|
|
Coming this fall world renown top model and fashion icon Elle Macpherson will host NBC’s newest reality show Fashion Star, and it has just been announced that Nicole Richie and John Varvatos will be joining Jessica Simpson as the show’s three celebrity mentors. The series is designed to find America’s next popular brand by pitting 14 aspiring designers against one another in weekly runway shows to be judged by Macpherson and professional buyers from three of the top fashion retail chains in the nation. Then, in an exciting new twist on the old reality TV mold, the winning design for each week will be made available online and in retail stores so that the viewers at home can purchase the design that won the contest held during each episode.
Varvatos, who got his start designing for Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein has been honored as “Designer of the Year” on three separate occasions. Richie meanwhile has come a long way since her own reality TV show The Simple Life, releasing the House of Harlow 1960 jewelry line as well as her Winter Kate ready to wear women’s collection and collaborating on a limited edition line for the maternity wear maker Pea in the Pod. “Jessica, Nicole, John and Elle make the most exciting team we have ever worked with on a reality television show and we are thrilled to feature such an extraordinary group of mentors and designers.” said Ben Silverman, Executive Producer of Fashion Star.
The grand prize that will be awarded to one lucky designer at the end of the season is nothing short of a multi-million dollar contract designed to help them launch their lines in the retail stores the judges will be representing. NBC has thus far remained mum as to which retail store will be participating in the show.
It has been nearly a week since Azzedine Alaïa’s collection closed out the Paris Couture shows and the fashion world is still buzzing about Mr. Alaïa’s breathtaking designs. During a show week that saw Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld delve into the depths of Coco’s mystic, Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci put on a couture clinic and Valentino’s Chiuri and Piccoli take viewers away into a timeless fairytale, it was Mr. Alaïa who rose above the rest with his first runway show in 8 years. While the notoriously shy and some would even say reclusive designer has been busy for these past eight years, creating a shoe line, perfecting his popular crackled patent leather coast and wonderful knit dresses, Mr. Alaïa’s collections had not taken a trip down the runway since 2003. Last week when that self imposed hiatus ended, the standing ovation did not stop until French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand pulled the reluctant designer from backstage to take one final bow.
The collection was everything Mr. Alaïa’s devotees have come to expect from him, extremely intricate and refined in its process yet sublimely simple and startlingly contemporary in appearance. In a couture season that seemed to feature almost exclusively collections that covered a wide range of styles and ideas Mr. Alaïa went in the opposite direction, exploring a handful of extremely developed ideas that he brought closer to perfection then most other designers would have thought possible. His newest concept, the coat-dress, wowed many with its bell shaped flaring created by inverted pleats on the hips, the ridges of which had been filled with natural-colored cord, left exposed and knotted at the end to help define a motif unlike anything seen on a runway before. Crocodile leather pencil skirts with exposed zippers shooting up the leg and around to the rear, Mongolian lamb trims, and brilliant ruffled knitwear that defied the eye’s ability to separate the lines of the dress from those of the wearer all spoke to Mr. Alaïa’s tireless effort to master each idea he works with.
The crowd, which included Donatella Versace, Sofia Coppola and Kanye West could not get enough. “You’re never tired of looking at it because it’s so perfect.” stylist Charlotte Stockdale told a correspondent for the New York Times fashion page. But perhaps the most appropriate sentiment came from a loyal Alaïa customer who was overheard and the end of the show, “There’s everyone else. Then there’s Alaïa.”
Once little more than workman’s garb, jeans have become an American fashion staple, and ever since Calvin Klein introduced the world to designer jeans decades ago each passing year has seen prices on what the industry refers to as “premium denim” climb steadily higher. Yet many consumers don’t understand what the difference is between a pair of True Religion jeans and a pair of Levi’s, other then the label and the price tag. And while sometimes all it takes is the presence of one to raise the total of the other, there are a great deal of unseen intricacies in denim manufacturing and design.
