VISIT THE BRAND NEW STYLECHILE AT WWW.STYLECHILE.COM!

Dear Readers—As some of you know, I've been radio silent for the past year because I was working with a team of talented designers to launch a new web home for StyleChile. Please visit StyleChile 3.0 at www.stylechile.com for fresh content, including lifestyle oriented topics such as decor, beauty, travel, food, intoxicants, emerging designers, fashion law, entertainment and fun extras. You'll notice that the new StyleChile includes a shop section where you'll be able to shop curated items that are featured in a StyleChile article.

Additionally, the new StyleChile has contributors—nine of them! Check them out here. I'm hopeful that the perspectives of the contributors, new aesthetic and improved functionality, including easy access to social media, will improve your experience. Please note that this blogspot, the second version of StyleChile, will remain live but will no longer be updated. Subscribe to the new site (which resides on the same webpage as the original StyleChile, est. circa 2001) to receive e-mail updates, by clicking here. Check out this article for additional background on this transition. Many thanks to you for your continued support over the years. Our contributors and I look forward to delivering fresh content to you on our new site! xoxo

BEYONCE + H&M

 "I've always liked H&M's focus on fun affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements - fire, water, earth and wind…" - Beyoncé Photo by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

It looks like the rumor and speculation regarding Beyoncé’s collaboration with H&M is true! The singer will appear as the face of the Swedish retailer this Summer and, like Madonna before her, gave H&M "personal input on the pieces seen in the campaign"—so sayeth an H&M rep. This begs the question, is Beyoncé, like Madonna before her, and like her counterparts Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Victoria Beckham, et al, prepping for the launch of her own line of clothing? *  

Click read more below for the rest of the story!

TIBI'S VALENTINE'S DAY CAPSULE COLLECTION

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How're you celebrating Valentine's Day, loves? Indulge in retail therapy Celebrate love today and everyday in one of Tibi's signature tops, emblazoned with an unmistakable reference to love and affection.

"Valentine's Day is about celebrating love, and it doesn't necessarily have to be about a boyfriend or a girlfriend . . . it's your family, it's your friend, it's your dog. The whole world goes so fast; if these holidays can make you slow down and think about things, it's not a bad thing." - Amy Smilovic, Tibi founder.

The collection is available online here. Prices range from $90 and $265. The limited edition capsule collection even includes stationery at $14 for a set of five. Click read more below to see additional pieces from Tibi's Valentine's Day capsule collection. Click on the labels below for vintage Valentine's Day posts!

BEYONCE'S SUPERBOWL OUTFIT BY RUBIN SINGER {VIDEO}

Beyoncé and Michelle both rocked Rubin Singer, while Kelly Rowland wore a custom Emilio Pucci bodysuit.

Loved Beyoncé's Super Bowl costume? I couldn't get enough of the ensemble and thought the strong and feminine piece was the perfect compliment to her strong and unapologetically sexy performance.  The provocative iguana and python one-piece was created by Rubin Singer, the scion of a fashion designing family, who cut his teeth working for Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass and Kai Milla, among others. Bey's outfit was inspired by Norse mythology, specifically the Valkyries, 1970's Helmut Newton and early 1990's Versace, and if you thought that was a mouthful, throw in a bit of late 1930's Germany.  Meet the man behind the legendary outfit below.

Click the "read more" link below for video of Beyonce's halftime performance. Photo Credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

2013 VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT GUIDE

1 - Ladurée macarons, order some from their New York shop; 2 - St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, $29.99 on Amazon; 3 - Fleur of England Love boudoir bra by Journelle, on sale for $54; 4 - Yves Saint Laurent Babydoll, £65.00 at Harrod's; 6 - Fashion and Art Collusion: Britain Creates book and poster boxset, $55 on net-a-porter; 7 - Fleur of England Love bow brief by Journelle, on sale for $54; 5 - Bom Bom Jewelry gold confetti garnet & amethyst ring, $205; 8 - Kate Spade Mine & Yours highball set, $50.00 at Macy's; 9 - Diptyque's limited edition Amber Oud mini candle, $32.00 on Beauty Habit

I love love and all things romantic, so it's no surprise that I love the idea of Valentine's day. Whether you're single or attached, it's an opportunity to show yourself, and the ones you love, that you care. Obviously, material items are not necessary to do so, but the occasion presents the perfect excuse to treat yourself, and/or your love, to something nice. Guys, above are a few gifts that are perfect for the fashionable woman in your life. Girls, go on and treat yourself to something nice!

