WTB is actually the name Richie Sambora, of rock and roll superstar band Bon Jovi, gave his new clothing line, which was recently reviewed by Vogue UK. The collection was designed in collaboration with Nikki Lund, who interned for Anna Sui and Jill Stuart in New York.

“We wanted to make something for strong, empowered women who are in touch with their soft, sensitive sides and who are comfortable with their femininity – who can also kick ass,” said Lund. Or, judging by some of the zipper placements, women who are comfortable with flashing a few roadies for a backstage pass.

The clothes were shown in March at L.A. fashion week, and a menswear line is in the works. Sambora has worn some of the WTB pieces on stage already and supposedly they have made a jacket for lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. {Fashionista}

As for the clothes – one of the dresses has a long train that does look like it could be made out of black trash bags. Perhaps the collection should have been called Trash Bag Beautiful.

The review? “Exactly what you would expect the lead guitarist of one of the world’s most famous rock ‘n’ roll bands to want women to wear: seductively revealing, often spray-on and always dramatic. Fabrics are leather, suede, silk, stretchy snake print and lots of elastane, while detailing focuses on zips – there’s even a zip-crotch leotard.” {Vogue UK}

Some of the pieces – particularly the jackets and vests, could actually work well paired with basics to tone them down a bit for a chic rock and roll look. The Glory Vest is pretty funky and cool and so are the Drifter and King Sport Jackets.

However, Sambora wants to dress Jennifer Anniston, aka the unofficial queen of understated California classy, in WTB clothing. Sorry, Richie; we donâ€t see that happening, but we still love you anyway.

Edun founder Ali Hewson, who also happens to be the wife of U2 front man Bono, signed a deal with LVMH to merge the companies a year ago and since then has parted ways with former designer Rogan Gregory. The merger with LVMH brought more cash into the company, which resulted in the hiring of new creative director Sharon Wauchob. {Fashionista}

Hewson said Edun took some time to “ramp up the team, get the new collection out and start fresh” after signing on with LVMH.

Of the new menswear collection, she said she particularly likes the hemp suits and jackets for summer.

“I love that the clothes fit,” she said. “We’ve had some beautiful styles before but we’ve struggled with the fit. With the sourcing that we have now, the clothes are coming in fitting and just looking great.” {Stylelist}

The first Edun Pre-fall menswear collection with the Paris-based, Irish born Wauchob at the helm is the beginning of a few planned steps forward for the brand. Next week on June 9, Hewson and Barneyâ€s Fashion Director Julie Gilhart will launch a Pre-fall “Grow to Sew” womenâ€s collection at Barneyâ€s. {Edun Live}

The collection is all about Africa, with t-shirts made on the continent and an African-themed launch event where guests will be able to have a member of the Edun design team customize t-shirts on the spot. All proceeds from t-shirt sales will go to the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Uganda, an organic farming program created by Edun and the Wildlife Conservation Society to build sustainable farming communities.

The new womenâ€s collection will also re-launch at Liberty of London and Merci in Paris later this month. Even more exciting: Wauchob’s designs for Edun are slated to appear on the New York runway this September. Canâ€t wait!

The new 27" waist "Homme Nouveau" mannequins

This new size mannequin, which comes complete with a 35-in chest and not an ounce of discernible fat, along with metrosexuality could be causing some men to hold themselves to the kind of unrealistic body ideals women are subject to, and some men may be attempting to wither down to proportions capable of looking as good in trendy, super-tight clothing as the “Homme Nouveau” does.

Rootstein describes its new mannequin as, “the young and restless redresses the balance of the prevailing male beefcake figure by carving out a far more streamlined sinuous silhouette to match the edgier attitude of a new generation.” {NPR}

If by “edgier attitude” they mean tendency to develop eating disorders, statistics are beginning to show they may be right.

A look from Dior Homme during Hedi Slimanes tenure, where extra slim silhouettes were favored

GQ Style Editor Adam Rapaport says it is naïve to think men are all of a sudden more concerned with their appearance based on the “Saturday Night Fever,” hair sculpting, skinny pant-wearing days of the past (or Hedi Slimane’s slim Dior Homme silhouettes more recently), but evidence shows anorexia in men (read: manorexia) is on the rise, leading to the question of whether the skinny jeans for men trend may be at the root of it.

Today, 25 percent of eating disorder sufferers are men, up from 10 percent in 1990, and 40 percent of binge eaters are men. {New York Magazine}

Some experts cite the renewed pressure men are under to fit into slim clothes. American Apparel has a line of denim pants with a maximum waist size at 33 inches, though the average waist size for an American man in 2006 was 39.7 inches. In addition Rootsteinâ€s mannequins have gradually shrunk in waist size over the years, beginning at 33 inches in 1967, down to 31 inches in 1983 and 28 inches in 1994.{New York Magazine}

“The body is on display more in menâ€s clothing today,” Radford University psychologist Dr. Tracy Cohn says. “The cuts arenâ€t as blousy and there is not as much fabric. Clothes cling to the body. The cuts are called close-fit or tailor-cut. And they taper into the body.”

