BROOKLYN FASHION WEEKEND

I've been derelict in my duties...I meant to post about this a while back. It's well after the fact, as Brooklyn Fashion Weekend was March 21-23, but I just wanted to highlight of selection of some of the utterly fabulous designs that were featured!

Left to right: Catou, Cranberry and Catalin Botezatu.

The talented designers --including Nana Boateng, Duroseau Couture, Miss Bruno, Joan Vaccianna, Catou--showed their collections at the new Northside Piers in Williamsburg and showed us exactly why "Brooklyn Underground Fashion Rocks!" For more on Brooklyn Fashion Weekend, check out Claire's coverage over at the Fashion Bomb.

Special thanks to Anne W. of Lizzie Grubman P.R. for the photos!

NYC SAMPLE SALES!!!

What: White + Warren
Why: Summer cotton dusters, tees, and dresses, were $130, now $60. Tissue-weight cashmere cardigans, were $220, now $90.
When: Apr. 30 & May 1. Wed., 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: 80 W. 40th St., bet Fifth & Sixth Aves., 3rd flr. (212-398-3295).

What: Magnes Sisters

Why: chic leather bags; stylechile readers enjoy 20% off
When: Thurs. May 8, 4 p.m-7 p.m.
Where: 251 West 39th St 8th Floor

What: Boc Warehouse Sale

Why: Vivienne Westwood, Barbara Bui, Cacharel, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and more at up to 70 percent off.

When: Apr. 17-19. Thurs.-Sat., noon-8 p.m.

Where: 491 Columbus Ave., b/t 83rd & 84th Sts. (212-362-5405).

What: Frette

Why: Up to 75 percent off plush bedding and other home accessories.

When: Apr. 12-16. Sat.-Tues., 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Wed., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: 317 W. 33rd St., bet. Eighth & Ninth Aves.

COMME DES GARCONS + H&M

Wait no longer, Comme des Garçons for H&M is set for a November launch! The collaboration, the first joint effort since Cavalli for H&M, will debut in Tokyo, at the opening of H&M's second Japanese store--in honor of Comme des Garçons head designer and founder, Rei Kawakubo,with a worldwide release to follow shortly thereafter.

"I have always been interested in the balance between creation and business. It is a dilemma, although for me creation has always been the first priority. It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M since it is a chance to take the dilemma to its extreme, and try to solve it."- Rei Kawakubo

The avant garde label was started in 1969, and has been pushing the fashion envelope since then. In addition to its many clothing lines, Comme des Garçons also creates unisex fragrance, and serves as the umbrella label for Junya Watanabe and others.

This line serves as one of the best examples of fashion as art--museum worthy, but, generally, way too bold for me. Still, I can't wait to see how this high priced brand will be reduced to pieces that the rest of us can afford! Read the Comme des Garçons’ for H&M press release here.

PEEP SHOW!

Global warming is the topic du jour and designers are responding in kind. Seasonless clothing is the design world's way of adapting to unseasonable weather. Some designers are even hiring climatologists!

These open toe shoes are perfect for transitioning from the colder months to the warmer. They work well in the colder months--because there's ample coverage; yet, perfect for warm weather--because of all the cutouts! See, fashion is not all form over function! Read below for where to buy! Prices range from $22.80 to $1,395.00.

Left to right. Top: Steve Madden's "Midory" in khaki is $139.95; pricked white calfskin boot, Le Silla by Enio Silla, $833; light pink patent leather peep-toe, Report Signature, $225; and Finsk peep toe sandal in grey at TopShop for £195.00. Middle: Chloe leather shoe boots in pink and white are available at net-a-porter for £316; watersnake multi-color skin bootie, Dolce & Gabbana, $995; Nine West's "Hotpic" in coral and pink satin is on sale for $49.99; turquoise patent leather shoe, Pierre Hardy, $895; Nine West's "Hotpic" in green with turquoise satin is on sale for $49.99; Pour La Victoire "Brie" $194.00 at zappos.com; and leather high-heel sneaker, Pierre Hardy, $1,395, at select Neiman Marcus. Bottom: Steve Madden's "Merrit" in pewter is $139.95; Ralph Lauren Collection "Adley" peep toe oxford, in white with black, is available at Bloomingdale's for $595.00; tan leather boot is $179 at Nine West; Vince Camuto's "Veronica" oxford's, in brown and white, are $129.95 at Nordstom's; and Forever 21's metallic "Aston" pump is only $22.80.

My pick: Nine West's "hotpic" is burning a hole in my closet--can't wait to wear them, and I'm scheming on Report Signature's patent leather peep toe! Click on the label below for vintage Style Trends posts!

GLOBESHOPPER: HOLLAND

In my first Globeshopper post, I promised to follow up with Globeshopper Milan. Well...that post is still in draft form, and I'm more excited at the prospect of writing about a recent trip to Amsterdam! So, please bear with me, Italy (which includes a day trip to Switzerland) is coming soon. Amsterdam was awesome. We spent a lot of time shopping; seeing the sights; eating Indonesian, Argentinian steaks, Italian, and Dutch pancakes; and thinking about renting and riding bicycles. We stayed in an elegant penthouse apartment on Prinsengraacht (Prince's Canal), one of the main canals in the city.

Living room and a bathroon of our canal house. Best features? Roofdeck and balcony!

The architecture was amazing! Who knew that "row houses" could look so chic? The weather was fantastic--cold, yet not really. In four days we switched between heavy wool coats, to light cotton coats, to sweaters with a few layers beneath. It did, strangely enough, rain, snow and hail (simultaneously) for a couple hours one day.

View of the "row houses" and canal from our balcony; view of same during random "storm".

