The knits and tees of Neal Sperling are now more accessible and affordable than ever! Neal by Neal Sperling, the collaboration for Urban Outfitters is in stores now! With prices starting at about $50 and up, Sperling’s capsule collection contains his signature double layered tee and several edgy sweaters. Unlike the Commes des Garcons x H&M which literally disappeared in the blink of an eye, Sperling plans to double his delivery for the fall, which will include leather pieces and coats! Visit Urban Outfitters here to purchase the collaboration! 

For more, check out Style.com!

H & M Japanese stores are the first to see the Commes des Garcons’ collection. The launch has been greatly anticipated, with the ?rst customers lining up outside the new H&M store in Harajuku, Tokyo this past Saturday. Check out the video.

Thanks DesignBoom

Roberto Cavalli for H&M

Jonathan Saunders for Target

Comme des Garcons for H&M

We’ve all seen the clothing and accessory quality at Target and H&M. Cheap fabrics. Plastic or malleable metal buttons. Torn seams. Awkward fitting. Yes, occasionally you do find that specific piece that looks great on you and others expect you paid a heap of money for, but we all know how rare that can be. 

So, with all of these recent designer collaborations with what i’ll call “cheaper stores,” what exactly is their point? Are designers simply trying to make their typically expensive clothing lines more affordable for the fashion conscious crowd? Have Target and H&M paid the designers a hefty sum just so they can attach a brand-name to their usually generic clothing? More importantly, are the labels all that important?  We already know that the brand-loving fashionistas are going to strip shelves clean on the November 13th release of the Comme des Garcons by H&M line, regardless of price or quality, just for the sake of the label. But do other fashionable buyers even care?

People who love fashion for the sake of fashion usually buy because they like the piece, not the brand. And even if they happen to be brand chasers, who honestly wants to buy a collaboration of their favorite designer if it doesn’t even correlate that particular label’s aesthetic? 

If you ask my opinion, I would rather pay the money for the high quality and unique garments of a specific designer. The fact that it is cheap doesn’t matter because it is 9 times out of 10 exactly that, cheap. And don’t forget, If Jonathan Saunders is selling his bold geometric sweater dress at Target, everyone who’s anyone in the Target vicinity will own it. Before you know it, the whole world is going to be one huge common, unflattering, poorly stitched ball of Jonathan Saunders sympathy for people who can’t afford his real stuff. 

I decided to re-live my childhood and make a paper-chain countdown. No, I’m not counting down the days until Santa Claus pays a little visit and I’m not in that much anticipation for my 19th birthday (even though legally hitting up Canadian bars is a perk!). I am, however, counting down the days until November 13th, when H&M releases their collaboration line with Comme des Garcons all over the markets. 

I am absolutely loving the Comme des Garcons for H&M collection. It seems to me that the line’s inspiration is military with a twist. Trust me, I will be first in line to buy the edgy, uneven navy pleated skirt and off-center hem henley. And just take a look at those great military inspired jagged blazers and pea-coats! Other looks in the collection include a plethora of blouses, polka-dots and saggy crotch bloomers. 

But don’t think that just because it’s H&M you’re going to snag items in this collection for under $50. No mam, be prepared to cough up nearly $400 for limited edition pieces. Worth it? Well, I’m going to wait until I see the quality of the garments, but by the looks of it, Comme des Garcons for H&M is going to put me out on the street. At least I’ll be the most fashionable homeless girl, right?

For more images of the women’s line, check out Nitrolicious!

Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo told BlackBook:

“The collection is constructed around Comme des Garçons’ style. Rather than aiming to make clothes that no one has ever seen before, it is very much Comme des Garçons to its roots. My priority has always been creativity, which was not the least bit compromised with this collection. That was the last thing H&M wanted us to do. Otherwise they wouldn’t have asked us.”

Okay, so Comme des Garcons is very expensive, and H&M is not, and many are pissed that CdG for H&M will run upwards of $350. BUT, this is the only change to snag a piece for under a thousand bucks, AND it will be made with no compromise to quality. So would you rather pay less for sweatshop brand, or a little more for a the creativity and ‘uncompromised’ efforts of Rei Kawakubo herself?

Thanks NY Mag

We’ve got the first look of full collections from the Commes des Garcons line and we are less than impressed by what we see.  This collection makes the size zero model look like she’s packing some pounds on, which most likely means the average size 8′er out there will look like a mack truck in these oversized frumpalicious pieces.

The most promising item (and most likely the one which will sell out quickest) is the long navy jacket. The rest of the collection borders on clownwear, with full pants and polka dots.  

For men, there are some more promising items that may actually make it into my closet before the season closes. Whether or not this collection will see the draw or frenzy caused by Karl Lagerfeld’s party ready gear is still to be seen, but I see this collection falling flatter than a bedazzled sweatsuit designed Madonna.

“It’s a violet that’s been hit by a meteorite,” hat maker Stephen Jones on his new Commes des Garcons perfume.

Odin

What: Most everything in the store (Rag and Bone, Engineered Garments, Commes des Garcons) is 30% off, with more markdowns to follow as time goes on

When/Where: On now until “mid-summer.”

Mon—Sat noon—9pm; Sun noon—8pm at 330

E 11th St between First and Second Aves (212-475-0666);

Mon—Sat 11am—8pm; Sun noon—7pm at

199 Lafayette St between Broome and Kenmare Sts (212-966-0026).