Archive for June, 2008
Posted by v on June 30, 2008
As Suzy Menkes states in the Herald, “It was time for Galliano to move from haute fantasy to fantastic haute couture and maybe it was the reality of dressing a beautiful woman for the modern world that has saved him from himself.
The models had stepped metaphorically down from their pedestals - even if the shoes were still fetishistic platforms of straps.
The full-skirted white coat that opened the show and a myriad of light cocktail dresses all created a parade of wearable ultra glamour (once you invested in a slip).
Nothing was mired in Dior’s history or heavy with the imprint of the past - although the ultimate in craftsmanship was a recreation of Dior’s famous Venus gown, its structure as light as the embroidered feathers.”
Is it possible not to be smitten by Carla Bruni?
Although this was theoretically a winter collection, the colors were poetic and summery, as black and white, like those Penn images, gave way to aquatints of eau de nil, lilac and lime.
For once, the star-studded front row, from the actress Liv Tyler to the singer Janet Jackson, were talking not about the extraordinary spectacle but the divine clothes.
And Bernard Arnault, who has supported Galliano through success and excess, must have been as pleased that Dior has come back to a rarefied reality as that the house has beat out its rivals in dressing Bruni Sarkozy.
“Of course we are proud and honored to dress the first lady of France,” said Arnault. “But it is her choice - and she chose us.”
Posted in Beauty, Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Fashion, Fashion News, News, ysl, Christian Dior | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 30, 2008
Okay, maybe we’re just a tad carried away but these shoes are just damn gorgeous.
Paris is elsewhere remembering Saint Laurent. At Roger Vivier, where the couture shoes have become an ever-more-complex distillation of craftsmanship into foot architecture embellished with flowers and feathers, the designer Bruno Frisoni created his own YSL commemoration: black shoes with a flat bow on the front and a re-creation of the wheat sheaves that were symbolically put on the late couturier’s coffin. (IHT)
Posted in Beauty, Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Fashion, Fashion News, News, Roger Vivier, ysl, YVES ST. LAURENT | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 30, 2008
This confirms that the rich are even less like you and I.
PARIS — One morning last January, a clutch of well-dressed women gathered outside the Christian Lacroix fashion house on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
But the occasion wasn’t a sample sale. Rather it was the day after Lacroix’s summer couture show, and some of the most privileged women in the world were anxious to get dibs on some of the most expensive clothes in the world.
“At 8:30, they’re in front of the door,” marveled Marie Martinez, the chic, silver-haired couture director at Lacroix. “They know that after it’s sold, it’s impossible to have. They want to be the first appointment.”
“The demand for very, very high-end products continues to be very strong,” agreed Sidney Toledano, president of Christian Dior, citing an increase in couture sales of more than 35 percent last year and a “strong double-digit” growth so far this year. “Very rich people are not suffering from the crisis. The workshops have been very busy,” he said.
At Chanel, the team travels between two and three times a month to meet with clients for fittings or sales appointments, Pavlovsky said.
“We have to keep it totally exclusive, but there is no limit to the service in haute couture,” said Pavlovsky. “We are ready to go anywhere to see a customer. We are traveling more and more. Now when a customer needs something, we have to go to her.”
Over the past year, the Chanel team flew to Jamaica, Greece, Switzerland, the U.K., Russia, and several times to the Middle East for three major weddings.
“This clientele is very demanding and requires a lot of attention,” Caillaud at Gaultier agreed. “We can be asked to go to a boat in Monte Carlo, as well as to a chalet in Gstaad or a palace in Riyadh for just a day.”
Middle Eastern clients are famous for requesting evening dresses they wear on only one occasion and also special wedding dresses. Gaultier makes an average of four to five wedding gowns a year, each requiring between 200 and 500 hours of work, Caillaud said.
Yep, Rub it in! (WWD)
Posted in Beauty, Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Chanel, Fashion, Fashion News, News, recession, Rich | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 30, 2008
Told you, this modelling business is rough!
Twenty-year-old model Ruslana Korshunova jumped to her death from her ninth-floor Water Street apartment building at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday; the medical examiner’s office has officially ruled the case a suicide.
It was just days before Korshunova’s birthday. A Con Ed worker standing nearby heard the fall and raced over.
Originally from the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, the almond-eyed, flowing-haired Korshunova appeared in advertisements and on runways for such designers as Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci and DKNY. British Vogue hailed her as “a face to be excited about” in 2005.
Her break came when modeling booker Debbie Jones noticed her while perusing an in-flight magazine article about Korushnova’s hometown of Almaty, according to the Vogue report.
She looked like something out of a fairytale!” Jones told the magazine. “We had to find her and we searched high and low until we did!”
Friends say in the days before her death, Korshunova felt confused about the direction of her life, lost several pounds, and seemed to suffer from an undefined stomach problem. She left no note; yesterday friends gathered around the spot where she died to mourn.(CNN)
In addition, Kazakh catwalker Ruslana Korshunova had lost a lot of weight in the last month and had trouble balancing her personal life and her demanding work schedule, her bewildered ex-boyfriend said yesterday.
