Having been a self proclaimed Dries Van Noten fan for seasons, I always make it my duty to check in on what fineries he has up his raw silk sleeve that will work into my seasonal palate. Besides the fact that the Men’s S/S 2010 show was an amazing study in Ikat, boho tailored chicness, the shoes were OUTSTANDING! From a casual slip on sneaker with an open buckled back to an amazing woven lace up with an open weave around the toe area. Lets hope each and every style makes it to the sales floor because I would spend my hard earned recession coins here!
-Edward Buchanan

I’ve always been a fan of Toga’s moody and somewhat eccentric creations. So when I heard that designer Yasuko Yoshida had launched a new accessories line, Toga Ornament, my expectations were pretty high. Fortunately I do totally love this piece, called the Steric Necklace. And the fact that the rather small new line-up includes metallic book covers, which raises the point: why shouldn’t our books get the same designer treatment as our money and iPods? -Rebecca Milner

When a fashion house can pull out an archival reference thats still sings on the runway today, then you know a brand has been built to last! Case in point, the fantastic mouse hats at Moschino Cheap and Chic which were pulled from the archives and tweaked for a new life. Stylist Antje Winter pulled out some fantastic vintage Moschino elements! The gigantic pearls and the surrealist belts were a major treat as well!
-Edward Buchanan

In the wake of many diversity conversations still on the tongue of global fashionistas, along comes a face that any booker up to scratch better pay attention to. Diandra at Elite is a dream. I have never seen her on a runway, nor have I seen her in person, but I will bet my bottom dollar ( which is hard to come by in these times) on her near future success. Diandra is surely diverse, but she has a powerful beauty that might take an untrained eye a moment to catch it in the same way that Alek Wek stole our hearts. You will be hooked after a short second look.

Dont wait too long because I’m sure , in fact I know a few European designers that are already clammering!

-Edward Buchanan

If you’re Friday morning needs a racy jolt, then watch a video of Calvin Klein’s new commercial shot by Steven Meisel. Check it out on WWD.

As one of the most exciting labels to come out of New York, we’re crazy about Gerlan’s prints. If you haven’t done so already, read the interview here, and see the brand’s preview for the a/w ’09-’10.

—Staff

Just when we were needing some jolt of energy today, we stumbled upon Ponystep’s tribute to Calvin Klein’s underwear revolution. Shot by Brett Lloyd and styled by Nicholas Formichetti, the pictorials for the homage are so sexy that they got our hearts racing faster than three cups of coffee. Don’t believe us? Check them out ponystep.com.

—Staff

Nomenus Quarterly is one of our favorite art / fashion magazines. We’ve profiled the high end rag before, and its new issue is out now featuring works by a diverse creative crew including fashion label Costello Tagliapietra, artist Elizabeth Peyton, and Vogue’s Sally Singer. Check it out at nomenusquarterly.com.

 —Staff

Following the release of Italian Vogue‘s "diversity issue" in the summer, race suddenly became the fashion story of the year. So, it’s (not) surprising that black model Jourdan Dunn received the ‘Model of the Year’ stamp at last night’s British Fashion Awards.

In 2006, 18 year old Dunn was discovered when few black models graced magazine covers and catwalks, reports the Independent. Since then, she has been a cover girl for Pop, i-D, Vogue (and the Italian Vogue all-black issue) — and she’s been the first black model to on the Prada catwalk in 10 years!

"London’s not a white city . . . so why should our catwalks be so white?" Dunn says. "I go to castings and see several black and Asian girls, then I get to the show and look around there’s just me and maybe one other coloured face." Most likely, the tide is turning. Get it, girl.

See the Independent‘s coverage at independent.co.uk.

— Camille Drummond

. . . from last Saturday’s ad promo, looking fierce in a Gareth Pugh catsuit. As if she wasn’t already, we recently noted.

— Camille Drummond