somewhere in a galaxy..... not that far away!

hmmm.....

clare vivier and wren just released their bag collaboration for spring.

one of the styles incorporates a galaxy print:

while this style does look really kinda cool....

it looks suspiciously like another awesome bag:

a collaboration between peter pilotto & kipling from 2010.

gotta say..... i still think the pp x kipling one looks better.

what do you think? coincidence?

or is the galaxy just that awesome?

elmidae gets it right

long time readers may remember one of my serious fashion pet peeves- fashion stylists who try to create a "ballet" inspired look using models.

you can read about some more and less successful iterations thereof.

refinery 29 recently did a feature on a chicago designer who blends the best of both worlds perfectly....

here are a few images pulled from elmidae's spring lookbook:

(photos courtesy of refinery 29 / elmidae)

the model is clearly either a dancer, or someone who has spent plenty of time en pointe*.

i love how the photographer has done a great job at showing off the clothing, the styling, and the quirkiness of the girl's gesture....

i love that they stylist didn't try to make her look like a ballerina, but just used her training as reference, and used the idea of ballet in a very modern way.

bravo, elmidae! a very nice job at something that is very hard to achieve!

*wow, i just found this amazing image of what it's (kinda) like to be en pointe:

(photo courtesy of the fallout girl)

you can probably get a pretty good idea why most models wouldn't be quite read for this kind of torture, just to get a legit looking shot for a fashion shoot!

and boy oh boy, does it make me glad i gave up dancing when i did!

wu wu wu! it's collab time....

it's true that i'm often disappointed by the design collaborations between mass-market retailers and luxury designers....

there are only a few things from these that have ever made it into my wardrobe, with any staying power... a silk evening trench coat from lanvin x h&m, two pair of sandals from swedish hasbeens x h&m, and a bikini from thakoon x target.

usually the quality of the clothing is just too bad to wear. yes, the styling is usually very good, but who wants to pay $80-150 for a piece of clothing that looks like it's worth about $35? even if the colors are right on, and the silhouette looks decent on a hanger?

however, there are a couple collaborations coming up that i'm feeling semi-confident about....

jason wu for target looks pretty damned adorable, and since these dresses don't look TOO challenging for target to manufacture, i'm hoping that a couple of them will be winners:

(my favorite looks from the collection. you can see them all here.)

ok, at a second glance, that one on the top left looks like it could be a bit of a challenge to target's factories, but the other three look definitely do-able...

the other collaboration that on my anticipatory radar is marni for h&m....

so far, the photos make it hard to tell what to expect, but consuelo castiglioni is such an exciting and fun designer that i've really got my hopes up....

are these pants part of the collection!? i hope so.... i really don't see how h&m could screw those up!

do you think they'll try to do shoes? sigh.... that might wind up to break my heart, to see marni shoes done in polyurethane....

so, the wu is out in just a couple of weeks, and the marni collection in march....

my fingers are crossed that one or both are worth waiting for!

----------

later breaking update:

they ARE doing shoes! and they're LEATHER.

giant smiley emoticon here.

eucalyptus, walnut, oak, jasmin

yesterday, i told you about my fated visit to iko iko, in los angeles.

in addition to meeting kristin, i also had the pleasure of chatting with jasmin shokrian, another designer who happened to be in the store on that same day.

both of these ladies were so helpful to me, and really gave me a great overview on what is going on the world of fashion in l.a. 

jasmin had just returned to her southern california roots, after a number of years in chicago. she was setting up home and shop in her new town, just as i met her.

her spring 12 collection leads me to think that the move has been good....

 

i love the cool-girl look of her clothing. it's all totally wearable, but just interesting and cool enough to make each piece feel special....

i hope i get the chance to run into jasmin again!

hot stuff

since it's spring weather in nyc, why not enjoy this cute & funny gif from miu miu's spring show?

(click on the image above for the animation, courtesy of bip ling)

a little late on the nyfw tip.....

a little while back, i had the tremendous opportunity to do some freelance work for alexander wang.

i wanted to share with you the fruits of some of the work that i did there, in case you didn't happen to obsessively follow all of the press coverage of the runway shoes...

you can see all of the runway styles on style.com here.

but this is not the whole ss12 collection.... you'll have to wait a bit longer for those. and there are some goodies, for sure.

working with the team there, including alex himself was a treat. everyone there is talented and professional, and the design team are sweet and funny individuals.

i'm hoping that i'll have the chance to work with them again in the future!

i can't get down with this

i think a lot of you know that i'm a shoe designer, as my "day job".

i'll just mention it again now, as an excuse for why i have such strong feelings about footwear.

and here's my latest vent- sneakers with hidden wedges...

isabel marant has been doing these for a number of seasons, and they must be selling like hotcakes for her to still be doing new versions of them:

(however, i've only seen them on the street once.)

the fashion crowd seems to love the "leg lengthening" aspects of these shoes, which may or may not be real. however, i just can't stand the proportions of them. it's a bit hard to describe, but i having that wedge in there just changes the way that it seems like your foot is shaped inside.

it makes the foot look shorter (in length) and smaller than the actual size of the wearer's foot, and really exaggerates the top of the arch. it sort of almost reminds me of foot binding.

you can kind of see it in this photo:

obviously i'm in the minority of not liking these. as i've said, they've been embraced by fashion editors and bloggers the world over.

and now, marc jacobs has gotten into the act. he showed a few colors of these shoes for spring 12:

the proportions here are even worse. i hate the slight bump at the toe that remind me of the stride rite sneakers that i wore as a kid. these shoes really look like a brick at the bottom of the leg.

i really think it's a shame, because i love sneakers. and i love high-end sneakers even more. but i just can't get down with this trend.

what do y'all think? do you like them? it's ok if you think i'm crazy.....

wanna know which sneakers i'd buy if i were planning on dropping a few hundred dollars? (and which ones i recommend to you, dear reader, as an alternative to the cement shoes above?)

pierre hardy.

toujours: