eBay’s Designer Outlet Opens and Eau de Prep….?

Hello-Hello, happy Tuesday!

Once again we are ridiculously overcommitted have a few volunteer obligations the next few days, so this is really more of ‘TuWednesday’ post covering both today and tomorrow.

We begin with an update on a topic previously covered here, the new eBay Fashion Outlet Mall, promising designer duds for less.  Brands taking part in the new mall that may be of interest to our crowd include Brooks Brothers, Hanes, Elaine Turner, Hanky Panky, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Hickey Freeman.  eBay claims almost 200 other brands however (more on that number later), most of them ‘household names,’ from off-price department stores like Neiman Marcus Last Call to run of the mill retailers like Elie Tahari, Bruno Magli, Fossil and Hush Puppies.

From today’s Women’s Wear Daily story about the endeavor.

Some items are made exclusively for the outlet, and the made-for-outlet items reflect competitive pricing that is typically not further discounted. Additional discounts on all items, include MFO items, might be available during promotional periods.

(MFO is Made for the Outlet.) Here is how the home page looks.

eBay Fashion Outlet

From what we could tell the majority of brands are remaining consistent in their logo and overall look, this is the same image one sees if shopping a Brooks Brothers outlet.

Brooks Brother eBay Fashion Outlet

We decided to do a little shopping, starting with a Princess fave, Brooks Brothers. As of this writing its eBay outlet is sparsely populated, but that will change.

eBay

In fact, Brooks Brothers tells us they plan to add the full assortment of their 346 line, including children’s *and* women’s styles, really outstanding news for BB customers, especially those for whom there is no nearby outlet.

We also checked out Bobby Jones, it also offers only men’s merchandise.

At the Calvin Klein storefront there is an abundance of merchandise, including loads of items in the home goods section, 376 in that category to be precise.

Calvin Klein

Whether or not the pricing is in line with outlet pricing is an unknown, at least for this merchant, it has been ages since we looked at Calvin Klein, an oddity as we very much like this brand.

Pricing is easier for your truly to track at the Lacoste store, with only three items on the site at this point.

Lacoste

We looked at the Stealth Space Collection High-Top, $80.50 at the eBay Lacoste outlet. Here is what we discovered when comparing the price at other sources:

• Neiman Marcus Last Call” $80.50 (regular site, not eBay)
• Pick Your Shoes: $119.99
• Lacoste standard site: not shown

The pricing does appear quite favorable at Canterbury New Zealand, the Placement Stripe polo shirt is $70 at its online store, $21 at the outlet. The two look identical, no?

'Regular Site' (L) / eBay Outlet (R)

That also is the case for CNZ’s woven shirts, its Sean Long-sleeve Shirt is $98 online, but only $19.50 at the eBay Factory Outlet.

In looking at some of the women’s shoes there also seem to be savings. The Delman Sacha shoe at ‘regular’ online merchants is $249.95 (at Shoe Buy), but only $116 at the Delman eBay Outlet. Below left we show the Shoe Buy image and the Outlet image is on the right.

Shoe Buy (L)/Delman eBay Outlet

Comparing the prices for women’s clothing is more of a challenge, there simply isn’t that much womenswear available yet.

Tommy Hilfiger has a sizable amount of goods however, and checking prices reveals some differences, in this case favoring the Hilfiger Online Store. Below we show the Three Color Stripe polo, $34.99 at the Hilfiger site, $49 at the eBay outlet.

Hilfiger Online Store (L)/Hilfiger eBay Outlet (R)

Prices are the same for Hilfiger’s Basic Chambray Skirt, $24.99, and the Little Girl Argyle Sweater is $35 both places.

So we’re thinking the pricing on the Striped Polo is more of an aberration, an oversight. That does bring up another question though, if all or almost all prices are the same, what is the benefit of the outlet store? (Scratching head.)

One other observation, the number of vendors is rather reminiscent of what we used to call fuzzy math; if you click on the Seven for All Mankind link you do not connect with an online outlet store for the brand, you are taken to the Neiman’s Last Call eBay outlet site. The same is true of CJ for Cookie Johnson, Frye, and many others.

All in all it seems a good concept. One big benefit for some consumers will be shops like the Brooks Brothers Factory Outlet, not currently offered online in any capacity that we know of. Additionally we expect the number of vendors will increase, and many of the companies with minimal offerings will boost inventory significantly, especially if this proves to be an easy way to add to the bottom line.

