Everything about the Spring 08 collection by Sonia Rykiel gives us chills. The show began with 70's inspired brights, a yellow head wrap that is the 'hats are back' poster product if there ever were one and then, then there was the grand finale. With 'Paint It Black' playing in the background, feathers floating in the air, barefoot models slinking down the running, twirling, all smiles, Rykiel really gave the industry a run for their money. Nothing was more cool than these chiffon maxi dresses, nothing more nude, more transparent, more sexy (i.e. nothing more representative of what would be the major trends of the season) than this. And even if there was an air of rock n' roll, a wink at acid tripping hippies, the angelic sweetness of these garments made it all seem very fun if slightly innocent. For our Friday Video Indulgence, check out the Spring 08 Rykiel runway show and, what we thought of when we first saw this collection, the trailer to the Virgin Suicides. If this season ends up anything like Rykiel's collection, it's going to be one hot summer.

These Ksubi Write Sunglasses demonstrate the illustrious power of limited edition accessories. With only 50 pairs made worldwide (in New York they went to OAK, of course) in the gunmetal and white versions, if you don't have them already, you probably never will. Never fear, that's what ripoffs are for, and they don't have to be from the street vendor (funnily enough we saw a vendor selling a rip off yesterday on Broadway, making us wonder if street vendors might be just as skilled at trend forecasting as the agencies). Maison Martin Margiela turned out an even pricier version of these wrap around glasses for Spring 08. Also, hey, there's always those grandpa versions from the drug store.




Image courtesy of OAK
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Yesterday, Coutorture and Fops and Dandies found themselves in the same stuffy showrooms for the first of this season's sample sales. The Dolce Vita sample sale, which we gave a shoutout in this week's Coutorture Cocktail, was where we bumped into the Coutorture Network Partner, amid her purchase of a fabulous canvas dress. We had just come from the Archetype sample sale (a showroom in Soho that reps, among others, Fremont, Corpus, Samantha Pleet, and Lorick) and she was just heading there, or so we discovered by reading her post today. To find out more about her sample sale score, check out her post on the adventure and, if you can't make the Dolce Vita sample sale (or just can't bear the chaos), our spread below has some of what Dolce's cookin up for Spring 08.

LVMH adds another watch brand to their portfolio. Hublot, whose watches retail from between 8,000 to a million euros, was founded in 1980 and has had a tidy, often impressive, record of growth over the years. LVMH already owns Zenith, Tag Heuer, and Chaumet watch brands. Hublot's aesthetic is neither as sporty as Tag Heuer or as dressed up as Zenith, and both parties saw the acquisition as a good fit with potential for growth.


3.1 Pillip Lim is growing by the minute. Lim will see his Tokyo flagship open its doors this weekend, a Los Angeles store is meant to open this June, and, after that, dozens of stores are planned to erupt over the next few years. Lim who went from cult boutique designer to big department store designer, almost over night, seems to be setting his sights on being one of the major brands in the industry. Lim is now designing menswear and children's apparel and a full range of accessories and outerwear. Lim's price points (and minimums on deliveries) have likewise increased and his aesthetic is much less 20-something than it was when he first set out. Lim's got an agenda, this much is clear.


Vogue Italia has shot an entire issue featuring 'non-black' models. The rumors were circulating for some time and it has been confirmed that photographer Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia have really pulled this one off. The issue, obviously, comments on homogeneity in the fashion business and should be a major slap in the face to American and British Vogue, two notorious examples of this, to put it nicely, lack of imagination.

A lot of things are happening in fashion down around the ankle. This is, indeed, a transitionary period and one that doesn't evolve over one single season. Having lived with the skinny jean for quite some time, trouser silhouettes are, as we know, starting to open up again. Now wide legs are all the rage but what's tricky is actually making the switch from one season to the next. Your silhouette is something that you don't change that often and so those of us who have a closet full of skinny jeans are kind of perplexed as to how to begin the transformation. Because of this we've seen spats, or spat-like footwear, appearing all over the place. Pant rolling, another big trend for spring is, likewise, evidence that the ankle is changing and we're just not ready for it. In other words, these micro trends are emerging where the skinny jean is altered (or covered) but not, er, gone. It's like rehab really. Anyway, rehab has never looked so good. These Opening Ceremony Mid Boot With Cut Out Sandals are straight up amazing. They're burlap with an ethnic/geometric print, and, most importantly, they address the changing ankle situation without making, you know, a big deal of it.