fashionologie

karl lagerfeld does playboy

>> But don't worry, you won't be seeing him nude.  Rather, he shot French actress Vahina Giocante for the October 2007 issue of Playboy France.

the new sasha and gemma

>> I got confused by them so many times at NY fashion week, especially because they were booked in many of the same shows.  I've really been loving on Daiane Conterato's angular fierceness as of late (right), but now that Carolina Pantoliano (left) is in the picture, I get double the fun.

t for the win

>> December brings big things for one of my favorite reads, T Style Magazine. 

On December 1, International T is launching, and will be distributed inside the International Herald Tribune throughout Europe and the Middle East.  Suzy Menkes, whose opinion I always like to hear, will have a new column in the first issue.  International T is modeled much like the U.S. edition, covering women's fashion, men's fashion, travel, design, and holiday periodically throughout the year. 

Then, on December 2, T magazine online will be relaunched with a blog, "The Moment," to be updated throughout the day by T editors, guest bloggers, and correspondents worldwide.  Make room for that one on your blogroll.

Meanwhile, if your name happens to be Giorgio Armani, Anna Wintour, Raf Simons, Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi or Madonna (just kidding about those last two, but you get the idea, Fergie Ferg), among others, you will be convening during Milano Fashion Week to get a special preview of the online edition.   Color me a nice shade of green.  The jealous type, of course.

the real donatella

>> There are so many things I enjoy about the profiles that come in the New Yorker Style Issue.  The writers always have such a great attention to detail, and because of it, really obscure, eccentric details are revealed.  Without the New Yorker Style Issue, how else would we have learned about Hedi Slimane's baby food obsession or Karl Lagerfeld's pack rat tendencies? 

The newest issue's subject of choice is Donatella Versace, and writer Lauren Collins begins by describing Donatella's hands as "meaty and brown," and her whole physical appearance as "a little bit Pam Anderson (scarecrow hair, trout lips), and a little bit Barbarella (flared pants and corset tops cut as tight as bondage gear)."  Later, she mentions Donatella's striking resemblance to Janice, the electric guitarist from the Muppets, but notes that "Janice is not as tan." 

The description errs on the slightly unflattering (what woman wants her hands described as meaty?), but it's refreshing to read something that calls it like it is, especially in a world where fashion and beauty magazines, without fail, describe their profilees as not wearing makeup and still managing to look gorgeous.  Yeah, right. 

Rather than correct Donatella's English-as-a-second-language (honest) mistakes when she quotes her, Collins takes the dialectal route, leaving Donatella's pronunciations intact: "I loaf the Killers" when she means "I love the Killers."

Because of this no-muss no-fuss New Yorker approach to profiling, you feel like you get a real look at Donatella's world, rather than a view that has been glamourized and Photoshopped just like the front cover of a fashion magazine. 

So when Donatella says she stays away from using red in her designs - "That's Valentino!" and jokes that she wants to be buried in a crystal coffin like Snow White when she dies, you believe it actually came from the horse's mouth. 

When Manolo Blahnik drops by Donatella's Christmas party and comes off a little...uh...pazzo, you believe it actually happened, weird as the exchange may be:

    "Sorry, I been crazy," he said.  "I been working all day, and I have twenty minutes to put on my little tie, wash my hair, and come down.  I don't do that very often.  For Donatella, I would."  He went on, "I adore her.  She is one of the few women I respect in fashion.  I love the Versaces a million years ago.  This is, by God, a proper Italian warm people.  Donatella, with time, is going to be one of the few--few!--talents in fashion, I promise you.  She has something that nobody has:  talent."  He began to yell. "Talent!  Talento.  Waa!  Waa!  Waa!"
    Donatella approached, greeting him with a kiss on each cheek.
 "Lady, lady, you see: this is Donatella," he said.  "No time, always the future!"
    "Don't believe Manolo.  He knows me too much," Donatella demurred.
    "Is the truth!  Is the truth, you bitch!"

It's profiles like these that give you a real look into the world of fashion, instead of the glossed over, "everything is so faaaaabulous" profile pieces that are the typical fare.

(Unfortunately this piece is not online, but try to grab it in the  September 24, 2007 issue of the New Yorker.)

UPDATE:  The whole article has been scanned and posted here.

**image: NY Times

the old switcharoo

>> Here's a little blast from the past for you: Mario Sorrenti, photographed by Kate Moss, I assume in the Moss-Sorrenti years.  It's kind of fun to see the photographer in front of the camera, the model behind, pressing the shutter button.  Doesn't hurt that Sorrenti was quite the looker (he used to be a model, too).

From the new Fall-Winter 07/08 issue of Vogue Hommes International.

in other news...

>> Apparently Terry Richardson's dad Bob once hit on Tom Ford?  It's a small, small world we live in...

i love fashion week

>> That probably goes without saying, but it's not for the reason you think.  I just love all the great coverage that people whip out just in time for fashion week.  They really pull out all the stops.   

My three favorites so far:

Refinery29 is doing this great five-part video series "The Countdown," with Jeremy Laing professing his love for the jolie-laide look, Alexander Wang getting excited about his party bus, and the girls from Vena Cava explaining how they do their trademark prints without Photoshop. 

NYMag.com rolled out "The Model Manual," a database to up your Model IQ a few points.  Mission accomplished: I learned that Adriana Lima once dated... Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein (a real name-winner right there), Lily Donaldson is Alber Elbaz's muse, and an awful lot of models seem to be known for "my hair."

And then there's the wild card, which you just simply have to visit.  Because it's funny.

so you want to hold a fashion show.

>> Just in time for Fashion Week, Forbes did a fun little round-up of all the costs that go into the production of a fashion show...

• Dressers: $1,500-$2,000
• Stylist: $5,000/day, or for the Zoe factor: $20,000+
• Celebrity Wrangler: $2,000 per celebrity
• Makeup: $30,000 (each individual makeup artist carries about $2000 worth of goods (!))
• Hair: $3,000-$4000, or for the Fekkai factor: $10,000+
• Backstage necessities: $10,000
• Security: $10,000
• Emergency Budget: $6,000-$7,000

And that doesn't even include the models.  Basically, you're looking at at least $50,000, on a really really good day.  So, you still want to have that fashion show?

think before you buy that $1000 handbag...

>> The average markup of a luxury handbag is ten to twelve times production cost.  At Vuitton, it's up to thirteen times.

(From the wonderful world of Dana Thomas.)