Cheryl Shops

W118 by Walter Baker
The models at W118 by Walter Baker bobbed their heads while wearing custom-made Skullcandy headphones, and they looked so happy and mellow amidst the chaos of the tents, I almost forgot why I was there. Right, the clothes—they were pretty great, with some interesting transparent and textured fabrics, a good amount of chambray, wearable bright colors, and fun jungle prints. Many of the models were clutching nice-looking textured bags, which are Baker's latest edition to his empire. I found myself shopping the collection—always a promising sign—because not only were the clothes fun, but the models looked like they were having fun in them.
Photos by Mina Kim



Rebecca Minkoff
For spring 2013, Rebecca Minkoff gave a nod to Slim Aarons, a photographer famous for documenting the leisure class at leisure (I highly recommend his book A Place in the Sun if you want to feel particularly envious), with a collection filled with sunny prints in bright colors and easygoing, vacation-friendly separates like Baja tops, sleeveless sweatshirts, and lots of shorts. It was definitely a more casual direction than all of the fabulous dresses she showed last season, but I think that's how a lot of people dress in warmer weather—especially the jetsetters of the world. But let's not forget to pack our MAC minis—I spotted many of Minkoff's irresistible bags (literally; I'm not going to tell you how many I own, lest I embarrass myself) in fun new colors, textures, and decorations. They were definitely a hit with Lauren Conrad, who sat in between Olympians Ryan Lochte and Sandra Richards-Ross—I watched LC take photos of the looks she loved with her iPhone. Stars, they're just like us.


Nicole Miller
Whereas some designers will ramble on for paragraphs in their show notes about what inspired them this season, Nicole Miller provided a sparse, almost poetic few lines of text touching upon '80s surrealist art, sci-fi, techno, nature, and both good and bad girls. Basically, Miller let the clothes speak for themselves, and the result was one of her strongest collections in recent seasons. Pretty, super-colorful floral prints met body-hugging dresses, sheer tops mingled with sleek shorts and stretch leather leggins, and peplums abounded, the most exciting executions being jackets with removable zip-off flounces. It was a great balance of romantic and futuristic, all incredibly wearable and sure to delight Miller's loyal following.



Charlotte Ronson
It's funny, after so many years of attending Fashion Week, I had given up on ever being invited to certain designers' shows. Charlotte Ronson was one of them, but lo and behold, all of a sudden Mina & I were invited this season—with paper invitations, no less! I tend to associate Ronson with casual sportswear, so I was a bit surprised when her first few looks down the runway were ladylike dresses, complete with peplums and lace. However, she added some cool, sporty details like fishnet sleeves, sheer insets, and colorblocking. There was a definite oceanic influence, from scuba-styled dresses to some really beautiful digital ocean prints (I'll admit, being a pisces, I'm a sucker for those) and a dose of my favorite under-used neutral, navy. I'd stay away from the super-fashiony clear colored plastic jackets and bra tops, but definitely grab some of the big, slouchy bags, and take a cue from the fresh-faced makeup and beachy-waved hair. Pretty, no?
Photos by Mina Kim

Charlotte Ronson is known for making reasonably-priced, trend-conscious, totally wearable pieces that NYC girls love; her sample sales are known for making those prices even sweeter. Dresses are $90 and shirts are $50--prices are up to 70% off retail overall. 7/13-7/15; 10-7; 1071 6th Ave. (40th & 41st Sts.), ste. 301.

The Calypso for Target collection just hit the shelves last week (for the record, I ordered two dresses, a hat, and a bag, and I plan on checking out more of the line in person this weekend), and already Target is announcing its next big designer collaboration: Missoni for Target! Like Calypso, this will be a major, multi-department event, with 400+ items for women, children, and the home. I am particularly excited about linens and flatware, as I've been lusting after the real deal for years. Look for it in stores September 13 through October 22.

Hot on the heels (pun intended) of Sophie Theallet's line for Nine West comes Giles for Nine West. Now, Giles apparently has a character called Eek, a cartoon who decorates everything from totes to jewelry in the line. I find the shoes (like the wedge sandal at left) more exciting; Eek's presence makes the bags and jewelry a bit...young. Fashionista has a preview of the entire collection, which hits stores sometime in August. 

Speaking of shoes, the Pierre Hardy for Gap Design Editions spring styles are now live, and the Charlotte Ronson for Uniqlo collaboration hit stores today; Sugar Rock Catwalk has a full report on the latter.

Finally, this may or may not be related to the fact that Patrick Robinson got canned from the Gap [subscription required], but J.Crew took over as the sponsor of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and thus will feature collaborations with winners Billy Reid, Prabal Gurung, and Eddie Borgo. Fashionologie was at the launch party, and while there was no preview available, word on the street is that all three designers will re-create pieces based on old collections, in new colors and fabrics. Gurung's five-piece collection will retail for under $500 and hits stores in June; Borgo's will be available in July; and Reid's 7-piece menswear collection is live now. I will, of course, report on the women's lines as soon as they're live, but in the meantime, why not treat that special guy in your life to this good-looking henley?

The Calypso for Target collection is due in stores May 1st, and since that's nearly two weeks away, Target has released a lookbook featuring images of the entire collection--women's clothing and accessories, girls' clothes, and home items. There's a definite bohemian vibe, with strong tie-dye and elephant motifs running throughout. Fans of Calypso should be pretty happy, particularly if you love maxi dresses and ruffles; there are also some very summery woven tote bags and lovely beach hats. Clothingwise, my favorite item is this $36.99 dress, which I intend to wear as a swimsuit cover-up (I am incredibly in need of a new one); really, I'm the most enthralled with the home items, like the $59.99 pouf, a similar version of which Calypso Home sells for--I kid you not--$3,000. Prices range from $1.99-$79.99, and according to Racked, which has the full lookbook posted, quality is pretty high. Let's hear it for masstige!

Last week Uniqlo announced its upcoming three-part Designer Invitation Project [subscription required]. It kicks off with the return of Costello Tagliapietra next week on April 21, Charlotte Ronson arrives on May 5, and Vena Cava follows on May 12. Supposedly items will remain in stores until May 21; I have a feeling they'll sell out long before then, especially since every piece is just $29.99. The Cut has a full preview of the collection for your shopping-strategy purposes; hands off this Charlotte Ronson design--it's mine.

In shoe news, a reminder that the Swedish Hasbeens collection for H&M hits stores April 20; and always a favorite, the spring Pierre Hardy for Gap shoes are high-heeled, pointy-toed, colorblocked, and totally right up my alley. Fashionista has the scoop; shoes are due in stores mid-April, which means any day now!

If, like me, you're salivating over the Derek Lam for eBay crowd-sourced collection, good news: You can pre-order it now before it technically goes on sale to the public on May 10. And, finally, for the patterned-leggings fans out there, Topshop collaborated with Meadham Kirchoff, a London duo known for flowy, trippy, magpie-ish creations like, well, this. Proceed with caution.