Cheers! Meet your new fashion capital ambassadors

New York is easily the fashion capital of the US, and considering the size of the American consumer market, for many people that makes it one of the top fashion cities in the world. According to a list from Austin, TX based internet analysis company Global Language Monitor, that’s not quite enough to make it number one though. What is enough? How about a blue blood wedding, a newly minted princess with a mostly attainable wardrobe/style, and one design house with a genius founder and brilliant successor (who also played a role in said wedding). Come on down London, you’ve officially been crowned as the internet’s favorite fashion capital.

But is it?

When it comes to socialites, the US has Paris Hilton and the UK has Daphne Guiness. Not even close there. When it comes to hats, you may laugh, but Princess Beatrice won that one too. And sure, it’s true that London’s style ambassador, the former Kate Middleton, can move a dress per minute (or more) with just one outing; and even American companies want nothing to do with our style exports (*cough* Dirty Jersey), but we’re still not sure if the rankings apply in the true fashion world.

Paris is ranked third, behind London and New York respectively, but we’d posit that few people working in fashion would place the French fashion capital at anything lower than number 2 – if that. While London is undeniable when it comes to design talent and sartorial risk taking, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano (who, for all his social failings, is still a talented designer) and even current London top dog Burberry all built their brands in Paris. Burberry made a patriotic return to the UK a few years ago, but when it comes to anchor brands, no one does it better than the City of Lights. Plus, when it comes to making a move into European, Middle Eastern and even Asian stores and press, designers have a presence in Paris because they know that buyers and reporters will have a presence in Paris. Visit Paris during fashion week and you’ll see brands from around the world – including New York, London and Milan – represented at tradefairs, in showrooms and on catwalks.

And New York? Well, sportswear and safe bets may not push the envelope, but it turns out that sometimes staying inside the box can be the beginning of a billion dollar brand. As a fashion capital, New York may not have the history of Paris, but it does have the money.

Though London is putting in a strong effort to support homegrown talent and British brands, it’s still a city largely seen as an incubator for talent, as opposed to a commercial center. While that might not be as sexy as the raw creativity London is famous for, it’s the one thing that New York, Paris and Milan – the cities that make up the top 4 fashion capitals, have in common.

And we’d argue, the one thing that would keep London from truly being number one for fashion.

The Top 10 Fashion Capitals 2011

1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Milan
5. Los Angeles
6. Hong Kong
7. Barcelona
8. Singapore
9. Tokyo
10. Berlin

{Global Language Monitor}

We, and nearly every fashion writer, blogger or fan who could attend, said that the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” exhibit at the MET was worth seeing no matter what. It seems many of you were listening, and not even a fashion superhero could challenge a retrospective on the late designer’s legacy.

With nearly a week left, the New York Times is reporting that the showing set an attendance record for a fashion exhibition with 582,000 people attending as of Sunday night. The previous record was held by the 2008 “Superheroes: Fashion Fantasy” exhibition which attracted 576,000 attendees. The MET is planning to keep the exhibit open until midnight on August 6th and 7th – the two final days.

In more McQueen news, the designer’s will was recently made public and it was revealed that McQueen left £50,000 for the care of his dogs – the same amount he left to each of his housekeepers, nieces and nephews. An animal lover to the end, two separate UK animal charities also received £100,000 donations from McQueen’s estate. The bulk of his £16 million (approximately $25 million) fortune, however, will go to his own charity which the designer asked to use towards scholarships at his alma mater, Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. {the Independent}

He broke boundaries when he was alive, broke hearts with his death, but there seems to be no limit to the number of people Alexander McQueen continues to inspire and touch from beyond.

Now it seems the brand has done it again with images featured in their newest catalog. The preppy looks are modeled by J. Crew’s own employees, including the one above titled, “Happy Together. Our Designer Somsack and his boyfriend, Micah.” The photo sparked even more controversy. ABC says the catalog includes “an explicit ad of a same-sex couple”, and titled the article, “J. Crew at Center of Gay Economics with Openly Gay Model.” Yes, we all know how raunchy button down shirts and ties are, or perhaps it’s that hot and heavy arm grab from a full arm’s length away that says “get a room!” Okay, we’re really not sure what’s explicit here.

J. Crew declined to comment on the issue, but it seems to us that the photo’s caption says it all. The bottom line is that painting a little boy’s toenails pink won’t make him gay, nor will looking at happy gay couples on the pages of a fashion catalogue. It is sad that people cannot tolerate the differences among us. {Refinery29}

Fortunately, in addition to Jenna Lyons being lucky enough to end up with a boy who shares a favorite color, she also ended up with a child who can seemingly see what’s really important. “He was just like, ‘Iâ€m on television! Iâ€m on television!†It was very cute. He was over the moon,” Lyons said. {WWD}

A few words to describe the experience at Savage Beauty: Alexander McQueen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this weekend: Hot. Crowded. Worth the trip, no matter what.

Vogue UK is reporting this morning that the McQueen exhibit is the Costume Instituteâ€s most popular ever at the MET with 5,100 people showing up on opening day, and @WorldMcQueen tweeted that the MET reported a record 43,000+ visitors to the exhibit in less than a week. We certainly believe it.

