(wwd)YSL Cruise 2011

“Everybody has a reference in mind because Yves Saint Laurent is so iconic. So how are you going to do it"

While in New York showing for the showing of his Yves Saint Laurent resort collection on Thursday at the French Consulate, Stefano Pilati said about the collection“For me, it’s about understanding now that [the iconic looks] are basically cult. So the answer is to take certain elements from the archives and change them.”As for his show, Pilati said the venue makes perfect sense. “Resort started for the American market,” he said. “And so, this is a sort of a mini-show in New York in a space that could breathe a bit of French history by itself. You know, a collaboration.” read/see more

(wwd)"Made in Midtown"

"In a surprising finding, an independent study of the Garment District found the neighborhood is far from dying and has a future as a productive incubator of ideas — with the right support. That was the takeaway from the much-anticipated “Made in Midtown” survey that will be released today by the nonprofit Design Trust for Public Space after six months of in-depth research and man-on-the-street conversations with a battery of sources. But what was even more surprising to the group’s executive director, Deborah Marton — and perhaps more inspirational to the scores of designers who have yet to make names for themselves — is the vibrancy that exists for start-up businesses and emerging designers.

The fact the area is an incubator of ideas — or more of “a research and development hub” as opposed to an industrial production community — was a bit of a surprise, she said. The degree to which companies of various sizes use the district in that way, especially in terms of plucking fresh talent, was another eye-opener. “Made in Midtown” determined that 846 fashion companies are headquartered in the Garment District, which is more than those based in Paris, Milan and London combined." read more

(wwd)Shorts Return to Fashion

"Retailers report they’re experiencing double-digit increases in the shorts category, and it’s not just because the weather has heated up. Shorts have become fashion items, ranging from denim cutoffs to rolled and cuffed twill shorts to belted cargoes and longer, slinky silk shorts for evening.

Bloomingdale’s, for example, is touting shorts as “the summer essential from minis to knee-length” in signage at the entrance of its contemporary department. Across the country, stores ranging from Lord & Taylor, Belk and Saks Fifth Avenue to Scoop, Olive & Bette’s and Chalk Boutique are seeing customers gravitate toward shorts in greater numbers than previous years. “It’s one of our big pushes. We got them in early and they started off very well,” said Frank Doroff, vice chairman and general merchandise manager for ready-to-wear at Bloomingdale’s. Some of the brands doing well are Sanctuary, Buffalo and Calvin Klein Jeans, especially in twills and rayons. “The rolled cuffed shorts are working really well. They’re the hottest trend,” said Rodbell. In denim, shorts from AG and Rich & Skinny have also been strong sellers, she said. “It’s easy to wear the rolled look, and the whole military thing is anchoring it,” she said. She said L&T is also doing well with the cocktail short, “which is softer and more fluid. It’s not big volume yet, and it’s more dressed up. It’s flirtier,” she said. Some of those vendors include 860, Love 80 and BCBG. read more

On that note, The Cut recommends J. Crew's Déjeuner pair (pictured above). The silk fabric makes these evening-appropriate, while the drawstring gives them a sporty spin that’s suitable for day.-nymag

Long is in Short is Out, Lacoste's Lemaire at Hermes, Expensive Handbags at the Mall, J. Crew's Profits Rise and Gucci Cruise 2011.

(nyt)A Long, Lean Backlash to the Mini

Ruth La Furla of the NYT shows you how wearing the long maxi silhouette this summer can give you a whole new look and presence. "An elongated silhouette also represents a turning away from the frivolity and calculated provocation of a thigh-high skirt “toward a more austere sensibility,” said Holli Rogers, the buying director for Net-A-Porter, which highlights and sells long tanks from Helmut Lang(a side-split jersey maxi, $330), Stella McCartney (a long silk shirtdress, $1,115) and L’Agence (a cross-back jersey maxi, $200) on its Web site. “People are accepting a more muted, covered-up feeling and moving on". “There is definitely a movement to a very lengthy look, especially among the young,” said Nevena Borissova, a partner in Curve, a progressive retailer with stores in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Ms. Borissova favors radically stretched-out skirts and dresses that “drag on the floor, with raw edges, and worn with combat boots,” she said. And as she pointed out, these myriad calf- or ankle-grazing iterations of the milelong skirt bear no relation to “Big Love” or, for that matter, the Summer of Love."read more

(AP)Gaultier exiting Hermes, Lacoste's Lemaire enters

"Jean-Paul Gaultier is leaving high-end fashion house Hermes' womenswear line, and Lacoste designer Christophe Lemaire is taking over as artistic director, the fashion company said Thursday. Gaultier will oversee the spring-summer 2011 collection to be revealed in 2010, and Lemaire will take over for the fall-winter 2011 collection, the Paris-based firm said in a statement. The move puts an end to "seven fruitful years of creative partnership" and allows Gaultier "to concentrate on his own projects," the statement said. Much tamer and preppy than his own signature line, Gaultier's collections for Hermes consistently garnered critical acclaim. "This has been a marvelous adventure which has allowed me to learn about a new 'savoir faire,'" said Gaultier. He said he'd maintain "a privileged relationship" with Hermes, which has a 45 percent stake in his own company, Jean-Paul Gaultier." read more

(wsj)These Bags Cost a Lot!

"As shoppers begin to feel the recession lifting and tiptoe back into spending, some mall stores are seeing a small window of opportunity to woo them in a new way: big-ticket handbags. Talbots Inc. will line its shelves with a $425 python-embossed shoulder bag come fall. Teenybopper Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s megastores now stock $300-and-up bags alongside the belts and flip-flops. And Ann Taylor Stores Corp. is offering new carryall totes for as much as $298. These pricey purses—which feel particularly pricey in stores like Ann Taylor, where the average price of an item sold last year was $38—are the latest incarnation of the accessory craze, which retailers seized on last year after clothing sales plummeted. Penny-pinching shoppers who took a pass on apparel instead snapped up jewelry as a quick way to update their wardrobes. Bags, like jewelry, don't require a trip to the fitting room, and are more likely to be an impulsive, and emotionally satisfying, purchase." read more

(wwd)J. Crew Profits Rise

"Driven by greater full-price selling and differ-entiated merchandise, J. Crew Group Inc. posted strong first-quarter results, with net income more than doubling to $44.7 million and comparable-store sales rising 15 percent. With the business continuing to be on a roll, the company raised guidance for fiscal 2010 earnings to $2.35 to $2.45 a diluted share, as compared with previous guidance of $2.20 to $2.30 and fiscal 2009 earnings per share of $1.91. Also on Thursday, J. Crew opened its first bridal store, at 769 Madison Avenue in Manhattan, and launched madewell.com. And recently, J. Crew launched a partnership with the Net-a-porter fashion Web site, giving J. Crew instant presence in 170 countries as well as some indications where the U.S. retailer might consider international expansion in the future." read more

: wwd-Gucci Cruise 2011

(wwd)Gucci Cruise 2011

We love Gucci's Cruise 2011 collection which is print heavy with overdyes, tiger stripes and a Military-Rocker feel. click to see more pictures

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