fashionologie

Double Cuffs

Christina Perez — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:16:00 PDT

>> For the past few seasons, the double cuff trend has been making waves - both on and off the catwalks. Though the look is hardly new (Coco Chanel did it in the '30s, Diana Vreeland in the '60s), Kate Lanphear, Amanda Brooks, and Taylor Tomasi Hill co-opted it a few seasons ago and it's been full-speed-ahead ever since. On the runways, Céline styled models with double cuffs for Fall 2010, and most recently the look popped up again at several key Resort 2012 collections. Here, we've tracked the chicest incarnations of the look through recent seasons - and gathered up a few pieces to help you steal this styling trick for yourself.

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Fashion in 50 Seconds 05/20/10 United Nude Opens in NY, Banana Republic Launches Chan Lu Collection

coutorture — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:43:07 PDT

More from Vanessa Paradis's stint as guest editor of Madame Figaro, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld.

The Spice Girl's Union Jack dress and Elizabeth Hurley's safety pin Versace gown make a top 10 list of most iconic dresses of the past 50 years.

Nicholas Vreeland, grandson of Diana Vreeland, is a Tibetan Buddhist monk and has been helping to coordinate the Dalai Lama's visits to New York since 1991. He called his late grandmother "Nonina," and when he first shaved his head in 1979 she said to him, "Oh, Nicky. How could you have done that to me?"

Banana Republic is launching a limited-edition jewelry collection, the brand's first, with Chan Lu.

Kirsten Dunst, Kim Cattrall, and Susan Sarandon will help unveil United Nude's New York flagship store tonight at 25 Bond Street.

The Picture of Dorian Leigh

fashionologie — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:51:15 PDT

>> If a five foot, five inch woman tried to be a model these days, she'd hardly be taken seriously. Sixty-odd years ago, it was a different story . . . at least for Dorian Leigh, it was.

Ms. Leigh, who passed away earlier this week at 91 after battling Alzheimer's, was widely considered one of the world's first supermodels. In fact, her life was full of firsts: she was one of the first models to be known by name, and after her own modeling career, she opened what is called the first modeling agency in Paris.

Though Dorian started her career late — when she was 27 in 1944, she met with Diana Vreeland, told her she was 19, and landed a Harper's Bazaar cover right then and there — she appeared on seven Vogue covers in the 1940s, and claimed to be earning a whopping $300,000 a year.

She played muse to numerous bold name photographers: Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Irving Penn — the last of whom she had an affair with, and may have been the inspiration for Holly Golightly in Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. But she didn't take her job too seriously, declaring in 1953: "I'd rather have a baby than a mink coat."
*image: source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source

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A Look at the Upcoming Yves Saint Laurent Exhibit

Christina Perez — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:52:30 PST

>>This Spring, the Denver Art Museum pays tribute to the legendary designer with Yves Saint Laurent, The Retrospective. Spanning over 40 years, the exhibit offers a complete look at Saint Laurent's career, style, and historical influence - starting with his first collection at Dior in 1958, all the way up to his final runway presentation in 2002. With over 200 haute couture pieces on display - including the very first Le Smoking - as well as photos, drawings, and films, the exhibit also examines YSL's relationship with other artists, his famous patrons - including Princess Grace of Monaco, Nan Kempner, Catherine Deneuve, and Diana Vreeland - and the exotic travels that inspired many of his collections. Click through to preview pieces from the exhibit - which runs from March 25 through July 8 - here.
At left, Yves Saint Laurent in his workshop, 1982. Getty.

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15 Gorgeous, Gift-Worthy Fashion Books

Christina Perez — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:44:56 PST

>> From recent releases to much-loved classics, these coffee table tomes promise to make the perfect addition to any fashion fiend's collection. Featuring drop-dead images from legendary photographers like Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, and Richard Avedon; insider info from industry icons Daphne Guinness, Carine Roitfeld, and Valerie Steele; and sublime collections from Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin, and more - these 15 books are some of the chicest to give this holiday season. After all, there's nothing like being well-dressed and well-read.

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Azzedine Alaia on Karl Lagerfeld's Bad Influence and Anna Wintour's Taste

fashionologie — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:17:52 PDT

>> Azzedine Alaia recently turned down one of fashion's most high-profile gigs, and now he has some choice words about two of fashion's most high-profile figures.

On Karl Lagerfeld: "Happily, women love me and buy my clothes, unlike Karl who’s never been loved like me! [Laughs.] . . . I don’t like his fashion, his spirit, his attitude. It’s too much caricature. Karl Lagerfeld never touched a pair of scissors in his life. That doesn’t mean that he’s not great, but he’s part of another system. He has capacity. One day he does photography, the next he does advertisements for Coca-Cola. I would rather die than see my face in a car advertisement. We don’t do the same work. And I think that he is not doing a favor to young [designers] who might think it works that way. They’re going to fall before they retire."

