Lynn Yaeger's Adventures in Discount Shopping

“Let’s go to Paris’s house! I want to rob!” says the blandly amoral antiheroine in Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, the arty docudrama that follows the adventures of a gang of label-besotted high school students who burglarized the homes of the rich and famous (none of whom, according to the film at least, have even the most rudimentary security systems).

What these bad children steal, despite the title, in most cases isn’t really classic bling, by which we mean glittery, loud, over-the-top pieces that leave no doubt in viewers’ minds that you are out to have a good time, love being stared at, and don’t mind, at least for a little while, being deemed ridiculously silly.

A funny thing happens in summer re: these extreme accoutrements—items that can make you shrivel with shame in the colder months suddenly become innocently joyous in the warm sunshine. Was Diana Vreeland, former editor in chief of this magazine, perhaps referring to July and August when she famously averred: “We all need a splash of bad taste—it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against.”

With this in mind, and well aware that the fun-fest that is the Fourth of July arrives next week, you might consider donning a pair of minuscule cut-offs spied at Strawberry (in truth so abbreviated it is hard to imagine whose minuscule rump they are intended for), which are enhanced with sequined Union Jacks traveling up each hip. (If the British flag appears to send a bit of a mixed message for the Fourth, no worries—we made friends with England hundreds of years ago.) Or consider sporting Strawberry’s oversize tee, which presents two giant tigers with sequined eyes, an homage, surely, to Givenchy’s fall 2012 collection.

A slouchy black shirt with a Balmain-esque air at Forever 21, sporting a welter of faintly dangerous spikes on each shoulder, is a mere $15.80. (If you still haven’t been won over to this bling notion, the store also has a T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward,” and signed “Charlotte Brontë.” Is some underemployed English lit grad student moonlighting in Forever 21’s design department?)

And lastly, at a shop on Fourteenth Street with the dubious name Secret of Treasures (where is that English student when you need him or her?) everything is a delightful $2.99. For this amount, far less than a drink on the LIRR bar-car to Montauk, you can cheer up your lobes with fuchsia hoops made of some indeterminate furry stuff, brandish peace symbols enclosed in shiny stars, or dangle feathers swinging from long chains. Wide silvery metal mesh cuffs liberally doused with chunky rhinestones will surely brighten a wrist, and why not add a pair of rainbow-hued friendship bracelets, one each for the two wonderful gay rights rulings this week courtesy of the Supremes, who really know how to celebrate the Fourth.

We See Through You

Sheers were regulars on the trend circuit long before Beyoncé appeared at the 2012 Met Gala wearing a diaphanous Givenchy gown. The look’s staying power comes from its versatility. “Unlike other fabrics,” explained fashion consultant Yasmin Sewell, “a single layer allows a designer to explore possibilities in depth and illusion.”

A quiet translucence has taken effect on the womenswear front. Sass & Bide (above, center) showed a Resort ’14 collection with long, sheer panels over simple skirts. Vera Wang traded minimalism for romance by piling on the sheer layers. In one instance, a delicate dot-pattern shift appeared underneath another shift embroidered with matte paillettes. Known for his cool and straightforward aesthetic, Phillip Lim (above, right) produced sheer shorts in white and blue for his latest play-while-you-work collection.

When it came to sheers in menswear, London-based designers were among the first to experiment. The various incarnations were far more structured, referencing traditional tailoring. Meadham Kirchhoff (above, left) offered a lineup of translucent jackets crafted from yellow-tinged and cloudy green rubber. Benjamin Kirchhoff denied any sort of deeper meaning in its use, but he did confess to being moved by the fabric’s texture. Christopher Shannon (above, center) went so far as to wet sheer nylon in an effort to capture an out-all-night-clubbing vibe. “I’d never want it to look too soft, so we used some really fine nylons as layers this season,” Shannon told Style.com. “It’s something that felt modern and sporty but had fluidity.”

Dolce & Gabbana release a statement following partial guilty verdict

The designers’ lawyers say they “will strongly appeal” the court’s decision.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have each been given a suspended sentence of one year and eight months in prison after they were found guilty of tax evasion on one of two counts in an ongoing battle in the Italian courts.

