fashionologie

Manish Arora Out at Paco Rabanne, Nicola Formichetti's New Line, and Birkin Shopping Online

Justin Fenner — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:25:31 PDT

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Hermès doesn't sell its Birkin handbags online, but flash sale sites like Gilt, Rue La La, and MyHabit do. Here's a look at how they ensure authenticity. [BuzzFeed]
A new deal with Sandow Media will expand Fred Segal beyond its Southern California roots. The retailer is expected to set up shops in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, as well as in Europe and Asia, with the first of the new stores opening some time next year. [Racked]
Karl Lagerfeld has signed on to give the exterior of Monaco's Hotel Métropole a redesign. The first part of the project, which involves refreshing the hotel's pool, terrace, gardens, and a new restaurant, will be unveiled in July. [The Daily Telegraph]
Paco Rabanne's artistic director Manish Arora is leaving the brand after designing just two season's worth of clothing and despite the fact that Arora's designs had gotten favorable press coverage. Lady Gaga even wore one of his dresses to the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. [The Cut]
Iris Apfel will debut her own handbags in collaboration with HSN, which also sells her jewelry line. The bags are made from Mongolian lamb's wool, snakeskin, and calf hair, and will retail for $228 to $398. [WWD]
Greg Kessler's latest installment of Model-Morphosis shows off Chanel's most popular lacquers. Nails go from unadorned to coated with the flick of a mouse. [T Magazine]
Nicola Formichetti will debut an eponymous fashion label next year. The clothes will be "digitally oriented and high-tech . . . Why do you have to have a zipper when you can have a jacket that's molded to your body?" Formichetti explained. [Styleite]

Mugler Fall 2012

fashionologie — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:06:09 PST

>> For Fall 2012, Nicola Formichetti revisited Thierry Mugler's "Insect" collection of the '90s. Silhouettes were sculptural with dramatic peplums, pronounced shoulders, and supersize kimono sleeves. A series of black-and-white cutout-and-fringe numbers offered a kind of intricate appeal, but it was the more subtle pieces - some belted coats in particular - that felt most enchanting.

View Slideshow ›

Thierry Mugler Spring 2012

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:38:33 PDT

View Slideshow ›

Nicola Formichetti Debuts Pop-Up Concept Store, Tries to Hit New York Fashion Week Shows for First Time

fashionologie — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:12:14 PDT

>> Nicola Formichetti's concept store, done in collaboration with Gage/Clemenceau Architects, has transformed a space at 80 Walker Street in New York into a massive mirrored prism. For the next two weeks starting tomorrow - with a special preview tonight on the occasion of Fashion's Night Out - Nicola's will be open from 12 to 7 pm daily.

Currently housed within the shop are: vintage Versace pieces, Haus of Gaga looks, Mugler shoes and clothing, and woven and repurposed Uniqlo garb, as well as "Nicopanda" rings, iPod, and iPhone cases - which are all available for sale. New merchandise will be added and rotated frequently throughout the shop's two-week existence, and Formichetti's muse Rico the Zombie Boy, who was present at the press preview earlier today, is expected to act as store manager.

"I was looking for a medium to present all the different aspects of what I do," Formichetti explained of the impetus behind the store. "But now, it's becoming more than that, because I've been collaborating with the architects, and we've been merging different people['s ideas]. For me, it's always about collaboration; it's not just my vision, it's the vision of all the people that I work with."

While he's in New York, he plans to stop by a show or two - which would mark his first time ever attending New York Fashion Week: "Every time I was here [during Fashion Week in the past], I was working on something, or I was working on other shows, so I've never actually spent time in the New York fashion scene. I was talking to my friend, and he was telling me, 'This is the first time you're in New York for Fashion Week.' It's crazy."

So who does Formichetti plan to see? "I wanted to go see Richard Chai this morning; I didn't go. I'm going to go see Patrik, Patrik Ervell - you know, just friends. Who's interesting this week? Like interesting. I don't really care about socializing and things like that."

A look inside Nicola's in the slideshow.

