fashionologie

Karl Lagerfeld Is Auctioning Off a Role in His New Film

Justin Fenner — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:18:11 PDT

Karl Lagerfeld and Harvey Weinstein will auction off a chance to star in a short film at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala in Cannes. Weinstein will produce the short, and Lagerfeld will serve as its director.

Among other lots available for auction at the gala is an all-black wardrobe, which will be displayed in a fashion show curated by Carine Roitfeld. Money will benefit amfAR's continuing AIDS research.

Angela Lindvall Confirmed to Host Project Runway All Stars

fashionologie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:56:52 PDT

>> Speculation that arose last week has been confirmed: Angela Lindvall - not Heidi Klum - will host Lifetime's upcoming Project Runway All Stars spinoff. "Here I am in New York City! I landed a huge opportunity that will have me here for a month," Lindvall wrote last month on her blog. "Have to keep it top secret for now."

In place of Project Runway judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia, Isaac Mizrahi and Marchesa's Georgina Chapman (who also happens to be married to the show's executive producer Harvey Weinstein) will join Lindvall on the All Stars judging panel. The show will premiere later this year on Lifetime.

And speaking of models heading to television, Carolyn Murphy just noted that she's currently "working on a TV show."

Rumor - Angela Lindvall to Host Project Runway All-Stars?

fashionologie — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:45:48 PDT

>> Heidi Klum has been Project Runway's host from the start, but as the show prepares for Project Runway All-Stars - an upcoming eight-episode spin-off series bringing back some of the show's alumni to compete against one another - Klum will not be pulling double hosting duties. According to a Lifetime spokesperson, All-Stars "is a completely separate show, with a separate host and a separate set of judges."

So who will be stepping in to host the spin-off? Originally, it was thought that Miranda Kerr might be a candidate, after she was spotted meeting with Project Runway executive producer Harvey Weinstein last week. But it sounds like Kerr is just in talks to be an All-Stars guest judge. Now, rumors have pointed in another direction: Modelinia reports hearing that Angela Lindvall has signed on as host. Lindvall has done TV - aside from walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - in the past: she co-starred in the green makeover series Alter Eco back in 2008.

Alexa Chung, Alex Turner Split

fashionologie — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:07:26 PDT

>> Alexa Chung and her longtime boyfriend, Artic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner, have split; the couple, 27 and 25 respectively, were together for over four years. "It's completely amicable - but yes it's true. They have split," Chung's spokesperson confirmed in a statement yesterday.

Chung recently bought an apartment in New York after landing a hosting gig for the upcoming Lifetime show 24-Hour Catwalk - which pits designers against each other in runway challenges - created by Harvey Weinstein. Turner, meanwhile, is currently on a world tour through the rest of the Summer. They started dating in April 2007, after meeting at Coachella.

Marios Schwab, Harvey Weinstein Both Officially Out at Halston

fashionologie — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:34:16 PDT

>> Marios Schwab's fate at Halston didn't sound promising yesterday, and now it's been determined: his contract, which expired, will not be renewed. It sounds like the Halston designer collection, too, is no longer: The brand will reportedly not produce a Spring 2012 collection, and it sounds like it's unclear as to whether the Fall 2011 collection will be delivered to stores.

Harvey Weinstein, who has had an equity stake in Halston for the past couple of years, has also officially split from the brand. As WWD notes, he brought high-profile attention to the brand with his name attached, but: "His role was essentially that of a figurehead with little or no operational responsibility."

Despite all the departures, Halston is still said to have full confidence from parent company Hilco Consumer Capital, which recently invested $7.5 million in the brand more after seeing recent growth at retail. The focus going forward is said to be on the secondary Halston Heritage line.

Harvey Weinstein Also Said To Be Exiting Halston

fashionologie — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:45:28 PDT

>> After reports yesterday that Sarah Jessica Parker is parting ways with Halston - WWD confirms that the two parties are in the midst of terminating their agreement - Harvey Weinstein, too, is said to be on the way out, according to WWD's sources.

