Jezebel: dior homme

Lily Allen Quits Music For Fashion; Obama Breaks With Presidential Dress Code

Jenna — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:40:00 EST

Lily Allen told a British radio show that she is quitting performing for two years to open a boutique called Lucy In Disguise. She's also going to found a record label. [Elle UK]

President Obama wore a parka to visit the Great Wall of China. "The jacket has a fleece bib and removable bucket hood, suggesting that President likes his jackets as he likes his health care bills: riddled with options," notes Women's Wear Daily. [WWD]
Michaele Salahi wore David Yurman jewelry to that little party she crashed about a week back, if you care. [WWD]
Japanese outfit Cross Company has bought a majority stake in Thom Browne. Which makes a certain kind of sense, since Browne's aesthetic certainly is well-suited to Japan. Haha, 'suited,' see what we did there? Sorry. Anyway, how much money Browne got to part with his controlling stake was not disclosed, and they plan to open a flagship in Japan next year. [WWD]
Cathy Horyn, on the closure of Christian Lacroix's couture and ready-to-wear lines: "I remember taking my mother, Nancy Horyn, to the Paris ready-to-wear shows in March of 1990. She saw three — Valentino, Romeo Gigli and Lacroix. She was utterly enchanted by Gigli; it was the season of the celebrated Murano glass collection. She didn't really care for Valentino; it was, you know, not her thing. She adored Lacroix. The show that season was held in the house, on those beautiful banquettes, so it was a different experience, more like a couture presentation. Before the show we stood in the little courtyard of the house, on the steps going up to the salon, and my mother asked about so-and-so, curious about their style of dress or exceedingly impulsive hairdo. It probably all seemed very urgent, though I imagine not in the least to her." [On The Runway]
Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone closed on a nice little love nest in the Village for $10.4 million. It has a private elevator, yard, roof terrace, and a rear terrace. [P6]
Anthropologie is moving into the Chelsea Market, at the corner of 15th Street and Ninth Avenue in New York City. [NYPost, second item]
British designer Christopher Kane isn't having any of this Tommy-Ton-in-the-front-row nonsense: "It's a bit mad, isn't it? It feels like it's happened all of a sudden and at some shows this season the front row was just all bloggers. I think it will die down though, and people know what they are doing. No one who wants to read a serious review of a show is going to look at what a 14-year-old thinks. But it has become more critical; people can say what they want about anyone on a blog without consequences and that's quite scary. There are real repercussions for a designer if a photo of something is leaked by a blog; it can be copied in a fortnight and that can really harm a business." [Vogue UK]
Dior Homme is launching a line of women's jeans. Women with the means to do so have been wearing Dior Homme's slim cut suits ever since Hedi Slimane was designing pants so sexy the darts alone could make you weak at the knees. Could the specifically-for-women versions be any better than those? [Vogue UK]
You can buy Joan Collins' Dynasty costumes — along with Shirley Bassey's YSL heels — at a charity pop-up store in London, opening tomorrow. [Elle UK]
Tom Ford smells like vanilla and has not only a Best Side but a Best Angle. He says things like, "I think of myself as a product." [NYTimes]
Cathy Horyn likes his movie, A Single Man. [On The Runway]
The Wall Street Journal investigates the peculiar and specific humiliation of having your once-treasured and still-fashionable clothing picked through by a snarky 19-year-old clerk at Buffalo Exchange, and found wanting. Word to the wise, as someone who used to make food and rent money by re-selling the designer "trade" I was usually "paid" in — and by scouring the $1 rag markets in LA for Lacoste sweaters and old prom dresses I could launder, repair and re-sell: Buffalo Exchange's prices are shit. They do not care if your shoes are thrice-worn Prada; they will offer you $9 for them. If you do not have the patience for eBay, go to Wasteland, if you're on the West Coast. If you're anywhere else, sew in some labels from your dad's old designer ties. Duh. [WSJ]
Liliane Bettencourt's daughter has filed a civil case to declare L'Oreal heiress Bettencourt, the richest woman in Europe, incapable of managing her own affairs. Bettencourt gave a reported $1.5 billion worth of cash and artworks to a photographer friend, François-Marie Banier, who is already the subject of a criminal case for "abus de faiblesse," or taking advantage of the infirm. Liliane Bettencourt's lawyers reject both of the daughter's cases as an attempt to seize control of Bettencourt's assets. [Reuters]
Someone you have never heard of before and will never hear of again was in the Victoria's Secret fashion show because she won a competition on the Internet. [AP]
Aeropostale's third-quarter profit grew by 47% over last year's results. Same-store sales for November were up 7%, and black Friday weekend sales rose 10% on last year. Quarterly earnings were $62.6 million. [WSJ]
Competitor Abercrombie & Fitch reported a 17% slide in same-store sales for the month of November. Analysts had expected only a 9% drop. The company's Hollister stores saw same-store sales declines of 23%. [TS]

