Barbie Basics LBD Collection - event recap

Yesterday I told you about the Barbie Basics LBD collection of dolls. Well, I had the chance to preview the one-of-a-kind designer dolls last night at Openhouse Gallery. The Kir Royale cocktails were flowing, the hors d’oeuvres were being passed and I got a chance to catch up with some of my favorite fashion bloggers. Then came the unveiling. Oh boy! If only I could have Barbie’s one-of-a-kind outfits for myself! The looks were everything you’d expect – and more! All of the dolls were styled amazingly, but my faves had to be the Betsey Johnson Barbie with the wide sheer skirt, the Devi Kroell Barbie with mirrored pants and an ‘exotic’ handbag, the Lorraine Schwartz Barbie with $10,000 of real diamonds on it, and the Subversive Barbie with a chunky, layered pearl necklace! Icing on the cake – designer Justin Giunta (Subversive) was there and told me about his inspiration for accessorizing Barbie, his jewelry line and his upcoming jewelry collaboration with Tory Burch!

Overall, all of the dolls were nothing short of fabulous! And as promised, bidding has begun on the dolls so if you want to get your hands on these one-of-a-kind designer dolls, whip out your credit cards and snap up one – or a few! Proceeds will benefit CFDA education and scholarship programs.

Make sure to follow Barbie on Twitter (@BarbieStyle) and check out her blog, where CFDA designer Justin Giunta has a guest blog about his designer doll.

Special thanks to Attention PR, Steven Kolb - Executive Director, CFDA, and Stephanie Cota - SVP, Barbie for hosting this event!

Photos via Racked and TrendHunter

Barbie Basics black label collection of little black dresses

Barbie is the luckiest girl in the world. Who else can say that they have a closet full of little black dresses (LBDs), designed just for them by 12 of the world’s top designers?

To celebrate the launch of Mattel’s new Barbie Basics doll, featuring twelve customized Barbies with varying hairstyles, skin tones and a basic LBD and accessories, the company also invited Council of Fashion Designers America (CFDA) designers to customize twelve one-of-a-kind dresses for Barbie. Designers include Deborah Lloyd (Kate Spade), Isaac Mizrahi, Rachel Roy, Tory Burch, Alexis Bittar, Betsey Johnson, Devi Kroell, Justin Giunta (Subversive), and Monica Botkier. Wouldn’t you just love to have a closet full of their stuff?

Each designer is auctioning their doll on eBay until February 7. Starting bid is $100 and net proceeds will go to the CFDA’s education program and scholarships.

And tonight, I’ll be tweeting live from the first-ever Barbie tweet-up, where we’ll get to take a peek at these one-of-a-kind dolls. Follow us on Twitter: we’re @WhatsHaute!

And follow @BarbieStyle for more updates on the dolls!

Shop now with your $50 gift card at Kimberly Taylor

You may have heard about Kimberly Taylor, the 24 year-old designer who recently opened her own flagship store in New York’s Meatpacking District. Taylor, who has no formal design training, created a womenswear collection that is completely covetable and droolworthy. Full of colorblock separates, the designer’s looks have the devil-may-care attitude and feel of Alexander Wang, but at prices that you don’t have to be famous to afford. And for a limited time, to promote the debut of her e-commerce website– KimberlyTaylor.com, she’s offering all of you a special $50 gift card towards all new Cruise and Spring 2010 styles. You can claim the gift card at checkout by entering “Launch” in the promo code box from now through Fri., Dec. 18. Check it out!

What’s on your favorite designer’s holiday wish lists

Want to know what your favorite contemporary womenswear designers want for the holidays? WWD spoke to a few of them to find out what they want, what they have planned for the holidays, and of course who and what they’ll be wearing. Check out what’s haute on their holiday gift lists:

AMY SMILOVIC, Tibi: “A crocodile bag from Bottega Veneta. It’s my obsession right now.”

BETSEY JOHNSON: “A new hot lover.”

CATHERINE MALANDRINO: “An autographed basketball by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Tony Parker and Allen Iverson to gift to my son.”

CYNTHIA ROWLEY: “Another memorable adventure.”

