fashionologie

Giorgio Armani on His Health and Possible Successors

Justin Fenner — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:41:52 PDT

Giorgio Armani says his drive to stay healthy actually threatened his life, at one point sending him to the hospital for a 10-day stay.

Armani told WSJ. Magazine that he had to be treated for "a very serious" case of hepatitis in May 2009. The cause was attributed to an unspecified collection of supplements the 78-year-old took before going to the gym every day. "My doctor told me: Get rid of all this sh*t you're drinking," he said.

While Armani wouldn't disclose exactly which substances he was taking, the Journal did suggest one possible motive for taking the supplements. "The house Armani has built is a reflection of himself - the trim, toned, tanned and t-shirted figure that is synonymous with the brand - and he wants to secure a long life for both."

Today, Armani is one of very few designers who owns 100 percent of his own company, where he serves as both creative director and CEO. His position as the man responsible for every aspect of the house's business begs the question as to who will run Armani when he's gone - and the designer says it will probably fall to his two nieces and his nephew. "Look, this succession issue has been at my throat for at least 15 years," he said. "The question is always the same, and so is the answer: as long as I'm here, I'm the boss."

Giorgio Armani's Charitable Cannes Plan

Justin Fenner — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:10:28 PDT

Giorgio Armani will partner with actor Sean Penn to raise money for Haitian charities at the Cannes Film Festival.

Armani is sponsoring Penn's fundraising dinner Haiti: Carnival in Cannes, which Penn will host on Friday with model Petra Nemcova. The dinner's proceeds will be donated to Penn's Haitian Relief Organization, Nemcova's Happy Hearts Fund, and Artists For Peace and Justice.

"I am proud to stand alongside Sean Penn, a man cut from a very rare cloth," Armani said. "It is an honor to be a part of Sean's remarkable life of service by joining his humanitarian efforts for the people of Haiti."

In the past, Armani has supported charities like UNICEF, amfAR, and the Global Fund. In 2002, he was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees.

Rihanna For Armani, Armani For the Olympics, and Abbey Lee Kershaw's Tom Cruise W Cover

Justin Fenner — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:02:34 PDT

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Rihanna's second collection for Emporio Armani has been revealed - or at least the sketches of it have. The collection will include tartan-trimmed denim shorts and a distressed denim jumpsuit. "She captures the young and contemporary essence of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans perfectly," said Giorgio Armani. [Fashion Etc.]
Carine Roitfeld is putting together a staff for her new magazine, CR Fashion Book. So far, she's hired former Teen Vogue accessories director Shiona Turini and stylist Michaela Dosamantes, who was most recently a contributing fashion and market editor for Vogue.it. [The Cut]
Giorgio Armani has revealed the Olympic uniforms he designed for Italy's national team. The 50-piece collection includes everything from tracksuits to suitcases and was designed under his EA7 Emporio Armani sportswear line. [Vogue UK]
Abbey Lee Kershaw and Edita Vilkeviciute join Tom Cruise on the May cover of W magazine. Cruise is dressed (well, tattooed, anyway) as his character from the upcoming movie Rock of Ages, and Kershaw and Vilkeviciute stand in as glamorous groupies. [Fashion Gone Rogue]

Photo Courtesy of W magazine.

Petra Nemcova Calls Off Her Wedding, Stefano Pilati Headed to Armani?

fashionologie — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:12:10 PDT

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Supermodel Petra Nemcova and her fiancé, Jamie Belman, announced Wednesday that they will not get married. The couple were engaged last January and had planned to marry in June, and said in a statement that they will "remain close friends." [The Cut]
Former Jimmy Choo CEO Joshua Schulman has been named president of Bergdorf Goodman. Schulman and its founder Tamara Mellon both left the British accessories brand last year when it was acquired by Labelux, which also owns Derek Lam and Solange Azagury-Partridge. Schulman's first day is May 7. [Fashion Etc.]
Rumors that Stefano Pilati will be taking over Armani have resurfaced in the wake of his departure from Yves Saint Laurent. While Pilati has said that he hasn't "planned any move" yet, various sources have said recently that he's set to start working for Giorgio Armani in the near future and will take over creative direction of the house when Armani retires. [The Fashion Spot]
Model Charlotte Free is the new face of Forever21. In the past, 18-year-old Free has walked and posed for Roksanda Ilincic and Marchesa, among others. [Stylelist]