HAPPY NEW YEAR + ALIYA LEEKONG INTERVIEW

2012 was quite the year, wasn't it? How was it for you? I'm excited to start 2013 and am especially excited to build on the foundation that I've laid over the past six (really 12) years by expanding the StyleChile brand! I have a feeling that great things await us in 2013, lots of wonderful opportunities are in store. I'd love to learn about your goals for 2013. I'm a firm believer in speaking things into being, so feel free to share your aspirations for the new year in the comments section.

 

I can think of no better way to kick off 2013 than by sharing one of my inspirations, Aliya LeeKong, with you, in the hopes that the success she has attained in the pursuit of her passion will be encouragement for you to follow your dreams. Check out the video below for a conversation between yours truly and the culinary creative director of the Michelin starred Junoon—who also happens to be my good friend, compadre, road dog and fellow food lover—who can appreciate the finest of the fine in dining, to the local street corner fried chicken spot, to street food from far flung countries across the globe, and everything in between. What inspires you? Follow me on Pinterest to see visual representations of my inspirations!

 

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." - Rumi

Filmed by producer and artistic director extraordinaire, Tanji Gilliam, of Oil House Productions, this interview took place back in July, in advance of Aliya's August 2012 Vogue India debut. I think it's hilarious that Aliya flips the script and starts to interview me. Her questions elicited thoughts on my long-held desire to do what I love! Click read more below to see an excerpt of the Vogue India article featuring Aliya and to see more of Tanji's work: a music video for recording artist Nyticka Hemingway, the internal scenes of which were filmed in my apartment! Be sure to check out Oil House Productions, and consider them for documenting your most significant occasions, like I do.

 

Enjoy & Happy New Year!!!

MANUEL CANOVAS: FABRIC + WALLPAPER

I've long aspired to be an interior decorator, and would like to share this post with you, because fashionistas like yourselves, if anything like me, are sure to have an appreciation for design that extends beyond apparel—and into the home. I love wallpaper, and am a big fan of de Gournay, but have recently become acquainted with Manuel Canovas while perusing wallpaper online. Founded in 1963, Manuel Canovas' eponymous company creates decorative wall coverings and fabrics that evinces the founder's love of botany and his long-held passion for drawing and color. Although the French fabric house was purchased by Colefax & Fowler in 1998*, the design aesthetic is still rooted in the artistic principles and tradition of its founder, and is known for its effusive use of color in its collections. Used primarily for upholstery and wallpaper, the woven, dyed and printed fabrics have come to be associated with excellence of design and luxury.

 

* Manuel Canovas shares the plight of another well known French designer: Hervé Léger, who like Canovas, lost the rights to his name and control of his company in 1998. The Hervé Léger brand is now owned by BCBG Max Azria and Monsieur Léger designs and sells dresses under the name Hervé L. Leroux. Similarly, Monsieur Canovas now designs luxurious fabric under another name, his wife's maiden name: Lorca.

EMERALD GREEN: PANTONE'S 2013 COLOR OF THE YEAR

1- Willy Daro malachite and bronze lamp, 1stdibs.com; 2- Emerald cut cocktail ring, made of green onyx, $128; 3 - BCBG pave stone earrings at BCBG, $58.00; 4- Elie Saab's Spring 2012 Ready-To -Wear; 5- Brazilian green agate coasters, $68 from Rain Collection; 6- 14.35 carat emerald engagement ring flanked by 3.95 carat triangular shaped diamonds, $85,000 at Sotheby's;  7 - 1950s arm chair from 1stdibs.com; 8- Gold and malachite Rolex, 1stdibs.com; 9 - Catherine Malandrino stretch silk-blend jumpsuit available at net-a-porter, $395
It ain't easy being green. . . actually, it wont be hard for you to incorporate 2013's color of the year—the most abundant hue in nature—into your wardrobe and home. The Pantone Color Institute,  a world-renowned authority on color, has released the result of its annual poll of designers and brands secret  meeting of international color standard groups, forecasting that one of my favorite colors, emerald green (Pantone color 17-5641*), will be having a moment next year. I've been recommending malachite accents to friends and family for their homes and almost wore this stunner to my birthday celebration last week (but decided that wearing sequins three years in a row would be doing way too much). I do wear these BCBG earrings often though! This color has positive psychological connotations as well. According to Leatrice Eiseman, Excecutive Director of Pantone, emerald green is "the color of growth, renewal and prosperity — no other color conveys regeneration more than green. For centuries, many countries have chosen green to represent healing and unity." Here's to rebirth, revitalization, well-being and looking fab in 2013!

