GDK Weighs In on "The Next Big Question" by Stylesight

A while back I was asked to weigh in on Stylesight’s “Next Big Question” for the January newsletter. You can read my answer below and you can read the full article on Stylesight.com.

“It seems like everyone in the business is collaborating with someone, but the projects that make sense are usually few and far between. Target and H&M are the most notable and consistent, and though the projects produce great designer clothing at affordable prices, I think these types of partnerships are getting a bit stale. Celebrities are also collaborating with many brands, such as Kanye West for Louis Vuitton, but I find the product uninspired.

I think consumers will start to get bored by these projects, and I think we’ll see more partnerships that are really true to the essence of collaborating – where a company taps a designer, from an entirely different field, to design a product they have never created before. For example, when Target or H&M invites leading fashion designers to design clothes, you know the end result: beautiful clothing. But, when you have an artist who has never designed a particular product add his personal touch to that product, the end result is usually genius.

My favorite example of a true collaboration is Frank Gehry’s jewelry collection for Tiffany & Co. Frank Gehry, the renowned architect, is a master at creating breathtaking structures. Though he never designed jewelry before, his ability to create 3-D sculptural pieces enabled him to lend his artistic eye to creating jewelry. I also enjoyed Vivienne Westwood’s recent collaboration with Cole & Son to create wallpaper, architect Zaha Hadid’s designs for Lacoste and Melissa Shoes and Sylvie Fleury’s “Stolen Kisses” wine glasses and champagne flutes for Dom Pérignon. These types of projects utilize the designers’ innate talents to create something they don’t normally produce.

As far as my ideal projects, I think Pantone should collaborate with a cosmetics and fragrance company, and I’d love to see what kind of furniture and home accessories Frank Gehry would create. Apple has really clean product design; it would be nice to see them apply their look to non-technology-related products.”

We’ve divided the clearance into three different markdown levels – 30%, 50%, and 75%. We put a few images next to each markdown level, but don’t worry – there’s lots more where those came from.  Click through the images below to see the styles by price, or click the first link to see everything. Be sure to check out the amazing Zaha shoes in our 30% off section.

Just in time for the holidays, we’ve teamed up with Karmaloop to offer our readers a one $200 Karmaloop Gift Certificate every week through the month of December.  All you have to do to be eligible to win is fill out the M.I.S.S. x Karmaloop Gift Certificate entry form.  Everyone who enters receives a $10 Gift Code to Karmaloop!  Easy money!

Also, check out some of our favorite Karmaloop items from A-Morir, LeSportsac, MadeMe, Rojas, Brian Lichtenberg, Costume Dept., Melissa Shoes, Joyrich, Melody Ehsani and Armor Jewelry.

Good luck!

Lady Dragon Heart in Fuschia

Brooklyn fave Epaulet has always had the most extensive collection of Melissa & Vivienne Westwood shoes, and now, they just announced that they will be the EXCLUSIVE US retailer of the Spring 2010 Melissa & Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Lady Dragon shoe collection!! The “heart” design has been rendered in four stunning new colors, and there are two vibrant new styles – the “Orb” and the “Stamp” – and they are available now. I love the “unmatchiness” of the fuschia and red heart pair, and the ice pair with the royal blue hearts would be excellent for that slutty Snow White costume you just picked up at Ricky’s! I have a feeling these shoes will be iconic in the future – they are like the affordable version of a Louboutin shoe – so grab them while you can!

Stock is extremely limited, and they’re only available through at the Brooklyn storefront and at the website of Epaulet.

Letter From the Editor: NYFW & Vegas Tradeshows Wrap Up

I’m on the plane as I write this and reflect on the past two weeks. The whirlwind started when I went to Las Vegas for the circus that is the apparel tradeshows. After seeing 4 shows in 2 days I was back to the daily grind for a few days before flying to NYC for the New York Fashion Week spectacle. I’ve been bombarded with so much in so little time, it’s been hard to find a moment to process everything but here are my thoughts on what I saw the past few weeks.

