>> Brian Atwood has kept his new contemporary line B Brian Atwood mostly under wraps, until now. The collection has hit Saks.com on pre-order, with placement in stores following Aug. 25.
A look at the full offering of pumps and boots — which ranges $275 for ballet flats to $995 for leopard print knee-high boots — plus, a peek at the collection's ad campaign, inspired by the 1981 film Body Heat, in the slideshow.
>> “[My new line] is strong and confident with kind of a bohemian statement,” said Brian Atwood, when describing his new lower-priced B by Brian Atwood line, set to be unveiled tomorrow evening. “[The customer is] a bit worldly and loves shoes with a playful attitude but that are always feminine and sexy.” He continues: “I would definitely say there’s three kinds of aesthetics melted together: Upper East Side poshness, mixed with downtown cool, along with a Parisian sophistication."
The complete collection will feature 35 to 45 styles, ranging from $100 for sandals to $650 for boots, and will be available beginning in mid-August. Atwood also hinted at the possibility of adding jewelry and handbags to the line for Spring 2012. “We’ve spoken about jewelry, handbags, ready-to-wear, but we won’t do that until we do it with the main line,” said Atwood. “We started in shoes and it’s been a great experience so far.” Peep the slideshow to see select pieces from the collection, including a gorgeous pair of forest green fringed booties, along with closeup shots.
>> When Brian Atwood announced last month that he is rolling out a contemporary line, B Brian Atwood, next season, he also hinted that ready-to-wear for his high-end Brian Atwood line could premiere as early as next year. In a new interview with WWD, Atwood reveals that he's also eyeing handbags, men's shoes, jewelry and sunglasses for his signature collection:
"Ready-to-wear is very high on the list. I'm all about the glamour and the sexy part of dressing women. It would have some gorgeous dresses and maybe a fur and great leather jackets, things that women wear and love to be dressed in. And I would like to get into handbags, jewelry and sunglasses. If it fits and makes sense to the brand, then we should be open to doing it . . . I've even played around with doing a men's collection, but men aren't like women, so it's a little more complicated, but so much fun. If I get really excited about something, I want to do it . . . I'd want to [launch new categories] with the core collection first, so [if we're going to do additional categories with B Brian Atwood within three years], we have got to move on this."
Atwood, who started out at Versace and then designed for Bally until last year, also mentioned that he doesn't plan to design for another fashion house again: "No. It's now about building [Brian Atwood]."
>> Brian Atwood has just inked a deal with Jones Apparel Group to create a new contemporary clothing and accessories line, B Brian Atwood, set to launch for Fall 2011. The footwear guru — who was reportedly asked to leave his role as creative director for Bally earlier this year — describes his upcoming clothing line (and ready-to-wear for his high-end Brian Atwood line, possibly premiering in around a year) as, “a little more sexed up than you would see at Bally.”
B Brian Atwood footwear will roll out first in Fall 2011 — with prices ranging from $200 to $500 — and a focus more on flats and mid-heel heights instead of the sky-high heels that typically populate Atwood's signature line. Jewelry and handbags will launch the year after, with clothing and sunglasses coming in the following seasons after that.
