fashionologie

See Karl Lagerfeld's First Trip to the Grocery Store

fashionologie — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:48:13 PDT

>> Under normal circumstances, Karl Lagerfeld doesn't do things like grocery shopping - but for the sake of a navel-gazing, tongue-in-cheek fashion editorial, he made an exception.

As part of his stint as guest editor and political columnist for French Elle, Lagerfeld starred in what WWD promises will "show Karl Lagerfeld like you've never seen him before." Lagerfeld poses looking for stain removers in a supermarket and sitting behind the wheel of a car, frustrated with the indignity of being stuck in a traffic jam. But in reality, Lagerfeld hasn't driven since he was 18 years old and told WWD he'd never been in a supermarket before. "It's the first time I've stepped into a supermarket. It's crazy - fascinating what one can buy. There's enough here to easily gain 20 kilos."

Meanwhile, models Saskia de Brauw and Caroline Nielsen are featured in the background wearing the "masstige" line Lagerfeld created for Net-a-Porter.

Click through for a look at Lagerfeld doing his own shopping - with more of the eight-page spread added as it becomes available.
At left: Karl Lagerfeld at the Chanel Fall 2012 show; Getty

View Slideshow ›

Fashion Magazines With Less Retouching: The Future or a Current Fad?

fashionologie — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:38:02 PDT

>> In the March 2008 issue of Vogue, premier retoucher of fashion photographs, Pascal Dangin, tweaked a total of 144 images, from ads to editorial spreads, and in The September Issue, which focuses on the making of Vogue's September 2007 issue, Anna Wintour definitely displays a reliance on retouching, asking Mario Testino to superimpose cover girl Sienna Miller's head from one shot onto her body in another shot, and requesting that a cameraman's gut from an editorial shot be diminished, to Grace Coddington's dismay: "Everybody isn't perfect in this world. It's enough that the models are perfect."

When digital manipulation programs first came into use in the early '90s, reports Eric Wilson for The New York Times, art directors originally used them to create a heightened sense of reality like images achieved through movie special effects - "hyper real" style, as former The Face art director and current Love creative director Lee Swillingham coined it - as a reaction against the images of supermodels that looked too perfect. Editors weren't suggesting the resulting look be attainable, Swillingham explains: “We were trying to create a future fashion. You could do something that looked gritty and real or something that looked like plastic.”

Now, some major photographers are pushing for less plastic, more real »

Cannes Film Festival 2009: Carine Roitfeld Appearances, Chanel Movie Screenings, and Lily Cole Film Debuts

fashionologie — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:06:13 PDT

>> While fashion types are currently migrating to Venice for tomorrow's Chanel Cruise 2010 show - Karl Lagerfeld arrived Monday with Baptiste Giabiconi and his runway favorites Siri Tollerod, Heidi Mount, Liu Wen, Charlotte di Calypso, and Denisa Dvorakova are all already in town for fittings and the dinner Karl's hosting tonight - many are continuing on to the Cannes Film Festival, which opened today.

In fact, the Chanel theme carries over in Cannes - Jan Kounen’s Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, starring Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen, screens May 24, the closing day. In between now and then, Carine Roitfeld - as well as Donatella Versace and Kenneth Cole - will make her annual appearance at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS benefit on May 21 at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, which also features an exhibition by photographer Bruce Weber.

Lily Cole, Laetitia Casta have films debuting »

Fashion In 50 Seconds 04/13/09 Matthew Williamson For H&M Ads & More

coutorture — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:33:52 PDT

Matthew Williamson's H&M ads have been revealed and feature model Daria Werbowy on the beach...

Some misses' specialty stores, like Ann Taylor and Chicos, are failing to update their retail strategies.

French Elle's April issue features a number of top models and actresses without makeup or retouching.

Trovata's suit against Forever 21 for copying a number of its designs is slated to go to trial next month.

Eva Herzigova, Ines de la Fressange Go Without Makeup, Retouching for French Elle Covers

fashionologie — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:06:25 PDT

>> While the editors at Elle are making lists of what the economy has forced them to give up (bottled water, working out with a trainer) and what necessities they can't bear to part with (haircuts at Fekkai, Wolford tights, monthly facials), their counterparts at French Elle are preparing to do something novel. This week's issue, which hits newsstands Saturday, features Eva Herzigova, Inès de la Fressange, and actresses Monica Bellucci, Sophie Marceau, Anne Parillaud, Karin Viard, Charlotte Rampling, and Chiara Mastroianni, who all agreed to appear without any makeup or retouching. Peter Lindbergh did the honors, and inside the magazine, five more unnamed celebrities are promised.
*image: source

View Slideshow ›

Sonia Rykiel Reveals Struggle With Parkinson's Disease

fashionologie — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:57:15 PDT

>> In her new book, designer Sonia Rykiel confesses that she's been hiding her battle with Parkinson's disease from the world for the past 15 years.

