** looks crazy. {NY Mag}

Teenage Dream: Katy Perry will be performing live at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Angels fashion show. The show, which airs November 30 at 10pm on CBS, will be a whole to do including a red carpet, model profiles and behind-the-scenes exclusives. There will also of course be a $2 million bra worn by Adriana Lima. We hope the show also includes those Victoria’s Secret “halloween” costumes and that Katy Perry wears something ridiculous. {Victoria’s Secret}

Fashion’s Night In: Want Fashion’s Night Out without all the hype, overcrowding and utter exhaustion? Vogue UK has the answer with Fashion’s Night In, basically Fashion’s Night Out with online retailers. Participators include the likes of ASOS and Net-a-Porter, who will all offer special discounts, incentives and products. Have a party by yourself and shop without the hassle of waiting in line, running around the city, drunk people and carrying shopping bags. {Fashionologie}

Just (Don’t) Do It: Rumors had been circulating that Alexander Wang was working on a collaboration with Nike, which sounded pretty awesome to us. But alas, sources from both parties have confirmed that the collab is a no-go. {WWD}

A Peek Inside the Kate Spade Pop-Up Apartment Across the Pond

LONDON–Ask any 20-something about her first handbag memory, and chances are it involves Kate Spade. That bright polka dot or stripe-printed canvas! Those simple shapes! And most of all, that small black label (!) cued covetousness in many a suburban middle school girl (not to mention a slew of Canal Street searches, but…that was before we knew it was wrong).

Lately, the brand has been striding back to prominence with fashion and lifestyle shops across the US, and its latest move is a ‘pop-up apartment’ in London’s Covent Garden. The Kate Spade team conjured a dream home for its gal-about-town muse, complete with gorgeous clothes, accessories and objets.

It’s full of Spade-y signatures and clever decorative touches, such as wallpaper-backed closet doors, crisp, grass-green walls, a painted black-and-white floral “rug” and some rather glorious mid-century modern furniture.

Naturally, there’s a handbag wall, and those closets are chockablock with the latest collection. It’s all very vintage-feeling, with a pitch-perfect faux fur leopard print chubby (note the black velvet bow in the back) and something called the June dress, a box-pleated 50s prom dress in a red, gray and salmon balloon print exclusive to the London store. The attention to detail makes these clothes sing.

“Some people already know her, but we wanted everyone in London to have a chance to meet our Kate Spade girl,” said Deborah Lloyd, president and chief creative officer for the brand.

So, Kate: need a roommate?

The kate spade new york ‘pop-up apartment’ is open from today to 10 November at 7 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8PW
Click through for more photos of Kate Spade’s amazing London apartment and products from the London line.

The Stuff We Actually Want From Disney’s TRON: Legacy Fashion Line

The highly-anticipated release of Disney’s TRON: Legacy is only a couple of months away and many companies are already trying to capitalize on the film’s inevitable success by producing lots of themed merchandise. Disney has been licensing their little hearts out, which has resulted in products ranging from action figures to iPod docks to replica motorcycle suits to sterling silver cufflinks shaped like cars.

Honestly, we don’t know much about TRON other than it has a cool trailer and was some kind of cult favorite in the ‘80s. Thus, we didn’t think of ourselves as people for whom Tron merchandise would be appealing, until Disney Consumer Products introduced us to the new TRON: Legacy couture line, “designed for the young female urbanite,” according to a press release. Even though this press release managed to describe us to a T, we were still a bit skeptical until a quick browse through the new products revealed some pretty awesome accessories. Hurley, Rotenier, Rosseau, TomTom and Hayden-Harnett are among the collaborators and Disney is even launching a TRON Pop Up Shop in L.A. this November.

While TRON does apparently have some hot female warrior character named Quorra, we’re pretty sure it’s mostly guys who really care about this movie, which is why these women’s collaborations are actually genius. Not following? Even if you had no idea what TRON was until reading this story, your Hayden-Harnett Quorra shoulder bag gives you instant cred with those cute Seth Cohen-y cool nerds. Click through for our picks.

