ShopDiary

Designer Collaborations: LV + CdG and Richard Chai for Target

The world of designer collaborations isn’t limited to mass market retailers in partnership with designers. It can also be a fusion of established luxury labels like Louis Vuitton and Comme des Garçons who, according to Suzy Menkes at The Moment, “will open a joint Tokyo store in September — an ephemeral three-month space where six one-off bags, designed by Kawakubo in LV monogram pattern, can be ordered by shoppers.” What a strange but genius pairing. And pretty exciting to boot. Fans of both LV and CdG are already planning a trip to Tokyo this September.

In the hi-low designer pairings, Nylon gave a sneak peek of the Richard Chai for Target collection, coming to us in August. Nylon will have a full article in their August issue. By then, we’d probably have more photos to get us excited and waiting with bated breath for August 2 to arrive. View more photos of the line here.

byCorpus for Urban Outfitters

Corpus, a high end label with a very large cult following, has collaborated with Urban Outfitters for a lower priced line for women and men called byCorpus. Corpus is known for it’s smart and edgy designs and is sold in upscale stores like Barneys, Ron Herman, American Rag, Satine and Oak NYC.

byCorpus has taken Corpus cult favorites and updated and refabricated them for Urban Outfitters. The women’s collection remains reminiscent of Corpus menswear staples that enthusiasts have come to know and love. The pocket shirt has been transformed into a shirtdress. The popular shawl neck cardigan (previously made of cashmere) and polo tunic are now redesigned using drapey cottons and jerseys.

byCorpus is now available at Urban Outfitters from $48 to $98. View a few photos from the byCorpus lookbook at Racked.

Botkier for Target Preview

The Cut just posted a preview of the Botkier for Target collection which hits stores on July 20.

Designer Monica Botkier describes it as “a mix of luxury and utility with a downtown edge. It is for the chic, modern woman — it features rich textures and luxe metallics, combining my signature use of hardware as the jewelry of a handbag while still keeping a focus on functionality.” As with all Botkier bags, every piece in the Target collection comes with lots of interior pockets and a key chain long enough to reach from purse to lock without too much awkward fumbling.

I haven’t been impressed with Target’s designer handbag collaborations and it looks like the Botkier for Target line won’t change my opinion of them. The designs are great but the quality of the handbags aren’t. And I don’t think it’s because the bags aren’t made of real leather. Marc Jacobs makes well made non-leather bags for $70 or less for his Special Items line. I’ve spotted cute handbags at H&M as well. Target chooses really cheap materials to work with and a savvy shopper knows good value when she sees it.

View the rest of the collection after the jump. What do you think?
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Anya Hindmarch and Sigerson Morrison for Target

Hot news: The next accessories designers to collaborate with Target are Anya Hindmarch (handbags) and Sigerson Morrison (shoes). Both collections will be available at select Target stores nationwide and at Target.com from October 12 through December 26, 2008. Images will be available by mid-September. Stay tuned!

Rogan for Target Now at Barneys New York

Rogan Gregory’s eco-friendly line for Target is now available at Barneys New York’s Manhattan flagship store on Madison Avenue. The 100% organic collection won’t be in Target stores until May 18 so lucky New Yorkers get first dibs!

Racked and Fashionista reports that this is the best GO International Collection so far. Everything was flying off the racks at last night’s press preview.

I’m so excited about this! I’m not a fan of animal prints but this line seems to do it just right. I’ve got my eye on those shorts pictured on the left and a few silk dresses.

Too bad Barneys in Beverly Hills will be stocking Rogan for Target clothing on May 15, just a mere three days ahead of the nationwide launch in Target.

If you’re in New York, better get there pronto. The collection will be at Barneys only until Sunday, May 11.

View the full collection here.

Gap Design Editions 2.0 Available Online and in Stores Tomorrow

Gap will be releasing its second limited edition white shirts tomorrow with a new batch of guest designers including 3.1 Phillip Lim, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian, Threeasfour and Philip Crangi. This edition sees the inclusion of menswear (by Bastian) and black and white jewelry (by Crangi) to complement the white shirts. This edition is more widely distributed compared to the last round, with designs of 3.1 Phillip Lim available in all stores. The collection is available exclusively in Gap adult stores in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Japan and online in the U.S. at Gap.com. Items range in price from $35 to $88.

If you call around, some stores already have them out on the floor. I got a chance to check out the four designs by Phillip Lim just a few minutes ago and will be posting my review later. If you’ve got any faves, you’d better start clicking tomorrow morning as last year’s hottest pieces immediately sold out. You can’t take a chance on missing out!

Update: They are available now!

Image Source: LA Times