Harlequin

Harlequin romance covers are iconic. Painted in lurid, brighter-than-life hues, the covers abound with cheesetastic scenes of scantily clad women, either in the tight embrace of some bohunk or merely looking around, bewildered. So to celebrate 60 years of providing women fantasy romances, the exhibit Heart of a Woman: Harlequin Cover Art 1949-2009 will look at the changing artwork of Harlequin covers and how they reflect the "shifts in private desires to shifts in the politics of gender." If I were in New York, where the show starts May 29, you can be sure I'd go!

Last year for Valentine's Day, Sony showed off a limited-edition pink eReader that came loaded with 14 Harlequin novels.

Well this year, they are offering the Digital Book (PRS-505) in not just red, but Sangria Red. This Limited Edition 60th Anniversary Harlequin reader is coming stocked with 16 Anniversary Harlequin eBook titles and a free copy of Secret Fantasy by Carly Phillips. It'll also feature an embossed cover.

Expect to see this reader on the Sony Style website later this month for around $300.

I've got to hand it to Jonathan Adler for bringing needlepoint back. The technique is no longer reserved for wasp-y belts or occupational therapy, but is now giving living rooms an ironic punch of whimsy and color. The Jonathan Adler Harlequin Pillow ($175) has a bright, graphic pattern based on a harlequin's traditional costume that will instantly liven up your living room sofa or chair. I'm too
straightedge to find his Drugs Pillow funny, but I'm all for harlequin's granny-chic aesthetic and oceanic-blue color palette. What do you think? I bet Adler's future husband likes it . . .

After last season, when models walked out attached to their own personal lighting apparatuses, I was curious to see what gimmick Viktor & Rolf would come up with next.

Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are romancing the harlequin for Spring: Pierrot collars, pom-poms, diamond shapes, and violins were choice motifs. The pretty palette was Chanel-inspired: black, white, blushing pink and peach. There were a couple trademark fashion-as-surrealist-art outfits — the ruffled pink coat which framed the model's face with a white rosette and pink violin, for instance.

But as the models emerged from a gaping mouth, it was clear that Viktor & Rolf was going more commercial. Wearable silk minidresses with lace collars and multiple beautiful tiered gowns were red carpet-ready. Even the violin theme was toned down to a lace appliqué or a necklace. Subtle Viktor & Rolf, but the Amsterdam-based fashion brand still astounds.

To see more from V&R, including a runway video, read more

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