fashionologie

Calvin Klein Pre-Fall 2012

fashionologie — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:31:28 PST

>> Nary a pant was in sight at Francisco Costa's Pre-Fall 2012 Calvin Klein show. Pleated skirts, emphasized shoulders, and nipped-in waists were painted in a palette of khaki, mahogany, and gray with a pop of orange.

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Calvin Klein Spring 2012

fashionologie — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:31:41 PDT

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Calvin Klein Resort 2012

fashionologie — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:27:14 PDT

>> Some of Calvin Klein's most recent memorable red carpet moments have involved vivid colors or metallic sheen, but neither were present in Francisco Costa's Resort 2012 collection, which is instead washed in a sea of white, black, navy, and icy gray. Monochrome the collection may be, but not monotonous: the finale halter dresses earned more than a few fans as the models clomped by in their white-soled sandal flatforms.

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Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, and More React to Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress

fashionologie — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:45:54 PDT

>> Vera Wang was on CNN this morning, weighing in who she hoped designed Kate Middleton's dress; but, now that it's been revealed to be Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton, how do Burton's other designing colleagues rate the dress? (And one can't help but wonder what Alexander McQueen would have thought of a partnership between his label and Middleton, given that he once famously wrote "I am a c*nt" in the lining of a jacket destined for Prince Charles.) But without further ado . . .

Karl Lagerfeld: “[Middleton] is very elegant. The dress is classic and goes very well in the Westminster decor. It almost reminds me of (Queen) Elizabeth’s wedding, the royal weddings in the '50s. The proportion of the train is good. The lace is very pretty. I like the veil a lot.”

Christian Lacroix: “I like the dress very much, simpler than expected: A combination just in between 1956 Grace Kelly and 1947 Queen Elizabeth dress. I love the modest veil with the Queen Mother’s '30s scroll tiara and balanced volume of the whole gown. She’s radiant; she never was so beautiful. And Prince William’s red Irish uniform is gorgeous.”

Hubert de Givenchy: “The dress is very simple and very nice. The veil is a little flat, but because she has such a lovely face, she can afford to wear it this way. She is very pretty.”

Peter Copping of Nina Ricci: “Very much in a royal tradition, reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth’s - and a little bit Grace Kelly. She looks happy, radiant, and natural.”

Donatella Versace: "Kate's dress was beautiful. She looked very regal."

Prabal Gurung: “I thought it was pretty and appropriate. A high-profile wedding like this is not the place for making a crazy fashion moment. It sounds like an oxymoron but it was a personal moment in a very public place. The dress clearly said she’s a modern girl and of this generation. It was not McQueen at its theatrical sense but McQueen in its quiet but beautiful sense. I loved the bustle and how her silk tulle veil was moving softly in the wind.”

Jason Wu: “I thought Catherine’s dress looked stunning. The details were very well done and I loved the emphasis on craftsmanship and the use of British talent. Her choice to pay tribute to Alexander McQueen was both touching and exciting.”

Viktor & Rolf: “Kate’s dress was simply elegant. Her hair down was a beautiful and natural touch, and the tiara was stunning. She looked as at ease as humanly possible and was radiant. Our compliments.”

Diane von Furstenberg: “The dress was beautiful. I think she is irresistible, she is so beautiful. I am happy it was McQueen. It was absolutely the right thing to do. They made [the dress] simple, so it wasn’t costumey but a beautiful evening gown. I was happy for Sarah, happy for the Met, and happy for McQueen."

Tory Burch: “Kate looked stunning. Choosing Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen reflects Kate’s modern aesthetic and style, but the handmade lace details and craftsmanship are a great nod to British tradition. The lace, the clean lines of the dress, Queen Elizabeth’s tiara - every detail was stunning.”

Donna Karan: “The dress was extremely elegant. For me, it wasn’t so much about the dress though, it was all about her. She was the most beautiful bride in the world.”

Francisco Costa: “Kate’s dress had a classic elegance with a modern edge. The superb detailing really characterized Sarah’s expert hand.”