* Pantone believes that these colors are their intellectual property and cannot be used freely by others. But that belief is not supported by trademark law. Query how Pantone's position would play out in the courts following the recent decision in Louboutin v. Yves Saint Laurent, a case in which Christian Louboutin, he of the red bottom fame, challenged Yves Saint Laurent's use of the color red on soles of certain shoes. While a 2011 ruling by a Southern District Court found that the law does not support Louboutin, disallowing "recognition of a trademark for the use of a single color for fashion items", the Second Circuit Court of Appeals conferred limited trademark protection to Louboutin in "only those situations where the red lacquered outsoles contrasts in color with the adjourning 'upper' of the shoe".

NEIMAN MARCUS + TARGET + CFDA

Every so often, a legendary partnership blooms, delighting the masses with the sheer awesomeness of their union. Not since Bonnie & Clyde, Aol Time Warner and Spam & Rice, to living legends Bey & Jay, Exxon Mobil and Mac & Cheese, have we seen a coupling quite like this one.* Behold the alliance of Target and Neiman Marcus! That’s right, Christmas came early. Thanks to the CFDA (or the Council of Fashion Designers of America for the uninitiated) for achieving its milestone 50th anniversary so that we can all celebrate in this fashion (pun intended). Check out my favorite picks from this collection in the photo below. Share your favorites in the comments section!

1. Eddie Borgo Accent Box 2. Thom Browne's Women's Blazer 3. Altuzarra Double Old Fashioned Glasses 4. Philip Crangi Frame 5. Marc Jacobs Pouches 6. A to-die-for Prabal Gurung Cape 7. Eddie Borgo Letter Opener 8. Altuzarra Tray 9. Brian Atwood Gloves 10. Tracy Reese Dessert Plates

The limited edition collection becomes available tomorrow, December 1, just in time for Holiday shopping! From the looks of it, and the price points confirm that, there’s literally something for everyone and their pets. The partnership will feature more than 50 gifts, including cookie cutters, yoga mats, blazers, skateboards, dresses and dinnerware, starting at $7.99 and capping off at $499.99. The 50 gifts were produced by 24 CFDA designers.

* This statement is not quite accurate, as we just experienced Margiela for H&M a couple of weeks ago . . . but, what’s a good blog post without some hyperbole? 

Click "read more" below to see additional pictures and the list of designers. Head over to Target or Neiman Marcus for more information on, including additional pictures of, this historic collaboration!

DVF SAMPLE SALE!

Fabric from Diane von Furstenberg's Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

It's  that time of year again! The DVF Sample Sale is upon us. Beginning December 10th, you can enjoy up to 70% off Diane von Furstenberg's signature clothing. Click "read more" below to learn how you can access the sale. You can thank me later!

DURO OLOWU + J.C. PENNEY

"I've always tried to give women a sense of inner beauty with joy, and now it's just the right time to make that more democratic. When I was thinking about this collection, I wanted to give American classic shapes and ideas a global flair."- Duro Olowu

