Shoe designer Brian Atwood has teamed up with Jones Apparel Group to bring shoes at a friendlier budget.  The line is called B Brian Atwood and will run between $200 and $500, with boots starting at $600.  Here we have the Brian Atwood Helix Suede Ankle Boots from his namesake collection, it retails for about $850.  If the diffusion line can give us footwear like these raisin colored confections, then this venture will turn out to be one sweet deal.

Vena Cava’s new lower-priced line has been unveiled.  Judging by the look book, Viva Vena will be a big hit with teens and twenty-somethings.  There are great tank tops, T-shirts and mini shirts that are perfect for the warm weather.  Each piece retails for under $200.  The designing duo have made a hot T-Shirt line that will leave you looking impossibly cool during the summer months.  Get ready to be chic in the heat when it hits stores next month.  There has been a ton of anticipation and excitement about the line since the announcement, and the designers did not disappoint.

First Look: Viva Vena! Lookbook [Elle]

Versus is the revived diffusion line from Versace, designed by Christopher Kane.  The fall 2010 collection was on fire.  Delicately pleated mini skirts in scarlett red, midnight black and caribbean blue took center stage.  The collection was eerily reminiscent of the 1950′s, even though the skirts were far more modest in their coverage back then.  One look had a cardigan thrown around the shoulders and it further highlighted the 50′s.  Some of the looks reminded me of the cigarette girls at the theater in the 1950′s as well.  Those were the sweeter looks.  Along the way, a darker side emerged in the form of bondage; strips of ribbon made up the upper half of a few dresses.  Black leather gloves reaching the upper arm paired with a black pair of knee-length boots and short black dress cried out dominatrix.  Among my favorite were the graphic T-shirts which were a nice complement to all the skin shown.  Christopher Kane revisited the past and brought back a very sexy future.  The collection makes up with femininity what it lacks in modesty.  There is something inherently sweet about the Versus girl, even as she takes control.  Who wouldn’t want to be a Versus girl come fall?

Noted London fashion designer, Alexander McQueen, is showing his diffusion line McQ during New York Fashion Week Fall 2010.  The secondary line is for a younger and more trendsetting crowd.  It is also more affordable than the Alexander McQueen ready-to-wear collection.  McQ will be presented at Milk Studios on Thursday, February 11th.  Practically everyone in the fashion industry will be clamoring for invites.  You can be sure we will make McQueen feel welcome in his New York debut.

Alexander McQueen’s McQ Line to Host Presentation at Milk Studios [The Thread]

Alice is the new diffusion line we have been anticipating from Temperley London.  You will be seeing a lot of stripes on shorts, blazers and dresses.  Many of the pieces are perfect for the warmer weather, and they include a great trench that will come in handy during those April showers.  The spring 2010 collection will be available in stores in early February  and online at www.alicebytemperley.com.  Temperley’s lower-priced line will range from $93 to $ 710.  It’s definitely easier on the pocketbook than the ready-to-wear line.  Alice is also a younger alternative to the original.  The line will be sold at Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Net-a-Porter.

Alice [Vogue London]

Alice by Alice Temperley, Revealed! [Racked]

You can add Zac Posen to a growing list of high-end designers choosing to launch a diffusion line.  The collection will be sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.  Z Spoke will be available next spring at prices far lower than the Zac Posen collection. 

Think sportwears instead of the avant garde pieces we’ve grown to expect from this young designer.  The line will be priced between $75 to $675, a mere bargain compared to the Zac Posen collection which sells between $900 and $12,000.  Separates are the foundation of the collection and you will have your selection of knits, cotton and khakis.

Diffusion lines have been the answer in an ailing economy.  We’ve seen lower-priced collections from Alexander Wang, Doo-Ri Chung and Thakoon Panichgul this year alone.  Temperley is also launching a diffusion line due out next spring, at about the same time Z Spoke will be available at Saks.   

Zac Posen’s New Venture [WWD]

Z Spoke (Zac Posen’s Diffusion Line) [The Fashion Spot]

Naeem Khan unveiled his HSN collection, Timeless, to the audience on October 29th and it was a sprint to the finish-line.  No one anticipated that the finish-line would be reached within 10 minutes.  So Naeem Khan makes our Rollcall list this week. 

The Timeless collection sold out so quickly that the show ended early; every designer wishes to have that problem.  The audience had an insatiable appetite for his 10 piece collection.  Five minutes into the show, four of the 10 pieces in the collection were sold out.  Seven pieces were sold out 10 minutes into the show.  “We were expecting the reaction to be positive, but it was above and beyond,” said Khan. “The show had to be cut short because we sold out!  This really speaks to the potential and the power of HSN.”

The designer is being incredibly gracious because we know that it also speaks to the quality and desirability of the items he created.  The dresses and tops are mostly sequined, and they’re perfect for the upcoming holiday season.  Timing was key to this collection’s popularity, sequins would likely be a tougher sell to the HSN audience in June.  If you missed the collection on HSN, take a look at the video.

Yes He Can: Naeem Khan’s HSN Collection, Timeless, sells out in under 10 minutes [Fashion Week Daily]

Temperley London Spring 2010

On Friday we talked about the new lower-priced line for Temperley London, well consider this to be part II on Temperley.  We could not resist bringing you a short interview with Alice Temperley from Net-A-Porter.com.  First, it gives us a look at the original Temperley line, and thus a glimpse of what the new line may look like.  Second, it is always good to hear from the designer.  I love learning about where they get their inspiration, and it’s always interesting to hear them speak about the woman who wears their clothes.  The mini interview does not cover the diffusion line, but it does give us a little insight into the designer.  Check out the video, and then begin your countdown to the launch of the diffusion line  for spring 2010.

Related Post: Temperley London’s New Lower-Priced Line

Temperley London has joined the ranks of designers who’ve realized the economic potential in dressing the masses.  To you Temperley, I say welcome.  They will be launching a new diffusion line for spring 2010.  The prices will start at about $57, that’s reason for a celebration.  The new line isn’t Temperley’s first entrance into the mass market arena, they designed a collection for Target in 2007.  If the diffusion line is anything like the Target collaboration, the pieces will walk out the stores.  Everyone wins with this new line, Temperley London gets increased name recognition and the masses get to wear pieces from a high-end designer.  Some, however, may view it as a dilution of the brand.  In the end, only the profits made from this new venture will tell. [ELLE UK] via [The Cut]