fashionologie

Watch: Coco Rocha Goes to Work for Target

Justin Fenner — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:10:06 PDT

Modeling takes serious skill, and one need look no further for proof of that than this video of Coco Rocha posing - sometimes in midair - for Target.

Part of Rocha's job as guest editor of the Target Style Tumblr included some strategic jumping in front of photographer Tony Kim's camera, which was captured in this mesmerizing video exploring what goes into a cover shot. Each time Rocha launches herself into the air, she creates a new expression with her body. Watch it right here.

Miuccia Prada: Perfectionist Party Planner?

Justin Fenner — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:14:15 PDT

Miuccia Prada has reportedly taken control of planning the Costume Institute's upcoming Met Gala - even down to the smallest details.

Prada has been quite vocal on everything from the guest list to what kind of alcohol those guests will drink. Sources told Alexa that when it came time for event planners to choose a beverage sponsor for the event, Prada insisted on an Italian Prosecco brand. She also decided on the location of the afterparty and has created an exclusive list of people who are allowed to wear her designs to the party. Gala cochair Carey Mulligan is said to be among them.

Met Gala veteran Coco Rocha, however, is not. According to Alexa, Rocha is bucking the trend of attending the gala with a designer, and will instead walk the red carpet with her husband James Conran. She plans to wear a vintage Givenchy dress she bought a few months ago. "This is actually the first time I've ever worn something that wasn't fitted by the designer himself," she said. "I did take the vintage Givenchy piece to my friend Zac Posen and to Vogue and they all agreed that it fits perfectly, no need for tailoring!"

Photo: Miuccia Prada and Anna Wintour announcing the Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibit during Fall 2012 Milan Fashion Week.

Coco Rocha Could Sue Elle Brazil For Not Honoring Her No-Nudity Policy

fashionologie — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:20:49 PDT

>> Coco Rocha took to her blog to express unhappiness with how naked she looks on Elle Brazil's May cover - but if she wanted, she could take her fight all the way to court.

Rocha wrote on Tuesday afternoon that even though the cover makes her look as though she's wearing nothing under a sparkly, sheer dress, she was actually wearing a bodysuit when the photo was taken. Rocha claimed her undergarment was "photoshopped out to give the impression of me showing much more skin than I was, or am comfortable with. This was specifically against my expressed verbal and written direction to the entire team that they not do so. I’m extremely disappointed that my wishes and contract was ignored."

But more than being disappointed, Rocha could also be litigious. Susan Scafidi, the founder of Fordham University's Fashion Law Institute, told Fashionologie that Rocha could bring legal action against the magazine. Scafidi knows Rocha through her position on the board of directors of the Model Alliance, an organization that finds ways to improve working conditions for models; Rocha herself is a member of its advisory board.

"If her policy against no nudity or partial nudity was part of her written contract, then she can sue for breach of contract and potentially collect monetary damages," Scafidi wrote in an email. "It's possible that she could ask a court to stop distribution of the magazine, but that would probably be a long shot."

Scafidi went on to write that Rocha could still sue even if she only verbally expressed her desire not to appear naked. If that's the case, Rocha "might have an action for breach of privacy, emotional harm or - since she has a general no-nudity policy - damage to her professional reputation."

It's rare for models to speak up when their work depicts them in a manner that makes them uncomfortable - perhaps because of fear that they'll lose future opportunities. But Scafidi says Rocha is "a giant among models," so calling Elle Brazil to task won't hurt her.

"She won't be dropped by her agency or shunned by potential employers for writing about the incident or hiring a lawyer," Scafidi wrote. "But the fact that a major magazine would ignore even Coco's efforts to have some control over her own image gives a sense of how little authority models really have."

Scafidi was quick to point out that lesser-known models would still have the law on their side, but the same wouldn't necessarily be said of the industry at large.

"The sad reality is that if an unknown girl objected to being undressed via Photoshop and spoke out publicly against the client, she might as well be skinned alive, professionally speaking," she wrote.

Zac Posen Z Spoke For Lord & Taylor

fashionologie — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:36:10 PDT

>> As far as Zac Posen is concerned, there's no reason his 12-piece Z Spoke collection for Lord & Taylor can't be as sensational as the gowns he creates for the red carpet.

"I don't believe that true trends actually come from high fashion down anymore," Posen said of his capsule collection of dresses, all of which are priced under $200. "I think that if you have the ability to create directly at that price point . . . that's really exciting because then you're addressing a much wider audience. And it makes it more fun."

For Posen, fun means colorful, straightforward dresses created with his core design principles in mind. "They're still flirty. They still have our signature construction in them," he said. "Sometimes we'll take out the lining of some of our couture gowns and even that on its own would just be an amazing dress."

But these dresses aren't just glorified crinolines - they're ways for new consumers to get more familiar with his work. Coco Rocha attended the capsule collection's launch party on Wednesday clad in a blazer from Posen's Target collaboration. She said the Lord & Taylor dresses were a smart move.

"For so long, no one could really relate to him," Rocha said. "It was all about really beautiful gowns and a romantic sort of fairy tale. I think this is appropriate, because now we all - even I! - can have a Zac Posen dress."