We know that J.C. Penney is not doing well, posting a $55 million net loss during the first quarter of 2012. But, the retailer is hitting back, tying its survival to a reinvention strategy announced this past January. Chief among it is J.C. Penney's strategic approach to wooing a highly desired demographic: the fashionable young consumer. According to dailyfinance.com, stores will be reorganized into specialty shops; high end designer collaborations with the likes of Duro Olowu,  Marchesa, Tourneau and Cynthia Rowley; and leadership by CEO Ron Johnson--who brought Apple to retail stores and is responsible for Target's strategic partnerships with fashion forward designers--are expected to turn the struggling retailer around. After digesting some competitive analysis, J.C. Penney is (finally) diving head first into the world of mass-retailer-and-hot-designer collaborations and is starting off by pairing with Nigerian-by-way-of-London designer Duro Olowu. Olowu, a former a laywer, is known as the designer responsible for bold, brash, painterly prints, a mix master of sorts, who is also the 2005 British Fashion Awards' Designer of the Year and a favorite of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Click "read more" below for additional pictures and more on Duro Olowu's capsule collection for J.C. Penney. Click the label below for vintage Style Collaborations posts!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Roost's Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Cinnamon Butter Glaze

Happy Thanksgiving, Fashionistas! Today is a day to give thanks for all that we hold dear. Whether you express your gratitude by feasting with friends and family or volunteering to feed the needy, the common thread of this holiday is food. See below for a round up of fabulous Thanksgiving recipes from some of my favorite food and drink blogs. Happy eating!

SPERRY TOP-SIDER® + J. CREW

   Sperry Top-Sider® for J.Crew short Shearwater boots, $138 at J. Crew online.

Invented in the ‘30s, becoming popular in the ‘70s and ‘80s, on the decline since the ‘90s, Sperry Top-Siders® are making quite the comeback in 2012. Enjoying a resurgence that began in the late 2000s--due in large part to better marketing, celebrity endorsements and strategic partnerships with fashion forward brands like Band of Outsiders, Milly, J. Crew and the Japanese brand A Bathing Ape--the quintessential preppy shoe has been updated in a myriad ways (with varying colorways and fabrics including sequins and prints) and serves as the inspiration for many a brand.* If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the Sperry brand should take comfort in its resurrection, knowing that its legacy is firmly established and living on through collaborations like the one from J. Crew. Get your Sperry Top-Sider for J.Crew short shearling boots, depicted above, for $138 here. Click here to see additional footwear from the Sperry Top-Sider® for J.Crew collection!

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* Recently, I spotted this Sperry boat shoe display in a local Macy’s and, a few minutes later, came across these boat shoes--highly reminiscent of the iconic Sperry boat shoe--in Steve Madden.

ONE KINGS LANE + DESIGNER GIFT WRAP FOR CHARITY

Just in time for the holidays! One Kings Lane and seven forward thinking influencers in the world of fashion, interior design and food (my three favorite things, not necessarily in that order) will give you an opportunity to be fabulous while being altruistic. Log on to One Kings Lane beginning next Wednesday, November 14, to access gift wrap designed by Rachel Roy, Rachel Zoe, Lela Rose, interior designer Charlotte Moss, Alice + Olivia’s Stacey Bendet, Simon Doonan and food critic, Katie Lee.

   

Proceeds of the sale will benefit OphanAid Africa, Save the Children, Edible Schoolyard, the Bone MarrowFoundation, Girls Who Code, Lower East Side Girls Club, and Feeding America, respectively. If you've been living under a rock you don't already know, OneKings Lane is a member's only website that offers time-limited sales of furniture, home decor accessories, gifts, vintage items and then some--every single day. Joining One Kings Lane is easy, use this link: https://www.onekingslane.com/invite/NakiaThomas to sign up. You can thank me later. Happy Holiday shopping to you and yours!

STEELITE GIVEAWAY WINNER

Congratulations to Lisa Brown-Hall, the winner of StyleChile's latest giveaway: six crystal wineglasses from Rona, a century-old manufacturer of crystal stemware. Thanks to Lisa and the many others who participated by liking my Facebook page! Thanks to Steelite International America

for the glasses!

