DVT loves JCDC

Dita von Teese is dating the sexy son of French designer, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Dita was spotted with the much-younger man at the Coachella Music Festival.

80's- Beyond the Runway

Shoulders, neon colors, severe silhouettes, cutouts, you name it- we all saw how that marvelous decade came back en force following the Fall shows.

It seems now that the 80's have penetrated even further than the runway. Crimson lips, floormop mascara, and shocking Cyndi Lauper eyeshadow have resurfaced, replacing the previously in vogue "less is more" mentality towards painting ones face.

Even the music industry has experienced an 80's revival; French music collective Valerie has amassed an army of 80's New-New Wave Romantic Electro sounds, featuring artists from Anoraak and College to Ladyhawke and Daft Punk.

Naturally, all the cool kids are on board.

Are you?

Fashion Down Under

Australia Fashion Week is currently happening, thanks to Rosemount Estate. It ends on May 1, so if you happen to be in Sydney for the next couple of days, we suggests you check out this budding fashion capital. Ginger and Smart, Anaessia's group collection, and Dion Lee were just a few of the highlights this week. Although, it wasn't all glitter and lights for Zimmermann, who experienced a power outage yesterday. Luckily, the technical difficulty was temporary and the show went on.

Look forward to some more Australian fashion for the next three days!

Knits, Glitz, and Twits

Rachel Roy will be holding a Twitter Press Conference on Thursday, April 30 at 3pm EST. You heard right... a Twitter Press Conference. The conference will be addressing Rachel's new diffusion line for Macy's. If you would like to ask the designer a question, just tag your query @RachelRoy and hold tight for your answer. 

So this is what fashion and society has come to: Twitter and Macy's diffusion lines. God Karl, help us.

Toronto Gets a Slice of Vivier

Luxury Toronto department store Holt Renfrew will soon play host to a retrospective of the Roger Vivier Couture Collection- the exhibition, which will be open to the public this coming Thursday, will feature looks from both decades past and work from current creative director Bruno Frisoni.

Naturally, everything will be kicked off by Roger Vivier brand ambassador and District L favorite Ines de la Fressange with a private cocktail party at the Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street.

...Because someone was dumb enough to stalk Tyra

Testimony in Tyra Bank's stalker case begins today. Brady Green, the idiot on trial, was quoted saying, "I know her, she knows me." Unfortunately, Tyra has a short-term memory and seemed to forget her dear friend, even after he called her studio repeatedly, sent her flowers, and tried to sneak into her talk show. 

Could anyone really be this dumb? Has he not watched The Tyra Show? Tyra will sit you in her chair, have guests humiliate you, cry, and then she'll talk down to you... just like she does in every other show. And after she does that, she'll eat you.

Good luck, Brady Green. Maybe you can claim insanity.

More Evidence That Karl Lagerfeld Is God

"I have no human feelings." - Karl Lagerfeld, on how he feels before a runway show (2007)

"They grow so fast, and having adult children makes you look 100 years old." - Karl Lagerfeld, on not having children (2007)

 

Balmain Rips Kate a New One.

During a birthday gathering for a friend in London, Kate's spacey, all-shoulders Balmain gown suffered some damage. The already snug-fitting silver-sequined number erupted with a huge tear on the side somewhere near the beginning of the evening.

Not one to let small obstacles get in her way, Kate partied on.

We still love you, even if you might be pregnant.

 

Photo courtesy of NY Daily News.

Jason Wu to Dress Jessica Alba for the Costume Institute Gala

...and Francisco Costa is dressing Halle Berry. Ivanka Trump will be busting out of a Brian Reyes creation, and Coco Rocha will be wearing Isaac Mizrahi. Lara Stone does not yet have a date to the Fashion Prom 2009. Who's gonna be the lucky designer?

 

Green Movement tries to F with Fashion, yet again.

 

Slightly tooly Harvard Grads James and Alexa Hirschfield are the masterminds behind Paperless Post, an online e-vite startup that the fashion industry apparently has decided is the next big thing when it comes to going green.

Alexa was working as an assistant to Katie Couric at CBS when her brilliant brother James came up with the totally original, never before thought of idea.

"Katie got heaps and heaps of invitations. Some were engraved ecru paper, some were digitally printed, some were plexiglass prisms with orchids inside," says Alexa. "But all of these very fancy forms of invites were really formalities, because even the bat mitzvah invitations were followed up by emails or scanned versions of the invitation."

