fashionologie

Karlie Kloss Skips New York Fashion Week, Brad Goreski Spills All in His New Book, and Kanye West's Latest Fashion Project

Christina Perez — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:17:39 PST

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

Brad Goreski's new biography, Born to Be Brad, hits bookstores March 6 - and it's reportedly full of some surprisingly sordid details, including cocaine and alcohol abuse. "I was in our bathroom, staring in the mirror, and I didn't recognize myself," Goreski writes. [Stylecaster]

Speaking of March 6, that's the day Kanye West will be taking his second stab at Paris Fashion Week. Now, rumors are swirling that he may also be planning a line for Topshop. However, Topshop's CEO Sir Phillip Green, who was spotted having lunch with West in London, denies that a collaboration is in the works. [Fashionista]

Looks like Karlie Kloss is skipping New York Fashion Week; The Daily Beast's Isabel Wilkinson confirmed the news today via Twitter. "Karlie Kloss won't walk in New York Fashion Week this season because of an 'engagement that has come up,' says her spokesperson," Wilkinson said. [Styleite]

James Franco has directed and shot the latest 7 For All Mankind campaign, featuring Lily Donaldson, Henry Hopper, and Amber Anderson. The campaign - which the brand describes as an "innovative multimedia experience that embodies the brand's California roots and 'forever cool' aesthetic" - launches on a dedicated You Tube channel Feb. 15. [Telegraph]

Despite a very successful design career, Stella McCartney doesn't think of herself as famous. "I don't think many people recognize me," the designer recently said. "I guess, I grew up with one of the most famous people in the world, so for me, I don't really see it." McCartney goes on to say that she still gets excited when seeing her designs on strangers in public: "I'm embarrassing when I see someone in the street with one of my bags, I'm like 'nice bag'. It's really embarrassing, I need to stop actually!" [Vogue UK]

CFDA Fashion Fund winner Joseph Altuzarra has quite a sweet tooth. The designer - who shows his Fall 2012 collection this Saturday - recently divulged the 12 things he can't live without. Among the goodies on the list? Billy's Bakery carrot cake. "It's my all-time favorite. Nothing beats eating a slice in bed while watching TV." [Elle Decor]

Kanye West Is Reportedly Moving to London to Work on His Fashion Collection

Christina Perez — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:23:17 PST

>> Kanye West will work on the second season of his clothing line from his new home base in London. West is reportedly making a permanent move from LA to the UK in order to have easier access to his advisers at Central Saint Martins, as well as to be closer to his design collaborator, Katie Eary. West plans to set up a studio in London and will show DW this March during Paris Fashion Week.

Kanye West, Maroon 5 to Perform at This Year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show; Plus, a Few Costume Sketches

fashionologie — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:02:06 PDT

>> News is starting to flow about this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which tapes in a little less than a month at Manhattan's 69th Street Armory on Nov. 9.

Today, Kanye West and Maroon 5 were announced as the show's musical guests. Notably, Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine's girlfriend, Anne Vyalitsyna, is confirmed to walk in the show, and West's rumored girlfriend Chanel Iman - who recently closed his debut womenswear show at a day's notice - will also walk as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.

Speaking of Angels, this year's lineup seems curiously devoid of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, throwing into question whether she will be walking at all - or just walking without wings. Miranda Kerr, Chanel Iman, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Doutzen Kroes, Candice Swanepoel, Erin Heatherton, Lily Aldridge, Behati Prinsloo, and Lindsay Ellingson, however, are all expected.

The show airs on CBS on Nov. 29 at 10/9 CST. A few sketches of this year's costumes, in the slideshow.

View Slideshow ›

Kanye West's Debut Show Met with Criticism, But He's Not Giving Up

fashionologie — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:59:18 PDT

>> Kanye West debuted his womenswear collection in Paris Saturday, in front of an audience that included the designers Azzedine Alaia, Joseph Altuzarra, Alexander Wang, Dean and Dan Caten, Olivier Theyskens, Jeremy Scott, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, plus Anna Wintour.

During his after-party that evening at Club Silencio, West grabbed the microphone to make the following speech: “Thank you for anybody that didn’t believe, because they motivated us to break our boundaries. We don’t know what the reviews will be, we don’t know what they will say, but I got a chance to go to Italy and feel those fabrics. I begged Louis Vuitton to let me do more shoes after my shoes sold out in two weeks, and they did not. I begged Nike, I begged this company to let me do it. And I took out motherf*cking loans to get the best models, to get the best designers, to get the best venue. I gave you everything that I had."

