>> Karlie Kloss has a new client: Victoria's Secret Pink. Images of the model sporting the youthful line just popped up in the latest Victoria's Secret catalogue, marking Kloss's first appearance ever for the brand. Now that she's 18, will Kloss be shooting for Victoria's Secret more often? If so, Pink also has a featured segment in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show — perhaps she will be making an appearance this upcoming November.
>> Less is definitely more. From sheer lipcolors to shimmering bronzers, we've rounded up the key products to help you get a natural Summer glow — with ease. Click through to shop 5 super-chic nude makeup looks, all straight from the Spring 2011 runways.
Balmain Spring 2011, Photo by Greg Kessler
>> With new Chloe designer Clare Waight Keller's debut not slated until October for Spring 2012, the house's design team took over where former designer Hannah MacGibbon left off for the interim Resort season. Their focus lay heavily on reworking Chloe classics: wide-leg pants, airy trapeze dresses, pussy-bow blouses, and multi-buckled shoes, all put on show by Jacquelyn Jablonski.
>> Versace is in a state of change, Donatella Versace confirms. For the first time ever, she recently opened the house archives for a music video — Lady Gaga's new "Edge of Glory" video, to be exact — in which Gaga wears a strappy vintage Versace corset top and shorts, both in gold studded black leather. Style.com noted the change in direction earlier this week at Versace's Resort 2012 preview, of which many were reportedly commenting, "I'm not a Versace girl, but I'd wear that."
The house's Fall 2011 campaign is also perpetuating a new Versace era; instead of Mario Testino, who has done Versace campaign honors since 2004, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott were the photographers of choice, a Versace first. And rather than featuring a celebrity or a blonde — as is typical for Versace — the campaign focuses on the brunette Saskia de Brauw. “For me, it is expected to have the blonde girl, the sexy girl, and this is what Versace meant recently,” explained Donatella. “But I thought about how in the past, when Gianni used girls like Kristen McMenamy and Stella Tennant, everyone was always saying, ‘Wow, this is not a Versace girl, she is not blonde.’ Sometimes you need to renew yourself to work better and to make a little bit of a push.”
Of the resulting images, Versace added: “It’s a glamorous woman and it’s a little pop, which I love. Mert and Marcus are very talented and full of ideas. This season is just the beginning. I want to push something different and new.”
>> Right now, in a gorgeous medieval city on the banks of the Rhine, Art Basel is in full swing. With over 300 international galleries showcasing the best in modern and contemporary art, it's a festival so global and all-encompassing that Vogue has dubbed it "the most beautiful temporary museum of the world." But what to wear to a gathering of the world's most aesthetically discerning patrons? Pieces that could be subtle little works of art themselves, naturally. Architecturally folded skirts, graphic-print dresses, and statement accessories — click through to see our packing list.
>> W's new fashion and style editor Edward Enninful won't make his full debut for the magazine until September, but his stamp can already be seen on the magazine's July 2011 cover featuring Christina Aguilera, he says: "I was involved with Christina. I worked with our contributing editor Giovanna Battaglia on the look and the photography and also Lynn Hirschberg. And I wanted to show Christina in a new light, show off the icon that she is."
As for his future plans for the magazine: "We'll continue to work with photographers like Craig McDean, Patrick Demarchelier, Mario Sorrenti, Inez and Vinoodh, Mert and Marcus, but we also have a few big names in the pipeline and you'll see it in the coming months, particularly in September ... The September issue will be first big issue for myself, along with Alex Gonzalez, the creative director, and sort of Giovanna Battaglia, whom we offered to be fashion editor and hopefully a few other editors. And we're going to feature the industry's biggest names and well-known photographers. I think you'll be pleased. And what I love about this sort of blend of photographers is that each one has their own unique style. So if it's okay I'd like to keep their names under wrap just to surprise our readers. It's really hard to keep anything secret these days. But I try."
>> No familiar faces populate Prada's Fall 2011 campaign, save one: Frida Gustavsson. In fact, most of the rest of the Steven Meisel-shot cast hasn't even set foot on a runway — as is the case for North Carolina-bred Ondria Hardin and Arizona native Kelly Mittendorf, the two other campaign faces who have been revealed so far. [Models.com, TFS]
>> Today, at Pitti Immagine in Florence, Vivienne Westwood launched a new series of bags for her Ethical Fashion Africa Project. Handmade by men and women in Nairobi from recycled materials — electrical wiring, tent canvas, aluminum, plastic bags — the accessories are not only environmentally friendly, they're also community-sustaining. "It's not charity, it's work," Westwood says of the project's aim to create jobs in impoverished communities by teaching workers real skills. Ranging in price from $83 to $339, the collection is a colorful melange of chic prints, interesting textures and easy-to-wear shapes. The pieces are available online at yoox.com, with a special video shot by her campaign photographer, Juergen Teller. Click through the slideshow to see our favorites from the collection.
>> With all the excitement surrounding their guest-designer stints at Pitti Immagine, it's pretty hard not to want to a little piece of Rodarte or Band of Outsiders all for yourself. While it's true that the two labels don't necessarily share an aesthetic, they do share a coast — and similar free-wheeling creative approaches. As Band of Outsider's Scott Sternberg explains, "There's a freedom to what we're doing, and I think it's reflected in the product, and it's reflected in the brand." We couldn't agree more. In fact, in honor of their respective Pitti appearances, we've rounded up 16 very desirable pieces from both labels — all available online now. Click through to see the selection.
Images courtesy of: Band of Outsiders (left), Rodarte (right)