According to W Blog, Paperless Post has sent more than 60,000 invitations for more than 1,000 events since it's launch last fall.

But we'll be damned if paper invitations get eradicated completely in favor of, well, e-cards. Nothing can replace the exclusivity of a well designer paper invite in thick card stock. So we'll thank the intrepid young Harvard grads to kindly keep their noses out of the fashion industry.

 

 

"Reality" Celebs Compromising The Principles They Never Had

What do Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad have in common? They both sell their fashions under the obnoxious, florescent lights in Kohl's.

Finally, fashion industry professionals (who have not yet sold their souls to Kohl's or H&M) can rejoice. While real fashion people start out in some not-so-glamorous jobs and work their way up to the top, undeserving celebrities think they can go ahead and launch a fashion line with zero experience. WRONG. 

Sorry, Conrad. Better luck with your next endeavor.

Save Fashion

Finally, a cause we can all agree on! Because let's face it, the fashion industry has been heading in a scary direction:

 

• Designers continue to compromise their principles: http://www.districtl.com/3064687
• Martha is staging an obvious plot to take Anna Wintour's top spot: http://www.districtl.com/3064352
• Balmain is dressing child molestors: http://gawker.com/5219001/face-it-balmain-was-made-for-michael-jackson
• Conde Nast continues to make major cuts: http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=6630687

 

It's up to you, dear reader, to help District L fight the War on Mediocrity: Shop like crazy, pay your bills, and don't let Uggs become a classic.

-

 

Designers Compromising their Principles

This time, unfortunately, it's Matthew WIlliamson.

The former creative director for Pucci has cashed in and begun cooperations with mass-market monolith Hennes and Mauritz.

While what District L has seen so far from the preview has been consistent with Williamson's signature colorful, South Asian influenced style (picked up from his time with Indian clothier Monsoon), we just wish it wasn't with H&M.

 

Martha Stewart is Plotting to Take Anna's Spot

Tomorrow, Francisco Costa, the Calvin Klein Collection women's director and CFDA award winner, will tape a segment on The Martha Stewart Show. He will be talking about his latest runway creations, as well as Brazilian cocktails. Costa's segment will air on May 1.

While the untrained eye might see this episode as a homage to the fashion industry, District L is on to Martha's ulterior motives. Just last month, fashion-god Valentino made an appearance on Stewart's talk show. 

We know what your trying to do, Martha Stewart. You're trying to bribe Valentino with delicious, hand-made chocolates and get Costa drunk off Brazilian cocktails!

You might as well give up now, because The Convict in the Kitchen is no match for the notorious Queen of American Vogue.

...a moment in time...

The likes of the Antwerp Six may have a new member to add to their ranks.

Fashion business executive Anne Chapelle is the mastermind behind a new Belgian clothing concept, "...a moment in time...", an avant garde line made up largely of deconstructed knits and cashmeres.

Chapelle is already a relatively central figure in the Belgian design scene- she is a principal shareholder in the houses of both Anne Demeulemeester and Haider Ackermann.

“Our idea is to create a series of authentic collections using a special team that really believes in quality and being honest with the consumer,” said Raissa Verhaeghe, who holds the position of “organizational conductor" in the "a moment in..." family.

Quotable

"Vanity is the healthiest thing in my life." - Karl Lagerfeld

Heidi expecting another baby Seal, Karl doesn't care

Heidi Klum and Seal confirmed that the rumors are true: They are expecting a fourth child. "Heidi and I are having another baby! I mean, Heidi is doing all the work," Seal stated at a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York. 

The rumors have been swirling for awhile. When Vogue asked Karl Lagerfeld about his thoughts, he replied, "I don't know Heidi Klum. She was never known in France. Claudia Schiffer also doesn't know who she is."

Ouch. Apparently Karl isn't a fan of model baby-making. 

In Vogue

"Gianni Versace was extremely generous with his models. Whenever he was receiving an award, he always invited us. But not as work. It was an invitation as a friend. Armani used to, as well. They made us feel as though we were part of a family." - Naomi Campbell

Quotable

“As for the new Alexander Wang vibe, it's all about a certain urban, nonchalant cool. Or, as the designer likes to say, it's about the ‘M.O.D.,’ or Model Off-Duty.” -WWD

As Fate Would Have It

"We had no training at all and didn't really have a clue what we were doing – all I had originally wanted to do was to make a nice pair of dark denim jeans for myself. But suddenly, there we were visiting factories in Kentucky, staying in motels, drinking moonshine and talking about jeans. It was a steep learning curve but a lot of fun."

