adorn yourself.

banana republic and j.crew seem to be locked in a battle for mid-range fashion supremacy. both have elevated their product assortment in recent years. banana has monogram, j.crew has collection. both have an expanding accessories division. now, banana has taken that one step further by opening edition by banana republic, a stand alone accessories store in the san francisco centre (which was expanded and reopened two years ago). interestingly enough, the edition space is right across the way from...j.crew.



the 1,400-square-foot space will house shoes, jewelry, and handbags, and most will be priced under $100. that's great news in a world of thousand dollar handbags. fear that someone else will be wearing your new "it" piece? 40% of the jewelry and hand bags will be limited editions and number 100 or less and won't be sold online or in other BR stores. products will be made using italian leather for shoes and bags, semiprecious stones or sterling silver for jewelry.

so far as the design of the store, it was modeled after an apartment to feel cozier and more approachable than typical retail spaces (it's said that the ceiling arch was inspired by a photo of madonna's nyc apartment). unlike most accessories retailers, jewelry will be out on displays made of natural coral and brass racks.

edition by banana republic opens may 15.

the professional.

when it comes to models, daria has more than proven herself to be someone that can take on a range of emotions, poses, and genres, and she is been the muse for many photographers, including inez van lamsweerde and vinoodh matadin and steven meisel. in may, as the met museum celebrates the "model as muse" costume institute exhibition, daria shows that she's still a modeling tour de force in two vogue editions, u.s. and paris.

in vogue paris, her gorgeous cheekbones and eyes are the focus on the cover (the jeans issue), and she shows off bikinis in "game girl" (by inez and vinoodh) while kicking serious ass. although the poses are quite similar, she knows how to make subtle changes in her body to make each shot different.



she is also the star of the beauty editorial where she is the perfect canvas for burgundy lips, rich blue smoky eyes, and windblown hair.

in us vogue's "quick change artist" by david sims, she works everything from couture-like giambatistta valli to minimal calvin klein. in the first shot (in balmain), she looks most like herself (or the vogue paris/emmanuelle alt version of herself)--natural makeup, wavy hair and mischievous smirk. but she evolves her look for each wardrobe change, and she looks equally chic (and believable) wearing michael kors' sleek swimsuit (and a tan) or mcqueen's kimono/bowler/platforms combo.




none of her eds are particularly groundbreaking, but in today's age of naty's, edita's, and heidi's, daria has a uniqueness that makes you happy to see her, even when she's doing what she's done before.

scanned by diorette and surrealseven at thefashionspot