Tue, 11/25/08 — 02:48:52 PM
>> Tonight, The British Fashion Council hosted the British Fashion Awards — the British counterpart to the CFDA Awards. Jourdan Dunn stole Agyness Deyn's Model of the Year crown, and looking shocked, managed to accept the award between tears: "My mum would like me to say I'm going to buy her a mansion but she's just going to have to accept this speech instead!" As for Designer of the Year — an honor bestowed on John Galliano and Alexander McQueen four times each — Luella Bartley was the anointed one.
[break]A complete list of awards, with winners in bold. »[/break]
- DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Luella Bartley
- MODEL OF THE YEAR: Agyness Deyn, Jourdan Dunn, Lily Donaldson
- SWAROVSKI EMERGING TALENT — READY TO WEAR: Danielle Scutt, Louis Goldin, Felder Felder
- SWAROVSKI EMERGING TALENT — ACCESSORIES: Nicholas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia, Anna Vince
- DESIGNER BRAND OF THE YEAR: Jimmy Choo, Agent Provocateur, Paul Smith
- ISABELLA BLOW AWARD FOR FASHION CREATOR OF THE YEAR: Pat McGrath, Terry Jones, Tim Walker
- RED CARPET DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Matthew Williamson, Giles Deacon, Stella McCartney
- MENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Christopher Bailey for Burberry, Paul Smith, Richard James
- ACCESSORY DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Jonathan Kelsey, Rupert Sanderson, Lara Bohinc
- BFC AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FASHION: Stephen Jones
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Tue, 11/25/08 — 11:25:06 AM
>> Now that he's passed the baton at Emilio Pucci, leaving himself more time to focus on his eponymous line, Matthew Williamson's first order of business? To design a capsule collection for H&M, the first range of which will arrive in stores April 23, followed by Summer pieces mid-May.
In the past, all of H&M designer collections — Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Roberto Cavalli, and most recently Comme des Garcons — have all been launched annually in early November. It makes sense that with Matthew Williamson's resort-bright, print-happy aesthetic, the collection would fare better for Summer, but if the old patterns hold true, and we're lucky, there will be another designer collection in November, which means H&M is trying harder to keep up with Topshop and Target.
Thu, 09/25/08 — 05:14:22 PM
>> Matthew Williamson took his final bow as the artistic director of Emilio Pucci earlier today — Peter Dundas will replace him Oct. 1 — but the reasoning for why he's leaving the company has been nothing more than he wants more time to focus on his namesake label — until now.

As the Guardian's Imogen Fox enlightens us, "recently there have been criticisms that the Pucci label was starting to look more like [Matthew Williamson's] signature line and less like a distinctive Pucci collection." The Pucci bosses are also rumored to be less than happy with all the multitasking and travelling Williamson was doing, and "in a recent interview Laudomia Pucci, daughter of the company's founder Emilio, stated how important it is that Dundas will be based in Florence." So among all the bright and happy Pucci prints, there was more than a little unrest . . .
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Fri, 09/19/08 — 10:15:44 AM
>> While Chanel Iman is firing off voice-over dispatches from Fashion Week, Coco Rocha has been busy taping her new video series, "Insider's Guide to Backstage," in between catwalks. There are six episodes total, and the first has just premiered, following Coco backstage at Matthew Williamson, where she enlightens us on such model wisdom as how to get away with stealing runway shoes you're not supposed to and how to hide from cameras you don't want to talk to.
Thu, 09/18/08 — 04:37:35 PM
>> MODA OPERANDI —Although he shushed rumors last month, Peter Dundas — formerly of Emanuel Ungaro and currently of furrier Revillon — will be taking Matthew Williamson's place at Emilio Pucci. Wiliamson's last collection for the house shows in Milan Sept. 25 — he is departing to focus more on his signature collection — and Dundas's first Pucci collection will show next February for Fall 2009. [WWD]
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Tue, 09/09/08 — 06:37:53 PM
>> It's weird having Marc Jacobs show in the middle of Fashion Week rather than at the very end like he used to — everything seems so anticlimactic from here on out. This morning, backstage at Matthew Williamson, Coco Rocha disagreed: She's really excited about Zac Posen's show on Thursday, and thinks he's going to have some wind machine action on the runway — but she wouldn't elaborate further than that. Definitely something to look out for, no?
Wed, 08/27/08 — 11:35:27 AM
>> INSIDER WIRE —Talks of a replacement for Matthew Williamson at Pucci are under way, and the name which seems to be coming up is Peter Dundas. Dundas is currently "very happy" working at furrier Revillon after leaving Emanuel Ungaro last summer and would give no further comment to the rumors than that. [WWD]
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Thu, 08/14/08 — 03:51:10 PM
>> We know a lot about how designers work, socialize, and even think, but with the exception of Marc Jacobs, we don't know a lot about how they live. That's where Domino's September 2008 fashion issue comes in — its various stories offer peeks into what might be considered a top designer's last sacred bastion — their home.
Featured within are the favorite rooms of Christian Louboutin (his bedroom in Portugal) and Francisco Costa (his garden in Bellport, NY), plus Yves Saint Laurent's famous Majorelle Gardens in Morocco, Vanessa Bruno's Paris apartment, Matthew Williamson's London home, and Sonia Rykiel in her Paris living room.
So, do their design aesthetics match their living quarters? A few peeks below will give you a hint . . .
Tue, 08/12/08 — 01:37:12 PM
>> INSIDER WIRE —If you enjoyed having a look through Carine Roitfeld's Parisian apartment, just wait until the September 2008 issue of Domino comes out on August 19.
The magazine's fashion issue features Matthew Williamson's home on the cover, plus Vanessa Bruno's Paris apartment, Yves Saint Laurent's Majorelle Gardens (left, in 1982), Christian Louboutin in his bedroom in Portugal, Francisco Costa in his Bellport garden, and Sonia Rykiel in her Paris living room, all inside. [FWD]
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Fri, 07/25/08 — 01:08:21 AM
>> It's that time again. Right after news of upset at Halston come more shakeups.
Peter Som has submitted his resignation at Bill Blass because he "was unhappy with the control Blass' management tried to execute over his creative aesthetic" and has "been fighting with them since he got there." Emilio Pucci, meanwhile, is rumored to have approached a few design assistants about succeeding Matthew Williamson as creative director.
Peter Som spent one year at Blass garnering positive reviews, and is said to be driven to resignation by Bill Blass’ decision to scrap the September fashion show due to financial woes, while Matthew Williamson has spent three years at Pucci, and is looking to focus more on growing his namesake brand.
UPDATE: According to FWD, Peter Som is contractually obliged to present a Spring 2009 collection for Bill Blass during fashion week, but he is "working furiously" to find a way out of the contract.
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