>> Fresh off the heels of the success of Prada's Spring 2011 Baroque sunglasses, Givenchy is introducing its own line of retro-inspired glasses for Fall 2011: the Panther collection. The '50s-inspired cateye glasses come in yellow, charcoal, plum, navy ($574 each), or trimmed with black fur on the frame ($640), and feature a panther on each temple piece.
>> Grace Coddington has been working on a memoir since last year, and now it sounds like it's guaranteed to get published: she's sold it to Random House for a rumored $1.2 million. The book is said to cover Coddington's early life in Wales, her time as a model in '60s London, the car accident that changed her career path, and the subsequent years spent as a stylist and editor at both British and American Vogue. Although she was originally collaborating with Jay Fielden, he left the project after becoming editor-in-chief of Town & Country; Coddington is now said to be co-writing the book with former Vanity Fair fashion and style director Michael Roberts. Random House declined comment. [NYO]
>> Documents made public today reveal that Alexander McQueen left an estate worth just over 16 million pounds ($26 million) at the time of his death. The designer, who committed suicide in Feb. 2010, left most of his fortune to charities, but also set aside portions for his siblings, household staff, and the upkeep of his dogs.
Among the allotments: 250,000 pounds ($410,000) each to his three sisters and two brothers; 50,000 pounds ($82,000) each to his two housekeepers for their "long and faithful service," his godson, and each of his nieces and nephews; and 50,000 pounds ($82,000) for the care of his dogs. He also donated 100,000 pounds ($164,000) each to two charities that help animals — the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and Blue Cross sick animal center — and 100,000 pounds ($164,000) each to the London Buddhist Center and the Terrence Higgins Trust, the latter which promotes sexual health and safe sex practices.
The bulk (and remainder) of his estate was left to his Sarabande charity with the suggestion that some money be used for scholarships at Central St. Martin's in London, of which he was a graduate.
>> For Fall 2011, Michael Kors teamed up with Fossil — which has produced his watch line since 2004 — to launch his jewelry collection. The chain and buckle-centric line of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings hits stores in August and runs $45 to $395. "I’ve always thought of accessories as the exclamation point of a woman’s outfit," Kors says. "Now, with my jewelry collection, I can deliver the full spectrum of the Michael Kors vision for a truly fabulous look."
