The Shophound

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FALL 2012: Will Monika Chiang Be The New Tory Burch? + Duckie Brown Has Big News

Chris Burch is being buzzed about today with rumors that his ex-wife Tory Burch is considering suing the entrepreneur over similarities between her own lines and the newly opened super-popular C.Wonder store concept, but his attentions were focused elsewhere yesterday morning as he presented another one of his nascent businesses, designer MONIKA CHIANG's latest collection. The Shophound made our way up to the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center Plaza to find a stylish but highly commercial lifestyle collection from the designer including shoes and accessories with a prominent initial-based logo that find Ms. Chiang poised for what is clearly planned to be a similar sort of success. Luckily, this designer has a different, more urbane point of view than the ex Mrs. Burch, so there should be no intellectual property issues here, but there are still ballet flats to be had —although these are decorated with spiky studs, a trend that is fast moving from daring to gratuitous. Along with the models posed around a circular platform, blogger/model Hanneli Mustaparta and second-generation glamour girl Elettra Wiedemann were led about the room in Chiang outfits to add extra frisson. The collection wasn't earthshattering, but looked like money in the bank, which should fulfill Mr. Burch's goals well. Click on the thumbnails below for a few highlights.

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Daniel Silver and Steven Cox of DUCKIE BROWN always draw a faithfully enthusiastic crowd even as they toil away as a relatively small, independent label. Lately, they have become almost more noted as shoe designers with their hugely successful collaboration with Florsheim, and yesterday morning the news broke that the duo would become the designers for a new Perry Ellis men's collection line that would be aimed at more upscale retailers. You wouldn't be blamed for imagining that the pair's Fall collection titled "Super Duckie" for their own label (which will continue) was something of an audition for the job, as it incorporated the kind of oatmeal tweeds and murky tartans that the late Mr. Ellis himself made into his own distinctive signatures. They were mixed with the kind of plays on proportion and materials that have made Cox and Silver favorites of the menswear crowd, and the hearty applause for the designers could be interpreted as congratulations not only for a great collection, but also for a prize opportunity that has been a long time coming.

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Strong But Not Overwhelming Response For Jason Wu's Target Line

We can't imagine that Superbowl Sunday had all that much of an effect on Target's launch of its Jason Wu collaboration, because by the time the game began, the morning shopping action sounded like it was long over. While shoppers may still have a bad taste in their mouths from the retailer's system breakdowns surrounding the Missoni collaboration last Fall, the response to Wu's smaller collection dodn't seem to tax the chain too heavily. As usual, the team from Racked was out on location to gauge the crowd response which seemed to range from a ransacking in Brooklyn to more sedate but still enthusiastic shopping in Queens. By now, however, it looks like most of it is gone to (presumably) happy customers. On line, the majority of items are either listed as sold out online or "available in stores" which means take your chances. This morning we found five apparel pieces and no accessories that were still orderable from Target' website.

If you are really set on getting some of this line, we found literally thousands of items listed on eBay, and, from what we could gather, they were not going for much above their retail prices —at least not yet.

Your other option, of course, is to sit tight for a month when H&M's Marni collaboration hits. You will probably be guaranteed a frenzy at the store for that one, but Sofia Coppola's short teaser ad for the collection just hit, and it looks like it will be worth the effort.

Jason Wu for Target Is Practically Gone from Atlantic Avenue, A Measured Mania for Jason Wu at the Queens Target (RACKED)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: UU uniqlo undercover To Hit Stores On March 16

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Only a few hours ago, a web page went live and images hit the magical interwebs to finally illuminate us about UU Uniqlo Undercover, UNIQLO's highly anticipated follow up to the much loved +J  collaboration with the designer Jil Sander.

Anyone looking for some of Undercover designer Jun Takahashi's more avant-garde looks translated to a better price point might be surprised to see some fairly traditional family scenes here in the initial lookbook images. In fact, UU is being promoted as "clothing for the families of today", and unlike the chain's preceding collaboration, the 105 piece collection will include 43 items for men, 34 items for women, 27 items for children and even 5 things for babies. The designer collaborated with his wife and partner RICO for the children's collection, inspired in part by their own kids. It's a little hard to pick out the details in the promotional images that have just been released, but Uniqlo describes the looks as follows:

The men's line matches gentle colors with darker tones, while 's offerings for women are based upon an exciting palette of colors and patterns drawn from Takahashi's groundbreaking label. Both the men's and women's lines feature a diverse range of fashionable cuts and patterns.

