Milan Fashion Week: Prada

Miuccia Prada's often impenetrable thought processes were more naked than usual this season. She wanted to perform a perverse/reverse alchemy: Take the clichés of worldly female glamour—sequins, snakeskin, fur, the color pink—and make them innocent again. After the show, she harked back to her lace collection of Fall 2008. "I'm curious about women," she said. "I want to challenge their passion." Python was also cut into cocoonlike twenties-style coats with big fur lapels. The reptile angle was pursued with a series of outfits coated with huge plastic scales. But were the girls serpents or mermaids? It was the kind of question that leaves a Prada audience uncertain about spontaneous responses. "Let me sleep on it," say the flummoxed journalists as they leave a show. Whatever, today's finale flourish was a gorgeous effect that perfectly encapsulated Miuccia's intended aim of innocent glamour. Let's plump for mermaids.

Milan Fashion Week: D&G

Madonna's 1990 megahit "Vogue" was blaring from the sound system at D&G. But Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's collection took those of us in the audience old enough to remember back a few years before that to the mid-eighties heyday of London fashion stars like Katharine Hamnett and Bodymap's David Holah and Stevie Stewart. Do you recall George Michael's "Choose Life" T-shirt from Wham's video for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"? There was nothing quite as political as Hamnett's anti-drug slogan to be found in Milan today. The message of the duo's "Talking About You" tee and the show as a whole: in a word, fun.

World Fashion: 24/7

Top NYC Store Openings

Downtown devotees have been eagerly passing by the old Yohji Yamamoto location to peek in and spy the fur-filled, white marble interior: Wunderkind Alexander Wang just opened his first store. Not only does this mark a moment in NYC fashion (it appears the avant is now the established garde), but it also caps off the Fashion Week flurry of store openings. As February winds down, we'll get a jump on deeming these six freshly opened spots as some of the coolest shop launches of 2011. And with Mulberry and agnès b. on the horizon, we have to say, the year is shaping up to be a reverie of rad retail. Take a look to see if your newest favorite go-to made our list, or if we've spied a secret destination you just wouldn't want to miss.

A.P.C Special

For fans of the Francophone label, A.P.C's newest offering really is, well…special. The West Village expansion hosts overstock, limited- editions, the coveted Quilt Series and House of Waris baubles—meaning you'll never know what you'll score when you stop by. 

 

Wang's World: Alexander Wang

The ultra-lush interior of the first standalone shop for Alexander Wang hosts a metal cage (for showcasing collabs and limited items), squashy leather couches, plenty of studded bucket bags and, of course, a fox-fur hammock.

Northern Exposure: Aritzia

Though the official launch is yet to happen, Vancouver-based Aritzia is opening a "Shop Before the Shop" before their 2,000 ft. flagship sets sail on Broadway this spring. The loft-like space will be lined with finds from Rachel Comey, Rag & Bone and Earnest Sewn, the real deals are the in-house labels TNA, T. Babaton and A Moveable Feast—all priced to move. 

 

Unstuffing Uptown: Agent Provocateur

Nothing made the suits on Madison hotter under the collar than Agent Provocateur's opening party, which featured windows full of gyrating, g-string clad models in latex and pasties. It's about time the ladies who lunch have a spot to pick up something nice for after dinner, too.

Wrapped Up: Scarves up to 80% Off! Sale ends 02/22 6AM PT

Scarves up to 80% Off!

Get Ready for Warm-weather Footwear at BucketFeet.com

The line between fashion and art can be a thin one, especially if Kate Moss is around, 'cause you know she's already done most of the blow. For art that'll cover your toes, check out BucketFeet.

From two dudes who met volunteering down in South America, BF’s a brand spankin’ kicks concern peddling hand-designed, graffiti-esque, canvas slip-ons they describe as "wearable art", which is old news to everyone who considered their moon shoes to be Hoppers. The seven inaugural designs’re based on hand-drawn compositions penned by a cofounder (with a roster of int’l street artists signed on for future drops), and're printed in two colorways each on durable canvas w/ soles made from vulcanized rubber, so you know your feet'll be on fire, or at least you would if you knew your Roman mythology, sucka! Steez starts geometric with jobs like Poppin’ Bubbles (a collage of variously sized circles in either pink & red or blue & yellow) and Cuadras, a series of interlocking mini squares meant to resemble the city blocks of Rio, then moves abstract with Like Butter (rocking a Keith Haring-ish pattern at the heel and a solid-hued vamp), and a jumble of white sticks & jagged chunks of color called Bamboo, guaranteed to "add a bit of flash" (about the only time flashing wood won't get you arrested).

To boot (!), a portion of every sale'll go toward one of three children's charities they’re partnered with, including Children Mending Hearts, and MAGIC, which is how Kate probably thought she got pregnant.

Bamboo: Aaron Firestien

Ujembl: Aaron Firestein

 

Lil Mama, Seriously WHY???!!!

Lil Mama, why must you do this to yourself. Now after America's Best Dance Crew, Lil Mama just seem to have fallen off the end of the planet, fashion and music wise. She needs some friends, seriously, in between the hair, dress, pose, etc the over all look is just CHEAP she should consider befriending a member of Vogue Evolution, maybe, just maybe they can help her out.