“I think she just gave up,” said Artem Perchenok, 24, who was with Korshunova on the last night of her short life. (NY Post)
Posted in Beauty, Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, Models, News | Tagged: Fashion, Fashion News, Marc Jacobs, Models, News, Ruslana Korshunova, Suicide, Vogue | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 30, 2008
Yeah, the men’s collection are over. Lanvin and Dior brought the mens shows to a close this season. That means the endless parade of man purses, mankinis, overdone clothing, blinged out pants and one seriously overdone fashion item after another. For those of y’all who have straight men in your lives, would they be caught dead in half these clothes?. Methinks not but then who are the collections for?
Even the end of the shows would be considered embarassing for most healthy men. It was all about hats at Lanvin, where the accessory of choice came garnished with ribbon, flowers and pom-poms perched precariously on the very top of the head
Lanvin - Cobalt blue is a great rich addition to any wardrobe but as a full suit?.
Lanvin- What was the inspiration- Orphan Annie meets couture?
This is just our opinion of Lanvin, according to Tim Blanks, the audience was rapturous with delight. ” Ossendrijver struck a faultless balance between the decadent and the divine. He claimed he was seeking “clothes with emotion.” The rapturous response of the audience suggested he’d found them.”
Please, that is just overselling. Some of the items were nice but we are guessing these designers have their own fan base and are not out of touch at all with the regular guy who actually will buy the clothing.
Dior - Seriously pushing the envelope
Men regularly flock to Armani and other like designers because the items are so well made, so incredibly consistent in style and quality and don’t need any interpretation or explanation. Eventually is this not what keeps a designer house in business?
Pompoms, ribbons and flowers indeed!
Thank goodness its over. The women’s shows exude an air, more of art and reeks less of desperation. Giorgio Armani leading the way this evening showing his Privé collection at the Palais de Chaillot by the Eiffel Tower.
Posted in Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Dior, Paris, male models, Lanvin, Milan, Mens Week, Mens collections | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 30, 2008
The most shameless rip-off artist of all times, Forever 21 again has been accused of infringing on Harkham Industries Inc. designs.
According to documents filed May 16 in Los Angeles federal court, the fast-fashion retailer sold a women’s dress that incorporates a design that infringes on Harkham’s copyright.
Previously, Forever 21 entered into two separate settlement agreements, in July 2007 and February 2008, regarding copyright infringement.
Harkham is seeking a permanent injunction, for Forever 21 to deliver all products that infringe on the copyright for destruction, unspecified financial damages and trial costs. Forever 21 could not be reached for comment.
Diane Von Furstenberg’s studio also filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit last year against Forever 21, claiming the downmarket retailer willfully copied the pattern, colors, and measurements of her popular frock - as well as another dress from a previous season.
The famed designer thinks cheapie-fashion store Forever 21’s $32 “Sabrina” smock dress looks suspiciously similar to her own $325 “Cerisier” design.
In July, 2007, Gwen’s Harajuku Lovers fashion line also sued Forever 21 for trademark infringement, claiming the clothing chain allegedly stole designs from the Harajuku Lovers line.
In papers filed in Los Angeles Federal Court, representatives for Gwen’s Harajuku Lovers claim Forever 21 is marketing, promoting and selling products featuring a design “virtually indistinguishable” from Harajuku’s signature heart/box logo.
Posted in Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Fashion, Fashion News, News, counterfeit, lawsuit, Forever 21, Harkham | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 30, 2008
PARIS — LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton today won a landmark victory against eBay for allowing the sale of counterfeit goods.
A French court ordered eBay to pay the luxury goods giant around 40 million euros, or $63.2 million at current exchange, for selling counterfeit items on its online auction site, and for selling genuine products outside their desired retail channel.
Announcing the decision after a two-year legal process, Paris’s Tribunal de Commerce cited “grave errors” on eBay’s part.
Louis Vuitton received the lion’s share and was awarded 19.3 million euros, or $30.5 million; Christian Dior Couture received 17.4 million euros, or $27.5 million, and Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Kenzo, Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy, were awarded around 3 million euros, or $4.7 million.
EBay was ordered to stop selling fragrances and cosmetics from those brands immediately, or face a fine of 50,000 euros, or $79,000, a day.
By the time this is all over, Ebay would have paid back all the seller fees in fines. Justice, perhaps? Once again. if you bought your LV on ebay, it is more than likely to be fake.
Posted in Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: counterfeit, Fashion News, Louis Vuitton. ebay, News, victory | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 29, 2008
What do Vera Wang, Gianfranco Ferré, Pringle of Scotland and Missoni have in common? Well, for fall, Steven Meisel. All four fashion houses asked the photographer to shoot their ad campaigns for the season.
Since you did not ask, before we go any further, Steven Meisel shot the Vogue Italia - black issue.