The most well known and obvious distinction is of course the denim’s origin. While lower cost jeans and similar denim products are manufactured mostly in China, with a few operations in Mexico or Indonesia as well, brands such as Seven For All Mankind, J Brand or True Religion are produced here in the United States. A fact that attracts both the patriotic and social conscious consumer as well as contributing significantly to the cost of the denim. Unlike factories in low cost labor nations operations based out of the US (mainly located in Los Angeles) are held to far more rigorous standards with regards to both labor and the environmental protection. It may not seem that significant at first, but with the complicated processes many manufacturers employ to distress their demin (everything from dyes and sandpaper to power drills) it adds up in the end.
But perhaps the most interesting part of their uniqueness is that American made denim is so prized because America is the home of the jean. Most of the denim produced for brands like True Religion is made by operations such as Cone Denim, a textile manufacturer in Greensboro North Carolina that has been in operation for over half a century and still uses the same shuttle looms they did in the 1950s. These looms are narrower and less precise then their modern counterparts but a side effect of their age is that they impart the fabric with the slight irregularities, known as slubs, that give many high end brands their unique texture and character.
So this summer when looking for the best denim to show off your summer style remember that there is more to each price tag then just the stitching or the denim or the name on the label.
They had been showing up for the past six days, camping out in Trafalgar Square and braving the wind and the rain, they’re weren’t protesting anything or even waiting for the newest piece of Apple tech; they were the Harry Potter diehards come to catch a glimpse of their silver screen heroes on last time. Last night was the London premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the final installment of the film adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s hit series. After ten years the Harry Potter saga is finally drawing to a close and last night the film’s stars hit the red carpet together for the last time together in the UK; and they went out with a bang!
Daniel Radcliffe, who was only 12 years old when the series began hit the carpet looking every bit the part of the leading man in a smart gray three piece, Rupert Grint who play’s Harry’s best friend Ron looked all grown up as well in a black faux-snakeskin suit; but as has been the trend recently the leading lady out-shined them all. Emma Watson, whose meteoric rise from mousey child start the gorgeous fashion icon is something we’ve already touched on, looked absolutely stunning in a sheer and gray floor length evening gown with a dramatically ruffled tulle skirt.
The films other mail stars such as Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman looked dapper as always is the custom tailored duds. While Helena Bonham Carter surprised many with a rather subdued green evening gown that while quiet flattering was not as avant-garde as many expected the forward thinking fashionista to be. All told it was a gala event fit for a king among wizards and in a few short days the red carpets will be rolled out on this side of the pond, offering Watson another chance to shine, Carter another chance to surprise and millions of US Harry Potter fans one last chance to say goodbye to their pals from what is essentially the most successful movie franchise, ever. Magical indeed.
Valentino creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Picci0li, who took over after the 2008 dismissal of Alessandra Facchinette, have been celebrated these past few years for bringing a younger and hipper feel to the designer. Which is why many were surprised when their arrival at Valentino’s Haute Couture show was greeted by a mood board complete with haunting photographs of Russia’s last Tzar and his ill-fated family enjoying a long-gone style of fairytale opulence. With the mood firmly established what followed was a fearless collection of new haute couture inspired by the fairy-tales of old.
Restrained long sleeve floor length gowns, wool jackets with Cossack collars and accents such as buttons running up the sleeve or down the back spoke to the bygone era of baroque inspired couture. However painstakingly delicate Gothic lattice, a cocktail dress spun from a net of crystals and petaled skirts with platinum tracery were just a few of the details that hinted to the underlying contemporary nature of the collection. When asked about the overall intention of the pieces Piccioli suggested that the blend of new and old was designed to evoke “a sense of memory.” And sure enough each piece seemed to blend the newest haute couture techniques with a classic decorum that stirred a feeling of familiarity born from the children’s stories of youth.
The overall effect was a sublimely fairy tale like experience where attendees where treated to new and innovative ideas that still seemed unshakably familiar, as though they had appeared before in some half remembered dream. One dress in particular, made of devore-ed flowers on a sheer background and featuring pleated tulle wings flying from the shoulders looked as thought it had already been to Middle Earth and back. It will be interesting to see how the line is received by the young trendsetters who have flocked to Valentino since the rise of the Chiuri/Piccioli tag team, but one thing is certain; the pair have already done a masterful job of telling a 21st century fairy tale.
