fashionologie

Stefano Tonchi on W Creative Director Jody Quon's Exit

fashionologie — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:25:56 PDT

>> W is not looking to fill the creative director position that creative director Jody Quon left empty after only three full issues and six months at the magazine. While Quon couldn't be reached for comment, editor Stefano Tonchi shed some light on why Quon might have exited her position: "I really came back 10 days ago [from the fashion shows in Europe] and there was a lot of tension in the office, much more than before."

He added that he was "very sad, very sad" to see her go, and that Quon's reasons for leaving were "very much that she didn't feel comfortable anymore and kind of agreed that it was maybe not the best match." When asked to elaborate on whether the tension resulted from a culture clash or a personality clash, Tonchi said he couldn't speak for Quon, but surmised: "Probably both." He continued: "From my side, I was very happy with what she has done with the magazine, and I appreciate her professionally, and, more than that, her elegance . . . I respect her decision. I accepted it."

As The Daily points out, "Quon had to contend with Baron & Baron wunderkind Joseph Logan, a skilled design director who appears to favor the austere aesthetic pioneered by Fabien Baron. (He's bringing on a new art director from Baron & Baron in the next few weeks to replace Nathalie Kirsheh, who recently decamped to Details.) And the third party to consider: fashion director Alex White, whose relationships with photographers like Mert & Marcus and Inez & Vinoodh are a valuable asset that Tonchi doesn't take lightly. Widely considered to be among the best stylists in the business, White is not known to take a backseat role in creative decision-making."

Karl Lagerfeld, Still Feeling the (Self-)Love

fashionologie — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:02:07 PDT

»When it comes to good causes, Karl Lagerfeld supports himself [Fashionista]

»Jil Sander may be for sale again; Would Kanye West cough up for ownership? [WWD, FWD]

»Brian Reyes was well-repped at The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 premiere last night [Chic Report]

»Nick Knight joins Naomi Campbell in taking a stand [The Cut]

»Julia Restoin-Roitfeld met boyfriend Magnus Berger at Fabien Baron's Baron & Baron, where he still works [FWD]

»Project Runway's Austin Scarlett: Like a poor man's Yves Saint Laurent [FabSugar]

»A preview of Sasha Pivovarova in Fashion Rocks [The Cut]

Fabien Baron, Karl Templer Starting New Magazine and M/M Paris to Interview?

fashionologie — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:54:46 PST

>> Yesterday's surprising news came in the form of co-editorial director Fabien Baron leaving Interview and taking creative director Karl Templer with him. Today's surprising news? Also about Fabien Baron - it's rumored that he may be launching his own publication with Templer.

Brant Publications released a statement in response to their exits today, confirming that Baron "decided to resign in order to focus on [his agency Baron & Baron]" and Templer resigned "in order to focus on other projects."

Baron also commented on his move - "now it’s time to focus all my energy on my own business and the many clients that have been loyal to me over the years" - but does his "own business" include a new magazine, as the buzz among his colleagues indicates? His "many clients" - which include luxury brands that Baron directs and sometimes even photographs ads for - could, as Gawker points out, allow Baron to be "especially well positioned to land what remains of [luxury print advertising]."

Meanwhile, back at Interview, M/M Paris, who just like Fabien Baron are well known for their work with Vogue Paris and luxury advertising, are said to be taking over creative direction.
*image: source

Cost Cutting, Mainstream Pressure Caused Fabien Baron's Interview Exit

fashionologie — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:32:17 PST

>> Now that the news of Fabien Baron and Karl Templer's departures from Interview has had a chance to sink in, a little background on the breakdown. According to sources close to the magazine, Baron, who also owns agency Baron & Baron, spent too little time in the office and too much money on shoots. Fabien's co-editorial director, Glenn O'Brien, seems to confirm these reports: "Fabien is a busy man. We haven’t seen him a lot up here. We have to have our needs met here.”

That, in addition to the fact that "he comes with a big price tag," especially in a time of falling ad pages, did not bode well. His pricy fashion spread expenditures did not mesh well as Interview's bottom line went lower than expected, and supposedly, Baron began to feel pressure from Brant Publications to cut costs, "take the magazine more mainstream, popular, and Hollywood." Although Baron hung up on WWD when asked for a comment, he and Templer, who chose to leave when Baron was pushed out, "tried to come to terms and were very disappointed at having to leave."

According to Glenn O'Brien, the parting wasn't so pretty: “In any creative enterprise, there’s always screaming." But until April, when M/M Paris take over creative direction of the issues . . .
*image: source

Fabien Baron Predicts Emmanuelle Alt's Vogue Paris Will Be "More Commercial"

fashionologie — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:32:09 PST

>> Vogue Paris's newly-named editor Emmanuelle Alt is not expected to make big changes to the magazine when she takes over from Carine Roitfeld - she did work as Roitfeld's fashion director for ten years, after all. But Fabien Baron, who was Vogue Paris's creative director until two years ago, said he thought Alt might make the magazine more accessible to readers: "She’s more commercial than Carine - in a good way. She’s looser, more connected to the street.”

