The Preps Hit Fashion Week: Tory Burch, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren

Hello-Hello and Happy Weekend!

In yesterday’s post we promised more photos from the Tory Burch show at Fashion Week.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

There was some angst here at the Prepatorium about the direction Ms. Burch is taking with this Fall’s Collection, and more than a few readers echoed these concerns. Below, the portion of the WWD story that we shared yesterday:

“Tory Burch is trading in her sandals and ballet flats for a pair of ready-to-rumble combat boots. This season, she’s gone streetwise and edgy.”

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

More from Women’s Wear Daily’s story:

“Burch still has those charming ladyfied pieces, as in the polkadot blouse and a prettily allover petaled jacket. The rest just skews oh-so-darkly glam. “I’m pushing the limits,” said Burch. “There’s a lot of leather.”

There is.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

As far as there being “… charming and ladyfied…” styles, we scanned each and every look and encountered difficulty locating much we would call ‘ladyfied’ in the collection.  There are a few pieces reminiscent of the Tory Burch style existing customers expect to see from the designer, including this dress.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

As well as this coat, not entirely flattering in the shot below.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

One last style:

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

The Burch show attracted its share of entertainment industry stars, including Kanye West, LL Cool J and Russell Simmons.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

Women’s Wear Daily attributes some of the directional shift in the line to the designer’s romantic life:

“Ever since she’s been dating Warner Music Group Vice Chairman Lyor Cohen, Tory Burch’s fashion week presentations have felt more street than Park Avenue.”

Indeed.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

We also promised to share more from the Tommy Hilfiger show.

PHOTO: Marcio Madeira

The collection was titled “Quintessentially Fifth Avenue” in honor of the enormous Hilfiger flagship store on Fifth Avenue opening this summer.

PHOTO: Marcio Madeira

The program for the show started with this:

“It is aspirational yet affordable, inspirational yet attainable.”

Menswear is shown simultaneously; WWD had this to say in their review:

“Although the show failed to define the Tommy Hilfiger man, it had polish and ample commercial appeal.”

“

PHOTO: Marcio Madeira

Some may remember the coat from yesterday; we had to share it one more time.

PHOTO: Scott Gries/Getty

Also “Pretty in Pink,” the sheath:

PHOTO: Robert Mitra

We found this an elegant look:

PHOTO: Marcio Madeira

For some reason, this model looked exactly like Matt Damon to us.

PHOTO: Marcio Madeira

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Today’s hottest tcket had to be the Ralph Lauren show, drawing A-List celebrities like Gossip Girl star Blake Lively.

PHOTO: Andrew H. Walker/Getty

Also seen in the photo with Ms. Lively are socialite Amanda Hearst, David Lauren, and designer/model Lauren Bush.  You may remember our previous posts showing other G2 stars (Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen) at other shows earlier this week; this was the first appearance for Ms. Lively.

Below, a few looks from the Fall 2009 RTW (ready to wear) Collection:

PHOTO: Kyle Ericksen

Another look:

PHOTO: Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images

One more shot below; we promise to share more from the Ralph Lauren show in our next post.

PHOTO: Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Because we all want to pursue fiscally friendly investments, we leave you with a few more opportunities for savings, starting with the latest J. Crew promotion: 30% off Select Women’s, Men’s & Kid’s pants online and in stores.

Speaking of the Crew, has everyone seen the ABC news stories about Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts? There is a possibility she will wear J. Crew to the Oscars this weekend, as detailed in this story.

PHOTO: Ida Mae Astute ABC News

The coral dress on the far left is the J. Crew, in silk tricotine.  The lavender in the center is silk chiffon by J. Mendel, and the cobalt blue on the far right is a Reem Acra creation.

Wisely, the retailer is promoting the possible Oscar connection:

Courtesy J. Crew

++++++++++++++++++++++++

We close with an “Adventure in Argyle,” the Four Seasons Argyle sweater on sale at Bobby Jones.

Bobby Jones Four Seasons Argyle Crew

Originally $275, the Men’s sweater is now $68 as part of the President’s Day Sale. There is more Men’s merchandise in the sale than Women’s, but you may find it worth a small investment of time.

Enjoy the weekend!

Shoes @ Burberry, Selma Hayek’s Brother @ Target, LL Cool J @ Sears, Men @ Hermes

The Princess is beyond mystified at this juncture by the ups and downs, the little vagaries of the retail world, so without editorial comment here’s what we can report about the varying ‘marriages of commerce’ recently announced.

First off, the numbers are in, the data never lie, and the shoe sales at Burberry are more than sizzling, they are on fire. Therefore the luxury retailer plans to expand this segment of their business tenfold, and accomplish that massive task in five years time. The Princess loves capitalism. Really. Above you see the company’s ‘Stud Plate Bootie’ (left) available for pre-order at Nordstrom, and the Burberry ‘Armor Plate’ Buckle Flat (right), also from our good friends at Nordstrom. Those who think The Princess is merciless in her criticism of this firm for their commercialization of the brand should note the second shoe shown above, as it is a style perilously close to “cute,” also something we might actually purchase and wear! Egads! Not to worry. Our keepers will ensure that doesn’t happen.

Also Wednesday, word from everyone’s favorite discounter, Target, they have another limited-edition collection on its way, this time from Sami Hayek, brother of Hollywood actress Salma Hayek. The line will feature contemporary furniture, bedding and stationery. Prices will run the gamut, with a low of .99 cents to a high of $149.99 for an office desk.

