fashionologie

Karolina Kurkova, Diane Kruger, Alexa Chung and More Hit the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet

fashionologie — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:31:41 PDT

>> Curious to see what the House of Dior puts out without a creative director at its head? The Fall 2011 Dior couture collection, which debuts in July, is being produced just that way - by the design studio alone - but a peek at what they're capable of came last night. Melanie Laurent debuted the Dior studio's first foray without a head designer - a couture gown inspired by an archival piece - for the Cannes Film Festival opening festivities. See that dress, plus Diane Kruger's slinky Calvin Klein Collection number, Rachel McAdams's peekaboo sheer Marchesa gown, and more from the first two days of Cannes in the slideshow.

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Giorgio Armani and Lady Gaga Have a Multimillion Dollar Partnership

fashionologie — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 07:42:17 PDT

>> In efforts to rejuvenate his business, Giorgio Armani has entered into a multimillion-dollar partnership with Lady Gaga. The relationship is being shepherded by Armani's niece Roberta Armani, who heads up VIP relations for the company; she contacted Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti last November after seeing the singer perform live at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, wanting to see if Lady Gaga would consider wearing Armani for the Grammy Awards. Giorgio Armani sketched out three designs for the occasion - all of which Gaga ended up wearing.

It is unusual for Armani to design specifically for one person - brand loyalists like Cate Blanchett and Michelle Pfeiffer typically chose existing outfits from the collections - but, Roberta Armani says, "It wouldn't be possible to give Gaga a look from the collection because she wears pieces of art. It's theatrical." She adds that Lady Gaga has helped the company think younger: "A huge company like Giorgio Armani has the duty to always be alert to trends and what appeals to young people. It helped to see how the world is through Lady Gaga, the way she uses Facebook and Twitter."

Post-Grammys, Gaga reached out to Armani about her Alejandro video - she wanted tight black military-style leather suits for the male dancers; the suits not only showed up in the video, but in the Emporio Armani men's fashion show in June (the "Alejandro" video played on the runway backdrop). Armani has since dressed Lady Gaga for the MTV Video Music Awards, her appearance on American Idol, and for her "Monster Ball" concert tour. He's soon to start working on costumes for her concert in Italy in December. But the two have yet to meet.

Giorgio Armani Hosts Dinner for December Vogue Cover Girl Cate Blanchett

coutorture — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:12:11 PST

Anna Wintour, Hamish Bowles, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Genevieve Jones, Zani Gugelmann, and Fabiola Beracasa attended an Armani-hosted welcome dinner in celebration of Cate Blanchett's role in A Streetcar Named Desire. Click below for images from the event.

New York 11/23/09 WireImage

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Raquel Zimmermann Shows Off Razor Sharp Cheekbones for Giorgio Armani Fall 2009 Campaign

fashionologie — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:32:40 PDT

>> Giorgio Armani has niece Roberta Armani increasingly stepping in for him in the public eye as a brand ambassador and just released the newest set of underwear ads featuring David Beckham this morning, but the brand face we're most interested in is Raquel Zimmermann, whose Fall 2009 ads for Armani - the first of many for her this season - are starting to pop up. The same team was used for Fall 2009 as for Spring 2009: stylist Katy England with Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, but Raquel replaces Sasha Pivovarova as the face of the brand.

amfAR Cinema Against Aids Gala Brings Out Dolce, Gabbana, Natasha Poly, and a Little Bit of Twi-Hard in Carine Roitfeld

fashionologie — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:23:57 PDT

>> This evening's amfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala in Cannes promised the appearances of chairs Donatella Versace and Carine Roitfeld, and it more than delivered. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who are hosting their annual blowout tomorrow night, have officially docked their "mirrored floating disco" yacht, according to T's Stefano Tonchi, and joined in on the fun. Natasha Poly, who needed the help of two women to get into her Cavalli gown yesterday, reappeared in a leopard dress. Claudia Schiffer made her first red carpet appearance of the festival. And Carine Roitfeld made the rounds, stopping to chat with Twilight's Robert Pattinson.