Dressing Like Chloe Sevigny Is Harder Than It Looks

TatianaTheAnonymousModel — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:30:00 EST

Chloe Sevigny says doing oversized unisex menswear for Opening Ceremony was easy. "Except for the trousers — getting the fit right was really difficult." She thinks we'll buy that she draped the pants herself? [WWD]

Here's the Times of London's reviews of the Twenty8Twelve, Nicole Farhi, Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll, and Luella shows, which all took place at London fashion week. (The gist is: Sienna Miller — good; Nicole Farhi — better than usual; Kane — a "masterclass" in cut; Nicoll — better luck next time; Luella — OK.) [Times of London]
Fashion bad boy Gareth Pugh is the subject of renewed speculation about LVMH's possible decision to name him as the new creative director for Dior Homme. [The Cut]
Blind item: maybe a model working London fashion week got a boob job recently. Any thoughts? (I'm going with not Kate Moss, because upsizing from an A to a B cup while simultaneously gaining a little weight on one's hips sounds totally within the realm of non-surgical female experience to me. Frankly, it sounds like something to aspire to.)
It can't be Adriana Lima. She was busy eloping (to Wyoming!) that weekend. [People]
And Lily Cole was too busy studying. She's skipping the rest of London fashion week to return to her art history classes at Cambridge. [Daily Mail]
Mario Testino used to study economics at Lima University, and when he first moved to London he squatted in a partially disused hospital where the parties were legendary. Of fashion, he says, "Anyway, I am not really of that world, I just work in it." Which is about the best attitude you can have towards the industry. [Telegraph]
Despite the economy, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé's art collection fetched the highest price of any private collection ever sold when it was put to the hammer in Paris yesterday. The first night of auctions have already raised $264 million. The proceeds will go to Saint Laurent and Bergé's charitable foundation. Record bids were tendered for works by Matisse, Marcel Duchamp, Constantin Brancusi, James Ensor, Piet Mondrian and Giorgio de Chirico. A 1911 painting by Matisse sold for $40.9 million, or double its estimate. Bidding did have to be stopped on a Picasso that failed to meet its 25-30 million Euro estimate, but all in all it seems like the rich people of the world are doing their part for the art market. [NY Times]
The fashion crowd, on the other hand, needs to learn to do its part and spread a little economic love around at this difficult juncture. Make your coffee at home if you must — I'm straining yesterday's grounds through a sock — but please, please, please, if you are in any kind of financial position to do so, buy something from this season that'll make you feel pretty for years to come. [WWD]
Liz Claiborne has signed a long-term agreement with the Hong Kong-based exporter Li & Fung to let them handle Liz Claiborne's global sourcing exclusively. Li & Fung will pay the American retailer up to $83 million for the privilege. [Crain's]
That deal to buy the house of Vionnet has gone through. Matteo Marzotto, former chairman of Valentino, and Marni CEO Gianni Castiglioni, joined forces to purchase this bit of prime fashion real estate. Others have tried to revive Vionnet before, never successfully, but the name seems latent with so much promise I can't help but cross my fingers. [WWD]
Marzotto's old stomping grounds are seeing layoffs at the New York office. The director of communications and head of men's sales — plus his assistant — were among those to be let go. [WWD]
Things continue to stumble along in the retail sector. Yesterday, Nordstrom announced earnings for the 4th quarter of last year dropped by 67.9%; they expect double-digit falls in sales and earnings this year. [WWD]
Jaeger, which is privately held and therefore not obligated to release sales or earnings figures, but which does admit its US sales have not met expectations recently, intends to weather the downturn by concentrating on emerging markets like the Middle East and Australia. [Reuters]
Just Cavalli has canceled its show at Milan fashion week. The move was expected after its main licensee, Itierre — a division of IT Holdings SpA — was forced to recently file for bankruptcy protection. [WWD]
Conversely, Versus, Versace's diffusion line, picked this season to make its comeback. [WWD]
In case you hadn't suspected, now is a bad time to be looking for a job in fashion. Two thousand people turned up to a job fair where only 20 companies were hiring; one of the job seekers was a 58-year-old production manager who was just laid off from his job at the Olsen twins' clothing line. [NY Post]
Hello Kitty has signed a licensing deal with toymaker Jakks Pacific that will see Hello Kitty dolls and collectible figurines hit Target stores this fall. [BrandWeek]
Erin Wasson, who said last summer that she thought the people with the best style were the homeless on Venice Beach, totally compounds the offense in this explanation. [The Cut]

