The Shophound

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Burkman Bros Tourist Lands At Urban Outfitters

When The Shophound was invited to Ben and Doug Burkman's launch party for their new, exclusive capsule collection at Urban Outfitters called The Tourist by Burkman Bros., we had to decline because we were actually out of town being a tourist ourself.

We finally got a chance to stop by the chain's Fifth Avenue flagship where the line is on prominent display on the second floor (pictured above), and we must say we were impressed by the way the brothers managed to reproduce the feeling of their main collection at about a third of the price. Named for the brothers' acknowleged obsession with travelling from one far-flung location to another, gathering inspiration for their collections, the line is a welcome new arrival for anyone who has coveted their bohemian yet somewhat pricey main label. Fans of their distinctive jacquard jersey knits, and eclectic printed fabrics won't be disappointed by the new line which tops out at $59 and goes down to $12 for their signature handwoven bracelets, all in stock just in time for Memorial day and the kind of Summer barbecues thay were clearly designed for. See a couple of our favorite looks below.

The Tourist by Burkman Bros is available at select Urban Outfitters locations and at UrbanOutfitters.com

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: ODIN Meets Target This September

A couple of days ago we heard about Kirna Zabête's selection as one of the next retailers for the Shops at Target program, and today brings the news that one of The Shophound's favorite men's stores, ODIN will also be featured along with San Francisco's The Curiosity Shoppe.

Odin founders Eddy Chai and Paul Birardi (pictured above with images from their store, not the upcoming collection) have created an exclusive line of sweaters, henleys, button-downs, pants, shoes and accessories that reflect their store's singular aesthetic. Target tells us that the line is meant to appeal to "both the sartorially savvy and the guy who’s worn the same pair of jeans his whole life". The line will appear in Target stores and online on September 9th along with collections from the other two stores and and more retailer to be announced on Thursday, so stay tuned.

It’s a Man’s World: Introducing Odin at Target (A Bullseye View/Target.com)
ODIN New York (Official Site)
Previously:
Scents In Space: ODIN Creates A Pop-Up Environment For Its Fragrances

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Anna Dello Russo Makes Her Retail Debut This Fall With H&M

The tireless folks at H&M have just announced its first Fashion Editor collaboration collection with the sparkly, walking Christmas Tree known as Anna Dello Russo (pictured at right). The Fashion Director at Large and Creative Consultant at Vogue Nippon (Japan) will launch a line of accessories (pictured above) this October 4th which apears to include everything from shoes to handbags to jewelry and sunglasses, none of it minimalist in any sense. In the press release, Dello Russo says, "I wanted to create precious accessories that are impossible to find," and the line will be available in only 140 of H&M's stores worldwide. So far, there's no price range announced, but, it's H&M, so we expect things to be generally affordable.

The chain released a promotional video (embedded below), and it's worth watching if only for the glimpse into Dello Russo's meticulously organized pantyhose drawer, as well as the rest of her house, which basically appears to be one giant closet. Watch her say "Everything precious. Everything sparkly," and while holding up a clanking charm bracelet, "They make-a sound bling bling." It's kind of hilarious, but it changed The Shophound's opinion of her from tiresome costumed attention-hog to generally loopy eccentric (that's an upgrade). We have to give her some kind of credit for specifically identifying herself a fashion victim, not a fashion icon.
Points for self awareness.

THE PREVIEW CIRCUIT: Camper Hits Grand Central For A Look At Fall

The Spanish shoe brand CAMPER calls its Fall 2012 "Traveling Winter" so it's only fitting that it would choose Grand Central Station to show the press its latest offerings. Actually, JFK Airport is a little out of the way, and Penn Station is a disgusting pit, but Grand Central has the elegant Campbell Apartment which is where The Shophound found ourself yesterday. It's probably fair to say that a lot of people still think of Camper as a source for winsome, round-toed shoe/sneaker hybrid footwear. There were certainly plenty of those signature styles to be seen, but if you haven't checked in on them in a while, you might be surprised at the current breadth of their line. Most exciting is a continuing series of designer collaborations called TO&ETHER including high-style mini-collections with Belgian designer Veronique Branquinho, Bernhard Willhelm and Mugler creative director, Romain Kremer. Also new was a special group of the brand's asymmetrical "Twins" shoes from the Berlin-based design duo known as C.NEEON, as well as a great group of shoes designed for city cyclists called "LINK" which included reflective patches and cleverly designed ankle straps to gather your trouser hem in so it doesn't get caught in the cogs. We took plenty of pictures, but Camper was kind enough to provide us with photos of the entire collection, so have a look at some of the most interesting pieces in the slideshow below (All product shots courtesy of Camper).