As for whether Alt was the right choice for the job, Baron replied: “That’s the question that remains.” He added that she was the logical choice, given her contacts with top photographers and within the fashion establishment, and given that she has had ample time and training to know what kind of magazine she wants.

Fabien Baron Fashions: The Line You'll Never See

fashionologie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:20:45 PDT

>> Earlier this year, when Fabien Baron left his post as creative director at Vogue Paris to become an editorial director at Interview, people were unnerved, worried that the winning formula in place at VP would be upset.

As Fabien tells it in a new interview with Hint, he and Carine Roitfeld still talk, but he was ready to move on: "I felt like there were no options left in France to do something important at that time. So I left."

As for Interview, which is officially relaunched in September, "it will be a total redesign."

"The size is new, the paper is new. I think the photography and attention to all the details will be new."

And Stephanie Seymour, newly named contributing fashion editor at Interview (and wife of the magazine's owner), will "be like a muse for the magazine."

"She'll come up with ideas, do some interviews, help us, with anything actually. She's also very charismatic, with very good opinions on things."

But he's not so optimistic about the state of fashion as a whole.

There's definitely a lack of quality going on, a lack of craftsmanship, a lack of intellect. There's also a search for ideas. Things don't look as good as they should. What happened was you had these big luxury brands that advertised themselves really well and opened mega-stores. They've put out a lot of smaller products of a lower grade and communicated those products at a lower common denominator. Then you have mass-market companies like H&M, Gap and Banana Republic that are trying to go up. So today, if you look at the advertising for the two sides, if you remove the logos, what you're looking at is very similar. This overlap has created a blend. High and low are not so different anymore. We have to deal with it.

Speaking of fashion brands, he's been asked to start his own but "said no to all of them."

"It's too complicated. I'm good at branding. I wouldn't know what button to use. I've thought about it, though, but I'm not interested."

Now that's something to respect, someone who knows what he's good at and sticks to it.
*image: source

fashionologie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:34:06 PDT

>> INSIDER WIRE -If editorial director Glenn O'Brien leaves Interview as rumored, Fabien Baron might be back to run the show. While the magazine's owner Peter Brant is embroiled in a messy divorce, his son, Brant Publications' new president Ryan Brant, is said to be running the show and wants Baron, who was popular with advertisers, back. Discussions between Baron and Brant have gone far enough that Baron has approached top talent about returning to Interview with him. [FWD]

fashionologie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:52:25 PDT

>> INSIDER WIRE -As rumored, Fabien Baron is coming back into the Interview fold as editorial director, replacing former co-editorial director Glenn O'Brien. Baron was originally fired in January and took creative director Karl Templer with him. After he left, the logo revamp he did was replaced and Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzalag of M/M Paris were brought in as creative directors. Baron is said to be talking to top talent about coming back with him - M/M Paris do not appear to be currently working on the August 2009 issue and are expected to leave the magazine - will he revert the logo as well? [WWD, FWD]

Industry Players on Who They Want to See at Christian Dior; A Decision Isn't Expected for Some Time

fashionologie — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:56:09 PST

>> There's been plenty a rumor about who might succeed John Galliano at Christian Dior, and in the video above, insiders give their two cents on who they think will take the role. While the Vogue contingent won't comment, Fabien Baron suggests Riccardo Tisci or Haider Ackermann, Stefano Tonchi offers up Peter Dundas's name, and Cathy Horyn opines, "People talk about Riccardo Tisci, [but he's] too gloomy for Dior," saying she'd instead like to see Tom Ford, Raf Simons, or Alber Elbaz.

Despite all the speculation, Dior is apparently in no hurry to name a successor; it's also not legally able, under French employment regulations, to do so until the process to terminate Galliano - which can take several weeks - has been completed. “There won’t be any choice for quite a while,” according to one source familiar with LVMH. “They’re receiving offers.”

Among the candidates Bernard Arnault's advisers have been pitching, according to WWD sources: Haider Ackermann, Hedi Slimane and Riccardo Tisci. Delphine Arnault, deputy managing director at Dior and Bernard Arnault's daughter, is said to be partial to Tisci. And overtures were apparently recently made to Ackermann as a possible candidate for Dior, or to succeed Tisci at Givenchy if he moves to Dior.

See Lara Stone's New Calvin Klein Collection TV Commercial

fashionologie — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:10:35 PST

>> For the first time ever, Calvin Klein Collection is getting its own TV commercial - a rarity for designer collections - and Calvin Klein face Lara Stone stars in it, alongside Tyson Ballou. There are 15-, 30-, 60- and 90-second spots, directed by Fabien Baron and filmed in La Jolla, California, which will be unveiled on television during pre-Golden Globes red carpet coverage on Sunday, run through the live Globe awards broadcast, and then continue to be shown after the awards in 200 additional times.

And it seems that this commercial has legs - Calvin Klein CEO and president Tom Murry expects the clip to be usable well past the Spring 2011 season: “We feel it has a fairly extensive shelf life and we can run it again this year, or next year. This is iconic Calvin product. We can run it in Milan or in Tokyo, or around a store-opening event, for instance. It really has multiple usages.”