Oscar de la Renta: “She looked absolutely ravishing. She looked like a bride should look and she handled herself tremendously. And they look like a much loving couple. I am happy to see fresh blood coming into the family. It was a very traditional, beautiful dress which it needed to be for that kind of wedding. Most of all she devastated with her charm. Listen, she will wear anything and will look ravishing.”

Valentino: “I loved the dress . . . it was very simple and young even if a hint of Grace Kelly's dress spoke of 1950s! I loved the flounce on the back of the skirt and the little decoration all around the short veil. I loved the choice of the tiara: simple, pretty, very right for the dress and for her attitude . . . it was used almost as an hairpiece to keep the hair and the veil, not as a heavy decoration. Compared to the famous Diana’s dress, Diana’s was a dress of a fairy-tale princess . . . still a dress everybody remembers. Kate’s one is a very pretty, modern dress that will be copied everywhere but lacks that fairy-tale element. Today most of the new princesses are young, modern, nonroyal women who have clear ideas, independence from stiff protocol . . . they want to be themselves and not anymore a symbol of the crown.”

Reed Krakoff: “I thought the dress was very modern. It bridged the gap between modern and youthful, and was respectful to the position she is in. It didn’t look to traditional or expected though. I particularly liked the neckline. It was more youthful than I expected. The fact that the bodice was fitted and formfitting was great, because she is a beautiful young woman and it accentuated that.”

2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Winners Billy Reid, Prabal Gurung, and Eddie Borgo Come Home with Newly-Increased Cash Prizes

fashionologie — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:39:46 PST

>> Last night, the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners were announced, but before they could be named during the dinner gala at New York's Skylight Studios, the results were leaked on WWD's Twitter: Billy Reid won outright, and Prabal Gurung and Eddie Borgo were both named runners-up.

Style.com's Nicole Phelps wrote that the results were a bit of a surprise: "Many in the audience had pegged Gurung and Joseph Altuzarra as the front-runners." But nevermind: the prizes were even bigger this year, with Reid granted $300,000 (up from $200,000), and Borgo and Gurung each taking $100,000 (up from $50,000). "The main prize is the mentoring we provide," CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg noted of the increase, "but a little cash never hurts."

The rest of this year's finalists - Christian Cota, Robert Geller, Oliver Helden and Paul Marlow of Loden Dager, Pamela Love of Pamela Love Jewelry, Moss Lipow and Gregory Parkinson - were treated to a keynote speech by Karl Lagerfeld, who talked about how much fun Yves Saint Laurent was "before Pierre Berge" and advised: "Young goes. But good? If you're good, it may all last."

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CFDA Hosts Parties Two Nights in a Row - A Design Challenge at Anna Wintour's House and a Book Launch

fashionologie — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:52:53 PDT

>> The CFDA has had a busy last couple of nights. The 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists, which include Eddie Borgo, Pamela Love, Joseph Altuzarra, and Christian Cota, gathered at Anna Wintour's house on Wednesday night with their model muses for the design challenge cocktail party, which this year required a look for a working woman, inspired by Ann Taylor. Photos of the event can be seen here, and a video of the the finalists presenting to this year's judges can be seen here.

And last night, designers like Francisco Costa - with Bianca Jagger on his arm, Subversive Jewelry's Justin Giunta, Peter Som, and Yigal Azrouel braved the torrential rain to toast the CFDA and Assouline's latest tome, American Fashion Designers at Home. CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg didn't make it - she's been temporarily bedridden with a cold - but plans are already in place for the next CFDA and Assouline collaboration: American Fashion: Designers on the Go, due out in Spring 2011, which will encompass travel guide tips, suggestions, and personal photos of favorite vacation places from designers.

