Dolce & Gabbana Don't Need The Obamas or H&M

I just love these two. They're the most interesting and entertaining design team out there. Here are excerpts from an interview with Telegraph while the two were lying on Gabbana's yacht during Cannes:

On adopting a child, and Europe's child adoption laws:

 “Those are never going to change,” shrugs Gabbana sadly. “The problem is that you touch a really sensitive issue — particularly in [Roman Catholic] Italy — because of the Pope. Although I believe that it’s not so much about religion as it is about political opinion.”

They still love each other, even though they're not in love anymore:

“Professionally, we are still partners, and we still love each other with that big love now. Domenico is a part of my life, but he has a boyfriend and I have a boyfriend,” says Gabbana. Are there really no feelings of jealousy? “No,” Dolce says quietly. “At the beginning it was problematic, but now we want to be an example to people because it’s not just gay couples who break up and it should be possible to have a good relationship afterwards. On our death beds, we would want each other there.”

But they haven't always loved each other...

“I thought he was a monster,” snaps Gabbana. “Seriously, he was such a fashion victim. He looked like a priest, all dressed in black with that white skin and a shaved head. It wasn’t very impressive.” “Stefano was very Milanese, with his long hair and Lacoste T-shirt,” counters Dolce.

On retirement:

“If you look at painters and designers throughout history, there has always been a moment in life to create, but it’s important to understand when that time is finished,” says Dolce.

“But for us, it would almost be impossible to stop,” interrupts Gabbana. “We created the brand from nothing; the different elements of it are like our babies.” He pauses. “I think I’d die if I stopped. I would, I’d die.”

They love the Brits, too:

“I like Peaches Geldof,” volunteers Dolce. “And Alice Dellal. That new generation is very interesting. Oh,” — he claps his hands together — “and I love the two princes, William and Harry — they are sexy and beautiful.” Gabbana agrees. “We always take inspiration from the English, whether it’s the Queen, Oscar Wilde or those British bankers. You have this unique, eccentric, taste.”

The real reason I love them, completely aside from their charm and wit, is the fact that they get what fashion is really supposed to be about. When asked if they would ever like to dress the Obamas, they said "we don't do politics,"  and when asked about a diffusion line of the H&M sort, Gabbana put on an estranged face and responded "We don't need to. That kind of exposure could be dangerous for us," as any serious high-fashion designer should do, regardless their circumstances. 

Coco Goes Dark Again!

Coco Rocha's new dark hair. I think it's positively fabulous after the red.

Gisele for Versace

We've gotten the first look at Gisele's new Versace campaign and it looks just like the last campaign, for spring. I guess if the glove fits...

Heard: Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Prada talked to CNN Asia, talking about her brand, big dreams, and the concepts of fashion and beauty. Here are some hilights:

"If you compare with philosophy, [fashion] is frivolous, but frivolity may be something good, something that is part of our lives, so I don't dislike it and what I like is the mix, that in your life you can have serious things, more frivolous ones," 

"Beauty is not something that is contrary; it is the right of everybody. Still I retain the idea of justice and so many other ideas, but that is my work, and it is a contradiction that still is creating me problems, but it's like this."

"I always wanted to do something that was nearly impossible, but obviously it had to be something that made sense to people because if you think about now, the black nylon is everywhere,"

"I would say that my dreams are doing things that I like and I have fun with. My dreams are about how can I do interesting things and make having fun with things, or doing things that are clever or relevant or intelligent. So it's more about what I can do than about how big the company could become," she said. 

Around

Forbes just released their list of the top-earning models: First is Gisele Bunchen ($25 million), then Heidi Klum($16 million),  Kate Moss ($8.5 million, Adriana Lima ($8 million), and Doutzen Kroes ($6 million.  Alessandra Ambrosio, Daria Werbowy and Natalia Vodianova also made the list. 

Sessilee Lopez twittered about a photoshoot that was later confirmed to be for Vogue Paris. No word, though if it was for a cover or not. 

