Nanette Lepore's Junior's Line for J.C. Penney "L'amour Nanette Lepore" to Launch Friday!

Ron Johnson the new CEO and chairman at J.C. Penney known for his success working at Apple and Target has been working hard to reinvent the struggling company. Penneys no longer has the coupons or sales that their loyal customers have come to know and love, which has had many people speculating Johnson's approach at bringing the company out of debt. However, this Friday they are launching a new Junior's line and in-store shop in collaboration with Nanette Lepore in 600 stores and online on their website. The line is called "L'amour Nanette Lepore" and is targeted for girls in the older junior age range of 15 to 20. The price point is affordable with the garments ranging from $17.00 for a tee to $50.00 for a moto jacket. The pieces are super cute and trendy and they are all really affordable. I really like the look and sound of this collaboration and I think it shows that Ron Johnson is taking Penneys in the right direction. Other shops in collaboration with other designers like Martha Stewart and Jonathan Adler will also be launching at Penneys in the upcoming months.

Oscar de la Renta Helps with Galliano Comeback

Two years ago John Galliano was caught making anti-Semitic comments at a cafe in Paris, which were caught on tape and put out for all the world to see. Galliano was the creative director of Christian Dior was asked to leave the house of Dior after the videos and news of his rants were publicized. The public was disgusted with Galliano and he confessed that he was an alcoholic. Shortly after the incident he sought help and he has been working towards recovery ever since, but he has not made his re-entry into the fashion industry until now. Oscar de la Renta is opening up his New York design studio to John Galliano over the next three weeks to help him get back on his feet and back to his position as a talented and respected designer in the fashion industry. Oscar claims that the two are old friends and that John is an extremely talented designer that deserves a second chance. 

YSL vs. Louboutin: Red-Sole Dispute Comes to an End!

After 18 months of disputing, the federal district court has finally dismissed the lawsuit Christian Louboutin has against YSL. Christian Louboutin sued YSL for trademark infringement when YSL debuted their monochromatic red pumps for their 2011 Resort collection. The court has ruled that Christian Louboutin's trademark of red-soles will only be protected for shoes with contrasting colored uppers, therefore YSL will be granted the right to continue production of their red pump with red sole.

Margiela for H&M

I went to check out the new Margiela for H&M collection and I was pretty impressed with how cool this collection was in comparison with previous collaborations like Versace and Marni. In the United States H&M made the collection available in 40 stores nationwide with is a significantly larger amount than previous collections like Marni, which was only available in 26 stores nationwide. The Margiela for H&M collection can be found at all 11 Manhattan locations. When I visited the H&M location on 86th and lexington a few days after the launch I was pleased and somewhat surprised to see that they still had almost all of the pieces of the collection still in stock. "Women's Wear Daily" reported that H&M saw a smaller turnout for the collection than expected. The first two items to sell-out were the candy wrapper clutch for $59.95 and the white high-top sneakers for $129. My favorite pieces from the collection were the nude long-sleeved bodysuits with a black padded bra applique for $39.95, all of the leather shoes with plastic angular wedge heels for $299-$399, and the leather necklace with strands of rhinestones in varying length for $59.95. If you haven't already gone to look at this collaboration I would make your way to one of the participating locations before it is too late.

Prada Unveils New iPad App

This past week Prada debuted it's first iPad app that will allow iPad users to virtually view collections and the art work of Richard Haines. Richard Haines is an illustrator who did a number of drawings inspired by the Fall 2012 men's collection by Prada. Right now the application features men's and women's sunglasses from the Portrait collection as it takes you on a tour of a virtual palace (palazzo). the next collection to be featured on the application is the Bloom collection of jewelry and that is to be released later this month. The application is called Il Palazzo and is completely free on iTunes. Enjoy!

Rebecca Minkoff to Open First U.S. Flagship in SoHo!

My summer splurge! Taupe pebbled leather Rebecca Minkoff cross-body with iconic gold studs on the bottom.

Rebecca Minkoff has announced that the brand will open their first U.S. flagship store in SoHo in late summer or early fall of 2013. The store will be located at 96 Greene Street between Prince and Spring Streets, previously Kirna Zabete. This will be the first of many Rebecca Minkoff stores opening in the United States across 2014 and 2015. As a huge fan of Rebecca Minkoff I can not wait to visit this store and drool over the handbags! 

Milan Fashion Week Highlights

Prada got a lot of attention for their Milan Fashion Week Spring 2013 runway show. Women's Wear Daily highlighted the accessories and the shoes from the show as being some of the most impressive of all the Milan Fashion Week runway shows. When I first looked through the collection on Style.com I was not that "wowed" by the designs, but after looking through the collection several times now it is definitely starting to grow on me. The inspiration for the show comes from asian influences such as the japanese blossom, geishas, and kimonos. There is no disputing that the sunglasses from the runway show were amazing featuring the asian inspired blossoms across the top for an edgy and fashion-forward look. The shoes were inspired by geisha platforms and sandals. The sandals had chunky heels and satin bows to polish the look. Miuccia Prada also paired these fun shoes with metallic and pink leather socks. Asian prints and tailoring are a huge trend coming from all of the Fashion Week runway shows and you will definitely find me trying it out!