Jezebel: st. john

Valentino's Big Goodbye Won't Be A Weepy One

Jennifer — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:30:00 EST

Valentino on his final collection, showing tomorrow in Paris: "It's a happy collection. It's not a collection with tears in between." Right, because then it would be a bipolar collection, and at 12 minutes or so that's a lot for any audience to take. [WWD, sub req'd]
And in other last-Valentino-show-ever news, the designer included a portrait of himself in the invitation to tomorrow's show and also posed for pictures with every one of the seamstresses who helped create the collection so they could each have a keepsake of him. Aw? [Fashion Week Daily]
Volvo created a new ad that for release in Switzerland [Wait, Switzerland is a big enough market to warrant its very own ads? Okay. -Moe] that shows its newest hatchback model being surrounded by Karl-look-a-likes snapping its photo. The real Karl: not amused! "They think I should be flattered, perhaps. It's not the chicest car I am promoting — without knowing I did it." Snap. [WWD, 3rd item]

Abercrombie and Fitch's new underwear line Gilly Hicks: sells "underwear, not lingerie," with products that are "more boyish than boudoir," and it fancies itself as the anti-Victoria's Secret. [WWD, sub req'd]
St. John CEO Glenn McMahon on his outlook for the upcoming year: "[E]verybody is very nervous about 2008." Now there's a feel-good attitude we can get behind! [WWD, sub req'd]
Ellen Pompeo: "I love to aspire to be on the worst-dressed list!" [Fashion Week Daily]
ELLE UK appoints Chloe Sevigny as "style adviser." Oy. [Guardian]
Project Runway alum Malan Breton: still designing! [Chic Report]
Oh Jesus, why is Madonna doing commercials for Sunsilk hair care products? Because there's a recession on and that $100 million LiveNation contract might not be enough to scrape by? [Sassybella]
15-year old Russian designer Kira Plastinina on her target market: "[P]retty much girls like me. They're 14 to 25 years old. They're active, they're — I don't know, cool. Like normal teenage girls, I guess." Suddenly we feel depressed. [WWD, sub req'd]
Fashion line Chikara was created specifically for women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer. Suddenly, we feel somewhat redeemed. [WWD, sub req'd]

Karl Lagerfeld: Now Pocket Sized

Jennifer — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST

Karl Lagerfeld has designed a lead figurine of himself, to be sold as a limited edition (1,000 units only) for $300 at Paris boutique Colette. Perfect for teaching etiquette, nutrition, and brand-expansion strategy to your Homies! [WWD, 3rd item]
Agyness Deyn has replaced Drew Barrymore as the face of English designer Giles Deacon's diffusion line, Gold. Anyway, if they were looking for someone less overexposed than Drew Barrymore, they failed. [Vogue UK]
Aw, gender equality! Male models are getting freakishly thin, too. [NY Mag]
Diane von Furstenberg: "Is it clothes that make you glamorous? I don't think so! Glamour is shine, glamour is having an aura, and that is not just about clothes or makeup — I am very often without makeup, and I always look for comfortable clothes. For me, it's important to be who you are, or — even better—to be who you want to be." This doesn't exactly make sense, but at least it seems sincere! [BlackBook]