Christopher Bailry helped celebrate the opening of Burberry's new US headquearters in 444 Madison avenue in the Big Apple. The building has a huge light-up sign spelling out the brand's name, which Bailey said he wanted to "blend into the New York skyline,". 

Word is now that Gisele isn't pregnant. Husband Tom Brady was heard saying that one "was enough," for him at the time. 

Apparently in the upcoming September Issue Anna Wintour apparently isn't afraid to tell her staff that they need to go to the gym, including letting her right hand man, Andre Leon Tally, know that he's not a stick figure.  

Givenchy Fall 2009 Ad Campaign

Ricardo Tisci gave WWD a first look at his Fall 2009 ad campaign for Givenchy, featuring models Iris Strubegger, Mariacarla Boscono, Ranya Mordanova, Leonor Scherrer, and Adriana Lima, who has just announced that she's pregnant. Tisci is in the middle of changing up his advertising image, and says he wanted to bring a little more "reality" into the picture. All I have to say is if this is reality, what are we living?

The Met Gala's Nose-Breaking Frenzy is Over

Pronenza Shouler designer Jack McCollough, whose nose was broken by 24's Kiefer Sutherland has accepted an apology from the actor after he head-butted him at an after-party from the Costume Instuture gala. It went just like this: 

Keifer's statement:

“I am sorry about what happened that night and sincerely regret that Mr. McCollough was injured,” 

...and Jack's statement:
“I appreciate Mr. Sutherland’s statement and wish him well.”

Glad Jack will be back to preparing for Pronenza Schouler's first Eupopean show this fall.

Anja Rubik for Vogue Paris June/July 2009

Glossing It Up

The fresh crop of fashion glossy are here, and after a long weekend it's just what you need. Here are the fresh crop of covers: Karen Elson for Numero #104, June/July 2009.

Marios Schwab Talks Halston

After being named the new creative director of Halston a few days ago, Marios Schwab tells British Vogue about his stance on his new gig. First, of all, he realizes the pressure of the spot, which they wouldn't give to Anna Wintour's favorite, Oliver Theyskens: "Of course I feel the pressure. It's a huge challenge but fashion at the moment needs innovation. . . I'm just trying to be humble and see a nice challenge. It's going to take time."

Naturally, though, he's excited: "It's a dream - to bring your creative force to a different brand. I love Halston. We share a very similar frame of simplicity and elegance as well as the technical approach. I've been an admirer for a long time." He does understand the importance of a brand's location, and says he would "hope" to be able to continue to show his signature collection, one of the hilights of London's fashion week, in the city. "I wish for London to support me. I love the thought of having two fashion metropolises. London is amazing inspiration and New York is an interesting place to be — it's important what comes out of them."

I think it's a wonderful choice for the brand. He certainly won't have any problem molding his design approach into Halston's clothes, but the distinction of the brand and his signature line may be interesting to see- I feel like he understands the two different inspirations and approaches he has to have, and the execution and differences in the individual peices as well as the two collections as whole. We can only hope that he will bring Halston back to its feet, and especially after the whole Oliver Theyskens episode, you know the world is watching closely.

Around...

• Chanel's new resort ads have already surfaced, like the ones for the runway show in Venice just last week. The models are Karen Elson and Baptiste Giabiconi. 
  

• There's a fashion week video game coming out next year that's supposed to give an "ultimate insider's perspective" of the industry during fashion week, featuring top models and designers.
• Giorgio Armani is recovering from hepatitus. No other statement was made, but within the next two months ha has a menswear fashion show and a Prive Collecion show. 
• Halston has hired Marios Schwab for a new creative director. He will start on July 1st, and his debut collection will be shown in February 2010.  