We got to the museum around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and headed straight for the special exhibit, which was unveiled at the Costume Institute Gala last Monday and opened to the public May 4, making this the first weekend ordinary folks could visit it. On reaching the entrance the crowding was apparent, but there was no line. However, upon exiting the Savage Beauty exhibit about 90 minutes later, a 45 minute-long line had formed and was snaking its way throughout the European paintings.

Savage Beauty will remain at the MET until July 31, so if youâ€re really not into the idea of a potential long wait, holding off for a few weeks might be a good idea. Weâ€re of the opinion, however, that this special exhibit is worth the 45 minute line.

McQueenâ€s pieces possess a certain magic, and being in the presence of his work had a goose-bump inducing effect, particularly in one of the multiple rooms of the exhibit which contained mounted television screens running clips of some of McQueenâ€s most memorable shows like “What a Merry Go Round” and, our personal favorite, “Itâ€s Only a Game.” Seeing the “Armadillo” shoes and several looks from “Platoâ€s Atlantis” was also amazing. You can truly appreciate McQueenâ€s attention to detail and perfect execution when viewing his work in person. We couldâ€ve stared at some of the pieces for hours without becoming bored.

The exit from the exhibit included a Savage Beauty gift shop with all of the expected memorabilia including Savage Beauty T-shirts and wall calendars. Also available was a catalogue by Andrew Bolton, which can also be purchased online in addition to a commemorative skull scarf (for $495, of course).

If we had one gripe regarding Savage Beauty, it would be the banshee music in the second room. The exhibit consisted of multiple rooms, and in each the different music was appropriately haunting and set the tone perfectly. In room two, however, the music consisted of a repeated banshee howl, which was actually a bit corny and somewhat annoying as movement through the exhibit slowed with the growing crowd. One other minor inconvenience: no pictures are allowed. It’s an understandable rule, but still disappointing that the museum docents were strict about enforcing it.

Surprisingly, the large number of visitors to the exhibit doesnâ€t fall into the category of pitfalls. Though the crowd had its annoyances, it was actually an additional fascination. So many different types of people were there, from fashion types to mothers and their kids, groups of girlfriends and a few older groups. It was at once surprising and refreshing to see such varied and large interest in a fashion exhibit, since it often seems widespread interest in fashion is restricted to shopping.

Bottom line: no matter who you are or how much knowledge of or interest in fashion you have, Savage Beauty is worth the trip to the MET. Get yourself there. ASAP.

Exhibition renderings by Joseph Bennett via the Metropolitan Museum of Art Blog

CBS News reported on Monday that pedestrians walking by the latest Calvin Klein billboard in New York City at East Houston and Lafayette have spotted something highly inappropriate in the ad. These folks donâ€t find Lara Stoneâ€s almost-naked body offensive; rather, they believe a hidden curse word was planted in the photo.

The table behind and to the left of Stone supposedly forms an “F,” while her underwear bottom forms a “U.” Get where weâ€re going with this? Then, to Stoneâ€s right, the “C” and “K” of the Calvin Klein logo complete the subliminal naughty word. {CBS News via Racked NY}

Our first thought upon reading this news was that the alleged curse word must have been spotted by someone with way too much time on their hands. First of all, the images of Stone for this ad campaign are beyond cool, as is the television commercial, and secondly, why would Calvin Klein risk creating this kind of controversy? But now we canâ€t look at the ad and not see it. The question remains whether Calvin Klein did it on purpose and how the label will defend the situation.

Target’s first GO International Collective, which brings together previous hits from their many individual designer capsule collections in one place, officially launches today.

GO International didn’t invent the designer/fast fashion collaboration, but in the US it was one of the first to offer clothes from emerging designers at Target prices (read: almost nothing over $100). {Target}

Over the past five years, the Target collaborations have expanded to more established luxury fashion labels like Mulberry for Target, Jean Paul Gaultier and Liberty of London, with collections selling out even faster than Target themselves anticipated. The young designers are where it all started though, and this year Target has decided to bring back the “greatest hits” of the past so you can score some of the must-haves you may have missed.

This Thursday in New York stars gathered to celebrate the launch of the upcoming design collective showcased at the Ace Hotel. Featured designers in the great re-release will include Luella Bartley, Tara Jarmon, Paul & Joe, Behnaz Sarafpour, Proenza Schouler, Libertine, Alice Temperley, Erin Fetherston, Jovovich-Hawk, Rogan, Richard Chai, Jonathan Saunders, Thakoon, Tracy Feith, Rodarte (perfect timing with all of the Black Swan buzz), Zac Posen and Tucker – with all dresses on offer coming in under $50. We have no doubt the lineup will see a fight to the register or online checkout for those who missed out on the first versions.

We absolutely can not wait for the release of the 34-dress collection, which is scheduled to run through April 10th. Our advice? Wake up early and get a spot in line to ensure you get the dress you want, or bookmark the Go International page and click quickly.

Has the Collection Already Sold Out?

