fashionologie

The Chic Thief at Ralph Lauren, DKNY's Thousands of Tweets, Longchamp Adds Shoes

fashionologie — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:32:35 PDT

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Grand theft fashion! Police are on the hunt for a "chic, well-dressed woman" they believe is responsible for the theft of a $17,000 handbag from the Ralph Lauren women's boutique on New York's Upper East Side. The bag, a version of the Ricky bag made from African crocodile skin, went missing last month. Anyone who might know its whereabouts is encouraged to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. [Styleite]
Aliza Licht, the publicist who tweets from @DKNY, sent out over 1,100 missives on the social networking site in February. That's nearly three times as many tweets as the second biggest users of Twitter in the fashion industry - Kate Spade and Betsey Johnson only sent around 350 tweets in the same month. Only. [The Fashion Spot]
Giorgio Armani took some flak for sending out an email announcement of his new Sense of Being campaign, which depicts British Olympians wearing his sportswear alongside inspirational messages, about a minute before Stella McCartney unveiled her uniforms for the British Olympic team. The jury is still out on whether or not you can actually steal someone's thunder via email. [The Cut]
Mischa Barton is adding clothing to her line of products. She's had her own line of handbags since 2008, but her line of clothing and accessories, called Mischa's Place, started selling online today. [Stylelist]
Longchamp, the French handbag company that makes the ubiquitous nylon-and-leather handbags, announced today that it's going to start selling shoes to complement those bags this Summer. The shoes, which range in price from $285 to $735, will be available in July. [Fashion Etc.]

Ralph Lauren Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:22:22 PST

>> One can always depend on Ralph Lauren to close out the New York season with a refreshingly classic offering. This season's palette cleanser? A reinterpretation of one of Lauren's most signature references: the English countryside. The opening looks consisted of menswear-inspired suits in jaunty silhouettes and a mix of classic, cozy fabrics. Herringbone, tweed, plaid, and some very lovely fair isle intarsias were done in a rich assortment of pastels and earthy hues. A series of ocelot-printed shearling coats looked especially fresh.

Evening was another high point, with several gowns featuring beaded deco motifs or elaborate embellished collars. A series of floor-length columns in gold lamé were so breathtaking that they prompted one onlooker to comment: "I bet we'll be seeing these on the red carpet next week." Indeed.

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Watch The Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 Collection

fashionologie — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:42:06 PST

>> Ralph Lauren's Fall 2012 collection was an ode to British fashion, loaded with menswear influences and plenty of vintage glamour. Watch the entire collection, right here.

15 Gorgeous, Gift-Worthy Fashion Books

Christina Perez — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:44:56 PST

>> From recent releases to much-loved classics, these coffee table tomes promise to make the perfect addition to any fashion fiend's collection. Featuring drop-dead images from legendary photographers like Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, and Richard Avedon; insider info from industry icons Daphne Guinness, Carine Roitfeld, and Valerie Steele; and sublime collections from Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin, and more - these 15 books are some of the chicest to give this holiday season. After all, there's nothing like being well-dressed and well-read.

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Lauren Bush's Ralph Lauren Wedding Dress, Unveiled

fashionologie — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:12:00 PST

>> Lauren Bush and David Lauren were married over Labor Day after at his family's 17,000-acre Double RL ranch in Ridgway, Colorado, before some 200 guests. Now, a few pictures - including engagement shots -have been released in the upcoming December 2011 issue of Vogue.

The general look of the wedding - which included a rodeo the day after the ceremony - was “rustic elegance,” Bush Lauren explained. “A beautiful movie,” David adds, “like you were riding across the Old West and you stopped in at a wedding.”

Bush Lauren wore Ralph Lauren on her wedding day, of course. She and the designer had a few casual conversations about the sort of dress she'd like at family meals and holiday weekends, and then in late June they met at the Ralph Lauren studio for an official design meeting. “I walked in, and there were these beautiful illustrations of the looks we’d discussed with my face on them,” she recalls. “It was like a dream come true. We sat together and arrived at this silhouette. It isn’t Victorian exactly. I wanted something modern as well, so there is the high-necked collar and puffed shoulders with the large open back.”

The long-sleeved gown was the product of 100 craftspeople spending more than 3,000 hours hand-embroidering featherweight, antique ivory tulle with flower motifs and scroll designs using ivory silk and metallic thread, Swarovski Elements crystals, and off-white pearl beads. The bride and her five bridesmaids - who were dressed in white linen blouses, vests, and vintage prairie skirts - all wore cowboy boots. Bush Lauren's something new? The dress and boots. Her something old? Her headpiece. Her something borrowed? Victorian earrings from a friend. And her something blue? “I wore blue socks,” she laughed.