Fashion's Night Out

Mayor Bloomberg has teamed up with Anna Wintour for a retail event in New York City. The event, called Fashion's Night Out, will take place on Thursday, September 10, at the beginning of New York Fashion Week. They have asked stores to stay open until 11 o'clock and host in-house parties to promote retail. Over 100 stores are on board so far, and Vera Wang and Marc Jacobs are expected to make appearances. Also joining Wintour and Bloomberg last night were Carolina Herrara, Vera Wang, Jason Wu and Tommy Hilfliger, who should appear also. 

"Fashion is vital to New York's economy," Bloomberg mentioned. It also "does a fantastic job projecting an exciting and attractive image of New York City to the world," The industry brings in about $10 billion a year for New York City, and has over double the number of fashion compainies than any other city in the world. 

Mixte to Feature Missy Rayder in Thier Last Issue

Missy Rayder will be on the cover of the last issue of Mixte for June 2009. We can only hope they bow out gracefully and on a good note. :( 

Karl Lagerfeld's Former Assistant Writes a Nasty Tell-All

A tell-all book about Karl Lagerfeld, written by Lagerfeld's former assistant Arnaud Maillard, shows a different side of the designer. The book made waves when it was released two years ago in France, and now we can get it in English. Here are some of the most interesting excerpts I could find:

"He surrounds himself with a kind of royal court, nobody disagrees with him . . . He can also be merciless. I've seen him simply stop talking to people, stop acknowledging their existence. In the fashion industry, nobody raises their voice; they say the worst things in a very polite tone."

"Wherever he goes, there is Pepsi-Cola in a Baccarat crystal glass waiting for him and it gets replaced every 30 minutes. It's like the 18th century."

"Lagerfeld employees have to be available 24 hours a day. He can be very generous. When I was looking for my first apartment in Paris, he discreetly slipped me an envelope that made it possible to afford."

"Yes, I still remember how Karl sent me the first sketches for the H&M collection under extreme time pressure. Our team worked day and night for three months on the collection, but never saw any extra pay. I can remember well the two half-days that Karl worked on the drafts. Then he got millions from the Swedes."

"At first, he made fun of the fact that I was writing a book. Later, he tried to prevent certain passages from being published — for example, the chapter about his tax debt. My publisher refused and since then he has acted as if he never read it."

Also, Maillard mentions how Karl "takes photos of himself at every photo shoot" and how he uses the most expensive body cream every day, twice a day.

Ouch. Do you really think we'll look at him differently now, though? If anything, it's clearer now why he and Anna Wintour get along so well.

The second and third i-D covers with Raquel Zimmerman (top) and Sigrid Allen. I'm not loving Raquel's at all, but Sigrid's is gorgeous. Thoughts?

i-D Goes Big For Its 300th

Remember that exciting i-D issue I mentioned a few weeks back? Well Here's the exclusive first look as it was just posted on models.com. On the three different covers are Raquel Zimmerman, Tasha Tilberg and Sigrin Allen- this is her first big cover, too! Here's Tasha's cover, and the coresponding spread which focuses on beautiful, powerful women. In the spread are Liberty Ross, Bridget Hall, Devon Aoki, and the mystery girl who everyone had already guessed- Jessica Miller. 

  

Agyness Has Some New Campaigns

Aggy in Uniqlo's new campaign:

Cameron Diaz on the cover of Vogue June 2009.

I'm not wild about it, particularly because Anna promised us a model, and we got Cameron Diaz. Next month it's Sienna Miller. Where are the models? WHERE?

Matthew Williamson has a New Muse

Leigh Lezark looks like she may have a new gig: Matthew Williamson's new muse. This is according to many different rumors coming out of London last week. Lezark still works DJ jobs all over the world, and now that she's signed with IMG, she's working more and more on modeling. She has an ad campaign for Mango, but reportedly doesn't refer to herself as a DJ/Model. She'd be replacing Sienna Miller as Williamson's muse, which makes sense because Sienna's clothing line took off last year. Now that Williamson's H&M collection is about to hit stores, the press is just in time, too...

