Howell\'s Harrington-happy
Spring Summer 2008,Margaret Howell]
Margaret Howell
Spring is here, and with it the chance to doff the winter coat and reach for something a little lighter. Step forward Margaret Howell, who has teamed up with fellow British brand Baracuta for a new take on their classic Harrington jacket, made famous when the likes of Steve McQueen and Elvis Presley wore the G9 style in the 50\'s. Howell\'s version is a reissue of a 1960\'s jacket called the G3, taken from the Baracuta archive. The proportions have been updated by slimming the men\'s jacket slightly and changing the silhouette of the women\'s to create a more fitted style, which is cropped at the waist. Other details remain the same: the button-down side-pockets, for example, as well as the buckle side tabs to cinch the waist and a cotton rib collar lining. According to Howell, the Harrington will always remain relevant, "with its styling and function edited to a minimum, resulting in a simple and lasting design. I wore a jacket in the 60\'s and still want to wear one today." Available from March, the Margaret Howell Baracuta jacket will retail at £245. -Danielle Radojcin
Picture: The Margaret Howell Harrington jacket modelled at her Spring / Summer 2008 fashion show
Get a piece of Kate\'s wardrobe
kate,moss
James Brown and Kate Moss
If we could get a slice out of anyone\'s wardrobe, Kate Moss, Jemima Khan and Naomi Campbell\'s would be right up there. So it is with considerable excitement that we bring news of the chance to do precisely that, courtesy of La Moss\' hairdresser, James Brown. The superstar coiffeur has persuaded the above style mavens, along with the likes of Lily Allen, Kylie Minogue and Sienna Miller, to donate their unwanted clothing for an online auction starting on 22 February and ending on 29 February at the stroke of midnight. Proceeds will go towards Cancer Research UK, and the remaining items will be sold by Brown in person at a silent auction at the Cancer Research shop on Marylebone High Street in London, on the 29 February. Go to his ebay shop, jamesbrownlondon.com/MTC, to take part. -Danielle Radojcin
Picture: James Brown and Kate Moss
Rykiel\'s reign
gianfranco ferre,Sonia Rykiel
Gabrielle Greiss
In this age of huge luxury goods conglomerates - think LVMH, Richemont, the Prada Group - it\'s rare to come across a brand that manages to remain independent. Sonia Rykiel is one of the few that does, this year celebrating her 40th anniversary in the business. With daughter Nathalie already on board as President and Artistic Director, the house has promoted Gabrielle Greiss to Creative Director. Working with the brand for the past six years, Greiss became Chief Assistant to Rykiel in 2005. A former student of Central Saint Martins, she has worked with Kostas Murkudis, Alber Elbaz at Lanvin, Anna Molinari and Martine Sitbon, as well as styling for Another Magazine, Mixte and Dazed & Confused. Her first collection in her new role will be for Autumn 2008.
In other designer news, Lars Nilsson\'s tenure at Gianfranco Ferré has already come to a premature end. The designer resigned earlier this month, in unclear circumstances. A spokesman for the brand said they are unlikely to replace him with a single designer, using the in-house creative team, who hastily put together the Autumn / Winter 2008/9 show, instead. -Danielle Radojcin
Picture: Gabrielle Greiss, new Creative Director at Sonia Rykiel
YSL Manifesto
Kate Moss,Spring Summer 2008,YSL
Kate Moss for YSL
ASOS gets shady with vintage
Dior,vintage,asos
Vintage Dior frames at ASOS
As more than a few on-line fashion fiends have noticed lately, e-tailer ASOS is going from strength to strength. With over 200 new items every week, it can now boast a collection of vintage sunglasses. The seven different styles have been sourced from around the globe, and retail at £110.
Not content with just selling stuff, the web boutique is also dedicated to promoting new design talent: final year students from the London College of Fashion have been invited to submit their designs for inclusion in a capsule collection to be featured on the site, titled LTD 100, with the final winner having the chance to join the ASOS team on a trip to one of the world\'s fashion capitals. Robert Bready, Product and Trading Director of the site, said, "We are giving fashion lovers the unique opportunity to own a truly limited one-off garment which has the potential to become a piece of future design history." -Danielle Radojcin
See last week\'s Fashion News on handbag.com
Game, set and Matches
matches
Angelokatsapis at Matches
Already keeping the locals on trend in Richmond, Notting Hill and Wimbledon, Matches is to set to send fashion pulses racing with the opening of a new outlet on London\'s Marylebone High Street. A stone\'s throw from Regent\'s park, the area is known for its rich American ex-pats, and popular cafés; the new store will sit alongside the Conran Shop, Patisserie Valerie, and Skandium. With young brands such as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen\'s The Row and the new Angelokatsapis sitting alongside popular traditional lables like Chloé, there\'ll be enough to keep the locals, not to mention the fashion hordes, happy. Says Matches owner Tom Chapman, "The consumer today is extremely savvy; they know what they want and they need to be engaged and be made part of the process. I see retail as a fusion of the senses, fashion, art and design, all forming part of the sensory experience." A grand declaration, perhaps, but if the popularity of the already-existing boutiques is anything to go by, he knows what he\'s talking about. Matches Marylebone High Street opens Friday 29 February 2008. -Danielle Radojcin
Picture: Dress by Angelokatsapis