Current Calvin Klein Face Zoe Saldana Wants to Collaborate with Prabal Gurung

fashionologie — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 08:55:44 PDT

>> Zoe Saldana, who was named the Fall 2010 Calvin Klein Underwear face in July and is a longtime devotee of the brand, was recently asked with whom she would most like to co-design a dress or line. Her reply? Not Francisco Costa. "Prabal Gurung has been a very good friend for many years. I am in awe of the way he has carried himself and his designs recently. It would be amazing to collaborate with him." [MyFDB.com]

Gisele Bundchen On Auctioning Her Custom Calvin Klein Dress - "Who is going to fit THIS?"

fashionologie — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 07:41:22 PDT

>> While her husband Tom Brady became the highest paid NFL player in history earlier this month, last night, Gisele Bundchen pledged $50,000 of her own money to the Brazil Foundation at a gala for the organization in New York. Not only that, but the custom Calvin Klein dress Francisco Costa made her for the event was sold right off her back to a Brazilian millionaire for another $50,000 - at the thought of someone buying her dress, she apparently quipped: "Who is going to fit THIS?" [NY Post, @derekblasberg, @jimshi809]

Fashion's Night Out's Fashion Show Featured a Dancing Gisele, a Rapping Pharrell, and a Whole Lot of Designer Duds

fashionologie — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:30:24 PDT

>> The audience at tonight's Fashion's Night Out fashion show wasn't limited to the 1,500 ticket-holders - crowds gathered behind police barricades across the street from the Lincoln Center Plaza for a glimpse of New York City's largest fashion show. Those who were lucky enough to nab tickets to the show were treated to a concentric-circled runway setup, with rows no more than two deep. Not only that, but among the audience was a large smattering of designers - Tory Burch, Tommy Hilfiger, Diane von Furstenberg, Jenna Lyons, Michael Kors, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Vera Wang, Francisco Costa, and Donna Karan among them; models - Lauren Hutton, Bar Rafaeli, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann; and other industry figures, including Anna Wintour, with favorites Blake Lively and Roger Federer next to her, and Si Newhouse himself. Bee Shaffer arrived 45 minutes early to the event, holding hands with boyfriend Jake Hurwitz.

Anna Wintour's fears that the show, scheduled to start at 7:30 pm, would begin late were unmerited - it started on the dot with Alicia Keys's "Empire State of Mind" playing on the loudspeaker as spotlights searched the audience and the fountain in the center of the setup rose and then fell.

As the audience looked for Gisele Bundchen, set to open the show's 171 looks, a Fashion's Night Out doubledecker bus pulled up next to the Plaza, carrying Bundchen, Angela Lindvall, Karolina Kurkova, Coco Rocha, Lily Donaldson, Lara Stone, Jourdan Dunn, Caroline Trentini, Sasha Pivovarova, Adriana Lima, Chanel Iman, and Karlie Kloss, each dressed in a Fashion's Night Out tee paired with a long ballgown skirt and heels. The twelve models dismounted the bus one by one, forming a line in front of the Plaza steps as the rest of the 150 model cast filled in behind them.

Gisele leading the way, the twelve openers made their way around the fountain, soon followed by groups of models clipping by showcasing "Fifties Flair," "Tartan Twist," "Rock Chic," "Go Global," and "Jazz-Age Cool." Each group wormed their way around the circular runway, the models coming in quick succession, highly choreographed and sometimes stopping and turning. A few were suffering from their heels by the end - Rose Cordero and Heidi Mount among them - and those in the "Weekend Wrap-Up" group, all swathed in capes and jackets, had sweat rolling from their temples after all the parading, thanks to the humid Indian Summer air.

Pharrell Williams popped up on the center fountain to close the extravaganza in a surprise performance, and Gisele and the rest of the openers paraded and danced back to the bus, this time in full-on designer gowns, with Naomi Campbell in the finale spot. As Pharrell joined them, he encouraged the audience - ticketed and not - to shop New York, because after all, that was the whole point of this 15-minute shindig. So will it work?

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A Look Inside Assouline’s Upcoming American Fashion Designers at Home Book

fashionologie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:24:38 PDT

>> The CFDA has more than member designers' mushroom truffle spaghetti recipes to share. Come Sept. 7, American Fashion Designers at Home compiles peeks into the homes of a number of the CFDA's 115 members - including Tory Burch, Francisco Costa, Oscar de la Renta, Johnson Hartig, and Donna Karan, whose homes are all previewed in the gallery below. “This is the ultimate voyeuristic journey,” says the book’s author, Rima Suqi. Most of the images have been published before, but some of the art is brand new, including one of Band of Outsiders designer Scott Sternberg’s trademark Polaroids - this time featuring stacks of books and Troll dolls in his living room.

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