- Marcus Wainwright, Rag & Bone designer and new CFDA director's board member

Rag & Bone Store Opening

 

Gucci Gets Her Girl Back

Jacquetta Wheeler is back for Gucci!

It's been about 10 years since her last Gucci days with Tom Ford, but Jacquetta's still got it. She graced the Ralph Lauren ad campaigns in 2005. She also traipsed down Oscar de la Renta's runway recently, for S/S09 and Pre-Fall.

After redesigning Gucci's store on Sloane Street in London and creating limitied-edition handbags with the Union Jack to match, Frida Giannini wanted "real life English girls" too.

Heh, sounds familliar... Remember "Gucci <3 New York"?

Word on the Street: White Diamonds (We Found Her...Sort of)

District L found this member of Alternative-Electro band White Diamonds while out in the LES this past weekend- it's about time we saw some printed leggings out on the town after their runway extravaganza this past NYFW. But it gets better...

Check out who she's friends with! It's none other than our fave, Courtney Love Raygun.

So check out http://www.myspace.com/whitediamondsband and maybe you can catch a glimpse of our favorite post-modern lovely in person.

There's a New Fashionista in Town

As of May 4th, former Fashion Week Daily girl, Abby Gardner, takes the top spot at Fashionista.com.

Good luck as the new fashionista, Abby!

Party in Patterns, Sleep in Style

Missoni is opening two luxury hotels in the next six months! In June 2009, the first Hotel Missoni will open in Edinburgh on the historic Royal Mile. Then, during summer 2009, another Hotel Missoni will open in Kuwait.

The company says, "At its simplest, Hotel Missoni is a new international brand created for people who share these kinds of passions about life, design, and comfort."

"Damn The Man, Save The Beatrice"

Save the Beatrice T-Shirt [Twitter/mikenouveau]

The party actually took place on Friday in the penthouse of the Cooper Square Hotel. Rumor has it that the New York den of sin will reopen next week. Get your favorite feathered headband on, girls, because the party isn't over yet. 

Quotable

Pearls give a gloss, a certain refinement, even if you're just a trashy girl.

-Manolo Blahnik

Drama Subsides, Ittierre Crawls Back

“Roberto Cavalli and Ittierre are pleased to announce that an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement has been reached for the production and distribution of the Just Cavalli menswear, womenswear, apparel, bags, shoes and accessories collections,” the joint release read. “Just Cavalli?… Just a little fever… Nothing serious,” joked Roberto Cavalli.

 

 

 

Word on the Street: Miss Courtney Love Raygun

We wish we knew her name; but we love it regardless.

Word on the Street: Lindsay

Thrown together, nouveau-grunge fierce; District L and Lindsay had a raucous evening in the LES, and we managed to nab a few photos in the process.

80's Treasure Trove: 20 Year Turnaround

Check out what District L found while trawling around YouTube; it's surprising how many of these looks are actually somewhat wearable now (albeit with some slight silhouette and material modifications).

The designer is Agatha Brown, who apprently during the 80's was something of a success in New York and known for her killer sportswear separates. She now lives a somewhat reclusive retirement in Aruba.

Tel Aviv Rising.

"Considering it's talent per capita, Israel could have been one of the world's design powerhouses by now. But the country's best and brightest don't tend to stick around too long"- V MAN, Spring 2009

 

 

Derek Lam Opens Store in New York

Just kidding, not yet! Although that's what the NYC cabs proclaim. The stand-alone store is to open on Crosby Street. Get ready, fashionphiles!

Calvin Klein Misses the Bandwagon?

Creative Director Kevin Carrigan had the following choice statements to make about the CK Fall 2009 Collection on FWD.com...on March 27th?

“Subtly sexy"- the theme for Fall 2009. Okay, and we have heard this before....where? Oh, right. Every season from about 80 different designers.

“There’s a return to dressing up again...we’re calling it ‘refined eighties,’ with good fabrics that are softly sculptured, rather than linear and hard.”- How is he honestly parroting what every other designer has said about their collection this season?

“I wanted to launch a sexy jean for Calvin"- um, launch a sexy jean? Brooke Shields called- she said that nothing comes between you and your trite fashion one-liners.

