>> Versace is definitely feeling the economic crunch, completely pulling out of Japan, where it's had a presence since 1981, and announcing impending layoffs of over a quarter of its current workforce. But Donatella Versace aims to keep up appearances — she sponsored the Whitney Museum Art Gala in New York two weeks ago, jetted off days later to Rio de Janeiro for a Fashion Rocks event, and has just named Georgia May Jagger, Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger's 17-year-old daughter, the face of her Spring 2010 campaign, as photographed by Mario Testino. She also refuses to take off her stilettos, except for at the gym.
The New York Times's Eric Wilson caught up with her when she was in New York, staying under the name "Mrs. Montez" in a suite at the Waldorf Towers. When she first took over Versace, she says, “it was not easy to believe in myself or the future. Everyone was looking at me like a savior, and I had to have this image of this powerful strong woman, which I am not.”
Mario Testino
Donatella: I Handled Versace While Under Influence of Cocaine, Will Weather Economy, Too
Pheobe Philo's First Celine Runway Collection for Spring 2010: The Reviews Are In
>> For her first runway show since leaving Chloe in 2006 to focus on motherhood, Phoebe Philo sent out a fast-marching group of models swaddled in earth tones, clunky wood wedges, modified trenches, military details, lots of leather, and curiously few handbags, despite Celine's accessory-brand heritage. Bound inspiration books from Philo, containing photos of Kurt Cobain, disco balls, and work by David Sims and Helmut Newton were placed on every seat.
The mood of the collection, one of the season's most anticipated, Philo described as “purposeful and positive.” Backstage, while holding her five-year-old daughter, Maya, who attended the show with Philo's husband, she went on: "I wanted to clean it up, refocus, and present a strong, powerful woman." And of all the expectation: "It's just the beginning. It felt like, just take it easy, just start easy. It's nice to have the bubble of expectations burst. That feels good. Sometimes what people get into their head is unachievable."
In the front row were top photographers David Sims, Mario Testino, Craig McDean; Pucci designer Peter Dundas, who called the collection "wonderful"; and top LVMH brass, including Bernard Arnault, who stood to applaud Philo afterward. As Suzy Menkes put it, "This was an important exercise in making Celine fashion credible. And that was mission accomplished."
Burberry Returns to Home Turf for Spring 2010
>> Spring 2010 brings a number of firsts for Burberry: the first time Christopher Bailey has shown under the label in London instead of Milan and the first time the show was streamed live on the Internet — the video can be seen here. It was a big bash for the likes of London — a guest list of 1,500 and a tent venue erected on the grounds of the Chelsea College of Art & Design — bringing front row faces like Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham, Mary-Kate Olsen, brand face Emma Watson, plus Mario Testino, Jacquetta Wheeler, Bruce Weber, and Agyness Deyn.
When the show was ready to start this evening, the venue — with Burberry check-embossed walls — went dark, and the Burberry logo lit up the runway until the stream of models, wearing pale-colored or metallic knotted, draped, and twisted variations on the classic trench and miniskirt, commenced. A few furs were even thrown in, despite the Spring season. At the end, in celebration of the quintessential British brand's return to home turf, a rain of silver confetti streamed down.
"Home Bird" Christopher Bailey Wants You To Call It Burberry Check, Not Burberry Plaid
>> Christopher Bailey likes to think of himself as a "home bird": he's at ease mulching — "the smell of manure makes me happy" — barbecuing, or watching TV with "soup on my lap," he tells the New Yorker in their September 14 Style Issue. But he's also the creative director of three-billion-dollar company Burberry.
Bailey is anti-elitist, the New Yorker writes. He "came from a working-class background in Yorkshire" — his father was a carpenter, his mother dressed windows for Marks & Spencer — and one of his main goals for Burberry is to be "friendly and warm and embracing." He continues: "I think there's an expectation that all fashion companies have to be cold and austere and arrogant, and I just think there are other ways of doing things."