The girls wanted to shop, and so the taxi driver dropped us off on Hoofstraat* (maybe he thought we were 'ballers), let's just say we did a lot of window shopping on that street--my only purchase was a book! Hermes? Not so much.

We looked on, longingly, at Chanel and Hugo Boss. That chandelier is to die for!

It's easy to get caught up in the sheer beauty and tranquilty of the city, but we all made a point to visit the Anne Frank house--to pay our respects and reflect on more serious matters. We also fulfilled the educational quotient by visiting the Van Gogh musuem, it was such a treat to be surrounded by works of my favorite artist.

Renae and Keish strike a pose and a couple of Amsterdam's fashionable residents... check out the length of her jeans--next big trend!

Here I am in Lady Day, annoyed that I didn't fit that skirt! I did walk away with a fab snakeskin clutch though. "Fashion and photo designers flock to this store, one of the best secondhand outlets in town, with it's wonderful selection of 1940s and 1950s clothing, handbags from the 1930s and 1940s, and loads of finds at moth-eaten prices."- Louis Vuitton's City Guide

*I am utterly disappointed in myself for not conducting due diligence before this trip! We returned to the states on March 5th and guess what took place--in Amsterdam--on March 6th? The third annual Stilleto Run along Hoofstraat! Women race, in heels, to compete for a euro 10,000 ($15,000) shopping spree. Why does this matter you ask? As (i) a former runner (and captain of both my college and high school track teams), and (ii) one of "those" girls who wears heels everywhere, I'm pretty sure I would have won! Never mind that my track and field experience was, oh, 20 pounds or so ago...but still.

Styletip Amsterdam: Be sure to visit Lady Day for great vintage pieces; Hoofstraat for high fashion houses including Chanel, Hermes and Hugo Boss; and Dam Square for more shopping: chocolates, kitsch, flowers, pancakes and H&M! Click on the label below for vintage GlobeShopper post!

THE GAP + PHILLIP LIM, THREEASFOUR, BAND OF OUTSIDERS, MICHAEL BASTIAN & PHILIP CRANGI

Bridging the Gap between the affordable and the aspirational, the Gap has done it again! Remember last year's collaboration with Rodarte, Thakoon and Doo Ri? This time they've tapped CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners, Phillip Lim, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian, and ThreeASFOUR, to redesign the classic white button down shirt.

Philip Crangi (shout out to RISD!) will create jewelry for the collection. The limited edition-reinterpreted shirts will range from $78.00 to $88.00 and Crangi's jewelry is priced at $45.00. These soon-to-be classics will become available April 15. Read the official press release here.

Incidentally, the ad campaign features many of these women (Chanel Iman, Du Juan, Doutzen Kroes, Jessica Stam, Lily Donaldson, Catherine McNeil, Anya Rubik and Irina Lazarean)-- who posed for the cover of Vogue wearing shirts from last year's campaign.

KATIE HOLMES FOR ARMANI?

Next up in the celebrity designer series? According to the rumor mill, Katie Holmes will launch a line for Armani! She will, allegedly, make her design debut in 2009, starting with children's clothes, and will work her way up to women's apparel and accessories by 2010.

Apparently, the line will be carried by Saks, Barney’s, and Neiman Marcus. Of course, this might all be conjecture, speculation and/or wishful thinking.

I'm only writing about it because I love Katie's style--as of late--and am interested in seeing how she fares amongst her celeb-designing counterparts (Sienna, Kate, Sarah Jessica and Posh come to mind)...not to mention, it would be Armani! Read her publicist's denial of the collaboration here.

SUBVERSIVE & JOVOVICH-HAWK FOR TARGET

Fusing the philosophies "more is more" and "less is more", Justin Giunta has created a line which, in his own words, "draw[s] parallels between art history and modern design to explore themes of fine art and commercial design".

Ranging from $14.99 to $59.99, Giunta's Subversive for Target jewelry line is a steal! The designer--who was recently chosen as a CFDA/Vogue fashion fund finalist and winner of Ecco Domani's Fashion Foundation accesories prize--has experience in painting, fashion, industrial design, and is now dabbling in jewelry!

Models Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk prove that they are more than just pretty faces-- they formed their eponymous line Jovovich-Hawk in 2003. Now the designers' limited edition collection marks Target's 10th in their Go International series--a portion of which is shown above! Flirty florals with a vintage feel echoes the designers' mantra: "feel good, look great, feel bad, look great". The collection is right on time for spring! View all of the pieces here.

Click on the labels below for vintage Style Collaborations and Target posts!

MY SO-CALLED SCARF...

"Wholistic, lush, simple." I couldn't have said it better myself. Check out this fab collection of scarves from Miss Bruno! Simply breathtaking. The photography alone is awe inspiring--the artistry serves as a most appropriate backdrop for the scarves--don't you think?

"We make handmade originals for sustainable living and other unassuming revolutions."- Miss Bruno

I think these scarves are museum worthy--Met Costume Institute bound! They will add a certain je ne sais quoi to any outfit. Try as I might, and as much as I write about fashion, I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to clothes--though I have an affinity for ruffles--so, i'll probably pair one of these with jeans and a white tee, but I'm sure the impact will be almost coutoure, right?

Hurry up and get your own scarf at missbruno.com; view their myspace page for additional information. I have a sneaking suspicion that these remarkable pieces will soon be in short supply! Next on deck? My so-called Dress, a collection of one-of-kind dresses and unisex pieces with fresh and simple silhouettes and haute couture details. I can't wait to see!

Photo Credit: Big ups to Seydou Keïta of Bamako, Mali. One can only dream of capturing energy, light and beauty as he does for Miss Bruno!