View Slideshow ›

Nicola Formichetti Planning To Launch His Own Brand in 2012

fashionologie — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:01:05 PDT

>> Nicola Formichetti is starting to give Karl Lagerfeld a run for his money in the how-many-projects-can-I-simultaneously-take-on game. Formichetti, who currently acts as Lady Gaga's stylist, Mugler's creative director, and fashion director for both Uniqlo and Vogue Hommes Japan, recently revealed: "I’m launching my own brand next year." Formichetti, who is planning "Nicola's," a pop-up store in Manhattan to coincide with New York Fashion Week (located at 57 Walker Street from Sept. 8–21), promises that the store will showcase "a sneak preview of what’s coming up in the future" for his namesake brand. [Milk Made]

Nicola Formichetti and Lady Gaga Checked Twitter Right After the Mugler Show

fashionologie — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:52:25 PDT

>> Lady Gaga may be getting the full spread of Mugler's debut women's collection, but magazines won't be. Nicola Formichetti is wary of overexposure and the shortness of the public's attention span that follows, so he's keeping press samples exclusive: “I’m not giving them to every magazine.” But he sees himself as democratic in most other ways, drawing a contrast between his approach and Tom Ford's. “I’m not an elitist,” Formichetti says of his decision to livestream the show and air live video of the backstage kerfuffle. “I want to share what I’m doing with everyone . . . In a way, I wanted to have the people in front of a screen to have a better seat than the people in the front row. I remember straight after the show, me and [Lady] Gaga just ran backstage and went onto our computers and went on Twitter to see what the fans were saying.” [WWD]

Nicola Formichetti Paid Up to $20,000 for His Muse Rico Genest to Get to Paris In Time For the Mugler Show

fashionologie — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:56:18 PDT

>> Nicola Formichetti unearthed Rick Genest - also known as Zombie Boy - on Facebook, and he's walked in both Mugler runway shows (Fall 2011 men's and women's) that Formichetti has done so far, acting in tandem with Lady Gaga as something of a house muse and face of the brand. But it wasn't as simple as contacting Genest through Facebook and flying him into Paris in time for the shows, Formichetti says: "[Genest] emailed me back straightaway and he was like, 'Yeah, sure, I would love to [come to Paris], but I don’t have a passport.'" Later, Formichetti comes to find out "why he couldn’t get a passport: because he was homeless. He had a lot of fines or something because he was always sleeping on the street. ... He just kept telling me, 'I'm not a criminal, I'm not a criminal.' It took him so long to tell us. Oh my God, he was so emotional. He was crying and saying how this was going to change his life. It was a beautiful moment." Formichetti ended up paying the fines - "It was a lot . . . like ten or twenty [thousand dollars]" - himself. [Hint]

According to Nicola Formichetti, Mugler Is "Not So Much About the Clothes"

fashionologie — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:52:19 PST

>> Of Nicola Formichetti's debut Mugler collection on Wednesday, Suzy Menkes pondered, "But did those outfits really make their mark on fashion?" And Style.com noted of the debut: "It didn't blow you away, either in its affinities to Thierry Mugler's originals or with its future vision." But according to Formichetti, neither are important: “I just wanted to bring the fun back. It’s not so much about the clothes.” [IHT]

Lady Gaga Bought the Entire Mugler Collection in Every Color

fashionologie — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:24:45 PST

>> Right before Lady Gaga made her runway debut at Mugler, she told friends, “I want people to see me walk and say, 'She is a Mugler woman.' Seriously, I’m so nervous.” But when she took the runway in her eight- or nine-inch heels, the nerves weren't evident - and afterwards, Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti said, she had already "bought the entire collection in every color." [Style.com]

Lady Gaga to Walk in Mugler's Fall 2011 Womenswear Show Tomorrow

fashionologie — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:20:50 PST

>> The womenswear debut of new Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti tomorrow will be marked by another debut: that of Lady Gaga on the runway. The singer, who Formichetti also styles, tweeted: "I'm making my debut as a runway model, walking in the MUGLER PARIS FASHIONSHOW 3/2. I directed the show music, [and will be] previewing [new song] 'Government Hooker.'" Six roving cameras will also show backstage preparations 30 minutes before the livestream on Mugler's Facebook page. [@ladygaga, WWD]