CAMPER (Official Site)

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COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Altuzarra Kicks Off J.Crew's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Team Ups

We could probably write about a different designer collaboration every day here at The Shophound, but Joseph Atuzarra's capsule collection for J.Crew, which will be available to order tomorrow and appear in the lower Fifth Avenue mega-flagship on Monday, is of a particular sort. It isn't an initiative between the designer and the retailer to create interest, but a prize awarded by the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund to the winner and runners up of its annual grant. This year it is winner Altuzzara who gets the honor of kicking off the series with a French Riviera-inspired collection that adapts his own sensibility to J.Crew's sporty offerings instead of simply replicating his own label at a lower price point. “J. Crew stands for that very American idea of prep, but I thought it would be cool to do something inspired by Bardot and St.-Tropez,” the designer tells The New York Times. “It’s very Jean Seberg. There’s the idea of Breton sweaters, denim skirts and what you would wear on the French Riviera.”

The seven piece collection will include gingham dresses and sailor striped sweaters. Runners up Pamela Love and Creatures of the Wind will have similar collections available in June and July, repeating last year's offerings from Billy Reid, Prabal Gurung and Eddie Borgo. Though Antonio Azzuolo and Carlos Campos were among the finalists for the prize coveted among young designers, there were no menswear designers in the final three. To make up for this, The Gap, which once hosted collections from the CFDA/Vogue winners, will be presenting its own capsules from GQ's Best New Menswear Designer finalists later this year.

So really, between these lines and regular offerings from Macy's, H&M, Uniqlo and any number of other stores and brands, at this point, a person could dress him or herself entirely in designer collaborations all the time. Doesn't sound like a bad thing to us.

UPDATE:
The Cut has a slide show of the entire Altuzarra capsule collection. Click HERE.

Front Row: The Preppy Sets Sail in the Riviera By Eric Wilson (NYTimes)
The Latest J.Crew CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Collaborations—and How to Wear Them (Vogue.com)
Previously:
GQ's Best New Menswear Designers For 2012 Will Collaborate With The Gap (2/23/2012)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Target's First Retailer Collaboration With THE WEBSTER Is Unveiled

The first phase of TARGET's new designer collaboration concept, The Shops at Target, was unveiled yesterday afternoon as the first images of the mass retailer's team-up with the exclusive Miami Beach boutique The Webster flew around the magical interwebs. The chain's new concept is to collaborate with influential stores rather than designers to add excitement to Target's big-box merchandise mix, and while initially, it was hard to figure out exactly how this would translate, the new photos look promising. The 122-piece collection features a range of products for Men, Women and Children including shoes and accessories with a breezy, summery look and just enough tropical pattern to remind you of Miami without looking like you have been imprisoned on some Polynesian island. it was created in tandem with The Webster co-founder and CEO Laure Heriard Dubreuil who translated the boutique's "beachy and chic, yet luxurious" aesthetic to fit target's under $50 price points. Refinery 29 and GQ have previews of the men's and women's lines, and if you want to pore over the entire collection, head on over to the Huffington Post for an extensive slide show of the whole shebang including items that will be available online only. The Webster for The Shops at Target drops on May 6th, so be prepared. We can't be sure if this project will cause an Missoni-like frenzy, but with the way things have been going, you can't be too early.

First Look: The Webster at Target (The GQ Eye)
YES: The Webster For Target Is Here And We're Giving It Away! (Refinery 29)
The Webster's New Target Collection Hits Bullseye (Huffington Post)

COLLABORATON ANTICIPATION: Macy's Next Capsule Comes from Calvin Klein... Who Already Sells To Macy's

Macy's designer collaboration program has taken an odd twist with the announcement that Calvin Klein will be the next label to join forces with the immense retailer.
Wait, doesn't Macy's stock racks and racks of Calvin Klein in its stores already?
Yes and no.

While the roster of designers who have participated in Macy's capsule collections over the past year has mostly been made up of designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Alberta Ferretti and Giambattista Valli among others whose price points are well above the chain's moderate parameters, this capsule of dresses (sketches are pictured above) will be from the brand's Francisco Costa designed Collection division. Costa's work usually features price tags running as much as ten times this line's $135 to $180 price points. In addition, this project appears to be separate from Macy's previous collaboration program which has been done as part of the store's Impulse contemporary department. This special line will be presented as part of the upcoming storewide promotion, “A Magical Journey to Brasil”. The Brazilian-born Costa will be representing his home country, and WWD reports that the labels and hangtags will read "Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein" marking the first time the designer's name has been featured next to Calvin Klein's in this way.

The rest of the brand's products won't be left out of the mix, however. Kevin Carrigan, who oversees the rest of Calvin Klein's non-Collection lines, will be creating exclusive products for men and women under the brand's moderately priced main label and underwear lines.

The promotion which begins next month will feature exclusive Brazilian and Brazilian-inspired products throughout the store over the course of two months in a manner reminiscent of country-specific promotions that were a regular feature at Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus in decades past. Costa's dresses will be released on May 15th.