How’s this for an interesting juxtaposition? While Karl Lagerfeld took eager viewers on a tour of Chanel’s dark side with Les Allures de Chanel, a romantically noir homage to Coco inspired by shadows and moonlight; across town Riccardo Tisci unveiled Givenchy’s ten piece offering for Couture Week, an extremely advanced exploration of haute couture techniques inspired by birds of paradise, clouds and angels. Though nowhere near as prolific as Lagerfeld’s most recent collection, what Tisci lacked in numbers he more than made up for in fastidious attention to detail.
It has already been said that Tisci’s past explorations of couture have bordered on the fetishistic and this most recent offering is no different. The ten floor length dresses presented at the Hotel d’Evreux on Place Vendome featured tulle with painstakingly intricate seam-work adorned with lace, fringe, beads and pailettes. Separated into three rooms to reflect the three sources of inspiration the collection dared viewers to progress from one level of amazing intricacy to the next. From an off-white silk dress covered in a gentle, organic gradation of pailettes designed to resemble the scales of a fish (reminiscent of Mr. Tisci’s graduation collection from Central Saint Martins) to a white sleeveless tulle dress with caviar beading which featured a bird of paradise made from interwoven metallic threads; every piece in the collection spoke to the laborious haute couture techniques required to create such delicate fashion.
Couture Week in Paris has barely reached its mid-point and already two hauntingly beautiful collections from two obsessively dedicated designers are vying for the attentions of the fashion world’s elite. What is perhaps even more exciting though is the diametrically opposed nature of these two collections should have everyone wondering what sort of battles between the light and the darkness loom on the horizon for fall and winter fashion.
Summer is officially here bringing with it long sunny days and warm inviting nights and as always this time of year fashonistas everywhere are breaking out their warm metallic colors, but unlike summers past 2011 has one cool additional to those golden and bronzed hues because gunmetal silver is proving to be the hottest metallic of them all. Stylish trendsetters from all over such as Gaia Repossi, Camille Belle and Taylor Tomasi Hill Style and Accessories Director of Marie Claire, have been seen sporting this silvery look at every sort of fashion function this summer has to offer.
The key to gunmetal chic as the stylish ladies mentioned above and many more have been showing us over the first half of summer is less is more. Silver can be a very flamboyant color if done wrong and like so many edgy trends can easily be taken too far. However if you can put together an ensemble heavy on the black, beige or even dark green then a silver accent can be the key to bringing the outfit to life. For inspiration or just a better understanding of what we mean look at what Poppy Delevingne was photographed in when she attended a party at Soho House in London back in March; her otherwise all black outfit was rendered stunning and properly SoHo chic with the simple addition of a glittery Thakoon jacket. There was also Taylor Tomasi Hill who was spotted at a Theory party in New York sporting equally muted army green pieces accentuated with silver Givenchy shoes and a sparkling Burberry sweater worn tied around the waist.
If you are feeling even more adventurous then maybe you can emulate the style of Camille Belle who was spotted at a Coach party earlier this year in a shimmery Victoria Beckham frock which she paired with black Sergio Rossi pumps and a minimalist clutch. These silvery accented ensembles have been working all summer long and are the perfect all-day-and-into-the-night-wear. So give gold a break, put back the bronze and take out your gunmetals because 2011 is a year where silver shines brightest of all. Just remember: Don’t overdo it!
With Couture Week in full swing and the darker days of fall and winter right around the corner Karl Lagerfeld unveiled Les Allures de Chanel yesterday a line of haute couture that was an inspired celebration of nightfall featuring many of Coco’s signature styles. The set for the show was a shadowy mock-up of the Place Vendome, complete with a robotic Coco watching the runway from Napoleon’s place atop the central column; clearly a reference to Fritz Lang’s sci-fi/noir masterpiece Metropolis. Yet despite the awe inspiring backdrop it was the collection itself that had all of Paris buzzing last night.