Heard: Valentino

"I think now all the girls look very ugly," says Valentino — not talking about women in general, but those glamorous enough to wear couture. "I saw the pictures of the Metropolitan gala evening [in New York] last week and I never saw something more ugly, all the girls have their legs out with the most terrible proportions." He shakes his head and mutters "no, no, no", wiggling his finger like a disappointed schoolmaster ... "I have so many ideas I could design a collection in two days but don't miss it at all."

Anna Wintour: The 60 Minutes Interview

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I Think I'm in Love...

So I stumbled across this picture a few days ago online. It's a Chanel couture gown circa 1937, and I think it's absoloutely breathtaking. It was featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Chanel exhibit in 2005. What do you think?

Chanel Cruise 2010

Post-Miami, Los Angeles and Monte Carlo, the Chanel cruise show looked like it was maturing this year. First, look at this setting: the lights, the boardwalk runway, the sand, it was all complete with wooden folding chairs. It opened with a beautiful black and white lacy frock, complete with a perefectly proper sailor. The clothes were shades of mahogony, and of course, black and white, frilled up with thirties-esque lace and beautiful jewels. The suits were made whimsical with bodices, and classic glamour outlined it all.

Anna Wintour Talks Recession, Leaving Vogue, and Mrs. Obama

Anna Wintour made an appearance last night to chat with Jonathan Tisch at the 92nd street Y last night. Topics included how Vogue is fresh today and staying alive in the recession, Michelle Obama's cover, and the constant model vs. celebrity battle that dominates the Vogue covers:

You've said it's time to move on from a job when you get too angry. Are you getting to the point where you're thinking about other options?
Well, mostly I'm thinking about the next day. I think that I have the best job in the entire world. To be honest, I don't think I'd be very good at anything else!

How are you keeping Vogue current at this moment?
You have to remember exactly who you are and not panic. I don't think that Vogue should turn into Recession Weekly. But at the same time, I think that we have to be very aware of what's going on in the world. In terms of our fashion choices ... racks and racks of clothes are wheeled into my office, and we discuss what's going to be in the magazine and what's not. And up until a year ago, we've been very free about the prices of clothes, and I probably didn't delve as deeply as I should have into what things cost. Now I ask the price of every single outfit that comes into the office, and I think a lot of my editors have been quite surprised about what a little sequin dress from an unnamed designer might be, and if it's $25,000, we'll say, ‘Okay, well, not this time.’ So we're looking at that, and at supporting younger designers — like Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler — that are more price-friendly ... But at the same time, we are who we are. We represent the fashion industry, and we have to show the best in the fashion industry, and that's not going to change.

What went into putting Michelle Obama on the cover?
She emerged during the campaign as this enigmatic and strong woman with such great personal style. I think at the beginning, she had quite a hard time capturing the hearts of America, and it was interesting to all of us to see how that changed ... Mrs. Obama loves fashion. She isn't, like some people in Washington, frightened of it. She believes, as we do atVogue, that to be an independent, working woman doesn't mean that you have to walk around with a brown paper bag on … We always felt that Washington rather looked down on us or didn't understand us or wasn't quite ready for us, and now we have an administration that supports us.

What is the role of a fashion editor today?
There's so much media coverage on fashion today from all sides. Our job is to really dig through all that and help our readers make choices and explain what we're seeing. Right now, there's almost too much information on fashion — I'm confused!

How do you go about hiring people for Vogue?
I really hire on instinct, and I look for people who are going to disagree with me. I think personalities like André Leon Talley and Hamish Bowles are really important to the magazine. Some people talk about lots of market research, but I've never really believed in that.

What's different about a Vogue reader today compared to one 25 years ago?
Today's reader knows so much more about fashion. It's extraordinary — they're telling us about designers we don't know about. They're online looking at collections as we're walking out of the tents at Bryant Park.

Has there been a democratization of fashion? Can you look good now without spending a lot of money?
Yes, I think that's one of the most wonderful things that's changed in the last five years. When you're seeing designers like Karl Lagerfeld doing collections for H&M and they're being sold out, or any of the very high-profile names that are designing at Target, it's really wonderful that so much more fashion is available to so many more people.

