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As unfortunate as it is that New York Fashion Week has come to an end there is no use shedding any tears. The metaphorical fashion torch has been tossed across the pond and Fashion Week is in full effect in London! Let’s just hope Lindsay Lohan doesn’t toss herself across the pond as well to create more of a mess as she did during New York Fashion Week. London is far too majestic of a city to deal with Ms. Lohan sucker-punching and throwing glasses and assortments of food at London Fashion Week guests.
Speaking of Royal, none other than London’s famous fashionista, Pippa Middleton, was spotted front row at Temperley. Pippa loves Temperley; you know the designer that created the green dress for Pippa’s sister’s Royal wedding reception. And even though her sister Kate just became a Princess, succeeding the most famous in recent past not to mention, Pippa is somehow the new it girl. Maybe it’s because she has the freedom to go to whatever fashion show she wants or eats at any restaurant she wants…Pippa doesn’t have quite the same reputation to maintain as her Princess Kate, including what fashions she sports on the daily. I suppose Pippa is as close to royalty as one can get while still being at liberty to make her own decision, one hundred percent, on what she wears and does. As Pippa is our new fashion it girl, it was no surprise that almost no one noticed Rosario Dawson sitting right next to her at the Temperley show. Pippa looks so cute in her little graphic tee-dress with her little black booties on, why bother noticing anyone else?
Other London Fashion Week visitors included Kanye West and Sienna Miller. The two were spotted at Burberry’s show and seemed to be getting along splendid as photographers snapped a shot of Kanye and Sienna sharing a laugh. Also at Burberry, new spokes model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley sat front row, just a few seats down from Kanye and Sienna in fact. Unfortunately, Rosie didn’t find the two too funny as she seems way more attentive to the runway, as she should be, representing the company and all.
Did you catch the Emmy’s last night? Well, if you missed the incredible show, with even more incredible gowns and wardrobe, I will fill you in. As the beginning is good place to start, we shall begin with the red carpet (My favorite part of any award show). The red carpet appeared to catch scarlet fever as countless beautiful celebrities strutted down the red carpet in varieties of red gowns. Lea Michele was spotted in ruby attire on the Emmy 2011 red carpet. Lea is better known as the ultimate “Gleek” on Fox’s TV show Glee, rather than being a trendsetter, like she shows us on the red carpet. Lea was decked out in a classy and chic Marchesa gown. The gown had a beautiful drape down the back and what at first appeared to be padded shoulders. Upon closer inspection, you will notice that the shoulders are actually rosettes, and look almost statuesque from the back. Our second star to hit the red carpet in matching attire was Kate Winslet. Kate, dressed in Elie Saab, went for simplicity. Her gown was gilded with cap sleeves and the most elegant peeping-cleavage deep-v of the night. Not to go without mention, is Kate Winslet’s jewelry. We all know Kate has had her time with expensive jewelry (ehem, Titanic and the blue diamond) but her night at the Emmy’s 2011 topped them all with her Cartier sparkling bracelet. Another TV diva spotted on the Emmy 2011 red carpet was Sophia Vergara, of Modern Family, showed off her curves as usual, but for the special night she adorned herself in a beautifully elegant Vera Wang ensemble. The Vera Wang number has a one shoulder and sweeps effortlessly over Sophia’s body with a mermaid style and vibrant coral hues. Of course there were some not so good dresses on the carpet as well, but wouldn’t you rather hear about winners? On the topic of Sophia and winning, we find her hit TV show, Modern Family. Modern Family won in the comedy series a number of times, including; Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, among a few others. Unfortunately, Sophia Vergara didn’t personally bring anything home for her nomination (because her co-star Julie Bowen won), but there is always next year.
For those that follow news of the fashion world Daphne Guinness is a name that is becoming increasingly harder not to know. Heiress to the international brewery which bears her name Ms. Guinness makes fashion headlines with an ever increasing regularity these days. Most recently she has helped jeweler Shaun Leane design a diamond encrusted golden glove that has been the most talked about accessory of the year, Lady Gaga has dropped her name as one of the pop star’s central fashion inspirations and rumors abound that everyone from Valentino to Tom Ford is fighting to get Ms. Guinness in their latest looks. As if that wasn’t enough to peak interest in what drives this fashion icon Daphne recently sat down with Jacob Bernstein of Newsweek’s Daily Beast to give a candid interview on her personal style choices, her upcoming Jean Seberg movie, a Fashion Institute of Technology exhibit featuring her unique looks and why she believes that the fashion world is in danger of falling victim to an ever increasing “blandness that’s spread across the world.”