Francisco Costa to Do Calvin Klein Capsule Line for Macy's (WWD)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Children's Line A Hit For UU uniqlo undercover

The Shophound stopped by UNIQLO's Fifth Avenue flagship today around noon to finally get an in-person look at UU Uniqlo Undercover by Jun Takahashi, the chain's latest collaboration. As we had guessed, there wasn't a huge crowd by the time we got there, but we quizzed a helpful staffer who told us that evn though Undercover and Jun Takahashi are ot as well known in the U.S., there was still a relatively small but enthusiastic crowd waiting this morning to get first crack at the line's debut. She told us that the children's items had been especially popular, and that the kid's version of the faux leather and knit motorcycle-style Rider's Jacket had already sold out.

To celebrate the launch, the Fifth Avenue store will be offering free family portraits today, Friday the 16th from 4 PM to 6 PM and tomorrow, Saturday the 17th from 11 AM to 1 PM as well as an opportunity for kids to design and clothe their own bear in the store's create-a-bear workshop while supplies last.

As for the grown-ups, the collection is very sporty and utilitarian with whimsical touches. There are many more items available in the store than you will see on the website. There are great, trendy striped knits and and printed hoodies for men and women with plenty of useful pockets ant technical details. There are also more UU logos visible on the products than we would have expected, which may or may not disappoint some customers who are used to insignia-free items at Uniqlo. There is also an abundance of Keffiyeh style scarves (some are visible in the displays pictured above and below) in multiple colorways which might not sit well politically with some New York area customers given that particular garment's political significance as a pro-Palestinian symbol. Other prominent stores have run into problems with these styles in the past. We'll be interested to see if there's any backlash on that item.

And then there is the size issue.
Again.
Oh, we thought we were done with this complaint when last Fall's +J deliveries finally included a full range of sizes for that collection including the long-missed XLs and larger pant and skirt sizes. Unfortunately, with UU, the chain seems to have reverted back to its implied "No Fatties" policy with no tops for men or women larger than a fairly narrowly cut "L", and no pants larger than a 33 for men or 28 for women. Our sales staffer noted that there were a few larger pieces included in the initial shipments, but that they were swiftly purchased by early shoppers including guests at a press event yesterday (Hey! Where were we for that?). We even checked the 34th Street location to see if they perhaps received more sizes, but found a smaller selection of the collections there on the main floor. We haven't checked SoHo, but it looks like the biggest presentation of the line is at the Fifth Avenue location. Our staffer promised that there would be replenishment shipments in the coming weeks, but couldn't promise that they would include larger sizes. There will, however, be a second shipment of new styles coming in April, so if you are a slender fan of casual, Japanese-style sportswear, there's more in store for you.

UU Uniqlo Undercover (Official Site)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: UU uniqlo undercover Launches In Stores Today

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Today, Uniqlo's latest major designer collaboration, UU Uniqlo Undercover by Jun Takahashi is unleashed upon the shopping masses. The Shophound was at the Japanese chain's Fifth Avenue flagship yesterday while the store staff was setting up a surprisingly elaborate visual presentation for the launch, giving us an impromptu preview of the collection. Most of the section was closed off, but we were still able to get a good look at today's set-up. While previous collab +J made do with sheer pipe-and-drape at the SoHo store. Uniqlo's visual team has concocted something completely different for UU. While we were expecting to see the new line set up on the store's mezzanine level that was previously set aside for +J, the new collection will be ensconced in a large portion of the store's expansive top floor. In addition, the giant display case at the top of the escalators has been set up with various vignettes featuring an abundance of props and carpets including Tiffany-style lamps and Victorian furniture —a stark contrast to the store's signature minimalist design scheme.

With Jun Takahashi's Undercover brand more of a cult label that than Jil Sander, we are not sure exactly what kind of crowds to expect at the city's three Uniqlo stores. They probably won't rival the iPad lines, but then, what could? We will have more to report lat3er today when we see the line up close, so stay tuned.

UU Uniqlo Undercover (Official Site)
Previously:
UU uniqlo undercover To Hit Stores On March 16
Here Are Some New Lookbook Shots Of UNIQLO's UU uniqlo undercover

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: DVF For Kids Selling Out At The Gap While Fashion Star Is A Hit At H&M

Our friends at RACKED have spent some time on Fifth Avenue in Midtown this morning so we don't have to. Clearly it was the launch of Gap's Diane von Furstenberg children's line that brought them to the neighborhood, but while there they checked in at H&M where the first batch of winning designs from NBC's new show Fashion Star went on sale. Apparently, the Cutout dress by Sarah Parrott is sold out in both colors (online as well, but the men's navy jacket by Nzimiro is still available for all. They also report that while every trace of Marni's H&M line for women is gone, gone, gone, upstairs, there is still a selection of several items from the men's line, which in our ever so humble opinion, was one of the chain's best men's collaborations to date.

But back to the Gap, where the DVF line is reported to be gone by the end of the day. Racked recommends shopping online or checking the website for other, lower profile locations, but they warn that this collection really is for little ones only. Not even the most petite fully grown woman should attempt squeezing into any of the trendier items for some bargain-rate DVF collab style.

DVF For Gap Kids Is Going Fast on Fifth Avenue, H&M on Fifth Avenue Goes Fashion Star Crazy, H&M Fifth Avenue Is Still Haunted by the Ghost of Marni (RACKED)