P. Diddy Is No Barack Obama

Sadie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST

Diddy likens himself to Obama. Speaking of his new fragrance, "I Am King," he declares, "When you see Barack Obama, you see a strong, elegant black man and when people see my ad, it's almost like that's the trend." [WSJ]
"Mr. Obama sometimes wears jeans, as he did for a rally on Oct. 28, but his jeans are the loose, jingle-the-change-in-your-pocket type. He belts them at the waist, and when he wears them with white sneakers and a windbreaker, one could almost say he had stolen the look from Jerry Seinfeld’s character on the television series." — Cathy Horyn. [NY Times]
Meanwhile, Donna Karan is rarin' to dress Michelle. “It’s not about her clothes, it’s really about who she is, and her passion for children, culture and wellness. I’m hoping to get to work with them — it would be my dream. They are so committed to ideals that are much in alignment with mine.” [WWD]

Rumor has it that Pamela Anderson will be in a Vivienne Westwood campaign! But before she gets too excited: it's set in a trailer park. [New York Magazine]
The Crocs bubble has officially burst. [Reuters]
Gwyneth breaks it down: "Personally, I like to stick to the classics in both my everyday life and in the evening. Whether I am going to meet friends for dinner, a cocktail party or a bigger event, the most classic of classics, the little black dress, never fails me. I have found a few great ones in all different price ranges and each has amazing versatility. It could be Zara, it could be Balenciaga, but a well-cut, well-proportioned black dress has gotten me through many a fashion crisis." She pairs them with my betes noires, booties and gladiator boots. [Goop]
We're reserving judgment on the new Diane Von Furstenberg blog: "The blog will be updated daily and will include news, shots of new items, horoscopes, cultural advice, and personal photos and posts by the Diane herself." [Fashionista]
Ed Westwick's K-Swiss ads further remind us that he is no Chuck Bass. [Just Jared]
Tartan is back. Why? Because apparently "plaid equals happiness." The Times suggests "a plaid scarf over a checked shirt and a plaid sport coat, topped with a tweed driving cap." [New York Times]
Comme des Garcons for H&M is here. Shop at your own risk. [Sassybella]
Wall Street Journal guy discovers there is no warranty on running shoes. [WSJ]
Teens are apparently unembarrassed to dress exactly like Gossip Girl characters. [Portfolio]
Ew. Is Vuitton bringing back the Stephen Sprouse graffiti bag? [Fashionista]
They're refusing to confirm that Madonna's their new spokestar. [WWD]
Stuart Weitzman plays a lot of ping pong. [Fashion Informer]
(designer) Sienna Miller, for her part, enjoys Monopoly. [WWD]
Dior Homme goes all porn-y for their new campaign. [NY Magazine]
Uniqlo sells the new bra top through profiling: "20- to 40-year-olds were filmed answering a range of questions, from their favorite food to what they liked about Uniqlo products, and the answers were then played on a microsite for like-minded women. Filtering criteria allowed visitors to find women of a similar height, weight and shape and see how they answered the questions." [AdAge]
Simon Doonan gets Tom Brokaw to unveil the Barney's Christmas windows. "I wanted someone with a little bit of gravitas to cut the ribbon," quoth he. [Style.com]
Perry Ellis is pessimistic. [WSJ]
Urban Outfitters, at least, is up! [WSJ]
Marc Jacobs: "I've had boyfriends who were media whores, and, God bless them, they were great people." [New York Post]

