A new year feels like a fresh start at first, but within a week of New Year’s Eve—once you’re back to the five-day work week and realizing winter isn’t even halfway over—it can start to feel like the beginning of another long, hard slog. When I’m coming off a nice vacation and readying myself for the trip back to work, I like to visualize the next good thing—three-day weekend (MLK Day is January 18!), a dinner with friends, a birthday party, what-have-you—that’s coming my way. For those of you who are similarly inclined, here’s what holds promise for the kick-off year of the next decade.
High fashion is now available for under $100 nearly every other month
Thanks to a slew of designer capsule collections for mass retailers like Target, H&M, and JCPenney, there’s practically a new high-end-meets-low-end line launching every other month. Set your alarms for the second installment of Sonia Rykiel’s collection for H&M (February 20), which will include her signature colorful striped knits and French-girl dresses, and Zac Posen’s line for Target (April 25), highlights of which include a series of typically over-the-top party gowns and one dress that can be worn three different ways.
Fashion Week is moving to Lincoln Center
After years at Bryant Park, the big tents will make an epic move to the artsy-fartsy land of Lincoln Center for the Spring 2011 shows, which take to the runways in September. True, the fashion community’s less than enthused about the new location (whether you walk up from Columbus Circle or down from 66th Street, it’s extra schlepping in five-inch stilettos), but you just know there’ll be fanfare surrounding the new locale, and who doesn’t love fanfare? Plus, if the shows don’t cut it, the close proximity of an IMAX theater could provide some welcome relief.
A New York indie is taking the reins at Bill Blass
Jeffrey Monteiro was essentially an under-the-radar, little-known talent (much beloved by a select minority) before he was hand-picked to be the latest in a string of top-tier designers to revitalize the iconic brand—Peter Som being the most recent. Monteiro may not be a name the rest of the world knows, but boutique shoppers in New York have already fallen for the flatteringly structured dresses in his one-year-old line—likely because he’s been influenced by all the right mentors, from Derek Lam and Jane Mayle.
Isabel Marant and Jerome Dreyfuss are coming to Soho
In one of the great love stories of contemporary fashion, two French designers that have been much ballyhooed over are, wouldn’t ya know it, married. She’s known for her thrown-on sexy brand of bohemian dresses, and he for his buttery-soft, functional-yet-edgy handbags. Fortunately for us, they’re opening up their first U.S. outposts in Soho come February, right next door to each other. Don’t that just warm your heart?
So after reading your “Oh Hey, H&M? Fuck you” piece, I’m a bit perplexed as to why you would suggest shopping the new collection at H&M. Editorial guidelines do exist at The L, yes? Oh, wait it’s The L…what was I thinking?