Stripes will never go out of style, and this season's latest delivery from Michael Kors, Jason Wu, and Marc Jacobs is all about making a bold statement. From striking wide rugby stripes to more traditional nautical interpretations, see and shop over 40 of the boldest striped pieces for Summer right now.
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The company that owns the cool French brands Maje, Sandro, and Claudie Pierlot has sold some 65 percent of its shares to the American multinational private equity firm KKR — and now that they have the backing, those labels are expected to expand.
While KKR wouldn't say just how much it paid for the brands, WWD reports that some analysts believe the deal could be valued around €650 million, just south of $850 million at current exchange. Evelyne Chétrite, creative director of Sandro, and her sister, Maje creative director Judith Milgrom, will still own around 35 percent of the company along with their partners Elie Kouby and Frédéric Biousse, CEO of SMCP Group.
"I have created this beautiful family history with my sister and I am pleased to embark on a new phase of our lives with KKR," Chétrite said in a statement. "Judith and I are reaffirming our full commitment to the business and have great ambitions for the group: building a global leader in the affordable luxury segment."
Part of those ambitions include growing their number of stores: SMCP Group's wares are sold at 570 stores across the world, and plans are for them to be in 150 more by the end of the year, meaning it will be that much easier for fans of the brands to find their items.
Alexa Chung in Maje's Spring 2013 campaign. Photo courtesy of Maje.
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A handful of J. Mendel-clad Hollywood starlets — including Sophia Bush, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and Brittany Snow — attended the third annual Autumn Party benefiting the Children's Institute in West Hollywood last night. We got a chance to catch up with Sophia — who carried a vintage Valentino clutch and wore red bow Christian Louboutin sandals — on the red carpet, where she shared with us her five essential closet pieces: "A great black blazer, always. It's a staple in my wardrobe. A printed pant, a good black pump, I need comfortable tank tops, and I need a good red lipstick." As for her favorite Fall pieces? "I'm excited to start wearing new sweaters from Sandro and coats from Maje," Sophia said.
To get Sophia's look, shop her favorite pieces below!
Emma Stone went geek chic in a leather bow-tie Maje sweater ($305) and cool specs while visiting a friend in LA. The actress styled her cheeky sweater with blue skinny jeans, neutral pointed flats, and a red leather Burberry bag. From cleavage-baring suits to tuxedo-stripe pants, Hollywood's hottest have been borrowing from the boys for quite a while, but we especially love Emma's unexpected bow-tie accessory. Shop our favorite bow ties to pair with everything from collared shirts and dresses to classic sweaters for an instant update, then read on for a few keep tips to master Emma's dainty and dapper look.
Emma Stone kept cozy en route to Paris in a tweed-and-leather coat by Maje that's incredibly chic for Fall. This fabric combination is turning up be quite popular this season; Sarah Jessica Parker wore a tweed-and-leather dress, and Kate Bosworth sported a tweed-and-leather Proenza Schouler skirt recently. If you're on the hunt for new outerwear for Fall, then consider the chic tweed-and-leather mix. It'll keep you warm and sophisticated at the same time. Shop our favorites below to get started on Emma's look.
After Madewell, Lacoste, Pepe, Superga, and DKNY Jeans, Alexa Chung can add yet another brand to her ever-growing campaign list: Maje. The French brand — whose previous campaign ambassadors include Lara Mullen and Vanessa Traina — has tapped the Brit style star as the face of its Fall 2012 campaign. Shot by photographer Glen Luchford at the Porte des Lilas Metro station in Paris, the black-and-white images feature a bed-headed Chung lounging on an empty train, and are meant to call to mind a moody '60s-era film. "Alexa embodies a modern heroine with style and charm," the brand explained in a statement. "Elegant yet edgy, her attitude reflects a personality that is both glamorous and rock 'n' roll."
Chung, for her part, is equally pleased. "I am thrilled to be the face of Maje," she said. "It's a brand I love and wear, so to be asked was a huge compliment."
Both modern and quintessentially Parisian-chic, designer Judith Milgrom delivers a luxurious Fall collection for the Maje label. Within a primary palette of scarlet, red, navy, black, and gray, the collection of tailored separates is beautifully minimalist. A few trendier additions, like a furry white coat and a little red dress, add just enough fashion to keep the line ultra chic. It's perfectly on point: feminine in the most contemporary way, and more importantly — unbelievably wearable. Click through for a glimpse of the whole collection.
>> French contemporary line Maje recently collaborated with brand face Vanessa Traina on a capsule collection, and has its first US store in the pipeline for September, but what will the upcoming flagship be stocking? From the looks of the Fall 2011 collection, chic ivory lambswool coats, colorblocked bubble jackets, and easy scarlet red dresses. The full lookbook in the slideshow.
>> Last night, Vanessa Traina launched her 14-piece capsule collection for the French brand Maje at Barneys, which has the US exclusive. She wore a black tuxedo jacket and pant from the collection, and was joined by her sisters Samantha and Victoria Traina and close designer friends like Alexander Wang, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Joseph Altuzarra, and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, most of whom followed her to a celebratory dinner down the street at Le Caprice.
The idea for the collection, which ranges from $150 to $490, came about while Traina was in fittings for the brand's campaign (which she's appeared in the past two seasons). She told Vogue.com: "Maje asked me to do their campaign a few seasons ago and we all got along really well. We met the day before the shoot to do fittings, and by the end of it, we’d put together the proposal for a collaboration."
Her ideas for the collection — inspired by "a lot of old '90s editorial," she told us — came easily: "I had a whole folder with me . . . working in the industry and doing consulting quite frequently, I knew what to expect from a design meeting, and I think it really helped Maje understand my vision right from the get-go."
The resultant pieces are simple, primarily silk or lace, and sans color. In fact, minus one white silk maxi dress, they're all in black. "I wear black quite, quite often," Traina explains. "Because this was a one-time collaboration, I really wanted to do something wearable and [focus on] really great separates that fit into your wardrobe. And black goes with everything, so I really just kind of went with that." She told Vogue.com, "Although I must admit, I haven’t worn anything outside of my bedroom yet."
The collection also provided Traina with her first opportunity to design a shoe: "I mean, I've worked with Joseph Altuzarra and people on their collection from head to toe, so I've kind of worked with a shoe, but he [Altuzarra] really does the crux of it, so yeah, it's the first time. It's really cool because we initially started with doing a flat, and then I just thought it would be cool if we stuck a heel on it. So it's just a sandal design."
Even though she now has more extensive design experience, Traina says the collection is a one-time thing: "I really see myself more as a stylist, and I work as a stylist and do consulting. I was really grateful for this opportunity, it was really fun to do something like this, but I think the direction that I'm going in right now with styling is really what I'm passionate about, [and] is really what I love personally."
