Eddie Bauer Collaboration With Ilaria Urbinati Fall 2017

Does Eddie Bauer make you feel rugged? Woodsy? Ready to take on a bear? Growing up, this brand was the practical staple of outdoorsy guys. With celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati, the collection for fall has been revamped into an elegant example of rustic chic inspired by pioneering active women.

The main inspiration was Christine Bauer, Mrs. Eddie Bauer herself. She was an avid outdoorswoman. She pursued hunting, fishing and made it look like a sophisticated pursuit. A more contemporary muse was Margot Tenenbaum of The Royal Tenenbaums movie. Urbinati imagined how the emo heiress would dress if she were out in the woods.This is the look the stylist herself was projecting this week at the collection press previews (above).

The capsule collection itself had great plaids in soft wool in cropped stylish silhouettes or a longer, modern A-line with faux fur. Another jacket was a super fluffy cream fleece that felt like being hugged by a baby lamb. I also loved the faded, vintage hunter's print in flannel and Pendleton blanket inspired scarves.

Ilaria Urbinati is responsible for the hunky red carpet looks of your favorite guys like Bradley Cooper and James Marsden. She was also the woman behind Shaileen Woodley's transformation into fashion force.  Her first collaboration with Eddie Bauer was to revamp their Men's offerings. The brand has been celebrating their heritage of posh outdoor pursuits and the wardrobe to complement it for awhile now. With women's fashion, that usually doesn't sound exciting unless the silhouettes and fabrics are given the injection of style that Urbinati gave.

Her male charges appreciate her style guidance. Her intimate launch party drew clients James Marsden and Mr. Robot's Rami Malek to support her at the Bowery Hotel.

If you are looking for cozy and fierce offerings this fall, look no further than Eddie Bauer's collaboration with Ilaria Urbinati.

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Courvoisier's Exceptional Journey- Art and Fashion

My favorite collaborations are the ones that bring together talents of different genres. Luxury cognac brand Courvoisier worked with Esquire Magazine on two artistic projects and presented them to a stylish crowd last night at Industria Superstudio. Celebrities Rosario Dawson and OITNB's Dascha Polanco were on hand to keep the atmosphere sultry.

The first was a collaboration with French rainjacket label K-Way and contemporary artist Jack Laroux. Laroux is known for his artwork depicting kinetic, reflective surfaces and he incorporated his pieces into two outerwear styles with the K-way design team. The simple silhouette of the hooded jacket turned out to be a great canvas for the artist's work.

French creative lab Bonsoir Paris and streetwear label En Noir by Rob Garcia came together to create a series of photograph installations that combined fashion and texture for the event.

Of course, being Courvoisier, the premium liquor was showcased nicely with two signature cocktails. I liked the Spice Station, which was a mix of Courvoisier VS, lemon, ginger and Aperol. The Exceptional Taste is for the connoisseur with Courvoisier VSOP, cherry bitters and sherry.

You can explore the behind-the-scene videos of the projects:




Whether you are a sexy actress like Rosario Dawson and Dascha Polanco, artist genius, beloved fashion label or a work of art onto yourself, Courvoisier celebrates you!

Photos by Mariana Leung

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H&M Balmain Collaboration

The H&M Balmain collection is arguably the most anticipated designer collaboration of the season. The Jenner family first broke the news of this collection way back at the Golden Globes by debuting a look on the red carpet.

Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing brought the season's ornate embellishments to the collection with lots of gold and sparkling decorations. The color palettes of black, red, gold, royal blue reminded me of the amazing Haute Couture runways of the 1980s.

The big runway debut last night down on Wall Street turned was a giant multi-level runway lit up like a neon nightclub of the 80s. All of the hot models of today, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, etc. were there to flaunt the looks. The show opened with a dance crew much like H & M's video for the campaign.

The looks on the runway certainly looked luxurious from afar. The menswear tailoring looked sharp. Faux leather looks indistinguishable from the real thing from images, but the faux fur is a dead giveaway of the fast fashion price point. Closeup, the embellishments are clearly not the Swarovski hand-embroidered lovelies you would find at the Couture level, but the look great anyway. The problem with mass-market and runway versions of these collections versus what you get at the stores is rarely consistent. For one, for runway, the pieces are custom fit to the models, which of course, makes anything look great. Second, runway construction/fabrication is usually nicer than what hits the stores after production technicians work through costs, penny for penny. Yes, to hit those H&M price points, you could lose linings, styling seams and embroideries could be reworked into a print.
Let's see what everything looks like when you get the clothes home.

