Love to read and shop? Well according to WWD, H&M is combining those two passions in a new collection inspired by the Stieg Larsson bestseller, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Based on the main character, Lisbeth Salander, a 30-piece Dragon Tattoo collection was designed in collaboration with H&M by Trish Summerville, the costume designer for the upcoming film adaptation. The collection will be sold in 180 stores throughout the world, as well as online on Dec. 14, while the movie will be in theaters Dec. 21. This is Summerville’s first time designing a full fashion...  Read More..

Karl Lagerfeld sure keeps himself busy. Just on the heels of his Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s Impulse line comes his latest announcement – he’s set to launch his namesake ‘Karl’ masstige collection this January. WWD reports that Lagerfeld’s 100-piece women’s line will retail for $95 to $450 and will have a “street and rock ‘n’ roll flavor”. A Karl menswear line will debut Fall 2012. The collection will debut exclusively on Net-a-porter.com on Jan. 25 then will be sold on KarlLagerfeld.com starting Feb. 28. The official launch will take...  Read More..

Attention ‘Gossip Girl‘ fans! Dressing like Serena and Blair is about to get easier – and more affordable. According to WWD, contemporary brand Romeo & Juliet Couture (on sale now at HauteLook) partnered with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Television Group to produce ‘Gossip Girl’ the Collection. The line premiered at tradeshow Coterie yesterday and will be available for purchase on Sept. 26, coinciding with the ‘Gossip Girl‘ Season 5 premiere. Kitson, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue are the retailers selling the $200 and under collection. The...  Read More..

September marks the end of summer but the start of Fall shopping and of course, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week! New York Fashion Week begins this Thursday, Sept. 8 and runs through Thursday, Sept. 15. As Fashion Week Insiders, we’ve got you covered, with coverage straight from the runways at Lincoln Center, MAC/MILK Studios and other locations throughout the city. Here’s a sampling of the designers presenting their Spring 2012 fashions this week: Nicholas K, Porter Grey, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Richard Chai, Supima, Tadashi Shoji, Candela, EMERSON, Project Runway, Electric Feathers, Luca Luca, General...  Read More..

She’d prefer to be called curvy, but model Marquita Pring achieved fame by being one of the top plus-size models in the industry. A model since she was 15, Pring, now 21, has worked for Levi’s, walked for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, and was shot by Steven Meisel for the cover of Vogue Italia earlier this year. She recently shared with WWD how she got her start as a model, why she wants to do away with the term “plus size“, her Vogue editorial, how she secretly pads her body, and meeting Marc Jacobs. Read more below: Women’s Wear Daily: How did you get into modeling? Marquita...  Read More..

John Galliano fired – at Dior no more (WWD) Natalie Portman responds to John Galliano’s alleged anti-Semitic comments (NBC’s The Thread) Alexander Wang ‘elevates shopping experience’ with new e-commerce website, complete with ready-to-wear, T and accessories collections (Style.com) See how to wear Spring’s new blush trends (Refinery 29) Haute off the runway at Milan Fashion Week: Dolce & Gabbana, Emporio Armani, Jil Sander, and More (NYMag) Jessica Simpson is fashion’s $1 billion girl (NYMag) Photo: Giovanni Giannoni Get more What’s Haute –...  Read More..

Let’s keep it real – every girl wants a couple of carats on her finger. That’s ‘carats’ though, not ‘carrots’. Jewelry designer Solange Azagury-Partridge ‘s new “Tough Love” 30-piece bridal collection pokes fun at a girl’s best friend by replacing a diamond with a carrot atop one ring. Other cheeky pieces include a double decker diamond ring and a diamond-studded lips ring. The launch will take place in May in the form of a bridal shower at the designer’s studio – complete with cocktails and manicures. Prices range from $1,500-$226,000. Ed:...  Read More..

Of all the celeb-designed lines, one we actually like is Nicole Richie‘s House of Harlow 1960. The jewelry line, which debuted first, was full of art-deco style, vintage, boho-chic pieces that were both pretty and reasonably priced. Recently, House of Harlow launched its footwear line – another hit with everything from chunky heels to comfy mocassins, alongside sunglasses. Next on the plate are House of Harlow handbags. It’s the logical next step for Richie’s successful brand. Reportedly, the House of Harlow 1960 handbag collection will consist of 40-50 handbag styles with a...  Read More..

There’s no stopping Beyoncé. From music to acting, to fashion and accessories, there’s no end to extensions of the Beyoncé brand. And now she’s launching her first fragrance – Heat. In an exclusive interview with WWD, Beyoncé commented “I’ve been working on it for a while now. I was on tour for a year, and I have meet-and-greets with fans. I’ve never in my life gotten so many compliments. Coty has their own testing, but that was my testing! The fans loved it. They were like, ‘I love that, I’m getting that, why isn’t it out right now?...  Read More..

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...  Read More..

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...  Read More..

According to Women’s Wear Daily, Nicole Richie is set to launch her new contemporary women’s clothing line called Winter Kate, taking after her daughter Harlow’s two middle names. The 37-piece line, which will hit stores in February, will be available in Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Ron Herman, Intermix and Kitson. Richie said: “It feels as though I’ve always been working on this collection, but officially I started putting it together in early 2009. I’ve wanted to design a clothing collection for a very long time.” Her...  Read More..

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards are all about honoring and recognizing the most talented designers in the fashion industry, but the real fashion winners and losers at the 2009 awards were seen arriving to the event. Two of the night’s fashion ‘winners’ were Claire Danes and Kerry Washington, who both opted for full-length gowns with plunging necklines. Claire Danes looked chic in a sleek black number designed by friend Narciso Rodriguez. Kerry Washington wore a sparkly silver frock by Doo.ri paired with a silver clutch and Jimmy Choo shoes. Zoe Saldana kept it simple...  Read More..