I've always been a tad impatient with Calvin Klein as a brand, but honestly when their creative director can't come up with anything unique to say about their collection- especially almost two months after NY Fashion Week- it just looks bad.

District L Talks to Laura Dawson

Laura Dawson, designer and contestant on Bravo’s The Fashion Show agreed to speak with District L regarding her runway show at New York Fashion Week FW09, her inspiration, and the upcoming television series.

Laura Dawson, Photo by Alex Norden

 

Laura had back-to-back shows on the first morning of Fashion Week, February 12, 2009 at 8:30 and 9:30 am.

“It was fantastic,” Laura gushed. She admits to being a tough customer when it comes to her runway shows, but she was thrilled with her show at Red Bull Space. When asked about her inspiration for this collection, Laura immediately replies, “Buckminster Fuller.” The geodesic domes, which brought Buckminster Fuller his international recognition in the 1950s, directly translated to her geometric designs. “I am still floored by his architecture,” she said.

 

www.chinashopmag.com

 

 

After taking a look at her inspiration, it is not surprising to hear that Laura’s designs are “driven by structure” and maintain an eco-friendly function.

 

When asked which celebrity or public figure best represented the message of her designs, Laura mentioned Yelle, because of her international outlook and spunky, enthusiastic demeanor. Laura has dressed Yelle (among many other big players in the entertainment industry.)

In addition to her background as a freelance stylist, she also worked with As Four and Donna Karan before starting her own company. “I get around,” she joked.

Regarding Bravo’s The Fashion Show, Laura said that GenArt contacted her for casting. She mentioned that the casting for this series was unlike any other fashion reality show. “It was very well presented,” Laura commented, noting that 10-hour castings for other shows never interested her.

The passionate designer believes that her unique designs, notable history, and previous press will set her apart from the other contestants.

One last fun fact about Laura Dawson? “I am an avid Arbor Day Foundation supporter.”

Catch Laura and the other contestants on The Fashion Show on Bravo on Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 10pm ET/PT.

 

 

Quotable

"What? Is all black going to help the economy?" -Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs - Runway - Spring 09 MBFW

Fash Facts: 4/4/09

Natalie Hormilla has left her position as editor of Fashionista.com.

Japan Fashion Week is currently going on in Tokyo.

May 28, 2010 is the day when Sex and the City 2 hits theatres.

Kate Moss tells Style.com that her favorite Marc Jacobs memory was his last show at Perry Ellis, the grunge collection.

 

The Fashion Show: Update

To recap, Bravo has a new reality series where designers will compete for a chance to have their designs sold for the mass retail market. The fabulous Isaac Mizrahi and New York Fashion Week Queen, Fern Mallis, will be judges of this competition alongside Kelly Rowland.

 

 

We have recieved the list of contestants that will be appearing on the show. We'll post them so you can scope them out and pick your favorite to root for:

 

Andrew, 31 – Hometown: Fresno, Calif.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.

Angel, 30 – Hometown: Muncie, Ind.; Resides in New York, N.Y.

Anna, 30 – Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.; Resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Daniella, 22 – Hometown: Washington, D.C; Resides in New York, N.Y.

Haven, 29 – Hometown: Chattanooga Tenn.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.

James-Paul, 28 – Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.; Resides in London, England

Johnny R., 26 – Hometown: San Diego, Calif.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.

Jonny D., 34 – Hometown: San Diego, Calif.; Resides in North Hollywood, Calif.

Keith, 31 – Hometown: Highland Park, Ill.; Resides in New York, N.Y.

Kristin, 23 – Hometown: Orland Park, Ill.; Resides in Orland Park, Ill.

Laura, 30 – Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio; Resides in New York, N.Y.

Lidia, 28 – Hometown: Nalchik, Russia; Resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Markus, 33 – Hometown: Birmingham, Ill.; Resides in Miami, Fla.

Merlin, 38 – Hometown: Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.

Reco, 31 – Hometown/Resides in: Chattanooga, Tenn.

You can check out their photos and bios on at www.nbcumv.com

 

Laura Dawson, a contestant that had just showed her collections at New York Fashion Week FW09, will be talking to us soon about her aesthetic, inspiration and her latest runway show!

Kelly Cutrone: Publicist, Reality Celebrity... Writer?

