Cynthia Rowley has designed beautiful shapewear you will be tempted to show off in public.  When we think shapewear, we’re usually bombarded by images of confining undergarments; contraptions we’d dare not be seen in, either behind closed doors or anywhere else.   Well Cynthia Rowley may have put an end to dowdy girdles and shapers with her new collection, Slim.   It’s a sleek and sexy line of shapewear designed to mold our curves.  Sleek and sexy is just the way we want to look and feel when we wear it.  The line costs between $118 to $226.  So this fall you’ll be dressed to impress from your undergarments to your outerwear.

Vera Wang is set to give the girl on a budget the wedding dress of her dreams.  The reigning queen of bridal gowns has teamed up with David’s Bridal to bring affordable dresses to the masses.  Gowns will range from $600 to $1,200, a relative bargain when you consider a Vera Wang gown can cost you between $4,000 and $25,000.  Now this is what I call business savvy.  In order to maintain dominance one has to continually extend into other markets, and this is a logical extension.  We are all living a new reality, we live in a fashion world where high-end and lower-end lines collaborate everyday.  It was only a matter of time before bridal entered the arena.  Lucky for David’s Bridal’s customers, Wang plans on providing the same quality fabrics for her lower-priced designs. 

Vera Wang to Design A Line For David Bridal [The Cut]

Costello Tagliapietra are two of my favorite designers, and they have collaborated with Uniqlo to bring us a lower-priced collection.  The duo work wonders with jersey for their high-end line, and they plan on doing the same with the new capsule collection.  There are 14 differently styled dresses in a range of spring colors that are beautifully draped from silk jersey.  You can have your pick at Uniqlo on May 20th when the collection hits stores.  The dresses are moderately priced at $29.50 to $39.50.  Summer has definitely gotten more stylish for the fashion maven on a budget.

The ladies of Vena Cava are all set to launch a new T-shirt collection in the fall of 2010.  The ready-to-wear line will offer T-shirts at a lower price via Viva Vena.  Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai saw an opening in the market for printed tees and embarked on this new venture.  The collection includes tees, tanks and dresses all made from organic cotton and jersey.  You will be able to shop the collection at Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shopbop an La Garconne for under $200 in July.  Judging from the excitement from this announcement, it looks like Vena Cava will have a very successful collection.  The demand is there, and the lower price only sweetens the deal. [WWD]

When I say sweatpants you think, the gym.  That would usually be the correct answer, but we now live in an alternate universe where sweatpants are associated with luxury.  If designer Michael Kors has his way, you will be casually chic in a pair of cashmere sweatpants for $995.  I remember a time when the money crowd would rather be caught shopping the sales rack than be seen in public with sweats.  What’s changed?  Maybe all they needed were for said item to be made by top designers in the finest fabrics.  Kors is not alone, Alexander Wang was among the first to start this trend along with Isabel Marant for Spring 2010, then Rag & Bone and Bottega Veneta.  The trend appears to be catching on judging by the reported sales from designers and stores.  Will this be more than just a fad?  I doubt it, we have far too much history with sweats to fully find them acceptable for anything other than lounging or exercise.  It should go without saying that sweatpants should not be worn on a date, even if they are paired with Louboutins, your date will be left underwhelmed.  There’s a time and place for everything, and sweats may be fine for shopping, but not for fine dining.

The $1,000 Sweatpants  [WSJ]

Erdem Moralioglu was announced the winner of the British Fashion Fund/Vogue Fashion Fund award last night.  It is a prestigous award, and said honor comes with a $303,000 cash prize.  The award acknowledges new design talent within the fashion industry. Erdem is an enormous talent, and is highly deserving of this win.  Prior to starting his own label in 2005, he worked for Diane von Furstenberg in New York.  He was up against very notable players in the industry; fellow nominees included Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Clements Ribeiro, Angel Jackson, Patrick Grant of E. Tautz, Nicholas Kirkwood and Richard Nicoll.  Erdem is clearly a rising star for whom success was imminent.  You can shop for his collection online at Net-a-Porter.

