I love it when Dover Street Market updates their windows and spaces - they have a flair for making truly unique spaces that are borderline theatrical.  Each space is created and focused on displaying featured products in a way that highlights their beauty, as well as their artistic qualities.  The window features a giant sculptural black octopus by Les Trois Garçons and new spaces include Nowhere (where Bape was born), Lanvin, Loewe, and Stephen Jones.  Read the full story for photos of the spaces and a description of what makes them oh, so special!

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Yesterday we told you about the silent film that Karl Lagerfeld directed, in homage to Mlle. Chanel, to introduce the Chanel Métiers D’Art Pre-Fall 2009 collection.  I just found a teaser, and I NEED to find the whole thing! I love it! It totally captures the Chanel spirit, especially since it’s filmed in a way that was “a la mode” of the time period that he’s portraying. Karl is a genius. Check out the teaser below:

And now, the clothing!  Karl always manages to surprise and delight me.  Whenever I think I’ve seen it all, he takes it to a whole other stratosphere.  Last year, for Chanel’s Métiers D’Art Pre-Fall collection Karl took us to London (literally and thematically).  This time, though showing in Paris, Karl was inspired by Russia.  It’s not too far off the mark considering Chanel herself had a romance with a Russian noble, and was friends with Russian creatives including Stravinsky and Diaghilev.  In fact, she designed costumes for one of Diaghilev’s ballets.  She was so inspired by her Slavic circle of friends that she even had a design period heavily influenced by traditional Russian dress, especially, of course, the men’s garment.  But alas, I’m digressing - I’m here to talk about the clothes!

I’ve gone through the collection twice (so far), and each time I rush through it so quickly because I can’t wait to see what’s next and I miss so many details. Every time I go back and look again I find something else that makes my mouth water.  For me, the hair and head-pieces stole the show.  The garments, of course are amazing but the hair, the braids, the feathers, the dangling cascades of pearls and chandelier hair/hats - my goodness! A-maz-ing.  The “fantasy folkloric headdresses [were made] by Japanese wizard Kamo.”  When asked what he had up his sleeve for next year, Karl said: “Shanghai Express — the trip [Chanel] never made.”  Chanel was enamoured with Asian artwork and her apartment is known to have housed many, many Coromandel screens.  I cannot wait to see what next year will bring!

More pictures from the collection, as well as some video footage of the goings-on at the show with still images of the fashion. As soon as the actual show footage is available online we’ll post it up for you! Jeez, I need a fairy god mother to bestow Chanel every season. Oh, fairy god mother, where are you??
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The ingenious architect behind the Chanel Mobile Art Museum recently designed a bar, lounge and reception desk for Home House, a members-only club in London.  Her futuristic, “space-age” pieces are in contrast to the Georgian-styled 18th Century Home House.  To see the pieces up close and personal you’ll need to receive an invitation from a member and pay over $2,000 in membership fees.  We’ve got you covered, if you want to see the pieces look below.

Images & Info
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Got a few vacation days left to use before the end of the year? Think international! Leave the laptop at home, pack your carry on bag and your passport, and jet-set to your nearest international city for a whirlwind long weekend. Do-able in a carry on? Of course! Adhere to the 3-1-1 carry on guidelines for liquids and you’re fine. Don’t spend a lot of money on a grand hotel. Weekenders are all about getting out and exploring the city.

New York to London, England
Leaving Thursday, returning Sunday
$300+ USD
Average air time is between 7 and 10 hours.

Do-able in a carry on? You bet! Adhere to the 3-1-1 carry on guidelines for liquids and you’re fine. London weather can be cold and rainy in fall, so be sure to wear a good raincoat and carry a compact umbrella. A long pashmina can double as a scarf during the day and a shoulder wrap at night. Wear comfortable shoes and plan to do plenty of walking. London’s public transportation system is excellent, so purchase a 3 Day London Pass with Travel Pass for unlimited access to London’s city transportation as well as tons of attractions like the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, the Globe Theatre, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Queen’s Gallery and more.

London Image

Check out the other 2 stops after the jump . . .

