Jezebel: jacquetta wheeler

Gisele Loses Baby Bump Thanks To London Fog

Jenna — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:30:00 EDT

This is what Gisele Bundchen looks like, pregnant — only not, because London Fog retouched her stomach flat again. Is this the world's first prenatal airbrushing? [WWD]

Oh man, how weird must it be to have your boyfriend of years dump you the day before your birthday, and then still have to go through with the launch of a perfume called "Fancy Love." Which you have to make public appearances for, and see your own face on the ads of. Jessica Simpson, this is just not your week. [People]
Marc Jacobs Homewares. It's happening. (And it's already 50% off.) [FWD]
Matryoshkas may be getting rarer in real life, but they're popping up increasingly on the runway. [Telegraph]
Christian Lacroix met with the French minister of culture yesterday. [WWD]
Our favorite Obama volunteer, British top model Jacquetta Wheeler, has been more than keeping up her blog entries for British Vogue. Sometimes she posts two entries a day — overachiever. Wheeler writes about backing her car into a pillar, getting downgraded to economy on a paid business-class ticket and then sitting on the tarmac for two hours, and experiencing the scene at the Jane Hotel Bar. That last stop prompted Wheeler to reflect, "I realized that, although great to visit, I have left that life behind me, and am quite ok about it! Bring me a pint and some oysters and my Notting Hill pals at the Cow any day of the week." [Vogue UK]
The DKNY jeans campaign that Scott Schuman was shooting during the Topshop SoHo opening day madness is out. It stars Gracie Carvalho, Sophie Srej, and, uh, this Hilary Duff girl, you may know her? [WWD]
Alexa Chung was also in one ad, but apparently only the British publications noticed that. We think she looks great. [Elle UK]
And there are also some more fall campaign shots from Lindsay Lohan's new Fornarina campaign. [GlamChic]
Lagardère, the French media company that owns, among many others, the Elle and Marie Claire titles — though in the U.S., Marie Claire is published by Hearst, under a long-term licensing agreement with Lagardère — is said to be in talks with Hearst about selling off American Elle as well. Elle, which earlier this year surpassed longtime rival Vogue in advertising pages, has an estimated worth of $200 million. Hearst's entire profits for last year were only $225 million. [NYPost]
Guess? co-founder Georges Marciano, who is planning a bid for the governorship of California, has just been ordered to pay $370 million in damages to five former employees whom he defamed. Marciano was excluded from the week-long trial by the judge because he persistently skipped pre-trial deposition hearings. His former employees testified their reputations were ruined after Marciano publicly accused them of stealing his e-mails and plotting to sell pieces of his art collection. [LATimes]
Massimiliano Giornetti, the menswear designer for Ferragamo, will now design the Italian house's womenswear as well. Giornetti is replacing Christina Ortiz, who seems to have been fired after just two years for making clothes that were a little too sex-ay. [WWD]
The Telegraph has been running an unusual number of wholly uncritical Chanel ~~advertisements~~articles lately. To whit: "Why I Love My Chanel — Four Fashionistas Reveal The Moment They Fell In Love With Chanel." Barf. [Telegraph]
Allegra Hicks, who had to shutter her business last fall, is back in the saddle with a new investor. [WWD]
Moises de la Renta, on his new fashion label, MDLR: "My aspiration is to show people almost a beautiful and glorious gloom-that it's OK to be melancholy. I want to speak for the lady in the corner of the club, you know what I mean?" Which club, exactly? "You've ever been to the Roxy in 1985?" No, Moises, but something tells us neither have you, since you were born in 1984. [Blackbook]
Michael Fink, the former vice-president and women's wear director of Saks, has a new position: Dean of the Savannah College of Art and Design's Fashion School. May all of the 1,100 people Saks laid off in January bounce back so well. [WWD]

Michelle Cool In Kors; Will Christian Lacroix Be Saved?

Jenna — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:30:00 EDT

Michelle Obama wore Michael Kors to celebrate the National Design Awards winners on Friday. "What I love about design is the artistic and scientific complexity that becomes useful," said the first lady, to a crowd that included Francisco Costa. [WWD]