The best part of the night for all the nostalgia fans? The Balmain H&M runway show closed with a surprise performance by the Backstreet Boys. Awesome. #HMBalmaination forever.

• PHOTOs from STUDIO EMMA SVENSSON for h & m

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Echo Design & Hunt Slonem Collaboration

Welcome to the jungle! I had the privilege of visiting the studio of Hunt Slonem for his collaboration with Echo Design this week.  The renowned artist is famous for his tropical hued works of parrots and rabbits.

The accessory group Echo Design is known for mid-priced fashion forward accessories across many categories.  While they were always trend-driven, they wanted to do collaboration with an artist.  It turns out that executives were friends of a friend of Slonem and the rest was on display at his studio.

The studio was huge, with an aviary in the back housing his large bird collection.  Open plan rooms were filled with eclectic furniture and photos of his celebrity and society friends.  There was the famous “Bunny Wall” a popular motif that most of his fans associate with his work.  The mass collections of bunny works are actually an artistic exercise for him to practice his technique.  Many art professors will teach that repetition and meditation is a key tool to mastering your work.  It turns out; brushstroke rabbits translate very well into a fashion print.

Hunt Slonem has always been inspired by nature.  He chased butterflies in Nicaragua, grew orchids in Hawaii and of course his very vocal parrots on site.  My cousin and I were a little disappointed that we did not find a collection of bunnies to hop around with, but one has to stop somewhere.

The Echo Design collection itself consists of several scarf designs and tote bags.  Scarves were produced in several sizes, some large enough to be worn as a simple dress.  The colors reflected the vibrant hues of the artist’s work.  The prints included Hunt Slonem’s butterflies and his famous rabbits. 

I could see this collection selling at galleries and museums.  However Echo Design is staying true to its fashion and department store customer base, they are just bringing a bit of art into the mix. 

photos by Mariana Leung

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Anna Sui and Coach Collaboration

Every day there is a new designer collaboration between a traditional big brand and downtown designer.  Coach handbags paired up with 1990's holdout Anna Sui for a collection of two bags for the holiday season.

Did the designer bring her whimsical Lolita-esque babydoll prints? Bright color palette?  No.  There was one black leather duffle bag with a dragonfly detail accented in green and a cognac brown duffle bag with a fleur de lis detail.  The bags were quite nice actually, with a giant leather tassle, or inside smaller pouch.  The duffle silhouette is one of Coach's signature shapes, so is the leather construction (as opposed to Anna Sui's typical synthetics).

New York fashion editors and several top models came out to support the launch.  Adorable owl and dragonfly cookies decorated in her honor were passed around with sparkling wine.

Until the next collaboration then...

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Milly and Sperry Topsiders Party for Boys Club of New York

Bright prints for spring adorning cute dresses and cuter  shoes were launched last week. Milly by Michelle Smith collaborated on a special collection of footwear with Sperry Top-Sider.  Socialites mixed with fashion media at the launch party held at the Milly boutique.  A portion of the sales that night benefited the Boys Club of New York. 

Sperry Top-Sider is known for their casual chic with a nautical bent.  Milly is known for upscale bright colors and graphic prints.  How did they mix?  The shoes ranged from flat, sneaker silhouettes with Milly prints and shiny eyelets to rope bound platform heels in bright florals with dainty loafer lacing.

The Boys Club of New York is a non-profit organization with several clubhouses around New York City with programs to help at-risk boys grow up to be successful young men.

To donate, click through and help here.

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Ked's for Opening Ceremony

Remember Keds?  They were THE shoe that my junior high school heart were after.  Their simplicity and clean lines were the epitome of preppy pre-teen chic.

Now, uber-hipster retailer Opening Ceremony is bringing them back to us in their collaboration online and in stores.  I loved the big intarsia dogs on sweaters and cute ditsy print dresses.  Ladylike and still a bit preppy, with just a bit of irony.  The pieces run anywhere from $45 to $400, making them accessible for those on an allowance or earning their own.

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