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fashionologie — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:54:13 PST

>> INSIDER WIRE -This week, Giorgio Armani, "the wealthiest fashion designer on the planet," is blogging while in New York for a store opening - it's like a window into his mind. He has plenty to say on Americans: "Americans overcook their pasta. Always. And there’s too much sauce. Too much of everything! Please, try to control yourselves," and "I’ve noticed that Americans never block out the light properly in bedrooms. In Europe we like to close ourselves off in the dark." He also taped an interview for The Rachel Zoe Project: "[Rachel] was wearing a feather coat (nice, but not mine) and very high pin needle heels. I went up on my tiptoes to see if I could be taller." [The Moment, The Moment]

Giorgio Armani Wanted to Merge with Hermes

fashionologie — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:24:59 PST

>> Back in October, Giorgio Armani didn't seem very keen on pulling a Valentino and retiring - especially since he had no heir in line - but at 74, he's still looking into other contigency plans for his privately-owned label. In fact, odd as it may seem, he explored - unsuccessfully - a merger with Hermes, in hopes to unite the companies’ strengths in clothes and accessories. If it had gone through, he maintains, the deal “could have been something fantastic. Hermes has such class, such prestige.” The dealbreaker, according to Armani, was that there were too many Hermes family shareholders to reach an agreement.

The alternatives left include going public with a stock market listing - which Armani ruled out, and acquisition offers from other bigger companies, which Armani has so far turned down. As for an heir, he's still looking, but without much success: "If I’m no longer the one that takes a bow at the end of the fashion show, then we’ll find another solution, though it’s hard to imagine what that might be. I keep trying to find people who can do things for me. In the end I am always the one who does them.” In the meantime, he's giving more responsibility to his relatives - niece Roberta Armani handles celebrity relations for the company, and nephew Andrea Camarena sits on the board and runs marketing and licensing.
*image: source

Victoria's Secret's New High-End Line, Alice Dellal's New Look, and Jessica Chastain's Oscar Phone Call

Christina Perez — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:14:57 PST

>> These stories and more - here, in our daily news roundup.

Victoria's Secret has launched its first high-end lingerie line, called The Victoria's Secret Designer Collection. Though it includes pieces that were shown during November's fashion show, the line had been kept top secret - until now. It's available at VictoriasSecret.com, and retails between $38 and $298. [WWD]

Speaking of lingerie, Bar Refaeli is the latest model to launch her own line of intimates. The label is called Under.me and will be available online in the UK for Valentine's Day. Priced from $7.50 to $25, Refaeli says the line is based on what "I like and find cute". [WWD]

Alice Dellal - the new face of Chanel's Boy Bag - has been looking a lot less "punk" lately. At the Chanel couture show (left), she wore a long skirt and a lace top. She kept her mismatched nails though. [Telegraph]

Also trying a new look: Lara Stone, who donned a coiffed brown wig and super-dark eyebrows to pose with actor Aaron Eckhart for Peter Lindbergh's lens. [Vogue]

Jessica Chastain found out about her Oscar nod while sitting front row at the Giorgio Armani Privé couture show in Paris. She was seated near Cameron Diaz and Roberta Armani, who congratulated her with a standing ovation. [People]

Amanda Brooks has announced her top 5 favorite trends for Spring. They include digital flower prints and single-sole shoes. [The Window]

Uh oh. Did H&M steal this artist's design? [Styleite]

The next hot beauty trend for men: Beards. They were all over the Fall 2012 Menswear runways. [The Cut]

Rihanna Replaces Megan Fox as Face of Emporio Armani Underwear

fashionologie — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:27:00 PDT

>> Megan Fox, who replaced Victoria Beckham as the face of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans in October 2009, is now stepping aside to make way for new Armani face Rihanna, who was spotted meeting with Roberta Armani in Milan in May. The singer's first campaign was shot on location in New York and is set to launch worldwide in September; expect to see her wearing Armani more often on the red carpet, as well.