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!