Les Allures de Chanel captured all femininity of its namesake with a noir sense of romance that was dominated by shades of black, grey, deep purple and midnight blue. When white or Chanel’s signature fuchsia were used Lagerfeld expertly defused each with shadowy veils or glittery black beading. The silhouettes were womanly and unmistakably Coco, featuring “lamp shade” drapes, ankle grazing dresses, elongating boots and gloves as well as jutting peplums. The collection jumped jarringly through the chronology of Chanel touching on the styles of the twenties such as Coco’s ubiquitous tweed suits only to move rapidly back to the turn of the century with echoes of Paul Poiret. It was no mistake that Lagerfeld pluralized the name of the collection, intentionally making note of the many sides Coco’s style while still striving to preserve her mystery.
As with the fall ready to wear collection Les Allures de Chanel spoke to Lagerfeld’s refusal to compromise, which many brand loyalist might find a challenging when looking for styles to suit them from this newest offering by Chanel. However even if the somber feelings of shadows and moonlight are not your style it hard to look at this collection without admitting its immensely seductive allure. With this haute couture Lagerfeld has clearly taken Chanel over to the dark side for fall/winter 2011-12 and for much of Paris the temptation to join him has proved too much.
Last month paparazzi staking out Lindsay Lohan’s Venice, California home while the 25 year old actress was still under house arrest were puzzled when a temporary bamboo privacy screen was put up on the roof deck. As it turns out the screen was erected not by Lohan, but rather another group of photographers from Italian Vanity Fair who wanted to keep their work protected. The July issue of the magazine which hit newsstands today features Lohan on the cover as well as an interview with the actress complete with a bevy of sultry and sensual pictures.
The fact that Lohan was still able to work and generate an income (it has come to light that she also filmed a commercial for beezid.com which will air in New Zealand) while still technically under arrest has many in the fashion and celeb watching worlds crying foul. However they may want to read the interview that the starlet gave to Vanity Fair after her photo shoot with Alan Gelati before the draw any conclusions. Lohan apparently told the mag that she regrets a lot more then just getting caught and is looking to reclaim her former star status saying “In October, I’ll begin work… I hope to spend next year on set.”
Whether or not Lindsay has actually learned anything from her ordeal will be seen in the coming months, and it is up to her keep a low profile and weather the inevitable storm of paparazzi who must be praying right now for her to make a mistake. The interview is also serving as Lindsay’s first chance to try and explain her actions (outside of a courtroom that is) and features her reflections on what it was like spending time in jail. Whatever the outcome of the next few month, after viewing the photos it is hard to argue that the actress has lost her seductive and naughty style.
British jeweler Shaun Leane has been enjoying a great deal of success with his recent collections, so it is no surprise that he has tapped Daphne Guinness to be the latest collaborator in his efforts to begin defining the jewelry 21st century. Guinness, who is well know for her Gothic flair, modeled the first show piece to be born out of this collaboration on Thursday night at Jay Jopling’s elegant Georgian townhouse. The heiress stepped up her signature style by laying in state, complete with an Alexander McQueen body suit and a veil covering her small frame, the only part of her body exposed in this Gothic tableau was her left hand which bore the piece of jewelry she and Leane collaborated on.
Many trend-watchers in fashion have already noted that this year’s couture season has drawn a great deal of inspiration from the baroque era, though even the most clairvoyant probably would not have predicted the Leane and Guinness would bring chain-mail into the discussion. Yet that is exactly what is at the heart of the piece attendees such as Tom Ford and Sarah Burton viewed that night. The glove on Guinness’ left hand was made from 18-carat while gold links “woven” together to create something that was half way between armor and an evening glove. The finish on the piece included over 5,000 pave white diamonds arranged to create a flock of birds and tree branches. The estimated production cost of the item is said to be over $1.75 million.
“We wanted to push the boundaries of jewelry design,” Leane explained when asked about the glove. “This was a labor of love, and is just the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between us.” Well consider the boundaries pushed, and if the buzz over last week’s show is any indicator, there are many out there who were waiting for someone to do just that.
|
|
