Beyoncé went against the fashion grain in a standout black and white jumpsuit from Osman by Osman Yousefzada's Spring 2013 collection. The singer completed her dual-toned look with a black Swarovski clutch with crystal pavé borders, black peep-toe pumps, coordinating geometric bangles on each wrist, and bright red lipstick for a pop of color. Are you loving Beyoncé's ensemble at the Grammys?
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>> Plenty of talk has been made of Kate Middleton's wedding dress, but what about her wedding guests? Victoria Beckham is said to be wearing one of her own designs — from the Fall 2011 Victoria Beckham collection — paired with custom Christian Louboutin shoes and a Philip Treacy hat.
Alexandra Shulman has gone with Christopher Kane for the big day (who Samantha Cameron is also rumored to have chosen), while Anya Hindmarch picked a "classic and chic" Emilia Wickstead look. Harper's Bazaar's Sara Parker Bowles will wear Osman, while her mother-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will be dressed by Anna Valentine, the designer who created her wedding dress when she married Prince Charles in 2005. And former Armani muse Lady Helen Taylor is wearing Erdem.
>> The second annual BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund shortlist was released late last week, and among the nominees this year: Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders, Charlotte Olympia, E. Tautz, Nicholas Kirkwood, Osman Yousefzada, and Peter Pilotto. The winner — last year, it was Erdem Moralioglu — takes £200,000 in prize money, whereas the runners-up are each assigned a mentor. Richard Nicoll and Christopher Kane are repeat nominees. [Vogue UK, Vogue UK]
>> Victoria Beckham Modeled Fall 2010 Dress Off Osman Yousefzada's Fall 2009 Design? —During a trip to Moscow last week, Victoria Beckham reiterated that she has no plans to do a fast-fashion line and is instead focusing on becoming a luxury designer. She was in Russia showing her Fall 2010 collection, which boasts a column dress (below, right) recently garnering attention for its likeness to a young London designer's column dress (below, left). Osman Yousefzada says that Beckham borrowed the dress from his Fall 2009 collection and then returned it without buying it. He noted that "a lot of people have mentioned the similarity" between his dress and Beckham's Fall 2010 dress. "It is very flattering to think she may have tried my dress and been inspired to create something similar, since it means she must have liked the way the dress was cut and the way it felt to wear. I like to dress powerful, confident women so it's great to think the dress might have inspired her." [WWD, Grazia, Vogue UK]
London designer Osman Yousefzada is open to collaborations. If you recall, he designed a collection for Mango back in March and now he's collaborating with Browns. Buying director Erin Mullaney sums it up best: "Osman has created the perfect capsule collection comprised of his best-selling shapes in pale pink, coral, indigo and black jersey," she said of the collection, inspired by Edwardian tailoring and architectural shapes.
>> Budget cuts brought fewer European retailers to New York Fashion Week and fewer US retailers to London Fashion Week — Julie Gilhart of Barneys, for one — so instead, designers are meeting them at the one Fashion Week they all can't miss: Paris.
Those from New York heading across the seas to meet with potential buyers and hopefully secure sales are Brian Reyes, Alexander Wang, and Victoria Bartlett of VPL, who are all sharing a space, plus Elise Overland, Jason Wu, Erin Fetherston, and Justin Giunta of Subversive Jewelry. Diane von Furstenberg and Philip Crangi have already been spotted together at Tuileries, but The Ritz Paris is said to be the unofficial headquarters of retailer-designer-meet-and-greet activity.
The British Fashion Council is also investing itself in a trip to Paris — starting Friday, designers such as House of Holland, Osman Yousefzada, Felder Felder and Louise Gray will reside at the JTM Gallery on Rue de Richelieu, where international fashion press and buyers will have a second chance to peruse the collections; the hope, of course, is to increase investment in London designers.
*image: source
The former banker and Cambridge graduate, Osman Yousefzada, showed his second collection for A/W 08 in this London Fashion Week. Yousefzada typically embraces his own cultural lineage and the multiculturalism in his home of London to fuel an ever-globally minded label. His pieces, in other words, are always pulled for the 'global trend' stories in American magazines, though his designs do not necessarily highlight the specific cultural prominence dictated by them. Yousefzada is one who naturally sees the world from a diverse perspective and his designs, therefore, organically reflect that dynamic. This season, Yousefzada references Japan (embroidery) and India (color) while giving a slight nod to western costume (Spanish bullfighters).