What's the role of department-store directors now?
We work together. Both department stores and Vogue have really struggled with designers' inability to understand global warming. The fact that they think a woman wants to wear triple cashmere and felt, hairy fabric in the middle of June or July – we go in and say, 'Maybe this isn't the smartest idea.'

How is the recession affecting the production of the magazine?
There's no sense at all in the company that we shouldn't invest as much as we can in the product. We're always aware of the numbers — that's nothing new. What is special about working for Condé Nast is that there's never any pressure from the business side for editorial credits or being nice to an advertiser. That's never part of the conversation.

Has retail changed permanently?
I think when things changed so dramatically last fall, some retailers panicked. Obviously, there was much discounting — I think it was too much; nobody knew what the value was anymore. But I think that period's over. We had a meeting with the biggest stores in New York last week — there's no question that they feel that time has passed. But they bought much more carefully.

How is New York for fashion shows now?
There's a sense that we have too many shows right now. Bryant Park had run its course. They didn't want us anymore. The space was proving way too small. A move to Lincoln Center is going to be very energizing for the fashion community.

Was "Models As Muses" an appropriate theme [for the Costume Institute's new exhibit and Met Gala] this year?
I think this year's theme was particularly important, because the whole world is kind of in celebrity overload, and certainly in terms of what we see in the world of fashion. So I think to take people back in history and really look at the influence of models on designers and popular culture was really an interesting analysis.

Anna's first Vogue cover.

So will we be seeing more models and less celebrities on the cover of Vogue?
Well, tomorrow is another day. We'll never know. But we certainly do have a model tied to the next issue, yes.



Is there someone you'd like to invite to your next dinner party?
I'd like to spend more time with Ambassador [Susan] Rice. She seems like such an extraordinary woman with a wonderful and difficult job.

If you could pick one cover or one face that describes Vogue, what or who would it be?

I have very fond memories of my first cover ofVogue, which was a girl named Michaela Berçu wearing a Christian Lacroix couture T-shirt and Guess blue jeans. And I remember that cover with great promise, because I feel that it meant something's changing, something's different. My first cover is my favorite cover. 

photo and text courtesy The Cut

i-D to Downsize

Just a  few weeks after the buzz about their big 300th issue featuring a few unnamed models, it has now been announced that they're downsizing from 12 to 6 issues a year. This follows buzz that the mag was completely shutting down, which would be very unlikely. This is starting in September, and the issues will be published in September, October, November, Fabruary, March, and April. The April issue will be on newstands for upto four months. The counterpart for this downsizing? The future of all magazines: the internet. They'll be amping up their website, with more features and more frequent updates. 

Sasha Pivovarova: Vogue Italia

Sasha Pivovarova covers the May 2009 issue of Vogue Italia

Irina and Suvi Make a Comeback via Vogue Italia

Irina Lazareanu and  has been missing from the fashion scene lately; the last two seasons she's been a no-show, except for two couture shows that she walked in January. Now she's making a comeback in the May 2009 Vogue Italia issue in Miles Aldriges' "Dreamy":

Same goes for Suvi Koponen, who took time off to travel the world. She vamps it up here in Richard Burbridge's A Summer Blend:

 

Gossip Girl's Flashback

Brittany Snow channels the wild adventures of a young and wild 17-year-old Lily van der Woodsen. Apparently, she has to change out of her Ralph Lauren blazer, argyle sweater and riding pants for a more, well, eighties ensemble for a night out at a punk club. After going through her sister's closet, she tries on every type of eighties outfit she can- an Olivia Newton-John shiny, colorful spandex "Physical"-esque getup, a Madonna-like belly shirt, and the hard-edged type outfit. She then settles for a tiered purple dress, a leather jacket with some sharp shoulders, black lacy leggings and eccentric strappy pink Givenchy heels.  Producers are hoping that the short flashback will be a short preview of a new GG spinoff about Lily's partying days in 1983. 