The Chic Thief at Ralph Lauren, DKNY's Thousands of Tweets, Longchamp Adds Shoes

fashionologie — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:32:35 PDT

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Grand theft fashion! Police are on the hunt for a "chic, well-dressed woman" they believe is responsible for the theft of a $17,000 handbag from the Ralph Lauren women's boutique on New York's Upper East Side. The bag, a version of the Ricky bag made from African crocodile skin, went missing last month. Anyone who might know its whereabouts is encouraged to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. [Styleite]
Aliza Licht, the publicist who tweets from @DKNY, sent out over 1,100 missives on the social networking site in February. That's nearly three times as many tweets as the second biggest users of Twitter in the fashion industry - Kate Spade and Betsey Johnson only sent around 350 tweets in the same month. Only. [The Fashion Spot]
Giorgio Armani took some flak for sending out an email announcement of his new Sense of Being campaign, which depicts British Olympians wearing his sportswear alongside inspirational messages, about a minute before Stella McCartney unveiled her uniforms for the British Olympic team. The jury is still out on whether or not you can actually steal someone's thunder via email. [The Cut]
Mischa Barton is adding clothing to her line of products. She's had her own line of handbags since 2008, but her line of clothing and accessories, called Mischa's Place, started selling online today. [Stylelist]
Longchamp, the French handbag company that makes the ubiquitous nylon-and-leather handbags, announced today that it's going to start selling shoes to complement those bags this Summer. The shoes, which range in price from $285 to $735, will be available in July. [Fashion Etc.]

Giorgio Armani Fall 2012

fashionologie — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:08:15 PST

>> Giorgio Armani's classic menswear tailoring got a jolt of youthful spirit for Fall 2012. It came in the form of pops of coral, pink, and berry, flat shoes, and sequined minidresses - all layered over wider versions of the Bermuda shorts the designer sent out at his Emporio show a few days ago. Adding to the sense of "Easy Chic" (the collection's name) were the angled fedoras perched cheekily atop every model's head. "The modern woman loves to dress in androgynous and masculine clothes, yet she doesn't want to sacrifice feminine subtlety and lightness," the show notes explained.

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Armani Privé Spring 2012 Couture

Christina Perez — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:51:41 PST

>> Metamorphosis and "the woman who is at first calm and easy and then is drawn out of her own skin" were the themes behind Giorgio Armani's Spring 2012 couture outing. Armani also tapped inspiration from reptiles - and, in particular, their shimmering, textural skins, which he rendered in nearly every shade of green. For day, the reptilian theme was present on sharp-shouldered blazers in croc or snakeskin, iridescent draped-front skirts, and slickly tailored pants. For evening, there were mermaid dresses in glistening sequins, scale-printed silk ballgowns, and swirling, second-skin sheaths. With a front row crowd of red-carpet hopefuls - including Jessica Chastain, who learned of her Oscar nod via phone just before the show began - it's safe to say we may be seeing a lot more of these looks very, very soon.

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Giorgio Armani Pre-Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:45:52 PST

>> Giorgio Armani revisited one of his favorite references for Pre-Fall 2012: androgyny. This time around, his signature suits came double-breasted, slim, and cut in rich charcoal and deep onyx. Trousers - another Armani mainstay - were pleated low on the hip for just a hint of '80s jaunt. Also recalling that era was an appealing selection of wear-now party dresses - some drop-waisted with bubble poufs, some body-con with cutouts, and all accented with high-impact neon.

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This Week's Best-Dressed

fashionologie — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:16:55 PST

>> A lipstick-red slip dress, floor-sweeping fringe, demure yellow lace: see who's wearing them - and where - in the slideshow.

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Glitter and Guitars - Backstage at Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, DSquared2, and Gianfranco Ferre

fashionologie — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:52:12 PDT

>> During the final Milan shows yesterday, Vlada Roslyakova and Olga Sherer were spotted sharing a magazine backstage at Gianfranco Ferre while Hanne Gaby Odiele played telephone with a croissant pre-Roberto Cavalli. See the glittery eyes on all behind-the-scenes at DSquared2 and who hid behind her handbag at Giorgio Armani - in the slideshow.

Photos: Greg Kessler

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