"Sex and the City was a lot of frosting. I like Candace, and I think she's a good writer, but this isn't four girls holding hands running around New York. It's the real thing." - Kelly Cutrone, on her new book deal, which will be "a real girl's guide to the real f***ing world."

Fakes Are Never In Fashion

The well-known Harper's Bazaar effort to knock out knock-offs is pretty strong. On their site, www.fakesareneverinfashion.com, Harper's lists eight ways to spot a fake:

1. Location, Location, Location
First and foremost, purchasing luxury goods at a brand’s boutique, website or authorized dealer is your best bet to insure buying a genuine product. Items at flea markets, home parties, from street vendors, or unauthorized websites are likely to be fake.

2. The Price is Right
Quality and exclusivity account for the high price of luxury goods. Thus, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

3. Construction Sites
Craftsmanship is a main point of distinction with luxury goods. Sloppy stitches in less visible areas—such as the underside of a product or inside pockets—is likely the result of counterfeit production.

4. Package Deal
Luxury retailers meticulously package their products, including tissue paper, authenticity cards, product care information, superior quality boxes, and shopping bags. If you see a plastic wrap covering or a flimsy dust bag, it's probably a fake. For example, counterfeit manufacturers will often wrap the handles of handbags in plastic.

5. Spell-check
Counterfeiters will often misspell designer names. Check for letters that are swapped or a letter that is capitalized that shouldn’t be, and vice versa.

6. Check the Hardware
With most luxury accessories, you will find the logo on all the metal pieces, such as zippers, latches, snaps, and buckles.

7. Read the Label
In a genuine article of luxury clothing, most often the label is stitched in, whereas counterfeit clothes are likely to have a less expensive hangtag. Also, check the country of origin on the label.

8. Timely Tips
Makers of fake watches may not replicate unusual features, such as a helium relief valve. If the feature is available, often times it does not function.

Yes, we know: we're excited too.

Topshop Heartschallenger Van Gives Out Free Topshop Goody-bags

 

District L is just as excited as every other twittering, line standing, fashion obsessed New Yorker about the grand opening of TopShop in Soho today; we spent a considerable amount of time in the UK last year and came to love them for providing clothing that went above and beyond the commonly held conception about "fast fashion" quality (think of any H&M thing you bought last year- what happened to it? Exactly.)

One of the advantages that fast clothing chains have over other retailers is that they receive something in the neighborood of 10 shipments annually. Plain old vanilla wonder bread locales like J. Crew and Gap still get the regular 3 or 4, making it rather difficult to keep up. And when someone like Kate Moss swoops in and designs a diffusion line, like she did for TopShop, you've got a lot of stepping up to do.

So sounds great right? It would seem though that the introduction of TopShop to the states is a double edged sword. Yes, you're introducing a new wellspring of fabulous, well designed and affordable fashion to the United States. But you're also introducing a new wellspring fabulous, well designed and affordable fashion to everyone in the United States. It makes me shudder, some of the sundry fashion faux pas that I can forsee innocent TopShop clothing playing unwittingly into.

Also- do we really want places like American Eagle and Abercrombie stepping up their game and infiltrating the collection American fashion conscience even more than necessary with their tacky clobber?

Berlin Fashion Week Advances Season by Two Weeks

Fashion Week Berlin has moved up its next season by two weeks, bringing the city’s runway season into line with the German capital’s two main trade shows, Bread & Butter and Premium. (FWD)

GERMANY-BERLIN-FASHION-WEEK

Table Costs

So, exactly how much is a table at the Costume Institute Gala? According to Fashion Week Daily, the cost for a table for the "Model as Muse" event varies from $75,000 to $250,000. For individuals, the cost of an individual seat ranges from $5,000 - $15,000. Costs depend on size of the table and the location. (Proximity to Anna is factored in, I'm sure.)

Many brands declined to buy a table this year, but more surprising is the number of industry VIPs who said that they will not be in attendance. Who? We're not telling. Besides, we all know how finicky fashion people can be. The number of last-minute RSVPs will be enough to put Anna's fourth assistant into a state of immobilized shock. I'm sure of it.

Richard Chai Rumors

Before April turns to May, we will find out who will become the new Bill Blass creative director. All eyes are on Richard Chai to fill the seat. Are the rumors true?

"We can't comment on who we're interviewing for the position," Peacock's executive vice president of licensing and sales Scott Patti told The Daily.