DESIGNER COLLABORATIONS
If you’re a trendy shopper like us, (and we know you are!) you’re always trying to find designer goods for less than an arm and a leg within your price range. Whether it’s the perfect accessory to complete a look or a gift for a fashionable friend, a designer label takes almost any item from sweet to chic. This holiday season, our haute hopes are answered by eBay’s debut of limited edition designer gifts—all featuring price tags marked $100 or less. And just wait until you hear who’s on board!
Get excited! Despite the attempts to keep the news under wraps, it is true—Maison Martin Margiela for H&M is happening this holiday season! After denying leaked rumors a week ago, the Swedish retailer soon after confirmed plans for an exclusive, limited-edition collection by Maison Margiela to debut November 15th. A statement from Margiela reads, “The democracy of our fashion has always been at the centre of our creativity, and the collaboration with H&M allows us to push this instinct further. We will bring together the contrasting universes of the two houses in ways that will surprise all.”
The baubles by Trina Turk for Banana Republic are finally here! We’ve heard tid bits about this collaboration since January and have been awaiting the arrival of the collection put together by these two fashion power houses. Good news: it has finally hit the shelves of Banana Republic stores as well as their online store.
The collection is a perfect summer assortment of bright and bold pieces with 60 designs that include accessories (everything from hats, to jewelry, to clutches), swimwear, and clothing. The prices are a perfect mixture, accommodating all budgets with products in the $35 to $150 range.
Alice Temperley + John Lewis
If you’re a fan of fashion from across the pond, (and who isn’t) you’ll be as excited as we are to hear this news. Somerset by Alice Temperley will be debuting this fall for British department store John Lewis. The chic London-based brand’s skyrocketing popularity, thanks to a pair of stylish Middletons and red carpet royalty, has us eager to get the looks for ourselves. Launching September 4th (plus additional partywear in October) the line is infused with signature Temperley style, including influences from feminine lace embellishment to tough military hardware. The 60-piece collection boasts reasonably priced apparel and accessories, like dresses from $160, mixed with luxe options like the $1,600 sheepskin coat. Sneak peeks report “sheer paneled two-tone dresses and beaded Indian evening gowns, studded nappa leather handbags and animal print scarves.” (MarieClaire) Luckily, John Lewis ships internationally—let the countdown to Temperley in our closets begins!
Karl Lagerfeld, Giambatista Valli, Doo.Ri, and now Alberta Ferretti!
Macy's has been pulling out all the stops recently, enlisting high-profile designers to team up with Impulse, the retailer's contemporary womenswear collection. Now, Alberta Ferretti has been revealed as the sixth and latest collaborator!
Ferretti has been designing since the 1970's and currently has two lines under her direction: the eponymous Alberta Ferretti, known for glamorous gowns and luxe ladylike attire, as well as It-Girl and street-style star favorite Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, a younger, more contemporary line. A name synonymous with romantic, uber-feminine, red-carpet-worthy looks and cool Italian style, her Impulse collection for Macy's will remain true to the iconic aesthetic she is known for. Macy's Executive Vice President of Marketing, Martine Reardon, adds "[Ferretti] appeals to an international consumer as well as American consumer, and her fabrications are very soft, very feminine, chiffon-like, drapey, comfortable, and really pretty, yet they look very elegant."
Does H&M know how to spoil us, or what ladies!? From collaborations with Jimmy Choo to Versace—H&M has a crystal ball view into our deepest fashion desires! Get ready for the next UFC (ultimate fashion championship!) with the first look at the next covetable collaboration: Marni for H&M. And do we have scoop for you! Not only has the first advertising campaign image surfaced, there’s a video campaign and shots from a Vogue Russia editorial too!
Designed by Consuelo Castiglioni, the Italian brand is highly known for its sophisticated, yet fierce look, artistic style, and funky prints. Perfect for spring, the Marni for H&M collection is expected to resemble a more vintage and bohemian style, according to Ms. Castiglioni herself. “I wanted to create a true Marni wardrobe by revisiting all our favorite pieces in signature fabrics and prints,” the Marni designer said in a statement. “As always, I love juxtaposing prints and colors, mixing modern tribal with Bauhaus graphic adding sporty utilitarian elements.” We can all look forward to signature Marni style and respectable quality, just at a (much appreciated) more affordable price point. And more news that makes our hearts melt—not only will the Marni for H&M collection include apparel and jewelry, shoes and menswear will debut as well.
Jason Wu + NEST Fragrances
Just when we thought the buzz around Jason Wu couldn’t get any bigger—due to the designer’s much anticipated collection for Target—it does! In a brand new design direction, we find out Wu is also collaborating with NEST Fragrances on a signature candle scent. So not only will our apts look better thanks to all that Jason Wu apparel, they’ll smell better too! The scent is Orchard Rain, a fragrance that combines pear with cattleya orchid, Birchwood, leather and peppercorn. The candles can be found at department stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks starting in April; Orchard Rain is just the first in a series of luxurious scents. Should we expect more Jason Wu diffusion lines in the future? “I think the home market is something I’m really interested in. Also the beauty market. I think Nest sort of crosses the line between both markets,” he said. “So it seems to be the perfect introduction.”
The soft gorgeous draping and goddess-like creations designer Doo-Ri Chung is known for, will soon be available to the masses at a Macy’s near you!
The retail force has taken aim at attracting a younger, more fashion-forward audience with its inception of capsule collections, collaborating with major names in fashion such as, Karl Lagerfeld, Matthew Williamson, and Giambattista Valli, just to name a few.
Chung now enters the ranks with the aforementioned fashion heavy-hitters, with her eponymous line, Doo.Ri, which has been slated as the next collaboration. Doo.Ri has been scheduled to hit select Macy’s stores and Macys.com in February 2012.
As young professionals in the city, we genuinely appreciate when our favorite designers collaborate with our favorite stores, in our favorite price range (read: affordable)! Recent collabs have included Lanvin for H&M, Rodarte for Target, and Julian Louie for Aldo. Next up for chic style that won’t break the bank, Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s, debuting exactly one week from today!
Karl Lagerfeld is no novice to collaborations for the masses. He was the first luxury designer to create a capsule collection for H&M and worked with Magnum Ice Cream earlier this year as the director for their ad campaign starring Rachel Bilson. Lagerfeld’s will be the third designer collaboration for Macy’s ‘Impulse’ department this year, following successful partnerships with Kinder Aggugini and then Matthew Williamson. The ad campaign, featuring Coco Rocha, has been creating buzz since spring and until the collection’s preview in SoHo this month, limited images of the line had been available. The campaign setting? His personal Parisian library where the multi-talented Kaiser photographed Rocha himself.
About five years ago, Target became a major trendsetter (hard to believe, we know!) in retail. Traditionally known for budget clothing that actually looks like budget clothing, Target wasn’t expected to become a major player in the world of fashion retail.
So, the world was shocked when Target announced a designer collaboration with Fiorucci in December of 2005. What shocked us more was the fact that this was only the first designer collaboration- Target GO International would go on to release exclusive lines with designers like Proenza Schouler, Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Zac Posen, and our new favorite, Rodarte.
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