One important tip if you’re shopping online: it looks like Target hasn’t worked out all of the bugs as far as the website navigation goes, so the only way to get to the collection items is through the special section included on the main GO International page. If you click the links on the left to browse by designer or color, you may get a message saying there aren’t any items in the category. Rest assured, they haven’t sold out that quickly, but if you want a bunch of styles for yourself, you can continue to let everyone else think that’s the case. We won’t judge.

Happy Shopping!

Anna Sui's furry cat hat. Image via Style.com

Animal print clothing is classy, trendy right now and a nice way to switch up your style if you typically stick to neutrals and want to indulge in a pattern every so often, but Anna Sui may have taken the animal-as-clothing thing a bit too far. Last Wednesday at Lincoln Center, Sui sent a few models down the runway in giant cat hats. {FocusOnStyle}

Fashionista is reporting that the cat hats will be available at Suiâ€s SoHo store this fall for about $205. If you love crazy hats or you are really into the feline thing, one of these hats may not be a bad investment. The cat hat looks really warm and it completely covers the ears, which is important for staying toasty when the weather gets cold. We do worry, though, that itâ€s one of those things that works on the runway but not in real life unless you happen to be Lady Gaga. Or a junior high school student participating in spirit week.

Get ready to retire your skinny jeans and say hello to a fresh fall style this year. Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending Tory Burchâ€s Fall 2011 runway show as part of New York Fashion Week, and the designer delivered a ‘70s style collection with looks for work, weekend and evening.

The show was dominated by 70s-inspired pants with super wide legs in camels, plaids and prints and also featured models with center-parted,unfussy tresses that recalled the decade. Some of the models also wore red leather boots, grey stockings and blouses ruffled at the neck.

Our favorite look (which, according to Twitter, is one of Toryâ€s favorites too!) was a matching camel and navy print ensemble with, of course, wide leg pants and a blouse with matching scarf. Our other favorite? A black lace top and super flare leg pants with layers of shimmering  detailing at the collar, cuff and hem that was the perfect blend of ’70s inspiration and modernity.

According to show notes, Burch was going for something currently American with touches of English country. We certainly got that vibe from the furry parkas and previously mentioned blouses and tights that were mixed with of-the-moment trends like sequins and lace.

Overall, Burch stayed true to her signature styles while coming up with a fresh set of looks. Almost makes us want to rush through summer to next fall so we can wear the clothes. Almost.

After calling 475 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan home for the last six years, reps for P.Diddy’s clothing line Sean John announced this week that their flagship store will be closing due to what they feel is business disruption due to scaffolding.

Only about a year ago Diddy’s representatives filed a lawsuit over scaffolding around the building that was erected in 2006. Sign blockage and customer disruption because of said scaffolding were the reasons given for a drop in revenue the company had been experiencing over the last few years. In spite of a well publicized recession that caused almost every retailer to experience some kind of decline over the past few years, Sean John reps are insisting that construction is to blame. A Sean John spokesperson says, because of “inadequate selling space.” the only retail store they have would in fact shut down. The rep assured WWD that the label is looking for spaces in New York and L.A. to open new stores. {NY Mag}

As shopaholics we can’t help but thing brand loyalists would still shop with or without scaffolding. On one hand, 3 to 4 years of  scaffolding does seem excessive. On the other, it’s a bit of a stretch to think that Sean John was one of the only clothing retailers who wasn’t affected in any way by economic conditions.

Come December 30th, the store will close permanently as the company decides where to relocate. We wish them luck!

Donâ€t get too excited yet – Nordstrom Spokesperson Pamela Lopez said a day after the announcement was made that the store will be a thrift shop and will not carry the Nordstrom name, nor will it be Nordstrom-branded. It will be owned by the fashion retailer, but will seem nothing like a typical Nordstrom store to shoppers.

That's not it's name. Nordstrom's Manhattan store won't actually be a Nordstrom

It looks like a lot of the details have yet to be worked out, but the 11,100 square feet of the first and second floors at 350 West Broadway (between Grand and Broome) have been leased to Nordstrom for a shop that donates all of its proceeds to nonprofit organizations. {Racked NY} Nordstrom has never opened a concept store like this before – and as far as we can tell, no other major fashion retailer has ever owned a charity shop.

Lopez told Racked NY the project is something Nordstrom wanted to try based on a general spirit of philanthropy.

Exactly what type of clothing the store will carry and to what charities the profits will go has yet to be decided, but apparently the shop will not even accept Nordstrom credit cards. {The Cut}

A lot of businesses have found great success with cause marketing – or promotions that entice consumers by donating a portion of profits for a particular item to charity – so perhaps Nordstrom is hoping customers will enjoy guilt-free shopping in their thrift store so much that they will stop by regular Nordstrom stores as well. This may backfire, however, if the Nordstrom brand is nowhere to be found in or on the West Broadway store, as less fashion-news conscious consumers may not even know they are in a Nordstrom-owned space.

Because Nordstrom will not be using its name for the store, the retailer may simply be undertaking a purely charitable initiative.

Whatever the folks at Nordstrom intend to accomplish with this new location, they certainly have our attention – especially since we never thought Nordstromâ€s first Manhattan store would be anything other than a massive, long-awaited flagship. Weâ€ll keep you posted as more details arrive.