As the parents of two children, the couple lavished attention on the designs for children and babies to produce a playful combination of vibrant colors, unique prints and fine details, pushing this collection far beyond the conventional realm of children's clothing. With the new collection, UNIQLO and Takahashi have developed an eclectic range of fine designs for the whole family, so parents can have fun complementing their children's looks.

That should whet your appetite just a bit for the next  six weeks or so until the collection arrives in Uniqlo's flagship stores. If the line does not seem quite as experimental as some might have expected, it should delight fans of more prosaic, everyday Japanese sportswear. The launch is set to debut with the opening of the chain's latest global flagship in Tokyo's Ginza district, and presumably will hit New York's three flagships at the same time. If we receive the entire line, it will also mark the return of children's apparel to Uniqlo's New York stores, something Uniqlo's U.S. President Shin Odake promised The Shophound last October when we toured the new 34th Street store.

Sadly, we only have price ranges in Japanese yen, so to tell you that the line will retail from ¥790 to ¥7990 (roughly $10.50 to $105) might not mean much until the line is priced for the U.S. market given taxes, duties and whatever else comes into comes into consideration in making those decisions.

We will certainly miss +J (and there's still some left at great sale prices —especially outerwear at the 34th street store) but this new collection couldn't look more promising, and we'll be keeping an eye out for more images and information as they hopefully appear before mid-March.

UU Uniqlo Undercover launches at UNIQLO stores on March 16th
UNIQLO To Release UU On March 16. First Collaboration With Jun Takahashi's Undercover Label To Focus On Fashionable Family Apparel (Fast Retailing Press Release)
Click thumbnails above to see full sized images

RUNWAY RESURGENCE: John Bartlett Is Returning To Fashion Week

A few months ago, The Shophound and a lot of other folks were disappointed to discover that John Bartlett had shuttered his much admired West Village boutique. As anyone who is familiar with his history knows, however, this particular designer is not to be counted out after a setback. While he has continued producing exclusive collections for Bon-Ton stores as well as a range of a range of casual items available through his website featuring his late beloved mascot, Tiny Tim the three-legged dog, we were fairly certain that he still had big things in mind for his own label. After a two year absence from the runways, Bartlett will present a new collection next month during Fashion Week under the sponsorship of automaker Lexus.

Since his last runway show, designer's personal ethos has evolved as he has sworn off using leather and other animal products in his collections and stepped up his work promoting pet rescue and animal protection. This collection will be sustainable and eco-friendly, as the designer tells The Fashion Informer, "...I looked to nature and developed a fantasy of guys living off the grid in some kind of 'future-rustic' universe." Bartlett promises organic shapes in plant-based organic cottons and recycled microfiber ultra suedes as well as upcycled/repurposed wool. With a little time out of the spotlight, we we feel confident that he has stocked up tons of good ideas, so we can't wait to see what he has cooked up for next Fall.

Fall 2012 Preview: John Bartlett (The Fashion Informer)
Previously: 
Closing Notices: John Bartlett Departs (8.30.2011)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: UNIQLO Innovation Project's Second Collection Arrives Today

While there will be no more installments of The Shophound's favorite +J Collection at UNIQLO, we can console ourselves as the latest delivery of the UNIQLO Innovation Project for Men and Women hits the chain's Fifth Avenue and 34th Street stores today. Amidst the publicity blitz of the big store openings last Fall, this new collaboration with superstylist Nicola Formichetti and Uniqlo's creative director Kashiwa Sato and design director Naoki Takizawa quietly sold out as its combination of sporty functionality and technical advances struck a chord with customers. The newest installment translates the concept to lighter weights and brighter colors for Spring, and there's more to come, so stay tuned.

UNIQLO (Official Site)

PREMIUM PROJECTS: Carhartt Goes Upscale In SoHo

Everybody knows Carhartt. They are the unofficial designer of construction workers everywhere. The stuff wears like iron, some of it is even flameproof, and best of all it's cheap —which therefore makes it equally popular among young hipsters in that ironic/rugged Americana sort of way. Those who are used to picking up their canvas chinos and chore coats at Dave's Army & Navy, however, will be in for a surprise when they get a load of the new Carhartt store on Crosby Street that opened yesterday. There they will find slim-cut khakis, soft flannel shirts and jackets that have been trimmed down dramatically from the brand's traditional refrigerator-shaped fit along with prices that are double and triple what they are used to seeing.