A longtime friend and oft-times muse of designer Alexander McQueen who tragically took his life last February, Daphne Guinness tells The Daily Beast that she believes it was McQueen’s passing, along with the suicide of British fashion editor Isabella Blow that was sadly responsible for the increased attention paid to her by the fashion world saying “A lot of my friends died, and we were a gang. I’ve become more visible since they disappeared. I’ve been more exposed. I don’t think I’ve changed.”
Asked why she believes the fashion world is falling victim to an ever increasing feeling of blandness Ms. Guinness laments the proliferation of professional stylists among the Hollywood elite. “People stopped dressing themselves, they let other people do it for them or they get paid to wear things down a red carpet.” Asked if she has ever succumb to such influence Ms. Guinness responds with an emphatic “No f—ing way. That would be terrible. Then it wouldn’t be real…”
For more insightful and eccentric fashion philosophies from this fast rising icon check out the entire interview in The Daily Beast.
Even though Elle Fanning has become a competing star with her big sister Dakota, don’t think it’s time to write off this talented young actress just yet. Dakota Fanning has landed a new gig, a modeling job. Dakota is the new face of Marc Jacobs’s new spin-off fragrance, Oh, Lola. The original fragrance, Lola is meant for an older customer, while the new spin-off, Oh, Lola is “younger and sweeter.” Marc Jacobs adores Dakota Fanning and has since she was a new-comer to the acting world. Marc even told a reporter, “I’ve been a big fan of Dakota since the first time I saw her in a movie, and we made her a wardrobe in her size when she was 12, which was pretty incredible…When we were speaking about who to use in the Oh, Lola fragrance ads I had recently seen The Runaways. Dakota was in it, and I knew she could be this contemporary Lolita, seductive yet sweet.”
The launch event was in New York City on Wednesday, September 14th, 2011. The new fragrance, Oh, Lola is a floral scent, like its precursor scent Lola. Marc gave Women’s Wear Daily the scoop saying, “We recolored the bottle and changed the juice … This Lola is more of a Lolita than a Lola, but we weren’t going to call the fragrance Lolita. Lola is more seductive; Oh, Lola is sensual, but she’s sweeter.” After hearing this explanation, Dakota Fanning truly is the perfect fit to embody his new scent. The fragrance is made up of aromas of pear, raspberry, and vanilla, among other scents. The new bottle is clad in pink, with a gentle, slender form (unless you want the big size, which has more of an oval shape) a topped with a pretty glass rose. The original Lola fragrance had a purple color scheme. Oh, Lola comes in three sizes ranging from just under $50 up to just under $90 (depending on where you shop). Marc Jacobs has also provided us with an Oh Lola lotion for about $45.
Gossip Girl has made its way from a book on a shelf to a top-selling series. Then, Gossip Girl become gossip for a possible movie deal turned TV series. Yet, the high society who-every-girl-wants-to-be franchise is making its way into to Saks and Nordstrom. Pushing another chance with Target right out of the way, Gossip Girl will finally become a brand! The Gossip Girl clothing line is more than just gossip, it is going to happen, and rather soon. Women’s Wear Daily reported that, “for the first time, Gossip Girl has officially branded itself as a fashion line on such a large scale. Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Television Group, the producers of the TV show, are partnering with Romeo and Juliet Couture.” The clothing line is to be based off of the outfits characters Serena and Blair wear in the TV shows episodes. Blair and Serena are played by two well known fashionistas in Hollywood, Leighton Meester and Blake Lively, respectively.
When Target was selling the Gossip Girl-inspired line in their stores in 2009, it wasn’t branded by Gossip Girl as they are doing this time around. Anna Sui was the designer collaborator with Target. While Anna gave props to Gossip Girl, none of the looks were branded by them, only inspired by the GG girls as Target and Anna Sui put it. Sui and Target’s collaboration also took inspiration from not just our two favorite fashionistas Serena and Blair, but also the more “indie” characters Vanessa and Jenny, formerly Taylor Momsen.