Heard: Carine Roitfeld

So I would love to get an award for making people have more sex through my images. It would be a great award. Imagine the design of that award!

Around

Heidi Mount may be the new face of Victoria Beckham's clothing line for the look book or ad campaign.




Marc Jacobs launched a new fragrance and campaign featuring Karlie Kloss. The scent is called Lola.

Where Daisy is more innocent and sweet, Lola is more sensual — the name conjures up a flirtatious, warm spirit. It was the first thing that came to my mind, and I was very insistent with Coty that this had to be the concept. It just felt natural in contrast to Daisy.

Next and Ford Modeling agencies are battling it out in court after 20-year-old Kendra recently broke off her 3-year contract with Ford for Next. Spears had been a finalist in Ford's Supermodel of the world contest in 2008, where they signed her. In her first year, she walked the runways of Prada, Givenchy, and Yves Saint Laurent. She had editorials in Vogue Italia and Italian Marie Claire. Recently, she landed a Gap fragrance campaign.

"Kendra Spears is one of the shining stars of the Ford development system. Signed as a prospect while still a teenager in braces, for more than a year, Ford has painstakingly cultivated Spears — literally, taught her how to be an international fashion model. She was not a high-fashion model. In fact, she was an unknown — a teenager with braces, with no modeling experience to speak of."

"She is a beautiful, fresh, all-American 'face' who, having been discovered by Ford, trained by Ford, and professionally developed by Ford, is at the precipice of a breakthrough. She is about to become one of a handful of the world's most sought-after high fashion models.

Oliver Theyskens will definitely not be designing for Halston, as they "need a designer who can get lots and lots of clothes, not just get great press," That pretty much sums up his time spent at Nina Ricci and Rochas...




Gucci is finally suing Guess for the use of the interlocking G logo. Don't know why they chose to do it now, but the lawsuit isn't pretty...Gucci, among other things, wants all the items with the logo to be destroyed. Ouch.

Lastly, a look at Topshop's fall 09 collection:

Spotted! : Anna walks alone, Oliver Theyskens is weirder than we thought & more...

Anna Wintour was spotted walking home alone last night. Yes, that's right: she was seen without a town car yesterday, walking. Rumors flew today, though, that Rihanna may be on an upcoming cover of Vogue after Monday's gala.




Natalia Vodianova tells Vogue UK why she did better in modeling after having her son:
"My agency thought that I might never do shows because I was a bit shorter and not skinny enough, but when I gave birth to my first son I was 19 and I lost a lot of weight. I guess the stress on the body was extreme and I suddenly just turned into this stick — just the way designers love models. My career took off after Lucas was born because I opened a lot of shows on the runway and that's where a lot of stars are made in my industry."



Oliver Theyskens would rather sit by the Seine than go to the Met Gala
"The parties tonight are great, but they don't compare to three days ago, when I sat by the Seine on my own and smoked cigarillos. It's my favorite thing in the world. I smoke this brand La Paz — they're cheap but it's what I always buy. And then, I peed into the Seine. It's the best thing I did all week."

Stella McCartney

After bringing Kate Hudson and Liv Tyler among others to the Met Gala on Monday night, Stella McCartney launched a new exclusive summer collection today for TheOutnet.com, hosted a trunk show at Barney's, where she discussed a favorite of hers: the jumpsuit.


I love a jumpsuit. I wore one last night, at the Met event, and I had to have a girlfriend take me in an out of it every time I had to go to the bathroom — so it does have it’s drawbacks, but I love them because they’re just so effortless. I think that pretty much sums up my brand.

She'd also like to do menswear, but says "it's 70% more expensive to make because the materials cost more, and because I don’t use things like fish glue in my shoes. Last season I was really proud that we found biodegradable suede and this forces me to be more creative with materials." She also joined 100 of the most persuasive people in the world today at Time's Influential 100 dinner. She is the only person from the fashion industry being honored this year.
kisses,
KO

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