shopbop shoptalk

Winter Must-Have: Velvet Jackets

Though the jacket story of the year has been the boyfriend blazer, the onset of winter is seeing a new top layer coming to the forefront: the velvet jacket. Miles away from the buttoned-up look of, say, a Masterpiece Theater host or the comfy-casual feel of Juicy Couture velour, the latest styles borrow from the swanky swagger of Hugh Hefner in his heyday, with a feminine, city-cool update.

Adding a tactile taste to the season’s go-to slouchy tee and distressed jeans, Elizabeth and James’s Loveworn blazer is effortlessness with a plush edge. The Leyendecker Motley jacket’s rich hue only adds to the natural decadence of velvet. Take it out on the town with a body-con tank, layered chain necklaces, and leather pants. Gryphon’s smoking jacket comes in fashion’s current color obsession, grey, and while it works with the daytime look, this one lends a unique sense of luxury to a strapless mini dress and heels—a perfect holiday party ensemble.

The options are endless this season (see also Alexander Wang’s velvet vest and motorcycle jacket), and the look is totally new. How will you wear velvet this winter?

--Amie
Shopbop

First Fashion: Cut It Out

When it comes to art and fashion, a little negative space can make a major impact. The cutout trend shows no signs of slowing down, as designers get more and more creative with what exactly to reveal—elbows, hourglass curves, dangerously low backs—and these unique slicings.
	If we were to start a “drop-dead” sub-category in our dresses assortment, this would make a fine specimen. It’s got a brazen back zip and feverish cutouts, but the strong shoulders catapult it to another level. camilla and marc - Caralette Dress
	METALSKIN practically wrote the rock chick’s accessories bible. Thou shall stack this perforated wrap bracelet with snakeskin and patent leather styles. METALSKIN – Perforated Pewter Wrap Bracelet
	Yay for sooties! (A fun hybrid of sandals and booties.) This design also warrants a new fashion mash-up: casual-chic crossed with killer cutouts. Cocobelle - Safari Thong Sandals with Cutout Cuff
Make your style a cut above the rest with fresh looks from What’s New. --Suzanne

Elle’s Kyle Anderson Picks His Favorite Holiday Accessories

Check Out Shopbop's New Feature!

Picture it: your very own Shopbop page that displays all the clothes, shoes, and accessories from only your favorite designers. Well now it’s yours. Just log in, create a list of your top brands, and voila, your very own personalized Shopbop that features just the labels you want to see. Check back every day to see what’s new from your designers, or filter it by what’s on sale to avoid browsing through the entire designer sale section. And if you miss Shopbop’s old scroll bar with quick links to all our designers, now you can create your own and stock it with your favorites, making Hervé Léger’s fall collection and DVF’s holiday collection only a click away.

Shopbop’s gotten even better. Log in and make it your own.

--Tonya

First Fashion: Home for the Holidays

Like many of you, I’m trekking back to my hometown next week to celebrate Thanksgiving with the fam. Iowa isn’t exactly a high-fashion destination, and my mom is already threatening to patch up the holes in my dirty-wash Current/Elliott skinnies while I sleep. So I’m in need of family-friendly gear that doesn’t sacrifice my personal style.
	This pair of J Brand jeans seems made for my predicament: the dark rinse and skinny silhouette are cool-chick tested, while the clean design is mom-approved. J Brand - 12" Pencil Jeans
	I love how this versatile shoulder warmer will keep me cozy and casual-chic during post-turkey matches of Trivial Pursuit. Free People - Convertible Sequin Cowl
	Trimming the tree, baking cookies, and watching Bing Crosby Christmas movies are a Black Friday tradition at Mom’s house. While I’m at it, I’ll deck my ears with diminutive diamond studs. ginette_ny - Mini Diamond Puce Earrings
What will you wear for your holiday get-togethers and getaways? Start packing your suitcase with help from What’s New. --Suzanne

How to Wear the Tuxedo Look

Style Notes by Morgan, Senior Stylist

The tux. Le smoking. We’ve seen variations of it on and off the runway for decades. The tried-and-true alternative to the party frock is showing itself in fresh ways this holiday season. Day or night, casual or dressy, suiting elements are so right now.

A few of my favorite tuxedo-inspired picks and how to wear them:

1. Rag & Bone Tuxedo Dress This frock is a perfect way to dress up downtown. Booties keep it feeling fashion-forward and a little edgy.

2. Victorialand Tuxedo Shirt I love wearing this shirt with velvet leggings and platforms, or as a layering piece—open over a slouchy tank and leggings.

3. Erin Fetherston Tuxedo Jumpsuit Sexy and on point, just add a clutch and classic pumps.

4. Helmut Lang Tuxedo Jacket Great for dressing up or down, this pairs as well with jeans as it does with ankle skinny pants.

--Morgan

Currently Craving: Sunglasses Worthy of Zooey Deschanel (and Created by Her, Too)

The smarts and sass of Hollywood sweetheart Zooey Deschanel? Oliver Peoples Eyewear’s Zooey sunglasses have it. Created in collaboration with Deschanel, the retro-style frames fit the blue-eyed actress/songstress’s style to a T.

