fashionologie

Tom Ford Talks Makeup, Branding, and Sexuality at Vogue Festival

fashionologie — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:36:18 PDT

>> Tom Ford's talk at this weekend's Vogue Festival touched on everything from the designer's sexuality (at one point he said he's "not gay") to why he wears his own cosmetics.

Alexandra Shulman led the conversation with the designer, asking why he posed for ads with so many naked women when he's been openly gay for years. Ford explained that he doesn't believe people "have to put boxes around everything," then asked, "Have you ever slept with a woman, Alex?"

The question prompted laughter from the audience, and a giggling Shulman answered no and pointed to Ford's partner of 25 years, Richard Buckley. Read on to see how he responded and some of the best quotes from the rest of his talk.

On his sexuality: "I hate to use the words gay and straight, and I think we're all on some sort of sliding scale. Of course, I'm at the Richard Buckley end of the scale, but I hate that gay/straight thing."

On why it's important to be in his own ads: "I'm the face of the brand. With Chanel, you feel that Karl Lagerfeld's personality has really melded with Coco's - but not everyone knows yet who I am, so that's why I'm in the pictures. I don't like having my picture taken but it helps people to respond . . . My real life's not like the fantasy Tom Ford world, with naked girls pouring perfume everywhere. It's more staying in and watching Friends on television."

On staging presentations rather than runway shows: "The reason I present in a small, controlled way is that so much of what makes my clothes special is the cut, the stitching, the lining - things that would be lost on the catwalk. On the catwalk you have to exaggerate, almost."

On testing his line of cosmetics: "I put every single thing on - I don't wear it down the street, but I want to see how it covers, how it works. When you put your name on something, you want people to know you believe in it."

Heidi Klum's New Man, Vogue's First Festival, & Costello Tagliapietra's New Line

fashionologie — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:17:56 PDT

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Heidi Klum has been spotted in public with Thomas Hayo, an advertising executive who's also a judge on Germany's Next Top Model, which Klum hosts. Their public displays of affection have led some to believe Hayo is Klum's first romantic entanglement since splitting up with Seal. Klum and Seal had been married for almost seven years when they separated in January. Klum filed for divorce earlier this month. [The Fashion Spot]
Speaking of Top Model, Tyra Banks let three of ANTM's long-running cast members go this week. Nigel Barker, Jay Manuel, and Miss J. Alexander will not return to the show's 19th season. They've been replaced by Kelly Cutrone, Georgina Chapman, and Cat Deeley. Rumor has it that Bryanboy might make appearances on the next season, too. [Modelinia]
Friday was day one of Vogue UK's inaugural Vogue Festival. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana led one of today's sessions, but tomorrow will include talks with Diane von Furstenberg and Tom Ford, among others. Alexandra Shulman said she created the festival because she wanted to "analyze where fashion intersects with the world we live in." [The Chicago Tribune]
Costello Tagliapietra debuted its new lower-priced line of clothing, called C&T, at Barneys earlier this week. The dresses are all priced around $300, a mere fraction of what the main collection costs. [Racked]
Miranda Kerr turned 29 years old today. Celebrate by taking a look back at her laid-back, ultracool street style. [CelebStyle]

Photo: Heidi Klum with Thomas Hayo during the finale of Germany's Next Top Model in 2011.

Franca Sozzani's Marriage, Elle Macpherson's Birthday, and Dolce & Gabbana's New Roles

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:51:00 PDT

>> Get caught up on all of those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Did Vogue Italia Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani get marred and not tell anyone about it? The magazine's website posted a scan from the Ugandan newspaper Red Pepper, which pictures Sozzani sitting next to oil magnate Charles Mbire. The paper referred to Sozzani as Mbire's wife, but Sozzani said the newspaper had bad intel. "The marital status I prefer is being single," she said. [Vogue Italia]
Supermodel Elle Macpherson turned 48 today - and she still looks better than most people do at 24. [The Fab Life]
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have landed cameo roles in director Woody Allen's new film To Rome With Love, which debuts April 20. Penelope Cruz - the film's lead actress - will wear pieces from the duo's Spring 2012 collection in the film. [The Cut]
André Leon Talley has been off the airwaves since leaving the judging panel of America's Next Top Model, but soon he'll be back. In a new Bravo reality series - currently titled Fashion Stories of NYC - Tally will supervise competing teams of "emerging designers striving to build a business in New York City, which remains the heart of the fashion industry." [Fashionista]
Vogue UK Editor Alexandra Shulman has written her first book. Her new novel, Can We Still Be Friends, is about three pals who went to college together in the '80s, and afterward have to deal with what the real world does to their lives and their relationships with one another. [Fashion Etc.]

See Rumored Girlfriends Freja Beha Erichsen and Arizona Muse Together in New Editorial

fashionologie — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:37:14 PDT

>> Arizona Muse and Freja Beha Erichsen inspired rumors of a romantic relationship during the couture shows last month, and over the past few months, they have been captured embracing by Terry Richardson and featured together in two different Karl Lagerfeld-lensed editorials. Now, they pair up again for Mario Testino and Vogue UK's September 2011 issue in a shoot inspired by the Dutch Masters which Alexandra Shulman says "earns its place among Vogue classics." Beha Erichsen also serves as the magazine's September 2011 cover girl.

