Manhattan, New York-based Phillips-Van Heusen, the apparel company that owns brands such as Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole and Izod, announced Monday that it would acquire Tommy Hilfiger from private-equity firm Apax Partners in a $3 billion buyout deal. Apax acquired Hilfiger in 2006 for $1.6 billion.

The Tommy Hilfiger brand – preppy, lots of color – debuted in 1985 with a clothing line for men, then expanded into shoes, accessories, fragrance and home products for men, women and kids. The Hilfiger brand really shot through the roof in the ’90s, but by the later part of the decade consumer tastes were shifting and Hilfiger was no longer the ‘it’ fashion brand.

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The little extras will come after measuring

Having clothes made by a tailor can be a frustrating business. Truth is, few of us are any good at designing clothes. That’s what makes the retail experience satisfying: browsing designs and being inspired by something that we love but would never have imagined. Other people design for us.

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Another collaboration to look forward to this spring. Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons x Tricker’s of England is doing b & w footwear right. Suited for a varied audience of both classic and trendy pieces, these particular shoes are highly detailed in premium leather. Black and white, with amazing gold-stamped, leather interiors. These brogue-style shoes have chunky soles and look particularly good with something with a slight vintage air. [via hypebeast]

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Summertime kicks? I don’t mind a bright punch of color coming my way when the temperature rises, and you probably won’t either, once you check out what’s here from visvim. These S/S 2010 styles include diluted brights and an unusual tan, complete with a special detail at the heel to bring these together. At first glance, these look like canvas uppers, but they are actually suede trimmed in white rubber. Would you grab another high top for summer? Available soon. [via hypebeast]

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I won’t lie. When I saw that the name of this editorial layout for the March 2010 edition of Marie Claire Italia was ‘Planet Earth,’ I immediately thought of, and quickly started singing, the classic Duran Duran song of the same name. Before I even really focused in on the gorgeous Denisa Dvorakova, cavorting around some desert wasteland in designer clothes, I was already hip deep into the chorus of: “Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop…This is planet earth….”

Anyway, Laura Sciacovelli was the photographer on this sexy shoot, accompanied by stylist Ivana Spernicelli; the creative twosome do a nice job helping Dvorakova heat up what already looks to have been a hot and sweaty day under the desert sun. Check out the images below and maybe accompany your perusing with Duran’s Duran’s self-titled debut, which features “Planet Earth” and the equally great “Girls on Film.”

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Socks: www.DandyStore.fr

Here’s my personal tip for telling instantly how style-aware a man in a suit is – check whether his socks match or complement his trousers.

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Velour’s A/W 2010-11 lookbook is a fun and simple collection of casual pieces for day-to-day, and in a variety of weights. If it’s going to get chilly in the early morning where you live, pull on a busy sweater in a neutral color scheme, and when it’s still hot at the end of summer, you can take your pick of plaid button-down shirts worn with flat front pants in a loose fit style. Oxford shoes look great with any of the lookbook selections from Velour. [via modeman]

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A home run where design is concerned, the MVT01/D01/42 model is the first watch released by 4N. Limited to just 16 pieces, the watch is characterized by a manufacturer movement, with a manual winding mechanism and a 12-hour digital display. The concept of the timepiece is based on a configuration of discs rotating in a discontinuous mode.

The watch features three discs (made of aluminum or titanium alloy) with different numbers engraved on them. The discs rotate to present the appropriate time in four digits. The mechanism uses a constant force jump system which guarantees minimum energy consumption, regardless of the winding tension. 4N offers the MVT01/D01/42 in 18K white gold and platinum versions; the dial is covered by a sapphire glass crystal, and the band will be offered in a range of materials. [via a blog to read]

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We’ve read before that anyone who wants to be prepared needs to own a poncho. Usually they are manufactured from plastic or something extra utilitarian, but this one from Oak is much more tempting. This kangaroo-pocketed poncho features an oversized hood that can be drawn up over your head or worn down in a slouchy cowl style instead. If there’s one place this hoodie will look perfect, it’s on the bleachers at a football game in fall– or around the fire when camping. [$92 at oak]

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