Posts for October 23rd 2012

Alexander Wang

Liberty Ross Stars in Alexander Wang's Newest Confessional Video

Alexander Wang may have gotten Liberty Ross to do something no journalist could: address her husband Rupert Sanders's affair with actress Kristen Stewart.

Alexander Wang may have gotten Liberty Ross to do something no journalist could: address her husband Rupert Sanders's affair with actress Kristen Stewart.

Ross, who walked in Wang's Spring 2013 show, stars in the latest of Wang's Confessional video series. The 34-year-old model says she's "very happy with her life, and I'm lucky." And while she doesn't get into specifics, she does talk about the importance of exhibiting grace under pressure.

"I believe that we're all on journeys and we are all given lessons at certain times in our lives, and sometimes when things seem really bad, you have to be able to see the good and learn from it, and just move forward as graciously as possible," she says.

Watch as Ross gets prepared for her graceful turn down the runway in the video below.

Link Time

Vogue's Documentary, Kate Spade's Saturday, and the Boys and Girls of Fashion Week

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.



Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

  • Shouldn't every day be Saturday? That's the idea behind the new brand Kate Spade Saturday, a standalone label with its own stores and website that will launch for Spring 2013. The price point is about 50 percent lower than Kate Spade New York; the average price for a garment from Saturday is $90. [WWD]

  • Vogue isn't just celebrating its 120th anniversary with a new book. On Dec. 6, HBO will premiere the documentary In Vogue: The Editor's Eye, a tribute to legendary editors from Polly Mellen to Grace Coddington. "They have always been our secret weapon," said Anna Wintour. "So it seemed to me that we could celebrate Vogue, and also, at the same time, celebrate these great editors." [Fashionologie Inbox]

  • Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Balenciaga, and M Missoni are each auctioning off one-month Summer internships through CharityBuzz. The money raised will benefit Rosie's Theater Kids, a New York charity that aims to improve the lives of children through performing arts. [Vogue UK]

  • The collaborations just won't stop. Kirna Zabete is working on a collection for Nine West that will debut in February. [The Cut]

  • Dita Von Teese's first application of red lipstick happened at age 13. "I remember one time putting on a red and thinking, 'This changes everything. This is all you really need,'" she said. [Into the Gloss]

  • Photographer Justin Wu cast an international laundry list of models — including Olivia Palermo, RJ King, and River Viiperi — in his latest edition of Boys and Girls of Fashion Week. [YouTube]


Natalie Portman

Dior's Natalie Portman Ad Banned in Britain

Britain's Advertising Standards Authority has banned an ad for Dior's Diorshow New Look mascara after receiving a single complaint, reportedly from L'Oreal UK, that the ad exaggerated what the mascara can do.

Britain's Advertising Standards Authority has banned an ad for Dior's Diorshow New Look mascara after receiving a single complaint, reportedly from L'Oreal UK, that the ad exaggerated what the mascara can do.

The image, which stars Natalie Portman and was shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, was originally intended to advertise a lipstick, but Dior told the ASA that it was later changed to a mascara ad. The photo was then digitally altered to "separate/increase the length and curve of a number of her lashes and to replace/fill a number of missing or damaged lashes, for a more stylized, uniform and tidy effect." Dior also said Portman wasn't wearing any false lashes in the ad, and that it "did not consider that the post-production techniques went beyond the likely consumer expectations of what was achievable using the product."

Nevertheless, the ASA has ruled that the ad can no longer appear in its current form. Dior has agreed to "amend or withdraw" the ad instead of going through a formal investigation about how it altered the image.

This ban comes on the heels of other beauty ads that were shut down for their altered imagery. Earlier this year, the ASA told L'Oreal to stop circulating an ad for its Revitalift Repair 10 starring Rachel Weisz because it "misleadingly exaggerated" the face cream's effects. In 2011, it banned a Lancome ad featuring Julia Roberts and a Maybelline ad starring Christy Turlington because they were "not representative of the results the products could achieve."

Note: In an interesting twist, the original stories concerning this ad on both The Daily Telegraph and Vogue UK appear to have been taken down. The biggest difference in this case and previously banned ads is that the others resulted from consumer complaints, not reports filed by competitors. Both news outlets alleged that L'Oreal complained about Dior's ad. Might that have something to do with why mum's the word now?

Gossip Girl

Alexa Chung's Gossip Girl Moment

Alexa Chung's much-awaited appearance on the Upper East Side has finally come, and though her one-line cameo — in which she emphatically announces "there's no way in hell I'm going out there" right before ditching Blair's fiasco of a fashion show — lasts all but a few seconds, it's still pretty fun to watch.

Alexa Chung's much-awaited appearance on the Upper East Side has finally come, and though her one-line cameo — in which she emphatically announces "there's no way in hell I'm going out there" right before ditching Blair's fiasco of a fashion show — lasts all but a few seconds, it's still pretty fun to watch. Judging from Chung's cheery "I was on Gossip Girl last night. Lol," tweet this morning, it sounds like the model-TV presenter-clothing designer and soon to be author definitely got a kick out of the mini appearance as well.

Just in case you missed it, here it is.

Chanel

Chanel Says "No" to Ecommerce, For Now

Brands across the retail spectrum have rushed to make their clothing available for purchase online, but Chanel won't be one of them anytime soon, according to the brand's CEO.



Brands across the retail spectrum have rushed to make their clothing available for purchase online, but Chanel won't be one of them anytime soon, according to the brand's CEO.

"Our clothes are quite sophisticated and one of our strengths is alterations," said Bruno Pavlovsky, who runs Chanel's business side. "To be able to wear Chanel clothes, you need to try them on. You need to be in the fitting room. You need to have a tailor who alters the clothes to fit exactly to your body. I think it's part of Chanel. It's more than just our service. It's part of our differentiation to have ready-to-wear that is perfect for our customers."

Pavlovsky later added that "perhaps two years, three years, five years from now, we will start" online sales.

Chanel already sells its fragrances and cosmetics online, but it's one of a handful of luxury houses that hasn't taken strides to launch ecommerce for its clothing. Brands like Saint Laurent and Gucci have sold their clothing online for years, and Pierre Balmain launched its ecommerce site just last week.