On Anna Wintour: "I said it before. She runs the business [of Vogue] very well, but not the fashion part. When I see how she is dressed, I don’t believe in her tastes one second. I can say it loudly! She hasn’t photographed my work in years even if I am a best seller in the US and I have 140 square meters at Barneys. American women love me; I don’t need her support at all. Anna Wintour doesn’t deal with pictures; she is just doing PR and business, and she scares everybody. But when she sees me, she is the scared one. [Laughs.] Other people think like me, but don’t say it because they are afraid that Vogue won’t photograph them. Anyway, who will remember Anna Wintour in the history of fashion? No one. Take Diana Vreeland, she is remembered because she was so chic. What she did with the magazine was great, with Avedon and all the great photographers. Vogue remains while its fashion editors come and go."

Diane von Furstenberg and Yvan Mispelaere Show a Glitzy and Glamorous Collection For Fall 2011

Chi Diem Chau — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:41:25 PST

>> Diane von Furstenberg and co-designer Yvan Mispelaere’s theme for DVF’s Fall 2011 collection was “American Legends,” specifically referencing Millicent Rogers, Diana Vreeland, and Gloria Vanderbilt, in which von Furstenberg explained as runway explorations of “rodeo, editor in chief, and society lady.” So it was only fitting to have a few leading ladies - Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Molly Sims, Fergie, and Maggie Q - sitting front row at the event yesterday to check out the eccentric and eclectic sea of colorful liquid sequin gowns, graphic gaucho wraps, print pajama suits, “like the ones I used to wear to Studio 54,” said von Furstenberg, along with leather jackets, and her signature wrap dresses.

High slits, an overarching theme thus far during Fashion Week, also made their way on the runway in addition to sleek silk tunic dresses styled with Western-inspired hats and stacked knee-high boots. Von Furstenberg's throwback references, like '70s-inspired pleated dresses, and modern, via a cropped star-embellished jacket, were seamlessly intertwined, creating a covetable collection for any stylefile.

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Vogue Feeling the Financial Burn, Will Anna Wintour Pay?

fashionologie — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:58:07 PDT

>> There's no question about it: Magazines are hurting in these economic times. The first, unofficial magazine circulation numbers are out for the first half of the year, and Anna Wintour could be in trouble.

Vogue and Teen Vogue (which is Anna's pet project) are both losing circulation by double-digit percentages (15.1% and 15.7%, respectively), beat only by Oprah's magazine O at 16.4%. Amy Gross, O's former editor-in-chief, supposedly voluntarily stepped down from her position in April, but these numbers suggest that perhaps the move was less than voluntary.

So is Anna Wintour's job on the line? The previous editor, Grace Mirabella, was ousted unexpectedly — the magazine was in good form at the time — at 58 after seventeen years in the saddle. And before Grace, Diana Vreeland was at the helm for eight years, replaced at 68. Anna, at 58, just passed the twenty-year milestone as Vogue's editor-in-chief, causing many to speculate that she's in the sweet spot for dismissal.

A recent New York Times profile of Conde Nast chairman Si Newhouse referred to Vogue as one of the "jewels in the Newhouse crown," and also mentioned that Si dislikes confrontation so much, a number of dismissed editors have said their first indication of trouble came when they were fired, which explains Grace Mirabella's abrupt discharge.

Vogue is one of Conde Nast's most profitable magazines, and Si is known for his "willingness to absorb years of losses on magazines he considers promising," sometimes choosing personal interest over the financial numbers, but will this apply to Vogue? It will, for sure, be interesting to see.
*image: source

fashion: the great equalizer

philleif — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:01:00 PDT

>> Vanessa Traina: Just your typical, high fashion-loving girl, except, you know, she attends the couture shows every season, and can afford everything she likes. What makes me say she's a typical fashion girl, you ask? Well, what super into-fashion girl do you know that most of these don't apply to? Case in point:

Her top 5 designers: Balenciaga, Givenchy, Alaia, Prada, Proenza Schouler

Her loves: High heels, leather, skinny pants, Tom Binns jewelry, the Spring 2008 Balenciaga gladiators, the Givenchy Nightingale, fashion photography

Her hates: Flip flops

In her apartment: Books by Andre Leon Talley, Diana Vreeland, Terry Richardson, Michael Thompson, Helmut Newton, etc.; Ads from Marc Jacobs, Dior . . .

Her dream vocation: Stylist

Other highlights: She likes to dress up for the day, prefers little to no makeup

Une fille un style, Vogue Paris May 2008: Vanessa Traina

*source: tfs

la bombe indeed

philleif — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:40:00 PDT

>> I've never really looked to Carolina Herrera as a source of inspiration, but after seeing a slide show of Herrera over the years, I love the Latin flair, the palpable Goya influence she draws from. No wonder Diana Vreeland called her "la bombe."

Top: L - 1955 at 16; R - 1973
Bottom: L - 1976, photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe; R - 1981

*images: style.com, wireimage