>> INSIDER WIRE —Are bold prints in Alexander Wang's future? As part of his CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund win, he's been paired up with Diane von Furstenberg and DVF president Paula Sutter, who will serve as his business mentors for a year. Runners-up Albertus Swanepoel and Vena Cava were paired up with Andy and Kate Spade, and Gap's Patrick Robinson and Theory's Andrew Rosen, respectively. [Vogue UK]
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>> The supermodel campaign wave that started in Fall 2008 just keeps expanding in Spring 2009 — we've got Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista for Dsquared2, Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss for Versace, Stephanie Seymour for Valentino, Claudia Schiffer for Yves Saint Laurent, and now, Amber Valletta in a stunning campaign for Loewe. The move is logical, since brands are looking to squeeze out every penny they can this season, and these models are known to drive the money. As for this set, Steven Klein did the honors — props to Stuart Vevers for the art direction, which is surely going to help him on his mission to bring Loewe back to the forefront.
>> INSIDER WIRE —Originally, Phoebe Philo was supposed to unveil her first Celine collection in March, but among rumors of clashes with the label's new CEO, Marco Gobbetti, he confirmed that her first collection will be for the Spring 2010 season this Fall, with the studio doing any interim collections: "This is not about a trend or a runway, but building the foundation of the wardrobe of Phoebe for Celine." [WWD]
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>> With most pre-collections, hints of what to come from the designer are there, but with Nicholas Ghesquiere, it's especially prevalent — the woven leather gladiator boots and a black-and-white floral print hit Resort 2008 before going full-fledged in the Spring 2008 Balenciaga collection, and very similar black-and-white dresses appeared in the Pre-Fall 2008 collection before hitting the runway for Fall 2008. Ghesquiere confirmed yesterday that the new Pre-Fall 2009 collection was a good indication of the direction he was talking for Fall 2009, but for now, we can only guess on which elements will reappear: the zip skirts? The slouchy pencil pants? The fur mittens?
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>> INSIDER WIRE —Rumors have placed Michelle Obama on the March 2009 Vogue cover, and although a Vogue spokesman denied that there were any set plans back in early December, recent developments might indicate otherwise. Yesterday morning, Annie Leibovitz was spotted entering the Hay-Adams Hotel, the Obama's current residence in Washington, DC. Granted, it could have been a shoot for Vanity Fair, but maybe, just maybe, it wasn't — Vogue has been vocal about being "very interested" in working with Mrs. O, and Annie does have a history of doing covers for the magazine. [Politico]
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Beautynomics reports on the new Bobbi Brown brights collection (left). We don't know if we're mature enough to be around all that eyeshadow.
Ever feel like your having a bad face day? The Coveted has the answer to that particular problem.
Style It always knows about the newest makeup collections. Today she reports on NARS, one of our favorites.
The Smashing Darling interviews a young milliner named Katie Burley and the best part is, you can buy her creations straight from the Darling store.
>> Even though some think Olivier Theyskens's standing at Nina Ricci is tenuous because of his tendancy to produce expensive gowns, unmindful of current economic conditions, as of yesterday, he didn't seem worried — not yet anyway: “I am totally committed to Nina Ricci. None of us really know from where such rumors come up, but we are feeling very confident that things are going in the right place.”
Mario Grauso, president of Nina Ricci's parent company Puig Fashion, promised in December that Olivier would remain at the house at least through the expiration of his current contract — which is up in October: “At this point, we’re very happy with his contribution. I look forward to seeing his next show, after which we’ll start the negotiations, which is typical.”
Yesterday, Grauso reiterated that he was behind Theyskens: "I feel like, as soon as I hire somebody, there’s rumors about them leaving. To be honest, Olivier and I haven’t started to renegotiate, but right now we’re fine. I can’t help but be pleased. He’s done a great job.” But it sounds like the Fall 2009 Nina Ricci show is key for Olivier, since Grauso is looking for him to tone down the extravagance, and would not disclose sales volume for the label: “[We're] trying to keep the prices down as much as we can; now’s not the time for $25,000 dresses.”
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Candian born designer, Mark Fast's thread-bare knits have us positively enchanted. Fast graduated from Central St. Martins with an MA in 2008 and gained industry experience by working with Bora Aksu prior to his graduation. This Spring 2009 will be the designer's second solo season. Watch for his show which will kick off the 5th day of London Fashion Week. For more on the designer, click here.
We can already assume that the Fall 2009 collections will be heavy with accessories, especially if the Pre-Fall collections by Proenza Schouler, Balenciaga, and Nina Ricci (pictured left, respectively) are any indication. In all three collections gloves pulled their share of the weight, allowing more basic clothing to still appear 'high fashion'. Also contributing were new it-bags, statement shoes, and furs.
Geometric accessories are a great way to toughen up soft, feminine outfits--and you can wear them through both seasons. The sharp angles and confident patterns make them long-lasting, not trendy, and without color there's no telling the styling combinations one could come up with. Our favorites, above!
