Let's face it, there are some pretty compelling reasons why vintage gets a bad rap. But vintage isn't all smelly nylon shirts with enormous collars and pit stains that only make themselves known upon purchase. Sometimes that sad shirt is a forgotten gem that just needs a little TLC and a good cleaning. That's where Cotton Love comes in. Creative director Ruth Nixon says the London-based e-store's particular brand of hand-picked vintage has "all the integrity and quality of craftsmanship vintage offers, but in keeping with contemporary tastes." Secondhand never looked so new and relevant, especially when placed on an elegantly designed website with an abundance of white space and very affordable prices.
Showing the timelessness of the impeccably curated pieces, Cotton Love has also added several lesser-known jewelry labels of the witty variety. Think ANVE, Antiatoms, and Otaat, which is designed by Albert Chu, who has worked with Maison Martin Margiela in an architectural capacity. It's all so po-mo it hurts.
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Big changes are afoot at Versace. Just two days after announcing a bold new digital strategy for its second line Versus—one that would not include its six-season designer, Christopher Kane—today Versace announced that it was stepping into the online fray itself with the debut of a splashy e-store. All the goddess gear anyone could possibly want is here in one place, as well as men's, jewelry, and home, of course modeled heavily on Donatella and her luxe rock 'n' roll aesthetic. This comes as good news for those who live in Europe or the USA. For the rest, if won't be long—these days, Versace isn't kidding around.
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'Tis the season for formal events, which brings with it a mandatory attire. Here's the good news: Acne and Mr Porter have collaborated on a tuxedo capsule collection. The bad news: it's not a lower-priced line, of the fast-fashion variety—because, let's face it, not everything should be cheap.
With that out of the way, the line comprises classic tuxedo pieces and accoutrements—bow tie, cummerbund—in jacquards, velvets, wools and silks. The centerpiece is a burgundy velvet humdinger of a jacket with satin lapels, of course. There's also a fancy T-shirt, for a pop of rebelliousness.
Visit Acne for Mr Porter
Her passion for Comme des Garçons is well-documented, now the fashion journo Lynn Yaeger—she of red boy-cut fame and cutting turn-of-phrase—has curated a selection of vintage Yves Saint Laurent for Yoox. Needless to say, the one-of-a-kind items of clothing, accessories and jewelry, drawing mostly from the 70s and 80s, are going fast.
Shop Yves Saint Laurent by Lynn Yaeger on Yoox.com
Fabled Milan concept store 10 Corso Como (with outlets in Seoul and Tokyo) has taken the notion of a street window and put it online, joining forces with the e-tailing prowess of Thecorner.com to make it happen.
Collaborating labels include Maison Martin Margiela, Borsalino, Mackintosh, and Moncler—many of whom took inspiration from 10CC's black-and-white squiggly logo by American artist Kris Ruhs—in addition to loads of self-branded products.
Introducing the digital adventure and narrating a mini-retrospective is none other than the institution's founder Carla Sozzani—who, as sister of Italian Vogue's Franca Sozzani, knows a thing or two about fashion.
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There isn't a troubled socialite today whose travails can compare to those of Barbara Hutton. At least now the Woolworth heiress, lonely billionaire, Depression-era diva, seven-time divorcée, and original Poor Little Rich Girl is getting a fitting tribute. She's the inspiration behind a jewelry capsule from Lanvin that's every bit as opulent as the famed contents of her jewelry box. As seen at the end of Alber Elbaz's fall collection, diamond-dotted sapphires, rubies and emeralds are reinvented as oversized versions of her private collection and set on plaques of smoked plexiglass, which subtly changes the shade of the jewels. You know, in case you weren't already staring at them overtly.
Barbara is available in Lanvin boutiques and online
The orgy scenes of Brian Atwood's new fall campaign are getting a lot of attention, but beyond their furtive blue glow lies an array of products on the e-store that are sure to put you in the mood. The site—launched yesterday in advance of the brand's Madison Ave store later this month—carries the largest selection of Brian Atwood offerings in the world, from shoes and bags to online exclusives and fashion films. One such film, The Sex Is In the Heel, shows Candice Swanepoel in lace-up thigh highs, making out with a wall of monitors projecting what appears to be herself in a group setting. Meta-hot!
What started out as a simple e-shop for United Bamboo has morphed into a fully grown online store with loads of local labels. Drawn in by the dazzling colors of Confettisystem's party decorations, we took a good look around and discovered all sorts of goodies, most homespun, one-of-a-kind or artisanal in some way. We found warm-looking and highly stylish camp blankets by Auntie Oti, dye-dipped dresses and shirts by Study, wooly bags befitting a sherpa by erishoji, funky prints by Pierre Fichefeux, red velvet cake balls by Julie Le (hand-delivered in Manhattan!), and plenty of vintage (Comme des Garçons, Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang). Well worth the detour.
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The Barneys of Hong Kong, Joyce unveiled its shiny and long-awaited website today. Designed to resemble a fashion magazine, it goes all out in the editorial department, featuring interviews with in-store designers ranging from Alexander Wang to Yohji Yamamoto, as well as endless video footage.
But while editorial is nice, e-commerce is better. And so, not by accident, an e-shop has also been rolled out, carrying capsules by nine rising designers: Charles Frederick Worth, David Koma, Quentin Veron, Rad Hourani, Heaven Tanudiredja, Pier Atkinson, Una Burke, Tsolo Munkh, and Yang Du. With nearly every Western label throwing itself at the Chinese market, it's nice to see a little restraint and originality.
Visit Joyce.com
