Jezebel: marks and spencer

Jessica Simpson Prettifies Pageant Contestants; Jason Wu Hearts Michelle Obama

Sadie — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EDT

A match made...somewhere. Miss USA contestants will be sporting barely-there bikinis from the Jessica Simpson collection. [NYDN]
The nebbish-weight cage match between Woody and Dov continues, as Allen decries the jersey-meister's "rep-tarnish" tactics. [NYP]

Moschino pulls new marketing director. [WWD]
Quoth Amber Valletta: "As much as I love fashion and as much as it has supported me, I see how extreme and extravagant it is." Her line will, presumably, be both cautious and frugal? [Fashionista]
"We have so much in common," says Charlotte Ronson of bff-collaborator Shoshonna Lonstein Gruss. Well...you're both super-rich and make girly clothes...[WWD]
Eileen Fisher's cracking down on department store's deep discounting by renting out her own space on their floors. Your mom will pay full price for that linen sack and like it! [WSJ]
Speaking of protecting one's neck: Seven jeans is suing Oleg Cassini and InDesign Apparel for trademark and copyright infringement due to overly similar ass embellishment. [CityFile]
A new, Catherine Deneuve-endorsed handbag line is made by, and benefits, female Lebanese prisoners. The bags are embroidered with inspirational Arabic phrases. [BBC]
Word is, Kimora is getting into maternity. The evidence? "A black T-shirt bearing the Baby Phat logo with an arrow pointing to her bump." All we're saying is, you then waive the right to get pissed if random strangers touch your belly.[WWD]
When Models Tweet: "IN London Shooting a MAJOR SURPRISE COVER!!!!Its top secret can't give it away!!" [Fashionologie]
Aww! Groovy purple-lovin' cool chick Anna Sui is receiving this year's CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. Stevie Nicks is, allegedly, stoked.[WWD]
We like Ike! (Mizrahi.) "I am really a slob. It takes a lot of effort for me to look this put together. If I had my way, I would sit on the couch all day and eat ice cream and go to pieces with my dogs because that is the ultimate luxury to sit and watch TV with one's dogs." [Factio via New York]
Jay-Z's Rocawear pop-shop 18-wheeler (subtle!) is hitting New York. And, presumably, causing gridlock. [Racked]
We can't vouch for Nanette Lepore's literary tastes, but if they're anything like her tastes in suits? Give her pick - Idanna Pucci's new book Brazza in Congo: A Life and Legacy - a spin. [The Daily Beast]
Struggling M&S brings back professional eccentric and designer Zandra Rhodes. [Daily Mail]
What would Jason Wu tell Michelle Obama? "Thank you for changing my life. But more than me, they've really brought optimism to the country, which is really great." [USA Today]
Want to see an appalling bathing suit? [VogueUK]

Runway's In, Britney's Glam, And Topshop, Topshop, Topshop!!!!

Sadie — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EDT

The good news: Runway is safe. The bad news: yup, it's on Lifetime. [AdAge]
Britney Spears cuts a revealing figure in her new Candie's ad. Candie's: the last refuge of a scoundrel. [NYDN]