I’ve had a bit of a girl crush on Miss Deschanel ever since I saw her in Almost Famous and, full disclosure of nerdiness, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. And I swooned over every last ’50s-inspired outfit she wore in (500) Days of Summer, an aesthetic that mirrors her personal style. I have very little hope of pulling off her throwback look with equal panache, but I will shamelessly steal a fraction of her style with the Oliver Peoples sunnies.

Designed with a one-of-a-kind breath logo (a puff of warm air on the right lens makes it appear) in the shape of a lipstick smooch and packaged with a cocktail-napkin cleaning cloth, there’s an undeniable playfulness to this pair. Add to that Oliver Peoples’ classy, subtle branding and impeccable quality, and these will surely be the most-worn piece in my sunglass wardrobe.

--Amie

P.S. Check out our archived Q&A with Oliver Peoples Founder and Creative Director Larry Leight for more on this ultra-cool brand.

First Fashion: After Dark

Lately my night-out wardrobe has been feeling a tad stale. To avoid a major overhaul, I’m looking for a few pieces that will punch up what I already have in my closet (and make my pre-night-out routine of singing along to M.I.A. while deciding what to wear a little more fun).
	A handbag that’s truly guilt-free: it’s affordable, the lining is made from recycled water bottles, and the detachable straps let me carry it as a clutch, shoulder bag, or messenger. MATT & NAT – Santogold Bag
	The styling options for this top are endless: a black skirt, dark-rinse skinnies, distressed boyfriend jeans with booties. Like the MATT & NAT bag, it’ll look a little different every time I wear it. Rory Beca – Tank with Leather Stars
	Each and every stone-and-tangled-chain Gemma Redux necklace proves beautiful and edgy can coexist. I can even pair this one with a more casual tank for day. Gemma Redux – Jessica Necklace
Reenergize your wardrobe (and your nights out), with after-dark styles from What’s New. --Tonya

California Designing: Elle Spotlights L.A. Labels

The phrase “L.A. fashion” often conjures up images of boho-chic sun goddesses in flowing maxi dresses covering teeny bikinis. While this easy look has made it into the closets of Northern lasses via the bright prints of T-Bags dresses and the airy silhouettes of Rachel Pally tops, some California-based designers transcend their sun-and-surf roots. Internationally minded, they create designs that even the most dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker can appreciate. Elle’s November issue profiles these up-and-comers, including two Shopbop favorites, Rory Beca and LD Tuttle.

Designer Rory Edelman of Rory Beca creates pieces that are everyday wearable yet anything but ordinary. Beca’s big break came when a stylist accessorized the Friends cast with her hand-knit scarves; this led to a full collection inspired by unique fabrics she discovers on world travels. Elisabeth Moss recently donned a turquoise Rory Beca frock for a Mad Men premiere, and this season sees Edelman adding more red-carpet-worthy dresses to her lineup.

Baklava breaks, camping trips on the beach, chats on Skype with Italian manufacturers: LD Tuttle designer Tiffany Tuttle makes the life of an L.A. designer sound tough to beat. She shares studio and showroom space with two other designers and collaborators to counter the isolation of L.A.’s urban sprawl, but her experience extends beyond the Pacific coast: she worked at Givenchy in Paris, designed for Rebecca Taylor in N.Y.C., and studied shoemaking in Milan. This pedigree offers a European flair that has made other designers take notice: LD Tuttle shoes were spotted on the Erin Wasson X RVCA and VPL spring runways.

--Tonya

Elsewhere & Otherwise

* Shopbop’s latest foray into video features the uber-cool Poppy Delevingne, Isabelle McNally, and Hayley Bloomingdale, as well as looks from Pencey and Siwy. Watch it here. [ Shopbop ]

* Alexander Wang’s moment continues, and the latest profile offers a little more insight into the designer. He described the Alexander Wang girl as “a model who runs around in jeans, but then she’s introduced to Karl Lagerfeld and he gives her a Chanel jacket that she throws on. It’s this idea that everything is the same, treated in a very equal way without rules.” [ Independent ]

* Speaking of Alex Wang, the designer recently took home the Swiss Textile Award. [ Fashionista ]

* The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award winner Sophie Theallet was fêted by fashion’s biggest names Monday night. [ WWD ]

* And past fund winners—including Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam, Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava, and Thakoon—offered some words of wisdom. [ Vogue Daily ]

* A peek inside Donna Karan’s British West Indies estate. I want to go to there. [ Architectural Digest ]

* Love ’em or hate ’em (we fall in the former camp), harem pants are still getting their fair share of buzz. [ Wall Street Journal ]

* A Q&A with Kate Moss reveals the model makes jam in the country and has an understated take on her beauty: “I’m not traditionally a beauty, but apparently people think I’m all right.” [ WWD ]

* Utility jackets are fashion’s latest sleeper hit. Shopbop Senior Stylist Morgan has been wearing hers for years. [ Vogue Daily ]

* Daphne Guinness showed up at an event wearing those impossibly high shoes from the Alexander McQueen spring 2010 runway. The Cut runs down the best of her extreme footwear. [ The Cut ]

* Cuteness in couture. A photoshoot of kids dressed up in Rodarte, Chanel, and Givenchy. [ Pipeline ]

* Miss J Alexander, Cathy Horyn, and runway lessons. That’s a whole lot of fabulous. [ NY Times ]

* Is Blake Lively’s enviable hairstyle the new Rachel? [ The Cut ]