fashionologie

Stefano Tonchi to Redesign W for September 2010 Issue; T Editor Search Under Way

fashionologie — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:37:42 PDT

>> When Stefano Tonchi was announced as W's new editor-in-chief yesterday, he said he only began talking with Conde Nast about the position last week. But WWD reports that Tonchi had been looking to leave T for more than a year, and was lobbying hard for a senior position at Conde Nast as well as looking at the possibility of a high-level position at Hearst or Time Inc.

Big changes for W under Tonchi are expected, and although he emphasized that the transition will be smooth - “Nothing is going to be traumatic. I don’t think there is any rush to make a revolution. It’s an evolution, it’s not a revolution” - those at the top of the W masthead - creative director Dennis Freedman, deputy editor Julie Belcove, and fashion director Alex White - are said to be in vulnerable positions.

White was reportedly interested in the editor gig »

More W Staffing Intel: Who Will Stay, Who Will Go?

fashionologie — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:32:53 PDT

>> While the new W editor-in-chief could be announced as early as today and Stefano Tonchi seems to be the man for the job, the New York Post reports that former W fashion director (and current Elle creative director) Joe Zee is "in a neck and neck race" with Tonchi. Meanwhile, Fashion Week Daily has a full list of potentials for the job - Tonchi, Zee, Carine Roitfeld, Kate Betts, Katie Grand.

But what about the rest of the W staff? The Daily reports that the departure of W editor and editorial director Patrick McCarthy came as a shock, and so far, there has not been a formal staff meeting about all the changes. The Daily's sources are convinced that creative director Dennis Freedman, design director Edward Leida, and fashion director Alex White will all leave the magazine - and possibly deputy editor Julie Belcove, who is said to be "a wreck," as well.

Meanwhile, The Daily is surmising that W senior contributing fashion editor could stay on as fashion director, and Tonchi's close friend Anne Slowey, Elle's fashion news director, is a top contender for executive editor at W (or perhaps Tonchi's position at T).

fashionologie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:20:36 PDT

>> Kate Betts Suggests the Answer for Ailing Fashion Magazines: Publish Less Often - You know it's bad when top editors willingly suggest that they should be doing less in print. Kate Betts, editor of Time Style & Design, which comes out six times a year, says of the Web-induced acceleration of coverage pace: "If I'm going to a fashion show, I think about how I'm going to cover it on many levels. Now, you have to think what could be a video interview, what could be a Time interview. It is kind of exhausting, and every season, it's amped up even more. It's almost too much information. Maybe fashion magazines should only come out twice a year." [Adweek]

fashionologie — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:51:49 PDT

>> Peter Copping's First Nina Ricci Collection Said to be "Great" -We have yet to see any work from Peter Copping for Nina Ricci - his first collection for the line, for the Cruise 2010 season, was supposed to come out late last month and seems to be running a bit late - but it sounds like it's something to look forward to. Kate Betts's has "an extremely reliable Parisian source" who says that Copping's Cruise 2010 collection is "great." [Kate Betts Twitter]

fashionologie — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:11:40 PDT

>> Valentino Fall 2009 Couture Said to Be "Radical" -Valentino has made some major personnel changes recently in hopes of reinvigorating the brand under the direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, and the designer's third effort - their Fall 2009 couture show tomorrow - is to be "shrouded in black," according to TIME Style & Design's Kate Betts. Meanwhile, a Times UK editor who attended a collection preview says it's "incredible. It's Valentino meets gothic. Radical." [Kate Betts Twitter, Times UK Twitter]

fashionologie — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:41:06 PDT

>> Fall 2009 Chanel Couture Inspiration Revealed -Chanel's Fall 2009 couture show isn't until tomorrow, but this evening Karl Lagerfeld hosted a select few editors - including TIME Style & Design's Kate Betts - who reports that the collection is inspired by "floating panels." [Kate Betts Twitter]

UPDATE: Apparently the set involves a huge No. 5 bottle and the theme is '70s nightclub. [Grazia Twitter]

fashionologie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:07:12 PDT

>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL -Louis Vuitton released the latest edition of its Annie Leibovitz-lensed "Core Values" campaign, featuring astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride, and Jim Lovell staring up at the night sky in the California desert. This segment of the campaign, which in the past has featured Catherine Deneuve, Keith Richards, Sofia and Francis Ford Coppola, among others, marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon and symbolizes the brand's efforts to attract sophisticated customers - Kate Betts noted yesterday that this ad "is the coolest one yet." [WSJ]

The Fashion World Reacts to Alexander McQueen's Death

fashionologie — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:27:51 PST

>> The news of Alexander McQueen's death hung like a dark cloud over the Fashion Week events today. The McQueen store down the street from Milk Studios in Manhattan, where a number of shows were held today, had its windows covered with white paper; a placard left on the ground outside. Passersby left flowers and notes in a makeshift memorial out front. Barneys, too, changed out its windows in tribute to McQueen - the store sold over 500 McQueen scarves today.