The Gossip Girl Brand is scheduled to release either just before or simultaneously with the season five premier of Gossip Girl. The CW network will air Gossip Girl’s season premiere on Monday night, September 26th, 2011. The clothing line will only be sold in upscale stores to coincide with the real life gossip girl style. Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue are reported to be a few of those upscale stores. And girls, I hope you’ve been saving your baby-sitting money because the line will start at a rich $80! But don’t start biting at your fresh mani yet; the line only goes as high as $200, not to break the bank.
The results are in and American Apparel has decided their contest winner for their plus-size model competition. The winner was determined by online votes and subsequently went to the girl who has created the most buzz about the contest all across the web. Her name is Nancy Upton. For those of you who are not familiar with Nancy or American Apparel’s contest, here’s the scoop: Nancy entered photos of herself taken by a photographer friend that display Nancy in American Apparel-esque, scantily clad poses, not to mention Nancy is partnered with either an entire chicken (until she eats most of it) or an apple pie. Nancy got so much attention after the photos were posted that stories turned from American Apparel contest to look at what this girl did! Nancy’s explanation of her photo submissions were posted online in a blog, “ American Apparel was going to try to use one fat girl as a symbol of apology and acceptance to a demographic it had long insisted on ignoring, while simultaneously having that girl (and a thousand other girls) shill their products.” It is clear in this statement that Nancy is less than thrilled with American Apparel. However, good news for Nancy, American Apparel went against their voter count to decide the winner. They felt as if there was another contestant who was more deserving and appreciative of the winning title. American Apparel’s creative director, Iris Alonzo, issued a statement in response to the internet ruckus, “It’s a shame that your project attempts to discredit the positive intentions of our challenge based on your personal distaste for our use of light-hearted language … I wonder if you had taken just a moment to imagine that this campaign could actually be well intentioned, and that my team and I are not out to offend and insult women, would you have still behaved in the same way, mocking the confident and excited participants who put themselves out there? Oh — and regarding winning the contest, while you were clearly the popular choice, we have decided to award the prizes to other contestants that we feel truly exemplify the idea of beauty inside and out, and whom we will be proud to have representing our company.”
Now my question is, is this over or will we be hearing more from Nancy??
As the eighth day of New York Fashion Week is already here, there has been a lot going on in the Big Apple. Up and coming designer, Tory Burch, has proved herself to be a now and here designer as Tory featured her very first runway show on Tuesday, (Day 6 of New York Fashion Week). Her line has been critiqued by fashion fans and fashion magazine editors alike, and there have been no bad remarks. So, the wait has been worth it. On top of Tory’s feat to display her work on the runway, she also opened her flag ship in New York City on the same day! But no worries, Tory didn’t pack her schedule too tight; the runway show occurred in the morning while her store didn’t open its doors until the evening time.
The runway show was a great opportunity for Tory, she has made hundreds of presentations of her line, but this tops them. Tory explains, “[The runway] is a great way to tell the full story, and have it exactly how you want it…Presentations aren’t always as easy…It was scary. It was a tremendous amount of work, but it was really fun to do, and I was so excited at the end.” Gleefully proud, Tory wasn’t the only one; everybody really seemed to enjoy her show with its interesting theme. Tory Burch went twenties, twenties Deauville. Looks included dropped-waists, flowy tops, a-line dresses, and some wild prints. . “Our price point is difficult, because we’re not a designer price point, so we want to try evening, but it’s something that we tread lightly,” Burch commenting on the new line. The nuance to this collection is the amount of evening dresses. As Tory already noted, this could prove some difficulty for the designer to stay within her known price range, she will only be offering the evening gowns in her new flagship, for the time being. Making a full circle; the new flagship store is located at 767 Madison Avenue, and it is actually a home. Tory said, “When we first saw the space, it was white and very open, and Daniel Romualdez, our architect, and I thought it would be interesting to do a restoration of what it might have looked like in the 1880s when it was built, and a little inspiration of my apartment, as well…It’s sort of the idea, which we’ve always done, to bring more a residential feel to retail.”
There is no doubt that the current First Lady of the United States knows what she is looking for when it comes to formal fashion, love it or hate it Michelle Obama’s sense of style is always present at important state functions. However the first Lady’s most judged, and therefore most controversial outfit came all the way back in ’08 when her husband took the Presidential election and the then soon to be First Lady took to the stage in a red and black Narciso Rodriguez sheath that, in the designer’s own words “was unapologetically black and red.”
