>> Target Lines Up Jean Paul Gaultier —Confirming rumors that have been circulating for the past month, Jean Paul Gaultier has signed on for the next installment of Target's Designer Collaborations, following in the footsteps of Alexander McQueen and Anna Sui. His collection, set to be available March 7 through April 11, "pays tribute to the American woman, celebrating the forces of style both past and present in American pop culture," according to Target. [WWD]
In Production
Olsens Have The Row Eyewear in the Works
>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen continue to pick up speed on their no-Olsen-name-attached luxury line, The Row. Next Spring, they're launching four distinct eyewear silhouettes in collaboration with Linda Farrow; no footwear or handbags yet — they have their "hands full" already, they told WWD.
The styles, priced from $325-$390, include aviators, vintage-inspired shades with brow-line rims, oversized square-framed sunnies, and one sixties-style round pair — similar to the shape Mary-Kate often favors. "We’re testing the market first and obviously these are four very different silhouettes, so we’re seeing what people are responding to and we’ll open up a couple more silhouettes for fall,” Ashley said. “We tried to find certain pieces that look good on more than one face, to pay close attention to how they fit certain faces and make them wearable at the same time.”
>> The Row to Do Jeans for Spring 2010 —Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen held their Spring 2010 showroom presentation for The Row today, and Who What Wear's Katherine Power Tweets: "such great jackets and for the first time, jeans! They look like vintage levis, so good." O magazine's Adam Glassman snapped a picture of a mint green cardigan from the collection. [Katherine Power Twitter, Adam Glassman Twitter]
>> Balmain To Do Sunglasses with Oliver Peoples, Plus a First Look at the Spring 2010 Shoes —Balmain is debuting sunglasses in collaboration with Oliver Peoples on its Spring 2010 runway, according to the latter company's Twitter. For a clue as to what Christophe Decarnin has in mind for the season, check out the preview of Balmain's Spring 2010 shoes, as posted by Bazaar's Mary Alice Stephenson — gladiators with navajo-style beading. [Oliver Peoples Twitter, Mary Alice Style Twitter]
>> Jason Wu, Daisy Lowe Collaborate on Jewelry with Swarovski —Every season, Swarovski sponsors a handful of shows, and they're currently exhibiting some of the crystal-encrusted designs by Rodarte, Jason Wu, Julian Louie, threeASFOUR, Jeremy Laing, and Costello Tagliapietra at the New York store on 499 Broadway. This season, Wu is unveiling his jewelry for Atelier Swarovski (peek at left), based on the "concept of sculpting with everyday objects, so I'm using fabric and crystals and making sculptures in that spirit." And Daisy Lowe is also working on a 4-piece line (a necklace, bracelet, ring, and a set of earrings), which comes out in January: "They're kind of magical in a dark romantic way. I've incorporated black and white, star and moon crystals and multiple strands of chains." [Style.com, W Editor's Blog]
>> First Look: Alexander Wang Sunglasses —We heard last week that Alexander Wang is adding sunglasses to the mix for Spring 2010 — they'll debut during his runway — and now we've got a peek. He's collaborating with Linda Farrow on the line, which includes "zipper hardware, catlike shapes, and bronzed resin frames." [Nylon]
UPDATE: The picture has been taken down at the request of Linda Farrow's PR, because it did not accurately "reflect Alex’s glasses’ spirit."
Donatella Versace Relaunching Versus Ready-to-Wear In Time for Milan Fashion Week
>> Versus, the young Versace line originally launched in 1989 and designed by Donatella Versace under her brother Gianni's supervision before it was discontinued in 2005, is being revived — no surprises here, considering that Donatella said in March of the line: "It was the first collection that my brother Gianni let me work on, on my own, so it's very precious to me."
She asked Christopher Kane to produce a capsule collection of crystal-studded Versus shoes and bags, which was rolled out in February, and for Spring 2010, the brand is on track for a full-fledged "dynamic presentation" of Versus ready-to-wear during Milan Fashion Week, according to a spokeswoman.
The line, which targets "Young Hollywood," or women between 20 and 30, is currently being sold in the new Versus showroom in Milan. “It’s very rock ’n’ roll and sexy,” Donatella Versace told WWD. “The collection reflects Versus’ DNA and is aimed at young people who want to dress with their own style but like to evolve and break new ground.”
Kate Moss Missed Opportunity on Gossip Girl, About to Launch Eleventh Collection for Topshop
>> Kate Moss was supposed to be on Gossip Girl last season, Blake Lively told The Cut, "but it ended up not working out." That missed chance aside, Kate's collaboration with Topshop is still working out — her 11th collection comes out Aug. 31, and focuses on the grunge look, according to Kate: “This season’s grunge is all about being creative about how you put your look together, and not necessarily spending a fortune. It’s about being a little bit surprising and very creative. I love the glamour of adding some vintage to my look, and have done for years, as it keeps things original."
One of her favorite pieces from the collection, captured by Josh Olins below, is a black leather pencil skirt, she told the Times UK: “The shape is really lady, but the leather gives it a real grungy, cool, rock’n’roll feel, especially if you wear it with shredded tights and lived-in leather army boots."
More Promotional Photos of Isabeli Fontana in Jil Sander's +J Line for Uniqlo
>> Uniqlo has just set up a website for Jil Sander's +J line, with a list of individual price points and a few more of those David Sims-lensed promotional photos featuring Isabeli Fontana than we've seen before. There have been plenty of photos of the line — which runs $19.50-$149.50 and is out Oct. 1 — lying flat, but it's always nice to see how they lay on the body. The site also features the mantra: "Open the future / Luxury will be simplicity. / Purity in design, beauty, and comfort for all. / Quality for the people. / Basics are the common language. / The future is here: +J."
Solve Sundsbo, Surface to Air Pair for Graphic Collaboration
>> Vivid, graphic images are taking over: Christopher Kane searched the UK Ministry of Defense's website for the nuclear test images that showed up on his Resort 2010 dresses, and now Paris-based creative studio and clothing label Surface to Air has paired with photographer Solve Sundsbo to translate three of his works onto a limited-edition set of a printed silk dress, printed silk top, and printed bag ($200) for each. “We were looking for images that could create surprising pieces,” Aldric Speer, Surface to Air’s brand designer, told the New York Times. The collection will be available next month from Art + Commerce, Surface to Air, and Barneys New York.






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