H&M CELEBRATES MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA COLLABORATION {VIDEO}

 Photo courtesy of H&M 

Last night H&M celebrated it's collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela at historic 5 Beekman in NYC's storied financial district. The star studded art and dance event was attended by celebrities such as Kanye West, Julianne Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mena Suvari, Helena Christenson, Slema Blair, Alan Cumming and Chase Crawford. The dance was choreographed by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and the art installation were curated specifically for the event. I'm not sure how I'm going to cope without those plexiglass wedges in my life. . . Plotting on how I can get a pair on November 15th.  Click the "read more" link below for a video of the red carpet and the theatrical presentation of the collection. Thanks to Emily at Paul Wilmot Communications for the photos and video! Click on the label below for vintage H&M and Style Collaborations posts!

LADY DIOR WEB DOCUMENTARY + MARION COTILLARD

The venerable French fashion house of Christian Dior recently released the third installment in its seven series web documentary featuring French oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard. (I love a good run on sentence.) Episode 2, entitled Up and Up, my favorite thus far, is featured directly below.

Episode 3 features Marion wearing Dior designs from the 1940s and 1950s. She undergoes a metamorphosis, transforming from various Dior muses of times past. You'll learn design details of Dior's iconic Bar Suit, the forebear to today's peplum craze (e.g., the suit is cut to fall 40cm above the ground) and all about the Dior Bombshells. Episode 1 gives viewers a peek behind the scenes as artisans design, cut, fit and sew and Cotillard oversees in the Dior workshop.

Click on "read more" below to view Episode 1: Fantasia and Episode 3: Metamorphose. Watch this space for the next in the series.

ARLENIS SOSA + H&M

My love affair with H&M continues. Please indulge me while I share these fab photos of Arlenis Sosa modeling a selection of the retailer's Fall outfits and accessories. I came across these as I was conducting research for my latest project--more to come on that! These photos were featured in H&M's Fall 2012 trend update, photographed by Peter Gehrke, with art direction provided by Mikael Kangas. Designed with the working woman in mind, this sophisticated collection includes many of this season's trends: peplum is prominent, oxblood makes an appearance in the ruched long sleeved dress, a bedazzled Peter Pan collar is outstanding--all accessorized with chunky pumps in malachite green and a neutral taupe.

Click on the "read more" below to see more pics! Click on the labels below for vintage Style Collaborations and H&M posts!

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA + H&M

"The democracy of fashion has always been at the centre of our creativity, and the collaboration with H&M allows us to push this instinct further." - Maison Martin Margiela

True to form of the secretive fashion house, Maison Martin Margiela's H&M collaboration was as shrouded in mystery as the ultra discreet designer. A slow release of promotional materials culminated with the presentation of 14 pictures today, with six more photos of the collection to come next week. Described by H&M's creative adviser, Margareta van den Bosch, as "one of the most important and influential fashion houses of the past three decades", the label is known for its avant-garde creations, for embracing deconstruction early in the movement, and for playing with paradox.

At the vanguard of the fashion forward, the brand's allure is helped, in no small part, by the air of intrigue surrounding its super private founder. Never photographed, and never appearing from backstage at his shows (and corresponding with the media only via fax), Belgian born Margiela imbued his brand, not only with restrained and comfortable glamour, but with the inaccessibility and exclusivity that's associated with his persona. Nowadays, a number of new designers are at the label's helm, "focusing on young, realistic energy for the future". Nothing screams accessibility like H&M. Smart move on the part of the brand!

Maison Martin Margiela for H&M will be released on November 15th in 230 H&M stores worldwide and online. The collection will feature 45 women's garments and 20 accessories. It will also include 30 men's pieces and 15 accessories. Click read more below to see additional pictures from the collection. Click on the label below for vintage Style Collaboration posts!

STUD MUFFIN

 Lulu's "Did I Stud-her" Black Leggings, only $35!

I'm clearly well overdue for a Fashion Week post or three, but you know how it is . . . I was most inspired to post as I came across these tights again tonight. I own a pair and someone recently asked where they were from. Let me tell you, these are as much fun to wear as they look. I had the perfect opportunity to do so at Jay-Z's Made in America Festival in Philly this past Labor Day weekend. I felt like a rock star and you will too. Check out Beyonce rocking a House of Dereon pair here. This studded look was all over the Doo Ri and Emanuel Ungaro Fall 2009 runway, but the trend is still going strong. The best feature of the tights featured above is the price: only $35 at Lulu's! If you're willing to splurge, check out alternatives below. Enjoy!