fashionologie

Amy Astley Found Out She Was Teen Vogue's Founding Editor Nine Days Before She Gave Birth

fashionologie — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:02:06 PST

>> Contrary to popular opinion, Amy Astley says, she didn't work under Anna Wintour when she was editor at House & Garden (HG, as it was called then). In fact, she only met Wintour the day the magazine was shuttered: "So I get the call the day HG closed, would I go and see Anna, and I said sure, of course . . . and they were like, ‘Today, right now.’ And that’s how I learned how Vogue operates - I was like, ‘Can I do it tomorrow? I have to get my outfit together!’ And HR was like, ‘No, she’s ready for you now, right now.’ So I toddled up there in my little Agnes B. T-shirt and my brand new Chanel ballet slippers that cost, like, a week’s salary." She was hired as beauty associate at Vogue and promoted soon after to beauty director: "I stayed at Vogue for nine years - I did four test issues of Teen Vogue, I edited Index - and I didn’t think Conde Nast was going to launch Teen Vogue, so I got pregnant for the second time, and Anna and Mr. [Si] Newhouse called me in. I was nine days away from giving birth - I was so fat. I had gained, like, forty pounds . . . I was huge! And they said, ‘We’re going to launch Teen Vogue, and we want you to edit it.’ I literally gave birth to my second child Ingrid as the magazine was being launched, so she and it are the same age - eight. I was 35 at the time." [Into The Gloss]

The City's Erin Kaplan Leaving Elle for Teen Vogue

fashionologie — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:18:01 PST

>> Erin Kaplan, Elle's PR director who played foil to Olivia Palermo on the now-cancelled The City, sent an email out to contacts earlier today that she is leaving the magazine for Teen Vogue. Kaplan spent over five years at Elle and has been named Teen Vogue's Senior Director of PR. Since editor Amy Astley hinted last year that Teen Vogue is developing a new TV show, many are drawing the conclusion that Kaplan's jump - given her TV experience - may be related. [Fashionista, The Cut]

New York Treated to a Karl Lagerfeld Appearance at Chanel's Soho Store Re-Opening Last Night

fashionologie — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:07:17 PDT

>> Baptiste Giabiconi was rumored to make his singing debut at the Chanel Soho store party in New York last night - Karl Lagerfeld is reportedly pushing him to be a pop star - but apparently he got cold feet. Instead, guests were treated to the redone store, cordoned off from the public by a LED display wall playing Chanel videos and brimming with editors (Sally Singer, Robbie Myers, Cecilia Dean, Amy Astley); models (Heidi Mount, Jessica Stam, Magdalena Frackowiak, Anja Rubik, Freja Beha Erichsen, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Erin Wasson, Shalom Harlow, Crystal Renn); and Chanel favorites like Poppy Delevigne, Caroline Sieber, Diane Kruger, Liv Tyler, Courtney Love, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Alexa Chung, who was DJing the party, asked last night if she could buy the new Chanel Les Khakis nail polish (which came out today), but she was told she had to wait until this morning to pick it up. And before Lagerfeld arrived, publicists scraped graffiti stickers, posters, and fliers off the scaffolding by the red carpet. They even had box cutters to scrape off tape and remnants. But that wasn't the only prep done in anticipation of Lagerfeld's arrival: The Daily reports from sources working in the building that houses the Soho boutique that Lagerfeld also demanded his own private bathroom to use during the party, and thus, one was built.

Waiters stood by holding trays of Chanel-logoed spray paint cans which could be used to tag a LED wall near the store's entrance, and the gift bag held a silk scarf printed with a polar bear among camellias. Lagerfeld also took the opportunity to show off his new discovery, 19-year-old French singer Izia, who took the stage at the party (thus intimidating Giabiconi).

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Karlie Kloss Scores May 2010 Cover of Teen Vogue, Has Crush on Tom Brady

fashionologie — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:52:40 PDT

>> It's rare for a model to score an only-girl Teen Vogue cover -the most recent one that comes to mind is Gemma Ward's February 2006 cover for the magazine - but Karlie Kloss has done just that with the May 2010 issue of Teen Vogue. 17-year-old Kloss racked up more than more than 150,000 airline miles in the last year, scored the finale spot in Jason Wu's show for the last four seasons running - "She's my lucky closer," the designer says - and has been tapped by many as the next heir to the supermodel throne.

But Karlie is still "just Karlie," one of her friends from home in St. Louis says. She has made sweets for Teen Vogue's Amy Astley and Alexander Wang, the latter who says: "She baked me peanut butter cookies when she came in for her fittings." And she's always accompanied by an adult - her English teacher came with her to the Paris couture shows last Summer, and her Uncle Keith, who Karlie describes as a "big bodyguard" type, has traveled with her as well. "I need that support," Karlie told Teen Vogue. "I don't want to be on my own yet. I'm not ready for that."

Kloss idolizes Christy Turlington and eventually wants to get "some sort of medical degree. Something that would allow me to visit third-world countries and help children." But when it comes to what she looks for in a boyfriend, another supermodel's tastes come to mind: "If Tom Brady ever becomes single, or if he has a brother, or someone Tom Brady-ish . . ." She smiles and adds with a wink, "Don't tell Gisele."

