Posts for July 2009

Roberto Cavalli

>> Roberto Cavalli Launches Made-to-Measure —Despite reports that he was foraying into couture, Roberto Cavalli introduced a made-to-measure service yesterday and stressed that it wasn't the start of a couture collection.
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>> Roberto Cavalli Launches Made-to-Measure —Despite reports that he was foraying into couture, Roberto Cavalli introduced a made-to-measure service yesterday and stressed that it wasn't the start of a couture collection.  The new line, called Roberto Cavalli Saint-Honore, starts at about $42,000 for a cocktail dress, with no more than 35 dresses to be produced each year. “We already do it for clients from our studio in Milan,” said Eva Cavalli, the designer’s partner and wife. “But now we will have the workrooms here in Paris.” [WWD, NYTimes]

Riccardo Tisci Takes Givenchy Fall 2009 Couture to the Middle East
Givenchy

Riccardo Tisci Takes Givenchy Fall 2009 Couture to the Middle East

>> Backstage at Givenchy today, a sign read: "No girls on the runway if they haven't eaten before."
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>> Backstage at Givenchy today, a sign read: "No girls on the runway if they haven't eaten before." The show ran over an hour late, was in a hard-to-reach location, and guests froze in the outside venue, but they were allayed by Riccardo Tisci's homage to the Middle East, complete with live musicians playing karkabou. "I dream of Riccardo's genie!" Joe Zee exclaimed.

Tisci not only attracted editors but fellow designers: Pucci's Peter Dundas joined Christian Lacroix in the show's front row. And all the models had their hair dyed black especially for the occasion — which was apparently quite impressionable on Lara Stone; Iris Strubegger debuted a new crop and newcomer Antonella Graef opened the show.

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Olivier Theyskens

>> Olivier Theyskens Taking Some Time Off?
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>> Olivier Theyskens Taking Some Time Off? —Olivier Theyskens showed up at the Calvin Klein Collection dinner in Paris last night, and it sounds like he may just be enjoying a break from designing rather than lining up his next big job. Fellow guest Joe Zee wrote of the designer: "Yes, the rumor is true! He had the night off." And Grazia's Paula Reed, who sat next to Theyskens, tweeted: "[He's] enjoying a bit of a fashion gap year. Come back soon Olivier." [Chic Report, Joe Zee Twitter, Grazia Twitter]

The Details: Christian Dior Fall 2009 Haute Couture
Christian Dior

The Details: Christian Dior Fall 2009 Haute Couture

Haute Couture is defined by attention to detail and so it seems fitting to check out the collections up-close.
by coutorture

Haute Couture is defined by attention to detail and so it seems fitting to check out the collections up-close. John Galliano kicked off the Fall 2009 Paris Haute Couture shows this season with a Christian Dior collection that called up the house's most iconic looks. Diamond accessories, floral embroidery and transparent fabrics made for dynamic detail shots. Check out some of our favorites in the gallery below. 

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Christian Lacroix May Have Just Shown His Last Couture Show for Fall 2009; Will He Go Back Into LVMH Fold?
Givenchy

Christian Lacroix May Have Just Shown His Last Couture Show for Fall 2009; Will He Go Back Into LVMH Fold?

>> Last Friday, employees at Christian Lacroix were informed the the workforce would be cut from 124 to 12, and the house would close at the end of July — effectively reducing it to a licensing operation — unless a buyer could be found.
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>> Last Friday, employees at Christian Lacroix were informed the the workforce would be cut from 124 to 12, and the house would close at the end of July — effectively reducing it to a licensing operation — unless a buyer could be found. Today at the Arts Decoratifs, Lacroix showed what may be his last couture collection to just over 200 guests, a set of 24 looks entirely privately financed, which the designer described as: "A collection which is finished, but which was not completed under the usual conditions. It is like a sketch, a drawing for a painting . . . the classic repertory of the house, what is left, the hard disk."

The mood was sober, but staid: badges declaring "Christian Lacroix Forever" were handed out and a sign reading similar was held across the runway.  There were tears aplenty as the designer took his walk with bride Vlada Roslyakova, and no red carnations were on the seats, ready to toss in the finale as has been the custom at Lacroix's couture shows since he started in 1987.  But he did receive a standing ovation, and Lacroix is not ready to give up: "What really churns my stomach is wondering what is going to become of the workrooms and, for the moment, none of the solutions I am looking at would save the couture side of the business."

Some are wondering if he may renew his relationship with LVMH — under whom he originally launched his label in 1987. Just an hour after his own show closed, he was spotted backstage and front row at the LVMH-supported Givenchy show, where he posed for photos with Delphine Arnault.  The Times UK noted that Lacroix, "beaming in the front row at Givenchy doesn't look like a man whose label is finished."

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Shopping: Seventies-Inspired Beachwear
Shopping

Shopping: Seventies-Inspired Beachwear

We don't know about you but we feel like summer only started last weekend.
by coutorture

We don't know about you but we feel like summer only started last weekend. If you're not quite ready to delve into the new fall deliveries, there are plenty of sample sales and affordable summer clothing to indulge in. One style we've always loved is a seventies-inspired beach look. Slip on a pair of worn-in bell bottoms or a brightly printed tunic and you're 90% there. After that, just let your hair air dry, wear minimal makeup and add a few retro accessories.