This morning at the BCBG show, just as the news broke, Anna Wintour left before the show's finale. The Ports 1961 show held a moment of silence in honor of McQueen, Cushnie et Ochs included a tribute note in their show's program, and at the LnA after party this evening, Patti Smith dedicated her performance to the designer.

Kate Moss, who was scheduled to hold a launch party for her Longchamp collection in London, postponed the event to mourn her friend. More changes to the calendar may be made: The Cut is reporting that editors might leave New York Fashion Week early for London in light of McQueen's death.

On Twitter, there was an outpouring of grief from the industry, collected below. T's Stefano Tonchi told The Cut he partially blames the rapidly increasing speed of the fashion system for McQueen's suicide:

We all know that this is a very critical moment in fashion, and that basically he is the first victim of what is a conflict between creativity and business. Today to be a fashion designer, you have to be a superman or superwoman. You have to have nerves of steel. You have to be so strong. And if you are a little bit weak, if you have psychological problems or weakness, you end up like him.” When McQueen began in fashion, designers worked on two or three collections a year, said Tonchi. “Now you have to be a business manager, a marketer. It’s, what? Eight, ten, fifteen collections a year. Men’s, women’s, couture, diffusion. Then they want accessories. Then they want watches. Then they want jewelry. It’s a machine, and I think that killed him.

Words from John Galliano, Anna Wintour, and many, many, more »

the run through

philleif — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:32:00 PDT

UPDATE 5/5/08: New additions have been made, with asterisks.

>> The Costume Institute Gala is less than one week away, and Anna's already sending her message: If you want your picture in Vogue's coverage of the event, you need to go bold with the superhero theme. No surprises there, but as for the who, what, wear, here's the list that's rumored so far:

Alberta Ferretti: Diane Kruger, Jennifer Lopez, Ivanka Trump*
Bill Blass: Jourdan Dunn*
Burberry: Lily Donaldson, Rose Huntington-Whiteley
Calvin Klein: Fergie, Eva Mendes, Rachel Bilson, Chace Crawford*
Chanel: Kate Bosworth, Thandie Newton*, Audrey Tautou*, Anna Wintour*
Chris Benz: Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann*
Christian Dior Beaute: Cameron Diaz*
Diane von Furstenberg: Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ellen Barkin*
Dolce & Gabbana: Scarlett Johansson, Iman, David Bowie, Jason Lewis*
Giorgio Armani: Julia Roberts, Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Camilla Belle, Sarah Larson*, David Beckham*, Victoria Beckham*
Givenchy: Christina Ricci
Marc Jacobs: Sofia Coppola, Karen Elson, Rachel Feinstein, and Helena Christensen
Marchesa: Eva Longoria*, Dita Von Teese*
Marni: Amanda Brooks
Michael Kors: Kristin Davis*
Miuccia Prada: Tilda Swinton, Elizabeth Banks, Kate Betts
Missoni: Mischa Barton*
Nina Ricci: Bee Shaffer*
Oscar de la Renta: Iekeliene Stange
Peter Som: Maggie Gyllenhaal*
Phi: Emmy Rossum, Natasha Poly
Philip Crangi: Caroline Trentini
Proenza Schouler: Tory Burch, Jessica Stam
Pucci: Joy Bryant, Anja Rubik, Coco Rocha
Rag & Bone: Sasha Pivovarova
Rodarte: Guinevere van Seenus
RM by Roland Mouret: Rosamund Pike
Stella McCartney: Kate Moss
Thierry Mugler: Naomi Watts*
Vera Wang: Karolina Kurkova
Versace: Molly Sims, Isabeli Fontana, Mario Testino*, Janet Jackson*, Matt Dillon*
Yigal Azrouel: Katie Lee Joel*

Other celebrity attendees: Renee Zellweger, Mary J. Blige, Claire Danes, Mischa Barton, LeBron James; Rumored: Hilary Duff, Zoe Kravitz, Lake Bell, Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady, Liev Schreiber*, Kimora Lee Simmons*, Djimon Hounsou*, Alexis Bryan*, Andy Roddick*, Brooklyn Decker*, Monica Seles*, Ed Westwick*, Blake Lively*, Zoe Kravitz*, Olivia Thirlby*, Lily Collins*

Other model attendees: Natalia Vodianova, Chanel Iman, Stephanie Seymour, Lauren Hutton, Raquel Zimmerman, Amber Valletta, Carolyn Murphy, Claudia Schiffer*

Other designer attendees: Valentino, Tom Ford, Donatella Versace, Stella McCartney, Consuelo Castiglioni, Christian Louboutin

*image: source