Since then Mrs. Obama has gone to Mr. Rodriguez’s collections time and again from everything to a fourth of July celebration to meeting with the Prime Minister of England. Last night Narciso Rodriguez debuted his Spring 2012 collection amidst a New York Fashion week that has been all about designers cutting loose and while Mr. Rodriguez’s version of creative liberation is wonderfully executed, it leaves some to wonder if he has gone too far over the top for Mrs. Obama to follow.
Rodriguez has long been known as a minimalist designer who, with the exception of the occasional bold sheath, is a master in the art of subtlety and while there was a definite minimalist feel to last night’s runway, the overall effect was anything but subtle. Color blocking, wavy prints and overlays of sheer and opaque fabrics created bold eye-catching asymmetry that worked wonders on the runway but might not go over so well at the white house. While there were more then a few frocks that the First Lady could easily pull off, especially with those toned arms, whether this bold collection by Mr. Rodriguez is truly in her tastes is something only time will tell.
As fashion week takes over and designer collaborations are at every doorstep, the fashion world is witnessing a possible apocalyptic sign- as if the hurricanes and tsunamis weren’t enough. Walking into Target today will make you think you are still full from Thanksgiving dinner and Black Friday has come two months too early. The Missoni for Target collaboration has hit an ultimate high for the retail chain. Target is practically sold out of all Missoni for Target merchandise and it has only been available for a little over 24 hours.
The stores were swarmed with price conscious fashion fans. The merchandise Missoni for Target offered came in a variety of forms, which could have contributed to the massive amount of shoppers. The clothing and accessories such as shoes and boots are the obvious choice and had planned to be sold out, but the house ware, bicycles, and other odds and ends were not expected to cause such the fuss they seem to be stirring up.
In addition to the store being flooded by Missoni maniacs, Target’s website has crashed. The site was brought back up earlier today however, it is reportedly down again. As curious as I am, I checked and as of just before noon, Eastern Standard Time, Target.com seems to be fully functioning. If you plan on making a purchase from Target for your reasonably priced Missoni gear, I would recommend doing so as soon as possible, as the item you have your eye on may already be on its way to some else’s home. Good luck !
Even celebrities couldn’t get their minds off the Missoni collaboration. Jessica Alba tweeted about Missoni for Target saying, “dreamt about the Missoni 4 Target bike last night.” Fellow Jessica, Jessica Simpson, retweeted to Jessica Alba’s tweet, “So cute!” Maybe we’ll see the two Jessica’s on matching Missoni bikes!
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to witness, first hand, a world with Marilyn Monroe as a current fashion icon? If your answer is yes, then I have some good news for you. The next best thing has happened! Michelle Williams will be portraying the infamous Marilyn Monroe in a film entitled, My Week with Marilyn. The hype on this film and its star, Michelle Williams, has hit the main stream. Michelle will be featured on the cover of next month’s US Vogue (October 2011). However, Michelle is not Michelle Williams on the cover of the fashion magazine, but her new alter-ego, Marilyn Monroe. And no to mention, Michelle, or should I say Marilyn, is beautifully adorned in an Oscar De La Renta sparkly gown.
The October issue of US Vogue’s cover and feature article is promoting Michelle’s new film, My Week with Marilyn. The movie is portraying Michelle as Marilyn in 1956, during Marilyn’s film, The Princess and the Showgirl. My Week with Marilyn will actually represent just a week (as the title implies) out of Marilyn Monroe’s life while filming the 1956 movie, The Princess and the Showgirl. As Michelle’s career has only been rising since its beginning on Dawson’s Creek, it is no surprise that she was selected for the role. Also, Michelle has a close connection to celebrities who have passed away at an early age due to abuse. Michelle was married to Heath Ledger who passed in 2008 in a very similar way that Marilyn met her demise.
When interviewed, Michelle was asked about playing the infamous role and responded with, “As soon as I finished the script [for My Week with Marilyn], I knew that I wanted to do it, and then I spent six months trying to talk myself out of it. But I always knew that I never really had a choice. I’ve started to believe that you get the piece of material that you were ready for.” And as far as looking the part, Michelle has some weight to gain to fulfill the iconic Marilyn figure. This proved to be somewhat difficult explains Michelle, “Unfortunately, it (the weight) went right to my face (puffs up cheeks to illustrate). So at some point it became a question of, Do I want my face to look like Marilyn Monroe’s or my hips?” As you will notice when you pick up your copy of Vogue, Michelle’s face does not look “puffy” as she went with padding to fill in the difference for Marilyn’s curves.
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