The Charlotte Russe Holiday Collection has recently begun to hit stores. Under the creative direction of  Gossip Girl stylist Eric Daman, the company has certainly stepped up it’s game, and is producing spot-on trend looks that range from luxe to casual. Much like the Fall collection I showed you a while back, the Holiday collection has been broken up into 10 different trend looks.

The Rocker look has been inspired by glam rock and a biker babe attitude. Not surprisingly the slim-silhouetted pieces in the trend may feature leather, chains and studs, rips, tears and deconstruction, and are accessorized with statement jewelry and footwear. This look started arriving in stores in October, and items like the leather jacket pictured are priced beyond reasonably at just $36.99.

The Nordic trend has a Scandanavian and Nordic cultural influence, featuring warm sweater knits, multi layered separates, and cozy boots. Also in stores now, knits are priced around $19.99  accessories are in the $10 range and footwear like the furry boots go up to around $39.99.

Also in currently in stores, the Alpine Kitsch trend is a lady-like, homespun collection with kitschy and eclectic attitude, inspired by classic vintage like iconic owl pendants. Accessories feature colorful gemstones with a vintage feel, and outerwear is created out of more textural fabrics.

About A Girl is a continuation of their fall grunge trend, a look anchored by denim, leather, plaids and checks, with boyish styling.  This look should start hitting stores by the next week and vests and tops fall in the in the $20-25 range.

The Ritz is a more glammed up, indulgent and opulent trend, influenced by flappers and the roaring 20’s. Very Blair Waldorf, if you ask me.  The look includes era-reminiscent cocktail jewelry, and very deco style ornamentation. When I talk about what you can get for your money at Charlotte Russe, the statement necklace in this collection is a great example, with a ton of impressive glitz, for only $16.99! This collection starts hitting stores mid-November.

Scout is a cute boy-meets-girl 90’s influenced look, that gives off a look of relaxed city chic. There are lots of greys and florals and colorful flirty jewelry. Scout will begin to appear in stores toward the end of November.

Voyager is a darker, more dramatic and futuristic style featuring metallics and extreme accessories. The fits of the collection are more body concious and feature more undulating and abstract patterns or finishes. This trend will also begin to hit stores near the end of November. As I am writing this, I just saw the necklace featured in this image in a commercial for the next episode of the CW’s Vampire Diaries! Eagle eyes!

Cottage Charm and Secret Garden are the two loungewear collections, already available in stores. Cottage Charm has a baroque romantic influence meant like a pretty girl pajama party. There are lace and sheer elements, as well as feminine wallpaper-like patterns, pom poms and folksy trims.  Secret Garden is more of a cozy wintry collection with a sweeter, innocent feel. Flannels, ruffles, heathered knits and warm, comfy layering  just makes you wanna slumber party.

Coming soon I’ll have an up-close look at some of the strongest footwear and accessory pieces which are personally, my favorite things about Charlotte Russe!

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John Paul Gaultier, the man who brought us some of the most innovative and haute couture craftsmanship to change the landscape of fashion design and pop culture is now bringing us *shocker* an affordable collection, courtesy of a collaboration with Target’s new design initiative, Designer Collaborations.

Following in the footsteps of previous participants Alexander McQueen and Anna Sui, Gaultier will become the third designer to join Target’s latest fashion campaign. Designer Collaborations (separate from Target’s already successful designer collections, GO: International) is a rotating series of collections designed to boost Target’s fashion profile, challenging high-end designers to create a collection inspired by one particular muse, be it music (McQueen’s collection was inspired by The Duke Spirit lead singer Liela Moss) or popular television (Anna Sui, oddly enough, was inspired by TV’s favorite NYU attendees, the cast of hit TV series Gossip Girl).

Gaultier will veer a bit from the design initiative’s strong prior pop culture influence, instead basing his collection on the strength of American women both past and future. The French enfant terrible of fashion will design a collection that not only examines the forces of style in Americana’s past, but also forcasts major trends to come. If this collection will be anything like what we’re anticipating, we can expect a wide range of both basics, All-American pieces such as suited elements, and wild trend pieces featuring the ambitious cuts and patterns that Gaultier is famous for.