This new store is the stateside debut of Carhartt's Work In Progress line. For a few years now, Carhartt has been selling a European-designed premium collection overseas that leverages the brand's appealing, durable reputation for a line meant for people not as likely to be waking up early to lay bricks or pour a concrete floor. Let's say it's a latent, but not unwelcome version of the Red Wing Boot/Wolverine 1000 Mile/Pendelton/Woolrich effect. It's the authentic workwear look people now want at a the luxurious quality level acceptable to the sort of person who knows what an authentic workwear look is. While prices are substantially higher than the traditional Carhartt line, they tend to fall in the men's contemporary range with jeans and shirts checking out at around $100-$125 for example, so it's not a total luxury takeover of the brand. There are gloves, belts and other accessories that also balance the label's rugged image with the level of refinement in suited to the premium line.

The new shop has a simple, brick wall/wooden shelf look that befits the brand's no-nonsense roots, jazzed up with a neon script Carhartt sign glowing on the wall. We would love to say that the staff at the new Carhartt shop were thrilled to see a customer come through their doors on their rainy first day open, but they seemed to be too busy congratulating each other to pay much attention to The Shophound poking around. What can we say? Considering that the shop is on a particularly sleepy stretch of Crosby Street, we are guessing that necessity will force them to better engage their customers, especially after having to repeatedly explain who they are to the inevitable misguided construction workers who find themselves there.

Carhartt Work In Progress Now open at 119 Crosby Street between Houston & Prince Streets, SoHo

CHAIN GANG: J.Crew Plans A Men's Store At Columbus Circle & A Fashion Week Debut

J.Crew is clearly on a mission to continue upgrading its New York City Stores and they aren't finished yet. The latest project includes plans for a new men's store in Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle set to open this fall. It's current two level unit on the second and third floors of the shopping complex has been one of the chain's smaller but busier locations, and now the company will take over a second floor space formerly occupied by Sisley and Benetton for its sixth men's store, the fourth in New York. The space is prominently located near Border's whatever takes over Border's with high visibility, and is said to be modeled after existing men's locations on Madison Avenue and in SoHo featuring suit and dress shirt departments and broad selections of third party brands (though we hope that, unlike those branches, it will still carry sale goods). The previous store will be given over fully to womens' and Crewcuts, the brand's children's line.

Having just unveiled major renovations at its flagship store at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (pictured above left) this week and, a few months ago, on Lower Fifth Avenue, J.Crew can't seem to serve its New York City customers enough, and continues on its unlikely but successful strategy of trading up with more expensive and exclusive merchandise in a challenging economy. It's other big news this week is that the label will participate in New York Fashion Week for the first time this September with a presentation scheduled for the 14^th at 9:30 AM at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center. We don't know whether it will focus on Men's or Women's lines or both, but given the high esteem the industry has for J.Crew's creative team, it is guaranteed to be a prized ticket. We're putting in our request now.

J. Crew to Open Men's Store in Columbus Circle (WWD)

TRAFFIC REPORT: Levi's Launches A Capsule Collection For City Cyclists

As New Yorkers continue to debate the value of all the new bike lanes that continue to pop up in the city, Levi's is launching a new denim collection aimed at those who have turned to the bicycle to get themselves where they need to go on a daily basis. Available in select Levi's and Urban Outfitters stores this month, the Commuter by Levi's 511 jeans and specially redesigned Trucker Jacket have been subtly infused with a plethora of features, both high and low tech, meant to improve performance, convenience, safety, mobility and protection for bike commuters without their having to turn to athletic performance gear. Senior vice president of Men's Merchandising and design, Erik Joule tells us,

“This product was born from innovation, classic American style and a personal passion for cycling – it’s about designing product for people who ride bikes, by people who ride bikes.  We knew that our jeans were already being worn by urban cyclists across the country, including our own designers.  We listened to what they wanted and created a product with performance traits for biking that also functions as daily street wear.”

