A “one-carrot” ring and more from the “Tough Love” bridal collection by Solange Azagury-Partridge

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: The ‘one-carrot’ ring would make a fun addition to my upcoming wedding day. Alongside my multi-’carat’ ring, of course.

Via WWD

Nicole Richie to launch House of Harlow 1960 handbag collection for Spring 2011

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 range of prices between $295 and $595, and will launch in spring 2011. There are no images yet, but Rick Cytrynbaum, co-founder of Majestic Mills (which produces House of Harlow 1960 accessories and Richie’s clothing line Winter Kate), told Women’s Wear Daily: “If you look at the clothing and you look at the footwear, you get an idea of what the bags are going to be!” I can tell you one thing - I will be waiting “with breath that is bated”!

Photo by Donato Sardella via WWD

Get ready to “Catch the Fever” with Beyoncé’s Heat fragrance

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? I need it!”

The inspiration for the name and packaging came from the singer’s tours - fire from performances, red and gold are among her favorite colors; thus the antique-style bottle looks like it’s on fire. The top of the bottle is edged with a gold band and a cap with the letter ‘B’, and inscribed on the bottle are the words ‘Beyoncé’ and ‘Heat’. The fragrance has notes of red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach; a heart of honeysuckle nectar, almond macaroon and crème de musk, with giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber.

Beyoncé’s Heat, licensed by Coty, will be available in three sizes — 1 oz. eau de parfum for $39; 1.7 oz. eau de parfum for $49, and 3.4 oz. eau de parfum for $59. Also for sale will be a 6.8-oz. Gold Sparkling Body Lotion for $24. The complete collection will be available this February in the U.S. at approximately 2,000 department and specialty stores, (including Macy’s where Bey will make a personal appearance to Herald Square on Feb. 3.), as well as in Canada and Latin America.

Are you ready to “Catch the Fever“?

Source: WWD

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

Nicole Richie to launch contemporary womenswear line

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 collection includes mostly tops, vests and bed jackets in colorful vintage-inspired silk, crepe and chiffon, alongside long slip dresses, asymmetrical short dresses, tunics and a kimono-sleeve maxidress. Richie drew inspiration from her wardrobe, as well as from her favorite animals, including peacocks and other birds.

“I probably wear the same two pairs of jeans every day as the background to a fabulous top,” she said. “Bed jackets are a staple of my wardrobe because they are a gorgeous way to give jeans and a white T-shirt a completely different look.”

Prices range from $35 (wholesale) for a camisole, to $110 for a long kimono dress, and up to $598 for leather pieces.

“Fashion should be accessible,” Richie continued. “That was my philosophy when designing House of Harlow 1960 and it remains my philosophy for Winter Kate.”

We confess – we loved her House of Harlow 1960 jewelry line - but does she have the design chops to churn out a full women’s collection? And will you be buying?

Photo via WWD

CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards 2009 - winners and losers

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 in a beautiful sheer grey off-the-shoulder Calvin Klein dress and nude T-strap sandals. Diane Kruger wowed in a red Jason Wu minidress with black embroidered shoulder details and also accessorized with T-strap sandals and a navy satin clutch. A very pregnant Heidi Klum shined in a ruched, metallic one-shouldered Michael Kors dress complemented with a metallic clutch and metallic Christian Louboutin ankle-strap pumps.

The night’s fashion ‘losers’ included Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) who wore a silver top and too short/too tight black skirt by Behnaz Sarafpour and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. Ashley Olsen looked frumpy in an orange vintage gown that was just a bit too large. Perhaps they should have switched?

Vera Wang wore one of her own designs – a gold sequined dress with a white tank, bib necklace, netting at the hem, black tights and chunky black shoes. Can you say “accessory overload”? Kirsten Dunst wore an asymmetrical Rodarte minidress that made her look like a wrapped mummy and her clunky grey shoes would have been more appropriate with a pair of jeans. Rachel Roy also wore one of her own designs – a one-shoulder frock with a pretty print but too much going on at the waist.

Check out Women’s Wear Daily to see which designers won at the CFDA awards.