GELA NASH-TAYLOR, Juicy Couture: “I want snow.”

JOYCE AZRIA, BCBGeneration: “I don’t need anything, but if anyone’s taking notes I want…a camera, a MacBook, Chanel booties, new makeup, Brian Atwood over-the-knee suede boots, a new house, a navy blue vintage Porsche — you know, nothing fancy.”

MICHELLE SMITH, Milly: “More time with my babies.”

NANETTE LEPORE: “A 15-minute meeting with Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg so I can state my case about saving the Garment Center.”

REBECCA TAYLOR: “I’m angling for an Hermès scarf, but I’d be happy with just my whole family being together for the first time.”

SHOSHANNA GRUSS, Shoshanna: “As long as my family and friends are happy and healthy, I don’t need a thing.”

STACEY BENDET, Alice + Olivia: “I want [my one-year-old daughter] Eloise to say ‘mama’.”

TRACY REESE: “An Eames chair.”

Whats on your holiday gift wish list?

Zac Posen to design for the girl on the street: introducing Z Spoke

Don’t you just love when designers launch lines for the everyday woman? We do. We’ve long been fans of Zac Posen but stuck to shopping only his accessories since his evening dresses reached exorbitant price levels. We’re happy to learn that Zac, according to Women’s Wear Daily, is launching a new lower-priced collection for spring called Z Spoke. The contemporary sportswear line which includes separates such as knits, cotton shirts, blazers and pleated khaki shorts will be exclusively sold through Saks Fifth Avenue, in 17 stores and online at Saks.com.

Z Spoke is said to represent Zac’s “new minimalist and utilitarian mind-set with a strong sportswear sensibility”. While Zac Posen’s high-end collection ranges from $900 to $12,000, and custom pieces reaching upwards of $20,000, the Z Spoke range will retail from $78 to $675 and includes everything from a basic cotton T-shirt to Posen’s signature knit dresses.

What do you think of the collection? Will you be buying Z Spoke?

Photos by Kyle Ericksen via WWD

Tory Burch - Spring/Summer 2010 Presentation #NYFW

During fashion week, where would you find yourself in the same room as Anna Wintour and Toni Braxton? Tory Burch of course! The favorite designer of mine held a presentation near the end of fashion week and even at 9 in the morning, it was a zoo of fashionistas (myself included) clamoring to see what’s haute for Spring. Burch revealed her new logo color (purple) along with the new collection which as always, included a ton of pieces I wanted to snap up immediately.

The collection was an interesting mix of retro, prep, modern frontierswoman with a dash of glitz and glam. The pieces ranged from sequin party dresses to floral-print retro style day dresses; chic tweed skirt suits and gingham pant suits; tie dye to traditional trenches. The footwear was interesting as well - strappy leather sandals stood alongside flat and heeled moccasins.

Accessories included a wide range of covetable handbags, jewelry and belts. Every piece covered the gamut of traditional to trendy. Tory Burch knows how to serve up fashion for any woman, any where at any time.

Photos: Ehmonie Hainey/What’s Haute and NY Post

Nine West on the runway at New York Fashion Week

During New York Fashion Week, Nine West collaborated with some amazing rising designers to dress their models in some of the latest footwear designs. Designers included Project Runway runner-up Jillian Lewis, Bensoni, Timo Weiland and Untitled 11:11. Nine West’s Creative Director, Fred Allard, commented:

“We were very excited to collaborate with such talented designers for the Spring 2010 fashion shows. We believe in supporting the efforts of new talent in the industry and will continue to work with young designers. The trends I loved on the New York runway ranged from eye-catching Americana to neutral layered palettes. For footwear, there was an emphasis in flats and sandals as well as the continued menswear/utility trend with updated lace-ups.”

Styles included the Lollipop ($89), the Count ($89), the Norbu, the Aleksander, ($79.99), the Velli, Boutique 9, ($99.99), the Tesia, ($89.99), all available in stores and/or online at Nine West.com.

