Maggie Mae Designs Derby Hats to Benefit Retired Thoroughbreds
Maggie Mae Designs and Old Friends have teamed up for an online Derby hat fundraiser. The fundraiser features Derby hats created by Maggie Mae Designs to benefit Old Friends. Old Friends provides a permanent home for retired thoroughbreds. The auction listings can be found here on eBay. The auction page for the Derby hat pictured above can be found here. The bidding for the hat is currently at $500. The auction runs until March 11th.
Headphonies: Cute Little Portable Speakers from Mobi Technologies
Headphonies from Mobi Technologies are limited edition portable speakers embedded in vinyl style toys. The little 3" Headphonies come in different designs with artwork done by various artists. Heaphonies cost $24.95 each. You can watch a video of one of the little Headphonies in action here.
Harper's Bazaar and Designers Launch Women for Women Collection
Harper's Bazaar joined forces with fashion designers to create a range of charity tees. Proceeds from the t-shirts will benefit the Women for Women International charity. The 11-piece "Women for Women" collection includes designs by Alice Temperley, Amanda Wakeley, Bella Freud, Betty Jackson, Chalotte Olympia Dellal, Holly Fulton, Jimmy Choo, Twenty8Twelve, Pringle, Pam Hogg and Nicole Farhi. You can see more of the t-shirts from the collection here. The collection will be launched on March 8th and will cost about $46 each. They will be sold on net-a-porter.com.
Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores Launches Student Design Contest
Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores has launched "Own Your Look, Own Your Future," a design contest that encourages teens to make their own prom outfit. Those enterting will have an opportunity to win $50,000 cash for college or one of nine other cash prizes. Jo-Ann's says the contest is to encourage the "next generation of sewers."
"We want to encourage the next generation of sewers," said Michelle Christensen, vice president, general merchandise manager, at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. "There's a renewed interest in sewing among young people. More teens are signing up for sewing classes. We want to support them to not only learn the skills, but to bring their own creativity to the projects they make."
To inspire young designers, Jo-Ann has three different looks posted on the prom contest page: classic elegance, glitzy glamour and alternative chic. Each look shows a dress, a purse and one other accessory. The dresses were all created from one pattern to illustrate the customization possible through creative interpretation and fabric selection.
The contest is open to students ages 14-19. The contest runs through June 15, 2010. You can find more details here.
WWD reports that
Alice + Olivia is designing a limited edition line of sneakers for Keds.
Alice + Olivia founder Stacey Bendet created a version of Keds' classic Champion style inspired by her spring collection. Available in four colors -- black, silver, pale pink and safari green -- each slip-on shoe is adorned with colored sequins and retails for $88.
"I don't think I removed Keds from my feet as a kid," Bendet said. "I can't even count how many pairs I had. We decided to do a collaboration that would bring a little Alice + Olivia fun to the 2010 Keds Champion."
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The Alice + Olivia collaboration is the first step Keds is taking in repositioning itself as a modern, fashion-forward brand. It plans to partner with other designers and artists who "can bring their own unique vision and creativity to the iconic Champion silhouette," said Keds president Kristen Kohler Burrows.
The shoes are adorable and are just perfect for summer. The line will be called Alice + Olivia for Keds and will be sold at Neiman Marcus this spring. Later on, the line will be available at other retailers and at aliceandolivia.com.
The nominees for the 12th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced at the awards gala on Thursday, February 25th, 2010. Here are the nominees.
Excellence in Contemporary Film:
(500) Days of Summer - Hope Hanafin
Brüno - Jason Alper
Crazy Heart - Doug Hall
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire - Marina Draghici
Up in the Air - Danny Glicker
Excellence in Period Film:
Coco Before Chanel - Catherine Leterrier
Julie & Julia - Ann Roth
Nine - olleen Atwood
Sherlock Holmes - Jenny Beavan
The Young Victoria - Sandy Powell
Excellence in Fantasy Film:
Avatar - Mayes C. Rubeo & Deborah L. Scott
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Monique Prudhomme
Star Trek - Michael Kaplan
Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries:
Eden Design makes an enormous lamp called the XXXLamp. The room sized lamp is meant to hang just lower than head level so people will have to duck underneath it. The XXL-amp is a flattened dome, inspired by the shape of a Chinese lantern. The XXXLamps would be very cool for a party or special event. Eden Design also makes them with designs on the inside - see here. Pricing information is not yet available.
