REMNANTS

• Christian Louboutin is currently suing everybody and their brother who dares to design a shoe with a red sole. Well, that’s silly, you say to yourself. Trademarking the color red would be like Donald Trump trademarking the phrase “you’re fired” or Paris Hilton trademarking “that’s hot.” OH, WAIT. As Yves Saint Laurent hilariously pointed out, Louboutin can hardly be considered the originator of the red sole given that Louis XIV was pairing his pantaloons with red kicks. (New York Magazine)


• Poor Halston is having a rough month. Last week SJP broke up with Halston Heritage, and now Harvey Weinstein has similarly bailed, ostensibly to focus on lofty film pursuits like Spy Kids Part 201 (it’s 4-D!) Not only will there be no Spring 2012 collection, but Fall 2011 deliveries are potentially being canceled. (My Fashion Database Blog)


• In less heavy news, Gwen Stefani will be designing a kids line for Target slated for release this fall. I personally can’t wait to get my baby super kawaii in Harajuku Mini. (The Independent)


• In other celebrity collections that I can endorse (unlike last week), Kanye West is possibly launching a line for reals this time. He’ll allegedly be collaborating with knitwear designer Louise Goldin on a high-end women’s line. Fingers crossed that he includes affordable tees printed with some of his best Twitter expositions. (Sun Sentinel)


• Kate Spade is launching a lipstick collection and everyone is freaking out about how ‘genius’ the name is. It’s Supercalifragilipstick. Did your socks literally blow across the room in amazement? Yeah, mine neither. Also a bit debatable is the fact that the four shades are in fact lipstick/gloss combinations, not the kind of retro creamy matte shade one would expect from Spade. (Styleite)


• If Miami Fashion Week Swim 2012 is any indication, the new ‘it’ beach cover-up is pants. This is certainly better news than a sheer cropped tank top as the next cover-up trend, although apparently also on the slate are high-waisted bikini bottoms, and as Taylor Swift proved, those are just bad news all around. (AP via The Straits Times)

Above photo: Kate Spade via Styleite

Deal of the Day: Vena Cava’s Plains Printed Dress

Love love love how this Vena Cava dress is at once totally on-trend yet classic with its neutral tan and grey tribal print, ruched shoulders and shirred bust.

Currently on sale at $170 (originally $425).

Item of the Day: AllSaints’ Aztec Mini Dress in Coral

Put an event on my calender, and you’ve given me an excuse to fart around endlessly on the internet looking for the perfect outfit. My friend Danielle is getting married in August, so I’m currently digging around for a summer wedding appropriate dress. So, no white, red or black (although I will bust out with the black at winter weddings), and something not in my usual dour color palette (but also something that I can conceivably wear year round).

During my travels I found this very lovely AllSaints dress. Now, I know what works for my body, and a shift dress ain’t it, but I do love the tribal pattern combined with the flapper-esque sequined body.

Currently available at $390.

Item of the Day: Lulu Frost’s Crystal Quill Necklace

Well, this Lulu Frost necklace is just awesome as all get out, no? With its over-sized porcupine quills and bezel set crystals, it’s the best possible mix of this season’s tribal elements with vintage costume jewelry glamor.

Clearly I’m not the only one drawn to its spiky perfection, because it’s sold out at most retailers (but still available at Sucre).

Currently priced at $368.

Bad Ideas in Fashion: J. Crew’s Hairy Leg Tights

Via Gawker:

Preppy clothing enthusiasts recoiled today when J. Crew put a model with hippie-hairy legs on its website. Has J. Crew found its “inner feminist”? Is a disgruntled web designer playing pranks? We reveal the startling truth…

None of the above: Turns out these tights replicate the exact texture and appearance of super-hairy legs. These will either become J. Crew’s poorest-selling item, or best-selling—Halloween is coming, after all. Maybe they could market it as a sexy Chewbacca accessory?

In all fairness, the zoom on these tights reveals what nature and the design minds of J Crew intended - your standard run-of-the-mill lace pattern, and not some sort of hippie chic look. It appears that the choice of the “fawn” color on the models was particularly unfortunate in adding to the hairy legged illusion

Clearly the public ridicule has reached corporate’s ears, because not only have the lifestyle tights shots been pulled from main pages, but the gallery view has been changed to a more discreet, more obviously lacy image of the tights in their packaging.

It was good for a temporary, schadenfreude-laced giggle, though.

Image credit: Gawker

Trends Not to Try: Harem Pants

I keep seeing these blog posts and articles on “how to wear harem pants,” and really, if you need a primer on how to wear something, should you be wearing it at all? In the harem pant equation of 2x + y = z, where x is unattractive fit and y is a costume-like appearance, z becomes “what the hell kind of top am I going to wear with this?”

In our current economic situation, we should all be filling our closets with pieces that lean a little more towards the classic side of things. The harem pant trend may come back 20 years from now, but do you really want to be Princess Jasmine every year for Halloween until then?

Standard pants can get a little dry, so do try a cropped pant with a slight slouch instead (we featured a couple of good pairs in yesterday’s Sale Roundup). They’re more versatile, fit a wider variety of body types, and you won’t have to shove them in storage or cart them off to Goodwill at the end of the season.

Fergie photo credit: The Insider

Trends Not to Try: Granny Caps

I was blissfully unaware that people actually thought Katie Holmes’ sloppy knit beanie look was worth emulating until those darn NYC Prep kids came along. On last night’s episode, Jessie, who desperately wants to work in fashion, walked into a Charlotte Ronson interview wearing her granny cap. While I am admittedly not particularly interested in the arc of Jessie’s future career, I found myself muttering, “take off the stupid hat. Please take off the stupid hat for the interview.”

There are trends that are a little controversial, and there are trends that almost seem specifically formulated to mark you as a blind follower. Granny caps, with their propensity to instantly render their wearer frumpy, belong squarely in the latter category. Hats in general can be a little tricky to work and can be a detracting factor from an otherwise well put together ensemble, which is why most of us avoid them on a daily basis (unless weather forces their necessity).

If you find yourself desperately yearning for a granny cap despite reason and aesthetics, try a beret a la Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde instead. It’s a cleaner look overall, and will make you appear to be more woman of mystery, less bag lady.

Katie Holmes photo credit: Daily Mail