Rapaport says it is not just jeans but everything in menswear that is skinnier these days including slim suits and skinny ties.

“Now itâ€s all skinny skinny skinny, whether you are or not,” he says, adding that the new generation is not smaller, they are just wearing clothes that are, moving away from the baggy, below-the-butt sagging pants that New York politicians abhor.

“Typically in fashion the pendulum swings,” Rapaport says. “If everyoneâ€s wearing big baggy jeans, then the cool kids want to be wearing skinny tight jeans. Once everyone does something, the elite want to do the opposite.”

If you are a man uninterested in whittling down to 14-year-old boy proportions to fit into these clothes, Rapaport sees no need to be concerned. He admits most women probably do not like to see a man in something that super skinny. He also advises men to look at this trend as an extreme by which to be inspired – rather than which to aspire to – to wear clothes that simply fit better and are more tailored than what we are used to seeing men wear.

It’s interesting that this trend emerges just as attention is finally being focused on the inclusion of curvier women in modeling and a movement away from the scrawny female runway look. That being said, we definitely agree with Rapaport. Women do not necessarily want to see super skinny men in super tight clothing, but clothes that fit well are a huge step up from baggy, sagging looks that do nothing to flatter a man’s body.

New in the store are some great pieces for the boys, picked by Carl from The Fashionisto: we absolutely love the roomy long-sleeve crop top, shown left, which looks stunningly slouchy when layered with soft draped jersey.

Unfortunately the Oak web store is [and has been] down so, aside from chanting and hoping for our own Faustian bargain, all we can do for now is drool over images and think of how to buy these for our boys so we can steal borrow them for ourselves.

UPDATE:  The site is fully-operational again!  Catch all the new arrivals for men at the Oak website.  The black cropped wide sweater we love so much is 100% wool and is available now for $162.

Read the full story {The Fashionisto}

As much as we’d love to click our heels and make it summertime again, autumn is here to stay and winter is just around the corner — and although we’re still having problems getting our boys to admit the weather and shelve their short-sleeves, we think we’ll have a lot more success once we introduce them to S.N.S. Herning.

Founded in Denmark in 1931, S.N.S. Herning mixes old-school handmade quality with quirky details and vintage-inspired styling.  We absolutely love how the knit textures lend tactile interest and turn each piece into more than just a solid-color crewneck, and the fact that each sweater is signed by the person who made it is a great little personal touch that sets them apart from every other boring mass-produced sweater.

S.N.S. Herning is available at the CHCM web shop.

Read the full story {SwipeLife}

We love the oversized collar and slim fit, which add modern updates to the traditional bird-hunting jacket worn by die-hard Southerners.  The Italian wool fabrication adds a lovely touch of unexpected luxury, and at $508 (a 30% discount!) the quality is a steal and the style is a classic that will last you for years.

Channel this runway season’s Americana trend and, if you’re a bit more adventurous, get started on your fashion beard to complete the mountain-man-who-lunches look.

Read the full story {Kempt}

Fitting seamlessly into the recent Americana trend is the latest collaboration between Levis and skater and musician Tommy Guerrero.

No word yet on when the collab officially drops, but for now we get a sneak peak at the above two pieces which mix the classic Levi’s denim look with a kitschy Mexican-inspired theme.

When the collection finally does hit stores, though, please (do we really have to tell you this?) don’t wear both pieces together at the same time, unless you actually want to look like a bad hybrid between 21 Jump Street and There Will Be Blood.

Read the full story {High Snobiety}

Beginning today, new Fall/Winter 2009 pieces from Japanese streetwear company BBC/Ice Cream will be available for purchase at the Tokyo flagship store.  In this drop are Chukka boots, tote bags, and a parka featuring the company’s new digi camo print.

We’re relieved that, although the new print is certainly a quirky and creative take on the basic, utterly repulsive not-so-appealing camouflage motif, it appears mainly in small doses on accessories.  (We emphatically pass, however, on the overwhelmingly printed parka, and would prefer acting as though it doesn’t exist.)

Pieces from the mini-collection would look great paired with slouchy, perfectly worn-in tees and your favorite set of bass-pumping headphones.  But please — don’t match your shoes to your bag.

Read the full story {High Snobiety}

The line, called Thread & Heirs, will have guest designers each season and officially launches next year, with Ruffian designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais christening the effort with capsule collections in spring and fall 2010.  With the combination of smart, H&M-comparable prices and the creative involvement of designers like Wolk and Morais, Thread & Heirs looks like a big hit and will surely help to rejuvenate the Macy’s market.

Read the full story {The Cut via NY Mag}

(As an aside, did you know the OBEY logo was originally based on an image of André the Giant?)

The updated Seattle-grunge feel is casual and cool, and all the pieces within the capsule collection look suitably laid-back and broken-in. (We could, however, do without the check button-down, which looks literally grimy with motor oil.)

It’s always interesting when unconventional artists “make it” in the real world, and the Obey x Levi’s collaboration manages to keep the street cred while delivering the goods.

Read the full story {Hypebeast}