He continued: "This is my first collection. Please be easy. Please give me a chance to grow. This is not some celebrity sh*t. I don’t f*ck with celebrities. I f*ck with the creatives in this room, the amazing people who spend every day of their life trying to make the world a more beautiful place. The amount of people that tried to get me a celebrity f*cking deal. They said, ‘You need to do boot-cut jeans, or you won’t sell.’ Shut the f*ck up ! Or Hedi Slimane in the motherf*cking Mercer, sitting with me, saying, ‘Stop giving them your ideas, Kanye. Do your own thing.’ Hedi Slimane! To feel so frustrated. And I thank anybody who came to this party, everybody who supported, everybody who believed, because people thought it was a joke, and maybe people still do, but I can only grow from this point.”

The reviews came in later, and there were some criticisms. Suzy Menkes noted: "Mr. West followed the sexual energy of the Balmain style, with well-made clothes in fine fabrics. But a celebrity tag and a lively audience filled with music-business friends, does not cut it in Paris." WWD wrote: "A white dress with a strip of a racer back and a pair of colorful leather pants were nice. But in general the leathers and cuts were too clunky. The rest of the collection cribbed from the work of the designers he admires, many of whom were sitting in the audience, and whose ranks he intends to join." The New York Times's Eric Wilson blogged: "There was one good-looking pair of color-blocked pants in blue and coral, but it was obvious that most of the clothes suffered from a poor fit." And from The Wall Street Journal: "A vast quantity of luxury materials can’t blind people to a lack of creative marksmanship."

Cathy Horyn writes that the day after the show, West acknowledged criticism like the poor fit and the casting, and: "He was completely open about the learning-curve problems and indicated that he planned to deal with them."

Kanye West Spring 2012

fashionologie — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:31:42 PDT

View Slideshow ›

Kanye West's Show Invitations Have Gone Out

fashionologie — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:31:27 PDT

>> This morning, show invitations to the debut Kanye West womenswear show tomorrow evening went out, announcing the location as the Lycee Henri-IV, a Paris public school. Atop the invitation are the initials DW, which are assumed to be a reference to West's late mother, Donda West. The rumor mill surrounding the show continues, purporting that Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Prince will be in attendance. [Materialiste, @Fashionista_com]

Kanye West Reportedly Gets a Designer Mentor, Sets a Show Date

fashionologie — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:51:26 PDT

>> Kanye West has been noticeably MIA from New York Fashion Week, reportedly because he's prepping for his own womenswear launch during Paris Fashion Week next month. Harper's Bazaar Australia, whose own Christine Centenera is said to be collaborating with West on the collection, reports that he will show as part of the official Paris Fashion Week calendar (which has not yet been released), at 9.30 pm on Oct. 1, directly after Jean Paul Gaultier and Loewe - instead of doing a presentation-style format for key editors only.

Riccardo Tisci, who designed the artwork for West's new album with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne, is reportedly mentoring West on the collection.

Kanye West Said To Be Showing at Paris Fashion Week, Working with Major Stylist

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:23:46 PDT

>> When reports of Kanye West's womenswear collection first surfaced in July, rumors went around that he would show at New York Fashion Week. Now, it sounds like Paris will host the line's debut, instead. West, who is reportedly collaborating with designer Louise Goldin and stylist Christine Centenera on the collection, and Giuseppe Zanotti on shoes, is said to be working with a major stylist for the show, The Imagist reports: "Hiss hiss. Which ultra-power stylist is now playing in Kayne's camp for his blue chip Paris showing. And it IS a Paris showing kids!" West is also said to have begun model casting for the show at the end of last month. [@hisssquad, @hisssquad]

Raf Simons Pondering a Move to New York

fashionologie — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:47:58 PDT

>> Raf Simons lives alone in Antwerp - although he is obligated to spend almost 110 days a year in Milan, working on Jil Sander - but it sounds like he is considering a move. Berlin and New York are both prospects, with New York the frontrunner because of its art world connections and because he prefers it to Berlin, Simons says. "In this business, I know I could work somewhere else one day," he adds. "But I'll always keep this apartment [in Antwerp]." There were recently unconfirmed rumors that Simons may be collaborating with Kanye West on his impending line; no word as to whether such a collaboration - if the rumors are true - might prompt such a move. [WSJ]

Kanye West Collaborating with Giuseppe Zanotti on Runway Shoes?

fashionologie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:55:45 PDT

>> Kanye West already has a womenswear designer and a stylist consultant in place for his upcoming womenswear debut, but what about the shoes? West is rumored to be collaborating on women's stilettos with Giuseppe Zanotti. While Zanotti did not completely confirm the reports, he did note: “Kanye is always here in my factory. In the last three years, he has come here maybe every month and worked with the employees 10 to 12 hours a day. He loves learning about shoes, both the design and construction, and we’ve tried to design something together." Zanotti then teased: “In a couple of months, he could have his own special collection out," hinting of the possible designs: "I always create shoes with a lot of sex appeal.” [FN]