The couture shows start in Paris on Monday. And are the suits behind the labels worried about the sucky economy and the fact that, uh, no one can afford couture? Nah, they're just worried it might rain. [WWD, sub req'd]
Stupid celebrities attending the upcoming couture shows: Ellen Pompeo will be attending Armani "exclusively" (well, excuse us!) and Gossip Girl star Blake Lively is being taken by Vanity Fair to Chanel, Valentino, and Gauliter. [Fashion Week Daily]
Oh the anticipation, it kills us. A documentary entitled Valentino: The Last Emperor (made by Vanity Fair correspondent Matt Tyrnauer) makes its debut in May at Cannes. [Vogue UK]
Heidi Klum will be wearing a custom-made John Galliano to the Oscars in February (um, presuming the Oscars actually happen this year), which is somehow supposed to raise awareness for Diet Coke's Heart Truth campaign to educate women about heart disease. Yeah, we don't get it either. [Fashion Week Daily]
Badgley Mischka are on Martha Stewart today showing bridal looks. Must watch. [Chic Report]
Okay, not gonna lie: I actually really do want to learn how to get Blake "Serena van der Woodsen" Lively's make-up look. [BellaSugar]
Barneys New York: Now in Vegas. The store was designed to look a little trashy to, y'know, match the Vegas aesthetic. "There's more glitter here," says Barneys creative director Simon Doonan. [WWD, sub req'd]
Home Shopping Network is debuting a line of products by Dr. David Watts, which he claims will delay customers' inevitable need for plastic surgery. [WWD, sub req'd]
American Eagle is starting a line of children's clothing called 77kids, aimed at 2-10-year olds. Just in case you were worried that your kids weren't emblazoned in logos at a young enough age. [WWD, sub req'd]
It Bag-makers Mulberry just announced that they're going to start doing shoes, also. And today they announced they'll be adding eyewear as well. Way to diffuse the brand, guys. [WWD, 5th item]
Designer Monique Lhullier's new Bel-Air home is featured on the cover of ELLE Decor this month. [Fashion Week Daily]
Sass & Bide is doing a diffusion line called Vie that is supposedly reasonably priced. [Okay, note to self: Ask Jen what a "diffusion line" is. Is it like a "bridge" line, only with more particles? -Moe] Pieces range from $63-$260. Your call whether that's reasonably priced or not. [FabSugar]
Yay for the Gap for making their new CFO a woman. We wish Sabrina Simmons well in her new position. [The Street]
Vanessa Williams on her retail therapy: "It's much more fun buying shoes at night, after dinner and a few drinks. It just doesn't hurt as much." Note to self: Always get drunk before Prada. [Fashion Week Daily]

'Teen Vogue' And Rachel Zoe: A Match Made In Purge-atory

Jennifer — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:00:00 EDT

We always wondered why Rachel Zoe and Teen Vogue's self-promoting interns had never joined forces before. They're like the peanut butter and jelly of DANTE'S INFERNO, after all. Current intern Elana Fishman will pose in the gagazine's October issue as a model in a fashion spread. EWWWWWWWWW. [Fashion Week Daily]
Dolce & Gabbana President Glenn McMahon is headed to St. John, where he'll be CEO. Now what we'd really like to see is what peroxidific St. John spokesexecutive Kelly Gray could do with Dolce. [WWD, sub req'd]
Polo Ralph Lauren's stock dropped by 12% yesterday despite a rise in profits, maybe because of all the extra bad karma generated by those massive fucking logos. [WWD, sub req'd]

The oil sheiks: Back in the lead for ownership of Barneys! Japan's Fast Retailing bowed out when the price reached $942 million in cash. [WWD, sub req'd]
Italian label Acquascutum discovers that women mostly buy clothes and it should probably start catering to them. [Vogue UK]
After much crusading, some senators — mostly representing blue states but also Orin Hatch — introduced a bill that would somehow protect fashion designers from "piracy." Embittered rant from Moe TK. [Fashion Week Daily]
"Budget shopping": Dead in England? God, we hope not. [The Budget Fashionista]
We don't care that Kate Moss is carrying it: We think the new Longchamp bag sorta looks like a Hefty bag masquerading as a purse. [FabSugar]

Rag Trade: Narcisco Rodriguez, Cathy Horyn, Tell It Like It Is

Anna — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:24:50 EDT

Fashion insiders let loose at NYC's Cooper-Hewitt museum. Narciso Rodriguez blasts overpriced handbags, logo whores, disses unnamed Oscar-winning actress who demanded free clothes. NY Times' fashion critic, Cathy Horyn, describes the offerings at hot NYC boutique Scoop "throwaway clothes". [WWD]
Angelina Jolie's next ad campaign for St. John will focus more on her body, less on her face. [WWD]
What is it with Gavin Rossdale and his family of female clothing-designers?? Rossdale's daughter, Daisy Lowe, is now creating her own line of clothing with her mom Pearl. [WWD, 3rd item]
Isaac Mizrahi for Target: Now for brides! [TheBudgetFashionista]
Speaking of brides, Oscar de la Renta sez: Wedding dresses are for posing, not moving comfortably. [NYMag]

Lily Pulitzer's butt-ugly designs: Now for men! [VanityFair]
Anonymous fashion blogger dislikes not-so-anonymous teen magazine. [ViewFromTheFourthRow]