VEGAS TRADESHOWS OVERVIEW

I left Vegas disappointingly uninspired. I’ve been going to the tradeshows in Vegas for over 6 years (that’s 12+ plus shows because they are twice a year) and this was the most depressing show I have been to. The hype and excitement surrounding “streetwear” 3 years ago was gone. Streetwear has been dead for at least the past year or two but if there was any doubt about it, “streetwear” in the 21st century incarnation is completely defunct.

S.L.A.T.E. at M.A.G.I.C. was the most depressing of the shows. It was the same brands, showing the same thing. Sure, the economy played a role in the bleak atmosphere but the somberness trickled down to the clothes. Everyone was playing it safe – no risks were taken, no exciting new pieces to discover. Brands just pumped out more of the same and made what they KNEW would sell. The most exciting thing about S.L.A.T.E. was running into Claw$ who was signing her Mountain Dew Green Label Art bottles.

Pool was showing at the Las Vegas Convention Center as well and had a much more optimistic offering of indie designers. While the established brands were playing it safe, it was refreshing to see new brands born at Pool filled with new life and vitality, while also seeing established brands continuing to expand their product offering.

Project was smaller than usual but had a solid offering of brands. What surprised me most was that there was very little apparel that I found exciting. If you’ve seen our coverage from Project over the past week you may have noticed that we focused on a lot of footwear. From Melissa x Vivienne Westwood, Puma x Sergio Rossi and Reebok x Uslu, the most exciting products were born from footwear collaborations, or in the case of CeCe Chin Collection, out of debut footwear collections.

The most refreshing part of the Vegas Tradeshows was Capsule, a small selective tradeshow that reminded me of the early days of Pool when brands just had racks in a ballroom at the Alexis Park Hotel. Capsule highlighted the best of the best contemporary men’s sportswear and footwear. The women’s offering was pretty sparse, and I’m hoping that the coming shows will bring in more women’s brands of the same caliber.

VEGAS TRADESHOWS FINAL THOUGHTS

Financial analysts have something different to say about the state of the economy every day – one day it’s on an upswing, the next it’s still tumbling. I understand why a brand would want to play it safe in these uncertain times but I’m not sure safe is going to sell. People aren’t buying the way they used to – new pieces either need to add something new and exciting to existing wardrobes or need to add incredible value.

When people aren’t spending as much on apparel and making due with what they have, why would they buy something safe and expected (and probably similar to something already hanging in their closets?) I think that might be why I was most drawn to accessories at the shows – shoes, bags and jewelry are an easy way to create new looks without having to buy a whole new wardrobe. A different shoe and accessories can completely change a look.

NYFW OVERVIEW

New York Fashion Week Invitations

New York fashion week was definitely more exciting than the Vegas tradeshows – doesn’t really compare. There’s more glamour, I mean we’re in the tents at Bryant Park! The Spring 2010 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was particularly exciting because it was the first Fashion Week that I attended with M.I.S.S. credentials. From my own press pass to invitations to shows and events, M.I.S.S. made giant strides in NY.

That’s not to say we were invited to Marc Jacobs or anything – we weren’t – but we’re taking baby steps and we’re ever grateful to the brands that do value our input and wanted us there to report on their lines. We hope they appreciate our insight to their collections.

From tent shows, to shows off-site, to parties and store openings, the M.I.S.S. team was running deep with several of us at different shows at the same time – we tried to cover as much ground as we could. The M.I.S.S. writers holding down the fort at home gave you their opinions on the collections that we didn’t get to see ourselves, because we felt like you would want to hear about those collections as well. Many thanks go out to the entire M.I.S.S. team – from writers to graphic designers – who are helping to bring you the coverage you want to see.

There’s been a few days lag time on some NYFW posts because it’s been exhausting going to all the events – the M.I.S.S. ladies need their beauty rest! The next few days you’ll see our coverage, and I hope that you’re as excited to see it, as we are bringing it to you.

Eyes to the sky, Ears to the street
-GDK

Pick up chic shoes perfect for the rainy days of summer at Melissa’s mid-summer sample sale. Expect markdowns of up to 70% off her sustainable line, including sandals, heels, flats, and more—including her exclusive collab with Vivienne Westwood.

