Simons' Sacks Akimbo

Raf Simons of Jil Sander has designed a line of Spring bags for Eastpak. But these aren't the backpacks those unfortunate kids carried around in elementary school! They range in price from $200 up to $500, and are available soon at Barneys New York. Check out the silver accents, denim and totes. Overall, AnA loves the sleek Simons design and the forward thinking chez Eastpak; call us when they come in neon!

In-The-News Akimbo // Jil Sander for Uniqlo

WWD reports today that German designer Jil Sander will take over the creative helm of Uniqlo, the wildly popular Japanese retail store. To commemorate the exciting news, here is Sander appropriately with a Japanese person.

Uniqlo has used high-end designers like Alexander Wang in the past. In that vein, Sander is an appropriate choice. Uniqlo carries basics like colorful jeans, button-downs, peacoats and loose cardigans, and Sander made her career crafting minimalist pieces at her namesake label, which she quit for good in 2004 (Raf Simons has been turning it out at the house). Here are some of her trademark "intelligent" pieces from her time there:

Glad the Japanese and Germans have finally in the history of their two peoples found a common venture on which to collaborate... too soon?