fashionologie

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.”

fashionologie — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:04:03 PDT

>> Riccardo Tisci Has His Own Version of Audrey Hepburn at Givenchy -"When I see in the press what he does, there's no feeling of the house," Hubert de Givenchy told WWD of Riccardo Tisci in 2007. But Tisci says he and Givenchy have more in common than having designed for the same house: "We're both related to the art world, to celebrity, without being a celebrity. And it's a real relationship. I have what Hubert used to have Audrey [Hepburn]. Mariacarla [Boscono], Lea [T., his fit model], Marina [Abramovic], Courtney [Love], Antony [Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons] - they're my Audrey." [W]

Alexander McQueen Perpetuates That Enfant Terrible Streak

fashionologie — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:37:03 PDT

>> Alexander McQueen, famously outspoken, spoke out in an interview for the Spring 2009 issue of Numero Homme (#17), and started by giving his interviewer, Numero editor at large Philip Utz, and fashion journalism as a whole, a dressing-down: "[it's a] thinly-veiled exercise in marketing." Then, he moved on to the British Fashion Council - "[it] doesn't know what the f*ck it's doing" - and another one of his favorite subjects to disparage - Hubert de Givenchy.

McQueen was the designer for Givenchy from 1997 to 2001, and upon his installation, he declared Hubert de Givenchy's work "irrevelant"; it seems the years have not softened his opinion: "Well what do you make of Hubert de Givenchy? He was only ever any good at ripping off [Cristobal] Balenciaga."

He saves admiration for a select couple »

Droves of Designers, Models Expected to Lay Yves Saint Laurent to Rest Tomorrow

fashionologie — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:13:39 PDT

>> As funeral services for Yves Saint Laurent near, the list of attendees grows — almost 1,000 guests plan on attending.

Among the substantial group, YSL's designer peers Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Stefano Pilati, John Galliano, Hubert de Givenchy, Alber Elbaz, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, Hedi Slimane, Kenzo Takada, Sonia Rykiel and Jean-Louis Scherrer, plus his former muses Catherine Deneuve, Laetitia Casta and Claudia Schiffer, are all expected.

During the services, which are tomorrow at the Eglise Saint-Roch in Paris, the YSL headquarters and YSL boutiques worldwide will all be closed in memoriam.
*images: source

Chanel to Stage Resort 2013 Show at Versailles

fashionologie — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:09:03 PDT

>> Karl Lagerfeld has chosen the gardens at the Palace of Versailles as the stage for his next big production: the Chanel Resort 2013 collection.

The show will be presented on May 14, but other details are still under wraps. Past Chanel Resort shows have been presented in St. Tropez, Los Angeles, and along the French Riviera, and their locations usually speak to the theme of the collection. At Versailles - where the French royal family ruled in extravagance for 100 years before the French Revolution - the only theme that comes to mind is sheer excess.

This isn't the first time Versailles has been used for a show. In 2007, John Galliano rented out the palace for Dior's 60th anniversary couture show, and in 1973, Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass, and Oscar de la Renta faced off against couturiers Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, and Emanuel Ungaro in a runway spectacle that became known as the Battle of Versailles.

Whether Chanel creates a tribute to Marie Antoinette along the Royal Pathway or shows a decadent collection dripping with diamonds by the Grand Canal, living up to past fashion shows at Versailles will be a tall order - but if anyone is up to the task, it's definitely Lagerfeld. The set for his Spring 2011 Chanel show was based on Versailles's extensive gardens, and he's shot numerous fashion editorials at the palace over the years. Click through to see some of those - along with other Versailles-set shoots - here, in the gallery.

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Robin Givhan Lands a Book Deal

fashionologie — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:45:58 PDT

>> Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robin Givhan has landed a book deal to write about the supermodel-studded Grand Divertissement à Versailles fashion show, which in 1973 pitted five American designers (Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Anne Klein, and Bill Blass) against five French designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior by Marc Bohan, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro, and Pierre Cardin) at the Palace of Versailles. Put together by Eleanor Lambert, the publicist who invented the Best Dressed List, the show used exclusively black models like Pat Cleveland, Bethann Hardison, and Billie Blair and was attended by 800 guests, including Princess Grace of Monaco. Givhan’s book will be “an in-depth look at how the Grand Divertissement a Versailles set a diverse group of American designers against the lions of French fashion in a seismic cultural event and turning point in the history of American fashion.” Givhan is also the author of Michelle: Her First Year as First Lady. [DFR]

Olivier Theysken's Real Ricci Girl

fashionologie — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:06:09 PDT

>> Hubert de Givenchy had Audrey Hepburn, Giorgio Armani has Cate Blanchett, Carolina Herrera has Renee Zellweger, and Olivier Theyskens continues to align himself with Reese Witherspoon at Nina Ricci - because, as it's put in the November 2008 issue of Vogue, "every newly named artistic director of a fashion house in Paris knows he needs a huge Hollywood actress."

According to Theyskens, the match just fell into place: ""When I met her at Rochas, it was not the right fit. But when I started at Ricci, I had a strong feeling about her being a real Ricci girl, and I showed her some drawings and she was really willing." Plus - "We are the same age, so we have some roots. I am quite fascinated by roots of generations."

Recalling the first time they publicly debuted a collaboration - Reese's canary cocktail Nina Ricci number for the 2007 Golden Globes - the actress invited Olivier to visit her in LA: "So he came to my house and sat on the floor and started sketching. Of course I put out tons of food and he didn't eat anything. He brought out two kinds of fabric - he brought out one gray and one yellow. And he said, 'I think you are like this! I think you are like a party! I think you are wearing a yellow dress!'"

Olivier was nervous about the whole ordeal: "The yellow dress with the bustier - for me it was the first thing that the world would see from me at Ricci. But still, I wanted it to fit with Reese. I was afraid. And it was Reese who picked that fabric. This was one of my favorite fabrics! She just fell right into it. She is very intuitive."

After that first frenzied collaboration, everything feel into place, according to Olivier: "If I do her an elegant dress, she can dress so elegant. If I find a dress, she will find a way to be at her ease. I feel OK - I'm Olivier doing dresses! I'm superhappy about working, and everything is getting more fluid." And that is how he came to be photographed with her in Vogue, Reese wearing two dresses he made especially for the occasion.
*image: source

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