Vivienne Westwood, Gareth Pugh and Jason Wu Go Plastic

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

In a sleek store that feels like Calvin Klein went to a festival (think stark white with a glow stick explosion), sits a display of plastic. Plastic molded into shoes. Shoes by some of our favorite designers of all time. Gareth Pugh, Jason Wu and Vivienne Westwood are some of the latest designers to team up with Melissa to create a line of shoes that embody their aesthetic at a price point we mere mortals can afford. Melissa has been jellying shoes in Brazil since 1979, and just opened their first U.S. store in SoHo three weeks ago. We took a look around at the baller collabs and the trippy vibes that reverberate within the shop. 

Which Fall 2012 Collections were Made in China?

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Probably more than we could begin to count, much of fashion is being sourced in China; it’s that sweet sweet price that keeps bringing us back. But now designers are taking something completely different and free from the Chinese: Inspiration. There’s a turn toward the orient that is translating in a traditional manner. Gilded birds glide down Dries Van Noten and Proenza Schouler garments, referencing Song Dynasty’s luxurious governmental garb. Marni dipped a toe into splashes of mod Chinese red, but stepped full foot into kabuki shoes that translated the collection into Mandarin. Josie Natori may take the prize for who took the theme most literally, with obi belts, Mandarin collars and a feathered fan. Meanwhile, Jason Wu twisted his own heritage into Maoist jackets and looks that lean toward what Americans in the 1930s thought Chinese clothing was like. Ironically, most of these designers produce locally. 

Jason Wu Was the Talk of the Town During NYFW

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

A recently published report by social media marketing agency Attention ranks the most “talked” about designers during New York Fashion Week based on social media interactions and Jason Wu comes strutting in at the top spot.

The Fall 2012 Silhouette is a Natural Cinch

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Belts have come up and down, all around, and in some seasons have disappeared altogether. For the Fall of 2012, however, a strong regime of stylists has determined the belt will fall at the natural waist. Ho hum as this may seem, it’s good news for you as the waist is naturally the skinniest part of the body. So you get to cinch it in tight and show off that sexy hourglass figure. Unlike the drop waist that dominated runways a year ago.  

Kate Upton’s No (Victoria’s Secret) Angel, MOBama Hits Target and Marc Jacobs Robs the Cradle

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

- “She’s like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy.” — casting director Sophia Neophitou on Sports Illustrated cover girl Kate Upton‘s prospects of walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. [The Cut]

- Get ready to go back to school and get some class. The Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design is now accepting applications. [Vogue UK]

- Michelle Obama wore Jason Wu — for Target — at an event in Florida over the weekend. And she looks super jazzed about it. [Huff Po]

INTERVIEW: Creative Director Stefan Campbell Makes Magic at Michael Bastian

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

At 11 A.M. today, Exit Art was bustling with t-shirt-flannel-n-jeans guys with ladders, gold paint, real leaved branches and tree trunks sitting apart, and two Swarovski crystal chandeliers hanging from a rolling rack. This team of set builders were being kindly and meticulously directed by Stefan Campbell, the man responsible for translating Michael Bastian‘s collection into a three dimensional space that garners an emotional reaction from the audience before the clothes hit the runway.  Earlier this week, he removed the front row so Chadwick Bell could have a 14 foot-wide glowing fuchsia runway instead of seven. Today, he’ll be scenting Michael Bastian’s show with Aedes. After speaking with Stefan today, we can confirm that he knows the tricks to making a runway show magical. See Stefan Campbell’s secret tips and advice at the end of the interview. And we’ll go see the show now. 

#NYFW Trend Watch: Orange Is Burning

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Ah, that rich citrus scent wafts smokily through New York Fashion Week as many designers are using burnt orange as a carrying color throughout their collections. With varying tones of vibrance, this hue skews dark, often mixed with maroons and deep aqua greens á la Costello Tagliapietra and Band of Outsiders. In a thousand textures and a million ways, expect to see more orange burning to the ground in Fall 2012. 

Nordstrom Jumps on the Live-Streaming Bandwagon with Jason Wu

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

In its first attempt at live-streaming, Nordstrom will broadcast Jas0n Wu‘s fall 2012 show on its website. Since it’s their first time, I hope Wu is gentle with the luxury department store.

VS Angel Goes with God, Ellen Dances on Moms’ Anti-Gay Pedestal and Kanye Returns to Paris

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

- Joan Rivers has had 739 plastic surgery procedures — meanwhile, Ground Zero has seen less construction. [Buzzfeed]

- Celebrities are clamoring to spice up their red carpet lives by wearing Victoria Beckham to this year’s Oscars. [Daily Mail]

- Victoria’s Secret Angel Kylie Bisutti apparently took her title too seriously and quit VS because god doesn’t care for that kind of behavior in his heavenly hosts. [Vogue UK]

Karl Lagerfeld Praises MObama’s Big Black A** and Gisele Financially/Emotionally Supports Tom Brady

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

- Karl Lagerfeld had his stint as a guest editor at Paris’ Metro daily newspaper today and like any time a German invades France, no one was spared.  After calling Adele “too fat” and Russian men “ugly,” the Kaiser did however praise Michelle Obama…and her “big black ass.” [Fashionista]