Cheryl Shops

Poor Alicia Keys. Normally her wedding to Swizz Beatz* would be big news, but even with Bono, Deepak Chopra, and Queen Latifah in attendance, she got overshadowed by the former first daughter, who walked the aisle in $20k worth of Vera Wang silk tulle on the very same day. The funny thing is, Vera Wang dressed Keys too, and I must say, I like her gown a whole lot better than Chelsea's. (Apparently I agree with Cathy Horyn, who, between this article and her recent Snooki profile, is doing little to disguise her contempt for such reporting.) Which is not to say that Chelsea didn't look beautiful--she did, and, as Women's Wear Daily reports [subscription required], she toned her frame with months of intensive SoulCycle and Core Fusion classes (funny, I never see Chelsea at Exhale Soho--I bet she's an uptown girl). Contrast that with Alicia Keys and her wedding-day baby bump, cleverly concealed by that big bouquet of lilies. Still, Alicia looks relaxed and vibrant and bien dans son peau, as the French say. Chelsea's dress is overall indicative of the current vogue for brides--strapless, accented waist, full ballgown skirt--it's gorgeous and tasteful, but it's not necessarily Fashion. I might just be extrapolating my own desires for a wedding dress, but I'll gladly take looking like a goddess in an asymmetrically draped column over looking like a cake topper trussed up in tulle.

*Do you think Alicia Keys will take her husband's name? Will she be Alicia Beatz? Or Alicia Keys Beatz?

Fans of Uniqlo's +J collection, rejoice: Jil Sander has renewed her contract with Uniqlo [subscription required]! The notoriously detail-oriented German minimalist is so pleased with how her first two collections for the fast-fashion chain have turned out, she will continue to work with Uniqlo indefinitely. With her confidence in the future of fashion at a price, it just goes to show how visionary she remains. In related news, Uniqlo is taking over the old Brooks Brothers store at 666 5th Avenue, and the store, which probably won't open until next year, will be more than double the size of the original location. So, in the meantime, don't forget--the Costello Tagliapietra collection hits the Soho store May 20.

Isabel Toledo's shoes and bags for Payless won't hit stores until September, but Nitrolicious has sketches from the upcoming collection, which will include 7 shoes and two bags. Whimsical, no?

Speaking of shoes, Refinery 29 has photos of a Pierre Hardy for Gap fall design; the lace-up boots are reportedly from Gap's main line, but the gray peep-toe booties are Hardy's. All I have to say is: WANT! No details on price or when they hit stores, but as soon as I know anything, I will of course share it. In the meantime, Hardy's spring collection is due in stores next week (May 4th, to be exact). This time, I'm not waiting for my friends & family coupon--those nude wedges must be mine.

And, I totally forgot to mention this last week; bridal is not an area I typically cover, but this is pretty major: Vera Wang is designing a line for David's Bridal [subscription required}. Vera is obviously one of the best-known names in the bridal biz, and David's is, well, a place to go for a relatively inexpensive gown. Wang's dresses can easily run into the five figures, but her line for David's will retail between $600 and $1500, with most of the 20 dresses under $1200. The jury is out on whether this will impact Wang's high-end business; while I would venture that most people who shop a designer's namesake collection don't necessarily shop their masstige collaborations, a wedding dress is something you wear for one day only, and when it comes down to spending $10,000 versus $1,000 for two very similar dresses, I personally would go with the cheaper option. But that might just be me--after all, there's a multi-billion-dollar industry built around giving women their Perfect Day*. Regardless, this is likely to make a lot of brides, who otherwise couldn't afford Vera Wang, quite happy. The line hits David's Bridal stores next spring.

*I haven't yet acknowledged this here, but while I'm on the topic of weddings, I guess this is a good time to note that MW and I are engaged! I hadn't planned on blogging about my wedding, but if anyone is interested, I can talk about dress shopping and the like here. (Several people have asked me if I'm going to start a bridal blog, to which I just laugh.) If you have any opinions on the matter, leave them in the comments below!

MasstigeWatch!
While they've apparently forgotten the international part of Go International, Target is going forward with the campaign, announcing Jovovich-Hawk as their next designer collaboration. Based on what I saw of their line for Mango (which, apparently Target doesn't care about), I'd say this sounds like a promising collection. It will debut sometime in the spring, after Erin Fetherston. Also, in stores and online now is Target's line from L.A. jeweler Dominique Cohen. The pieces are kind of Goth and very heavy, but much nicer than most of Target's regular costume jewelry. My favorite is this dramatic three-strand necklace.

Everyone has been buzzing for months about the Vera Wang for Kohl's collection; while it's reportedly already on the floor in the Jersey City Kohl's, it won't be available for purchase online until the official launch date of September 9th, which is Sunday. However, due to some weird glitch, some of the items can be viewed now online. Click on my favorite item thus far, the impractical but chic short-sleeved coat, to get started, then keep clicking on the recommended items for a mini-preview of the whole shebang.

And, hey, remember when Kate Moss had a collection for Topshop? Her new line drops September 7th, and word is that it's more directional--read: not knockoffs of stuff she already wore. No word on whether Barneys is going to carry it this time, but I suggest going straight to the source anyway--especially if you're above a size 6. I'll post an update once it's live.