fashion

Prada, the book, is a well edited collection of images that documents 30 years of the respected Italian fashion house. From stills taken from short films showcasing the craftsmanship of the factory, collages of the brand's most iconic and influential accessories, to runway photos, images - unfortunately thumbnails - of over 3,000 looks, store designs and a photo essay by renowned photographer Brigitte Lacombe - this book is complete eye candy for any fashion enthusiast. Price: $136. Or $80 at here.

We gave you the lowdown on the latest collection from Susan Woo this season. To mirror the stunning clothes, the models wore a perfect makeup palette embodying spring. Backstage, Tina Turnbow, lead makeup artist for Tarte has created the flawless look.

For an effortless, fresh face, achieve the look in three steps: a dewy complexion, kohl-rimmed eyes, and natural lips. After applying your tinted moisturizer, sweep cheeks with cheek stain Dollface. For the smoky-eye look that works all day long, line your eyes with a kohl liner, and smudge with empasEYES waterproof shadow/liner in charcoal to add depth at the lash line. Curl lashes and add several coats of mascara, then brush brows in an upward motion. Finish with a swipe of new LipSurgence, a natural mint-flavored lip stain.

We had the opportunity to sample the LipSurgence in "amused," a wonderfully bright fuschia shade. We can vouch that it adds just the right amount of color to your face without rubbing off on your wine glass.

While designers from Bryant Park to Chelsea defined our trends over the next season, we found a few cues of inspiration off the runway. Check out the easy looks here for ways on incorporating tomorrow's top New York Fashion Week looks into your wardrobe today.


BiCoastal Style

While the week was all about our dear New York, a few out-of-towners managed to get their collections in the limelight. We enjoyed the new SuperTrash collection, which premiered at Landmarc, Columbus Circle, from Creative Director Olcay Gulsen, whose sleek silhouettes are entirely wearable on both coasts. SuperTrash fans range from Victoria Beckham to Rachel Bilson, and are remarkable for their refined style and high quality materials. "I started SuperTrash in 2004," Gulsen told Luxist. "And it was for this whole new generation of girls who were strong and independent and starting their careers and being who they were and not being ashamed of it." To get an easy idea of the look, the Supertrash woman is someone who pairs rich, textured leggings with a divine wool jacket. "That is the complete lifestyle of SuperTrash," said Gulsen. "Just travel all around the world, have a great time, and be proud."

Having the favor of Michelle Obama has been a golden ticket for some designers like Jason Wu but even the power of the First Lady and the all-powerful Oprah hasn't been enough to keep Chicago-based designer Maria Pinto in business. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the designer, who kept Mrs. Obama in ladylike sheath dresses and elegant evening wear during much of the 2008 election campaign, has closed her Chicago boutique and is expected to seek bankruptcy protection this week.

Like many smaller designers, Pinto found herself vulnerable to the recession which had many of her clients buying less clothing or switching to less expensive options. Her line appeared in luxury department stores which have also been having hard times, scaling back both the range of goods they purchase and the amounts. Maria Pinto remains optimistic that she will be able to regroup and that her namesake brand will not disappear permanently but is just taking a break to retool.

[via Stylelist]

Last night Milk Studios was packed to the brim with painfully stylish downtowners eager to get a glimpse at the Band of Outsiders 2010 presentation. Scott Sternberg's latest production did not disappoint.

An avalanche of dinner party chairs set the scene upon entering the room. Models leaned on the furniture, each other, alternately chatting and posing for photos amidst a Pink Floyd soundtrack. They played with Swarovski encrusted walkie talkies and typewriter props. From the Boy line, one model was the center of attention wearing a black and gold silk habotai v-neck outfit, complete with cordovan saddle oxfords lined with stark metal cleats. A man hanging from a ceiling swing wore tightly knitted black and white melange wool blend sweatpants, a comfortable look that was anything but casual. Anna Wintour and daughter, with no front row seat to occupy, settled for a private tour of the clothes.

Continuing on to the center of the room, the collection took to the outdoors showcasing looks for a day on the waters or on the slopes. A tree-lined office showcased more of Sternberg's impeccably dressed suits, another collection from the L.A. designer that is redefining the meaning of tailored for both men and women. Sleek vertical lines conquered the room, whether on a perfectly buttoned up Boy hunter green flannel shirt, or a slim-fitting Band gold and navy gingham check shirt covered with a navy pinstripe worsted wool suit.

