Fashion Orbit

Jimmy Choo Headed for H&M

High street chain H&M has teamed up with the luxury footwear brand Jimmy Choo in its latest designer collaboration. The fashion retailer has created a collection of shoes and bags with the sought-after brand to appear in 200 shops worldwide on November 14 this year.

President Tamara Mellon follows in the footsteps of Matthew Williamson, Roberto Cavalli and Karl Lagerfeld in the deal with the retail giant. It is H&M’s first collaboration with an accessories brand.

An H&M spokeswoman said the shoes would be limited to selected stores and are expected to cost from £30 for a pair of ballet pumps to £170 for a pair of boots. A pair of ballet flats from this season’s main Jimmy Choo collection cost around £245 and a pair of boots around £650. There will also be a men’s collection of shoes, bags and accessories.

Mellon said: “Jimmy Choo will bring to H&M a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection – the perfect party pieces to buy now and wear out that night.”

H&M is not exactly known for its stellar production quality, so fingers crossed that it gets done right with the Jimmy Choo pieces. This collection will also mark Jimmy Choo’s first foray into apparel, so it will be extra interesting to see what they turn out.

One thing is certain: Mellon is a smart cookie to be branching out in different directions given the economy, although I remain slightly more thrilled about the Jimmy Choo Hunter boots.

Cheap(er) Chic: Vena Cava, Alexander Wang, and Albertus Swanepoel for Gap Khaki

After much anticipation on the part of both bargainistas and fashionistas, the limited edition Gap khaki collection went live today. In conjunction with the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, designs by 2008 winner Alexander Wang, runner-up Albertus Swanepoel, and finalists Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava are now being offered for sale online and at Gap’s brick and mortar stores.

In the past Gap has been somewhat remiss in producing this sort of affordable collection by higher end designers, falling behind retailers like Target, Kohl’s, and JC Penney’s. Here’s to hoping that they keep it up - not only are all the items in the collection under $100, but the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s cash prizes and increased exposure helps emerging talent survive in a flailing economy.

I’ve posted some favorites below, and you can see the collection in its entirety here. I’m not necessarily a big khaki person, but I may spring for the Vena Cava Printed Dress - it’s light and summery with a more sophisticated neutral palette. What are your thoughts on the collection?

Vena Cava’s Printed Khaki Dress$88

Vena Cava’s Khaki Zip Dress $88

Alexander Wang’s Khaki Double-Breasted Jacket $88

Alexander Wang’s Khaki Pleated Shorts $49.50

Albertus Swanepoel’s Khaki Bucket Hat $39.50

Albertus Swanepoel’s Pleated Khaki Hat $39.50

Cheap(er) Chic: Forever 21 Goes Plus Size With Faith 21

In the past I’ve been resistant to Forever 21’s low cost charms, namely because a) they rampantly “borrow” from the work of other designers, and b) nothing at that price point could be ethically produced at any level. I’ll also never stop laughing at how they refer to certain items as “silky” - it’s like buying “cheese product.” But hey, the economy is in the pooper and my morals are now as loose as everyone else’s, so viva cheap!

In all seriousness and smug self-righteousness aside, the launch of Forever 21’s plus size line, Faith 21, is nothing but a good thing. The current recession has further diminished the fashion industry’s already tenuous dedication to plus sizes at a time when more Americans are losing money and gaining weight. Furthermore, Forever 21’s primary audience is teenage girls, who need all the body positivity and wardrobe egality they can get. I’ve been a teenage girl. It’s misery.

Faith 21 is for the most part chic, definitely cheap, and treats curves with respect.

Silky Floral Belted Dress $22.80

Dolman Dress With Belt $19.80

Silky Origami Dress $22.80

Plaid Button Down Tunic $19.80

Polka Dot Ruffle Dress $24.80

Japanese Blossom Sleek Dress $24.80

Lace & Ruffle Trim Top $19.80

Cheap(er) Chic: Kate Moss for Topshop Summer 2009

Kate Moss may not have been the very first celebrity to create her own boutique line, but she was one of the first to truly popularize the idea of celebrity as designer. Moss’ reputation as a trendsetter certainly played no small part in her design success, and some critics accused her of simply replicating the couture pieces in her own closet.

Her latest collection for Topshop, with most pieces priced at $150+, is not wholly cheap chic. However, the spendier pieces in the collection seem to be the most popular, with some styles already completely sold out.

The summer 2009 collection was in part inspired by Moss’ travels and 1970s Morocco, and features a heavy use of texture and embellishment. I am personally leaning towards the Tie Dye Blouse - it’s a good basic for summer, especially with shorts and braided metallic sandals as styled.

Silk Insert Maxi Dress $160

Morroccan Blouse $250

All Over Sequin Cardigan $170

Tie Dye Blouse $80

Zebra Bandeau Dress $135

Studded Waistcoat $160

Cheap(er) Chic: Barbara Hulanicki for Topshop

Barbara Hulanicki could almost be considered one of the founders of cheaper chic: along with her husband, she founded the west London boutique Biba, which was feverishly popular in the 60s and 70s. Biba’s first major success was the sale of a dress similar to one worn by Brigitte Bardot, and eventually, the term Biba evolved to define a certain style as well.

Unsurprisingly, Hulanicki’s collection for Topshop retains much of the original spirit of Biba: youthful, affordable, and with impossibly short hemlines.

