Chanel gave a funeral for its Spring 2009 collection and every one wore white. Karl must have been in a matchy matchy mood ’cause the models were all white, too. Well, a few wore black or black and white, but you get the picture.

Beautifully executed of course, but we expect more from you, Karl.

When Karl designed this collection no doubt news of massive layoffs at the company were swirling all around him so I can understand the lack of  life, but damn this is supposed to be a year of hope! Like Harvey Milk in the movie says, “Without hope, life is not worth living. You gotta give ‘em hope. You gotta give ‘em hope.”

Images from Style

Full-length shot of above after jump…

 Images  of Kanye West’s  collaboration with Louis Vuitton are popping up every where.At first glance the collection is decent.Where Kanye loses me ,and a lot of women sneaker aficionados is in his selection for women.As a man who has a serious affinity for high end fashion and design I really,really had hoped that Mr.West,you would have taken more risks.The shape of the sneaker is I admit pretty cool ,with the high heel tab,the tassel laces,however the choice of color is soooo predictable !

I understand that the women’s sneaker market is tough , and that LV might have really been reluctant to even do a woman’s sneaker.Therefore we suggest  Kanye, that you should at least read :HighSnobette,Misscrew,FemaleSneakerFiend , Decida  and TBE to get a broader,more relevant view of the woman sneaker wearer …

MaMa was peeved !

Detailed view  of the sneakers on the next page

If you’ve read us for a while you know that I love high end men’s designer timepieces.I  admit to being a total snob at least in that category.Here’s a look at the Tsovet Svt-At76,the perfect daytime watch.My fave features:Rose gold name plate and buckle.The brown leather band with orange backing.It’s water resistant ,has a hardened mineral crystal dial.It’s scratch resistant and only 25 were made!

for more info www.tsovet.com

One of the recurring brand topics we have  at HighSnobette ,is the topic of Reebok, a brand we both love,who at one time was leading the way in women’s fitness.For us it has always been clear.If  Reebok focused consistently  on its women’s fitness market,fused it seamlessly with fashion,  it would have been in a different place today,at least in the consumer’s mind.Sneaker Freaker’s Sara Jane Owen Freestyle Forever is a must read to understand this Icon of women’s kicks, who was turning heads way before the swoosh…

We love the Six Six Sickgirls and their ability to make fashion their own.This week  Tiffany takes us through her process of making the leather Rodarte leggings that like Lois said left everybody else in the dust!

Rodarte photo courtesy of Sonny(Awesome!)

Leave it to Marc Jacobs to make the perfect,little valentine’s  theme bag.A shade of pink that can make a  pink-phobic like me re-consider.Marc Jacobs zip-purse @ Browns

In the spirit of the outdoors, I wanted  to share our love of the Yuketen Hunter boots that were featured at Capsule this past week.The collection is geared towards men but goes  down to a size 6 !For more info go to www.Yuketen.com

One of the best parts of the Outdoor Retailer show is all the rugged Americana looks that are fashionable without even trying. All of my women who have shopped in hunting departments or at horse supply shops know of what I speak.  Here’s one image from a company called Bemidji, that makes wool coats.

Throw a funky label on there, some constrasting top stitching and exchange the black buttons for flourescent orange ones and voila, you have a hot streetwear item!

After the jump is one more image of a fashionable rep, plus a couple of really cute dogs, who are allowed to attend the show! They even give them their own show badges!

Here is a look at the new concept launched by Romeo Gigli.Io Ipse Idem.The collection features  the same fabulous looks  and aesthetic that made his fame.The use of volume and subtle details applied to a men’s and women’s line that is modern,timeless and effortless…

For more go to Io Ipse Idem

At this moment  there is a fair amount of buzz around Alexander Wang.Because he’s new-ish of course but also because he’s been able to capture the essence of high and low(a la Kate Moss),a concept that a lot would love to follow but that few have the “cojones” to make on their own.

I saw this Asymmetrical Alexander Wang Dress this week end and tought it was sorta genius .As a stylist that’s the kind of thing you would do to a very bridesmaid/boring cocktail dress in order to make it more individual/downtown cool.And that’s really the charm of Wang he approaches fashion by tweaking what’s already there and making it edgy, unexpected and understated.Alexander Wang Asymmetrical Dress @ Kirna Zabete

Detailed look on the next page