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We have a very quick update about the Missoni for Target collection. Here is what one now sees in stores if seeking merchandise from that collaboration.

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Finally today, word of two new perfumes from Tommy Hilfiger.  Are you ready for the name? “Eau de Prep”.

Courtesy Image via WWD

From a Women’s Wear Daily story about the perfumes:

According to the designer, it was inspired by his spring-summer 2011 Prep World collection, which celebrates all of the iterations of the preppy lifestyle worldwide.

Another look from the campaign.

Courtesy Image via WWD

More from Julie Naughton’s story in WWD:

While the traditional Tommy Girl and Tommy customers might be preppy — with the guys wearing, say, pleated khaki trousers and the women oxford shirtdresses — the Eau de Prep mind-set is that there are no rules, said Hilfiger. “The Prep World and Eau de Prep customer mixes preppy with vintage and gives it a wink and a nod. They aren’t trying too hard to be cool and chic — they just express what they feel.”

The perfumes are currently available online at Macy’s, from the description of Tommy Girl Eau de Prep:

Tommy Hilfiger has returned to his preppy roots with updated styling and a cool, new fragrance: Tommy Girl Eau de Prep. It’s all about the classic life with a twist and Prep has never looked so fresh.

Really? The scent is $70, it is also available in a Men’s version. We leave you with Tilly’s reaction to word of ‘preppy perfumes’.

Until next time!

About Those Emmy Dress and Milly Spring 2012 is Stunning (with a touch of Sperry!)

Hello-Hello, we hope you are enjoying a stellar start to a new week.

We begin today with last night’s Emmy Awards. As a rule televisions at the Prepatorium are not tuned to red carpet shows. They take wretched excess to new levels and never fail to disappoint.  However, for some reason last night we took leave of our senses watched portions of the Emmys red carpet show live on E!

Watching an extravaganza liker this in an internet age is an interesting experience.  For example, in an effort to better understand who was wearing whom, we were able to turn to a live blog via NY Mag‘s Culture Vulture that featured the wit and wisdom of the Fug Girls. Below we share a few tidbits from the blog:

OH PADMA. The slit on her dress is so high that we nearly saw her ladybits when she stuck her leg out to show us her shoe. The bodice on her dress somehow makes her look topless and she sort of sounds as if she is stoned.

Danny Moloshok/Reuters

Here is what Masters of Snark Tom and Lorenzo thought:

Love the shape of it, but she’s a column of one color. She looks a bit like an Emmy herself.

Hmmmm.  Back to the Fug Girls commentary:

Kelly (Osbourne) tells a story that she asked Marchesa for some gowns and they said no, that they were only dressing one person this year, and that person is apparently Lea Michele.

But then this:

Elisabeth Moss in….beige. Yes. Again. More beige. She is also in Marchesa, despite the fact that Kelly Osborne told us that they told her (follow that?) they were only dressing one person. Either Elisabeth Moss BOUGHT this dress, or they lied. Scandale!

Oops. Below we show the two ladies in the two Marchesa gowns. Seems someone might have some ‘splaining to do.

Getty Images

It turns out Ms. Osbourne was in J. Mendel, she looked splendid.

Getty Images

One of the most-discussed gowns was worn by über-prep Gwyneth Paltrow.

Getty Images

More on the dress from Tom and Lorenzo:

Tom will concede that it is off the beaten path, as far as red carpet looks go, and he’ll give Gwynnie credit for that. But belly-baring is so not the kind of risk-taking he wants to support and besides, he might actually like it if it didn’t have that tulle effect going on at the edges, which causes an optical illusion that makes her look like she’s bulging out of this thing. And even Lo has to admit that sitting down must have been a not-particularly-pretty picture. But we both agree that it’s not a typical goddess gown and it’s not the same boring red dress that every other girl was wearing last night, so points for that.

At the risk of sounding more-than-dense, it didn’t look that see-through… did we miss something? Our problem was that it simply wasn’t flattering. Not heinous, not a crime against fashion, just not stellar. Your thoughts?

Then there is this from HuffPo, definitely moving the needle on the Snarkometer:

“Boardwalk Empire” actress Paz de la Huerta hit the red carpet in a soft pink gown with a thigh-high slit at tonight’s Emmy Awards.

But rather than go for an all-out girlish look with a similarly feminine hairstyle, Paz opted for an edgier disheveled ‘do.

It may have been because she was in a rush, having overslept during her last-minute session at Hollywood Tans.