Halter Dress $100

Cotton Tube Dress $55

Slashed Neckline Dress $60

Button Skirt $60

Scarf With Girl Print $44

Giant Printed Shopper Bag $60

$Anna Sheffield to Design for Target’s Go International From WWD: Anna Sheffield is spreading her seeds. The jewelry designer, whose Bing Bang line launched Bee 23 with Urban Outfitters last year, is once again hitting up the masses, this time with Target. Rumor has it she’ll be designing jewelry under the name Anna Sheffield for Target, presumably for the retailer’s Go International program, which has seen the likes of hip, downtown designers such as Rogan Gregory, Richard Chai and most recently Tracy Feith. The jewelry hits stores this August. I’ve been a fan of Anna Sheffield ever since I saw some fashionista wearing a pair of Bing Bang’s oversized Medor-like stud earrings. She’s managed to balance her eponymous fine jewelry line with the less spendy Bing Bang, so it will be interesting to see what she’ll do for the uber-costume jewelry realm of Target. Photo credit: Shopbop var OutbrainPermaLink='{Permalink}'; var OB_demoMode = false; var OBITm = "1235542636317"; var OB_langJS ='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js'; if ( typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined' ) OutbrainStart(); else { var OB_Script = true; var str = ''; document.write(str); }$

Anna Sheffield to Design for Target’s Go International

From WWD:

Anna Sheffield is spreading her seeds. The jewelry designer, whose Bing Bang line launched Bee 23 with Urban Outfitters last year, is once again hitting up the masses, this time with Target. Rumor has it she’ll be designing jewelry under the name Anna Sheffield for Target, presumably for the retailer’s Go International program, which has seen the likes of hip, downtown designers such as Rogan Gregory, Richard Chai and most recently Tracy Feith. The jewelry hits stores this August.

I’ve been a fan of Anna Sheffield ever since I saw some fashionista wearing a pair of Bing Bang’s oversized Medor-like stud earrings. She’s managed to balance her eponymous fine jewelry line with the less spendy Bing Bang, so it will be interesting to see what she’ll do for the uber-costume jewelry realm of Target.

Photo credit: Shopbop

Are Affordable Lines Comparable to Their Higher End Equivalents?

From The Wall Street Journal:

Recession-scarred retailers are turning to collections of cheap-but-chic designer clothing to lure customers who love fashion but are watching their pennies. Designers, hit by the collapse in luxury sales, are eager to sign on.

Are their outfits just flimsy knock-offs — or a good deal for value-conscious shoppers? We decided to see if the experts could separate cheap-chic clothes from expensive-chic clothes.

Target Corp. spearheaded the cheap-chic movement almost a decade ago, introducing affordable versions of expensive housewares created by top designers such as Michael Graves. A few years later, it signed Isaac Mizrahi to create stylish clothing and accessories that appeared in its stores until the end of last year.

In 2004, Hennes & Mauritz SA’s H&M chain took the concept further, getting big-name designers to create less-expensive clothing collections for several hundred of its stores — items that frequently sold out in hours. Target came back in 2006 with Go International, which sold a limited array of apparel from up-and-coming designers for 45 days at a time.

Now everybody seems to be on board. In the past few months, J.C. Penney Co. introduced I Ronson, a street-chic line by downtown New York designer Charlotte Ronson; Wal-Mart Stores Inc. rolled out a Norma Kamali line featuring $20 jersey wrap dresses; and fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo, a Japanese-based chain with a Manhattan outpost, just signed minimalist luxury designer Jil Sander.

But experts say that shoppers today, while still interested in fashion, are equally focused on clothes that are well made and whose style and construction will last more than a season. Shoppers are turning to “value and a longer shelf life,” says David Wolfe, creative director of Doneger Group, a fashion forecast and consulting company.

So what exactly are shoppers getting in terms of quality, style and construction? We asked Simon Collins, dean of fashion at Parsons The New School for Design, and Randi Rahm, a designer based in Manhattan, to analyze items from recent designer collections from Target and H&M — and one expensive designer outfit we bought at Barneys New York.

WSJ’s general findings were that the Target pieces were relatively well-constructed for the price and consistent design-wise with the higher end versions of the labels, and that the H&M items were similarly well-designed but poorly made (surprise, surprise).

Eh, good style is good style, regardless of the cost. As I’ve mentioned before, design isn’t so much the issue with these affordable lines as is the quality and ethics behind the garments’ construction.

Dress photo credit: Target

Sneak Preview: Loomstate for Target

Target is teaming up with Scott Mackinlay Hahn and CFDA award winning designer Rogan Gregory to launch Loomstate for Target, an edgy eco-friendly fashion line for men and women.

With a relaxed design sensibility and a devotion to environmentally sensitive materials, all of the cotton used in the collection is 100 percent certified organic. The collection will be available April 19, 2009 for a limited time at Target.com and select Target stores nationwide.

Designer Rogan Gregory first partnered with friend Scott Mackinlay Hahn to launch his eponymous collection of men’s and women’s fashion in 2001. In 2004, Gregory and Mackinlay Hahn – both committed environmentalists – created Loomstate, a new casual brand dedicated to creating demand for certified organic cotton using socially and environmentally responsible methods of production.

The Loomstate for Target collection ranges in price from 14.99 to $44.99, in comparison to their high-end line which can cost over $200.

You can view the entire collection, which includes menswear, here. I’m not much of a casual t-shirt person myself, but there are some thoughtful details in the collection, including a recurring pelican print (as seen on above shorts).

Photo credit: Target

Cheap(er) Chic: Felix Rey for Target - Love It or Hate It?

The Felix Rey for Target collection is decidedly beachy, which is not necessarily my style but rather smart from a design perspective: the use of materials like straw can help keep production costs down without making the items look particularly cheap.

Unfortunately, overall I don’t think this is a designer collection that is sending women to Target in crazed droves. I might buy a tote for the beach, but only if it were directly in front of me, and possibly on sale. What do you think?

Canvas Tote in Gold $39.99

Straw Basket Tote in Blue $39.99

Canvas Clutch in Blue $19.99

Printed Tote With Shell $34.99