Happy Friday!

On Wintour's Illegal Suggestion

"Could someone lead a committee that would make ground rules for retailers when the discounting starts, and then all the retailers can agree to it?" Anna Wintour suggested at a CFDA 'town hall' meeting.

"That's illegal," reponded President Diane von Furstenberg.

"We have friends in the White House now," came back Wintour.

Scene Two: The fashion writers of the world go nuts, calling Wintour "ridiculous" and "power-tripping."

To be honest, I applauded Wintour's immediate thought to pull some strings and get her way. Besides, planning specific days for discounting is already commonplace in most European countries. Not that I agree with going against capitalism and the free market, but in no way was Wintour being "ridiculous."

Fashion Rewind

"Punk? It's only rock 'n' roll, but you wear it." - WWD, December 1977

Getting Down to Business vs. Selling Out

Hussein Chalayan talks to WWD about his trip to New York to collaborate with J Brand Jeans, creating three styles of exclusive jeans for Barneys New York.

"I am a designer's designer," he tells Women's Wear, and explained how he hates the phrase avant-garde. "I hate that term. It's a real hindrance because I don't think it expresses what we're about. It makes it sound like we can't appeal to people or something, and it's absolutely rubbish."

WWD writes: If the idea of a desginer known for his experimental runway shows [...] designing jeans registers to some as selling out, to others, it's the ultimate example of fashion's current fixation: Getting down to business.

District L notices the distinction between creating three pairs of high-quality exclusives for Barneys, as opposed to creating repeat lines for Target. Chalayan, in our opinion, is making a great business decision with J Brand Jeans. It is when great designers cheapen their brand by creating a line of low-quality shoes for Payless that leaves a bad taste on our buds.

Quotable

"There is no way when your in the middle of a tsunami that you can change absolutely everything. But one thing we can do and that I would like to do is make New York Fashion Week the most dynamic fashion week in the world." - Diane von Furstenberg

Fashion Recap

Charley B. of Fashionista.com Hates Peep-Toes, Elle MacPherson

 

 

CFDA is Discusses Whether Fashion Week is Still "Relevent"

 

 

Anna Wintour is For Organized Crime

 

Bravo's New Show

First it was the super successful Project Runway. Next came the fleeting version, The Fashion Show. Now Bravo is introducing Launch My Line. On September 16, the DSquared2 duo will judge a group of designing hopefuls, along with Scoop's Stefani Greenfield. The novice fashionistas will be paired with more experienced designers. The winning newbie will have their clothing line launched, while the victorious fashion expert will recieve $50,000.

Do we have faith in this reality-show-of-the-minute? Um.... we'll stay positive.

Model-made

Amber Valletta, 35-year-old model, is now taking a new turn in the fashion industry. She is collaborating with LA-based brand, Monrow. The line, Amber Valletta for Monrow, will debut at the upcoming Intermezzo tradeshow in New York.

Singapore's Gone Wild

Just last week, we reported that Dsquared2 just opened a store in Singapore. Burberry also opened its sixth store in the city-state just a few days ago.

Now a luxury mall, ION Orchard, has opened in Singapore, boasting 640,000 square feet and 8 floors. Dior, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Prada are just a sampling of the 333+ stores that reside in ION Orchard.

Saturation? Possibly. But according to WWD, no one has been deterred.

A representative for Prada SpA said, "The opportunities for our brands were excellent."

The opportunities for me to shop sound excellent. I am booking my second visit there as soon as that casino opens in 2010.

La Rinascente's Renovation

When the District L duo lived in Florence, La Rinascente was our sanctuary of all things wonderful.

The brightly lit, spacious department store was my first stop to find the perfect Sonya Rykiel and Cacharel dresses for fashion weeks in Paris and Milan. Now it seems that La Rinascente is offering more, with a new floor for design products at its Duomo flagship.

Carrying a broad assortment of items like frames, vases, lights, mugs, and pens, La Rinascente found the means to nestle its way into every aspect of our design-loving lives.

Courtesy Photo

Shit List - Avery

Here at District L, we are not here to please everyone. Hate it or love it, we speak what's on our minds. That being said...

Sean Avery, go home.

