fashionologie

Olivier Zahm's 400-Page Carine Roitfeld Biography Gets a Publication Date

fashionologie — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:37:54 PDT

>> The Carine Roitfeld biography retrospective that Olivier Zahm has been working on for the better part of two years finally has a publication date: Oct. 4, 2011. The 400-page tome, Irreverent, will be published by Rizzoli, and while Zahm edited what is sure to be an image-heavy compilation, the book is listed as written by Carine Roitfeld, with text by Cathy Horyn and New York's Amy Larocca, and contribution by Anna Wintour. Amazon already has the book on pre-order for $67.50. [Fashion Copious]

Galliano Aftermath - Will Anyone Stick By the Designer? The Industry (and Natalie Portman) Comment on John Galliano's Scandal

fashionologie — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:54:05 PST

>> The Christian Dior show will go on, but who will be there to see it? Hilary Alexander reports: "Many international buyers and press feel uneasy about attending the show, leaving Dior in the double predicament of being without a creative director, and the strong possibility of disappointing sales of a collection which many feel is now tainted by the scandal."

So is Galliano's scandal a career destroyer? Kate Moss's cocaine scandal in 2005 did not have any longterm effects on her career, her agent said last year - in fact, her earnings doubled in the five years after. Of course, Moss's scandal and Galliano's scandal broach two vastly different subjects - drugs versus racism and/or anti-Semitism. But as The New Yorker's Judith Thurman wrote yesterday: "Galliano seems to have disgraced himself (and perhaps ended his career) by delivering a drunken, anti-Semitic rant to several fellow patrons at a Paris restaurant . . . But Chanel liked Nazis, too."

So will Moss, who is said to have enlisted Galliano to do her wedding dress, stand by the designer? What about any of the rest of the industry?

We know where Christian Dior face Natalie Portman stands - last night, before Galliano was let go, she released a statement: "I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano's comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful."

After Galliano's dismissal, British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said: "I think Galliano made a terrible mistake and such offensive behaviour could not be ignored. It is all the same true that he has a huge talent and has contributed enormously to the resurrection of the house of Dior. Who can predict what the future will bring?"

Jessica Stam tweeted: "I'll miss you John, you're so talented. I love the Jews and what he said is awful, but also sad to watch him leave Dior." And Chanel Iman said this morning: "I love John Galliano. I’ve been working with him for years and he is one of the most amazing, genius men in this business. He is one of the most creative, genius designers that I’ve worked with and he’s so open to all types of people. He’s loving and he’s caring and I wish him all the best."

But before this morning's announcement that Galliano was fired, many other industry folk spoke out on the scandal.

Stefano Gabbana tweeted last Saturday (pre video release): "I'm so sorry for John Galliano!!!"

Franca Sozzani, said on camera last Friday (pre video release): "I'm so against anyone who could say something anti-Semitic or against any religion. I understand that [Galliano] was drunk. I can understand, for sure, because he's not a bad guy. But I do not accept that anyone can touch the religion of someone else . . . either you fire or you keep [him], I don't see anything in between . . . [Dior without Galliano] would be a real pity . . . I wasn't there, you weren't there, nobody was there, so who knows the truth. But you know . . . it's John Galliano, it's very easy to say he said something like that, because it's doing a big mess. If he was no one, nobody could tell about him, so we are to be suspicious about that. If it's really true, if it really went as they're describing, it's terrible news for [not only Galliano but] the human being."

Roberto Cavalli, on camera last Saturday (pre video release): "I don't believe [it]. Because I know John since many years, he's such a wonderful person. I can't believe that he makes some racist [comments] toward somebody, because he's so international . . . I think that somebody wants to try to be bad with him. I think la Maison Dior should make [for] him [a] big red carpet because he helped Maison Dior to be what it is today. I don't want to judge anybody, but I love John and John, I am with you."

Giorgio Armani, on camera Monday: "I'm very very sorry for him. It's obviously a difficult time for him. I am also very sorry that they videotaped him without him knowing."

