The Greatest Copycat Shoe Source, Nine West is Bringing on Fresh Designers

The popular budget-worthy shoe store, Nine West just stated that they will be working with some fresh blood. 2009 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award winner Sophie Theallet and Designer Giles Deacon will be working on collections specifically suited for the shoe store (nymag.com).  Both will create a spring collection filled with pretty shoes and accessories made with feminine style and French demeanor. 

We hear that the collection will officially hit stores on May 1st, ranging from $79-$109 (fashionologie.com). Expect to see Deacon’s edgy cool shoes and funky accessories come to Nine West this coming fall and winter season. This recent collaboration deals with the new partnership, Shoelaborations, where a footwear brand works with upcoming designers and artists alike (Vogue.co.uk).

Are you buying any more winter-y clothes? If so note that “Pre-fall 2011 season” (in Paris, no less) has kicked off with Stella McCarthy showing a bevy of accessories sure to be closet staples

Always keep one or two seasons ahead when you are shopping– your hard-earned dollars will go farther when you know what colors and trends will open up in the next several months.  With all the insame sales going on, now you can get a great deal now on something you will wear seasons ahead.

The collection offered all sorts of situational possibilities from big, cozy geometric sweaters perfect for roasting marshmallows to chic work-appropriate suitings to racy little party dresses. Among the standouts: ivory cream pumps and metallic totes.  And because every girl likes to indulge her brightest side once in a while, McCartney interrupted the mostly neutral lineup with carefully-placed jolts of vibrant red.

 

A reality check about Fashion’s mark on the world

On one level, fashion has never been of greater interest than it is today. Though lip service is given to the importance of the great designers, in reality, serious focus on their work, their craft, has been diminishing for years.

This is not to suggest that the millions who shop at all price points south of designer don’t want and deserve excellent design; that designers in those markets are not often extremely talented; that true design only happens at the high end, or that enjoying celebrity fashion is a black mark on one’s sartorial soul.

Rachel Zoe’s fun, contemporary launch is indeed interesting and popular, to boot. No one wants clothes designed with haste rather than haute in mind. Fabulous for the girl who wants an inexpensive pretty party dress that looks like a much more expensive pretty party dress, and hats off to Elbaz and others for delivering genuine chic on the cheap. Certainly each case taken on its own feels like a meaningful stylistic victory for the nonrich.

We see how the devoted high-end customer craves distinctive fashion. Just look at the relatively recent increase of interest in edgy collections such as Dries Van Noten and Rick Owens. Some luxury houses are grappling with issues that have nothing to do with the mock-off bandwagon. Given immediate access to fashion show visuals, the impatient public no longer wants to wait months to procure designer merch.

So, is Fashion becoming an endangered species?

Style Snafus: How To Begin to Avoid the 2011 Don’ts

One of our universal resolutions for the new year is to look our best. It’s too easy to fall into a style rut, so here are a few of the bigger style sins (that we’ve all been guilty of committing), and how to avoid them.

One-Size-Fits-All Rarely Works: Whether you are trying to hide a figure flaw or you’ve fallen in love with a certain item that just doesn’t come in your size, this is one of the biggest style mistakes that everyone makes. If it truuuly doesn’t fit you… please don’t buy/wear it.

Prints are hot this season, but wearing them together is not easy to do. If you know what you’re doing, this is fine. When in doubt, it’s probably best to put down one printed item and make the switch to a solid.

Sometimes what you see in fashion magazines and on runways is just not for you. Shop with a friend whose opinion you trust and who will be honest with you when you’re trying to pair a ’70s inspired jumpsuit with an oversize furry vest.

Even if you are a “rock star” nobody wants to see your undergarments on display every day. This look is just plain trashy unless you are on stage (and even then…)