September Issues: UK Fashion Mags Stick to Models (Save Elle), While US Mags Go with Actresses
>> The biggest issues of the year — for September — are trickling in, so who was chosen to be a big newsstand seller for each major fashion book? Both Harper's Bazaar UK and Vogue UK chose models — Natalia Vodianova by Paola Kudacki and Kate Moss by Mario Testino, respectively — while Harper's Bazaar and Vogue went with actresses — Leighton Meester by Terry Richardson and Charlize Theron (the latter of which is not yet out). American Vogue's choice of an actress is no surprise — in upcoming documentary The September Issue, the magazine's creative director Grace Coddington credits Anna Wintour with foreseeing the power of using celebrities on covers before anyone else — but the model/celebrity divide between the two countries is striking.
Meanwhile at Elle, both UK and US versions chose actresses: the former Lindsay Lohan by Rankin, the latter Jennifer Aniston (a well-known strong newsstand seller) by Alexei Hay.
Isabella Blow Gets Two Biographies in 2010
>> 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.
The September Issue Trailer Is Out With More Unseen Clips!
>> The way that director RJ Cutler cut his new trailer for The September Issue, which covers the making of Vogue's September 2007 issue — its biggest ever — makes it like a real-life Devil Wears Prada. In this two and a half minute montage alone, Anna Wintour is revered and feared enough to carry us until movie's country-wide Sept. 11 release date. No sooner than Thakoon Panichgul proclaims "Anna is like Madonna," the editor herself is telling a disappointed-looking Oscar de la Renta at a runthrough, "I personally would not put this one in the show, the others things you've shown us are more exciting." She scolds Mario Testino about his September 2007 cover mockups with Sienna Miller: "This type seems so large and pretentious, it looks like it's for blind people." And even Karl Lagerfeld looks nervous as Anna inspects a new Chanel piece, eventually proclaiming, "It's gorgeous."
Among her own staff, Anna is just as blunt — of one mockup: "She looks pregnant." Grace Coddington excitedly holds up a neon pink and black Fall 2007 Comme des Garcons jacket from a rack for Anna: "Look!" Not missing half a beat, Anna smiles: "No." And in a meeting with stylist Edward Enninful, she looks at his work for the magazine and declares: "Where's the glamour? It's Vogue, okay? Please, let's lift it." No wonder the movie is inspiring bootleg viewing parties among editors — and Anna to supposedly have her underlings monitor the movie's Facebook page for her.
Heidi Mount Makes Like a Pink Gorilla for Dolce & Gabbana's Fall 2009 Ad Campaign
>> Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have been quick with the Internet recently: They just launched e-commerce and uploaded both Fall 2009 Dolce & Gabbana and D&G campaigns over the weekend. The former, shot by Steven Klein, features Mariacarla Boscono, Edita Vilkeviciute, and Heidi Mount — who in one shot takes a simian pose — at a casino, and the latter, shot by Mario Testino, features a younger group: Katie Fogarty, Sara Blomqvist, Stephanie Rad, Hanna Rundolf, and Ragnhild Jevne.
>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —As rumored, Emma Watson was photographed near Burberry's new London headquarters by Mario Testino for the brand's Fall 2009 campaign. The campaign highlights the label's British heritage with a peek of the River Thames, which Christopher Bailey calls a "wonderfully historic part of London," in one ad, and reiterates the heritage with the choice of British actress Watson. The decision to use Watson does, however, represent a shift in casting for the brand, from featuring models — in the past Eden Clark, Lily Donaldson, Agyness Deyn — to a celebrity. [Telegraph, The Cut]
After Much Turmoil with Donatella, Versace CEO to Resign Friday
>> After weeks of speculation, Versace CEO Giancarlo Di Risio, who has been with the company since 2004, is expected to hand in his resignation at a board meeting on Friday. Despite the fact that Di Risio worked closely with Donatella Versace to make her collections less flashy and returned the house to profit, the company has been under strain from declining sales, and its board recently approved a restructuring plan which effectively sidelines the chief executive.
Di Risio is said to have clashed with Donatella on a number of levels — he disagreed with her lavish lifestyle, according to recent articles in the Italian media, and pushed her to simplify her designs so that the house could introduce accessories and clothes with lower prices.
Donatella wanted to spend $140K a day on Mario Testino, Di Risio didn't. »
Dimensione Danza
Hugo Boss
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