The Surprise Dream Teams

Another high end designer and retailer collaboration is coming our way! This fall, you'll be able to purchase those sleek Balmain designs for a much more affordable price at H&M. Olivier Rousteing made the big announcement this past Sunday at the Billboard Awards (trendy targeting, right?), informing fashionistas everywhere that the collection will be available on November 5, 2015. This isn't H&M's first collaboration with a high fashion brand - they joined forces with Alexander Wang this past fall - and certainly not the first time chain retailers and designers have seen the magic of teaming up. In anticipation of Balmain's exciting new venture, here's a look at a few similar collaborations who had a successful dream team effect!

Lilly Pulitzer x Target

It was a dream come true for every floral loving female, no? The Lily Pulitzer and Target collab drew in a huge crowd with women everywhere lining up early in the morning to purchase their favorite pastel themed brand. While I'm not particularly part of the Lily demo (the most color my closet sees is Tiffany blue), this retailer and brand team up was perfect. These collaborations can sometimes raise concerns about devaluing the higher end brand and not always providing the best designs for the retailer, but Pulitzer's trademark colorful and playful aesthetic made the duo fabulous and fitting.

Simply Vera Vera Wang for Kohl's 

For two completely different targets, Wang and Kohl's have made an amazing dynamic! Wang, known for chic, sophisticated designs has managed to offer consistent and similar collections to Kohl's buyers. Wang's style certainly stands out in the mid-brow retailer but the designer's achievement of not cheapening the value and quality of her collections just because of the more affordable target is truly admirable, and something I hope Balmain is able to achieve as well! 

Neiman Marcus x Target

My personal fav! Come on, what better way to make holiday shopping relaxing than being able to purchase Marchesa and Oscar de la Renta items at discounted prices? The variety of designers involved made this collaboration even more thrilling. To this day, my dog still wears her white, trendy ODLR collar and I couldn't be more proud. The overwhelming success of this collaboration made offerings sell out so quickly that my fingers are crossed these two will join again for another, and maybe longer, holiday treat!

The Price Tag of Fashion

Ah Christian Louboutins! The sound of the famous designer brings a smile to any fashionista's face. Mr. Louboutin's shoes are well known for being extremely beautiful and extremely expensive. Recently, the timeless designer went to court with YSL over alleged trademark infringement. YSL produced shoes with red soles similar to the look of Louboutins. Surprisingly, Louboutin lost the lawsuit. Now that YSL won the court case, should we expect to see other designers produce similar shoe designs to Louboutins, but for a cheaper price? If so, this wouldn't be the first time a high fashion brand's designs have been sold to an affordable outlet...

Vera Wang, perhaps the most loved wedding dress designer, has a line at Kohl's called "Simply Vera Vera Wang". Don't let the implication of 'simple' fool you. The collection is actually really cute! Here's a look at some of the outfits from the line:

Karl Lagerfeld, head designer and creative director of Chanel, designed a collection for H&M in 2004. This collaboration showed the danger of a high end fashion designer working with middle class stores. H&M demanded an apology from Lagerfeld after he spoke out against his designs being sold in a size 16. Lagerfeld also expressed his disappointment in the outcome of the relationship. Despite the failed attempt with H&M, Karl designed another affordable collection this past year. His new line for Macy's will hit stores on August 31:

How do you feel about designers joining forces with these stores? Would you buy the clothes? Personally, I love the idea. I think women of all different classes should be able to experience the amazing collections without paying an unreasonable amount of money(Olsen twins I'm looking at you and your $39,000 purse). However, I don't want to see fashion brands lose their high status credibility. Let's be honest, a diamond from Tiffany's is special because of it's rarity. If everyone could afford the diamond it wouldn't make you feel so different. I prefer having the best of both worlds. I would like to own the affordable collection pieces but also still be able to dream big. If there ever comes a day where I own a Birkin bag, I want it to be because I earned it. The pricey Birkin bag symbolizes how success can help one achieve their dream. Louboutins at Payless may sound exciting, but the experience of owning the shoes shouldn't be cheapend. If everything was so easy to reach, what would we have to look forward to in life?

"That's the thing about needs. Sometimes when you get them met, you don't need them anymore"

-Sex and the City

Lovestruck With Vera Vera Wang!

Over the years, Vera Wang has been the go to designer for a dream wedding dress. Her empire has expanded enormously. The latest Vera Wang product can be seen in the commercial for her new fragrance, "Lovestruck". The lucky lady in the Vera Wang gown is actress Leighton Meester. I've been anxiously awaiting for this advertisement for quite some time now. Back in the fall, pictures of Leighton filming the commercial appeared on JustJared. The gorgeous candids showed a promising outcome for an ad campaign.

Vera Wang described the fragrance as "A new definition of Romeo and Juliet". She was right. The commercial shows a modern day take on a fairytale romance. A man running through the streets of New York to get to to the woman on the fire escape. The passionate plot is the perfect way to exhibit the emotions of being "lovestruck".

Leighton Meester was a great choice to be the face of this fragrance. She already has experience in the fashion industry, thanks to her Gossip Girl background and bold wardrobe choices. Leighton is a fashion icon to teen consumers and has been well exposed to mature audiences. I love the Vera and Leighton pairing. Looking forward to seeing more from these two in the future!

"And what fashion designers did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it."

-The Devil Wears Prada