DVF Plays Superhero, Serves Cosmos

Sadie — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EDT

DVF's comic book, Be the Wonder Woman You Can Be, is here! The party sounds kinda crap, tho. "The green tome was stacked about the space, as were special DVF Wonder Woman tees and totes. Per the theme, bright red Wonder Woman cosmos completed the standard drink offerings of champagne, white wine and sparkling water. PR girls including Olivia Palermo and Whitney Port helped check off names at the door, and mingled with guests inside." [Racked]
Oh, the woes of celebrity! LiLo was simply too famous to get into the Alexander Wang show. “I wanted to go to his show so bad, but his publicist said they weren’t allowing any celebrities to attend,” she said. “So I said, ‘Consider me a normal person then!’ But they wouldn’t.” [WWD]
Screw the polls. What do the ties say? McCain's Windsor knot "screams old-guard Washington establishment, like a bolo screams cowboy." And Obama? 'He most often wears his necktie with a four-in-hand knot, an awkward and asymmetrical cinch invented by 19th-century carriage drivers (who held four reigns in hand) and popularized by Dilbert-types looking for a no-hassle way to spruce up for work. "It's a knot for someone who has 30 seconds for his tie in the morning...a knot for the masses.'" [Newsweek]

In deference to our straitened circs, Vogue's gift guide is going low-end: nothing over $500. [New York Magazine]
Wearing Thierry Mugler sounds horrible, actually. Reminisces model Nadja Auermann. "He liked to work with me because I could withstand the torture of some of his more extreme runway looks. We both thought the same way—if you wear a look, you go with it all the way. Once, I was in a gold robotic suit that I had to be sewn into, and I wore it for about half an hour, and I could feel my circulation was getting blocked. I walked in the show, and all I could think was, Oh, my hips are going numb! But I am nearly at the end of the runway; I can make it!" [Style.com]
Charlotte, the designing Ronson, is the new face of Sebastien hair care. "Charlotte will represent Trilliant, a product that makes tresses stylish and manageable, while flaunting her I'm-so-downtown clothing as Nylon]
Burberry sales mysteriously up. [FT]
Wow they really make this People Tree ethical fashion book sound dreary: Browse our gallery of their latest looks, feeling safe in the knowledge that your fashion conscience is unsullied." [Guardian]
H&M sales drop a bit. [WWD]
20-year-old Dior Homme model Randy Johnston dies; no cause given. [Fashionologie]
Want to hear about an "eyebrow transplant" in exhaustive detail? No? Don't click on this link. [ElleUK]
Louis Vuitton apparently shocked that that Gorbachev ad isn't popular in Russia. [AdAge]
Avon tries to tempt more Avon Ladies into the game by offering incentives like gas money, "direct access to financial adviser Suze Orman." [WSJ]
Remember Jack from Project Runway? (Yeah, he left pretty quickly.) He just made a wedding gown covered in condoms for this "Condom Couture" event. [Blogging Project Runway]
Just what you've always wanted: how to get Oprah's look. No, no, we said "riches."[USA Today]
The first high-end J. Crew "Collection" store "encourages mixing modern items with vintage pieces, uptown and downtown looks, and evening attire with a dose of the more casual in the same outfits." For a price, we're guessing. [WWD]
Here's the new Patricia Field Marks and Spencer line. [Fashionista]
Now along withersatz SATC threads, you can buy gas at M&S too. [VogueUK]
Allen Schwartz on his Penney's line: “Today, what is exploding is the antifit look, the crop look, the boy jean, ruffle blouses and the new harem pant. It’s very baggy, very ‘I Dream of Jeannie.'" [FabSugar]

Pookie: The Magical Force That Bonded Tory Burch To The Misshapes

Jennifer — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Who is Tory Burch's elusive 23-year old stepdaughter Pookie? On Mondays, Pookie interns for Bruce Weber, and the rest of the week she works as the assistant to the president of Carolina Herrera, and she was (allegedly) responsible for the magical pairing of New York's leading faux-WASP ice princess with Princess Coldstare, but alas, we have scoured the Google and cannot find a picture of her. So this will have to do. [Fashion Week Daily]
M.I.A has designed her own eponymous clothing line, which is really brightly colored so that, "if you lose it or someone steals it, you can see it from miles away and you can be like, 'Oy! Give me my shirt back!'" Oy is right! [WWD, 3rd item]
Tinsley Mortimer, you see, is not a bad designer of handbags, it's just that she made the mistake of trying to sell them in Japan. "Japanese girls have no use for clutches because they just go to the clubs right after work. They are so different from New York. Stylewise, colorwise, stylewise. It's very youth-oriented. I'm designing for women between the ages of 20 and 40... But in Japan, after 25, it's like, basically, you're dead." [NYMag]