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fashionologie — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:13:26 PDT

>> Teen Vogue Working on New TV Show - Teen Vogue ducked out of their The Hills partnership more than a couple of seasons ago, but from what Amy Astley told FIDM students in Los Angeles Monday, it sounds like magazine isn't done with television - they're working on a new show. No further details were given, but it sounds like the show won't center around Amy - she also noted during the talk that she didn't appear often on The Hills because “I don’t want to be a media personality. I’ve seen people laughed off Madison Avenue for taking the reality star route, it can really backfire." [Jazzi McG]

Anna Wintour Hates on Reality TV Some More In Teen Vogue's Upcoming Handbook

fashionologie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:47:28 PDT

>> Vogue staffers purportedly aren't allowed to wear flats to the office - although that might be changing now that Anna Wintour wears them to events - but she's standing firm in her stance against reality TV.

In The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in Fashion, out Oct. 5, advice on how to get into the industry from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Bruce Weber, and Patrick Demarchelier is featured; as for Anna's "words of wisdom":

"Don't go too fast. Because of reality television, everyone imagines they can just be a fashion designer, photographer, or model. That's not the way things go. Learn your craft."

She also doesn't want people going into fashion because it's the cool thing to do:

“Do your homework, go online, visit every museum, and intern. You just need to have a love for what you’re doing. It’s not about thinking that it’s the cool thing; it’s about really believing in it.”

Karl Lagerfeld seems to advise against the industry »

Burberry Brings Rain, A New Skyline Addition to New York

fashionologie — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:56:28 PDT

>> New York Mayor Bloomberg declared yesterday "Burberry Day," in honor of the lighting of the brand's logo atop its new US headquarters - watch a video of it going down here - and the weather complied with rain, appropriate for a brand known for their trench coats. "I was worried about the drizzle before, but now I love it," said Christopher Bailey, in town to celebrate. "It's all very English."

Christopher arrived to the unveiling last night with Lily Donaldson on his arm, who grinned and gushed about being "a Burberry girl" and "part of the [Burberry] family." He went on to explain what an honor it it is to have the Burberry logo lit in the first place: "It's one of only six grandfathered buildings in New York where you can do that, so it's a big deal for us to be able to affect the iconic Manhattan skyline, which I love."

The excitement seems to have made him chatty - he covered a range of topics, from admitting that he dyed his hair blue once to discussing advertising fees - like Mario Testino's, which runs $140,000 a day: "You’re buying talent. And I think talent never goes away with the changing economy, and talent is something we all need to keep nurturing."

Models (Hilary Rhoda, Helena Christensen) mingled with editors (Kate Lanphear, who apparently has dyed her hair black underneath, Amy Astley, Cecilia Dean) and it girls (Byrdie Bell, Alexa Chung, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Harley Viera-Newton), and the mix left at least one girl confiding that she didn't recognize Blake Lively - Lily Donaldson, who admitted: "I don't watch Gossip Girl. But you can't blame me. I don't even own a TV at the moment!"

The celebration seemed a success, except for skimping in one area. An alcohol shortage kicked in around 9:30 pm, leaving one guest unhappy: "That's the driest party I've ever been to." Same goes for Harley, Leigh Lezark, and Derek Blasberg, The Cut tweeted: "The party has run out of glasses, and the trio is displeased."

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fashionologie — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:15:56 PDT

>> THE MODELIZER -Late last week, it floated around that Kate Moss's room party at the Ritz Paris during Fashion Week got so boisterous, a neighboring editor had to switch rooms in the middle of the night, and management had to apologize to guests on her behalf the following morning. Now we know who the unlucky editor was: Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Amy Astley. [The Moment Twitter, FWD, FWD]

*image: source

Chanel Mobile Art Opening Misses Anna Wintour, Brings Back McBeha

fashionologie — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:11:49 PDT

>> Despite a scathing review in The New York Times yesterday, the" black hole of bad art and superficial temptations," otherwise known as the Chanel Mobile Art exhibition, brought out the well-heeled last night. Editors were in full force - Carine Roitfeld and Franca Sozzani swarmed Karl Lagerfeld upon his arrival, Glenda Bailey and Amy Astley made early cameos - but there was no Anna Wintour in sight . . . nor Bee Shaffer for that matter. Strange, considering how close they are with Karl - Bee was at the Versace-hosted Whitney gala the night before, but no Anna there either. But speaking of missing persons - Catherine McNeil and Freja Beha Erichsen fans will be happy to know that after their well-documented disappearances during Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, they've popped up again - together, no less.
*image: source, source

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fashionologie — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:44:38 PDT

>> FASH INSTITUTE — We've flipped through plenty of tomes courtesy of Vogue, but come Fall 2009, its little sister is offering up The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in the Fashion Industry. Written by Amy Astley with Lauren Waterman, the book will include interviews with designers (including Marc Jacobs), photographers, stylists, and others about their careers in fashion, accompanied by photographs and tips from the Teen Vogue staff. [Fashionista, Publishers Weekly]
*image: source