Steve Madden announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Lucas Design International to design and market a women's fashion jewelry collection for the Steve Madden brand. The line is scheduled to launch in Fall 2010. It will be sold in department stores and specialty retailers as well as Steve Madden stores and on stevemadden.com.
Edward Rosenfeld, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Steve Madden, said, "We look forward to working with the Lucas Design team to offer a jewelry collection that will reflect the Steve Madden design image. We believe that fashion jewelry represents a great complement to the portfolio of categories that carry the Steve Madden name and that Lucas Design's expertise in the fashion jewelry business makes them an excellent partner for this endeavor."
Chain Store Age Names Barbie Shanghai Retail Store of the Year
The six story Barbie Shanghai store has been named the Chain Store Age Retail Store of the Year. The huge Barbie flagship store contains a spa, a nail salon, a pink and black restaurant and a computer center where visitors can design a Barbie doll. You can read more about the store here and here. You can see the complete list of Chain Store Age winners here.
Chrisitian Louboutin's Barbie doll isn't the only limited edition designer Barbie in select stores for the holiday. Rei Kawakubo has also designed a Barbie doll for Comme des Garcons'. Barbie is styled in Jingle Flowers, Comme des Garçons' new theme for the Christmas holidays. Barbi wears a sleeveless silk-lined floral dress in the Jingle Flowers photo-style print graphic, which features a full asymmetric-cut skirt that stands away from the body. The limited edition Barbie comes in its own box featuring the Jingle Flowers print, and display stand.
Barbie by Comme des Garçons was launched in Tokyo last week and became the very first Jingle Flowers product to sell out. It arrives this week in all other Comme des Garçons direct shops, including London's Dover Street Market, where it is on sale for £225, about $366 U.S..
Nissan V2G Wins Los Angeles Auto Show Futuristic Design Challenge
The Nissan V2G was announced as the winner of the Los Angeles Auto Show's 2009 Design Challenge. The challenge, called Youthmobile 2030, asked automotive design studios to envision what young drivers will demand from their vehicles in the year 2030. The Nissan V2G is certainly a futuristic looking vehicle.
"The scope of this year's concepts and designs - from the initial sketches to the final presentations - were very impressive," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc. "In the end, it came down to which team had the most inventive and solution-oriented design. Nissan's designers showed passion and were able to create the ultimate Youthmobile for 2030 with their V2G design."
You can see more of the futuristic concept designs here.
Endless Has 40% off Selected Designer Shoes and Handbags Today
Endless.com is running a sale on designer shoes and handbags today with 40% off on over one thousand selected styles. Some of the discount designer brands include Betsey Johnson, L.A.M.B., Badgley Mischka, Dolce & Gabbana and Giuseppe Zanotti. You can see the items on sale here. Endless.com is Amazon.com's online apparel and shoe store.
Hong Kong Women Using Designer Handbags as Loan Collateral
CNN's Anna Coren reports that some women in Hong Kong are using their designer handbags as collateral for personal loans. There are certainly some handbags that are worth enough to be used as collateral. A company in Hong Kong named Yes Lady Finance lets women borrow against their designer handbags. One lady took out a lown against her $39,000 Hermes handbag. Hopefully, these women will get their loans paid off. If not the handbag ends up at a second-hand store. Take a look:
The nominees for the 12th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced at the awards gala on Thursday, February 25th, 2010. Here are the nominees.
Steve Madden announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Lucas Design International to design and market a women's fashion jewelry collection for the Steve Madden brand. The line is scheduled to launch in Fall 2010. It will be sold in department stores and specialty retailers as well as Steve Madden stores and on stevemadden.com.
Endless.com is running a sale on designer shoes and handbags today with 40% off on over one thousand selected styles. Some of the discount designer brands include Betsey Johnson, L.A.M.B., Badgley Mischka, Dolce & Gabbana and Giuseppe Zanotti. You can see the items on sale 
