More pics and a video after the jump…

The green is perhaps the most striking of the three colors, and while I want to have a problem with the mustard yellow, it stands in stunning contrast with the model’s pale skin and gray-blue eyes. The lavender is my personal favorite, as it acts most like a natural hair color with its range of highlights and shadows, turning almost white in the light.

The actual haircuts/styles are not at all extreme or edgy (even the green one, still somewhat trendy), allowing the colors to be the focus. Take into account the tuxedos, and these unconventional colors become versatile and refined, projecting an unexpected elegance with a bit of humor and no hint of stuffiness. I also found the streamlined layout and typography, black and white of course, to be equally successful.

While all of this is true about the accompanying video (Below), I felt that in the attempt to provide more visual interest and add edge, the juxtaposition of formality and playfulness fell apart somewhat. I did like the cleanliness and consistency of the line design element used to cuts and manipulate the men in the video, but it took away from the simplicity of the print editorial that made it so compelling. [Ed: Agreed! The "see/hear/speak no evil reference was cringeworthy as well.]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Images: Tush

For $693 pick them up at Shopbop.com and be the star in your own Sin City.

The same pastel print resurfaced on this weird-cum-wonderful waitress’ uniform (Above Left), which could be styled into a day- or nighttime option, and we also adore the brilliant Robin’s egg blue of this femme polo (Above Right). With fashion houses like Vuitton, Chanel and Nina Ricci cosigning the Easter-worthy palette this season, we’re definitely feeling the confection connection.

Images: Fred Perry

Why? Well, save for the notably successful Olsen sisters and Spice-Girl-cum-Fashion-Icon Victoria Beckham, most licensed ‘collections’ are down-market, lowest-common-denominator attempts to capitalize on the brand equity of a celebrity’s name. Not that I don’t understand the trend: whether we accept or buck the pervasive predilection, the truth is that we live in the golden age of the BRAND. Quality, construction, and even originality are peripheral considerations, when they are considered at all. Consumers want caché, and who better than a favorite celebrity obsession to give it to them?


Celebrity Designer Kelly Wearstler (Above) appears to be a notable new exception. Though she is perhaps best known for her interior design work (images Below)–she designed interiors for Bergdorf Goodman’s BG lounge, the Viceroy collection of boutique hotels, and more private residential projects than I care to list–she has managed to transition into a respectable apparel designer. Her clothes and accessories err on the quieter side of her Hollywood-Regency-meets-color-clashing-circus aesthetic, featuring silhouettes and finishes with a decidedly feminine perspective. Marbled prints, geode cuffs, structural stripes — these are the touchstones of her interior design work, yes, but few before her have managed to translate them so beautifully into clothing.


Though mass-produced and sold at a handful of luxury retailers–Bergdorf Goodman, Holt Renfrew, Nieman Marcus, Net-a-porter, among others–each piece appears handmade, idiosyncratic in its print and finishes. The work owes its arresting nuances to the materials Wearstler is attempting to recreate–marble, malachite, pyrite, jade, rosewood, mica, bleached driftwood–but the effect stands wholly on its own.

She may not yet be a household name, but the work Kelly Wearstler is creating proves she’s not going anywhere.

If we’re lucky, anyway.

Get more, HERE.

Just because they are basically briefs (Nair sales: going up!) doesn’t mean that this itty-bitty apparel item is unwearable. Pair them with a jacket like the studded leather number at Versace [Ed: ZOMGZ WUT] (Below Left) or a longer tweed piece that hits mid-thigh, as shown at Chanel (Below Right).

With updated shapes and unexpected additions, these briefs are no laughing matter! We just recommend you start hitting the gym now…

Images: Style.com

Enter the Superdry range at Bank, which encompasses your standard button-downs, pants, jackets and tees with unique but subtle details. See the cool double collar on this peacoat (Below Left) and this hooded flannel layering piece (Below Right).

We know it’s all about casual simplicity and not having to think too hard to look well put together, and we think you’ll get hooked on this site fast.

Straight-up sports and outdoor styles with bright colors have been making a huge splash as of late, with pieces from Under Armor, Nike and Helly Hansen making their way into magazine editorials, and Jeremy Scott doing an Adidas collab, We really love these Henri Lloyd offshore sailing jackets for men (Below Left) and women (Below Right).

Not only are these jackets in keeping with the current trend cycle, but the Gore-Tex™ outer shell and specially designed hoods keep the elements at bay. We would wear it with some neon yellow neoprene leggings and bizarro Balenciaga heels from ’08 that were inspired by snowboard boots. Okay, those are open toe… but you can’t be JUST practical!

For years, I have wondered what all the incessant fuss was about with respect to Prabal Gurung. Yes, his streamlined silhouettes have appeared on many a red carpet. Yes, American fashion magazines had an obvious love for his handsome visage and, well, his somewhat obvious, lady-like clothes. Oh, and there was that rather famous lady champion of his: the first lady, Michelle Obama.

Arguably his most notable supporter, Michelle put Prabal Gurung on the mainstream map (via her now-defunct relationship with Chicago-based retailer Ikram Goldman). Like Proenza Schouler, Prabal Gurung is not an easy name to remember, much less pronounce correctly, but Michelle seemed to wear his wares quite a bit, and the designer naturally received a good amount of attention in return.

Mostly, though, I’ve found his work a bit too reliable. A bit predictable. A bit, to be honest, boring.

His S/S ’12 collection, however, was an all-out revelation: an exciting, ebullient evolution. Sheer panels, vivid prints that were at once neither too passive nor too aggressive, harnesses (courtesy of Zana Bayne), and a palette as arresting as it was perfectly wearable. These elements made for a collection that took Prabal far from his comfort zone of red-carpet-ready eveningwear: he made a statement, and he made it loud and clear.

I could have done without the textural embellishments–the feathers throughout lent an unpleasant dissonance to the contrapuntal impact of structure, silhoutte, and those prints–but by and large it was an unimpeachable lot of clothes. Prabal clearly knows how to cut a pant (and a jacket), but his greatest successes were the dresses: Karlie Kloss in a graphic gown of sheer panels and slits, Frida Gustavsson’s closing gown and its psychedelic patternmix.

Here’s to hoping Prabal makes a similarly spellbinding showing come February. Chances are, if the boywonder can get my attention with a Spring collection, I’ll be downright drooling for Fall.

Images: NY Mag

The sample sale will consist of: feather-weight silk blouses in an array of prints and colors, Corte’s signature pieces, including the perfectly-cut pencil skirts à la Joan Holloway, shimmery brocade capes to sleek evening gowns with down-to-there plunging necklines, because who needs baubles when your daring fashion sensibility does all the attention-grabbing? And always, there will be plenty of Sports Illustrated-featured swimsuits for your upcoming wintertime exotic getaway vacation. All merchandise will be up to 80% off, with prices mostly ranging between $20 and $50.

Move aside, Forever 21 and H&M: snapping up investment-worthy finds at Daniela Corte Sample Sale is much smarter shopping.

The sale event begins 12/9 (Friday) through 12/11 (Sunday). Store hours are 11am-7pm (Fri-Sat), and 12p-5p (Sun), held at 211 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116.  For more information, call (617) 608-4778.  Happy hunting!