Street Style: Katie Gallagher Runs in Her Own Designs

Name: Katie Gallagher

Age: 24

Occupation: Designer

What is your favorite dessert? Candy Corn

Do you know what you are going to be for Halloween? I haven’t decided yet, but last year I turned myself into a candy corn.

What was the inspiration for your SS2011 collection? I was inspired by sports, athletic wear, and the patternmaking involved.

Do you play any sports? I run.

Do you ever run in your designs? Yeah, I do. I wear my leggings and in the winter I wear one of my hoods.

What are you listening to now? I’ve been listening to x Wave radio. They have lots of great dj’s on the station. I particularly like one called Uncle Fester.

What is your favorite brand of eyeliner? Nars

What are you wearing? My shoes are Topshop, which I added the small chains to. The top is by Lulu Cascante and my dress and bag are my own designs.

**All photos by Ashley Jahncke.

Attention Beauty Junkies: Bloomingdale’s Is Throwing A Pretty Party

I opened my big glossy flyer from Bloomie’s yesterday and almost started hyperventilating from sheer over-stimulation. From October 14 through the 24th they are hosting a massive beauty event and we’re all invited.

First of all, if you love free samples and tote bags, it is a goody bag paradise. Or rather, a “gift with purchase” paradise. Yeah, you have to buy. But isn’t it worth spending $100 to get a cheap pouch full of tiny samples? (Apparently I think so, because I have ten years’ worth of these cluttering up my bathroom vanity.)

Here are some of the best:

Space NK: It’s kind of major that Space NK is selling in Bloomindgale’s now. For years their hard-to-find brands were only available in the UK, until a flagship opened here in NYC. Let’s hope this Bloomie’s collaboration leads to more free-standing Space NK stores. But I digress. For spending $95, you’ll get a black cosmetics bag filled with off-the-beaten path samples from the likes of Wei Bauty, Eve Lom, and Lipstick Queen.

La Prairie: Insanely expensive? Yeah. Works like a miracle? Yeah. For spending a mere $300, you’ll get a cute silver clutch and some travel-sized Skin Caviar.

Shiseido: Buy two skin care products and take home four deluxe size samples, which they will match to your skin type. All in an adorable pink quilted pouch.

If you live in NYC, there are some extra, and sort of amazing, events happening at the 59th Street Bloomingdale’s flagship. A taste:

-Bumble and bumble blow-outs, plus a lesson on how to do it yourself. No formaldehyde necessary. October 14.

-La Mer facial. Do I need to elaborate? October 14.

-Meet Bobbi Brown and get a make-up lesson from her team. October 15.

-Fragrance Fair. Learn how to pair and layer fragrances. October 15.

-Space NK is hosting trainer David Kirsch, who has shaped a zillion perfect Hollywood asses. He’ll do a 30-minute “Butt Camp” workout. Bad name, good concept. October 16.

I don’t shop in Bloomingdale’s much, but will definitely take a peek there this weekend, and hopefully emerge glutted on beauty samples.

Parsons Students Get Crafty With the Vuitton Archives

By most any fashion die-hard’s standards, Louis Vuitton and Parsons are considered the best of the best in their respective fields. So when they partner up for a competition that promotes sustainability the results are bound to impress.

Already in its second year, the competition, “Reconstruction 2.0,” asks Parsons students to create new garments around a particular theme using the Louis Vuitton archives. This year, students were challenged to create a garment out of Vuitton samples that embodied travel, an idea at the heart of the international Louis Vuitton brand. Six four-person teams were selected to compete.

“We were inundated with the most amazing projects and the most amazing ideas, as we knew we would be, and the difficulty was choosing the six teams to take part,” says Simon Collins, Parsons Dean of Fashion. “We could’ve tripled the size of the competition.”

Yesterday, I visited Louis Vuitton’s SoHo store where two teams were in the heat of the competition. Armed with sewing machines, dye, scissors, and sketchbooks the teams were furiously tearing apart the Vuitton garments. Yes, you read that right–Vuitton’s gorgeous samples were the only fabric provided to the students. Every season Vuitton is faced with the problem of what to do with their surplus of samples. “They produce a great many samples every year and they were anxious to use those to benefit our students in some way, and so it became clear that what we should do is repurpose them,” says Collins.

