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]

Fall 2011 Paris Fashion Week's Top Bags You Won't Want to Live Without!

fashionologie — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:19:22 PST

>> Hannah MacGibbon did bucket bags at Chloe and Valentino sent out delicate shoulder bags, but really, when it came right down to it, Paris designers had a one-track mind this season: clutches, clutches, and more clutches. See our favorites handbags, overwhelmingly of the clutch variety, in the slideshow - including the Dries Van Noten stunner, at left.

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Manish Arora Confirmed as Paco Rabanne Creative Director

fashionologie — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:22:35 PST

>> The rumor has been confirmed: Manish Arora is the new creative director of Paco Rabanne, and will show his first collection for the label in October during Paris Fashion Week - for Spring 2012. He will also continue his colorful signature collection, which is also shown in Paris but sells mostly in his native India.

The founding designer Rabanne has been consulting on the relaunch, which was kickstarted last month with the reissuing of the brand's iconic 1969 chain-mail bag, done in collaboration with Comme des Garcons's Rei Kawakubo. Those collaborations are expected to continue - next up is Judy Blame, who in March will unveil a collection of jewelry and his take on the chain-mail bag for the brand.

Vincent Thilloy, Puig VP overseeing Rabanne, said that the founder is looking to “transmit this brand to a new generation,” adding: “I think people are looking for brands with great heritage - and stories to tell. It’s a perfect time to come back.” And Arora, who is charged with bringing fashion back to the brand that shuttered ready-to-wear in 2006, says he is committed to Rabanne's heritage: "It’s very easy to use unorthodox materials, but not to do it with this kind of workmanship."

Manish Arora Rumored to be New Paco Rabanne Creative Director; Yves Saint Laurent CEO Reportedly Scouting Haider Ackermann

fashionologie — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:42:21 PST

>> Paco Rabanne has slowly been edging back into the fashion game - first with handbags that hit stores next month, and then with clothing, which is promised soon after. The namesake designer, who has been consulting on the relaunch of Rabanne, recently said: "The Paco Rabanne brand is and must remain what it has always been: audacious." And now, it's rumored that Manish Arora may be tapped as the new creative director; though it's not confirmed, Aurora does have a knack for color and print. And speaking of designer rumors, there's also one going around that Haider Ackermann is being scouted to replace Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent - apparently YSL CEO Valerie Hermann attended Ackermann's Spring 2011 show in October incognito, without an offical ticket request or RSVP. [Racked, Racked]

Paco Rabanne Is Consulting on His Namesake Label's Relaunch, Which Is Starting with the Iconic 1969 Chain-Mail Bag

fashionologie — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:40:40 PST

>> Paco Rabanne shuttered its clothing line in 2006, after a failed revival attempt by Patrick Robinson, but it's coming back onto the scene now, slowly but surely, with the brand's 76-year-old namesake designer consulting.

The first prong of reemergence? The relaunch of the brand's iconic 1969 chain-mail bag in new materials like stingray, horn, metal, glitter leather, and suede. The bag, which retails for $1,400 to $2,200, was shown during the most recent Paris Fashion Week, and will launch at London's Dover Street Market in January for one month before going to select retailers. Rei Kawakubo picked out materials for three interpretations of the reissued bag, and those will be sold exclusively in nine Comme des Garçons stores; Comme des Garçons is also handling the distribution of all the bags to retailers.

According to Rabanne, who was involved in the bag's relaunch: "I immediately got on board with the plan to relaunch the bag, but in my view it was necessary to make it in more comfortable materials. So we did this, using fine materials (shagreen, vegetable leather…) and/or materials in line with the Rabanne universe (rubber, plastic, aluminum . . . )."

The plan, according to Vincent Thilloy, Rabanne's VP, is to "come back and enrich the image of the brand," which means accessories first, and then clothing in the near future. Rabanne, who the executives are closely consulting, already knows what he wants to see: "The Paco Rabanne brand is and must remain what it has always been: audacious."

fashionologie — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:44:48 PDT

>> Paco Rabanne Edging Its Way Into a Comeback? –After shuttering its clothing line in 2006 after a failed revival attempt under Patrick Robinson, Paco Rabanne might once again be gearing up for a fashion comeback. The brand, which has been holding ship with a fragrance line, is set to present a collection of handbags during the coming fashion weeks. A clothing line, too, could be in the near future - it has been in the pipeline since Paco Rabanne's current vice president, Vincent Thilloy, was hired in January 2009 to manage the brand's fragrance, fashion, and accessories businesses. Thilloy says he thought it was a good time for the brand to expand its offerings, as its fragrance business is taking off exponentially: "I’m thinking about a new business model for the fashion." [WWD]

fashionologie — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:44:15 PDT

>> Is Renee Zellweger's Red Carpet Partnership with Carolina Herrera Over? -Last week, sources told WWD that Mario Grauso, president of Puig Fashion Group who oversees Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, and Paco Rabanne, has submitted his resignation and will step down after New York Fashion Week. The exit is said to be amicable, but it is speculated that he was unhappy with Olivier Theyskens's ousting at Ricci. Now, a source tells Page Six, Grauso, who introduced Renee Zellweger, Amy Adams, and Reese Witherspoon to Carolina Herrera, may be taking his celebrity followers with him: "None of them will wear Carolina Herrera on the red carpet now that he's gone. Mario paved the way for the brand by putting Renée in Herrera for award shows and carpets. He made it youthful." [WWD, Page Six]

Paco Rabanne Poised for Runway Comeback?

fashionologie — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:04:26 PST

>> The future of Bill Blass doesn't look so good, but another troubled house may be on the rise: Paco Rabanne.

The label's ready-to-wear line was closed in 2006, leaving designer Patrick Robinson to take his current position as executive vice president of design for Gap. Now, Rabanne owners Puig have just appointed a new vice president who is looking into following what Gibo is doing to resuscitate Rochas - licensing out the ready-to-wear.

The plan isn't runway-ready just yet - the new strategy is expected to be under review for up to four months - but Paco Rabanne fragrances have been taking off recently, and expanding into fashion seems the next logical step. Paolo Melim Andersson, with his love of disk shapes and graphic designs, could be the right man for the job.
*image: source

Hermes May Be Selling Jean Paul Gaultier Stake to Puig

fashionologie — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:11:10 PDT

>> Puig, the parent company of Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, and Paco Rabanne, may soon be adding Jean Paul Gaultier to its portfolio. It has reportedly entered into exclusive negotiations for Hermes International's 45 percent stake in Gaultier and is also said to be purchasing some shares from Gaultier himself, which would give it majority ownership of the French brand. Last year, after a seven year design partnership, Gaultier departed Hermes to focus on his own line, a move reportedly expedited by the 2010 death of former Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, who had championed the designer. [WWD]

Lookbook Look: Atelier Versace Spring 2010

fashionologie — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:58:49 PDT

>> When Donatella Versace presented the Spring 2010 Atelier Versace collection by appointment only during couture week at the end of January, Hamish Bowles reported sightings of gowns adorned with "chunks of Swarovski crystal, swags of fine silvery chains, and hologram discs to give a Paco Rabanne-esque edge." Now, you can see for yourself: Versace just uploaded the collection's lookbook today, featuring Kasia Struss.

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