Meanwhile, Ikram Goldman — the Chicago boutique owner who is the closest thing to a stylist for Michelle Obama — is in New York to view pre-fall collections. Although Goldman won't comment on anything the first lady might or might not wear in future, she did say that Thakoon Panichgul (whose clothes have been worn by Mrs. Obama before) had produced "probably my favorite collection that I've seen so far." [Style.com]
And the fashion love for the Obamas goes beyond mere dresses: Jacquetta Wheeler pulled an André Leon Talley and volunteered for the campaign for three weeks in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, last October. The supermodel described the 17-hour days she pulled as "the most interesting and rewarding thing I've ever done in my life." [Vogue UK]
Wannabe model Amber Le Bon is too "free and liberated" for university. [Telegraph]
After the rejection, by the administrator of the bankrupt company, of three bids for Christian Lacroix's fashion house, a fourth more "serious" offer has been received from Italy's Borletti group. If a buyer is not found by the end of this month, the current owners, Florida's Falic Group, plan to shutter the house and continue just producing goods that license the Lacroix name. [WWD]
Three words: Hello Kitty Sneakers. Fourth word: $145. [HighSnobiety]
Amber Valetta has announced a design partnership with Los Angeles label Monrow. The supermodel's pieces — t-shirts, simple dresses, and blazers — very closely mirror Monrow's existing offerings. [Elle UK]
Scott Schuman got drunk at a party in his honor in Toronto and decided to give a speech described by one guest as "rambling" and "nonsensical." That same night, he went on the record with Globe and Mail reporter Amy Verner. What ensued was an object lesson in why not to give interviews under the influence: Schuman leveled spurious attacks on designers James Coviello and Peter Som ("When I had my showroom in New York, [I told them], 'You have to build your brand,' and they didn't listen"), disdain for the media that have helped make him ("I don't need another interview with any other magazine or newspaper in the world") and plenty of bragging about his own sexual prowess ("I'm pretty good at the sex. And pretty good at picture taking. That's about it. Garance is pretty happy. And the hotel-room neighbours are pretty pissed.") "Garance" is Garance Doré, the French street style blogger for whom Schuman left his wife of 20 years — who had financially supported him after his showroom business failed — Christa. [OmgBlog]
Isaac Mizrahi's QVC just-announced program sounds like it might be zany good fun to watch when it launches in December. Called "Isaac Mizrahi Live!" it'll weave the designer's pitches between his extemporaneous monologues about life and his other daily activities. It'll be filmed in his real New York studio. The show will also sell Mizrahi's cheesecakes — which he, an accomplished home cook, fine-tunes the recipes for and decorates. Hopefully they'll find time to plumb his affection for the word "sauté" as well: "I liked the way it sounded — sauté, sauté, sauté!" [WSJ]
There is an astounding 46.6 square feet of retail space for every single person in the United States. But, as we all know, this recession is causing that number to fall. Businesses are closing up shop entirely: regional department stores like Mervyn's and Gottschalks, as well as chains like Steve & Barry's, S&K Famous Brands, Abercrombie & Fitch's Ruehl, and Pacific Sunwear's D.e.m.o. and One Thousand Steps. Troubled retailers that still hope to survive this downtown are nonetheless shutting stores left and right: Jones Apparel Group is closing 225. Ann Taylor, 163. All told, 8.1 million square feet of retail space was vacated during the last quarter. UBS Securities expects a contraction of 10% in retail space over the next few years. [WWD]
San Francisco artist Stephanie Syjuco decided to counterfeit designer handbags — in handicrafts. Her crocheted objects created after brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, and Chanel are intended as a "critique of a political economy," and you can watch a short documentary about Syjuco's project. [Threadbared]
A slightly more par-for-the-course tale of handbag counterfeiting is buried in the story of last week's New Jersey money-laundering and corruption case, which led to the arrest of 44 businessmen and politicians. The government informant who helped make the case claimed his fortune came from the fake handbag business. The FBI gave the informant large sums of cash, which he then gave to the defendants to launder; his explanation for how he came by the cash was caught on tape. "The business is very good now because the market's down — economy's down, and everyone wants to buy. Instead of spending $1,000 for a Prada bag, we sell it for $200; Gucci bag, $300. It's $1,200 in the store," the informant, who is believed to be 36-year-old rabbi's son Solomon Dwek, said in June, 2008. [WWD]
Oh, look: someone figured out how to make money from a fashion website by combining editorial content, user-generated content, and e-commerce. Magazines take note. [NYTimes]
Inventors have discovered how to turn used coffee grounds into a soft, breathable, but water resistant fabric. [Guardian]

Escada's Honored by Sarah Palin's Patronage...Because She's "Attractive"

