fashionologie

Lindsay Lohan and Estrella Archs's First Emanuel Ungaro Collection for Spring 2010: The Reviews Are In (And Not Pretty)

fashionologie — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:50:41 -0700

>> Three weeks after they were tasked with designing the Spring 2010 Emanuel Ungaro collection, Estrella Archs and artistic advisor Lindsay Lohan took their runway bow - the former dragging the teary latter by the hand - yesterday to a beefed-up photographer's pit and an audience, many of whom just came because of the expected spectacle.

The result wasn't pretty: the collection's super-short minidresses and heart-shaped pasties peeking out of blazers and on the models' foreheads were ruled "a bad joke of a fashion show" by Style.com. Lohan's involvement was compared to "a McDonald’s fry cook taking the reins of a three-star Michelin restaurant" by the New York Times's Eric Wilson. Fabien Baron's take? "Call the fashion police!” And Harper's Bazaar's Glenda Bailey wouldn't even comment: “You know, if you don’t mind, I have to run out the door.” Even Dree Hemingway weighed in: "the first half might as well be alex wang last spring and i did see [Lohan] sporting that hot pink blazer of his..."

Lohan, who is reportedly being paid millions by Ungaro, called the show "the hardest thing I've ever done." Beforehand, she selected $150,000 worth of Ungaro clothes at the Paris flagship with CEO Mounir Moufarrige's blessing, supposedly cancelling an interview with Suzy Menkes. Some expect her to be gone before next season - even though she already said she was sketching for the next collection - but her contract is multiyear, and Moufarrige said his main goal in hiring her was to generate publicity, noting that he was suprised criticism hasn't been more negative. And even after the wave of bad reviews came out yeseterday, Ungaro's owner Asim Abdullah was defiant that either Lohan reignites the long-struggling Ungaro, or “we go down in a blaze of glory. Or unglory."

fashionologie — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:50:50 -0700

>> INSIDER WIRE -Even more shifts are happening at Interview in the wake of Fabien Baron's comeback: editor-in-chief (and V alum) Christopher Bollen, left, is to be editor-at-large, and executive editor Stephen Mooallem, who has been at the magazine for six years, is to be installed as editor. Meanwhile, Karl Templer's return as creative director is still said to be imminent. [WWD]

fashionologie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:45:19 -0700

>> INSIDER WIRE -Some are surprised that Fabien Baron is being welcomed back at Interview, given the magazine's financial state and that Baron was originally let go because he was going over budget. Apparently, fashion director Joe McKenna - who is expected to leave - cancelled a recent shoot on grounds of nonpayment, creative directors Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak of M/M Paris quit because they are owed three months pay plus expenses, and a number of retouchers and photographers are owed, including Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, who have not been paid for their August 2009 cover story. [FWD]

fashionologie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:52:25 -0700

>> 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]

fashionologie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:34:06 -0700

>> 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 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:10:39 -0700

>> BLOWING THE COVER -M/M Paris's revamp of Interview, complete with new handwritten logo (influenced by the one used in the '70s) and new layout (which supposedly includes less model-heavy fashion editorial), debuts with the April 2009 issue featuring Zac Efron. There seems to be no hard feelings between Fabien Baron and one half of M/M Paris, Michael Amzalag, but the graphic design duo, together with newly-named fashion director Joe McKenna (who replaces Karl Templer) have their work cut out for them: ad pages dropped 27 percent in 2008, and another 38 percent in the first quarter of 2009. [WWD]

fashionologie — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:53:51 -0800

>> INSIDER WIRE -Despite Interview going under a full revamp from Fabien Baron's design for its May 2009 issue under the care of new creative directors M/M Paris, all seems amicable between the two - Purple's Olivier Zahm snapped Baron wishing half of M/M Paris, Michael Amzalag, luck backstage at Prada. [Purple Diary]

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

fashionologie — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:32:17 -0800

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

fashionologie — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:54:46 -0800

>> 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

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:49:58 -0800

>> INSIDER WIRE -Slightly over a year after Fabien Baron left Vogue Paris to become co-editorial director at Interview, he has left the magazine and is taking creative director Karl Templer with him. No more details have been released thus far - maybe they got poached by W, which Karl often styles for? - but this news seems surprising, since Baron and Templer's first full-blown issue was just last September. [WWD]