The designer and the big-box chain plan to collaborate on a line of women’s ready-to-wear and accessories — priced from $12.99 to $199.99 — to be in stores February 10, 2013.

In a press release, Gurung said, “I am so thrilled to be working with Target on a collection that brings my designs to a wider audience … This collection was inspired by love and if Target’s guests can feel even a little bit of the love that I felt while I was designing this collection, then I will consider it a job well done.”

Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

Her husband (as well as the president) may have been in white tie and tails on Thursday night, but Ann Romney apparently wasn’t going to spring for a new dress for the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria.

According to an e-mail sent Friday morning by her press secretary, Sarah Haley, “Mrs. Romney wore a dress out of her closet that’s about ten years old. She wore it when her husband was Governor of Massachusetts.”

The designer? The little-known Shawn Ray Fons.

But don’t expect this designer to benefit from a sudden burst of publicity, the way that Alfred Fiandaca, a Boston native now in New York, did when it was revealed recently that Mrs. Romney was a longtime client.

An online search through the New York Department of State, division of corporations, revealed that Mr. Fons’s corporation, Shawn Ray Fons Inc., which was formed in February 1991, was inactive and had been dissolved by proclamation or annulment of authority in January 2011.

But Mr. Fons did, apparently, have something of a heyday, perhaps around the time that Mrs. Romney bought last night’s dress.

The New York Times reviewed Mr. Fons’s collections in the ’90s. In 1996, Constance C.R. White wrote, “Even when creating a pair of jeans, Mr. Fons designs for one occasion only — a special one.” Ms. White added that the designer’s work, with its couture-style finishes, felt exclusive rather than accessible.

In 2006, The New York Post featured a $2,200 chiffon gown of his (available at the time at Saks Fifth Avenue) in a photo spread titled, “Suite Dreams – Oscar Worthy Looks Fit for N.Y.C. Party Princesses.”

And then, it seems, the party was over.

Source: NY Times / Left Coast Fashion

Donna Karan just launched the most buzzed about tights on the market as the hosiery is said to “feel like a spa for your legs.” No really—special knitting technology and micro fibers work to massage and energize your legs while you wear them. Intrigued? Score a pair of the Evolution collection tights now in either semi-sheer jersey or satin jersey (black, dark gray, and chocolate) for $28 each at donnakaran.com, and look out for the campaign starring Anne Vyalitsyna with photography by Patrick Demarchelier.

ELLE.com talked shop with the designer to learn how this break-out idea came to be.

ELLE: What inspired this innovative spin on legwear?

Donna Karan: Evolution was born of my desire to speak to a woman’s well-being through her hosiery. Our legs are our foundation. They keep us going—literally. So the quest became how to give her the same great hosiery style we’re known for, only infused with micro-massaging that makes her feel as good as she looks. As a designer, it’s not either/or for me, it’s “and”—sophistication and comfort. That the true essence of luxury.

ELLE: What was it like testing samples for these leg-massaging tights? Were there any funny mishaps along the way?

DK: I wouldn’t say funny….interesting…yes, frustrating at times…absolutely. The Evolution product has been in development for 15 years. Finally the combination of innovative knitting technology and revolutionary yarns came together.

ELLE: And then how did you perfect the product?

DK: Trial and error. Working with hundreds of yarn combination until we came up with the right one. When we had it, we knew it right away.

ELLE: What does it feel like when you wear it?

DK: Simply put, it feels amazing and looks fabulous. Soft, sensual, luxurious — and the best part is you don’t know why you feel better, you just do.

ELLE: Is there anyone who should not wear it? Like women who are pregnant or have circulatory problems?

DK: Every woman will love them, including pregnant women. Who doesn’t want to have their legs feel great and energized?

ELLE: Is this the next generation/evolution of hosiery?

DK: For the minute. As with my clothing design, I’m never really done, which is why I always put “to be continued” on my press releases. There’s always new ideas, new innovations, new technologies to explore and incorporate into our design. I’m a problem-solver in search of luxurious solutions. My eyes are always open.

Source: ELLE

McDonald’s has had a storefront at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for the past 20 years, where it’s surrounded by stores like Louis Vuitton and Gucci. (Apparently the next closest restaurant sells a salad that costs $35.) But now it’s to be replaced with a Prada store, which will be the luxury brand’s second storefront in the mall.

However McDonald’s isn’t going out without a fight. The fast food chain is contending that it was the only business in the Galleria that didn’t receive the “right of first refusal on a new rental contract,” according to the Financial Times. (Basically that means that McD’s thinks it should have been offered a renewal lease first before Milan went into negotiations with anyone else.) Now McD’s is asking the city of Milan (which owns the Galleria) for €24 million (~$31.5 million) in damages. That’s a lot of Prada geta shoes.

“We don’t want to fight with the city, but we were kicked out unfairly,” Italian McDonald’s chief executive Roberto Masi told The Financial Times. McDonald’s claims there were clauses in place that stated the restaurant was exempt from closure, however the city is contesting McDonalds’ allegations.

The Galleria McDonald’s is the third busiest in Milan–nostalgic customers have been leaving messages on its Facebook page about how much it will be missed. Because after you drop $2,000 on a luxury handbag, a bag of salty delicious fries helps take the edge off, right?

Source: Fashionista / Left Coast Fashion

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has accused President Francois Hollande of destroying France’s economy by imposing painful taxes on the rich, calling the Socialist leader an “idiot”.

The creative director of French fashion house Chanel, whose clients are largely the wealthy who stand to be most affected by Hollande’s tax hikes, likened the president to Spanish Socialist former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

“This idiot will be as disastrous as Zapatero was,” Lagerfeld said in an interview with the Spanish edition of glossy fashion magazine Marie Claire published on Friday.