"Now that I've been modeling some, I can actually stand in high heels—at least for a night." Oh, Hagyness. [Fashion Week Daily]
Meanwhile, poor Erin Wasson broke her foot running in stilettos while shooting the ad campaign for Justin Timberlake's clothing line, William Rast. Doctors say her bones were fragile due to the amount of time she has spent in her life in heels. Ouch. [NYMag]
Are you ready for Tuesday night's Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala? [Is that a trick question? -Moe] The theme is superheroes because "the superhero is the overarching metaphor for fashion, because both share this obsession with the body, identity and transformation." [WWD, sub req'd]
No actually, explains Diane Von Furstenberg, superheroes are just super-trendy right now. [WWD, sub req'd]
Poor Nicole Fahri was mugged at knifepoint outside her home! [Mirror UK]
"My wife and I had a great time just sitting and going through things and working on what we liked the best...I would love to see her have a fragrance, and us to have one together — a unisex fragrance. That would be wonderful. She's a lot more expensive than I am." Tim McGraw on his new eponymous fragrance and his oft-PhotoShopped wife, Faith Hill. [WWD, sub req'd]
Virtual Christian Siriano prom dresses? We're confused. Explain this to us, please. [Gaia]
Oscar de la Renta shot his Fall/WInter 2008 ad campaign at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego. Which is, um, really random and has nothing to do with polio? [WWD, sub req'd]
Is former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane doing a line for Diesel? Eh, probs. [WWD, 3rd item]
Naomi Watts is the new face of Thierry Mugler's Angel fragrance. We are so happy for her. [WWD, 2nd item]
Martin Margiela is trying to go mainstream. Have you never heard of him? Well, that's cause he's so not mainstream. [WWD, sub req'd]
Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter, Kiki Smith, Cai Guo-Qiang, Barbara Kruger, Ashley Bickerton, Kenny Scharf, Glenn Ligon, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Kerry James Marshall, Hanna Liden and Sarah Sze are all collaborating with the Gap on a series of t-shirts. [WWD, sub req'd]
And Elie Tahari is collaborating with artist Kenny Scharf, too. [WWD, sub req'd]
Alice Temperely: Showing in London come September for the first time in six seasons. Buh-bye, New York. [Vogue UK]
Colin McDowell, fashion editor of The Sunday Times of London, is leaving the paper to become creative editor-at-large of Net-a-Porter and spearhead its original editorial content. [WWD, sub req'd]
Revlon: In debt. But less so now than before. [WWD, sub req'd]
Elizabeth Arden: Profits are down. [WWD, sub req'd]
Same goes for Bebe. [WWD, sub req'd]
And Steve Madden! Hmmm, I wonder what it all means? [Crain's]

Giorgio Armani Insults Anna Wintour To Her Face

Jennifer — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:30:00 EST

Georgio Armani is co-chairing a dinner to celebrate a Vogue-sponsored Costume Institute exhibit called "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy." Which is why he gave a press conference during which he professed to be "indifferent" to Anna Wintour while standing next to her. We assume he'll be too dead to make it to dinner. [NY Mag]
Then again: the shocking new garment industry tell-all Gomorrah says Italian fashion is really just the Mafia so maybe Georgio knows what he's doing. [WWD, sub req'd]
Model Gemma Ward's film debut The Black Balloon takes top prize at he Berlin Festival. [Sassybella]

I grow increasingly obsessed with Victoria Beckham and Marc Jacobs as each new ad starring Posh as the face of MJ's Spring 2008 collection is revealed. Vicks as a naughty dark angel? Love. [Chic Report]
Project Runway bitch slap! Chris Marc says Christian Siriano is going to be designing for K-Mart soon enough. [AdAge]
Eva Herzigova: Doesn't need a swimwear line now that she has a son. "[The line] was my little baby. But since I have my own now, it's really hard to follow... Unless I get a license deal, I don't think I'll do it." See ladies, if your career is as pointless/lucrative as modeling and celebrity guest design, you don't have to feel any guilt about giving it up to have babies! [WWD, 3rd item]
Hayden Panettierre is the new face of Candie's footwear. [Sassybella]
Ooh la la! Former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane is going to be shooting the haute couture collections for French Vogue. [WWD, 4th item]
15-year old Russian designer Kira Plastinina on who she hopes to see in her designs, "I like Paris, I like Vanessa Hudgens, I like the High School Musical girls, and Rihanna. I love Rihanna." [Chic Report]
Yves Saint Laurent is once again pretending that advertising is political activism. [Vogue UK]
A line of body shapers called Yummie Tummie. [WWD, sub req'd]
The British fashion industry is blaming its second-tier status in the fashion world on the absence of enough factories to produce its wares. Uh...because Jakarta and Dhaka are totally the new fashion capitals. [Reuters] [WWD, sub req'd]

