>> IN PRODUCTION —A turn at the Topshop press day reveals Louis Vuitton-like heels, fringed boleros, Rodarte-inspired loose knits, and Obedient Daughters-influenced floral blazers will all be in stock for Spring 2009. The store's main themes are set to be Hope and Glory, Memphis, Nouveau Sport, and Voodoo — for a peek at how those are interpreted into wares, click through. [Style Bubble]
Thu, 11/13/08 — 12:46:32 PM
Jean Paul Gaultier Lets Them Eat Cake
Wed, 11/05/08 — 05:14:53 PM
>> The second episode of Coco Rocha's "Insider's Guide to Backstage" has appeared, and this time she ends her sentences with question marks, "pretends" to ask Jean Paul Gaultier questions at her Spring 2009 fitting, because "I'm pretending to know what I'm doing," and lets us in on why models think JPG has the best fittings. As Coco practices her contemporary dance choreography to open the show, JPG giggles his way through the entire video.
Tue, 10/28/08 — 12:37:47 PM
>> INSIDER WIRE —Not all fashion is fun and games, and here's your gross-out proof for the day: "Minutes prior to the commencement of Sonia Rykiel’s 40th anniversary show in Paris earlier this month, one dresser projectile vomited over three models. Some time was reportedly spent fishing particles out of the models' hair and clothes." [Frockwriter]
*image: source
Wed, 10/08/08 — 02:16:43 PM
>> THE MODELIZER —Post-runway show, some designers give the models the clothes or shoes they wore down the catwalk, others gift handbags or jewelry, but Alexander McQueen? He opts for a t-shirt. This season, it was black with spattered ivory and lime paint and a purple heart — as seen on Alyona Osmanova — and "the girls hold onto them like treasure, wearing them season in and season out." [Go Backstage]
Wed, 10/08/08 — 01:09:28 PM
>> INSIDER WIRE —Did she do it as a show of her power? A sign of disrespect? Because it surely wasn't ignorance that Anna Wintour displayed when she wore a fur scarf last week to Stella McCartney's show. Stella, who famously refuses to work with leather or fur, can't have been pleased . . . [The Cut]
Tue, 10/07/08 — 12:04:06 PM
>> INSIDER WIRE —At Louis Vuitton, there is never a shortage of monograms or trinkets — and Sunday's show was no exception. Marc Jacob's business partner Robert Duffy mentioned backstage that the models had on pretty lingerie, and Raquel Zimmermann and others flipped up their skirts to reveal LV-monogrammed underpants. Meanwhile, after the show, Marc handed out the shoes straight off the runway to his favorite editors — Francesca Burns from i-D and Victoria Young of POP among them. [NYT, On the Runway, Style File, Jak & Jil]
Marc Jacobs Trades In Skirts for High Heels at Louis Vuitton
Mon, 10/06/08 — 05:22:50 PM
>> Marc Jacobs loves throwing curve balls — both on the runway and with his personal inclinations — and during New York Fashion Week he was quite taken with wearing skirts.
He appeared on the end of both the Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs runways in skirts, explaining: "I did a lot more skirts in this collection for women than I usually do — we usually do a lot of pants. So I bought this one, and I discovered how nice it felt to wear. They’re comfortable, and wearing it made me happy, so I bought more. And now I just can’t stop wearing them."
Less than a month later, it looks like he's decided to stop wearing them. Yesterday at the Louis Vuitton Spring 2009 presentation, he debuted a new look instead: slicked-back hair, a pinstriped suit, and Nicholas Sarkozy-like stacked heels. Wonder if it was the French president who inspired him?
*image: source
Hannah MacGibbon's First Chloe Collection: The Reviews Are In
Mon, 10/06/08 — 02:22:12 PM
>> When Phoebe Philo left Chloe in 2006, her assistant Hannah MacGibbon was offered the top job, but turned it down to spend more time with her young family — so Paolo Melim Andersson took the reins instead. Fast forward to the Spring 2009 season — MacGibbon just presented her first collection for Chloe Saturday, full of the muted colors, and is expected to steer the brand back to its roots in Andersson's aftermath.
Can she do it? The critics seem reticent to make sweeping judgments just yet, citing a need for MacGibbon to settle in. So says Suzy Menkes: "What may have been amusing in an earlier girly era looks indulgent in the current crisis. But Chloé can be developed as a brand . . . as MacGibbon settles into her new groove." And more of the same from WWD: "The collection lacked was a little finesse, which MacGibbon should find once she settles in." Style.com rounds out the encouraging troika: "The designer must be given time to realign the brand identity amid our new set of economics, something Philo and she never had to worry about when they arrived at the house as twentysomethings." Time will tell whether she'll stay or go . . .
35 Photos: View as Gallery | View as Slideshow
Mon, 10/06/08 — 01:51:41 PM
>> INSIDER WIRE —Alexander McQueen may have wiggled his bunny tail at the audience of his Spring 2009 show last week, but guess who wasn't there to witness such cheekiness? Not Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, nor Aliona Doletskaya . . . odd, hmm? [Chic Report]
Abbey Lee Kershaw Faints at Alexander McQueen
Fri, 10/03/08 — 03:04:13 PM
>> The model who fainted at Alexander McQueen today has been identified as Abbey Lee Kershaw.
According to an eyewitness, "When she was coming to the end [of the runway], back near the [entrance] ramp, I could tell she was having difficulties, because her steps were getting shorter and shorter, they were more like baby steps. I was reading her face and I could see 'struggle' all over it and I was thinking, 'She's not going to make it'."
Abbey Lee fainted just as she was about to exit the runway, was helped backstage by two members of the production crew, and did not walk the finale. The cause of her fainting spell was thought to be the combination of the tight corset and high heels she was wearing; A person involved with the show blamed it on fatigue — Abbey Lee had been awake since 5 am. After the show, fellow model Ali Stephens confirmed that Abbey Lee was "OK," and apparently she left "on her own legs."
