B Brian Atwood

If you are a fan of sexy architectural luxury footwear, Brian Atwood’s name is no stranger to you. Unfortunately the signature footwear comes at a price that is a bit steep for the wallets of most.  Fortunately Brian Atwood is launching a new counterpart to his Brian Atwood collection with the B Brian Atwood collection set to hit stores this Fall.  The shoes will retail for $350-995, which is still a bit steep for myself but on sale, I’m guessing that the new collection will be within reach.

Brian describes the girl who wears them as part uptown sophisticated, part Paris chic, and a sizeable dose of downtown cool  - his legendary detailing, stunning textures, fringe, and "a little bit of disco" will become hallmarks of the new collection.  B Brian Atwood is contemporary footwear inspired by the globe trotting fashionista; the style icon in the making; the ultra chic editor traversing the globe; the sultry girl with long legs and indelible style.

My personal faves are the peep toe metallic shoetie, the harness boots and the fringe booties. I am crossing my fingers that they will be making size 5. The collection is currently available for pre-order on Saks while the official launch party will be on September 14, 2011 from 6-8pm.

Pierre Balmain

Balmain announced it will be launching a diffusion line: Pierre Balmain. The line will yield a more casual and relaxed urban vibe than the main line and won't come with as hefty a price tag (albeit it's still not cheap). Prices will range from $172 for Ts, up to $1,200 for eveningwear.

The collection will include womenswear and menswear pieces ranging from knitwear to denim. The line is aiming to launch this December globally with a Spring collection and will be available in the US, Asia and Europe.

All images courtesy of WWD

Personally I like diffusion lines - but it helps to understand where and why they arise. While they reach a further target market and increase accessibility for consumers, at the end of the day - fashion is business and 99.99% of diffusion lines arise to generate money. In particular - with lux labels, while items may cost an arm and a leg - if you only sell a few of those items, at the end of the day it doesn't work (seriously - how many people can afford a $1,500 T-shirt). Diffusion lines bank off of the goodwill existing Brands hold, but are intended to generate cash through higher sell through rates and quantity - plain and simple.