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Big Changes Atop British Vogue's Masthead

fashionologie — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:26:47 PDT

>> Two top editors at British Vogue have just departed the magazine within days of one another, after putting in many, many years under Alexandra Shulman. On Tuesday, creative director Robin Derrick announced via Twitter: "After 17 years I have decided to leave Vogue. Times of change and time for a change. New projects beckon....Exciting things ahead." And today, it was announced that fashion director Kate Phelan, who has been at the magazine since 1993, is leaving for a post as creative director of Topshop. [@robinderrick, @TheSTStyle, @Topshop]

The Royal Wedding Arrivals Have Started!

fashionologie — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:52:26 PDT

>> A little over an hour and we might get a first glimpse at Kate Middleton's wedding gown, but in the meantime, the guest arrivals have started. Among them so far: David Beckham in Ralph Lauren Purple Label (and top hat!) and a pregnant Victoria Beckham in a midnight blue dress of her own design with a Philip Treacy hat - speaking of, Treacy is outfitting 36 guests in total; official engagement portrait photographer Mario Testino - who reportedly had his camera confiscated; and Prince Harry's on/off girlfriend Chelsy Davy in a boatnecked emerald Alberta Ferretti dress. Expect to see lots of hats, fascinators and dresses with sleeves - exposing shoulders and heads in a sacred house of worship like Westminster Abbey, where the wedding ceremony is taking place, is considered improper.

The gallery will be updated as photos come in.

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What Victoria Beckham and Other Fashion Industry Guests (Plus Chelsy Davy) Are Wearing to the Royal Wedding

fashionologie — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:10:50 PDT

>> 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.

Prince Harry's on-and-off girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, has chosen two custom looks by Alberta Ferretti: For the ceremony, she went with an aqua green, bias reverse satin dress teamed with a matching faille silk jacket and for the reception party, she'll change into a one shoulder, midnight blue, crepe satin gown with cut-out back detailing, as shown in the sketch above.

"It has been very exciting and interesting working close to a girl invited to such a momentous event," Alberta Ferretti told Vogue UK of the dresses. "Chelsy is a contemporary girl, very determined but also charming and very feminine. Until the very last fitting she was undecided between two different daywear options for the ceremony, so there might be a last minute surprise!"

And finally, Alice Temperley is rumored to be dressing both the mother of the bride and her sister, the maid of honor Pippa Middleton. Temperley is still considered a frontrunner for the bridal gown, but her PR team says she is out of the country on a two-week holiday. As the Telegraph UK wonders: "Is this a double bluff? Is she really holed up at Buckingham Palace with a team of seamstresses?"

Kate Middleton Consulted Fashion Editors and Stylists Before Choosing Her Wedding Dress Designer

fashionologie — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:15:04 PST

>> Over the weekend, rumors popped up that Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton might be Kate Middleton's wedding dress designer of choice - and apparently lots of TV crews are on the scene at the McQueen show today, following up on the story.

Middleton is not known for her envelope-pushing fashion choices, but now, the Telegraph UK is reporting that shortly after Middleton announced her engagement last year, Buckingham Palace asked stylists and editors to name their "top choice" for the wedding dress designer. Among those approached, apparently, was British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, who happened to recommend McQueen.

Siri Tollerod Embodies Astrological Signs for Vogue UK December 2010; Alexandra Shulman Wants to Remain Editor Through 2016

fashionologie — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:03:13 PDT

>> Leave it to British Vogue to come up with a whimsical editorial that doesn't look like every other editorial ever. The spread, "Star Signs," shot by Tim Gutt in conjunction with stylist Kate Phelan and set designer Shona Heath, captures Siri Tollerod as each of the 12 astrological signs for the magazine's December 2010 issue.

Speaking of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman is coming up on 20 years as editor of the magazine in 2012, and in preparation, she says she's planning to give the magazine a redesign in March to make the format less rigid. Although, she specifies: "I'm more interested in Vogue's 100th anniversary than my 20th," indicating that she plans to stick around until at least 2016.

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Vogue UK Launching Fashion's Night In for Online Retailers

fashionologie — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:41:52 PDT

>> Fashion's Night Out may be Anna Wintour's event, but the Vogue UK team is piggybacking off the idea with the launch of Fashion's Night In, essentially a Fashion's Night Out for etailers.

The FNI event is set for Nov. 1 from 5 pm until midnight, during which participating online retailers like Asos, Net-a-porter, and Browns will come up with initiatives, discounts, and competitions to boost online traffic and sales. Net-a-porter, for instance, plans to launch a dedicated Party Boutique for the evening, filled with party dresses, shoes, and jewelry picked specifically for the occasion - and free shipping will be offered. Both etailers and shoppers can find out more information about participating on the event's dedicated site.