Venus Williams Thinks Fashion Design Is Actually About Design

Jennifer — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:30:00 EST

Venus Williams was awarded with an associate's degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale over the weekend, becoming the first celebrity "designer" to ever get a degree in fashion design. She even got a prize for the "Best Sportswear Collection" and a 3.5 GPA. Also, she has a collection for Steve & Barry's. [Sassybella]
Mango takes a nod from Pedro Almodovar, keeps Penelope Cruz as the face of its brand for a second consecutive season. Now if she could only find a boyfriend with the same devotion! [WWD, 3rd item]
Italian director Franco Zeffirelli wants to give the Pope a makeover. But would the Pope approve of all the gratuitous tit scenes in Romeo & Juliet? [Sassybella]
French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld is in New York for her lesser-known spawn Vladmir's 23rd birthday. [Fashion Week Daily]

Film mogul/fat man Harvey Weinstein and Marchesa designer/pretty young thing Georgina Chapman's honeymoon: not so picture perfect. The $250,000 yacht they're renting is unable to enter St. Bart's due to a fuel strike there. We weep for them, seriously. [Page Six]
The real reason Vivienne Westwood is showing her Red Label line in London revealed at last: She has a coffee table book to promote. This from the woman who wrote the manifesto against capitalism! [WWD, 2nd item]
New Balance will be releasing a new line of women's shoes called NB Inside which offer style, comfort, and basically no actual athletic usage capabilities. [MediaPost]
Former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane is now in talks with his former bosses at LVMH to start his own eponymous menswear line. Which, we assume, will look just like Dior Homme. [WWD, sub req'd]
Names to know: Roksanda Ilincic, Richard Nicoll and Jens Laugesen. These designers all won the big prize in the UK's Fashion Forward competition this year, which is basically a guarantee of becoming the Next Big Think in Cool Britannia fashion. [Vogue UK]
Jeweler David Yurman is coming out with a perfume. There has been no mention of what it smells like. And, surprise, a whole lotta mention on the elaborate-jeweled bottle which will hold it. [Fashion Week Daily]
Current fashion darling Phillip Lim will be making his debut in Bryant Park during the upcoming fashion show season, which means he's "arrived" or whatever in fashion world terms. [Fashion Week Daily]
For the first time ever, we are envious of socialites: the society set got to attend a private performance of the Isaac Mizrahi-narrated Peter and the Wolf over the weekend. Mizrahi's costume consisted of a scarf and a fedora. Swoon. [Fashion Week Daily]
Okay, for the second time today, we are envious of socialites: the rich bitches got to buy the Miu Miu spring collection at a private sale/party Friday night in New York before it goes on sale for the masses this week. [Fashion Week Daily]
One in four Massachusetts hair and nail salons stands in violation of health codes. And if they're being that poorly behaved in a bleeding heart and highly moral state like MA, we don't even want to think how bad things are here in hedonistic New York. Ew. [BellaSugar]

According To Designer Issey Miyake, Fashion Sucks. Hard.

Jennifer — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:00:00 EDT

Designer Issey Miyake's show taking place today in Paris is inspired by vacuum cleaners. Guaranteed not to blow you away? [WWD, 5th item]
TopShop is opening its first U.S. store, supposedly in time for the holiday season. [Fashionista]
Giorgio Armani paid himself $346.5 million this year. We hope he enjoys it before the "I Dream of Jeannie" pants he designed this season hit the stores. [WWD, sub req'd]
Donna Karan is taking her Urban Zen concept beyond the integration of holistic practices into Western medicine: Now she's reconciling Palestinian and Israeli children and selling Urban Zen: The Clothing. How does she do it? [WWD, sub req's]

You know how some dudes are really into having sex in really uncomfortable positions with girls wearing nothing but their most uncomfortable heels? We kinda think that's what David Lynch was getting at with his latest series of Louboutin ads. Edgy! And we are so tempted to buy now! [Sassybella]
Chanel (and Fendi) designer Karl Lagerfeld might be starving himself these days, but he's gorging his resume! His latest project: shooting the Dior Homme ads, now that former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane has been Auf'd. [WWD, 1st item]
Oh fuck: Fashion has even attacked the trees in Paris! Stop the madness! [GlamChic]
Uh, oh: Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa better not be going all Ralph Lauren on us! [The Fashion Informer]

Get Set For The Todd Oldham Navy!