If you recall, Sean Avery was the Rangers player that "landed"  an internship with Vogue last summer where he worked directly with Anna Wintour, attending events, shows, and photo-shoots with New York's fashion queen.

Question: When do interns go to fashion events with Anna? Answer: Never!

Now the fashionizing hockey player has a job as a design collaborator and marketing pitchman with Commonwealth Utilities, a New York-based menswear label.

Congratulations, Sean, for taking yet another position you do not deserve.

Shit List.

MAC vs. IMG?

Could MAC be retaliating against IMG and Bryant Park tent sponsor, Maybelline? Possibly, with the sponsoring of show venue, Milk Studios. After MAC seduced designers like Alexander Wang, Adam Lippes, Peter Som, and Temperly London, fashion-insiders noticed Fern Mallis fighting back. She is quoted on IMG-produced site, FashionWeekDaily.com, saying, "In these times, designers are realizing that showing at Bryant Park is the way to go when they need to make the best possible impression." Uhh-ohhh. A storm is brewing.

Shit List- Plum Sykes

When pressed for her favorite summer vacay moneysaving techniques, socialite Plum Sykes had this to say:

"We have cut our Hamptons summer rental in half and are sharing it with friends to reduce the cost. And I stopped spending money on silly nonsense, like shoes with such high heels I could never face wearing them anyway."

Since when are ridiculous shoes "silly nonsense"?

Shit List.

Vital Signs are Improving...

because Hermes just reported outstanding results for the second quarter; sales are up a whole 12% from last year.

Although they didn't make any profits this quarter, at least they're back in the black.

Said Hermes Chief Executive Patrick Thomas, "If you had told me last year that we would have flat sales in 2009, I would have kissed you on both cheeks."

Things are indeed looking up- analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein say that brands at both LVMH and Gucci Group are expected to report similar trends to Hermes.

Doo Ri to Doo Tents.

According to various sources, there are to be several much anticipated newcomers to the tents this coming fashion week- among them District L favorite Doo.Ri Chung.

Other designers such as Vivienne Tam, Narcisco Rodriguez, and Tuleh- notorious runners in the presentation and gallery-space crowd- are also alleged to be showing in the tents this season.

Also big news- Derek Lam will be showing in the tents for his first fashion week showing ever.

Screw that apocalypstick back into it's tube, clearly things are turning around.

Cacharel Comes Back

In December, Cacharel said they were stopping their formal fashion shows. In December, I said I was never going to drink an entire bottle of champagne again, and so it goes.

Cacharel is coming back with a spring collection to be presented during Paris Fashion Week in September.

Welcome back to dark side, Cacharel.

More Signs that this Global Recession Bullshit is Almost Over

1. Burberry opens its largest store in Southeast Asia region, making it the sixth Burberry store in Singapore.

2. Yesterday, retail stocks increased 2%, making it the highest close of the year.

3. Bernard Krief Consultants might just step up and save Lacroix.

4. A new Dsquared store is set to open in Singapore.

What Recession?

Hermes sales jumped 12% in second-quarter sales. Sales in the three months ended June 30 hit $607.4 million, proving the French proverb, "It is impossible to overdo luxury."

OMG. Shoes.

Galeries Lafayette's shoe department, the world's largest dedicated shoe space, opened Wednesday. This Parisian department store devoted 34,500 square feet to shoes in its Boulevard Haussman location.

Let's get some shoes. Let's party.

Publicists Behaving Badly

Just a week ago, Dolce and Gabbana's publicist faced trespassing charges. Now, the head of PR for Marc Jacobs' men's division has been spotted out at New York fashion parties with quite the conversation piece - an ankle bracelet. Tim Mark Garcia is currently out on bond and facing extradition back in the Philippines on "plunder" charges, according to Page Six.

I guess any publicity is good publicity?

When Style.com Asks....

Style.com asked a number of successful desginers about their most memorable summer jobs. Martin Grant gave our favorite answer:

"I never had a summer job. I left school at 15 and started my business straight away. One of my first jobs was dressing two ladies of the night, and I can tell you that as a teenager it was quite an eye opener. They used to turn up for fittings in a Studebaker convertible with bottles of Champagne, and I would make them Lurex leopard skin-print dresses! Oh, the good old days."