Olivier Zahm wrote last Saturday (pre video release): "I know that you [Galliano] are not at all racist -whatever you said, drunk or not, to them! Your multi-ethnic shows, celebrating the beauty of nomadic worlds, and looking into visual languages of forgotten minorities (from everywhere on this planet), has brilliantly proved it to everyone from collection to collection since years. We are living in a dark world where the fashion system can celebrate talented people like you, use them as long as they want and fire them from a day to the next - exploiting an unfortunate private incident (and thusfar unproved anti-Semitic allegations), to get rid of an artist. Letting the international media suspect that you could be a racist, is not acceptable!"

And Hilary Alexander wrote yesterday: "What devils possessed Galliano we may never know. What private hell he is living through is equally unknowable. But one thing is certain: he needs help. I am not for a moment excusing his behaviour. There will come a time when he must confront the viper in his breast. But, right now, this is a moment in his life when he needs support and love from the industry he has given his life to."

See Carine Roitfeld's Second to Last Vogue Paris Cover, Just Out; What Does She Do Next?

fashionologie — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:37:32 PST

>> In less than two weeks, Carine Roitfeld is headed out the door at Vogue Paris, with Emmanuelle Alt set to take over on Feb. 1. Roitfeld's last issue will be for March, and although there's been no intel on who might feature on that cover - her last for the magazine - her second to last cover choice, for February 2011, is Lara Stone, captured by Mario Sorrenti (left).

So what, beyond these last few days in her current role, does Roitfeld have on her plate? There's still her biography, Carine Roitfeld: Album of a Woman of Fashion, that Olivier Zahm has been working on for over a year, which is supposed to come out in the Fall. Apparently she recently read the Keith Richards biography, Life, and has since been wanting to try shepherd's pie, Harper's Bazaar UK editor Lucy Yeomans tweets: "Just seen [British chef] Mark Hix sending shepherds pie to Carine Roitfeld in Paris.She has wanted to try one since reading SPscene in Keith Richards biog!" And now there's speculation that Roitfeld might look into launching her own brand. As The Imagist points out: "I mean if [Anna Dello Russo] can have her own fragrance, why shouldn't the masses be able to buy a little bit of le style Roitfeld?"

Halloween Brought Fashion Figures Dressed as Other Fashion Figures - Think Brad Goreski as Tavi, Prabal Gurung as Marc Jacobs

fashionologie — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:13:17 PDT

>> Karl Lagerfeld has been a popular costume in the past, but this year's Halloween brought a number of fashion figures dressing up as other fashion figures: Brad Goreski went as both Anna Dello Russo and Tavi Gevinson; Bryanboy also riffed on Tavi; Bee Shaffer wore a tweed suit as Coco Chanel; and Prabal Gurung pulled out a kilt and boots to go as Marc Jacobs. "I hope he approves ha ha," Gurung Tweeted. Some of the costumes were quite convincing - speaking of Jacobs, apparently he was confused by someone dressed as Olivier Zahm and started speaking in French before realizing he had the wrong guy.

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Terry Richardson, Laetitia Casta, and Olivier Zahm Invade Azzedine Alaia's Studio for Dinner

fashionologie — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:40:20 PDT

>> Azzedine Alaia can be press-shy about both himself and his collection, but his Spring 2011 offering, which includes sheer micro-dot lace dresses can be seen here. The accompanying trellis-like heels can be seen up close here. And he had Olivier Zahm, Laetitia Casta, and Terry Richardson to his Paris studio for a steak dinner last night, which means there's sure to be plenty of photographic evidence of the event. That includes a couple of portraits of Alaia's beloved dog, Dine Dine.

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Ohne Titel's Floral Gill and Alexa Adams Are Feeling Alaia-Like Knit Skirts and Neoprene Tops for Spring 2011

fashionologie — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 18:21:58 PDT

>> Flora Gill and Alexa Adams say that their Fall 2010 collection resulted in a 300 percent jump in sales for Ohne Titel, but they're still attracting the art fashion crowd that has been with them from the beginning: pre-show, Cecilia Dean, wearing an Ohne Titel dress, tucked away a bicycle helmet into her bag, while Olivier Zahm arrived half an hour late - just after a curtain was dropped at the entrance - still stuffing change from a cab ride into his pocket. Carine Roitfeld, who's attended the past couple of seasons, was nowhere to be seen, however (It seems she had not yet arrived, as she was first spotted this morning at Derek Lam).