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Ralph Lauren, Oprah Winfrey Join Forces For a Black-Tie Conversation at Lincoln Center

fashionologie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:33:46 PDT

>> After chatting with Ralph Lauren during the last season of her talk show earlier this year - "It took me 25 years to score an interview with [him]," Oprah Winfrey said of the designer - the two reunited for a sequel interview last night. The black-tie event, which raised more than $7 million for the Ralph Lauren Center For Cancer Care and Prevention in Harlem and Lincoln Center For the Performing Arts, brought a crowd ranging from Anna Wintour to Naomi Watts to the entire Lauren clan.

Pre-interview, Lauren admitted: "I don't know what she's going to ask, but if I can't answer, I'm going to run." Prabal Gurung, in attendance, hoped that she would ask Lauren about his secrets to success: “I just want a few formulas that I can take back to the office.”

Without further ado, Winfrey introduced Lauren, saying “He designed the fabric of America as we really all know it today, but we’re here tonight because Ralph Lauren is more than just a tastemaker - he’s a lifesaver," before asking him about how he's maintained and reinvented his brand over so many years: "You copy - that's why I am still here, Oprah," he quipped, drawing laughter. More seriously, he added: “I never went to fashion school, I never had the training. It came from inside. I know what it’s like to yearn for something and not have the money to buy it." He also admitted: "After doing this all this time, my hands still get sweaty before a show."

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Giggles and Glamour - Backstage at Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and L'Wren Scott

fashionologie — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:04:30 PDT

>> New York Fashion Week has come to a close this season, but not without a little kick at the end. See Hanne Gaby Odiele flexing her muscles backstage at Calvin Klein while Julia Nobis makes faces with Suvi Koponen; and giggles go down amongst the '20s glamour at Ralph Lauren. More backstage snaps from those shows - and L'Wren Scott, too - in the slideshow.

Photo: Greg Kessler

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Ralph Lauren Spring 2012

Christina Perez — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:39:10 PDT

>> This season, Ralph Lauren returned to classic Americana, trotting out a solid collection of '20s-tinged separates and eveningwear. In short, it was what a modern-day Daisy Buchanon would wear to a garden party. She'd have plenty of options to choose from - flowy crepe de chine trousers in peach and baby blue, chiffon skirts in sherbet-florals, and cashmere sweaters in daffodil and apple green.

For evening, there were high-shine gowns in panne velvet, slip-dresses with deco beading, and ostrich feather shrugs. Also, three-piece suits in ivory silk, complete with pink-satin ties. If all this sounds familiar, it should. After all, it was Ralph Lauren who designed the costumes for the 1974 film The Great Gatsby, and many of those knockout silhouettes were reprised here.

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David Lauren, Lauren Bush To Wed This Weekend

fashionologie — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:19:38 PDT

>> Over the upcoming Labor Day weekend, David Lauren and Lauren Bush - who recently celebrated their engagement party in the Hamptons - will marry at his father Ralph Lauren's 17,000-acre Colorado ranch. The bride is expected to wear a Ralph Lauren wedding dress (David's sister Dylan Lauren wore a bridal gown designed by their father for her own wedding in June).

200 guests are expected for the festivities, which will include a picnic and softball game on Saturday, a rehearsal dinner Saturday night in Telluride, and the wedding ceremony Sunday, followed by a rodeo on Monday. A source told the New York Post, “The dress code for the wedding is black tie with a Western twist, which fits in with the romantic surroundings and both families’ American roots.”

Bush's grandparents, George H.W. and former First Lady Barbara Bush - currently at Walker’s Point in Maine - will not attend, a rep confirmed, while a spokesman for her uncle, George W. Bush, would not comment on if he and wife Laura will attend.

Bush is expected to take her soon-to-be husband's name; she recently told Harper's Bazaar: “I think it will be Lauren Bush-Lauren. I am sort of old-fashioned in that way"

Ralph Lauren On Whether David Lauren Will Succeed Him as CEO

fashionologie — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:36:56 PDT

>> It's been a good week for David Lauren - he celebrated his engagement to Lauren Bush last weekend on Anne Hearst and Jay McInerney's farm in the Hamptons, and his contribution to Ralph Lauren is touted in a new Fast Company profile.

So where is David headed next? Fast Company attests to "industrywide speculation" that he will eventually succeed 71-year-old Ralph as CEO. When asked if that is the case, David, who currently serves as EVP, replies: "My role has been growing every year. I'm very fortunate." He later adds: "But if I couldn't make a difference [at Ralph Lauren], I wouldn't be here. My father wouldn't want me to be here."

Ralph, too, is evasive about future company plans and David's role in them: "David is, and will be, a major person in the company. I can't say today where we're going, but David will be very important." Andrew Lauren, David's older brother who isn't involved in the company, meanwhile says of his father: "At some point he will say, 'I can't do this all the time,' and it's not out of the question that one of us would step in. But time will tell. David is succeeding where he is."