Quotable

"You used to go see Christian Dior in Paris to have a dress made, but now you can go to Roland Mouret in your hand," said Natalie Massenet, founder of Net-a-porter.com at the launch of the NET-APP iPhone application.

Andre Plays Hookie

It was already an established and shocking fact that Anna Wintour skipped out on couture week in Paris, but what the hell was Andre' Leon Talley doing in Durham, North Carolina??

Fashionologie reports that Vogue's Editor at Large was spotted at Whole Foods near his hometown instead of in the front rows of Chanel, Dior, and Elie Saab.

Andre! You should have called us. We would have kept your seat warm.

Fashion's Night Out

In an effort to convince shoppers to buy this season's stuff before it goes on sale (like they used to) Vogue, CFDA, and NYCgo.com are partnering to create Fashion's Night Out. The event will be a global celebration of fashion on September 10, 2009. To further explain the event, Fashion's Night Out writes:

"On September 10th, the first evening of New York Fashion Week, Fashion's Night Out will encompass festivities galore— from inventive window displays to model and celebrity appearances. Champagne may flow; hors d'oeuvres may be passed. Rumors of musical performances, downtown barbecues, shoe capsules, limited-edition rings, and sweepstakes abound."

It's sad that the industry (and the economy) has jaded consumers with too many diffusion lines, heavy markdowns on overbought inventory, and an overall decline in quality. It's encouraging that the CFDA is taking an initiative to reestablish an appreciation for fashion.

You know where District L be on September 10th with champagne in hand!

So Close...So Close...

Normally we would have a photo of something pertaining to the post, but in this case we couldn't bring ourselves to allow a photo of a Croc blemish our beautiful site. So instead, here's Lakshmi Menon.

Speaking of positive trends, it would appear that the much-loathed Croc brand is finally hurtling steadily towards a future of ignominy.

According to a recent Washington Post article, "the company had expanded to meet demand, but financially pressed customers cut back."

Right- we're really sure the reason Crocs are going under is because people could no longer afford them.

After $185.1 million in losses, the company slashed roughly 2,000 jobs but continued to struggle under millions of dollars of debt. They are now currently sitting on a prodigious surplus of merchandise with nobody to sell it to, and auditors are concerned over whether the company can ever achieve solvency again.

District L will go so far as to attend fashion week if our wildest fantasties come true. Now die.

Update: Like I Give a Frock

Remember how I went to Kat Macleod's book signing earlier this week? Well, her book, Like I Give a Frock: Fashion Forecasts and Meaningless Misguidance, is amazing and hilarious. Read it and love:

 

"I've always been confused by the term 'tracksuit'. I understand the 'track' part - its the suit bit that has always thrown me. It almost implies that there is a level of professionalism involved in looking like you've given up on life. In fact, if tracksuit pants could talk, they would probably say:

I dont care anymore. I eat out of cans and watch Jerry Springer.

[...] It's because of that imaginary voice in my pants that I refuse to wear them, no matter how warm and comfortable they claim to be. Even on a cold winter's night, I prefer to go home to a pair of stomach-choking, thigh-strangling jeans than don a pair of tacky pants. Call me a snob, but I'm not quite ready to chuck in the towel just yet."

 

Seized and Destroyed

US Customs and Border Protection seized counterfeit Dolce and Gabbana and Versace sunglasses valued at $122,043.

Luckily for Ed Hardy fans, US Customs never found the shipment of fake Gucci visors and counterfeit Roberto Cavalli belts.

DVF gets DTB

Diane von Furstenberg threw a party in her Meatpacking District store last night for author Gloria Vanderbilt and her new book, Obsession: An Erotic Tale.

In case the title didn't give it away, Furstenberg tells WWD, "It was very, very, very, very erotic."

The 10 Finalists for CFDA!

The finalists are...

Flora Gill and Alexa Adams of Ohne Titel

Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin

Patrik Ervell

Sophie Thealette

Waris Ahluwalia of House of Waris

Wayne Lee of Wayne

George Esquivel of Esquivel Shoes

Gary Graham

Monique Pean

Simon Spurr of Spurr

Is Luxury Making a Comeback?

