Victoria Beckham Is A Birkin Addict; Michelle Wears Mizrahi, Alaïa
- Victoria Beckham reportedly owns 100 Birkins, with a $2 million value. Although Posh’s penchant for the carryalls isn’t in question, we do nonetheless note this story has two pictures of her holding Kellys. [Daily Mail]
- Right after settling the lawsuit brought against it by Woody Allen to the tune of a cool $5 mil, American Apparel released its quarterly results. And they were less than glowing. In the period ended March 31, the fashion giant lost $9 million, as operating costs rose 21%, to $69.3 million, and sales grew only 2.4%, to $114.3 million. Company stock fell by 20% during yesterday’s trading. Because of the classification of its revolving credit facility as a long-term obligation, American Apparel may also be obligated to restate its previous financial statements. It has already reduced its full-year sales forecast by $25-$50 million. [Reuters]
- Michelle Obama cut the ribbon on the renovated American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a purple Isaac Mizrahi sheath. Oscar de la Renta was heard to sob quietly into his pocket square. [WWD]
- Then, she went to the American Ballet Theatre‘s spring gala at the Metropolitan Opera House, where she wore an Azzedine Alaïa dress and a Thakoon jacket. Earlier, at the museum, she said: “The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.” [AP]
- Anna Wintour‘s office chairs, glimpsed briefly in the 60 Minutes segment that aired Sunday, have been ID’d: they are classics of Art Deco design, and cost $250 apiece. [UnBeige]
- Brüno has a Twitter account, and you can expect Tweets in the character’s voice until the movie hits theaters on July 10 (it is, naturally, a marketing effort). For now, enjoy witticisms such as: “Am I ze most gifted Austrian ever? Let’s just say zat at 14 ich could play Rock Me Amadeus on ze flute. Falco didn’t write it til he vas 29.” And: “Ze vorld ist zo screwed up – vhy do zey give out Nobel Prizes for physics, medicine und svimming, but not for fashion?” [Brüno’s Twitter]
- Isabel and Ruben Toledo, fashion designer and fashion illustrator, respectively, were honored with the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award at the Savannah College of Art and Design‘s annual fashion show. Talley told the crowd, “The Toledos represent a quarter century of love and brand building. They’re like two oaks, branches intertwined forever.” [Reuters]
- In other awards-show effusions, Betsey Johnson compared New York Fashion Week head Fern Mallis to David Bowie and Mick Jagger as she presented her with Parsons’ AAS Icon Award. When students in the Associates in Applied Science fashion marketing program got a little rowdy, Johnson quieted them with four words: “I’m looking to hire.” [WWD]
- For a taste of how the Valentino half lives, imagine this: fireplaces ablaze out of season, air conditioners running, and uniformed manservants depositing cool glasses of water onto linen napkins. Also: secret buttons inside the bookshelves. [Guardian]
- Marc Ecko has announced he’ll be doing co-branded collections with DC Comics, incorporating the characters of Batman and the Rogues Gallery. Perhaps the superheroes can save his troubled business? [WWD]
- Burberry, in the year ended March 31, lost $9 million. Its core earnings fell 13%, but annual sales rose 21%. The main reason for the loss was a company write-down that cost £116 million. The brand, which has already laid off 800 workers, still expects to open 10-15 stores this year. [WSJ]
- Yesterday, we included a Rag Trade item, sourced to WWD, about designer Erin Fetherston. Fetherston was reported to be making a short film about her fall collection in New York’s West Village, starring Juliette Lewis with music by Damon Dash, and her husband, the artist Hedi Firjani, told WWD that Fetherston was looking to launch a line with QVC, probably timed to coincide with New York Fashion Week this September. Both are untrue, according to Fetherston’s PR rep, who contacted us shortly after we published. Fetherston is making a film, with director Marisa Crawford, but Juliette Lewis isn’t the star. And the deal with QVC is not confirmed.
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