A vintage Jaguar and piles of suitcases ended the presentation with a line of ready-to-wear ensembles perfect for travel. With fitted vests and effortless trenchcoats, Sternberg's collection gives us no excuse for dressing down on a trip. We bumped into Bored to Death star and the face of the Band of Outsiders fall campaign, Jason Schwartzman, who was eyeing a hooded toggle coat. "It was my honor," Schwartman told us of the collaboration. "I love what Scott does. Finally, something that fits me."

Nothing about Noko Jeans has been simple. You have to expect this, of course, when you're using labor in North Korea to manufacture a product for sale in the west. Of course, the Noko guys seemed to have an edge over the rest of the western world, since they're from Sweden, the only country in Europe that has diplomatic relations with the reclusive regime. In fact, Sweden represents the United States in Pyongyang, too.

Well, it didn't work all that smoothly. The fashion company was booted from Swedish retailer PUB. Then, it had to close its "museum" (i.e., boutique) in Stockholm. It looked like the company would only be able to live on in the virtual world, as an online retailer.

Thanks to the Danes, however, the situation has changed, even if only temporarily. Until Sunday (February 14, 2010), Noko Jeans will be at the Gallery International Fashion Fair in Copenhagen, Denmark, showcasing the Kara Slim Fit and Oke Loose Fit jeans. The company's also offering "some interesting sneak peeks of the future of Noko Jeans," it said in a statement.

The Noko "road show" was inspired by the response the company has received following its recent travails. In a statement, founders Jacob Åström, Jakob Ohlsson and Tor Rauden Källstigen said, "There's only so many e-mails and phone calls we can respond to, so we decided to take Noko Jeans on the road. The first stop, at Gallery during the fashion week in Copenhagen, felt very natural as it is very close and very awesome."

And, the hunt for space isn't over yet. The founders say, "Our hopes and ambitions with Gallery is to find new and great places where our story can be told, both in Scandinavia and the rest of the world."

In just a handful of years, Tory Burch has gone from a a single store in Manhattan to a global empire. Businessweek has a profile of Burch that says that the designer, who now has 25 locations, is planning another additional 100 namesake stores worldwide in the next three to five years. She is also working on creating a cosmetic and fragrance line.

What makes Burch's line so popular especially at a time in which the mid-range luxury market to which Burch's line is targeted has seen consumpion plummet? Part of it is that Burch's line is highly versatile and wearable, including pieces that are comfort-friendly and yet fashionable like her Reva ballet flats and her embellished tunic tops which hit a chord with Oprah. Part of it is Burch herself who at 43 represents the type of woman that her customers identify with, it doesn't hurt that she is a beautiful working single mom. She spent years working in marketing and public relations with Ralph Lauren and Vera Wang which also helped her learn what this type of customer desires.

As the economy lumbers back to life and shoppers began to return to the stores, Burch is primed for big success. There are some concerns that the Tory Burch line is expanding too rapidly but Burch happens to have a sound business partner in her ex-husband Chris Burch who is quoted as saying that they are conscious of not getting ahead of themselves.

After years and years of crazy tights designs, some fabulous, some hideous, and some just plain weird, someone has finally reinvented the art of legwear: Les Queues Des Sardines.

These French tights go beyond "quirky" (crazy colors and strange designs are so last season) and bring a beautiful fresh perspective to legs. The art on these tights is statement making and memorable, and unmistakably chic in a gothic meets Harajuku way. From elegantly-drawn cartoon mouths below the knees to sewn-up wounds, you've never seen tights like these.

The only English-speaking stores stocking these innovative narrative tights are Fortnum and Mason in London and Art Therapi in Balmain, Australia. Get out your credit card with the lowest foreign transaction fee and order yourself a pair (or five) of Les Queues Des Sardines from UpFactory.com, SuicidalShop.fr or Greenky.fr. Everyone will be dying to know where you got them.

Check out some of our favorite designs from Spring/Summer 09 and Autumn/Winter 09/10 below.

The NoKo Jeans Museum is now closed.

Well, it's not really a museum – that's just what the company called its space at Vartoftagatan 47 in Stockholm ... but that's irrelevant. NoKo Jeans is now closed for good. For NoKo Jeans, just coming into existence was difficult, and the company never really got the traction it needed. It's relationship with Swedish department store PUB ended swiftly and badly, and now it's closed its other location.

The reason for all the difficulty is that NoKo Jeans are made exactly where you'd guess: North Korea. Sweden is one of the few western countries the only western country that maintains diplomatic relations with the isolated state, which made it easier for a Swedish country to get the venture off the ground.

If you still want a pair of the People's Jeans (as I do), you can still order them online. The museum may be gone, but you still can show your solidarity with the workers of the world.