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Insa is exhibiting some new original works at a show called Dirty Cash.  The exhibition opens tomorrow, Thursday, July 3rd at Flawless Gallery in London.  I wish we could be there - if you’re in London this is a definite must see!

Details about the exhibition after the jump . . .

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Image from NY Times Magazine

London’s Barbican Art Gallery is hosting a 15 year retrospective of Viktor & Rolf’s clever, inventive fashion collections. Fifty-five iconic pieces from past collections have been re-created in miniature and are displayed on custom made porcelain dolls. The clothing is replicated - no single detail is left out - even the model’s makeup looks are recreated on the dolls’ faces. Some of the dolls are displayed in a doll house, standing 28 feet tall, complete with spiral staircases and intricately detailed doorways. When asked what it was like to create the doll pieces, “It was like [doing] 30 collections,” says Horsting, explaining some of the patterns and prints had to be redesigned to fit the scale of a doll.”

The show opens on Wednesday, June 18th in London through September 21st. Barbican will also be hosting a Viktor & Rolf shop which will sell the Viktor & Rolf exhibition catalog, as well as limited edition postcards, limited edition versions of their fragrances, and a specially commissioned limited edition scarf designed by Viktor & Rolf. This exhibit is definitely a must see - I really hope this show travels to the U.S.!

Image from WWD

P.S. - the Viktor & Rolf site is amazing - you must check it out!!

More pics after the jump . . .

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Fornarina hosted it’s latest Urban Beauty Show in Paris this past Monday. The seasonal party is a celebration of fashion, music and art. The party included runway shows of and sneak peaks of Spring 2009 pieces. Fornarina has worked with Miss Van (my favorite!) in the past but at the Urban Beauty Show they unveiled projects with Miss Van and 5 other artists including Junko Mizuno (another fave!), Mijn Schatje, Angelique Houtkamp, Glenn Barr, Moebius, and Tokidoki. They selected a great line-up of artists to work with and I’m very excited to see the rest of pieces!

The day was filled with big news as the brand announced that Lindsay Lohan would be the face of Fornariana, appearing in ads for the Spring 2009 campaign. With new flagships slated to open this year in London, Paris and New York, Fornarina has big plans!

Info: WWD
Image: Nylon

Dover Street Market is one of my favorite boutiques in the world. Yes, it’s that amazing. How could it not be? It’s the brain child of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons fame. One of the cool things about DSM is the space and how it’s laid out. There are 6 floors and each have their own theme and the spaces within each floor are being constantly updated. DSM recently revamped 2 sections: Lanvin by Alber Elbaz and the Bookspace: “Opposition: British Alternative Culture of the 1980’s,” by Angela Hill. They’ve also updated their shop with new product from Number (N)ine, Undercover, Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, Rodarte, Comme des Garçons, Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, Junya Watanabe, Junya Watanabe MAN, Tao Comme des Garçons, Comme des Garçons Homme Deux, Ganryu, Christopher Kane, Sara Lanzi, Gareth Pugh, Marios Schwab and Toga. Impressive line-up if I ever saw one. If you’re not in London now, be sure to make a mental note about DSM - this is a definite must-see for any London trip.

Johnathan Saunders is on fire.

Not only has he moved his show from London to New York, but he has also inked a deal with Gola for a line of shoes - and now comes word that he will be partnering up with Target for a limited edition collection for Target’s GO International.

Sources tell WWD that the young Scotsmen is in talks with the mass retailer for a capsule collection that will probably follow the highly-anticipated Jovovich-Hawk line.

We really hope this rumor is true. If not, the very busy designer’s Topshop collection hits stores later this month. It will feature “jersey dresses printed with bold, primary color shapes.�

Wow, those would look great with our Gryson for Target distressed leather bags. Yes, we totally have our fingers crossed for this one!

Source

Just got word that you can view the Chanel Paris-Londres fashion show live from London tomorrow, Thursday December 6th, beginning at 2:30 PM EST. To view the broadcast go to this link. If you go to the link now you can download a preview which is very cute and full of Chanel tounches. Happy Viewing!