Jennifer — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:00:00 EDT

Todd Oldham has been named creative director at Old Navy. Says ON prez Dawn Robertson:"Todd was an interesting choice because he is so relevant. He is really modern." Which is interesting, you see, because the Gap usually goes the extra mile to be irrelevant. [WWD, sub req'd]
Cell phones are the new handbags, so if your Prada phone, your Dolce & Gabbana phone, and your iPhone aren't cutting it for you, never fear! Armani is getting into the mix too. [WWD, sub req'd]
Chanel president Veronique Morali has resigned, having only held her position at the French fashion house since March. Meaning the turnover rates for heading up Chanel are about on par with the turnover rates for fashion magazine assistants. Only with, like, three zeroes added to the salary. [WWD, sub req'd]
Former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane told France's Le Monde newspaper he agreed with us about how fashion weeks are completely absurd and retarded because we have the internet now, duh. "[Seasonal fashion shows] don't relate to anything anymore." [WWD, 2nd item]

Vera Wang: Set to play herself (but bitchier) on Ugly Betty! [WWD, 4th item]
Ellen Tracy founder Herb Gallen has died at age 92 of natural causes. [WWD, sub req'd]
Burberry: Now offering its already-expensive shit at even more ridiculous prices, courtesy of a new luxury handbag capsule collection. Oh and if you feel like coughing up the dough for one of these, take heed: Buying one is invitation only. Barf. [Vogue UK]
On the fate of his company (will he sell it or won't he?), designer Roberto Cavalli says, "I'm not a great businessman unfortunately." But at least he knows his way with a snake print and neon-hued ruffle? [Vogue UK]
Cathy Horyn may have finally stopped talking about Marc Jacobs, but Simon Doonan has just begun: "I'm sure I would've loved Marc Jacobs but I had to go home. By 10:40, I was out the door. Not in a huff. I didn't leave in a huff. I just thought, I need to go home now and walk the dog and take my girdle off." [The Fashion Informer]
If by chance you find yourself in Milan with the hope of stalking your favorite (and by favorite we mean least favorite) fashion types, here's a good list of places to start. [GlamChic]
Further evidence that high fashion in fact steals from its knockoffs: Burberry has taken to manufacturing, and incorporating into its ad campaigns Burberry plaid buttons that originally emerged as a clever means off renegade logo-theft. [EV Said via Coutorture]

A Kennedy Clothing Line At Last!

Jennifer — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:00:25 EDT

Alina Shriver, who is part of the whole Shriver-Kennedy clan, is getting in on the whole rich socialite starting a fashion label thing. We hope it evades the Kennedy "curse"! [NYPost]
He speaks! Notoriously hermetic, recently-ousted Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane will be interviewed in French newspaper Le Monde this weekend. We're suddenly glad we didn't take a more useful language in school! [WWD, last item]
Actress and ridiculous person Nicole Kidman makes her modeling debut today at London Fashion Week, albeit via video like Princess Leia because she's a ghost or something, for label Antoni & Alison. [WWD, 1st item]
The super-exclusive fete for the opening of the new Barneys New York outpost in San Francisco was hosted by Danielle Steele. Which is awesome. [Fashion Week Daily]

Of the new Lanvin store in Paris, one of those "modern" raw and unfinished warehouse-y kinda spaces, designer Alber Elbaz says, ""It was not at all about making a beautiful boutique; it was about making a boutique that makes the clothes more beautiful." Wait a second - how hard is it to make a $8000 skirt look beautiful? [WWD, sub req'd]
Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati was approached about the design gig at Valentino, but turned it down 'cause he's all super loyal like that. That, and he just talked his way into a multi-year contract with YSL. [Vogue UK]
Petanque, some weird French game where you hurl balls across a yard, was one of the best things we ever learned about in all those years of French class. And now we can, apparently, buy our very own set of Louis Vuitton petanque balls, retailing for approximately $1813, which is even more retarded sounding than the game itself. [Fashion Week Daily]
Cathy Horyn has stopped talking about Marc Jacobs, started drinking heavily in London bars. [NYT]
Andre Agassi is suing Target. [The Budget Fashionista]