We are, to say the least, intrigued! The most interesting aspect of this collection will be seeing how the man who contributed so much to the American pop culture and fashion landscape in the 80s and 90s will top his own influence– will we see a modernization of the street-wear and heavily ethnic influences  he’s famous for? Perhaps elements of innerwear used as outerwear? Or, if we’re lucky, reincarnations of the infamous pointed bras that Gaultier debuted during Madonna’s Blonde Ambition tour?

You’ll have to wait until March 7th, 2010 to find out, when The exclusive John Paul Gaultier for Target collection will debut at only 250 stores nationwide, as well as on Target.com. The capsule collection will retail until April 11th only, so set your reminders for March and keep checking Target.com and M.I.S.S for updates!

[Via Womens Wear Daily]

M.I.S.S. was invited to cover the red carpet arrivals at the Tommy Hilfiger Global Flagship opening, and it was really exciting! It was my first time on the red carpet, and I have to say it was pretty hectic. There was very little space to stand, and a ton of photo, video, and print journalists elbowing for space. And once the celebrities started arriving, it got even more hectic as everybody was trying to get a good picture, and talk loud enough to get their questions answered. I’m not going to front like I was the most successful at either, but you gotta give me a break, it was my first time!

I also did not have a ton of time to spend there, because I had to get back to the tents for the Tommy Hilfiger runway show, but as you can see from my pictures, I managed to snap Tommy and his daugher Aly (who you may remember from MTV’s 2003 show Rich Girls) Mad Men’s January Jones, Mena Suvari, DJ Cassidy, Ugly Betty’s Becki Newton, and Russell Simmons. I spied Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley on the red carpet as I headed out and down to the tents with Highsnobette’s Samia and Lois, and Lena from Blogher. Coverage of the runway show is coming soon, so stay tuned!

#NYFW

For Anna Sui’s upcoming Target Go International collection inspired by Gossip Girl, Target opened up a pop up shop in Soho, not far from the Anna Sui boutique.  The doors opened on September 10th for Fashion’s Night Out and were open through Saturday.

M.I.S.S. Randi and I went by on Saturday afternoon to check out the collection only to find that it had sold out in 2 days!  The pop up shop was set to stay open until 8 PM but closed hours early because there was nothing left to sell.  Don’t fret, you can still get the Anna Sui collection for Target when it debuts at Targets across the country and online now through October 17th.

NYFW

As a working professional with more style than the average suit-and-tie jerks in my office, it’s been a struggle coming up with outfits each morning that satisfy both my fashionable  compulsions and the office dress code. Most of the time I end up relying on accessories with personality (doorknockers, anyone?), so I’m always on the lookout for the latest bauble that can funkify my look. Enter the up-and-coming jewelry line Dannijo.

Based in New York, Dannijo is the brainchild of sisters Danielle and Jodi Snyder, who began making jewelry as kids when they discovered how to use their dad’s medical tools to do some fancy wire work.  Within a few years, the girls opened their own boutique and their line has been doing amazing (everyone from Mila Jovovich to TV’s Gossip Girl are fans of the designs). Combining their personal influences–Danielle loves boho and tribal themes while Jodi goes more for the old-Hollywood glam feel–has helped the girls come up with a truly unique stable of innovative designs that are timeless, yet full of personality.

Dannijo currently has four womens’ collections available. Lost at Sea, the first women’s line, consists of aquatic-inspired statement pieces made of mixed metals and featuring pearls, aqua aura, and other semi-precious stones (my favorite is the Mare, a beautiful necklace showcasing a breathtaking baby blue aqua aura stone wrapped in multilayered chains). The Navajo collection draws from Danielle’s love of Native American history, with standout pieces such as the Loren earrings melding traditional hammered metals with updated designs. More modern is the Cult Couture collection, which aims for a very rock-n-roll aesthetic. Punky pieces from this collection worth a peak include the layered black, silver, and pearl chains in on-trend Lenon Necklace and the malleable chain mail link Frankie Cuff. Last is the Haring Collection, inspired by designer Keith Haring. The real zinger of the collection is the Marilyn ring, an oxidized petal-shaped metallic ring with an electric-hued semi-precious stone in the center (I am in LOVE with the electric yellow and oxidized silver color combo!).

Dannijo has also released a mens’ collection – called DJ Men, the line consists of cufflinks and tie clips with attitude. If your man loves guns and cogs (random, we know, but what dude doesn’t!), this would be the perfect gift to spice up his work suit!