In case your priorities are totally out of whack and you don't realize that holymotherofgod the biggest thing in The World is taking place as we speak, the TopShop flagship opens in NYC today. (Which will apparently make online easier for everyone!) Last night's opening gala featured Kate Moss as mistress of ceremonies, but according to the Daily Mail, J.Lo "upstaged" her. [Daily Mail]
"Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen and Michelle Trachtenberg worked the rock chic look at the first of the two VIP previews, while British actress Emily Mortimer opted for an Eighties-inspired Topshop outfit and Michelle Monaghan sported a pair of bold shoulders." [VogueUK]
Was la Moss's triple-Topshop change an homage to Michelle Obama? We're gonna go with, "no." [ElleUK]
This was obviously the party to have attended, since apparently another Topshop do featured the spectacle of Jimmy Fallon singing Sting's "Englishman in New York." [Style.com]
Sir Philip Green has proclaimed it the best Topshop evah! "Mirroring the Oxford Circus flagship in London, the four-level, 40,000-square-foot space, with 28,000 square feet for selling, is an eyeful of energetic, packed merchandising with about 2,000 stockkeeping units, a broad price range from moderate to bridge, and dozens of mannequins and forms, either dangling from the high, 30-foot ceilings or sitting atop the alcoves. It's a wide store with columns and escalators, huge colorful illustrations of London icons, and theatrically lit Topshop marquees. Above all, it's the product, and not so much the architecture or decor, that does the talking." [WWD]
For those in the Apple: apparently the line is lunch-break bearable! [New York]
"Catwalk exposé Picture Me, which allegedly dishes le dirt on Irina Lazareanu, Nicole Miller, ANTM fave Gilles Bensimon and others, premieres Monday. [New York Post]
Gucci launched a new scent, Flora, at the Chateau Marmont. Obviously, Zanessa was there. [Style.com]
Those foot-high boots sported by Heidi Klum in the German Vogue shoot will give us nightmares. [Just Jared]
Speaking of fashion photography! Zac Posen makes his print ad debut. Quoth the aging wunderkind, "Once Ellen (von Unwerth) saw me singing Cole Porter, laying on top of Lorraine's grand piano, she decided it had to be the spot for the picture." Indeed. [Fabsugar]
Taylor Momsen is letting life imitate art. Which is unfortunate, because she's on Gossip Girl. Says the 15-year-old of her gig as frontwoman for "Pretty Reckless," "I'm actually designing all of my costumes. It's a rock band, so there's not costume changes but there's definitely a look." [People]
Michelle Obama wears J.Crew in London. Make of this what you will. [E]
In almost-as-breaking news: Madonna has been spotted sporting a fanny pack in Malawi. [NY Daily News]
So why isn't Isaac Mizrahi making those budget basics everyone's droning on about? "People have their basics...I want what I can't resist." [NYT]
GQ names Mark Ronson the "best-dressed man of 2009." We're gonna go ahead and color this "controversial." [GQ]
Another rumor/confirmation of Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone's marriage. The tipster in Brazil claims he saw them "taking after-ceremony pictures with a small group of what looked like just relatives and close friends!" I guess now that the bloom is off the Beyonce-Jay-Z mystery, we need another source of suspense. [Update: this was an April Fool's! I was totally, um, fooled. -SS] [Fashionista]
German retail sales are down. [WSJ]
But Marks and Spencer's...aren't as bad as everyone expected! [WSJ]
The retail version of the Carrie Bradshaw wedding gown in which she gets jilted has sold out of Vivienne Westwood "almost instantly." [Sassybella]

Shop At Your Own Risk

Sadie — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:15:00 EST

Susan Curran, 58, is a regular at her local Marks and Spencer, where she frequently meets friends in the cafe of the British chain's nearest outpost. But after Susan, who suffers from cerebral palsy, got stuck in a bathroom and was forced to pull the emergency bell, she was banned from the store. After being told by a manager that "staff were not trained to deal with her and workers were being put at risk," she received a letter stating that "You are not permitted to enter into any of our stores again. If you choose to ignore this notice you will be asked to leave." [Telegraph]

Michelle Wore Narcisco; Marc Wore Camel Toe

Sadie — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST

Who was the First Lady-elect wearing? Narciso Rodriguez. [Style.com]
Marc Jacobs cancels his annual holiday costume party (this year was "Rock and Roll Circus")in deference to the economy. Last year he went as a camel toe. [ElleUK]
Following the success of its Go!International collection, which features emerging designers, Target introduces a new line, Designer Collaborations. This one focuses on established names and kicks off with Alexander McQueen! "The collection will have rock 'n' roll influences and edgy details such as studs and tattoo-print fabrics." [WWD]
And more! "McQ Alexander McQueen for Target will feature lightweight sweaters, skinny jeans, bubble dresses, slim skirts and cuffed shorts. Signature pieces include a coated cotton poplin black trench, a rock ’n’ roll gray denim cropped studded jacket, a men’s wear-inspired tuxedo blazer and a color-blocked one-shoulder dress with bubble hem. The collection also will include swimwear and cotton voile print scarves." His muse is Leila Moss, the lead singer of The Duke Spirit. [WWD]
Elle Macpherson, for one, feels the credit crunch can only hope her lingerie line: “For every down-at-heel hedge fund manager who has had to ditch his mistress due to financial hardship there’s always another waiting to step in...And in these hard times you find that when a woman can’t afford a dress in the luxury echelons, she may opt instead to part with £20 on underwear that makes her feel good.” [Daily Express]

