The Shophound

SAMPLE SALE NOTES: Alexander Wang & Manolo Blahnik Sales Come In Under The Radar UPDATED

Well, it was looking like a dull sample sale week, but then news of the Proenza Schouler sale on Friday popped up along with dates for the controlled madness that is the Manolo Blahnik sale.

Now another sale that can be relied upon to create pandemonium is trying to keep publicity to a minimum, but that won't last for long. Reliable source The Madison Avenue Spy reports that the ALEXANDER WANG Sample Sale will begin tomorrow, April 25th (so much for planning ahead) and run through Saturday in SoHo. Get up early and call in sick because people are probably lining up for it as you read this.
Expect serious lines.

Check our SALE ROLL at left for all the details.

UPDATE:
Our friends at Racked tell us that representatives of Alexander Wang are claiming that no such sale is happening tomorrow, so maybe this is a big fake-out. We will all find out soon enough.

Alexander Wang Sample Sale (Madison Avenue Spy)

CFDA Award Nominees Announced With Special Awards For The Sartorialist, Comme des Garçons & Johnny Depp

The annual CFDA Fashion Awards were announced yesterday. We are not entirely sure how much these awards affect sales or customers' perceptions of designers, but, lets face it, the fashion industry enjoys patting itself on the back almost as much as the entertainment industry, and it's another occasion for people to dress up in borrowed clothes and be photographed. On the plus side, Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang were only nominated one time each this year (the Proenza Schouler boys still rated two), leaving some room for a few more designers to horn in on the attention, so that's progress.

Here are the nominees:

Womenswear Designer of the Year Nominees:
Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row
Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler
Marc Jacobs

Menswear Designer of the Year Nominees:
Billy Reid
Patrik Ervell
Simon Spurr

Accessory Designer of the Year Nominees:
Alexander Wang
Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler
Reed Krakoff

Swarovski Award for Womenswear Nominees:
Chris Peters & Shane Gabier for Creatures of the Wind
Joseph Altuzarra
Max Osterweis & Erin Beatty for Suno

Swarovski Award for Menswear Nominees:
Antonio Azzuolo
Phillip Lim
Todd Snyder

Award for Accessory Design Nominees:
Irene Neuwirth
Pamela Love
Tabitha Simmons

In addition, several additional honors include The Eugenia Sheppard Media Award which will go jointly to The Sartorialist's Scott Schuman and his fellow style blogger and paramour Garance Doré.
The Eleanor Lambert Founders Award for promoting American Fashion will go to Theory executive Andrew Rosen.
The Fashion Icon Award will go to its first male recipient, Johnny Depp.
The International Award will go to Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, and finally, the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Tommy Hilfiger, so... make of that what you will.

The awards will be presented on Monday, June 4^th at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, and will be hosted by Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers.

2012 CFDA Fashion Awards Nominees & Honorees Announced (CFDA Official Site)

JUGGERNAUT NEWS: Alexander Wang Announces A New Men's Collection For Fall

We know that everyone just loves Alexander Wang to death. We wouldn't begrudge him his stunning success, and yet we can't help admitting to the sneaking suspicion that hidden away in a sinister file cabinet somewhere is a contract with his name signed on it in blood. After all, the young designer phenom has gotten an award from GQ and a CFDA nomination for being the best new menswear designer without even making pants!

To his credit (or possibly thanks to the work of the Dark Lord) the designer has announced that he will make up for that shortcoming by producing a capsule collection of menswear under his main collection label for Fall 2011. It will be sold at his own store as well as at selected retailers including Barneys New York and the usual suspects around the world like Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London and Joyce in Hong Kong.

Previously, the designer's menswear has been limited to his less expensive T by Alexander Wang line and, in fairness, there is one pair of sweatpants hanging in his Grand Street boutique at this moment, though the offerings are mostly limited to jersey tops, knitwear and a few shirts and leather pieces. The upcoming 14-style collection will include outerwear, knitwear and, yes, pants. Next Spring will bring a bigger, more complete assortment and what is sure to cause a stampede, accessories and shoes.

The designer tells Style.com, “It’s about the right timing, the right opportunity, then one thing leads to another,” and admits that all the attention and awards his limited men's offerings felt like a strong nudge from the industry in general to offer something more subtantial for men.

We'll give him credit for understatement

Exclusive: Alexander Wang To Debut Collection Menswear (StyleFile/Style.com)

TODAY IN ANTICLIMAX: CFDA Awards For 2011 Announced

The CFDA announced their 2011 Awards nominees and honorees yesterday evening, and how you feel about them depends on whether you see award ceremonies as recognition for actual achievement or simply an opportunity for industry promotion and general sucking up.

Alexander Wang got nominated three times. Proenza Schouler got two nods, and four-time-winner Marc Jacobs is guaranteed one award while nominated for yet another. That should help you form your opinion.

The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will go to 47-year-old Jacobs. Hopefully this is not a indication that the CFDA's nominators think he will die soon. The Olsen Twins garnered a nomination, which should probably lead to some griping about celebrity designers, but the high level of workmanship and quality in their line, The Row has gone a long way to establishing credibility for the erstwhile child stars. Their nomination is the kind of surprise that keeps the entire awards affair from seeming ever more banal.

Additionally, a well deserved Special Tribute will go to veteran photographer Arthur Elgort. The International Award will go to Céline designer Phoebe Philo whose remarkable comeback can't be ignored. The Eugenia Sheppard Media Award will go to Hilary Alexander of The Telegraph even though neither the recipient nor her publication are actually American. The Founders Award will go to Hal Rubenstein of InStyle. The Fashion Icon Award will go to Lady Gaga whose personal style has become something of a small industry iself. If she accepts the award in person, it's a safe bet she will upstage a crowd that is notoriously difficult to overshadow.

Here are the somewhat predictable nominees for the other award categories:

WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER of the YEAR:
Alexander Wang
Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler
Marc Jacobs

MENSWEAR DESIGNER of the YEAR:
Michael Bastian
Patrik Ervell
Simon Spurr

ACCESSORY DESIGNER of the YEAR:
Alexander Wang
Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler
Reed Krakoff.

SWAROVSKI AWARD for NEW WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER:
Joseph Altuzarra
Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen for The Row
Prabal Gurung

SWAROVSKI AWARD for NEW MENSWEAR DESIGNER:
Alexander Wang
Phillip Lim
Robert Geller

SWAROVSKI AWARD for NEW ACCESSORY DESIGNER
Alejandro Ingelmo
Eddie Borgo
Jason Wu
Pamela Love

The Awards will be presented on June 6th at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.