He added a famously blunt celebrity voice to criticism from business leaders at tax rises Hollande is slapping on companies and the wealthy in trying to reduce France’s big public deficit.

Officials at the Elysee presidential palace were not immediately available for comment.

Hollande has aimed to avoid increasing the already weighty tax burden on low- to middle-income households in his 2013 budget but is struggling regardless with approval ratings that have slid to as low as 41 percent from above 60 percent when he was elected in May, replacing conservative Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lagerfeld, known for eccentric comments and unconventional looks, and a darling of rich fashionistas who snatch up Chanel’s pricey creations, said the rich were being singled out by Hollande, who has set a 75 percent income tax on with an annual income of at least one million euros ($1.31 million).

“It’s a disaster. He wants to punish (the rich) and of course they leave and no one invests,” he said. “Foreigners don’t want to invest in France and that’s just not going to work.”

Business lobbies say that, rather than raising taxes, the government should be easing the heavy labor charges limiting the competitiveness of French companies and contributing to a surge in unemployment above 10 percent.

The government says it intends to look at ways of boosting competitiveness but has ruled out the sweeping cuts to labor charges that business leaders are seeking.

Lagerfel, a white-haired German designer rarely seen without dark glasses, high collar and gloves, sniffed that most French products were ignored by the buying public.

“Outside of fashion, jewellery, perfume and wine, France isn’t competitive,” Lagerfeld said. “The rest of our products don’t sell. Who buys French cars? I don’t.”

In February, Lagerfeld weighed in on the election race between Hollande and Sarkozy, saying he was bored by it and no longer believed in politics. “I think countries should be run like big companies,” he said.

Hollande is under pressure to show France has the fiscal rigour required to help the euro zone escape from a three-year sovereign debt crisis, while trying to keep election promises to tackle unemployment, which is likely to rise further with a spate of industrial sector lay-offs.

Source: Yahoo! News / Left Coast Fashion

As winner of Project Runway, he takes home $100,000 to start his own collection, a fashion spread in Marie Claire, a 2013 Lexus GS 350, $50,000 worth of technology and an opportunity to design a line for Lord &Taylor.

But for Dmitry, it isn’t just about the fame and glory.

“I never thought of myself as being a perfectionist, I was just doing my job,” he said. “I’m proud of my work, not just winning.”

The other three finalists were Melissa Fleis, who presented a collection inspired by rebirth and accented with a blood-orange dress; Fabio Costa, the second-favorite contestant who featured a spring-y collection full of pastels; and hometown rep Christopher Palu from Massapequa, Long Island, whose edgy collection was inspired by his mother’s x-rays.

In the end, the judges were “wowed” by Dmitry’s final collection. “It’s rich honey, it’s everything,” gushed guest judge Jennifer Hudson.

Dmitry said that his spring line did not come easily, but was originally inspired by New York architecture. “Before the finale, I was very drained, emotionally, and creatively,” he said. “I took a couple of days off and was walking around the city. I went to the Guggenheim Museum- such an iconic, beautiful building, and I knew that was my starting point.”

Dmitry,a former professional ballroom dancer and the epitome of the “rags to riches” story, left Russia at age 18 to follow his dreams. Wanting to see his designs on the runway, he quit his job and sold his apartment in New York, leaving himself with no backup plan if he didn’t win Project Runway.

After he was crowned the winner, Heidi Klum said to Dmitry, “You have your wings now, so go and fly.”

So what’s next for the newly-crowned winner?

“I think the whole story, the way I was chasing my dream, and knew I wanted to be a designer since an early age inspired me,” said Dmitry. “My dream is to be my own boss and start my line.”

Source: NY Daily News / Left Coast Fashion

Karlie Kloss returns for another season as the face of Donna Karan’smainline collection. This time Karlie poses in the resort 2013 campaign looking ethereal in lightweight gowns and shades of fuchsia with an otherworldly glow.

Martha Stewart and her American Made project turned Grand Central Terminal‘s Vanderbilt Hall into a hub of crafts, croissants and conversation on Wednesday with experts in the areas of gardening, decorating, cooking and fashion.

In a session called “The Makers of American Fashion,” Stewart did a one-on-one interview with J. Crew CEO Millard Drexler, and then led a panel discussion with Calvin Klein, Tory Burch and Ralph Rucci.

As the grande dame of the home, Stewart said what she brought to the fashion table is an ability to sew, an affinity for design and a desire to promote American-grown talent.

The talent in question seemed to agree that the success of the industry lies largely with new ideas and the customers who will embrace them. Right now, everything looks too similar, said Drexler: “It’s a broken record around the world.”

It’s the person willing to be a “contrarian” that will leave the biggest impact, he said.

“In business, you must stay creative,” Klein added. “If you give people what they will want, your business will grow.”

Burch, who in eight years has grown from a kitchen-table idea into a global brand, said she takes inspiration anywhere she can get it: art, music or a book, for example. But she also has to keep regional trends and taste in mind. There’s a big divide between Brazilian bathing suits with very little fabric and the covered-up customs in the Middle East, she said.

The goal, according to Burch, is balance.

Rucci made the case that being a well-rounded person makes him a better designer, and that fashion doesn’t operate in a total vacuum. For him, painting is “my trap door.”

On the practical side, though, Drexler said price is a factor in long-term success. “As a kid, I realized you can never afford everything you want. … Calvin (Klein) and Ralph (Lauren) were it, but they were more expensive than I thought it should be. No offense. But I didn’t think good taste should cost more.”

Source: SF Gate / Left Coast Fashion