Speaking of recession-proof people, Peaches Geldof will see her line for PPQ hit London shelves tomorrow - "the perfect party looks, mixing English eccentric with gothic glamour along with a healthy dose of fun." [ElleUK]
Mumsy mainstay Marks & Spencer is way down despite desperate marketing efforts. "Everything about Marks and Spencer's marketing, from the use of Twiggy, Erin O'Connor, Lily Cole and Myleene Klass as the faces of M & S to Patricia Field's tacky bought-in Sex and the City collection, has become so overblown." [Telegraph]
Young designer Jens Laugesen's eponymous line becomes a casualty of the economy. [VogueUK]
Uh oh - now luxury sales are way down, too! [WSJ]
Angel Sanchez talks bridal for Bristol Palin. Sorta. [Observer]
New "trashion" line reworks old clothes with local artisans from Sierra Leone, and sells the results for big bucks - some of which help the community. [Independent]
Pigs tattooed with the Louis Vuitton logo by a conceptual artist have been banned from an art show after they (not surprisingly!) aroused the ire of animal rights activists, people with taste. The artist claims "his pigs are treated humanely and they are given sedatives before being tattooed. Collectors can buy them live or purchase their tattooed skins when they die of old age." [Telegraph]
Designers - not to mention the rest of the world - will be keeping a close eye on Obama. [WWD]
YSL continues with the love for classic supermoddles by drafting Claudia Schiffer for spring '09. [WWD]
Swimsuit model Valeria Mazza may be looking at hard time: she and her husband "are under investigation by the AFIP — Argentina's version of the IRS — for allegedly swindling the gub'ment out of what translates to nearly $2 million in unpaid taxes." [TMZ]
Great. Apparently beauty creams are chock full of potentially toxic "nanoparticles" and there's no safety testing. [Telegraph]
In a series of video vignettes, Chanel Iman conforms to every vapid model stereotype! [New York]
An idea that could only make sense to a fashun type: A $270 satin Moschino piggy bank. [Fashion Week Daily]
Speaking of job security! Gaultier rumored to be tapping third president in three years. [WWD]

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]

Designer/Director Tom Ford Can't Move His Freakin' Face

Sadie — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Tom Ford has spoken: eyebrow wiggling is now a sign of displeasure. "I haven't had any plastic surgery — despite what people think, this is my nose...I have had Restylane and Botox, but I don't think of that as plastic surgery any more. It's true I can't really frown, but I can move my eyebrows, so..." [Guardian]
Well, at least Manolo Blahnik is less ridiculous! Oh, wait. "Manolo Blahnik tumbles into the room wearing an extremely dapper royal-purple suit, purple and yellow knitted tie, orange suede shoes and black circular glasses à la Le Corbusier. He stretches out his hand, and when I shake it he squeaks in pain, shaking, then retracting it." [Independent]
Jean-Paul Gaultier, maybe? “'I did a revue with my teddy bear at home...I pretended he had breasts. The first cone bra I did was for my teddy bear, not for Madonna. I had a strawberry box for the stage, and I put a lot of feathers on my teddy bear for the headdress. I used feathers from my cleaning brush for the finale.'” [NYT]
Come. on, Zac Posen, redeem your industry: "Puppies, babies and plastic surgery are the new fashion. That's where fashion's going." [Big Think]

It's official: Project Runway saved from a fate worse than death, aka Lifetime Television for Women. [NY Mag]
"Ironically, runways in the nation that brought us an all-black Vogue were not only less diverse than New York's but disappointingly white." [Shophound]
The sale of YSL's art collection — which includes Picassos, a Matisse, a Leger and a Mondrian — is expected by auctioneers to bring in 440 billion dollars. [Breitbart]
The Stylista contestants revealed! One of them is named Cologne. [NY Mag]
This Lancome lip gloss and this Marc Jacobs shirt kind of look alike. [Glam Chic]
The Queen's preferred dressmaker on the verge of collapse! Experts suggest it, um, failed to move with the times. [Telegraph]
In a weird coincidence, the designer of Diana's wedding dress is going under, too. [Daily Mail]
The Sergio Rossi-Puma sneaker heel is the stuff nightmares are made of. [Fashionista]
Kate Moss apparently "snogs the face off" some Vivienne Westwood cohort. [Mirror]
The Eastpak allegedly "reinvented" by Raf Simons. That's what they said about cafeteria food. [LA Times]
Shoes are apparently a better investment than stocks. Although not, presumably, if you walk in them. Cue Carrie Bradshaw reference. [Business Sheet]
"On Monday, men's magazine GQ India hits the newsstands, following in the footsteps of other male-only publications such as Men's Health, Maxim, and FHM, and experts are saying this is further proof that Indian men are embracing more global fashions." Pictured: an Indian guy in what appears to be a gold leather Harlequin outfit and bow-tie. [Reuters]
Burberry Children's to bring overpriced (adorable) mini duffel coats to U.S. market. [WWD]
Lenny Kravitz barred from Ric Owens show; sneaks in anyway. [Style.com]
"Over the last year, Mr. Margiela, known as fashion’s “Invisible Man” because he never gives interviews and has rarely been photographed, has told colleagues that he wants to stop designing and that he has begun a search for his successor at the house." So...how will anyone know? [NY Times]
Speculation rampant that Plum Sykes querying Guardian style column. Okay, not really. [Guardian]
We can't really wrap our heads around the new Pat Field for venerable frump-purveyor Marks and Sparks line, so will probably stick to weeping. [The Sun]
Fashion feels the credit crunch. [WWD]
Gareth Pugh brings back the Elizabethan ruff. [ElleUK]