Meisel shot Stella Tennant for the Wang ads. “I chose to work with Steven Meisel because of his ability to photograph women so beautifully,” Wang said. “He was able to balance the rich texture, color and glamour of the collection with a languid, leisurely mood.”
Ronnie Cook Newhouse led the campaign’s creative direction, and Stephen Wolstenholme of House+Holme was also on hand for the shoot at an Upper East Side apartment. The ads will appear in September issues of Vogue, W, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and T, to name a few.
Jourdan Dunn - by Steve Meisel Vogue Italia
Meanwhile, after featuring colorful images that had an ethereal, dreamlike and mysterious quality to them for spring, Pringle’s fall campaign is returning to an edgier, more modern take. The brand’s new campaign features models Matt Gordon and Sasha Pivovarova — who was picked because she is a favorite of creative director Clare Waight Keller (and she was available after being released from her Prada contract). Keller also brought in Fabien Baron and Karl Templer to style the campaign. “…I wanted to reference the work of great British photographers and pay homage to Terence Donovan and David Bailey,” said Keller. The black-and-white ads will break in select September magazines.
At Missoni, which features Iselin Steiro, Kinga Rajzak and Mathias Lauridsen, inspiration came from the Bernardo Bertolucci film, “The Conformist.” “This film is so aesthetically compelling to me. In it, Bertolucci and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro create an astounding combination of visual patterns and textures that felt very Missoni — a sort of color-tinted, supersophisticated film noir that I felt worked very well with the mood of the fall-winter 2008 collection,” said Angela Missoni. Over at Ferré, a spokeswoman noted that the fall campaign is the first step toward the company’s future direction that will be carried on by Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi of 6267. The images convey a multicharacter story set seductively in the Forties, featuring models Julia Stegner, Malgosia and Javier de Miguel.
Posted in Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Fashion, Fashion News, News, Vogue Italia, Missoni, Steven Meisel, Stella Tennant, Qang, Vera Wang | No Comments »
Posted by v on June 29, 2008
We’ll let you know when this phenomenon ends. Celebrity fashion designers!
JANET WEAR: Singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, record producer and now designer, Janet Jackson is to launch her own lingerie line before the end of the year. “I’m working on it,” Jackson said at the Versace men’s wear show Saturday. Joining her on the stellar front row were Tom Ford, actors Rupert Everett, Gerard Butler and Dominic Cooper, her producer Jermaine Dupris and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady.
Just don’t invite Justin Timberlake anywhere near the launch - We don’t need any wardrobe malfunctions, alright?
Posted in Beauty, Chic over 40, Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Fashion, Fashion News, Janet Jackson, Lingerie, News | 1 Comment »
Posted by v on June 29, 2008
PARIS: In an extraordinary collaboration, Louis Vuitton, the ultimate French luxury brand, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, the ultimate fashion rebel, will open a joint Tokyo store in September – an ephemeral three-month space where six one-off bags, designed by Kawakubo in the LV monogram pattern, can be ordered by shoppers. Yves Carcelle, chairman and chief executive of Louis Vuitton, sitting front row at Kawakubo’s show on Friday, said that he was approached by Comme and considers the project a fine way to celebrate 30 years since Vuitton first opened in Tokyo.
Carcelle said that Marc Jacobs, artistic director of Louis Vuitton, admired Comme des Garcons and was an enthusiastic supporter of the idea of a joint venture. “It is impossible to overstate Rei Kawakubo’s influence on modern fashion,” Jacobs said in a prepared statement. “I find it wonderful to think that 30 years ago, this immense talent, someone who has inspired so many others, was inspired by Louis Vuitton.” Kawakubo described her designs as “party” bags, promising multi-handles or two handles morphing into one. All will use the monogram toile, with the LV initials, and the offerings will hark back to the styles of 30 years when Vuitton made only bags and leather goods.
For Comme acolytes, the move will be considered either as sleeping with the enemy or as a brilliant and imaginative partnership. It could also be a riposte to Yohji Yamamoto’s bag collaboration with Hermès last season. There was a touch of the spirit of that other Japanese fashion hero in Comme’s men-in-skirts - crisp white cotton worn over narrow pants and under tailored jackets or shorter tunic dresses.
Meanwhile, Kawakubo disclosed that she’s designed a red, pie-shaped shop concept that will house her Comme des Garçons for H&M collection in its entirety in 20 select locations, with smaller versions in a great number of doors come early November. She’s also tapped photographer Peter Lindbergh for the campaign that will feature Missy Rayder, among others.
Read On
Posted in Beauty, Designers, Entertainment, Fashion, Fashion News, Fashion Trends, Hollywood, News | Tagged: Comme des Garcons, Fashion News, Louis Vuitton. Vuitton, News | No Comments »
As Suzy Menkes states in the Herald, “It was time for Galliano to move from haute fantasy to fantastic haute couture and maybe it was the reality of dressing a beautiful woman for the modern world that has saved him from himself. 
Although this was theoretically a winter collection, the colors were poetic and summery, as black and white, like those Penn images, gave way to aquatints of eau de nil, lilac and lime.