Sadie — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST

After Palin names Escada as her fave brand, the creative director is gracious: "If she does wear Escada because she likes it, I mean, I’m honored actually. It’s not politics; it’s clothing, after all. No? She’s an attractive woman, so why not?" [New York Mag]
Fashion's totally in the tank for Obama — but we knew that. [WWD]
Halloween update: Blake Lively was Cleopatra, Martha Stewart was Medusa. [Sassybella]
Andre Leon Talley: "Fashion may not be the most important thing in life, but it definitely helps you get through it," [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Adidas launching high-end SLVR line. It'll include sportswear, accessories and shoes — but no activewear. [WWD]
Stella McCartney introduces kid-friendly windows. "Using just colouring pencils, Gary Card will create over-layered drawings of animals, dinosaurs, superheros and fantasy inspired characters on children's wardrobes in his typically naive and charming signature style." Just what you want to see on your six-year-old's Christmas list! [VogueUK]
SJP's new "Twilight" perfume: just a coinci-dink that it jibes with the teen vampire flick? Synergy! [Fashionista]
Georgia May Jagger's "style" includes derby hats, shiny leggings. [ElleUK]
Prada's costume jewelry is gorgeous, as expensive as real jewelry. [Fabsugar]
Goodwill tries to change its image for the recession; but why? [NY Times]
Not shockingly, Anand Jon's defense lawyer says he's innocent. [Breitbart]
Suits make the man. [Forbes]
Timberland moves into video blogging to woo young men, who allegedly like that sort of thing. [Business Week]
The first YSL retrospective is kicking off in San Francisco and sounds amazing: "The clothes, displayed in a gallery with low lighting and the feel of a giant walk-in closet, are stunningly beautiful: A 1988 Van Gogh "Irises" jacket embroidered with 40 pounds of sequins and beads. A 1997 garden party of a gown with a thicket of pink and green organza flowers, leaves, semiprecious stones and satin ribbons. A 1990 coat flocked with flame-colored rooster, pheasant and vulture feathers. The black wool dress with satin collar and cuffs worn by Catherine Deneuve in the 1967 film "Belle de Jour."" [LA Times]
Supermoddle Jacquetta Wheeler comes from a huge Tory clan! [Daily Mail]
These descriptions of the Australia costumes are totally overcoming our initial resolve not to see it: "Ms. Martin did extensive research for the costumes. She studied archival images and newspapers from 1930s and ’40s Australia and interviewed descendants of the original ranchers around Darwin. 'Whether an indigenous stockman'— or drover — 'wore socks with his boots when he rode a horse, that’s something you either get through a snapshot,' Ms. Martin said, 'or something you have to go talk to the people who lived there about.'" [NY Times]
The new Chanel Unlimited bags, in a "glossy gray canvas material," sound grotesque. Opines Fashionista: These are totally Karl's answer to Prada's nylon bags. But worse, because they're plastered in not just one, but many logos." [Fashionista]
Yeah it's barely past Halloween, but if you have "questions" about Holiday attire, The Washington Post will help you out. [Washington Post]
Rosetta Getty expands her line, beloved of her celeb friends. Nice work if you can get it! [WWD]
Is it just us, or are these new Helena Christensen ads for Agent Provocateur really unsexy? (Oh yeah, prolly NSFW.) [Daily Mail]
Rochas names Marco Zanini creative director; he'll show his first collection for the the fall/winter 2009 season. [WWD]
Princess Di's threads go under the hammer for charity. [VogueUK]

Egomaniac Movie Mogul & Marchesa Designer Say "I Do"

Jennifer — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:30:00 EST

Miramax mogul Harvey Weinstein and Marchesa co-designer Georgina Chapman got hitched on Saturday night at Weinstein's home in Westport, CT. The bride wore Marchesa, the groom Tom Ford, the Gypsy Kings gave a private concert and even Vogue's Anna Wintour attended. Also there: Model Natalia Vodianova, celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, Renée Zellweger, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Anne Hathaway and Cameron Diaz (all of whom, sadly, need no further introduction). [WWD, 1st item]
Chapman designed not one but two gowns for her wedding: One for the ceremony and one for the reception. Modest! [GlamChic]
This year's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fun big winner Rogan Gregory is rumored to be the next designer to do a collection for Target, thus confirming Moe's theory that designers go straight from Vogue to the red bullseye, lovingly guided by Anna Wintour herself. [WWD, 2nd item]

God bless Valentino. The man denied his retirement for an eternity, then announced he was retiring, then threw himself a giant party for the anniversary of his label, and now — just for good measure — he is being honored by the mayor of Paris with an honorary citizenship to the city. [Fashion Week Daily]
Victoria Beckham's "V-Sculpt' make-up line scares us even more than Victoria Beckham's sculpted boobs. [BellaSugar]
Oh Lord: Who would want Tara Reid to be the face of anything? Yet alone "sleepwear." [Sassybella]
High Grant ex/English socialite Jemima Khan has designed a charm bracelet to benefit some charitable cause. The charms on the bracelet represent the five major world religions. Says Khan of her design, "I have been personally connected to the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism through my paternal grandfather, Christianity through my mother, and Islam through my marriage and my children." Well doesn't that make her special! [Fashion Week Daily]
All that talk about Vivienne Westwood moving her show back to London from Paris? Sorta bullshit. Westwood will only be showing her secondary line, Red Label, in Mother England. The eponymous shit will still show en Paris. [Vogue UK]
YSL designer Stefano Pilati has decided that runway shows and scary and impersonal so he will be showing the YSL menswear collection in a presentation and a private dinner this season instead. Touching is permitted. [Fashion Week Daily]
Oh no! Another cryptic e-mail from ELLE's Gilles Bensimon! Really, someone please stage an intervention and soon. [Fashion Week Daily]
Another reason to love/loathe Topshop: Launching collections ''collaborated" on by English designers Jonathan Saunders, Louise Goldin, Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Todd Lynn and Richard Nicoll starting in mid-January. [WWD, 5th item]
Herve Leger is back! And now designed under the Max Azria label. Um, ok? [WWD, 4th item]