fashionologie

Andre Leon Talley Adores Zac Posen, Anna Cleveland, and Says Anna Wintour Was "Thrilled" with 60 Minutes

fashionologie — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:50:36 PDT

>> Andre Leon Talley has been eliciting remarks for the rose-hued Prada coat and "raspberry velvet" custom-made Manolo Blahnik sandals he's been wearing around town to the resort shows - Diane von Furstenberg's and Oscar de la Renta's among them - but he had some remarks of his own on the 60 Minutes profile of Anna Wintour.

"I was really impressed with their research," Andre told Mediabistro yesterday, adding that he found reporter Morley Safer to be "a bit dismissive" of fashion and its players, particularly when he likened Karl Lagerfeld to Dracula - "He's had that look for eight years!" As for Anna's thoughts on the piece, Andre said that she was "thrilled. It's 60 Minutes - she was on the same show as Secretary Gates. It was fabulous."

Other things that are "fabulous" »

Chanel Iman Helps Tyra Banks Carry on the Vogue Italia Legacy

fashionologie — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:58:32 PDT

>> Good news: that July 2008 Vogue Italia? It's still resounding — and not just on the covers of other magazines. Today, one of the Vogue Italia stars, Tyra Banks, taped an episode of The Tyra Banks Show on West 26th Street in New York celebrating black models of the past and present in honor of the Vogue Italia "Black Issue." Joining her and voicing first-hand accounts of their industry experience were Chanel Iman, Beverly Johnson, Noemie Lenoir, and Pat Cleveland. I'm not usually a big fan of the show, but this episode — which airs Sept. 11 — I will have to watch.
*image: source, source, source

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Liya, Sessilee, Jourdan, and Naomi Make Four for Vogue Italia

fashionologie — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:41:20 PDT

>> What a way to ring in a new day . . . and hopefully a new age. The first photos from the much-hyped July 2008 "black issue" of Vogue Italia have dropped. The cover looks to be a four photo foldout, with vets Liya Kebede and Naomi Campbell joining up-and-comers Jourdan Dunn and Sessilee Lopez for top honors.

From the cover teaser words, expect more of the same mix of the experienced (Alek Wek, Alva Chin, Gail O'Neil, Iman, Kiara Kabukuru, Karen Alexander, Tyra Banks, Veronica Webb, Yasmin Warsame, Pat Cleveland) and the new blood (Arlenis Sosa Pena, Chanel Iman, America's Next Top Model contestant Toccara Jones) inside.

Enjoy your first peek in the gallery below.
*image: source

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Robin Givhan Lands a Book Deal

fashionologie — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:45:58 PDT

>> Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robin Givhan has landed a book deal to write about the supermodel-studded Grand Divertissement à Versailles fashion show, which in 1973 pitted five American designers (Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Anne Klein, and Bill Blass) against five French designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior by Marc Bohan, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro, and Pierre Cardin) at the Palace of Versailles. Put together by Eleanor Lambert, the publicist who invented the Best Dressed List, the show used exclusively black models like Pat Cleveland, Bethann Hardison, and Billie Blair and was attended by 800 guests, including Princess Grace of Monaco. Givhan’s book will be “an in-depth look at how the Grand Divertissement a Versailles set a diverse group of American designers against the lions of French fashion in a seismic cultural event and turning point in the history of American fashion.” Givhan is also the author of Michelle: Her First Year as First Lady. [DFR]

Naomi Sims, "First Black Supermodel," Dead at 61

fashionologie — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:58:51 PDT

>> The title of "first black supermodel" has been handed out to Beverly Johnson, the first African American woman to score the cover of Vogue, or Donyale Luna, who Vogue named model of the year in 1966, but Naomi Sims, who died of cancer Saturday, at 61, held her own right to the title.

Halston referred to her as "the first [black supermodel]" in 1974: "She was the great ambassador for all black people. She broke down all the social barriers.” When modeling agencies turned her down in the late '60s, she went straight to photographers, finally convincing Gosta Peterson to capture her for the cover of The New York Times Magazine's Fashions of the Times supplement in 1967; the image is now appearing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Model as Muse" exhibit. Sims sent out the image to ad agencies, and within a year, she was earning $1,000 and had a national AT&T TV commercial campaign wearing Bill Blass.

She paved the way for the likes of Pat Cleveland, Beverly Johnson, gave up modeling after five years in favor of pursuing what became a multimillion dollar beauty empire, and thought of her race as an advantage: "It’s ‘in’ to use me, and maybe some people do it when they don’t really like me. But even if they are prejudiced, they have to be tactful if they want a good picture.”

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Reclusive Steven Meisel Talks Vices, Aging, and His First Job

fashionologie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:20:34 PDT

>> Steven Meisel, who is legendary for his photography, but also for his mysteriousness - he's reclusive, with public appearances few and far between - and always covered up, with dark sunglasses, head covering, and a uniform of black. He won't discuss the boyfriend he lives with, and he even finds seclusion on shoots, working from behind a scrim or in a black box.

But he's opening up a little - it was just announced that he will make a personal appearance at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography at the end of this month, and Jonathan Van Meter caught him for a series of phone interviews recently, collected in a profile for the May 2009 issue of Vogue:

Back in high school, Meisel's hair was down to there, according to classmate Pat Cleveland.

"He had this long, silky black hair down to the bottom of his derriere. He wore really tight little jeans and beautiful shirts. He wasn't wild. But, you know, when you see someone who is that beautiful, they don't have to be outrageous and loud. He didn't have to push his way into anything."

"Oh, he drove me crazy." »