A Halston statement could be coming as soon as today, although it's unclear whether it will address Weinstein's next move with regards to the label. The Weinstein Company acquired Halston with Hilco Consumer Capital in 2007.

Halston May Be For Sale Again Soon

fashionologie — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:33:11 PDT

>> Halston, which was acquired by Hilco Consumer Capital and Harvey Weinstein's The Weinstein Company in 2007, is said to be looking for some more funds these days. According to a source familiar with the situation, WWD reports, the brand has hired an investment bank to explore its options, which could range from a cash infusion to a sale of the whole company.

The contemporary Halston Heritage label, of which Sarah Jessica Parker is president and chief creative officer, has been gaining traction since its launch a year ago. It “was definitely a viable business,” says the source, but the company needs more growth capital and the investors don't want to put more money in after four years. It could be tough to do a deal, however, the source warns: “It’s a very complicated structure and dynamic at the board level."

Richard Kaye, EVP and chief marketing officer at Hilco Trading, Hilco Consumer Capital's parent company, had no comment on any future plans for Halston.

Si Newhouse on Ousting Anna Wintour From Vogue - "Never. I Hope She's Here 10 Years From Now"

fashionologie — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:27:14 PDT

>> Mario Testino photographed Anna Wintour for the April 2011 cover of WSJ. - likely at her request (he often shoots Vogue's covers). Because if there's one thing about Wintour, it's that she does things on her own terms.

Si Newhouse (chairman of Advance Publications, which owns Vogue) attests with an anecdote about a Fashion's Night Out meeting Wintour held in Paris, which had 30 international Vogue editors and publishers in attendance: "It was the first time anybody had gotten them all together. She didn't need my authority to do it - she has a remarkable ability to impose her will. If I had had reservations, she probably would have gone ahead anyway."

Marc Jacobs, too, confirms: "If I get a request for something I don't want to do, first I get an email, then a phone call from someone at Vogue, and now I don't even bother to say no - I know the next call is from her." And New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who Wintour has worked with on a number of initiatives - including Fashion's Night Out - says: "Behind all Anna's grace and poise is some pretty tough resolve. She's not a person you want to say no to."

Even the Costume Institute has bowed to Wintour's requests (she has raised a grand total of $75 million for the organization, after all). For last year's gala, she had a 30-foot hot-air balloon trucked in from South Dakota to float above the museum's Engelhard Court. "When we first saw it, we go, 'Never! We can't have gas in the museum!' " says Met president Emily Rafferty. "Anna's changed our attitude - she's brought us to new levels of thinking of what we can do, but without ever losing sight that we're working in a museum context here."

Needless to say, Wintour's reach extends much further than fashion. Harvey Weinstein, who has known Wintour for 15 years (and more recently married Marchesa's Georgina Chapman), notes: "I'm a streak player, but Anna's there, good or bad. When I wasn't doing so well, Anna would throw a party and put me next to Bernard Arnault." Although he declined to be specific, Weinstein said that he had several business deals come out of that party. And Baz Luhrmann, who just recently cast Wintour favorite Carey Mulligan to star in his upcoming film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, says: "I always talk to Anna about what I'm up to, and I always listen to what she has to say."

Within fashion, too, Wintour is more than just an editor. As Francois-Henri Pinault, head of PPR, says: "She tackles things that are really much bigger than what any other editors take on." Because of Wintour, Pinault is currently discussing how to financially support young designers with the French government. But Wintour never straight-out asks him to do something: "She's much more subtle than that."

