fashionologie

Rodolfo Paglialunga Exits Vionnet

fashionologie — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:29:42 PDT

>> Just a few short days after showing his Spring 2012 collection for Vionnet, Rodolfo Paglialunga has left the brand. “Rudy is a talented designer who has allowed us to restart a sleeping brand,” co-owner Matteo Marzotto said, noting that the decision was consensual. Marzotto added that he has big plans to further grow Vionnet and extend its product offering. Italian twin sisters Barbara and Lucia Croce have been tapped to replace Paglialunga, who joined Vionnet in February 2009. [WWD]

Vionnet Presents Resort 2011 Along With Giuseppe Zanotti Footwear Collection

coutorture — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:30:21 PDT

Vionnet creative director Rodolfo Paglialunga presented his fifth collection designing for Madeline Vionnet's namesake house, pairing his distinct shapes with some of the bias cut draping for which the French label is known. Paglialunga, who spent years at Prada before being snatched up by Mateo Marzotto-Vionnet's owner since early 2009-designed a collection of rounded hemmed and asymmetric dresses, some with sheer panels and cutouts at the shoulders. Having recently collaborated on a shoe collection with Giuseppe Zanotti and dressed a number of starlets for award seasons, Vionnet is poised to officially make her comeback, after years of trying, this fall.

fashionologie — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:39:06 PST

>> Christian Lacroix Shows Up on Golden Globes Red Carpet -Christian Lacroix's business may be reduced to licensing at this point in time, but it's a testament that without any new collections being produced, he's still scoring red carpet coups - to wit, his Spring 2009 couture at last night's Golden Globes on the much-watched Diane Kruger. On the other side of the spectrum, houses recently kickstarted under new creative direction also found their footing at the Golden Globes: Nicole Kidman and Carey Mulligan wore Peter Copping's Nina Ricci from Spring 2010, Ginnifer Goodwin was in Spring 2010 Vionnet by Rodolfo Paglialunga, and Chloe Sevigny took home her award in Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli's Spring 2010 Valentino.

fashionologie — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:08:01 PST

>> French Buyers Were Not Enthused When Matteo Marzotto Took Over Vionnet -Matteo Marzotto, who was president of Valentino from 2002 to 2008, chats about his newest venture, the relaunch of French house Vionnet under the design capabilities of Prada alum Rodolfo Paglialunga: "One of the hardest things I have had to do since my business partner Gianni Castiglione [husband of Marni's Consuelo Castiglione] and I bought Vionnet in 2008 was calling stores and saying, 'Hi, do you remember me? I have bought this brand and it is going to be very glamorous. I would like you to come and see it.' I sent an average of 25 e-mails to each buyer, and wrote them letters explaining why we were doing it, and reminding them of my track record. I made it very personal. Even then, in the beginning, almost no French buyers came." [Financial Times]

First Taste of Rodolfo Paglialunga at Vionnet for Cruise 2010

fashionologie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:46:33 PDT

>> We saw Phoebe Philo's first go at Celine a few weeks ago, and now it's time to peruse the first looks of another highly-anticipated matchup: Roldofo Paglialunga at Vionnet. The designer, who spent 13 years as Miuccia Prada's assistant and will have his runway debut at Paris Fashion Week in October, offers up a contemporary look at Vionnet's heritage Grecian constructions for Cruise 2010: “I looked at magazines, books, newspaper clips and anything I could find.”

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Marios Schwab to Halston? Brands Increasingly Looking For One-Label Designers

fashionologie — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:05:42 PDT

>> An in-house team has produced the last two Halston collection since Marco Zanini left, but the search is still on for a creative director. Sources say that young London talent Marios Schwab might be the man - he's apparently been in talks with the brand - but Bonnie Takhar, Halston CEO, wouldn't confirm anything. “We have been looking at all options in the market, but we have made no decisions.”

