Collabs: Jimmy Choo x H&M, Badgley Mischka x HSN, Rodarte x Target, Louise Goldin x Topshop, etc

Fashion collaborations are not a new thing, but with the increasing number of big name designers crossing over into mainstream clothing chains, affordable fashion has never been more attainable.

Jimmy Choo x H&M, available in stores now
Jimmy Choo x H&M just launched on Nov. 14th in 200 stores worldwide, and the results have been surprising. I assumed the goods wouldn't be leather since H&M doesn't traditionally carry leather, but rest assured, everything in the collection is real. Amazing! I'm a little sad and I feel like I missed out because a) I was out of the country and b) at the the time of the launch I assumed it would all be faux goods. I was wrong and I missed out on the shoes! Dangit. However, I randomly stopped by an H&M (one that didn't stock the collab) the other day just to browse around and luckily I spotted a lone Jimmy Choo Dylan tote that was a return. I saw those bright purple Choo tags from a mile away. Heh heh.

My thoughts? The leather isn't of the greatest quality, and I wish it were a little softer, but lambskin would just be too expensive. My guess is that this is some quasi mix of pig and cow leather. Overall, I love the look, and the size (which is huge!).

Here's my dylan tote, although I kinda wished I had stumbled upon this little studded number since its design is more traditional Choo (left: $299, right: $199):



Some of my other faves:
Left (love the electric blue!): $129, Right: $129

Left: studded belt, $59.90, Right: $149

Check out the whole collection here. Much of the collection is gone from the stores, but if you're lucky enough, you may come across something. The only socal stores that carry the collab are Beverly Center, Sunset Blvd, and South Coast Plaza.


Badgley Mischka x HSN, available online now
Also available now is Badgley Mischka's American Glamour for HSN, which includes a line of jewelry, bags, shoes, and clothing. The collection is signature Badgley Mischka. Alot of girly, fanciful, shiny, glittery details. Some of my faves:

I kind of love the bow watch since it's just so unabashedly and ridiculously girly and sometimes that's just what you need--a little bit of over the top girly dashed in with something hard edged. I'm also into that caged bag-- it intrigues me. I'm curious of the quality and I wish I could get a feel of the materials. According to HSN's website it's leather with manmade materials, I wonder how much of that bag is manmade and how much of it is really leather. Hrm. American Glamour is available now via hsn.com and more will be coming your way March 2010.

Rodarte x Target, Dec. 20, 2009
The collection I'm the most excited about though is Rodarte for Target. I am a HUGE Rodarte fan and I just can't help but love season after season because the Mulleavy sisters never disappoint and never stray too far from their romantic design aesthetics. This may be attributed to their fairy tale story of fame. The Rodarte team is comprised of two sisters from Pasadena, CA who came to New York with a couple of dresses in their suitcases and bright eyes. It wasn't long until they became a red carpet favorite and critically acclaimed brand. Their new collaboration for Target will ensure that they will become a household name, even in suburban America.

Sneak peeks (photo credit via nymag.com):


























Close up of black lace dress featured in this month's Teen Vogue (with Dakota Fanning on the cover) $45, and Dakota in the leopard printed dress, $45 (credit: Teen Vogue and nitrolicious.com):

Some more editorial mentions: Rodarte x Target in Dec. 2009 Vogue and Marie Claire:

Looks promising! I'm excited. I love the dresses, skirts, cardigans, and lacy tights. I also love that sequined skeleton tunic. Amazing! Prices will range from $9.99 to $79.99. Rodarte for Target launches Dec. 20, 2009. I'm definitely in for a couple of pieces. Who else?