She's also something of a matchmaker - whether it's designer to brand (in the case of placing John Galliano at Christian Dior back in 1996; Bernard Arnault - chairman of LVMH, which owns Dior - says of Wintour: "She pointed us towards unexpected choices. I speak very openly to her, and this was quite audacious - it was not about picking the big names of the moment. It took her to see that there was a stylistic closeness between John and Dior. She was the discoverer.") or brand to financier (in the case of Bottega Veneta and Gucci Group or Michael Kors and Sportswear Holdings). "She does this very discreetly, but she's really a kind of consigliere to the entire fashion and retail industry," one former colleague who worked closely with Wintour says. Another former colleague, who attended several corporate matchmaking meetings with Wintour, adds: "I came to realize that she's really the McKinsey of fashion." As for Wintour's word on the matter? "We can suggest," she says, "but in the end, everybody makes up their own minds."

It sounds like Wintour isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Vogue is Conde Nast's most profitable publication, Si Newhouse confirms, adding that he has no successor in mind: "Never. I hope she's here 10 years from now, 20 years from now." Wintour, for her part, says: "With all the new media outlets out there, with all the noise, a voice of authority and calm like Vogue becomes more important than ever. The more eyes on fashion, the more opinions about fashion, the more exploration of fashion around the world, the better it is for Vogue. Vogue is like Nike or Coca-Cola - this huge global brand. I want to enhance it, I want to protect it, and I want it to be part of the conversation."

A few more quotables from the WSJ. profile:

Marc Jacobs on Wintour's cold reputation: "She gets such a bad rap. She stands by the people she believes in, and if you're not one of those people, perhaps you take a different view."

Wintour's take on her reputation: "I care deeply about my friends and my family and they know it, but work is work."

Wintour on cover choice regrets: "I'm not terribly proud of putting the Spice Girls on the cover."

Wintour on the John Galliano scandal: "This is all so tragic."

Wintour on being criticized for using the same people in Vogue: "I try to remain open to new people, but obviously there's a stronger element of trust with people you've known for a long time. I think we have a Vogue vocabulary, and there are certain people we like to have as the backbone of the magazine - Vogue's signposts. We try very hard to integrate the familiar signatures with people we feel are new and up-and-coming, but I would rather err on the side of being a little more familiar than being too . . . What's the right word? . . . Edgy."

WSJ. on Wintour's morning habits: "When I met Wintour in her big, artfully tidy office at Vogue, she had been up since 5 am - her normal waking hour. On most days she goes off to play tennis at 6, but lately she's been nursing a sore elbow and can't play. Which didn't mean no tennis."

Halston CEO Bonnie Takhar Reportedly Ousted by Board, Leaving Brand President Sarah Jessica Parker Upset

fashionologie — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:02:49 PST

>> Upheaval at Halston, once again: CEO Bonnie Takhar, who has been with the brand since relaunch in 2007, is exiting the company. Creative differences are reportedly the reason Takhar was let go.

Sarah Jessica Parker, who joined the house in January, taking an equity stake and the role of president and chief creative officer, was reportedly upset after learning that the Halston board requested Takhar leave the company. A source told Page Six: "Sarah and Bonnie had a meeting on Friday in Halston's offices to discuss problems with the latest collection. Sarah has been a strong supporter of Bonnie for a very long time, and has been the sole voice supporting her against the board and shareholders. She has been fighting this for a very long time. She believed in Bonnie. She was emotional and upset because this finally came to a head."

Halston board member Harvey Weinstein, meanwhile, released a statement, "Sarah Jessica is a huge supporter of Bonnie's, but it was time to change direction. It was the rest of the board that made the decision. No one was more steadfast to Bonnie than Sarah Jessica."

fashionologie — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:04:45 PDT

>> Georgina Chapman Had a Girl! -34-year-old Georgina Chapman gave birth to her first child, a girl named India Pearl Weinstein, with 58-year-old husband Harvey Weinstein on Sunday night, according to friends. "Mother and daughter are doing great," added one. Weinstein has three daughters from his first marriage. Although Marchesa's Fashion Week presentation is just over two weeks away on Sept. 15, Chapman said earlier this month that she planned to be present. [NY Post, @jimshi809]