If Schwab were to take the job, would he be required to shutter his eponymous label? Increasingly, brands are looking for devoted creative directors who don't have to split time between labels; in fact, a lot of brands are digging up designers who have never helmed a label before: Vionnet just hired Prada alum Rodolfo Paglialunga, Nina Ricci is supposedly going with Louis Vuitton-trained Peter Copping, Valentino recently promoted accessory designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, and Chloe decided on alum Hannah MacGibbon.

Hiring designers: it's not what it used to be »

fashionologie — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:53:50 PST

>> INSIDER WIRE -Confirming last week's reports, former Valentino chairman Matteo Marzotto and Marni's CEO Gianni Castiglioni have bought Vionnet. Creative directorship has been placed in the hands of Rodolfo Paglialunga, a twelve-year veteran of Prada, where he was one of Miuccia's assistants. The first designs will preview in early June, and Rodolfo will make his runway debut during Paris Fashion Week in October, the same time that Phoebe Philo makes her runway debut at Celine. [WWD]

*image: source

Isabel Marant Talks Her Stylist Emmanuelle Alt; Vanessa Bruno's Preparing Mini-Movie with Lou Doillon

fashionologie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:23:30 PDT

>> At the opening last night of the Madeleine Vionnet retrospective in Paris - speaking of which, where are Rodolfo Paglialunga's first designs for Vionnet, which were promised in early June? - Vanessa Bruno told WWD she’s been working with director Stephanie Di Giusto on a four-minute mini-movie for her label starring Lou Doillon. The clip is to be screened in July before appearing online.

Meanwhile, the other French designer maintaining a contemporary line of chic basics, Isabel Marant, talked to Russh in their July/August 2009 issue about how she started working with her stylist and Vogue Paris fashion director Emmanuelle Alt:

It's funny because Emmanuelle and I kind of started out together a long time ago. I always admired her style and what she did for Vogue, but we lost contact for a while because she was overloaded with work. Four years ago her husband Franck Durand became my artistic director and I was always saying 'I love what your wife is doing, I would love to work together with her one day.' So it was little by little. Now we have done about five shows together. I love the vision she has for my clothes, she manages to put them together in a way that is a bit more sophisticated than what I did before . . . I love it when she goees tac, tac, tac... puts the different pieces together, and I'm like 'oh yeah, that's exactly it!'

But they don't always agree »

Fall 2009 Milan Wrap-Up: Still Whitewashed, But with Promising Talents Aquilano and Rimondi

fashionologie — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:55:21 PST

>> Milan is infamous for being one of the hardest markets to break open for models of color, and unfortunately, that still seems to be the case, based on tallying by The Cut. The worst offenders? Burberry, Giorgio Armani, Missoni, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, who all only used one model of color, while Gianfranco Ferre, Jil Sander, and Prada didn't use any.

Meanwhile, buyers have spoken on their Milanese favorites: Jil Sander, Prada, Marni, Bottega Veneta, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Pucci, Roberto Cavalli, and Gianfranco Ferré - surprisingly, Missoni was not in the mix.

A number of critics and retailers have Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi on their lists as Milan's most promising up-and-coming talent, but their situation at Gianfranco Ferre is currently tenuous - the front row Friday included three government-appointed special administrators, a reminder that owner IT Holding faces bankruptcy proceedings, and could take Ferre, Just Cavalli, John Galliano, and Malo down with it. Regardless, hopes are high - as Linda Fargo, fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman, put it, "Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi continue to show the promise of world-class design for the future - both in their own line and at Gianfranco Ferré. We hope the dust settles favorably on Ferre as the two designers are hitting the right notes."

Other highlights on the to-watch list: Christopher Kane at Versus and, for next season, Vionnet, under the care of Prada alum Rodolfo Paglialunga.
*image: source

fashionologie — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:21:35 PST

>> INSIDER WIRE -No one ever said Valentino was easy to work with, but former Valentino CEO Matteo Marzotto, who hosted a press conference in Milan today for his new Vionnet acquisition, basically confirmed it. "For the first time in my life I’m working with somebody who’s down to earth [newly-hired Vionnet designer Rodolfo Paglialunga]. As you can imagine - and I loved it very much - but I’ve been working with superstars. They can be difficult." [Heard on the Runway]