Early this morning, Dolce & Gabbana’s lawyers released the below statement revealing the designers will appeal against the court’s ruling that the sale of their namesake and D&G diffusion lines to Luxembourg-based holding company Gado Srl in 2004 was a strategic move to evade Italy’s high taxes:

"With great satisfaction, we acknowledge that – for the second time – a judge of the Milan Court has reiterated once more the absolute innocence – because the allegations are untrue – of Mr Domenico Dolce and Mr Stefano Gabbana of the accusation of having unfaithfully declared their earnings (the "notorious" million dollars of Euros).

Even more so, we are satisfied about the result of this part of the verdict because, according to Italian legislation, the statute of limitations had already run out of the charge of misrepresenting income. Despite this fact, the judge felt the need to acquit them on the matter: this means that, according to the Italian law, the proof of their innocent is more than obvious.

On the other hand, as we had the chance to state during the trial, the charges were simply a paradox: the two designers were charged with not having paid taxes for an amount of money which was double of what they had actually earned.

The Court has ruled correctly to what we have always stated and has calmed all the citizens: nobody will ever be held responsible for not having paid taxes that exceed what they had actually grossed.

Frankly speaking, we were astonished that our thesis on the regularity of everyone's behaviour related to the taxes omission payment by Gado, was not accepted. In fact, the CEO of this Company together with other people including the designers, were found guilty of having contributed in a violation of the said taxes declaration omission. We will strongly appeal this part of the verdict, certain that the result will be over-turned in appeal

The absolution of the designers for the declarations related to their individual earnings is at the same time blatant and dramatic, because, notwithstanding the same fact was ruled as non-existent by today's Court, the Internal Revenue Service might proceed with their operations against them, fining them for the excessive and surreal amount of money of more than 400 million Euros.

Due to the fact that the two designers do not have this kind of money – as the judge stated today, that they have never earned it – most probably the Internal Revenue Service will attack their most precious part of their patrimony, which is their shareholding in the Dolce & Gabbana Company.

We are anxious to even think of what the economic and social repercussion of this act might mean."

Hood By Air Hits the UK

Few brands command such a cult following as New York-based Hood By Air. Helmed by Shayne Oliver, the label has acquired such a cool crew of fans that the mighty retailer Selfridges cherry-picked it to be one of the twenty brands featured in the department store’s new men’s contemporary concept floor, which, opening this week, will offer plenty of street, skate, and attitude.

By way of celebration, then, last night the Selfridges parking garage was transformed into a skate-park-cum-nightclub, and on display were pieces from HBA’s Spring ’14 collection with an Anglo twist. The label partnered with British heritage knitwear brand Corgi to create some sumptuous one-offs. “I wanted to collaborate with a brand that was steeped in tradition,” explained Oliver. “The idea was to pull together a contrast between that and our rebellious nature. You know, that old craftsmanship and handmade stuff. That’s something that we lack a little bit in America, and I wanted to work with a brand that represented the opposite of fast fashion. It was a little tribute to our coming to the UK and to Selfridges.”

A group of skaters, led by the model Jimmy Q, showed us their tricks and turns while guests such as Shenae Grimes, Brooke Candy, and Josh Beech cheered them on. To cap it off, #Been #Trill deejayed a set, including previews of Kanye West’s new album tracks. Speaking of music, Hood By Air is not only beloved by skaters and models but also by the music elite, including Rihanna, Drake, A$AP Rocky, and, of course, Kanye. So who’s Oliver’s next dream client? “I’d really like to see an opera singer or old-school rocker wear HBA. Someone like David Bowie— that would be the ultimate.”

The rumour mill: Marc Jacobs and Nicolas Ghesquière

As the creative mastermind behind one of the world's most successful fashion brand reinventions, Marc Jacobs has always been inextricably to Louis Vuitton. This makes this particular rumour difficult to swallow; according to sources at WWD and Louis Vuitton, Jacobs - along with his business partner Robert Duffy - may not be renewing his LVMH contract, which is due to expire in 2014.

WWD and Fashionista are reporting that none other than Nicolas Ghesquière is the rumoured replacement. The fashion industry has been lamenting the loss of Ghesquière as a creative director since he left Balenciaga and speculation has been rife as to where he will turn up next. The French designer has been particularly vocal about his thoughts on Balenciaga's management and parent company, Kering. LVMH is direct rival to PPR and Bernard Arnault of LVMH and Francois Pinault of Kering have been dubbed "warring billionaires" by the Wall Street Journal. A future move by Ghesquière to LVMH would definitely make a statement - he has already been spotted with LVMH executives in Paris and hints that he has something major in the works.