Rykiel, 81, writes in N'oubliez pas que je joue (Don't Forget It's a Game) that she decided to open up about her disease because she can no longer hide the symptoms, which include trembling. She also notes that her colleagues didn't allow her to be photographed with the cane she's been using for several years.

"I don't want to show my pain," Rykiel writes. "I resisted, I hesitated, I tried to be invisible, to pretend that nothing was wrong. It's impossible, it's not like me."

In the book, cowritten with French journalist Judith Perrignon, Rykiel refers to the disease in code as "P de P" - "Putain de Parkinson," or "bitch of Parkinson's" in English.

Rykiel started designing her own clothing in 1962 because she couldn't find maternity sweaters soft enough for her liking. In 1967, one of her sweaters landed on the cover of Elle and Rykiel was dubbed Queen of Knits. Rykiel's daughter Nathalie took over as creative director of her mother's brand in 1995. Despite her disease and her decreased involvement with the brand, Rykiel was well enough to attend the Fall 2012 show last month.

French Glamour Reused Lana Del Rey's Pictures From British Vogue

fashionologie — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:05:00 PDT

>> Lana Del Rey just landed on the cover of the new issue of French Glamour - but you've probably already seen it, because it uses some of the same photos featured in the March edition of British Vogue.

Mario Testino took the original photos for Vogue, but if Glamour published the same shots, it's possible he gave the magazine permission to do so. It's not an uncommon practice - international editions of various magazines sometimes use photos that were originally taken for other magazines. As Fashionista pointed out in December, photos of Carey Mulligan that were originally used for her October 2010 cover of American Vogue were recycled twice last year - once for the November issue of French Elle, and again for the December issue of German Glamour.

Take a look at how British Vogue and French Glamour used Testino's photos differently in the gallery.

View Slideshow ›

Karl Lagerfeld Shows Off His Paris Apartment For French Architectural Digest

fashionologie — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:24:27 PDT

>> After editing stints at Metro and French Elle, Karl Lagerfeld will be back in May with a guest-edited edition of France's Architectural Digest.

The issue promises an intimate view of Lagerfeld's apartment on the Quai Voltaire in Paris - his futuristic living room is on the cover - and also includes a feature on the late interior designer Elsie de Wolfe, as well as another on lap pools.

Lagerfeld says in his editor's letter that he approaches decorating his home the same way he dresses himself and his Chanel customers. "We are at the heart of a Russian doll: first the clothes, then the apartments and houses," he writes. "Even the streets and the cities are part of the evolution of our preferences and our taste."

The May issue of French Architectural Digest doesn't hit Parisian newsstands until April 13, but click through to preview a few images from the issue - plus, see pictures of Lagerfeld's Paris apartment from the April 2009 issue of Elle Decor Japan.

Left: Lagerfeld in his Paris Apartment; Elle Decor Japan 2009

View Slideshow ›

Kate Moss Turns 38, Giles Deacon Creates iPad Prints, and Tommy Ton Snaps Pitti Uomo

Christina Perez — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:25:36 PST

>> Today's stories and more - here, in our daily news roundup.

Kate Moss turns 38: A look at the supermodel's best bad-girl moments
[Stylecaster]

Peek inside a Teen Vogue editor's New York apartment [Refinery29]

Moda Operandi’s founder talks strategy, Taylor Tomasi Hill, and average transaction price per customer
[Fashionista]

Giles Deacon on his new iPad prints [Elle]

Alberta Ferretti: semi-celebrity meets demi-couture
[Telegraph]

Tommy Ton's street style: the photographer hits Pitti Uomo [GQ]

Grace Coddington, Scarlet Woman: former husband Willie Christie unveils his intimate portraits of Vogue’s creative director [Nowness]

French swimwear line Tooshie teams with A.P.C. for capsule collection [T Magazine]

Target's new design collaboration thinks local, ships national [Racked]

Hearst Could End Up Buying Elle After All

fashionologie — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:52:41 PST

>> The rumors have been flying for well over a year now, but finally, French conglomerate Lagardere, which owns publisher Hachette Filipacchi, and subsequently, Elle, has confirmed that it is exploring options for its international magazine business.

“These are informal discussions, which can result in anything from partnerships to joint ventures to an outright sale," a spokeswoman confirmed. "But at this stage nothing is fixed, and no time limit has been set."

Regardless of what happens, Lagardere plans to hold on to its French magazines - including French Elle - and retain editorial control over the foreign editions of Elle (which includes American Elle). When asked about the rumors that Harper's Bazaar publisher Hearst was interested in buying a controlling stake in American Elle, the spokeswoman replied: “They are certainly one of the possible partners but by no means the only one.”