Rodarte Deal With Target a Mistake

Not interested in fashion? Check out the falling models

(NEWSER) - Wondering what you’ve missed so far from Fashion Week? We’ve rounded up five trends to keep your eye on—check out examples of each in the gallery:

• Wearability: Designers from Derek Lam and Vera Wang to, yes, even Marc Jacobs and Rodarte are offering clothes the average person might actually wear, reports the Wall Street Journal .
• Comedic interlude: Models are falling.

Some collections reflect current industry inertia, but a few rise above

(NEWSER) - With economic stresses making it more difficult for designers to be creative—and the growing trend of manufacturing being outsourced to other countries—the Italian spring collections in Milan were somewhat “joyless,” but still offered a few standouts, writes Cathy Horyn for the New York Times. The good:

• Angela Missoni: Her “clothes merit attention” because “virtually every garment was a knit”—proving her willingness to ask how historical techniques “could be aired out.”

Designs get whimsical, 'craftsy,' with fabrics that offer a tactile appeal

(NEWSER) - This spring, designers are getting touchy-feely, writes Booth Moore in the Los Angeles Times’ continuing look at Fashion Week. From a rope-weave raffia vest by Carolina Herrera to Donna Karan’s “fabrics seemingly weathered by the elements,” designs have “a craftsy feel”—“maybe it's a signal that we're searching for more depth in fashion, something to touch and feel, not just to look at and discard after one season.” More»

But only if it's obvious you're wearing a designer logo

(NEWSER) - It's true: Wearing designer fashion will very likely improve your life. But not because the clothes are so attractive, oh no: It's the label that matters. A new study shows that designer logos bring benefits including more cooperation, job recommendations, and even money from others. In one experiment, when presented with pictures of a man wearing a polo shirt, volunteers rated him as having higher status and more wealth when the shirt had a designer logo than when it didn't. In another, volunteers rated a man as more suitable for a job—and recommended a higher salary—when he was sporting a designer logo. More»

Former handbag designers find new creative outlets

(NEWSER) - Whether it’s reimagining J. Crew, foraying into winemaking, or cutting their daughter’s sandwiches into little hearts, Kate and Andy Spade stay busy—just not with the businesses that still bear their name. “Someone said to me, what about your legacy?” Andy tells New York of the 2006 sale of iconic fashion brands Kate Spade and Jack Spade, “and I said, what about my life? You know, there are a lot of interesting things going on in the world.” More»