I think it’s safe to say that a ring or two from Dannijo will go a long way when it comes to making your work-wear stand out, so make sure to visit their website and cop a piece! Although their line ranges on the higher-end of the price scale, these baubles are original enough to be worth the price!

Yesterday I promised you guys a closer look at the Charlotte Russe Fall ‘09 lookbook and here it is! The lookbook is broken up into 9 different sets of looks, representing different trends. Shoppers can use these trends – Quirky, Totem, Freedom, The Professional, Oh So Chic, Ex-Boyfriend, Heirloom, Buckingham, Proper English and Desire -  to either put together a top to bottom on-trend look, or mix and match between the different collections to create your own unique look.

The Quirky trend up above is defined by eclectic style. The look uses a combination of a classic schoolgirl prep aesthetic, with argyle prints, novelty plaids, and marching band fashion, similar to the in-school uniform styling of the female characters on TV’s Gossip Girl.

The Totem trend continues to show the influence of Native American, and frontier peasant style that has been around for the past few seasons. There are items with indigenous textile and blanket-like patterns, feathers, nature, and fringe details.

Items from the Freedom trend embody a seventies hippie chic, with psychedelic prints, scarves, patches, peace signs, and a bit of that road trip biker style.

Doing a complete about face, The Professional trend uses sexy sophistication to provide a youthful office-to-happy hour style, similar to what we often see Stacy and Clinton pushing on TLC’s What Not To Wear. Alongside the usual office blacks, this collection has pieces with intense color pops, and features faux python detail on some items, to provide a refined contemporary attitude.

Similarly, the Oh So Chic trend is a more refined look, but it hops on the subway and heads uptown. More of a nightlife look, we see contemporary rompers, and items with sexy cutouts, as well as pieces featuring ample use of satin. Both the apparel and the acccessories feature chunky stone embellishments, sequins and studs.

Rocking more of a downtown, and 90’s grunge retro look, the Ex-Boyfriend trend is characterized by boyish silhouettes with feminine details like camisoles and slips. There are muted plaid prints and flannels carrying over from last years fall trend, and also continues to propagate the motorcycle jacket trend, as well as tarnished metal adornment, and distressed and destroyed details we’ve been seeing on tights and denim on a lot of runways and from many retailers this year.

A very classic ladylike style emerges next with the Heirloom trend. Certainly inspired by the out of school fashion styling of Blair Waldorf, and the other “Queen Bees” on Gossip Girl, this trend gives a hearty nod to the styles of design houses  like Chanel, popular with Upper East Side society women with couture-inspired jackets, cardigans, and pearls, using fabrics like tweed, boucle, mesh and crochet.

A look across the pond to the UK’s Brit Punk scene has inspired the Buckingham trend, continuing the use of brighter, more contemporary tartans and plaids, alongside black leather and lace, and military details.

Continuing the Anglo influence, the Proper English trend uses saddle leathers to create a more English equestrian look featuring houndstooth, blackwatch plaids, buckles, and riding boot inspired footwear.

And finally, the Desire trend takes you back to the budoir with a look inspired by baroque romance, utilizing lace, fur, jet beads, feather and ribbon details alongside goddess draping, and a great interest in showing off the back.

Some of these styles, starting with the Quirky collection, have started dropping in Charlotte Russe stores, and online already, and will continue to arrive through September. Shopping online within a collection is super easy – after you choose the category you would like to shop in, simply choose the trend name to single out the items from that collection. Remember, Quirky is available right now! Most importantly, for you ladies shopping on a dime, prices are incredibly affordable. In all of the looks below, prices for individual pieces range from $4.99 for fingerless lace gloves, and go up to $49.99 for boots.

The CFDA awards will be handed out at the Lincoln Center New York City tonight and Anna Sui is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.  A mini fashion show from Lifetime Achievement honoree, Anna Sui and the 2009 womenswear nominees will showcase their designs, and Anna’s going to be the only female designer in that crew as this year’s class is full of men.  The well known designer has been recognized the world over for her influences in the industry. The show marks as a preview of the move of New York Fashion week to Lincoln Center…farewell Bryant Park.

“Don’t expect anything less than stellar models to strut their stuff on stage, nearly every big name is already booked for the mini-shows.”