In a world where Forever 21 can be deemed as someone's favorite store, District L had almost lost all hope. Is there finally a glimmer of light in the distance?

Burberry's first quarter revenues rose 8.5%. Retail sales in the three months ended June 30 rose 28.7%, mainly due to strong performance in Europe and Asia. Conversly, H&M's same-store sales dropped 5%.

Is quality finally trumping drive-thru fashion? Or are people just buying more plastic nova check clutches? Only time will tell...

Quotable

"The collection is going to grow. I want to be known for all parts of the wardrobe, not just the cocktail and evening dresses." - Giambattista Valli, on his new licensing deal to expand the brand

 

Even Couture Gets Back to Basics

Versatile black jackets were in attendance at every show... (except Saab, sorry!)

Kat Macleod Paints the Town in San Francisco

Kat Macleod, author of Like I Give a Frock: Fashion Forecasts and Meaningless Misguidance and fashion illustrator, made a stop in San Francisco's Candystore Collective for a book signing event. Kat's illustrations, which can be found in Harper's Bazaar and Vogue Entertaining & Travel, were displayed in a gallery setting on the store's walls.

As the champagne flowed, Kat Macleod talked to guests about her illustrations, travels, and experiences. Fans were happy to meet the fabulously fun Australian native and veiw her chic prints.

Fashionistas Behaving Badly

Dolce and Gabbana's publicist, Ali Wise, faces computer trespass and eavesdropping charges.

Frederic Bourke, co-founder of Dooney & Bourke, was found guilty of conspiracy in a plot to bribe officials in Azerbaijan.

Models stripped down at New York's Rose Bar this weekend after the AC broke. Little did they know, they were caught on tape by Douglas Keeves.

Four Italian cashmere vendors were arrested in Milan on Thursday in connection with $70.3 million fraud.

This Man "Can't Stand These Fashion People"

It's been a whole two days since Bruno hit theatres, so I know we're all a bit over this Bruno talk. But if you can sit through this video, you'll hear the fat man talk about how he "can't stand these fashion people" because he thinks they talk in circles and are completely illogical.

And then he goes on to talk in circles and be completely illogical.

All-White... Alright?

Elie Saab was harshly criticized for his all-white couture collection. After Karl Lagerfeld's incredible all-white couture show last season, fashion insiders questioned if Saab made a wise choice. Is he comparing himself to Him? Was he unaware of the blatant similarities?

Elie Saab's white couture for Fall 08.

 

Karl Lagerfeld's couture show for spring 09.

 

Style.com noted, "Saab would have to be remarkably insensitive not to realize that it was going to cause a sharp intake of breath and suppressed giggles from people who know about fashion."

Good point, Style.com. But shouldn't one be remarkably insensitive to be successful in this industry at all?

Quotable

"He's a great comedian and incredibly talented and I can't wait to see it. In comedy, anything is fair game." - Diane von Furstenberg, on Bruno, in WWD

Kill Couture?

So apparently nobody showed up to the Paris Fall 2009 Couture shows.

Jean Paul Gaultier Couture Fall 2009- a notable celebrity whose name begins with Madonna isn't here.

We exaggerate, ever so slightly. The fact remains that celebrities in absentia and a general snubbing of extravagant spending tried to kill couture this past week; when both Anna Wintour and Alexandra Shulman fail to show up to one of fashion's most important events you know something has to be up.

Not only that, front-row fixtures Dita Von Teese and Madonna (see sbove) didn't even swoop in. Is this really a sign that couture is a dying art? Have we, the fashion industry, become so freakishly, mouth-foamingly obsessed with selling ourselves out that we are together all too willing to marginalize this creaky yet definitive tradition?

Clear your week, dear readers. We'll be calling upon you to mobilize any second now.

Found on the Fashion Interwebs.

"So much in the papers about the crazed Bruno and the film has gotten a mountain of press. For the pilot season I was "buzz killed" by him in our offices. Midway through the piece I figured it out but went along with it because I was in so deep that I either walked or didn't. I didn't. Last week a guy came up to me on the street and said, "Hey, you're the Bruno guy right? Can I take our picture?" I did it 5 years ago..."

Paul Wilmot's Facebook status waxes nostalgic about an encounter with the Sasha Baron Cohen persona.