Fashion’s Night Out #FNO09: RACHEL Rachel Roy pop-up store

I headed over to the RACHEL Rachel Roy pop-up store and the line was down the block! Not surprising since this collection has been buzzworthy for months. And once inside, I saw that it was worth all the fuss. Usually designer diffusion lines are poorly constructed or cheap fabrics are used, but this collection was very well-made and just lovely. I wanted to grab just about every piece in the store but only left with the ‘Love’ script necklace and Peace Sign earrings.

The store was like one big party - in the front there was an area filled with graffiti panels designed by renowned tag artist SenOne. Guests could leave their own tags too. Drag queen/DJ Lady Bunny put on his/her own outrageous show, twirling around the store and dancing like a madwoman….or madman.

I chatted with a few celebs - RACHEL Rachel Roy model Karen Blanchard. I adored her bag, which I initially assumed was some couture designer creation but was actually scored on the cheap at a vintage store. And she studded it herself! Fabulous and resourceful - my kind of girl! I also ran into Malvin Vien of the current season of Project Runway. We chatted about what he’s been up to since the show - he’s designing his own line and also involved in non-profit work. I also spotted Renee Neufville of former R&B group Zhané. I gushed over her music as well as her style. She looked amazing in a brown and white zebra print hooded jumpsuit (vintage Diane von Furstenburg), a gold belt from her mom’s closet and a red leather clutch by Alexander Terekhov (Terexov). Loved her throwback wide fingerwaves, blue nails and neutral makeup. She revealed that she’s working on a solo album that may drop in December. I for one can’t wait! She was at the event to see her friend Estelle, who was scheduled to perform but I took off before she got there - had to finish my shopping rounds.

 

 

 

 

 

In New York? Visit the store:
RACHEL Rachel Roy pop-up store:
111 Spring Street (between Mercer and Greene)
September 9th through September 16th
Open 11am-8pm, Monday to Saturday and 10am-8pm on Sunday

Next up: the Anna Sui for Target pop-up store.

Stay tuned to What’s Haute for New York Fashion Week coverage!

RACHEL Rachel Roy collection now available in stores and online

I was excited to learn that Rachel Roy’s new affordable collection called RACHEL Rachel Roy, is now available at select Macy’s stores as well as RachelRoy.com. I first told you about the RACHEL collection back in April, with just a preview of the accessories. Well now the full line is here and it has been worth the wait! The RACHEL Rachel Roy collection includes affordable contemporary sportswear, along with footwear and accessories. The RACHEL Rachel Roy collection was designed to “capture a fresh and youthful look that reflects today’s culture by mixing elements of downtown cool with uptown chic at affordable price points”. I love the look of all of the pieces but my personal faves include the necklace tee, the ‘Love’ scripted necklace, and a few of those right on-trend studded bags. The line retails from $59 to $299 for sportswear, $79 to $199 for footwear, $40 - $195 for jewelry and $69 to $109 for handbags.

Check out the images of the complete collection below, and visit RachelRoy.com to shop!

Get up close and personal with the real ‘devil in Prada’ - Anna Wintour in “The September Issue”

It was a veritable “who’s who in fashion design” last night at the premiere of “The September Issue“. The documentary, directed by R.J. Cutler, is named after the most highly coveted and biggest (weighs over 4 pounds!) annual issue, the September issue of Vogue magazine.

Cutler delves into the work life of one of the most enigmatic fashion editors ever, Anna Wintour, and Creative director Grace Coddington, and gives us fashionistas an exclusive inside look at the industry’s proclaimed ‘bible’.

Wintour was quoted as saying: “Well, it’s very much the inside workings of the magazine - how we put an issue together, the hard work that it takes, the creativity, you know, the heartache and the successes. I think the September issue is really a benchmark for the industry so to see how it’s put together is obviously for us very special and we hope for the viewers.”

“R.J. is very discreet,” Wintour continued. “You know, obviously at the beginning we were all a little apprehensive but he was with us for nine months so at the end of it he was part of the team.”

The film opens in theaters August 28th in New York, September 11th in Los Angeles and other select cities TBD.

Check out the red carpet ‘fashion show’ starring your favorite designers.
Ed: I wonder if when asked “Who are you wearing”, was the response “Me”?

J. McCarthy/Wireimage

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