>> Miuccia Prada presented her newest animated short film, "Fallen Shadows," featuring the Fall 2008 Prada collection, a couple of nights ago in New York — and now you can watch it from the comfort of your own home. The sequence is not as creepy as the Spring 2008 oeuvre, "Trembled Blossoms," but there's definitely an otherwordly feel to it — and the Prada lace plays a starring role, of course.
>> For all the spectacle that was couture week, with John Galliano's voluminous transparency, Alessandra Facchinetti's debut for Valentino couture, and Christian Lacroix's buggy beauties, let us not forget the red carpet-ready Atelier Versace. Donatella may choose to show off her latest pleated, ruffled, and printed gowns by appointment only, but that doesn't mean we don't get to have a look later. Enjoy the collection, as modeled by Georgina Stojilkovic, complete with Donatella's sketches.
*image: source
>> Alessandra Facchinetti's first couture collection at Valentino represents a nerve-racking, generational hand-off, but Giorgio Armani was there in the front row to lend support and represent the old guard.
The collection had the palpable feel of a different designer, as it should — more structure and pared-down tailoring, with most of the detail left to the back of the garments, and more subdued colors than the pastels Valentino had been playing with. However, Alessandra did stay true to the three most guiding parts of the Valentino aesthetic: femininity, ruffles, and of course, Valentino red. In fact, that same Valentino red painted the final look of the collection — a stunning chiffon number.
*image: source
>> Transparency is still the word, in John Galliano's mind. The beanie-sporting designer had Lisa Fonssagrives, wife to Irving Penn and oft-credited as the first supermodel, in mind when producing his typical voluminous dresses, but with layers of light chiffon, rather than the heavier, stiffer fabrics Christian Dior couture has boasted in recent seasons.
Frequent collaborator Stephen Jones, meanwhile, looked to Eduardo Garcia Benito, famous for his '20s Vogue cover illustrations of women in cloches, when creating the accompanying skull cap-cum-cloches.
Peplums were aplenty and Galliano couldn't help himself, sneaking a little leopard print into the bunch. But the unifying thought with this collection seems to be: What will we see on newfound Dior client Carla Bruni-Sarkozy first?
*image: source, source
>> THE MODELIZER —Kate Moss may pop in during couture week at the beginning of July, but not for any catwalking. Her boyfriend's band, The Kills, has been booked to perform at the 60th anniversary bash for Longchamp on July 2. How convenient, considering that Kate is the face of Longchamp . . . [WWD]
*image: source
»Elle staffers are concerned that while the magazine's ad sales are dropping, Joe Zee is more focused on TV [Jezebel]
»Marc Jacobs is hanging a print of his Interview cover in his office [Chic Report]
»Naomi Campbell credits Yves Saint Laurent for getting her first Vogue cover [Vogue UK]
»Stefano Pilati is being mysterious about YSL's Resort 2009 collection: it's supposed to be an "innovative, new experience" [Chic Report]
»A first look at APC's Fall 2008 collection [Nylon]
»Du Juan makes her debut in a blurry Giorgio Armani Pre-Fall 2008 ad [TFS]
»Resort 2009 collections for Marc by Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, and Carolina Herrera [WWD, WWD, WWD, WWD]
>> At Rodarte, Laura and Kate Mulleavy riffed on "Japanese horror films" with agressively studded Louboutin shoes, deathly pale faces, and plenty of blood red.
I admit, before seeing Rodarte in motion — and in person — I was a little confused about the hype surrounding the label. But after seeing the loosely-woven tights, the angora dresses, the punky sugar plum fairies zig zag past, I am converted.
Not many designers can take two such contrasting looks — pretty, pretty princess and Sid Vicious — and make them mesh so well together. It was clear that the girls were still exploring a few elements from Spring: the Degas-esque tutu dresses, the studded shoes, the draped and pleated chiffon dresses, the metallic fitted pants; when I asked Kate about it, she told me they "were just trying to find [their] thing." But by no means were they mired in a past collection — and I look forward to seeing where the whimsical Mulleavy girls go from here.
*image: getty
