Resort 2009

>> IN PRODUCTION —One of the prints Marc Jacobs used throughout his Louis Vuitton Resort 2009 collection features watercolor stripes in turquoise and pink wavering across white fabric — it kind of reminds me of Stefano Pilati's watercolor splatter print from the Resort 2009 Yves Saint Laurent collection.  Supporter of the arts that he is, though, Marc employed fashion illustrator Tanya Ling to wave her magic brush, whipping up the print you see. [Style File]

»Iman recently booked a Vogue Paris gig [TI]

»A first look at Emanuela de Paula for Pirelli 2009 [Models.com]

»Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and boyf showed up at a party for her new client Rock & Republic last night [Chic Report]

»New blood Eniko Mihalik (one of the Fall 2008 Gucci girls) is under an exclusive contract with Inez and Vinoodh [COACD]

»Hana Soukupova owns a Warhol painting [The Cut]

»Future fashion couple in the making?  Diane von Furstenberg's niece has taken quite the liking to Natalia Vodianova's son [FWD, Yahoo]

»Lulu Frost is doing a mini collection for Urban Outfitters [FWD]

»Devi Kroell is launching a full ready-to-wear collection starting for Spring 2009 [WWD] 

»Chris Benz has gone bleach blond [The Cut]

»Looks at the John Galliano and Diane von Furstenberg Resort 2009 collections [WWD, Style.com]

>> We had a look at just one shoe from the new Proenza Schouler and Giuseppe Zanotti collaboration before, but now a few more shots of their limited-run Resort 2009 collection have sprung up.  The full collection will drop for Spring 2009, with more than 100 styles of ballet slippers, loafers, lace-up sandals, and heels.  Just as a frame of reference, Guiseppe Zanotti also holds licenses for Roberto Cavalli and Balmain shoes.

*image: source

»During W's Bruce Weber shoot in Miami, an off-beat "silent" movie was taken of all the designers involved [W Magazine]

»Nicole Kidman's July 2008 Vogue cover and editorial are up [Style.com]

»Charlize Theron has been meeting with Bruno Frisoni — is a Roger Vivier campaign in the works? [Chic Report]

»Daisy Lowe is rumored to be starring in The Hills: London [Fashionista]

»Naomi Campbell has a(nother) new man [The Sun]

»Stefano Pilati, Jeremy Scott, and Nicole Richie had their Polaroids taken for the Fall/Winter 2008 Self Service [Starworks]

»The designers behind Costello Tagliapietra want to be remembered as "jolly and portly" [The Fashion Informer]

»Kylie Bax is back [Models.com]

»Agyness Deyn: "The catwalk is second nature to me now: I’m walking down thinking 'I’ve got to pay that bill' and 'What am I gonna have for my tea?'" [thelondonpaper]

»Devon Aoki is doing a clothing line with Levi's [Chic Report]

»Previews of the Lanvin, Vena Cava, Louis Vuitton, and Emanuel Ungaro Resort 2009 collections [Style.com, Style.com, WWD, WWD]

»Agyness Deyn performed her collaborative single live last night on British TV (with video) [PopSugar UK]

»Anna Wintour has been bestowed with an OBE (Officer of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to British journalism and British fashion in the US [WWD]

»Bottega Veneta tops the list of the Luxury Institute's list of designer brands accorded the highest social status by affluent consumers [WWD]

»Devon Aoki shot with Self Service and Yves Saint Laurent at the Chateau Marmont last week [FWD]

»Karen Elson is naming her vintage shop "Venus and Mars" [Style.com]

»Peeks at Dolce & Gabbana, Marchesa, Rag & Bone, Matthew Williamson, and Nina Ricci Resort 2009 collections [WWD, WWD, WWD, WWD, WWD]

As a point of inspiration, Phillip Lim imagined the woman who might best wear his mid-season offerings. Frankly, the designer couldn't have been more candid, as he said she would be, "young with an old soul". We think this best describes the transformation we're seeing from Lim as the seasons pass. From his flirty days at Development to his current collections, Lim's aesthetic has grown increasingly mature. His first few collections out of the gates (those that had every twenty-something dropping hundreds--even if it meant eating Ramen noodles for a month) consisted of 'fun and flirty' belted frocks and guazy blouses and the young fashionistas rightly ate it up. A few seasons later things turned out a bit more menswear inspired, a bit more rock n' roll, and we can't help but wonder if this wasn't Lim's subtle (or subconscious) way of weening us off the flirt-factor. Now, starting with Spring 08 and ending with this most recent Resort collection, we feel like Lim has hit his stride and positioned himself exactly where he wanted to end up in the first place. Namely, dressing a wealthy, and more conservative, customer. Sure, she could be in her twenties, but she certainly isn't the sort who also wears Ella Moss and LaRok (and she was before). Now, that is, she's the sort who wears brands like Marni or YSL and when she drops cash on vacation gear, she's not going to have to eat Ramen for the next month.

»Since Kate started her line with Topshop, luxury brands haven't altogether dropped her, but they have started to cast her in their diffusion lines rather than their main lines [The Cut]

»Behind the scenes with Jessica Stam, Lily Donaldson, and Doutzen Kroes at a recent V Magazine shoot — Lily likes to make use of her tongue [jdivision]

»Daisy Lowe is rumored to be working on an album with boyf Mark Ronson [W Editor's Blog]

»Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava likes her deodorant, while her design partner Sophie Buhai just likes "looking after number one" [The Fashion Informer]

»Anna Wintour's an Obama girl [Page Six]

»Fabien Baron and Karl Templer shot an editorial for New York Times's T Magazine on May 30 that will come out in September [FWD]

»Manolo Blahnik will be the 12th Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honoree [WWD]

»Just in case you don't have enough Agyness Deyn in your life: Watch her attempt to juggle a soccer ball [YouTube]

»Sneak peeks of the Vera Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Just Cavalli, and Jean Paul Gaultier Resort 2009 collections [Style.com, Style.com, WWD, WWD]

>> A LITTLE TURN ON THE CATWALK —Frida Giannini knows how to party.  For resort 2009, she can't let Chanel and Dior get the best of her, so she too is staging a full Gucci runway show, followed by a party, in Rome on July 8.  

The whole ordeal celebrates Gucci's 70 years in Rome plus their newly renovated Roman flagship, but Frida couldn't wait another month to show the collection off, so she gave a preview yesterday in New York.  "It's a bit hippie but not too much." [WWD]

>>  For Stefano Pilati, video installation is the new runway show.  After showing his Fall 2008 Yves Saint Laurent menswear collection on video rather than the traditional catwalk presentation, Stefano chose the short film route again for the YSL Resort 2009 collection. 

So that's the "innovative, new experience" hinted at was all about . . . I wonder if this new format is a way of cutting costs, or just the designer's personal preference?  Because me, I find the runway, or even a presentation, much preferred.