Her “patchwork boudoir” style got its start in the eighties and debuted on the runway in 1991. Ever since girls have been parading the runways with print dresses and edgy  killer boots.   The brand stretches its reach through women’s fashion, cosmetics, and fragrance across North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. She’s got a Soho flagship, 32 boutiques, international cult status (particularly in Asia), a successful beauty line, and the pièce de resistance: the Anna Sui BoHo Barbie®.

The Anna Sui Designer Collaboration will be in Target September 13th! Yes!

I have always been a fan of designer partnerships with mass retailers,” Sui told WWD exclusively. “I think it is a great way to bring fashion to everyone. I love Go International and was intrigued with Target’s new take on designer partnerships. It’s a fresh approach. I was able to select a muse or source of creative inspiration to focus the collection around. It is an exciting challenge to try and interpret my aesthetic into a mass-produced product with a specific inspirational source as the focus

This line was inspired by Brooklyn-based characters Jenny Humphrey and Vanessa Abrams from the US TV show- ‘Gossip Girl.’ Their “punk-rock” style reminded her of herself as a teenager. Mark your calendars, it’s expected to hit 250 select locations nationwide.

You know when your clothing is featured on shows like Gossip Girl, Sex & the City, America’s Next Top Model, and The Hills you’re onto a good thing.  Further proof that things are on the up would be having your clothes worn by the likes of Eva Mendes, Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.  So it’s safe to say that Boy Meets Girl founder/designer Stacy Morgenstern Igel is doing pretty well for herself!  This Lady kinda makes me feel like an underachiever – she triple-majored in Fashion Design, Retail and Business (I’m flat-out just doing one!) and then single-handedly built her company from the ground up.

Boy Meets Girls is all about “comfortable clothes that make you feel happy and sexy,” with a variety of inspiration taken from 1920’s Hollywood icons, to the music and art scene of downtown NY.  Great for girly-girls and tomboys alike, pieces range from sporty-casual to sleek and sexy – a lot of the time a mix of the two.

The Summer ‘09 range screams simple sophistication with some slight preppyness, while managing to stay coy and playful at the same time – sounds like an impossible combo I know! Taking a step away from the sportiness of their Spring drop, the current line is a mix of playsuits, simple tees and tanks, and some cute dresses perfect for both day and night. The colour palette consists of a lot of black, with splashes of neon tangerine, mushroom pink, and grey. The beauty of such simple pieces is how you can either throw them on and walk out the door or pile on the accessories (and then walk out the door). Looking over the collection I had a hard time selecting images as I pretty much loved everything (a rare thing for me) – pick up any of these and you’ll be snapping necks in no time! Click here for stockists.

Continue to read on to see more from the Summer collection! Read the full story

The ever très chic Alex & Chloe have done it again.  Their jewelry and sunglasses are seen on the likes of Nicole Kidman and the actors on Gossip Girl, and last year they launched their unisex t-shirt line.  The Alex & Chloe booth was teaming with loads of great accessories (and Brian Lichtenberg himself) and we wanted one of everything!!  Their newest accessory, that was one of the “best in show,” is the Cube Purse.  Made of soft leather, the Cube Purse is well, shaped like a cube.  The cube comes with a wristlet holder, as well as a mini cube attachment for keys, change or anything small that you need to keep handy.

The new t-shirt line called “Forever and Never” features the Alex & Chloe trademark geometry that their jewelry line is known for.  The graphics included lots of triangles, lines, stripes and 3-D line drawings of geometric shapes.  The color palette is classic and muted with lots of black, white, deep cerulean and dark violet with pops of gold foil here and there.  The line will drop later this summer so stay tuned! In the mean time, you can be Alex & Chloe’s friend on Myspace and don’t forget to check out their pieces featured in Brian Lichteberg’s SS09 show.

Read the full story to see more pictures from the collection.

Read the full story

It looks like 2009 is the new 1992. As we know, Grunge is back and it seems like the ripped tights trend is taking over our streets. Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girl), Miley Cyrus, and Shenae Grimes (90210) were the latest pop tarts seen rocking this look, but I don’t think anybody could do it the way Courtney, Miss Love if you’re nasty, does it on this month’s Elle UK. Work it girl!

So, what I want to know is . . . would you wear ripped tights?  Fill out the survey and/or leave a comment!