DenimHunt

Jessica Stam for Rag & Bone

Okay, so speaking of acclaimed designers "weirded out" by models-cum-designers (see Hussein Chalayan for JBrand), model Jessica Stam recently announced that she will be designing pieces for the Rag & Bone Spring 2010 collection. According to David Neville, one half of the Rag & Bone duo, "We've been designing some stuff together". Well anything's got to be better than Kate Moss digging in her closet for her favorite pieces for "inspiration" for  TopShop.

Diesel "Flash For Fun" Glow-in-the-Dark Apparel

Usually, as companies grow we see a tendency for them to react slowly to changing trends, but Diesel is one of those rare companies that gets better and more innovative with age. To prove our point the Diesel Creative Team has created "Flash For Fun", a line of glow-in-the-dark apparel that includes jeans, tees, sneakers and underwear. 

The line was conceived for those who play hard day &  night, 24 hours non-stop, without taking the time to change in between. Instead their clothes change for them bringing a chameleon culture to fashion. All the garments have been treated with a special flourescent coating meant to be glaring under UV lights. This makes them discreet during the day, but then hidden graphics and stitching are revealed at night. On men's denim, an oriental dragon is revealed on the back pocket and on women's denim, either a disco ball's mini-mirrors are revealed or earphones in a trompe l'oeil. Tees and tanks reveal "the nocturnal alter egos' of clubbers' day looks with irreverant slogans that gleam against the dark backdrop of the club". And can you imagine the fancy footwork possible with glow-in-the-dark denim sneakers or the surprise your partner will get when you drop trou to reveal glowing undies. 

We expect people to have a lot of fun with this. The line is expected to launch this Fall 2009.

 

Hussein Chalayan for JBrand Denim

(images courtesy of Modelizing)

UK Designer, Hussein Chalayan's partnership with JBrand, Hussein Chalayan for JBrand, has recently hit stores. We could look at this as yet another day, another collaboration but we won't this time. We really like this one, not the least because of the designer's own philosophy. 

Hussein Chalayan is an acclaimed designer that has received many prestigious awards such as the 1999 and 2000 British Designer of the Year and The Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2006. He was also honored by The London Design Museum earlier this year in an exhibition called "From Fashion and Back". For JBrand, Chalayan introduces three on trend silhouettes for the collection; The boyfriend-style Beau Jean, the Circuit, an ankle length jean that is both fitted and loose and the Legging (below). 

Although the designer is no stranger to collaborations himself, having worked with Puma and others in the past, he has some choice words to say about those that create fashion lines with nothing but star status, specifically claiming to be "weirded out by" models-cum-designers a'la Kate Moss.

"If you have a really strong sense of style and people want to aspire to being like you, I can understand that. But if you really are doing it just because you think of yourself as a brand and you haven't had the training and you know nothing about clothes, it kind of demeans all the training that designers have had."

Supposedly he said something like this to Kate Moss herself. Oh, the drama! The jeans can be found at Barney's New York and range from $247 to $257.  

Pur Premium Denim is on the Rise

Remember the last time we talked about Pur Premium Couture denim? Well since then the brand has catapulted in popularity. Owner Heather Yoon's ability to keep her ear to the ground regarding what's most important to a woman, fabric quality and fit, has led the brand to become a celebrity favorite. Worn by the likes of Ellen Pompeo, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian and Kristin Cavallari the brand has been seen in a ton of celeb rags; OK, US Weekly, In Touch and People to name a few, not to mention the influential apparel trade magazine Women's Wear Daily.

Pur Premium is a brand for women by a woman which leads to a very keen understanding of what women want. There are two basic fits, The Bardot for curvy women and The Scarlett for the less curvy, with both fits offered in various silhouettes. Watch Yoon's interview with the E Daily 10 as she describes the mechanics of the fit. Although Pur Premium focuses on the ladies, boys don't feel left out. A men's line will be launching in the near future.  

Femme by Hilary Duff Fall 2009 Ad Campaign

The Fall 2009 ad campaign for Hilary Duff's new collection Femme for DKNY Jeans is now out for your viewing pleasure. The campaign was shot by famed photographer Scott Shuman of The Sartorialist on the streets of New York City and features Duff herself alongside models Sophie Srej and Gracie Carvalho. Fall 2009 is going to be a pivotal season for Duff as she sheds the last remnants of her Disney-cultivated image with her Fall line, Fall ad campaign and her Fall debut on Gossip Girl. 

The Bounty's Gerard Butler in Diesel

300 Actor Gerard Butler is having a pretty good Summer. With the male lead in one of the Summer's hottest romantic comedies, The Ugly Truth, opposite Katherine Heigl, as well as the August cover of Esquire, he's got the golden touch. He's also got great taste as he was seen looking pretty hot in New York City this week wearing a pair of Diesel Larkee 0073H Jeans on the set of his new movie The Bounty.

 

(Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News)

Rag and Bone's Zipper Adjustable Bondage Jean

People can't stop talking about Rag & Bone's new zipper adjustable bondage pant. Well, not people, but a few respectable blogs. The houndstooth print skinnies have a total of seven zippers; five in the front and two on the back of each leg. The zippers on the back run almost the length of the leg and can be adjusted to make them tighter or looser where you want. These jeans probably wouldn't work unless you're skinny enough to zip the entire length (imagine having two zipper strips on each leg spaced far apart on too-tight jeans), but it's definitely a buzzworthy idea. It'll be interesting to see if other companies try to expand on this size-altering concept. 

Denim of Virtue Sale on Ideeli.com

Ideeli.com is having another great sale. Denim of Virtue Jeans are on sale starting today at 11am. With cuts ranging from cigarette to the currently favored boyfriend style, in a spectrum of shaded blues and exotic colors, Denim of Virtue's pieces are, above all, sexy. They're round where we have curves, aren't scandalously low-waisted, and are crafted from the highest quality fabrics. Save up to 69% with prices starting as low as $39. Click here to shop.

Great New Website Looklet.com!

We are all over ourselves about this new shopping website. It's called Looklet.com and it is every single slang word you've ever used to describe something cool. The idea is pretty simple. You start off with a model in her skivvies and go through a virtual rack of clothes to dress her with; essentially becoming an online stylist. The choices seem limitless from shoes, tops, pants and accessories that can be sorted from brand down to material. You can keep your looks simple or go bananas with layering. Every item is available for purchase and if you still need to think about it, you can save each of your looks. There don't seem to be many limitations. This idea has been attempted before but never has been as good or as much fun. 

Take a look at our attempt. Our model is wearing;

Jeans by H&M

Tank Top by Ann-Sophie Back

Black Top by Vintage

Shoes by Wedins

Belt by Coast

Brand to Watch: One Green Elephant

Watch out for the edgy brand with the quirky name, One Green Elephant. One Green Elephant was established in 2005 and takes inspiration from the modern Asian metropolis such as Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai. Working with Japanese denim, they offer a premium aesthetic at relatively affordable high street prices. The brand produces both menswear and womenswear in  a variety of washes and silhouettes like bootcut, skinnies and boyfriend jeans. In addition, there is also a full range of tops, accessories and more formal wear. 

One Green Elephant specializes in the technique of 'baked' denim and uses other refined technical process to achieve desirable finishes and stay on top of trends. In 2008, a line using 100% Organic Cotton was launched so patrons can Go Green with One Green Elephant. Already a strong presence in Europe, the brand has several stand alone stores including one in the trendy Milan neighborhood of Porto Ticinese, but for those outside of Europe they can be purchased online. 

Expect to see a lot more from this brand as they continue to grow and expand.