Ystyle Picks

Alexander Wang for H&M

MANILA, Philippines - Hot off the heels of French designer Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang will be the next designer to create a collection for Swedish fast fashion giant H&M. Known for his irreverent take on the urban uniform, fashion fans can expect a collection that will “propose a new take on the lifestyle product offering that goes beyond fashion.” at high-street prices of course, as per H&M.

This is the first time an American designer will guest design for the high-street brand. The New York-based talent heads his eponymous contemporary line Alexander Wang, his diffusion line T by Alexander Wang — and in more recent memory, he debuted his F/W 2013 collection for Balenciaga, superseding Nicolas Ghesguière as creative director. The designer notes, “I am honored to be a part of H&M’s designer collaborations. The work with their team is an exciting, fun process. They are very open to push boundaries and to set a platform for creativity. This will be a great way for a wider audience to experience elements of the Alexander Wang brand and lifestyle.”

The collaboration will feature apparel and signature Wang accessories for both men and women. The collection is slated to hit 250 stores worldwide and is scheduled to drop on Nov. 6 of this year. The three-floor H&M Manila flagship store is due to open at the SM Fashion Hall in a few months and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

But there is still the question, will even a whiff of the guest collection hit Manila? H&M’s highly anticipated launches have been known to skip key cities but we’re praying to the fashion gods that A.Wang takes the plunge here; mass market or none at all. Having tracked previous designer collaborations from Lanvin, Comme des Garçons to Margiela — you get an idea of how much of a frenzy it can get. We’ve all seen stories of 10 minute wipe-outs and near-fisticuffs in either Hong Kong or Singapore, mostly via social media or the sometime friend of a friend’s yaya making pila at 5 a.m. (true story, bro). Right now, we’re dying to see how an eventually like this will play out in Manila. Needless to say, we’re ready with your H&M survival guide.

The Met Ball 2014

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala is set upon May 5. Otherwise known as the “Fashion Oscars” or the Met Ball, this year’s gala celebrates the work of esteemed American couturier Charles James. A no known minimalist, James’ was famous for elaborate ball gowns and well-wrought evening confections for society doyennes of his day; mid-century It-girls from Babe Paley to Marlene Dietrich among them. Think yards and yards of silk taffeta, ruched and shirred to the waist, billowing out over multiple petticoats, attached to an intricately constructed corset — tulle, satin, lace, embellishing, padding, boning, things that come to mind upon reviewing his storied archive. The theme is essentially a runway-ready no brainer.  

The gala night promises a similar flock of A-list celebrities in bespoke designer couture, bedecked in fine joaillerie, frosted to the nines as they arrive on the red carpet. The gala benefit is chaired by Aerin Lauder with Bradley Cooper, Oscar dela Renta, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, and Anna Wintour serving as Co-Chairs. Planet Fashion longs for no other night as much as this one. Judging from a lot of head-scratching I-misread-the-invitation interpretations from last year’s Punk: Chaos to Couture theme, the time has come for a true fashion moment to emerge. Or several. Yes, we’d love to have our cake and eat it too.  

The Met Ball also signals the revamp and re-launch of the newly renovated Costume Institute, renamed as the Anna Wintour Costume Center. A laudable distinction as the editor-in-chief of Vogue and the artistic director of Condé Nast has been a trustee of the museum since 1999 and has Co-Chaired 15 benefits since 1995. Rumors surrounding the ball have centered on Wintour’s thrust of “exclusivity and high fashion” by raising ticket prices from $15,000 to $25,000 per person. They also say that Wintour is calling the shots of whom is wearing whom, which designer will be paired with which celebrity--undoubtedly, an exaggerated level of control. But if we know anything of the high priestess of (capital F) Fashion, we wouldn’t rule anything out.  We ask, are Kim and Kanye still invited?

A source for The Hollywood Reporter has the following run-down: It-girl of the moment Lupita Nyong’O and Downton Heiress Michelle Dockery will be in Prada, Prabal Gurung muse Zoe Saldana will represent the label, campaign model Amanda Seyfried in Givenchy, Taylor Swift in J. Mendel and Emma Stone reportedly NOT in the usual Lanvin, Alber Albaz will bring a mystery guest. In a bid for a more egalitarian spread of labels (and more editorial mileage, ever the businesswoman), Wintour has allegedly deemed the line-up as such. She’s basically sending a message: no basics, no flip flops, no t-shirts, in fact, no you--it is her party, after all. And we’re all in a tizzy to see how everything will shake down. 

The exhibit begins three days after the Met Gala, “Charles James: Beyond Fashion,” will feature an extensive archive of the designer’s work. It will run at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City from May 8 to Aug. 10.

Always With You Selena: True MillenNial

Breaking news: Selena Gomez unfollowed BFF Taylor Swift, ex-beau Justin Bieber and perennial lunch dates Kylie and Kendall Jenner on Instagram. The Come And Get It singer was recently seen at Coachella with her erstwhile frenemies (now, just plain enemies) replete with a bindi, soft waves, matching denim shorts and head-to-toe doilies. Festive pictures of the brunette trio carousing the festival were all over Selena’s Instagram.

An unknown incident has brought out the millennial in the Springbreaker and she has since deleted all traces of everything Dash by the Kardashians on her feed. She had since unfollowed them, foregoing any chances of Keeping Up with the K’s. The sisters appear to be indifferent with a general lack of activity and sub-grams (a derivative of the passive-aggressive sub-tweet), evidence suggesting that they are truly above it all. Gasp, we enunciate, drama.

Tensions are high in girl-world as Selena, fresh from a stint in rehab, faces tough decisions. Should she repair her relationship with ex-BFF Taylor Swift (having fallen off with an ultimatum: it’s either me or your bad boy boyfriend Biebs, said Swift) or to continue meandering with the Kardashian sisters for lunch in the Hollywood Hills (natch, in cute paparazzi bait outfits). For a time post-Coachella, none of the four have made Selena’s Top 15 of who’s who to follow on Instagram; a list Springbreaker co-stars Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Ashley Benson have long poised to dominate.

As of press time, however, Selena’s follow list has now been reduced to zero and a recent post captions a high definition close-up selfie “I go back to, black”. As #Selenators, we cannot be sure if she’s talking about her bleak state of affairs or her hair color. But a calculated move, nonetheless. Stay strong, we’re #AlwaysWithYouSelena.