Getty Images via The Huffington Post

Ouch!  Not all comments were snarky. Back to Tom and Lorenzo, now chatting about Melissa McCarthy.

She told Giuliana that she designed this dress herself in collaboration with a dress maker and it shows. We mean that in a good way, mostly. She made several smart decisions for a lady of size. She nipped in the waist, went for the V neck, and accentuated the shoulders. Our only issue is with the dolman sleeves, which add all kinds of volume that she didn’t need. Great color on her.

Via Tom and Lorenzo

Other frocks of note included Ariel Watson’s, many felt it far too mature for a 13-year-old. We tend to agree, a child with braces doesn’t need a cutout bodice on an evening gown.

Getty Images

And now we move to the real reason we are even discussing the Emmys a star from one of our favorite shows, Mad Men.

Getty Images

Mr. Hamm was in Tom Ford while longtime girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt wore vintage Helena Barbieri.  Mad Men won Best Drama for the fourth year in a row, below we see Mr. Hamm, Ms. Moss and producer Matt Weiner.

John Shearer/Getty Images for AMC

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Our other topic today, the simply fabulous runway show for Milly from last week.

Alessandro Viejo/GoRunway.com via Style

Designer Michelle Smith cited Sonia Delauney as her inspiration for the collection, that influence was evident in the bold colors and graphic elements seen throughout the show.

George Chinsee/Women's Wear Daily

The styles were simply spectacular. From Fashionista’s review:

To complement the bold patterns, Smith stuck to clean silhouettes including short sheaths, button down shirts, and cigarette pants. “It’s a much simpler cut this season,” the designer told us backstage. “You won’t see any bows and ruffles, it’s a little more clean and modern,” she added.

George Chinsee/WWD

It was classic Milly, clean lines and bold patterns, timeless styles.

Getty Images

We would be pushed to find a style we wouldn’t love to add to the walk-in.

Via "What I Wore" Tumblr

The looks conveyed a sense of timeless elegance, pieces maintained visual interest without being overly embellished, no frou-frou, and no ruffles. (Talbots, are you listening, hello?)

Via Glamazon Diaries

Some of the more intriguing items seen on the runway were the shoes, back to Fashionista:

Some of the adorable high-heeled boat shoes were done through a limited-edition Milly for Sperry Top-Sider collaboration, while the simple slingbacks were classic Manolo’s wrapped in Milly silks.

Via What I Wore Tumblr

From the Women’s Wear Daily review:

But she also added a fun, preppy vibe that came through in pairings of button-down shirts with cardigans and loafers (a collaboration with Sperry Top-Sider).

Alessandro Viejo/GoRunway.com via Style

We hope to learn more about the Milly-Sperry collaboration.

And a few of the celebrities on hand for the show included Singer Corrine Rae Bailey, Louise Roe, Peaches Geldorf and Tinsley Mortimer.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Ms. Smith was joined by her daughter on the runway when she came out for her bow after the show.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

On that lovely image we say g’bye until next time!

Friday Fun: Ralph Lauren Spring 2012 & The New Gossip Girl Collection

Hello-Hello, is everyone ready for a touch of Friday Fun?

Hopefully you answered “yes,” as we dive right in with a look at the spring 2012 styles from Ralph Lauren.

John Aquino/WWD

It was a show filled with lush and lovely confections, drenched with a Daisy Buchanan sensibility that was updated for today.

Wire Image via Fashionologie

The palette of pastel hues was made more vibrant by the other color used throughout the show, white: bright, glittering, shimmering, silvery white was everywhere the pastels weren’t.

John Aquino/WWD

It could almost have been an iteration for Bridal Week, understandable as Mr. Lauren has spent no small amount of time designing wedding gowns for his daughter Dylan and daughter-in-law Lauren Bush Lauren, both were married recently in Ralph Lauren gowns.

More on this from the Women’s Wear Daily review:

He also may have recalled his glorious all-white collection of 10 years ago, which he designed before, but showed after, 9/11, its gentility somehow so right for the moment. Either way or neither, the mostly white and silver gowns — Jean Harlow satins, floral metallics, crystal encrustations — dazzled.

Wire Image via Fashionologie

From Fashion Wire Daily:

“Defiantly pure in its slim silhouette and shiny new colors, and elegantly staged on a white marble catwalk, Lauren’s latest collection was the best expression of a key trend in this season of shows – an aching for ladylike grace.”