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This Week's Best Dressed

Christina Perez — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:04:46 PDT

>> Spring party season is in full swing, bringing New York's fash pack out in droves. On Thursday, Ferragamo feted the reopening of its gorgeous 5th Avenue flagship by inviting Solange Knowles - divine in head-to-toe Ferragamo, of course- to spin records for a well-heeled crowd that included Sarah Reynolds, Lauren Remington Platt, and Genevieve Jones.

Across the street, Cartier celebrated the opening of its "Cartier & Aldo Cipullo, New York City in the '70s" exhibit with a glam soiree that saw the likes of Arizona Muse, Lily Collins, and Charlotte Casiraghi. Later that evening, the party continued downtown, where Leigh Lezark (left) kept the crowd - which included Chanel Iman and Karlie Kloss, both in Cushnie et Ochs - dancing all night long.

See pics from those events - plus, knockout looks from Amanda Brooks, Crystal Renn, Coco Rocha, Karen Walker, and more at a bevy of other occasions - here, in our best-of-the-week slideshow.

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Watch the Complete Zac Posen Fall 2012 Runway Show

Christina Perez — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:18:56 PST

>> Coco Rocha and Lindsey Wixson look divine - and the dresses are pretty stunning too. Watch the complete runway presentation below, and for more Zac Posen, view our full runway gallery and review.

Peruse the Entire Karl Lagerfeld for Macy's Collection; Plus, A Peek at the Campaign

fashionologie — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:23:28 PDT

>> Karl Lagerfeld's 45-piece limited-edition collection for Macy's hits 235 of the retailer's stores and online later this month - on Aug. 31 - and finally, there's a look at more than just one dress from the line. The collection, which runs $50 to $170, stays much within Lagerfeld's designing comfort zone - lots of black and white with pops of pink, lots of high collars, several pieces showing off imagery of the designer himself. The full collection - plus a peek at the ad campaign, featuring Coco Rocha - in the slideshow.

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Zac Posen Resort 2012

fashionologie — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:01:38 PDT

>> The idea behind Zac Posen's Resort 2012 collection? American Royalty. "It's about how to be dressed up and poised, but still cool; Patti Smith in a gown and Penelope Tree in a trench," says Posen. The way Posen plays with silhouettes is a study in contrasts: a soft, buttercup-printed chiffon dress is gathered into bodice-hugging seams, only to be let loose in a flurry of ruffles at the hip; a peplum waistcoat with a second-skin fit gets a hit of volume at the sleeves with tiers of unfinished chiffon ribbons. But this is still classic Zac - with lots of show-stopping gowns on offer. The stand-out number? A 720-yard, hand-dyed vermillion confection with a swirling, mermaid train.

Click through to see the lookbook featuring Coco Rocha, who - according to Posen reps - did the whole 33-look shoot in under two-hours, finishing each shot in the length of time it took for a new song to play on the stereo.

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Models and Their Men Get In Front of the Camera for Vogue's February 2011 Issue

fashionologie — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:52:04 PST

>> In anticipation of Valentine's Day, Vogue had Patrick Demarchelier capture six models and their men for the February 2011 issue.

Among those featured: the newly affianced models Anja Rubik and Sasha Knezevic, who went to Central Park on their first official date. According to Rubik: "We actually came wearing identical Rag & Bone shirts and Helmut Lang jeans." There's Coco Rocha and her husband, James Conran, who are celebrating their first Valentine's Day married by going to see Prince - his favorite musician - in concert; and Angela Lindvall and Mark Wystrach, an actor and co-founder of People's Shoe (a line of eco-friendly footwear). They had their first date two years ago, Lindvall says - "We took his Volkswagen, went surfing, ate shrimp burritos" - and now reside together on seven acres in Los Angeles's Topanga Canyon, where they've planted an organic garden and 60 fruit trees.

Alessandra Ambrosio and her fiance, Jamie Mazur, who owns a denim company, met at a mutual friend's wedding in Rio de Janeiro. But they didn't start dating until two years later, when they ran into each other at Coachella. Ambrosio says of Mazur: "I always have new jeans, and because he has to follow trends, I get the best gifts - like Louboutins and vintage sunglasses. One Valentine's Day, he learned all my favorite Pearl Jam songs and serenaded me."

And rounding out the bunch, there's Aminata Niaria, who met Laurence Dennis (he works at British Embassy in Paris) at a Halloween party he hosted five years ago. He was a mummy, she was Catwoman. And models Bonnie Chen and Rock Ji, who met backstage two years ago at Beijing fashion show. Soon after, he surprised her by showing up at the University of Pennsylvania campus, where she was majoring in psychology.

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A Peek Inside Coco Rocha's Manhattan Apartment

fashionologie — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:51:59 PDT

>> Coco Rocha opened up her two-bedroom Gramercy Park, Manhattan apartment, which she bought three years ago and shares with her husband James Conran, to Vogue.com. Shown lining her walls are teapots she collects from "from all the different places I have been to for photo shoots - from Morocco to Michigan”; there's a photo (left) of Rocha, who explains it was a wedding present from Steven Meisel - "I’ve never liked hanging my model photos in my home, but this is an exception because it almost looks like a painting”; and on a table, a handbag piggy bank, which Rocha says is one of her favorite things: “I love how at first glance it looks like a YSL bag, but when you take a closer look you realize it actually reads, 'yove saved la rent.' It’s genius!” More photos at the link. [Vogue.com]