Levi's designers took the brand's most popular men's skinny jean, the 511, and adapted it in both cropped and full-length versions. Why a skinny jean, you ask? Well, it's for cyclists who are usually skinny because they cycle everywhere. It's certainly making us think harder about getting a bike. Also, nobody needs baggy jeans flopping around when they are on a bike. Anyway, the jean has been reconceived with various cutting edge technologies that add stretch, of course, but also repel dirt and water and add resiliency. Special hygiene functions will protect against odors and that's shiny 3M Scotchlite you see in the picture above binding the seam edges for reflectivity and placed in strategic places. A raised back yoke will keep the waistline from falling under the equator while pedaling (no coin slots, please), and reinforced crotch gussets will protect that particular high-stress area. The Trucker Jacket has been adjusted in similar ways with extra pockets, accordion sleeves and other modifications engineered to make it more suitable for cycling. (The fine folks at Cool Hunting were lucky enough to test drive the line a couple of months ago, before it was officially announced. See more pictures HERE) With all those extra added features, the jeans are still retailing for only $78, and the jacket for $128.

To promote the line, Levi's and Urban Outfitters are teaming up to launch the “Get in the Saddle” Bike Shop Tour hitting major U.S. cities starting with New York this August. The mobile shop will include a bicycle tuning center, a custom commuter tailoring shop and that cycling necessity, a bicycle photo-booth. It winds up its journey in Portland, Oregon in late September, so if you aren't in New York, keep an eye out for it in a city near you.

TODAY IN COPYCATS: Club Monaco To Enliven Its Men's Department With Third Party Brands. Wonder Where They Got That Idea?

Trendy contemporary chain Club Monaco has announced a partnership with influential blogger Michael Williams of A Continuous Lean to add heritage branded merchandise to the men's departments of several key store locations. While the company's women's lines are still offering popular interpretations of designer trends, it's men's apparel has not fared as well under Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.'s ownership, falling into a rut of preppy basics and monochromatic Thom Browne copying. Menswear has been removed entirely from the chain's two Upper West Side stores. Williams will be re-merchandising the men's shops in one Club Monaco location in Toronto as well as the flagship store on lower Fifth Avenue to include items from brands like Wolverine, Tanner Leather Goods and other independent, American resources. The stores' men's areas will be renovated to offer a less minimalistic setting, and the new effort will include a premium collection of exclusive, American made suits, shirts and ties.

It's a unique idea that nobody has tried before... oh, wait...someone's been doing this for a few years now already. The chain claims that they are not copying J.Crew's much admired program that has brought many third party brands into that company's stores, because Club Monaco is inspired by classic men's specialty stores... which is totally different, right?

Yeah, totally different. So they are blatantly copying J.Crew's strategy for which they can hardly be blamed considering how well it has worked not only for their competitor, but also for the vendors that have been featured. The good news is that you don't have to be totally 100% original to make a successful improvement, and Club Monaco needs it. With Williams, they are in good hands. For the past couple of years, he has made his annual Pop-Up Flea a lively collection of American Heritage labels ripe for revival, and if he can add even a fraction of that excitement to Club Monaco's men's line, then the chain should feel a welcome boost this Fall. The main question is, what took them so long?

Club Monaco Adds Heritage Brands to Mix (WWD)

PREMIUM PROLETARIAN: Dickies Joins The Luxe Workwear Brigade

Click image for a larger view in a new window

Add Dickies to the list of classic American brands who have boarded the premium bandwagon. The maker of durable work apparel for 88 years has announced a capsule collection to be launched in July called Dickies 1922. The line is named for the year the company was founded and will, as expected, be accompanied by an offbeat promotional campaign featuring New York musicians photographed wearing the clothes. The four piece collection will include two shirt and two pant styles based on archive pieces and will be made with the same quality and methods that the company would have used in the 1930s of completely American sourced materials in one of the label's Texas factories, according to WWD.

Dickies follows a host of companies who have launched more exclusive labels or repositioned themselves and managed to capture the attention of key retailers and bolster their own business including L.L.Bean, Levi's, Woolrich, Pendleton, Timberland, Land's End, Red Wing, Wolverine, Sperry and Filson among many others. As a maker of clothing like coveralls and painters' pants for construction work and other kinds of labor, Dickies may be the most plebian of these brands, which paradoxically makes it all the more appealing to an upscale customer hungry for authenticity in clothing. Dickies will score extra points for using domestic materials and production to replicate archival styles. It's this slightly twisted logic that will allow the company to charge $175 to $200 for the line while much of the rest of its products retails for under $50.

In a similar but unrelated effort, the company will be promoting its basic 874 work trousers as a fashion item. A mainstay of its product line, the pant has remained unchanged for decades, but Dickies will be adding new fabrics and updated fits in an effort to get it in front of a younger, hipper customer (in other words, getting it into Urban Outfitters).

Dickies Creates Vintage-Inspired Capsule Collection (WWD)
Dickies (Official Site)