No I am not talking about a reenactment of the Beatles crossing Abbey road or their first landing in the States to a throng of screaming fans. I’m speaking of a quiet little phenomenon, the hottest labels and their designers, whether it be ready-to-wear or accessories, are all coming out of London. Labels like Jonathan Saunders , Milly , Mulberry , Sue Stemp and Temperley of London , are among the new crop of designers showing cutting edge designs straight out of Central St. Martin. But of course excellent craftsmanship has always come out of London, think of the more established artisans like Manolo Blahnik , Paul Smith , Dame Vivienne Westwood , Matthew Williamson , John Galliano and Alexander McQueen , that keeps our couture hearts skipping a beat every season.

So then, what is it about London that fosters such skill and creativity? Perhaps it is as simple as the approach to the creative process. It would seem, especially from an accessories stand point, that the British designers, stretch the limits of creativity, of what is acceptable, mixing fabrications, texture, shapes. Take Phillip Treacy and Stephen Jones , chapeau artisans, that are known for their sculptural avant garde designs. Their creations, border on the extreme, but are always of a fantastical nature and include a touch of whimsy. Then there is the eyeglass queen, Linda Farrow, who is known for her vintage oversized framed shades, and a portfolio which includes work for fashion forward brands like Eley Kishimoto, Matthew Williamson and Chloe Sevigny . Yes, that Chloe Sevigny. Mulberry, has taken the accessory market by storm with its sought after ‘it’ Roxanne and Mabel bags. So note to self, keep your eyes out for their hip designs, because there should be a little ‘London Calling’ in everyone’s wardrobe and check out Alexander McQueen and Paul Smith on Couture.Zappos.com.

In Rio de Janeiro on January 9, Coca Cola launched a fashion line.

Yes, you read that right, a fashion line. The Coca Cola Clothing collection included speckled leggings, mirror-adorned denim cut-offs, jackets, shorts, T-shirts that read ‘Welcome to the Coke side of life,’ faded jeans and high tops. Funny, I didn’t realize it was 1986 again.

Thais Rossiter designed the collection, and I can only imagine what he was thinking. Sure, the Coke logo has been used for accessories, and that’s been a great marketing venture thus far, but…this, not so much. If Coca Cola is thinking brand expansion, they might want to rethink this clothing line for the future.

Of course, that title is meant figuratively. American Eagle Outfitters reported in WWD on January 19th that it is now throwing its hat into the ring of children’s apparel. They will open retail stores called 77kids that will target children from ages 2 to 10. This may seem like a normal transition for a jean clothing company, but the road is not an easy one. The competition for one thing is pretty stiff, as Marc Jacobs has launched a luxe children’s line, along with J. Crew and Lucky Brand Jeans. However for every successful endeavor there are those that are less so. Talbots has decided to shutter its children’s division along with its men’s to focus on its core business, womens.

Spring 2008 is shaping up to be no different than Fall of 2007, that is
celebrities are still ruling the beauty and fashion campaign trail.
Although the ’90s supermodels seem to be making a strong showing, the
fresh scrubbed celeb faces are still ahead at the polls. Anne Hathaway
for Lancome, Kristen Dunst for Miu Miu, Victoria Beckham for Marc
Jacobs, Kate Bosworth for Calvin Klein Jeans and Jennifer Connelly for
Balenciaga. But the likes of Campbell, Schiffer, Seymour, Herzigova,
Lindvall, Vodianova et all are on lavish display in Louis Vuitton ads,
with Karen Elson (she of porcelain, almost translucent skin rivaled only by
Nicole Kidman herself) making a return after the birth of her second
child for BCBG Max Azria and the timelessly lovely Christy Turlington
for Escada. As mentioned in an earlier Couture blog about coveted
campaigns, it is a cycle that comes and goes, but how long it will
last, dare I say, no one knows.

It’s a bag, It’s a clutch, no, It’s just the shape shifting ‘it’ bag of the moment, the City Tote. Anna Corinna, one of the design princesses behind the cult fave store Foley & Corinna, has hit our eco-consciousness with her newly designed Country Tote. The tote is made from recycled coffee-bean burlap bags and features leather trimming, dual carrying handles, shoulder strap attachment and multi-zippers that the City totes do. The bag measures 17 × 19 inches and is priced approximately at $444.00. To order, you can contact the Foley & Corinna New York City store, located at 114 Stanton Street, (212) 529-2338. This is a fashion statement that surely Al Gore would love.

Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the lips had to have truly Haute designer treatment to accompany everything else. It seems that Lancome has hired the hotter-than-hot Scottish born, British bred designer Chistopher Kane to create a Juicy Tube capsule collection that will hit lips, well, stores in March. The globally named collection —Tokyo Plum, Rio Mango, Paris Bubbly — is limited, and like Christopher’s coveted dresses, will be hard to get once they are gone.

She had an ‘Easy Spirit’, did an Imitation of Christ, and struck a chord with throngs of New York’s coolest. Who is she? Why Ms. Tara Subcoff, the on again-off again, sometimes model/actress, of course. It would seem that Bebe has finally awakened to the fact that they need a better designed collection other than their super tight, cheaply made disco-inspired clothes of yesteryear. Subcoff’s 12 piece ’40s glamour meets ’80s powersuit executive collection of feminine styles premieres at stores during New York Fashion Week and just in time for Valentine’s Day. She is the first designer in Bebe’s designer collaboration series with young, hip, indie creatives. The prices range approximately from $59 for tops and skirts, to $150 for pants and dresses. So for that modern woman with a desire for clothing with an indie edge, this one’s for you.

Stella McCartney is in a lingerie state of mind. One would think after
having newly given birth to her third child with husband Alistair, that
sexy underthings would be the last thing on her mind. Lucky for us
then, that chiffon slips, cotton and satin bras, silk-crepe camisoles
and silky knickers in modern incarnations are exactly what is on her
mind. The only question is, what took so long. McCartney, long ahead of
the proverbial curve, has always had flourishes of underpinnings
peeking out of clothing. If you think back to when she was dressing
Kate, Jaime and the rest in masculine Savile Row suiting, there were
hints of reverse silk-crepe camis peeking out then, they carried over
into her designs at Chloe and have been a recurring theme in her
eponymous line since. Some looks have even become standouts enough to
become wearable garments on their own. The burgeoning collection is a
versatile masterpiece akin to an Eres or La Perla with its satin
binding, french seaming and soft linings, but chock full of technical
aspects that an A cup to the D and DD girls will love (think forgiving
elastic, aka no digging in). And if that were not enough, she and her
team threw in other conveniences like being able to handle machine
washes and dryers, stretch tension for comfortable fitting thongs, and
reversed silk linings to feel good against your skin. Well, I don’t know about you, but anytime I can have lingerie that looks good, feels good
and is technologically ahead, I’m on it!