For Spring, Gill and Adams were inspired by the Japanese woodblock artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi - thanks to a Japan Society exhibit earlier this year - and sent out neoprene tanks (which will apparently be special order-only), Alaia-esque knit dresses with flared skirts, and oversized tailored vests, all on a womanly cast of models: Catherine McNeil, who opened, Cameron Russell in her first and only appearance so far this week, Emanuela de Paula (who hasn't walked a Fashion Week since Fall 2007), and Lakshmi Menon among them. The designers, who collaborated with the artist Tauba Auerbach on lucite and elastic-banded jewelry - marking her first time as a jeweler - also premiered their first handbags.

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fashionologie — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:54:54 PDT

>> Christophe Lemaire Hints That His Hermes Collections Won't Make Women Look Like "Luxury Prostitutes" -Christophe Lemaire has yet to debut a collection for Hermes - and it won't come until the Fall 2011 season - but he has offered a hint in the direction he'll be going: he loves "real quality, timelessness, simplicity, and classicism . . . Until very recently, high-fashion women were like luxury prostitutes. Now there is a need for a more authentic and dignified style . . . I think being transgressive today is being classical. To pretend to dress as a punk and take cocaine and have sex orgies has just become common now - there's nothing transgressive about that. The fashion pages, like Purple magazine, are just a joke." [The Cut]

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:22:03 PDT

>> Olivier Zahm Writing Biography on Carine Roitfeld -A few more details have surfaced on the Carine Roitfeld book Olivier Zahm alluded that he was working on last November; Rizzoli sent out an email to selected bloggers today, soliciting questions for Roitfeld to answer in the forthcoming book, which will be published in Fall 2011. The book, which will likely be image-heavy - Zahm is working with an art director - is the first biographical book on Roitfeld. [Fashionista]

Proenza Schouler Fall 2010: Graffiti Pants, Schoolgirl Skirts - And Anna Wintour Watching Without Her Sunglasses On

fashionologie — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:12:21 PST

>> If you didn't get enough late '90s references at Alexander Wang, look to Proenza Schouler to fill your Fall 2010 quota. Newcomer Ann Kenny - who has the most arresting blue eyes - opened the show in high-waisted graffiti pants, made in collaboration with J Brand, and a shrunken navy toggle jacket. All the John Fleuvog-style curved platform heels and sheer thigh highs paired with full pleated school girl-style miniskirts must have caught Anna Wintour's attention - she sat next to Bee Shaffer the entire show, sunglasses-less (a first?), until the final runthrough when she finally put her trademark shades on.

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez had the house packed: benches arranged around the X-shaped runway sat as many as they could possibly fit - with the likes of Pamela Love, Mary-Kate Olsen, Jen Brill, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld (in green furry heels), Joseph Altuzarra, Lauren Santo Domingo, Vanessa Traina, Chloe Sevigny, Craig McDean, Terry Richardson, and Olivier Zahm all accounted for. Bass pumped through Milk Studios loud enough to shake the walls, while fuzzy printed flannel dresses and alpine knits evolved into razor-sharp cropped jackets and finally, patterned minidresses with bubble skirts and trapeze shapes.

Marie Chaix styled once again, and if you're a fan of straight-off-the-runway (many front-rowers had their PS 1 clutches handy), for the next 24-odd hours, two of the runway handbags are available for purchase. Post-show, a sight: Hamish Bowles, in his usual dapper suit, but instead of his usual brogues, his trousers stuffed into shiny black wellies. A video of the show can be seen here.

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fashionologie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:52:50 PST

>> Jefferson Hack Seems To Be a Fan of the Man Legging -Jefferson Hack tends to stick to a good, skinny jean or a slim-tailored suit, but it seems he's taken a page from Marc Jacobs, who has traded pants for a skirt as of late, and gone for an alternative. Hack showed up for some of the first day Art Basel festivities down in Miami - including his own Another Magazine dinner, and later the Design Miami Purple Party - and was captured by Olivier Zahm wearing his usual button-up and suit jacket . . . with skin-tight leggings. [Purple Diary, Purple Diary]