While I, personally, shiver in my boots thinking about cutting up a Vuitton dress, the competitors were ecstatic to deconstruct the creations of Parsons alum and Vuitton Artistic Director, Marc Jacobs. “It’s a little bit sad!” says Parsons student Erin Schuessler, of team Via, “They’re all so beautiful by themselves, but combined its like taking seasons and seasons and making it all new.” Mary Clair Brush, a member of the opposing team, NOEUD, had no qualms about taking apart Vuitton’s luxe designs, “As designers it’s always nice to have something as a place to start; having the fabric being set makes you push and see what you can do with those.”

Teams were set up in the Vuitton SoHo store, as well as in Parsons’ buildings on 13th and 40th streets, with the competition open to the public to view. “We want to demystify the fashion process, and so we felt that having teams compete in public was a great way to connect with the community and let them see what we’re doing,” says Collins.

When I visited, both teams were starting work on their designs, team NOED working on two, intersecting blankets, one knotted and one woven. Team Via was also working on a blanket using a triangle pattern that transformed into a bag. The results will be displayed tonight at a reception in Vuitton’s SoHo store. The winner will receive a trip to Paris to tour the Louis Vuitton Museum and workshop, Espace Louis Vuitton, and the brand’s flagship Paris store, plus legendary bragging rights.

The fate of the final garments, however, is uncertain. “We are initially going to display them here [in the Vuitton store], and then in the school, and then, honestly, we haven’t decided what to do with them yet,” admits Collins. “We have a very, very precious archive at school of garments from the last two hundred years… So they may find their way into that.” I offered my closet as another potential home for the students’ work. Personally, I’m hoping they find their way into that.

Last Night’s Parties: Swanky with Swarovski and Jonelle Monae Rocks MNG by Mango for JC Penney

We divided and conquered last night so we could dine in the penthouse of the Trump Soho with Prabal Gurung and Swarovski and catch Janelle Monae perform and gawk at Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempen on the red carpet at the MNG by Mango for JCPenney Party.

I attended a dinner at the glass-walled “Sohi” room at the top of the new Trump Soho Hotel to celebrate the launch of the Spring/Summer 2011 Atelier Swarovski collection. Lauren already got a peek at the collection, designed by Joseph Altuzarra, Mark Fast, Prabal Gurung, Michael Kaplan and Jenny Manik Mercian, at Colette in Paris, so I was psyched to get a first hand look at the sparkling baubles myself. They sparkled almost as brightly as the city skyline, which, from the 47th floor at Spring at Varick Sts., was a glimmering thing to behold. Gurung was on hand to schmooze with editors, and it was his collection of punked out geometric bling, and Altuzarra’s crystals set in lucite bangles that stood out. Also? The food at the Trump Soho is really good. Thanks for a fabulous dinner Swarovski!

Dhani took on the MNG by Mango for JCPenney launch party at bank-turned-fancy-party-venue, Capitale, which featured a runway show and performance by Janelle Monae.

Here’s her take: The mixed bag of partygoers included celebrities, men in business suits, random Janelle Monae fans and the few fashion people who weren’t at the Mark Ronson concert or Swarovski dinner. Attendees like Tinsley Mortimer, Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempens made sense, while I was pleasantly surprised to see Anne Heche and my personal nomination for the next It Couple: Breaking Upwards’ Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein. They’re adorable together and just seemed so normal and down-to-earth…in an off-beat, neurotic kind of way. They actually got excited when Janelle Monae took the stage, whose high-energy performance was the highlight of the evening. Everything from her voice to her dance moves to her guitarist’s hair to the band’s coordinated black & white outfits was amazing. But, I digress.

In between the red carpet and Janelle Monae was the runway show, which was given quite the introduction by JCPenney’s 59-year-old CEO Myron Ullman, who literally rode onto the stage and gave the entire speech on a segway. The clothes were what you’d expect, if not a little better. My favorite look was the final one–a long, flowy black dress with spaghetti straps that tied at the waist. Click through for our runway pics and Janelle Monae!