Neiman Marcus & Target Collaborate With 24 Designers

Thought you'd seen all the high-fashion mass-market collaborations? Think again.

Neiman Marcus, the up-market US department store, has blown every previous collaboration out of the water. They're going to release a collaboration line with Target and twenty-four - yes, 24 - designers.

Some of the designers? Oh, just Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Prabal Gurung, Oscar de la Renta, Jason Wu, Thom Browne and Caroline Herrera. Neiman Marcus certainly doesn't do things by halves.

It's not the same as previous collaborations - each designer isn't producing their own fully-fledged collection. Instead, they're all contributing a few pieces - up to five or six - to the range, which doesn't have a coherent theme or idea.

"We gave the designers a lot of latitude," said Target's head of marketing. We hope that means each designer's added their signature - the Furstenberg wrap-around dress and the Marc Jacobs girlie look, for instance.

It won't just be clothing, either - the contributions will range from children's wear to home design. The mass collaboration has been in the works for months, and the results will mostly be priced under $US60, though some pieces will go up to $US500. (We predict those pricier ones will be the higher-end designers, like Herrera and de la Renta - they need to keep their cache.)

Neiman Marcus is one of the higher-end department stores in America, with a richer client set, so we see those pieces selling out just like the others.

The best bit? It's also going to be available at Target stores and online. We foresee the site crashing and eBay flooding with new purchases.

The recession has forced higher-end designers to think of ways to diversify their brands without creating lower-priced lines they'd need to produce every season. (When Dolce and Gabanna tried to do that, with D&G, it took away a lot of their resources and they had to fold.) Collaborations are a great way to expand the brand and get high sales without creating an entire new department.

The collection goes on sale December 1.

Will you be wanting something from it for Christmas?

Image: Neiman Marcus-Target announcement.

Crayola Produces Manicure Line

Want to revisit your childhood? Crayola is giving you the chance.

Crayola crayons have decided to expand into the beauty and fashion world, by producing a limited-edition line of nail polishes. Glorious, huh?

The technicolour riot of colours include blues, purples, scarlets and oranges - all in patented Crayola colours. They're also producing nail stickers (not just for kids), scented polishes and even a line of lip glosses.

Violently bright manicures are very in this season - they've been on many fashion editors' fingers - and we like the lack of subtlety.

So how to wear your cartoon-bright nails? Anchor them with some lightness in your look. Don't go matchy-matchy all over - look for ombre patterns, slight florals, pale prints or simple crisp colours.

Mute the palette and then add some punch with a manicure straight from kindergarten.

Mining childhood for inspiration has been a big feature this season, with designers re-thinking the Disney Princesses for Harrods - but we don't think that's an excuse to break out the fluffy pink taffeta just yet.

Hopefully the Crayola manicures are chip-proof enough to endure making mud pies.

Image: Crayola manicures.

Designer To Watch: Alexander Terekhov

RESCU loves finding new exciting talent in obscure places - and with new Russian designer Alexander Terekhov, we've found a truly lust-worthy one.

Terekhov's fall/winter 2012-13 lookbook is a 1960s lover's haven - and it takes all the good parts without the clunky lines or airline-hostess hair.

The retro, faded florals are rich and immaculate, and all the shapes are cinched at the waist, with see-through blouses, long-line pencil skirts and some truly spectacular long-sleeved gowns.

Russian celebrities love him, and he's set to break out in the English-speaking world sooner rather than later. He's not exactly an unrecognised talent, either.

Terekhov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Fashion Design in 2001, and he presents at Moscow and New York Fashion Weeks.

A big key to his influence and style? One of his prizes at the Institute included an internship with Yves Saint Laurent, and the same seamless tailoring and love of the female form is present in his flowing style.

He's been building momentum for years - features in Vogue and Style.com have advanced his designer-for-those-in-the-know status, and Angelina Jolie picked out one of his gowns a few years ago - so you can whisper you knew him before he got big.

Are you as in love with the fall/winter 2012 looks as we are?

Image: Terekhov 2012/3.