As for Marc Jacobs, some suggest that he may be headed to Coach. With the June 2014 departure of Reed Krakoff, there's a vacancy for both a president and executive creative director - perfect for powerhouse duo Jacobs and Duffy. Meanwhile, Emma Hill - who recently announced her resignation from Mulberry after six years’ worth of creative overhaul for the brand – is also a rumoured contender for the job.

Either way, there does seem to be a surplus of qualified and very talented creative directors ready to be courted by fashion’s biggest names - and with the relatively recent appointments of Alexander Wang and Jason Wu at Balenciaga and Boss womenswear respectively, bigger labels also aren't afraid to explore younger designers. And we thought last year was a big year for fashion industry shake-ups.

Comme des Garçons’ Luxe Life

 The arrival of a new Comme des Garçons fragrance elicits a visceral Christmas-morning kind of response around this office. The bag arrives, heads swivel around in cubicles, and before you know it, a crowd has gathered to inhale the complex, often esoteric, blend. And so it went yesterday, when CDG’s new LUXE series graced us with its presence. Using the finest ingredients, the idea was to hone in on two ancient aromas and build around them: Champaca, the mythical flower from the magnolia family that has long been used in Hindu ceremonies, has a ritualistic, powdery, incense-like undertone that is rounded out in flacon form by hints of white pepper, cardamom, white musk, and iris. Patchouli, which harvests its titular ingredient from Sumatra, is something of an effort in redemption. Liberally used by born-again hippies—and by some of the world’s best noses as a grounding base note—the earthy, spice-laced leaf is sort of misunderstood by the masses. Blended here with a soy accord, cedarwood, and oakmoss, it has a savory quality at first, which tapers into a dank, resinous richness. “No expense has been spared in the choice of materials,” reads the perfumes’ release, although the true mark of luxury in this offering just might be its packaging. Each scent comes housed in two interconnected metallic red boxes: One holds the lacquered black bottle, the other is completely empty for dichotomy and, well, because they could. How lavish is that?

What’s Old is New Again

Stockholm New was launched by Claes Britton and his wife, Christina, back in 1992. During its ten-year—and twelve-issue—run, the magazine became a cult sensation, showcasing the best in Swedish culture and design—fashion and otherwise. “We set it up as a marketing vehicle for the first fashion agency in Stockholm,” said Claes, who currently runs creative agency Britton Britton with Christina. “And then it evolved into a magazine about the creative scene of Stockholm.” Boasting that crisp, raw, eerily pristine Swedish aesthetic that we’ve been obsessed with of late, the magazine showcased the work of such Scandinavian photographers as Sølve Sundsbø, Mikael Jansson, and John Akehurst (not to mention the decidedly un-Swedish Mario Testino), and clothes the likes of Acne Studios, Ann-Sofie Back, and Sandra Backlund. “We never looked at other magazines for inspiration,” offered Claes. “And we never played according to the rules of the fashion industry—we had our own slower pulse, we were a bit more poetic, and a bit more complex. It really came from our own tradition, and I think that original code was appreciated.”

The publication folded in 2002, but tonight, in Stockholm, the co-EICs are launching a book that combines the greatest hits from Stockholm New’s original issues, as well as new images and new fashion talents—Claes and Christina made sure to include a few up-and-coming fashion students. “Sweden really has amazing budding fashion talent,” Claes told Style.com. “The problem, though, is that the market here is so small. They really have to go abroad. But it was fun to show all these creatives.”

The book, which Claes describes as “the soul of the magazine that we used to have,” will be celebrated tonight alongside an exhibit at Stockholm’s Thielska Galleriet museum. The show will juxtapose images from the tome with nineteenth- and twentieth-century paintings by Scandinavian artists. “I always thought fashion photography, or the kind that we worked with, had a lot in common with paintings of the last century. [Like the artists] we were always concerned with beauty, dreams, and myths, or our heritage.” The Brittons have no plans to relaunch the magazine in its traditional form. But that doesn’t mean Stockholm New is being put to bed. “You never know,” offered Claes. “There are other ways to build the brand—it doesn’t have to be just a magazine.” Stay tuned.