Louise Goldin x Topshop, Spring 2010
These are killer. I'm curious to know the price point, because I think I need a pair of these in my life. I'm thinking Badgley Mischka's girly jewelry with these. Perfect, no?













































Other collabs launching soon:
- Sonia Rykiel (lingerie) x H&M, Dec 5, 2009, preview
- Eugenia Kim (jewelry) x Target, April 18, 2010
- Cynthia Vincent (shoes) x Target, April 18, 2010
- Stella McCartney x Baby Gap, March 2010, preview
- Vivienne Westwood x Melissa shoes, preview

Vampire (and technically, werewolf) Weekend

I'm back! After weeks in China, I'm finally back in lovely LA. I really missed it and it looks like I've missed out on alot. Must catch up. China redux post coming soon.



If you couldn't tell already, this post is all about New Moon, because whether you love it or hate it, this is its weekend. The movie and predictions about its numbers have been getting alot of buzz, and I can't help but join in. After a clusterfuck of interviews and press tours all around the world (U.K., Japan, Germany, Latin America) and domestically (L.A., NY, Today show, Ellen, Jimmy Fallon, Conan, Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Regis+Kelly, etc., etc.), along with endless TV spots, the New Moon marketing machine has finally come to an end (somewhat), and Summit can now sit back and let the money roll in. And when I say roll, I actually mean pour.

The preliminary numbers for New Moon are insane. And I mean insane. After showing in 3,514 theaters, New Moon has produced the biggest midnight opening ever with Summit reporting $26.27 million. That's bigger than The Dark Knight and all of the Harry Potter movies. New Moon has also broken the record for the largest number of advance tickets sold as Fandango is reporting 10+ tickets/second. That's just ridiculous.

It gets bigger though. Friday has opened up to just about $72.7 million, which breaks both records of the biggest single day and biggest Friday opening. The previous record belonged to The Dark Knight, which opened to $67 mil on its first day. Batman & Robin have been beaten out by Stephenie Meyer and her vamps, werewolves, and damsel in distress, Bella Swan. I have no words for this, and I can't imagine how incredibly happy the bigwigs at Summit are and how incredibly mad the people at MTV are (they originally had the rights to adapt the Twilight saga).

I'm really interested in how the weekend numbers will do, especially since alot of people are predicting some phenom numbers, as in 100+ mil. I wasn't sure it would get there, but the marketing machine and the massive amount of diehard fans have paid off. There's now no doubt that New Moon will break the $100 mil mark, and potentially open up to $130 million. I can't imagine how Eclipse will do (the third installment of the Twilight saga, which has already been shot, this time by director David Slade - 30 Days of Night, and opens June 2010).

ETA: Weekend numbers are in. $142.8 million. This makes The Twilight Saga: New Moon the third largest weekend opening ever, right behind The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3. That's pretty damn impressive, especially since this movie opened in the fall, not in the summer, the time of year when blockbusters usually come out. Just goes to show that you should never underestimate the power of teenage girls and vampires.

Just got back from watching the movie. There were times that were unintentionally funny and times that were just painful to watch because of the awkwardness. However, I thought the soundtrack was amazing and it was mixed in very well. I thought Chris Weitz did a great job directing, and that blue tint from the first installment is gone. That's not a knock to Catherine Hardwicke though because I think she's a great director, but Twilight was just too blue, literally. Lots of shirts off too in this one, which is never a bad thing. Not. at. all. Before watching the movie, I was observing the many fan girls who were going crazy over watching a movie. It made me think of my younger days and I felt a little twinge of sadness. When's the last time I felt so strongly about something that I became obsessed with it? (Because these girls were obsessed.) A long time. I guess I'm a little too jaded now to remember what it really felt like to really feel something with that much passion, which is sad, so sad. Yes, those girls seemed a little crazy and yes they are over the top, but hey, I can understand it and in some ways, I envy them.

In some other unrelated, but big news, Oprah will end her syndicated talk show in Sept. 2011, which will mark her 25th season. The big reason behind this move is so that she can kickstart her own network, appropriately titled OWN (oprah winfrey network) and presumably move her show there. Check out the video below of 25 years of the big O belting out celebrity names in the only way she knows how. It's pretty amazing.



So. Who's going to see New Moon and who's going to miss the big O?