Wed, 08/19/09 — 02:49:48 PM
>> Hussein Chalayan, who joined Puma as creative director in February 2008, marking the first long-term partnership between fashion designer and major sports label, has released a preview of his first work for the brand — for Spring 2010, hitting stores next February — under the "fashion sportswear" label Urban Motility.
The collection is primarily black on black spiked with bright colors, reports WWD, and contrasts matte against glossy. “Urban Mobility is a considered balance between Puma’s technical excellence and my narrative approach to design,” Chalayan explained. A jacket has internal compartments in different sizes to eliminate the need for a bag, pants with a removeable pocket "ease the stress of emptying pockets in a hurry during security control at the airport." Another long outerwear piece in parachute silk can be worn as a dress or a jacket; pants zip at the lower legs, allowing for a switch from skinny to fuller legs, and footwear features elevated wedge heels. Prices range $50 for a t-shirt to $353 for outerwear.
Thu, 07/30/09 — 01:54:59 PM
>> Hussein Chalayan admits that he's a "designer's designer," which is probably why he told WWD he's "weirded out by" models-turned-designers. This isn't anything new — in February of last year, he informed the Independent UK that he found Kate Moss designing "kind of insulting . . . because it's like saying — and I don't mean this personally — 'I can sell more clothes off my name, off my brand, than you can, even though you're a better designer.' "
He seems to have lightened his feelings on Kate specifically, and now says he views her Topshop line as credible, but he's still not totally convinced: “I don’t think it represented her, and I didn’t think she worked hard enough. I even told her to her face.” Her response, as he recalls, was: "‘Oh, I’m just trying to do a light thing; I’m not trying to do anything serious.' But I said, ‘That’s not the point.’”
Don't call him "avant-garde" »
Wed, 07/15/09 — 12:37:29 PM
>> Isabella Blow, discoverer of Stella Tennant, Sophie Dahl, Hussein Chalayan, Philip Treacy, Alexander McQueen — and muse to the latter two — passed away at 48 a little over two years ago after ingesting weedkiller. The motive was suspected to be a recent ovarian cancer diagnosis; Blow had a history of at least two suicide attempts, one involving her throwing herself from the elevated Hammersmith Flyover road in London.
Needless to say, there's a story to be told, and two different biographies, both scheduled for 2010, are in the works, reports the New York Observer. The first, Blow by Blow: The Story of Isabella Blow, is co-written by Isabella's husband of 18 years, Detmar Blow, and author Tom Sykes, who first met Isabella when he was 20 and his sister Plum Sykes was her assistant at Vogue.
Anna Wintour will be interviewed »
Tue, 06/09/09 — 11:14:06 AM
>> Hussein Chalayan has yet to debut his first designs for PPR-owned Puma — they come out in the Fall — but he's definitely feeling the love from Puma's majority stake in his own company and the access to Gucci Group resources. He said when his role as Puma creative director was first annouced in February 2008 that he hoped "this partnership will mean that my work will reach more people, both through designing for Puma and with the expansion of my own business," and it has — his collaboration with J. Brand comes out in the Fall, he's working on a new fragrance with Comme des Garcons, and what is reportedly his first ad campaign — for Fall 2009 — photographed by Amy Troost and featuring Tanya Dziahileva, Iekeliene Stange, Serafima Vakulenko, Ann Catherine Lacroix, just surfaced.
Wed, 02/25/09 — 03:44:26 PM
>> Before jetting off to Milan, London fashion's finest gathered for a dinner last night at the Double Club, in honor of Another Magazine's newest issue featuring Tilda Swinton. Kate Moss, freshly returned from a safari in South Africa, made her first and only London Fashion Week appearance, dropping in with Jamie Hince for Jefferson Hack's Congolese family-style dinner. Lily Cole, who sat front row at Vivienne Westwood Red Label earlier this week and then walked in the Qasimi show before heading back to Cambridge, popped back into town for the party, where Peaches performed her Karoake favorites while Kate, Tilda Swinton, and Daphne Guiness all sang along.
*image: source
Tue, 07/01/08 — 03:46:02 PM
»After three days of packing for couture, Sean Avery learned he had to stay put in New York because of contract negotiations with the Rangers [Style File]
»Subliminal message? Agyness Deyn has "food" written on her shoe [Jezebel]
»Hussein Chalayan is producing his first shoe range for Fall 2009 [Vogue UK]
»Videos of Fall 2008 Armani Prive and Chanel Couture [Telegraph UK, Telegraph UK]
»IMG Models has a tribute to Ruslana Korshunova on their homepage [Chic Report]
»Alber Elbaz held a launch party for his Lanvin denim line with Acne Jeans last night [FabSugar, FWD]
»This year's Glastonbury fashion, with Lily Cole and more [Style.com]
»A look at Azzaro Resort 2009 [WWD]
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