Rachel Zoe Shocks Universe, Proclaims Self More Important Than Anna Wintour

Jennifer — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:00:00 EDT

Rachel Zoe: prepare to die. The celebrity stylist has announced herself mightier than Anna Wintour! Uh, didn't Zoe ever study Greek mythology in school? Don't taunt the gods. [WWD, 1st item]
Former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane is BFFs with French president Nicolas Sarkozy?! (Might they be interested in a threesome?) [WWD, final item]
Benetton profits up by 6.5%. Which we think is pretty impressive considering the last time we remember buying or knowing anyone who bought anything from the brand was the late 90's. [Uh, try eighties. Oh right, you were wearing diapers. -Moe] [WWD, sub req'd]
Doing even better than Benetton is Tod's, whose profits are up by 18.5% thanks to those pebble-soled shoes that are less ubiquitous but just as profitable as Tory Burch flats. [WWD, sub req'd]
Dita von Teese: The new face of Cointreau. It's about time someone thought to make the direct connection between taking your clothes off and drinking. [Sassybella]

Victoria Beckham had a spot of tea with ELLE's creative director Joe Zee and editor-in-chief Roberta Myers, eh? Do they want to help us get tickets for the Spice Girls reunion tour? Please? [Fashion Week Daily]
Vogue UK calls the New York S/S 2008 collections "quietly competent." Which we think is the critical equivalent of saying that a potential suitor "has a real nice personality." [Vogue UK]
Ralph Lauren is selling new polo shirts to fund breast cancer research. [Vogue UK]
More fashion-oncology collabo! Marc Jacobs is the NYC Cancer Institute's honoree this year for having raised $400,000 for melanoma research. Oh and some oncologist is also being honored. [Fashion Week Daily]
So People magazine thinks that Beyonce is one of the best-dressed celebs of 2007? Please god no one tell Tina Knowles. We just know this is going to make her even more unbearable. [People via FabSugar]

Style Ditto: Shove Over Lily Allen, Look Who's Coming To 'New Look'!

Jennifer — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:28:32 EDT

"If I could just do one thing for 24 hours it would be [have sex] . . . or sew. Or have sex while sewing. Or sew an outfit to have sex in." So says singer Beth Ditto, which is why the plus-sized Ditto is now collaborating with New Look to become the most unlikely (and kinda awesome!) celebrity clothing endorser yet. [The Sun]
Charlotte Ronson, whose name sounds familiar because she's Lindsay Lohan enabler Samantha Ronson's twin sister, is once again slated for a role in the forthcoming Soapnet reality show The Fashionista Diaries, which will chronicle the ins and outs of the week leading up to New York Fashion Week. If there's a God, Lindsay will be off the wagon by then. [WWD, 2nd item]
"Fashion's over," declares the legendary Hubert de Givenchy. Now what are we supposed to write about? Oh yeah, celebutard nipple slips! [WWD, sub req'd]

Roberto Cavalli is in Paris — not to show couture, but to preview his H&M line to magazine editors. Oh please please please someone report back re garishness, degree of in this line! [WWD, 1st item]
After having posed for Italian Vogue , Gavin Rossdale's love child, 18-year old Daisy Lowe, is rumored to be assuming Kate Moss's soon-to-be-empty knickers as the face of Agent Provocateur. We assume this means that Rossdales's missus, Gwen Stefani, will not be wearing the line anytime soon. [Sky Showbiz]
Too many fashion events, too little time: The 10-year anniversary of Gianni Versace's death is keeping Bottega Veneta away from its slotted showtime as the closing show for the first-ever Berlin Fashion week. [Vogue UK]
Anime movies! Spectator shoes! An entire Rem Koolhaas exhibit around her skirts! So what's up next for renaissance fashion-quirkstress Miuccia Prada? Designing a bar in London with whimsical Belgian sculptor Carsten Holler, naturally. [WWD, 1st item]
Fashion hungry private equity firm Permira hopes to buy out all remaining shares of Valentino through the Italian stock market's regulatory system for an estimated $3.52 billion. Which is probably only a slightly greater figure than the price of a couture Valentino wardrobe. [WWD, sub req'd]
Since leaving his design perch at Dior Homme, Hedi Slimane has taken to designing... furniture? [WWD, 3rd item]