Christmas in July. I refer not to the damage I may or may not be doing in the summer sales while in Paris (yet) but to the recent announcement regarding the upcoming collaboration with Target and Neiman Marcus showcasing 24 CFDA designers. My excitement can only be expressed through curse words and a dance that has no rhythm at all and involves a bit of fast running in place.
So what’s the happs? On December 1st, we will all be stalking our local participating Target (or Neiman’s) for a 50-piece collection ranging through clothing to accessories to home goods from some of the coolest designers out there. From $7.99 to $499.99, word on the street is that most products will be under $60 and design houses will have 1-3 custom designed items each. And while we all pray to the fashion gods that the results are as beautiful as we imagine and not a total flop that sounded so bloody cool, here is the list of designers to brace yourself for:
Alice + Olivia
Altuzarra
Band of Outsiders
Brian Atwood
Carolina Herrera
Derek Lam
Diane von Furstenberg
Eddie Borgo
Jason Wu
Judith Leiber
Lela Rose
Marchesa
Marc Jacobs
Oscar de la Renta
Philip Crangi
Prabal Gurung
Proenza Schouler
Rag & Bone
Robert Rodriguez
Rodarte
Skaist Taylor
Thom Browne
Tory Burch
Tracy Reese
I’m super excited about Band of Outsiders, Proenza and Prabal especially. I’m also going to start wishing upon stars that Thom Browne isn’t just doing menswear for the collection. Freaking YES.
Since I saw Pamela Love’s work a while back, I have been hooked on the somewhat tribal, romantic, dark and organic work. I know I have mentioned Ms. Love a couple of times in the past few weeks, speaking about the top CFDA finalists and their work with J. Crew (here) and also on my birthday wishlist (here) but I am ever so surprised with myself that I have not properly showcased the jewelry designer. So that is what I am going to do riiiiight abouuuuut NOW.
Pamela is a New York native and started making jewelry in her Brooklyn basement in 2006. She has since then been a finalist and is running her own business with a growing in-house team in Manhattan and really showing the fashion industry that maintaining design and brand integrity, as well as fighting for your dreams, returns an amazing reward.
Here are some of my favorite pieces from her current collection featured on her own website:
Gold Sun Cuff.
Resin Tribal Cuff.
Ridge Cuff.
Picado Cuff.
Pentagram Earring.
Bright Metal Skull Pendant.
Resin Tribal Spike Necklace.
Diamond Pendant.
Arrowhead Ring.
There is also a great selection of items not found on the Pamela Love website at Shopbop.
Refinery29 posted a feature last week of a brilliant sneaky peek inside Pamela’s studio that you can check out in full here along with an interview with the designer.
It was probably with the help of my being a student at Parsons (the birthplace of a fair few of the nominees) and a brilliant reality show about the selection of winners, but this year I was really into following the CFDA Awards. If you are not familiar, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honors the best of the best in fashion every year with their highly anticipated awards show. It is the Oscars of the fashion industry.
The most exciting award that is handed out is the Emerging Talent award which celebrates the up-and-comers who are looking for not just their big break but also are gifted mentoring opportunities by fashion legends and heroes. Past winners and finalists include Rick Owens, Proenza Schouler, Zac Posen, Derek Lam, Rag & Bone, Rodarte, Band of Outsiders, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu and Prabal Gurung (literally to name a few). Vogue and CFDA are serious about who they give their award out to…they look at designers who have been working to make a name for a while to prove their dedication and integrity in what they do. When you look at so many of the nominees, you’re really humbled. Running a label takes a hell of a lot of money and exposure, just having great designs is not enough to fund a business, and it is crazy to see some of your favorite labels admitting that they struggle to keep their doors open.
This year, some of my favorite names showed up as nominees and having the chance to watch them compete for the prize was so exciting. From Cushnie Et Ochs to Creatures of the Wind to SUNO to Pamela Love, these are beautiful designers of apparel and jewelry that really have dedicated their entire existences to their craft.
And the judges/mentors are nothing to laugh at either. The fellas from Proenza Schouler sit around a table with the likes of Anna Wintour, Diane von Furstenberg, Reed Krakoff and Jenna Lyons. I’m intimidated just writing the names out, can’t imagine what putting your livelihood out for critique would be like.
What is really great, and a true show of the amazing work that Jenna Lyons has done and continues to do at J. Crew, is that this year, the winner and two runners-up had the chance to design their own capsule collections for the reborn brand. Winner Joseph Altuzarra was the first to release a collection of apparel for J. Crew and, from the looks of it, there isn’t much left to get for yourself!
Probably the collection I was most excited to see was that of runner-up Pamela Love, whose jewelry designs I adore. She champions a tribal, somewhat undone but always hard as nails aesthetic that really is a genuine portrayal of her own style. Most surprising about the collection is that she did not design the expected big necklace, cuff and slightly awkward ring. She went with denim! I especially love the jean jacket (it’s on my bday wish list, wink wink) and I am so happy to see a bit of a departure from her comfort zone. These items are available online now so get them while they’re hot!
Up next is the final capsule CFDA collection by Creatures of the Wind, launching June 14th. The preview looks adorable, as to be expected.