The collection is aimed at college students and according to Le Boutique, it will be done “with minimal packaging that is designed to be reused or recycled, making the items both stylish and practical.” Hayek is quoted as saying the Target collection reflects his “core design beliefs, which include structure, humor and a commitment to sustainable design.” Below you see the Sami Hayek™ for Target® Striped Comforter Set in Brown on the left and the Reversible Coverlet Set in Gray/Tan on the right.

 

The snooze news release goes on to say that “Anyone who values function and practicality housed in great design will gravitate toward Hayek’s product.” Of course; we were thinking just that. When one does a search at the Target site for ‘Sami Hayek,’ 17 results are returned. We do know there are pieces also available for purchase in the stores, we just don’t know how many or what kind of merchandise they are. Have any of our fearless readers spotted any Hayek pieces yet? Anyone with early reviews they can share? As best we can ascertain, this clearly isn’t the Whim line from Cynthia Rowley, but then it’s not intended to be. Some of the pieces appear to have bright colors that pop and reversible fabrics – and you know we like reversibility!

And now for some truly significant discourse. I know, I know, you have been very patient these past months and previous 99 posts, wondering if we might ever engage in some kind of meaningful conversation about life, man’s inhumanity to man, that kind of thing. Well, that time has arrived, and to whom do we give our thanks for initiating the dialogue? Eddie Lampert* and his gang of goofballs at Sears. (This is definitely a candidate for the “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” list.) Evidently LL Cool J is going to save Sears, with a casual clothing line for juniors & young men, girls’ & boys’ that is supposed to hit stores starting this September. The price points will be at the higher end of the spectrum for Sears, $22 for a graphic tee and approximately $50 for a pair of jeans, according to Women’s Wear Daily. What greater topic for meaningful conversation than this?

According to WWD “The collection of casualwear for juniors, young men’s, girls’ and boys’ will roll out to 450 of Sears’ 900 stores in September and could generate as much as $100 million to $150 million in its first year, sources said.” A 40-year-old hip-hop star at Sears? I dunno’. Apparently he’s at Macy’s (See reference below) with a different line, and has been for a few months. BTW, we don’t know about the hyphenation of hip-hop, and that is causing us all sorts of aggravation…. guidance from any of our, well, our hipper readers? 

Think of all the other old dullards like TP learning what LL Cool J stands for: Ladies Love Cool James. Oh. Duh. Did everyone but yours truly know that? Huh? I mean, I might have walked into a Sears to learn that fact (doubtful), maybe (not) looked more closely at an ad, perhaps (please call Sister Mary Hand Grenade as this whopper is getting bigger and bigger) watched a TV commercial more closely if I had the time. Or not. Gone into a Sears to return a Lands End purchase gone bad? In a heartbeat. But then, we are not, most assuredly not the demo Sears is after. Not even close. And as mentioned above, we are a raging capitalist at heart, and nothing would be better than to see this little endeavor go great guns. 

Now, The Princess does know celebrity lines are what it’s all about in terms of branding and buzz for retailers. Think Vera Wang at Kohl’s. Or the upcoming Avril Lavigne at Kohl’s. Can we talk about Jessica Simpson? Martha Stewart? Hello? It is not as though this is unheard of. But it is also not as though Sears hasn’t tried this. Repeatedly. Again. And. Again. And Again. The Chicago Sun-Times covers Sears quite well, they have to – the company is practically in the paper’s backyard. And according to an article in Wednesday’s paper, Sears has been down this path 97 times:

“Sears previously launched 97 multicultural concept stores in its stores, and has offered African-American-themed items in its catalogs. It also has sold labels by Latin TV star Lucy Pereda, as well as well-known designers Liz Claiborne and BCBG’s Max Azria.”

“Meanwhile, analysts expect another dismal quarter at Sears when the Hoffman Estates-based retailer reports earnings on Thursday.”

Where the Princess becomes completely confused is this: no one seems to mention in any of today’s coverage that LL Cool Jay just launched another line of clothing this spring, the Todd Smith line! (The star’s real name is Todd Smith.) Nor do we see mention of Smith’s 2006 apparel line; this link takes you to a 2006 MSNBC story that makes interesting reading. The photos below are datelined March 8 of this year with a caption reading “LL Cool J Debuts His New Clothing Line ‘Todd Smith’ at Macy’s Department Store,’ so TP is most confused. Why start an additional line, arguably competitive line?

We leave this confusion behind for the time being, and move on to the news that Hermes will open its first stand-alone Mens shop in New York sometime this fall. The success of its men’s and women’s apparel lines has been explosive, and added emphasis on menswear has been in the works for some time. The luxury goods seller wants to continue raising its mens ready-to-wear profile; the heavy focus on men’s products at its Financial District Boutique that opened earlier this year is proof of that. Below, a few looks from the Hermes Spring and Fall 2008 RTW Collections.

Tomorrow we’ll celebrate our 100th (or 101st, we have to check!) post and chat about the competition Hermes will face from another upscale mens retailer also planning to open a store on Madison Avenue. 

 

TODAY’S ABBREVIATIONS DEMYSTIFIED:

• RTW: Ready to Wear
• TPP, LLC: The Preppy Princess, LLC
• Eddie Lampert*: Mr. Lampert is the Grand Pooh-bah at Sears