Again we see that word, “ladylike,” it did permeate the runway.

John Aquino/WWD

And ladylike works just fine for us.

Wire Image via Fashionologie

A closer look at some of the pieces.

Getty m

The pearls add just the right touch of twenties decadence.

Getty Images

And a few more details.

Reuters

To see the collection in its entirety click here for a visit to Fashionologie. Below, Mr. Lauren is congratulated by his wife Ricky, daughter Dylan and son Andrew.

Richard Drew/AP Photo

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Next, news about that much-rumored Gossip Girl clothing line, it seems such a thing really is happening. Women’s Wear Daily reports:

“The collection, priced from $80 to $200 retail, includes embellished tops, bottoms, novelty sweaters, outerwear and draped chiffon dresses with touches of leather, pleats and prints, inspired by characters including Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf.

A look from the upcoming line.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

According to WWD handbags and other accessories will be added to the collection at some point in the future.

Courtesy Photos via FabSugar

Those interested will be able to shop the line shortly at Neiman Marcus, Saks and Kitson. The timing is ideal, the show’s new season debuts on the 26th.

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We leave you with a sure sign the apocalypse is nigh:

The New York Times

That’s right, author Curtis Sittenfeld has joined Facebook. The author of “Prep” and other novels explains why she finally did it in this delightful essay from the Times.

Until next time, may your weekend by filled with fun!

Tommy Hilfiger & Brooks Brothers Black Fleece Spring 2012

Yesterday we promised a look at more Fashion Week by designers with a preppish aesthetic, we’ll jump right in with this weekend’s Tommy Hilfiger show.

Robert Mitra/WWD

From WWD’s review (Women’s Wear Daily, subscription required):

With the preppy circuit a hallowed seedbed of loud color and louder pattern, one might expect its sartorial guru, Tommy Hilfiger, to blend right in this season. Yes and no. The engaging show he presented on Sunday night felt perfect for the moment, yet stood out on the strength of Hilfiger’s approach to patterns.

Ummm, “hallowed seedbed”? Anyone? Bueller?

We always enjoy the bright pops of color one sees more of in the spring collections, the pieces below are fun while also offering a touch of whimsical sophistication.

Robert Mitra/WWD

More from the Women’s Wear Daily story:

Rather than outsize florals, he chose magnified men’s wear checks and subtle shirting stripes. As expressions of the Pop motif, the former came bright (orange and blue; pink and green) in Modworthy cuts, and were shown in matchy-matched ways that looked charmingly contrived — swimsuit matching skirt, matching bag matching shoes.

Some of those menswear fabrics can be seen in the styles shown below:

Robert Mitra/WWD

The pieces above are lovely, especially the soft pink-peach on the far right. As some industry insiders expected, it seems there is a return to more ladylike styles, no complaints about that from these quarters.

Robert Mitra/WWD

Back to the the story in WWD:

However one feels about the military-combat staple prettied up in pink and blue (it resonated awkward on the 9/11 anniversary), it went on too long.

Catwalking via NY Times

We concur with the sentiments on the camo, there were many more looks we haven’t shown, it simply didn’t fit with the rest of the collection, and it all started to look the same.

As for the voluminous Mondrian-inspired caftans, preppy girls don’t want to look fat, either. But these played like mere afterthoughts to an overall engaging collection.

Catwalking via NY Times

From Vogue UK‘s review:

Tommy Hilfiger’s show last night focused on the fusion of preppy and pop, paying homage to the Sixties – a recurrent theme of the season, though the ensembles here were more amped up Ali McGraw in Love Story, than Mod-style sharp and bold.

Long the undisputed king of youth-driven sportswear, the Hilfiger of late is compelling, playing around with the classics and fine-tuning the brand’s new-found high-end prep signature.

Finally, several of the swimwear styles.

Robert Mitra/WWD

Among the celebrities on hand for the show, Malin Akerman, NBA star Carmelo Anthony and actress Abbie Cornish.

Getty Images

It wouldn’t be Fashion Week if we didn’t share at least a look or two from that wild and wacky guy, Thom Browne. (Yes, of the Brooks Brothers Black Fleece fame.) Below we share several styles from Monday’s runway show.

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From Newstimes:

The designer presented his spring collection Monday in the hallowed halls of the New York Public Library. But this was no study hall. It wasn’t a typical fashion show, either

Below we show several looks from this fall’s Black Fleece collection. (Mr. Browne’s collection is entirely separate, the similarities are visible however.)