Melissa Shoes at Project: Vivienne Westwood Anglomania + Melissa Three Straps Elevated

If you’ve visited M.I.S.S. before, you probably know that we are huge fans of Melissa Plastic Dreams. Famous for their partnership with Vivienne Westwood, Melissa has brought on more guest designers, brought back some oldies but goodies, and expanded its own in line product offering. In a first for Melissa, they’ve produced a collection of bedazzled shoes by J. Maskrey. The sparkly collection includes four bejeweled styles – each offered in two color ways. The crystals are Swarovski and it’s the first line of jeweled footwear Melissa has ever offered.

Melissa is continuing its partnership with Vivienne Westwood Anglomania and offering new versions of the Lady Dragon – this time, instead of big red hearts, the Lady Dragon boasts a large double bow. They are adorable (in a grown up lady sort of way)! I’m slightly partial to the bow because the styles with bows are available as heels or flats AND one of the color options is tortoise shell – I LOVE! The minute I laid eyes on them I decided that I had to have them (I think that a lot but I really meant it this time!) The VWA collection also included a new version of the Mary Jane III in glittery plastic in a rainbow assortment of colors. For those a fan of gladiator shoes, the 3-strap gladiator sandal is back in a range of eye-catching colors. One of the standouts is the VWA elevated 3-strap – a take on the ever popular covered platform toe box with 3 straps – a bit gladiator, a little Mary Jane and a dash of fetish thrown in. This sexy style is available in a gorgeous array of metallic jewel tones. Finally, the VWA collection also included the Ultragirl II ballet flat in a gorgeous matte black and some flocked versions as well.

Melissa Shoes at Project: Melissa Ankle Bootie

Other amazing collaborations include more Alexander Herchovitch “Jazz’ shoes (a style called Joy) – a continuation of the ever-popular style from last season but updated in jewel-toned flocking and plastic styles. Zaha Hadid, the woman best known for her design of the Chanel Mobile Art Container, has an otherworldly style that is an exciting new take on a women’s heeled sandal. Another favorite was brought back from the archive – a style designed by none other than designer of all things, Karim Rashid. Finally, Doc Dog had a cute wedged style complete with ankle strap.

The collaborations are some of Melissa’s best products but their in-line collection has improved a great deal – it seems like they are taking heed of the benefit of working with some of the best designers out there. My favorite was the high-heeled bootie – available in flocked and plastic styles – the plastic version is THE perfect wintertime heel.  It looks great AND you don’t have to worry about how the elements will wear on them!

Read the full story to see the rest of the photos.

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Back in February we gave you a first glimpse of the Melissa Shoes x Vivienne Westwood collection and this time around we have sneak peaks of their Spring 2009 collection. The Vivienne Westwood collaborative series has expanded to include more styles – my very favorite is the “Lady Dragon” an open-toe sling-back with detachable heart (pictured below). All of the styles come in a rainbow assortment of fruity colors to go with any ensemble. Another new style is the “Three Staps” a gladiator sandal with, you guessed it, 3 straps. They are also re-issuing the Mary Jane II and the Ultragirl II – we’ve already posted about those styles and you can view them here. I absolutely love the matte black Ultragirl II – so chic! There are also two amazing new styles done in collaboration with Alexandre Herchcovitch – check out all the pics after the jump!  The styles start shipping in December and will be available on RevolveClothing.com.

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The Pool show has grown a little in size, which explains why the United show has become smaller…Many of the brands that exhibited at United last fall have found their way to Pool. I have to say, their hasn’t been much out their that’s stood out as new and exciting…So, I visited some of our favorite brands and managed a couple of new things…

Oh, how we love 31 Corn Lane!!! They have recently introduced a new “luxury” jewelery line named, Tipton & Downing. Such a rich and regal name, right? But just in case you don’t get the reference, Tipton and Downing are the last names of the two guitar players in Judas Priest….sooooooooo good! This line of lux jewels come in gold and silver tones, retail at $50 to $75 and include names like “Love Measured in Carrots” and “Little Stinker”.

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