French actress Marion Cotillard is once again the face of Lady Dior.  The new “Lady Blue” campaign marks Cotillard’s third stint with the label.  Steven Klein shot the ad in Shanghai, and the view is picture perfect.  John Galliano chose the right woman for Lady Dior because she’s beautiful, yet there is a complexity about her that is very enchanting.  Cotillard was also featured in a 12-minute film shot by David Lynch for the house that will debut on May 15th.  Not so coincidentally, Galliano will also unveil Dior’s cruise collection in Shanghai on that same day. It appears having an actress as your model really does pay off, she gives great face and good acting.  Annie Leibovitz shot the second ad, the “Lady Rouge” campaign with the actress, and you can watch the behind the scenes footage of that shoot in the video below.  Both the bags and shoes could leave you with the age old dilemma of rent or shoes.

Marion Cotillard’s Shanghai High  [WWD]

 We are inching closer and closer to a Tom Ford womenswear launch for fall 2011.  We are also learning that all is fair in love and fashion. Ford has hired womenswear designer Caroline Tixier from Givenchy, and accessories designer Pablo Coppola from Alexander McQueen.  It appears he wants nothing, but the best for his ready-to-wear line.  The fashion world has been anticipating this launch for years, and there is a lot of excitement.  Hiring designers from two of the top fashion houses in Europe will only add to the buzz that usually surrounds a Tom Ford project.  What will the well-dressed man send down the runway to satisfy the well-dressed woman?  That will be the question on the industry’s lips until the line is unveiled.  Everyone expects him to recreate the magic he made at Gucci, and from this latest move, he intends to.

Tom Ford Secretly Poaching McQueen and Givenchy for His Own Women’s Design Team  [The Cut]

Louis Vuitton Fall 2010

It appears the increase of curvey models in magazines and on the runway may become a more dominant trend than was first realized.  A few days ago Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, designer Michael Kors and model Natalia Vodianova were panelists at a forum regarding the overall health of models.  Of course the topic of eating disorders was a central theme.  Major news that will affect the fashion industry came from that event.  One is the promise by Ms. Wintour that Vogue will use models of various sizes on its pages.  That is big news indeed because her proactive stance on depicting positive body images in the fashion bible can have a rippling effect on the industry.  The other big news is Michael Kors’ announcement that he will no longer use models under the age 16.  He also intends to call on his peers to do the same.  Change has definitely come to this industry, and I say it’s about time.  Many young girls grow up emulating the girls they see in magazines, and seeing images of models of various body sizes will have a profound impact.  It sends a message that our society is ready to celebrate the beauty of real women.  Let’s face it, the industry benefits when girls and women feel better about themselves.  Should you doubt that last statement, remind me of the last time you went shopping while you were feeling self-conscious about your own body image.  If you can’t remember it’s because it doesn’t happen very often.  In the end, everyone benefits from a positive body image in this industry, and the industry will see it reflected in their bottom-line. 

Anna Wintour Says Vogue Does Not Photoshop Girls Thinner, and Now Aims to Show a Wider Variety of Body Types  [The Cut]

Chanel iPhone App

Donna Karan iPhone App

When did it become so chic to be a tech geek?  Technology has gotten the fashion industry into the application arena, and we are addicted.  I can attest to this from personal experience; I’ve become obsessed with the latest applications for my Blackberry.  Admittedly, I’ve even suffered a bit from smartphone envy because of the hundreds of applications available for the iPhone.  A number of fashion designers have even entered the arena with their own applications for the iPhone, Chanel and Donna Karan to name a couple.  There are applications to alert you about sales, view runway shows and other types of fashion events.  Whenever I learn of a new application, my knee jerk reaction is to download it onto my phone and laptop.  My story did not start out this way, and I’m sure many fashion editors, buyers, bloggers and fashion lovers did not either.  Before I was a little apprehensive of computer technology, sure I had the computer, but I often used it for college and graduate school papers.  Let’s not forget e-mail.  It was a slow progression at first, but blogging has flung open the doors to technology.  Now I’m glued to my Blackberry.  Yeah, I’m sure they’re coming out with an app. for that.  Until then, I’ll be busy searching for new application downloads.  Who knew technology could be so stylish and fun?