This is Our Factory from Noko Jeans on Vimeo.

We've covered luxury tights from Wolford before but their new fringe tights are causing a spendy sensation. The 100 denier tights feature five rows of long fringe cascading down over the calf to create a swinging effect when you stride down the street. The tights aren't cheap. Tights Please in the UK has them for £199. Here in the U.S. you'll pay $425 a pair at Neiman Marcus. Even on eBay the tights, which are only being made in limited batches, are being sold for several hundred dollars.

The most beautiful, intricate, and valuable lace is always handmade, created with painstaking care and based on the methods started by women centuries ago. With its beginnings traced back to the darning of tattered fabric hems, lacemaking really gained traction in Europe in the 1500s when weaving it out of cotton, silk, or flax became a prestigious and sought-after skill of high class women as they strove to make themselves and their outfits more beautiful and extravagant. Depending on the method used (by hand, with needles, or by some other variation of technique) it was not uncommon for a single inch of lace to take a skilled woman 2 hours to complete. No wonder it was so expensive!

Today lace is available in every size, color, and pattern imaginable (as demonstrated in our gallery below) but I still love the set of old, yellowing doilies my grandmother gave me the most.

Despite (or maybe in spite of) being slammed in the fall for her Ungaro fashion collection, sometime actress and more often tabloid fodder Lindsay Lohan plans to get it together in 2010 and keep on designing. WWD reported that Lohan is set to expand her leggings label, 6126, to a full-fledged contemporary apparel line for fall 2010, with more lifestyle brand extensions planned for 2011. This will be in addition to her role as artistic adviser at Ungaro.

Kristi Kaylor, principal in 6126 LLC in Beverly Hills, and Henri Levy, chief executive officer of Los Angeles' DNAM Apparel, which will manufacture the line under license, spoke exclusively to WWD about the expansion: "We've had amazing success with the leggings line," said Kaylor. "We have a great business with Neiman Marcus and several hundred great specialty stores. [DNAM Apparel] was the perfect partner to work with 6126 and grow it as a lifestyle brand. We're launching the full clothing collection next year, and a cosmetics line, handbags, shoes, jewelry in spring 2011."

The fall 2010 apparel line will comprise 100 pieces (spring 2011 will be 150) wholesaling from $18 for basic leggings to $300 for a leather jacket. Average retail price points will fall between $100 and $150. The 6126 leggings currently retail from $68 to $120. Fabrics will include the same Modal and lace used in the leggings, plus cashmere and leather.

The line will retail where the leggings currently sell: Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom and specialty stores nationwide, plus Harrods, Lane Crawford, Kitson Japan and Isetan internationally.

This has been a wonderful year for fashion. From the emergence of fanciful fashion-rebel Lady Gaga to the arms of Michelle Obama, we've had inspiring influences right and left. At a time when most designers were playing it recession-friendly (aka safe), trends and personalities stood out more than ever. Here are Luxist's Top Ten Fashion Statements of 2009.

1. Michelle Obama's inauguration outfit (pictured, by Isabel Toledo)
2. Lady Gaga in general
3. Susan Boyle's many makeovers

Click through the gallery for pics of the whole list!

The latest luxury fashion line to hit trouble is Burani. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Italian brand is trying to reorganize and has put a holding company that controls a minority stake of Mariella Burani Fashion Group under liquidation. The founder, Walter Burani, says the company will not file for bankruptcy protection and is not facing liquidation.

The brand, which sells high-end women's fashion failed to reach an agreement with banks over a nearly 500 million euro debt earlier this month. This move has led to talk that Burani may be unable to pay off its debts. High-end fashion has taken a lot of hits over 2009 and Burani has been struggling for a while. Back in August Mariella Burani Fashion Group reported a group net loss of 142.1 million euros ($204 million) versus a net income of 4 million euros last year, including significant asset writedowns and accruals. Revenues fell to 246.1 million euros compared to 325.4 million euros last year.

Bloomberg reports that Walter Burani is in talks with Gulf Finance & Investment over setting up a a potential 50 million euro escrow account in order to prove to creditors that it has enough money for a planned capital increase as part of the debt reorganization

The other day my colleague Annie Scott highlighted Versace's bizarre new skirt. Can anything top it in the oddball department? How about the "Gizmo" skirt by Brian Lichtenberg. The skirt is done in grey tweed with 'ear-pockets' and swarovski crystal eyes in the shape of the Gizmo gremlin from the classic 1984 movie "Gremlins." This piece of fashionable nostalgia will run you $2,100.