WATCH: Levi's Spring 2012 Collection...

 
 Levi's

No More Sales at J.C. Penney?

via HuffPo: J.C. Penney is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40 percent so shoppers no longer have to wait for sales to get bargains.

Penney said Wednesday that it is getting rid of the hundreds of sales it offers each year in favor of a simpler approach to pricing. Starting on Feb. 1, the retailer is rolling out an "Every Day" pricing strategy with much fewer sales throughout the year.

The plan, the first major move by Apple executive Ron Johnson since he became Penney's CEO in November, is different from Wal-Mart's iconic everyday low pricing. Unlike Wal-Mart, Penney's goal isn't to undercut competitors, but rather to offer customers more predictable pricing. Continue reading this article HERE.

You're FIRED! Jay-Z & Rocawear Hand Out Pink Slips

via The Cut: 

On January 6, the day before Jay-Z and Beyoncé checked into an extravagant private hospital ward to give birth to their daughter Blue Ivy, over half of Rocawear's New York City staff were laid off. According to the New York State Department of Labor website, the 28 employees were let go for "economic" reasons (which is particularly ironic considering all the hullabaloo over Rocawear's $22 "Occupy Wall Street" T-shirts)

Mila Kunis is Looking Lovely For Dior...

Mila Kunis has been signed to the French brand for a new campaign, reports Women's Wear Daily, that will debut later in January. Shot by photographer Mikael Jansson, the softly-lit photos will debut first in European magazines like international Elle and Vogue editions and by January 29 in U.S. publications like the New York Times and Vanity Fair.

Now she will join major actresses like Marion Cotillard as a Dior face. Cotillard has been shilling for Miss Dior handbags for years, most recently in a sassy short film called "L.A.dy Dior."

Another fellow Dior gal? Natalie Portman, Kunis' "Black Swan" co-star. Portman was signed by Parfums Christian Dior in 2010 and posed for Miss Dior Cherie perfume and Diorskin makeup ads, among others.

Jason Wu is Going to Target!!!

 Jason Wu for Target poplin dress, $40, and satchel, $50.

I cannot wait to own a Jason Wu for Target dress!

Jason Wu's capsule collection, his first in collaboration with a mass retailer, possesses a lot of the label’s familiar, feminine spirit but takes more direct inspiration from French New Wave films and the actress Jean Seberg. Pleated frocks with sailor-striped hemlines, dainty silk blouses with neck ties and collars, and sportier knits and tennis skirts stand out as some of the line’s most wearable pieces. “My goal was not to duplicate anything from my main collection,” Wu says. “Instead I designed completely new clothes and accessories that reflect my taste and have a voice of their own.” Friendly reminders of Wu’s work (like the touch of lace on a trench coat or T-shirt) are matched with a delightful dose of animal humor. (Meet Milu, a mischievous kitty and the collection’s mascot, who makes appearances as a print on a scarf and tee.) Here, a Riviera cotton striped A-line dress and canvas satchel explain why Wu calls the whole gamut “gamine chic.” It seems, as they say, les jeux sont faits. 

See Pics from Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...

Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima

Click HERE to see more pics from the upcoming 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show set to air on November 29 on CBS.

Banana Republic is Designing Wine Bottles for the Holidays

I guess Banana Republic wanted to jump on the collaboration train, but chose to take their partnership in a different direction. I'm feeling it...

via WWD: Collaborations in fashion are all the rage these days. That’s why I have a bottle of Evian water that was designed by French fashion house Courrèges on my desk. But I couldn’t help hiccupping at the latest attempt to broaden the audience for a clothing retailer: Banana Republic has designed bottles for Clos du Bois wines—for the holidays. 

 Billed as the “perfect hostess gift”—and what hostess wouldn’t want a fashion sketch on the wine she serves—the 2010 chardonnay will wear a little black dress designed by Banana Republic creative director Simon Kneen, and will be priced $16.99. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, priced at $18.99, will wear a red full-skirted frock by Mr. Kneen. 

 Wait! There’s more! Each bottle will come with a code that allows consumers to stream a “custom party soundtrack. Literally a party in a bottle!” the press release says.

Giambattist Valli at Macy's is Kinda Fab...

via NYMag: Giambattista Valli's Macy's collection will not disappoint the Giambattista Valli fan. And whether or not she resides in Middle America may not be the question Macy's needs to worry about with this line, since the pieces look great enough to stand out among regular Macy's merchandise as something special, even to someone who has no idea Giambattista Valli is a celebrated couturier. And that is what lines like these will take to succeed. See the full collection in the slideshow HERE.

Target's Next Design Collaboration: Jason Wu.

Jason Wu is a favorite of Michelle Obama (see her in her Jason Wu looks HERE.) and Target is launching their collaboration with him early 2012. Here's hoping Target handles Jason's collaboration better than they did with the Missoni one.

    

WATCH: Margherita Talks Missoni for Target...

