Oooh la la!

French womenswear designer Kristina Popovitch is not yet a common name in the US but that all changes this month: Popovitch is opening her first store in Manhattan.

Popovitch uses deconstruction and technical detail in everyday fabrics, in an austere silhouette reminiscent of the early 1940's but with elements of Edwardian corsetry and 80s grunge. Unlike grunge, however, Popovitch's palette is rich and lively; her Spring 2005 Collection includes saturated turquoise, deep plum, and variations on a black/stark white theme. Burning and slashing, her pieces often reveal surprising textures peeping through the garment. The result is a Catwoman-esque sleek with an earthy sex appeal.

Check back for updates on store information and the debut of her website.

Kristina Popovitch's cat suit noir

Don't Leave Home Without It

MIT as the new Central Saint Martins? Not quiet yet. But a new "smart" handbag from graduate student Gauri Nanda provides what most cutting-edge design doesn't: feedback if you're about to leave the house without your wallet, information on where you put your keys, even weather reports.

Named bYOB (build your own bag) Nanda's convertible creation is actually the perfect accessory: a bag one day, a scarf or a belt the next, all part of a "flexible, computationally-enhanced modular fabric-based system." Computer chips embedded in soft, fluffy lego-like fabric blocks snap together to form an object, thus becoming part of a sensor network. This communication network can then begin to communicate with people, other objects, and the environment.

Best of all, it doesn't take a programmer to install, just a little training, rather like a pet. Once the bag learns about your lifestyle, it can adapt by doing everything from displaying current stock prices to forecasting the weather, alerting you, for example, to take an umbrella to work.

Kate Spade, start brainstorming.

"Smart" Mustard Clutch by Gauri Nanda