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece

Which brings us to our Black Fleece preview for spring 2012. Again we return to Women’s Wear Daily:

In a word, preppy. For spring, Thom Browne did away with some of the more severe silhouettes he typically favors and instead showed the kind of clothes his bosses at Brooks Brothers are well-versed in.

John Aquino/WWD

Seersucker, plaid, lace and grey flannel, it was all here.  More from WWD‘s review:

For women, Browne honed in on bright pink, green and yellow designs with a Sixties touch, which is a departure for the label. He also put together contrasting seersuckers, and added details such as three pockets on a lace dress.

John Aquino/WWD

We very much liked almost everything we saw for the ladies, the bias-cut silk dress on the far right is something we would love to see on, it looks like a slice of understated elegance on a hangar.

John Aquino/WWD

A final note on next spring’s Black Fleece collection from Women’s Wear Daily:

Browne’s uberprep moment doesn’t mean he turned his back entirely on some of his earlier designs. Black Fleece’s hallmark red, white and blue blazer was still there, this time in a silk rep tie fabric.

John Aquino/WWD

That makes for two design surprises today, frequent readers know we have been less than positive about many of Mr. Hilfiger’s previous collections, as well as Mr. Browne’s, we find ourselves embracing many pieces in both collections.

Not quite as extensive a look at Fashion Week as we had hoped, but the best we can do today! We’ll be back on Friday with more Fashion Week along with a few other little tidbits.

Missoni Crashes Target Website, J. Crew Spring 2012 Runway Show

Hello-Hello, and happy Tuesday.

We begin today with an update on the long-awaited Missoni for Target collection:

Target.com

It seems demand for the limited edition collection was is so high the website crashed, it has been down for several hours as of this writing (1:45pm) (3:14pm), some friends on Twitter report being able to use the site at various times this afternoon, but yours truly has yet to accomplish that. (Is it possible the Consort is at play here with some behind the scenes techno-maneuver to keep moi from shopping the line, a new austerity measure?)

The company also used Twitter in an effort to keep shoppers updated, both its ‘Bullseye View’ magazine account and primary Twitter account.

Twitter

Woof! indeed.

If interested in seeing the entire Missoni for Target lookbook, click here.

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We move on to New York Fashion Week, J. Crew held its first runway show this morning.  Head Designer Marisa Webb says her inspiration for the line was nature and oceans, here are a few sketches.

Courtesy Photo

Readers may recall that Crew has historically staged presentations with models wearing the styles while store buyers and media sip a cocktail or nibble hors d’oeuvres. That made today’s show a bigger deal than normal. As Ms. Webb told Harper’s Bazaar in an interview:

Launching right into Fashion Week…it’s not easy, you know? You’re playing in the big leagues. So it was a natural growth and it seemed like the right time.

Several looks from the show.

Getty Images via Fashionologie

The pink is luscious, there’s no other word for it, like cotton candy and sherbet and your favorite nail polish colors all together in one fabulous shade. The lines seem cleaner in this collection, less frou-frou, fewer ruffles. Here is more from FabSugar’s review:

“Hello, color! J. Crew presented a Spring collection that satisfied our want for all things, bright, shiny, and printed, delivered with their signature eclectic prep styling. Even Beyoncé stopped by to take in the citrusy brights, stripes, and covetable accessories.”

Next, several styles in a more basic color palette, note the striped coat, we’re rather partial to that.

Getty Images via Fashionologie

Pants still seem to sit fairly low on the waist, although not in every case.More pieces in the red/white/blue/green colors.

Getty Images via Fashionologie

This may surprise some readers, but it seems there is a lot to like in the spring collection (gasp!), at least from what we see online. More Pretty in Pink.

Getty Images via FabSugar

Several celebrities were on hand for the show including Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, below we see Jenna Lyons with Solange, Marisa Webb is on the right.

Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

To see the entire collection via FabSugar, click here.

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Tomorrow we hope to share more from the runway, including Tory Burch, Milly, Ralph Lauren and more. We leave you with a few more looks at what inspired spring collections.

For Milly’s Michelle Smith, via WWD:

The collection is modern and geometric in print and cut, grounded by earthy materials like wood and tortoise resin.” — Michelle Smith, Milly

For Tory Burch, Deauville in the 1920s was the creative force, Ralph Lauren merely provided an image with no verbal description or details.

Via Women's Wear Daily

Until next time, may your runway be bright and colorful!