A Cuter Khaki?

The 'Khaki Swings' ads were amazing. The Claire Danes campaign, not so much. Can Gap make Khaki sing again?

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists Alexander Wang, Vena Cava, and Albertus Swanepoel designed khaki pieces for this year's installment of Gap's Design Editions series. The word "khakis" often conjures images of bad summer camp shorts and Disney World tourists. But no longer are khakis to men what mom jeans are to women. Gap's new khaki pieces are actually pretty cute. They won't be enough tosave the entire company from itself, but they're a solid start. Alexander Wang did a motorcycle jacket, Vena Cava did dresses, and Albertus did hats. Check them out in the slideshow. What do you think?

Name to Know: Dror Benshetrit

Tel Aviv-born, Eindhoven-educated, and New York-based Dror Benshetrit is showing off his Isaac Mizrahi-style high/low range. 

After making a splash at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair with his crowd-pleasing crumpled felt peacock chair for Cappellini, the designer and founder of Studio Dror this month sees the launch of his sprawling range of affordable homegoods for Target. The limited-edition "Dror for Target" range includes bedding, decorative accessories, and stationery in a palette of brown, raspberry, plum, and aqua. Among the items that caught our eye? A modular shelving system (pictured above) that can be configured to fit a range of environments and functions. At $89.99 per set, it's the most expensive item in the 23-product collection, which also includes 99-cent mini-composition books and pillows that flip from abstract patterns to pixellated birds or butterflies, depending on your appetite for fauna and figuration. More Dror-designed Target merch is featured after the jump.

Open Classic

Case Study House #8, better known as the Mondrian-inspired house and living laboratory of Charles and Ray Eames, will be open to the public for one week only beginning Jun 12.

Located in the Pacific Palisades, you can tour the exterior of the stunning Case Study House #8 Monday through Saturday as long as you schedule an appointment at least 48 hours in advance by calling 310.459.9663.

The off-the-shelf industrial-parts exterior spawned a whole movement who's influence is obvious in modern day prefab homes and the green movement; they've even been honored with their own postage stamps. What's so charming about this home is that it was one that was actually lived and worked in. There was stuff on the tables and the shelves, it wasn't ever a minimal, stark space. It was always full of life and inspiration. We think it would make a great weekend outing.

Highline Set to Open June 10

Its been almost 10 years coming, but thanks to generous donations, including this week's $10 M pledge from Diane von Furstenburg and Barry Diller, the Highline is a reality.

Check out this slideshow to see it's progression

CFDA Nominees

In a startling flash of obviousness, Craig McDean shot all the designers in their own designs for the CFDA journal. 

The award ceremony will take place on June 17. Check out the nominees:

2009 Womenswear Designer of the Year:
Marc Jacobs
Narciso Rodriguez
Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy

2009 Menswear Designer of the Year:
Calvin Klein Collection’s Italo Zucchelli
Michael Bastian
Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders

2009 Accessory Designer of the Year:
Marc Jacobs
Vera Wang
Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez

Swarovski Award for Womenswear:
Thakoon Panichgul
Alexander Wang
Jason Wu

Swarovski Award for Menswear:
Patrick Ervell
Robert Geller
Tim Hamilton

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design: 
Albertus Q. Swanepoel
Alejandro Ingelmo
Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry.

International Award:
Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award:
Anna Sui

Eugenia Sheppard Award:
Women’s Wear Daily editor in chief Edward Nardoza

Eleanor Lambert Award:
Jim Moore, creative director of GQ magazine

Bag Lady and the Queen

Handbag designer Anya Hindmarch received her Member of the Order of the British Empire, which was pinned on by the Queen herself (yes, that Queen) earlier today at Buckingham Palace in London, England. Hindmarch was awarded the MBE for her contribution to the British fashion industry, which is significant, to say the least. Though, we highly doubt she toted her "I'm not a Plastic Bag" canvas carryall -- the design that really put AH on the international fashion map -- for the occasion. The Brit designer describes the recognition as "Such a fantastic honour and a really special experience. It made me feel so proud to be British!" As it should.  This kind of blows away having your designs carried on the red carpet or out to the supermarket, no?

The Other Show at ICP: David Seidner

There has been considerable attention given to the current Richard Avedon exhibition at The International Center for Photography in New York. But the concurrent show of David Seidner's pictures of historic French fashion mannequins captivates

In 1944, the war-battered French couture industry decided to revive its international reputation by conceiving a small exhibition entitled Théâtre de la Mode. The exhibition organizer enlisted the major fashion designers of the day, including Jeanne Lanvin, Lucien Lelong, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Pierre Balmain to create outfits for small wire-frame dolls just over two feet tall.

The exhibition of over 230 dolls, displayed in artist-designed sets, opened in Paris on March 27, 1945 at the Museum of Decorative Arts. It was an instant sensation, and traveled to London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Vienna, New York, and San Francisco. With the return of the French fashion industry, the dolls had completed their work and were donated to the Maryhill Museum near Portland, Oregon, where they disappeared from view.

Under an extraordinary set of circumstances in 1990, the dolls were rediscovered and returned to Paris, recoiffed and restyled for an exhibition at the Musée de la Mode. Because of his pioneering work with French fashion and historical gowns, David Seidner was asked to photograph the little dolls. Working in the rough interior of an abandoned theatre set, Seidner captured the essence of French style in dolls dressed in designs made on the eve of Christian Dior's New Look, which radically changed fashion in 1947. ICP will exhibit fifteen of Seidner's color photographs from the David Seidner Archive in the Permanent Collection, along with one of the original dolls.

SEE SLIDESHOW