Fashion Funhouse Emporium

Doo.Ri for Macy's Impulse

Sketches: Courtesy of Macy's

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"My clothes have always been about making women feel elegant and modern, which is why I am so excited about this capsule collection," said Doo-Ri Chung. "It truly embodies the confidence and creativity of the modern woman." She's giving Macy's shoppers a feminine trench and blazer, blouses, short and maxi length dresses. She's known for innovative knits so the star pieces might be the sweaters and cardigans, knit and faux leather mixed skirts and leggings.

Launch Date:

Doo.ri drops on Feb.15, 2012

How much & where:

Not sure why this is the magic number but again, its at 225 Macy's stores nationwide.  And of course at macys.com.

Worth the Wrestle?

Its hard to say whether you should camp out for this collection yet. You can check out the lovely sketches, but thats all I got for now. The Doo.ri I know hasn't worked with color too much in the past. She keeps her pallette mostly muted, black or variations of white, though she has been known to add a few pops of red.

I love coffee. In fact as I sit here writing this now, I have 8 cups brewing. I love fashion as you may have noticed. There is a Starbucks and a fashion designer on every corner of the New York streets. But you would you sport a t-shirt with the Starbucks logo even if it was designed by top talents?

Photos: Courtesy photos. Top to bottom: Alexander Wang, Billy Reid Men's, Billy Reid Women's, Sophie Theallet.

In celebration of Starbucks 40th Anniversary, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) tapped past winners to design limited edition t-shirts to be sold online at Starbucks and in select Nordstrom stores. Alexander Wang, Sophie Theallet, and Billy Reid have added their style to cotton tees in homage to the chain's caffeinated beverages.

There's no mention of whether the profits from these $85 tees go to the CFDA, Nordstrom or Starbucks themselves. However the designers selected were paid a fee to participate. Though die-hard fans of Alexander Wang, Sophie Theallet and Billy Reid will be able to purchase this collectors item inspired by the coffee brand.

Vena Cava

Another Brooklyn duo, Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai showed their line for Fall 2011. Vena Cava is not a new line by any means.The term 'vena cava" if you didn't already know is the vien that returns blood from the parts of the body to the heart. But the designer line is more than just an inspired name. The veteran designers have collaborated with Anthropologie, Via Spiga, Bloomingdales Aqua line, and recently launched Viva Vena, a lower priced line. Their namesake designer line can be found at top stores like Barneys, Intermix and Opening Ceremony.

Looks Loved

Vena Cava kept with their Opening Ceremony and Barney's Co-op aesthetic, parading out wide leg silk pants, tight floor length dress and cut out tops. What is admirable about the line is that they know their customer. An early 90's grunge girl, its reminiscent of the early days of Anna Sui, just more refined. Though, most of these pieces are hard to pull off for the average size woman who lacks confidence.

Unloved Looks

For those of us who lived through he first round of early 90's fashion, some of these looks can remind us of early awkward high school days in which we were not the coolest girls in the room. This dress took me right back to "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

People, Scene and Music

Milk Studios venue shows are a bit more subdued than those at the Lincoln Center tents. Only serious professionals, like Bergdorf Goodman's Linda Fargo and former Village Voice reporter and 30 year seasoned fashion reporter Lynn Yeager need apply. A front row of buyers and experienced editors, its not about costume clad kids trying to get a picture snapped by a street style photographer. Opps, unless you happen to be Tavi, the 13 year old blogger.

Give your own Karl Head Rating. Watch he show!

Forever 21 is taking a page from thier fast-fashion counterparts like H&M and is launching it's first designer collaboration.

First up on thier roster is LA designer Brian Lichtenberg. Though this name may not ring a bell, his recent claim to fame is designing Lady Gaga's caution tape "outfit" for her Telephone video and her geometric necklace in the "Poker Face" video.

So has the knock-off retailer finally had enough lawsuits to decide that giving some cash to designers is a better business practice?

Forever 21 has definitley seen its share of designer names (and even other retailers) linked to its own, but in court.  Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, Trovata, Anthropologie, Bebe, Gwen Stefani for Harajuku Lovers, Express, and the list goes on.

Though, with only settlements in these cases and never any clear "wins" for the plantiffs, will a designer collaboration actually bring in enough money for the chain whose entire being is based quickly produced runway "inspiration"? The answer is not black and white.

Milord A. Keshishian who practices law with a focus on intellectual property rights at Milord & Associates, PC in Los Angeles says "It’s difficult to ascertain the court costs and the amount of settlement because they’re usually confidential and the court costs and settlement sums may be covered by insurance.  So there may actually be no actual costs, other than increased insurance premiums."

However, this doesn't mean that designers can never win in the seemingly never ending brigade of lawsuits against Forever 21. Keshishian continues  "Although copyrights do not currently protect the design as a whole (or design construction), most designers are unaware that their garment, shoe, and accessories can be protected by design patents.  For example,True Religion has patented its stitch design on pants."

Though, will a connection to a rising fashion designer and a larger than life celebrity like Lady Gaga stop the chain from growing and growing like some sort of killer blob, rolling over the cities and towns, slurping up designer fashions and spitting out millions of cheaper, ill-constructed clones?

This remains to be seen until Lichtenberg's creations hit the racks (or rather the floor, if you've ever been in a NYC Forever 21) on August 13th at the retailer's top selling stores.