>>These stories and more — here, in our daily news roundup.
>> Is Imogen Poots the face of Marni For H&M? This ad — which recently surfaced on The Fashion Spot — features what appears to be the British actress lounging in a leopard print-filled room, wearing a super-shiny paisley ensemble. A QR code in the bottom left corner directs viewers to the campaign video, which — as WWD confirmed last month — was shot by Sofia Coppola. While it is yet to be confirmed that the star of Coppola's video is the star of this ad campaign, we do know one thing: Coppola filmed the video last October in Marrakesh — and judging by the Moroccan-style tile work in the background of this image, it looks like this photo may have been shot there as well.
The H&M For Marni collection hits stores March 8.
>> Amy Winehouse's father seems to think so. Mitch Winehouse has spoken out against Jean Paul Gaultier, saying the designer's recent couture collection — which featured models styled in the late singer's trademark beehives and eyeliner — was "an insult" and in very poor taste.
"The family was upset to see those pictures, they were a total shock," Winehouse told The Sun. "We're still grieving for her loss, and we've had a difficult week with the six-month anniversary of Amy's death. To see her image lifted wholesale to sell clothes was a wrench we were not expecting or consulted on. We're proud of her influence on fashion, but find black veils on models smoking cigarettes with a barbershop quartet singing her music in bad taste. It portrays a view of Amy when she was not at her best, and glamorizes some of the more upsetting times in her life. That's upsetting for her family."
Gaultier, who has not yet responded to the family's criticism, said earlier in the week that the collection was meant as tribute. "It is very joyous,” the designer told the New York Times after the show. "To me the scandal is that no fashion magazine did an Amy Winehouse cover. She was so exceptional in her style; how she held her body; the way she dressed, mixing pieces from different decades."
See the entire Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2012 couture collection here.
Photo: Getty
>> Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli went soft and lovely for Spring 2012, tapping the romance of the Age of Enlightenment and the innocence of Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon for a couture collection rife with delicateness — or as they put it, "deep lightness." For day, there were softly swishing knee-length dresses with ruffled necks and sheer sleeves; for evening, full-length strapless or long-sleeved gowns in heavy silk and taffeta — some embellished with crystals and pearls, and others printed with antique-looking florals and toile.
>> "It's a very sparkly collection, which, in a way, is very couture," Riccardo Tisci said of the 10 dresses he presented for Spring 2012 Givenchy couture. Sparkly, yes, but there was a dark romance at play as well, one that no doubt came from Tisci's main inspirations: the 1927 film Metropolis and the 1924 Russian film Aelita: Queen of Mars. See the entire collection here, which — as is the recent Givenchy tradition — was photographed portrait-style by Willy Vanderperre.
Photos courtesy of Givenchy
>> It's all happening. The couture shows are here — and with them comes a fresh batch of street style to admire. Among the super-chic in attendance this season? Elettra Wiedemann, Elizabeth Olsen, and a leather jacket-clad Vanessa Paradis (left) — who turned up to Chanel solo but remained vague about the rumors regarding her split with Johnny Depp. Click through to see the best looks captured in and around the shows, with more to come as the week goes on.
>> Elizabeth Olsen has been making style waves everywhere she goes — and lately, she's been everywhere. This week alone, the 22-year-old actress has been turning heads from Paris to Park City, in brands that run the gamut from Topshop to Chanel.
In a recent interview, the star of the upcoming films Red Lights and Liberal Arts opened up about her favorite designers: "Definitely Marni and Céline"; her penchant for Proenza: "I wore an orange floral Proenza Schouler dress that I was, like, obsessed with to the W magazine pre-Golden Globes party"; and her current wardrobe go-tos: "I always wear leather pants — always from The Row."
But does Olsen ever ask her famous sisters for styling advice? "It's funny to be asked that because I don't live with them, and they don't dress me. Like, I'm an adult," she explains.
Elizabeth Olsen in Proenza Schouler. Getty
>>Those stories and more — here, in our daily roundup.
>> "I think Amy Winehouse was truly a fashion icon," Jean Paul Gaultier said, describing the inspiration for his Spring 2012 couture collection. As tribute, the designer sent out ensembles styled to the hilt in Winehouse signatures: messy beehive hairdos, winged black eyeliner, and sky-high shoes. The looks — named after lyrics from the late singer's songs — were sexy, eclectic, and classic Gaultier. There were curve-hugging skirts, hourglass suits, slouchy pants, and lots of clashing, riotous color. Also on offer: lace trenches and sculptural, expertly constructed corsets.
>> Metamorphosis and "the woman who is at first calm and easy and then is drawn out of her own skin" were the themes behind Giorgio Armani's Spring 2012 couture outing. Armani also tapped inspiration from reptiles — and, in particular, their shimmering, textural skins, which he rendered in nearly every shade of green. For day, the reptilian theme was present on sharp-shouldered blazers in croc or snakeskin, iridescent draped-front skirts, and slickly tailored pants. For evening, there were mermaid dresses in glistening sequins, scale-printed silk ballgowns, and swirling, second-skin sheaths. With a front row crowd of red-carpet hopefuls — including Jessica Chastain, who learned of her Oscar nod via phone just before the show began — it's safe to say we may be seeing a lot more of these looks very, very soon.