Margherita Missoni

In this video, debuting exclusively on Style.com, the heritage brand’s ambassador, Margherita Missoni, shares the backstory of the classic Italian brand’s 400-piece collection, set to bow September 13 at Target. WATCH below:   

Jennifer Lopez Clothing Line Launching Next Month

Jennifer Lopez has debuted the full look book for her Kohl's clothing line, which includes 51 looks.Set to hit stores and kohls.com on September 7, the line was a long time in the coming but hit some bumps along the way. Key among those was Lopez's high-profile split from husband Marc Anthony, who also has a collaboration with Kohl's coming out on September 7. See a few more looks from J. Lo's clothing line for Kohl's HERE.

More Pics from Missoni for Target!

OMG. How cute are these Missoni for Target cups and saucers?! I can't wait to see this collection in full next month. Click HERE to see a few more pics from the Missoni for Target collection.

The Jean Jacket Makes a Comeback...

Cameron Diaz wearing her boss jean jacket to promote "Bad Teacher" at The Late Show
 As someone who owns three jean jackets (light rinse, dark rinse and a blazer cut) this is great news for me. Click HERE to see a slideshow of the jean jacket's glorious return to relevance.

GAP Denim Ads Move in a New Direction...

Live Fashion Art at the Emilio Pucci Party...

Japanese self taught artist Takeshi Ohgushi, born 1977, made lots of magazine editorials, covers and advertising illustrations and collaborated with fashion houses. His works are considered contemporary BIJINGA (which means “pictures of beautiful women”) and are made very quickly. He paints in rolls and sweeps of sumi ink on traditional Japanese paper. Watch below:

Gwen Stefani Doing a Kid's Line for Target...

Target's next limited-edition designer collaborator is...Gwen Stefani. She'll be doing a children's line, to be precise, called Harajuku Mini for Target. There are prices ($3.99 to $29.99) but no pictures of the collection yet, which will hit stores in November. [via Jezebel, WWD]

Designer Azzedine Alaia Speaks His Mind.

On CHANEL's Karl Lagerfeld:
I don't like his fashion, his spirit, his attitude. It's too much caricature. Karl Lagerfeld never touched a pair of scissors in his life.

On Vogue's Anna Wintour:
She runs the business (Vogue) very well, but not the fashion part. When I see how she is dressed, I don't believe in her tastes one second. I can say it loudly! She hasn't photographed my work in years even if I am a best seller in the U.S. and I have 140 square meters at Barneys. American women love me; I don't need her support at all. Anna Wintour doesn't deal with pictures; she is just doing PR and business, and she scares everybody. But when she sees me, she is the scared one. [Laughs.] Other people think like me, but don't say it because they are afraid that Vogue won't photograph them. Anyway, who will remember Anna Wintour in the history of fashion? No one.
WOW.
See First Lady Michelle Obama wearing Azzedine Alaia HERE.

Versace and H&M Teaming Up This Fall...

Well as someone who tried (and FAILED) to score a piece of Roberto Cavalli when they teamed up with H&M a few years ago while I was in Chicago, you better get in line early for this.

Marilyn Monroe's Iconic White Dress Sells for $5.6 Million...

Marilyn Monroe's white "subway" dress sold for more than $5.6 million in a Beverly Hills, California auction Saturday night in which bidders paid another $2.7 million for three other Monroe movie outfits.

Collector Keya Morgan said Saturday's bids were "totally crazy, especially in this recession."
Bidding for the iconic ivory pleated dress Monroe wore in "The Seven Year Itch" was "totally magical," Morgan said.

Reynolds was in tears when, after 20 minutes of drama, the gavel sounded an end to bidding with the price at $4.6 million. With the auction company getting a $1 million commission, the buyer will pay $5.6 million. It had been expected to sell for $2 million, the auction house, Profiles in History, said.

The buyer, who was relaying his bids over a telephone, was not immediately identified.

Giambattista Valli To Do a Macy's Line?

Animal print dress from Giambattista Valli's Resort 2011 collection

via NYMag: In the ever-saturating market of designer diffusion lines, rumor has it Giambattista Valli will be the next fancy designer to announce one of his own. WWD reports in a story eerily titled "Valli of the Malls" that Valli will do a line with Macy's, following the one Karl Lagerfeld's doing for the chain coming out in September. Valli would be the last in this four-designer series, created by Macy's to get teens and fashion people excited about their juniors section. Macy's would not comment on the Valli rumors, but of all the designers who have done diffusion lines, Valli's is particularly hard to imagine since he's known for extravagant, doorway-challenging tulle ball gowns. Of course, the reputations of great designers like Alexander McQueen didn't stop them from doing one-off lines. It feels like luxury labels who haven't done or aren't planning these lines are in the minority. No one from LVMH has done one, at least.
Well I vote YES for this. I'm all about diffusion designer lines, whether it's Target (I'm gonna be all over Missoni there this fall, TRUST) H&M, Macy's, GAP or where ever, all fashion doesn't have to have a luxury price tag.