Anna Dello Russo tries to kill the dream as she tells SWIDE magazine, "The whole street-style thing these days is like a job, it's all planned and thought up in advance; it's not as though you just "happen" to run into one another. Outfits are planned in advance."
Well, District L would like to let you know that when we post street-style photos, they are always beautiful strangers.
Unplanned and always spontaneous.
If you missed details from Montcler's Mens presentation in Milan, never fear- the French brand will be swooping into NYC for Fashion Week for a highly anticipated, high-budget presentation at the Chelsea Pier Golf Club on Sunday, February 14th.
This time, they'll be unveiling Montcler Grenoble- named after the eastern French town where the brand got it's start 1952. This line, composed of both ski and city wear for men and women, is already generating media buzz.
It's nice to see our favorite puffy purveyors flaunting their wares a bit more visibly...
Jane Mclean first wore the origami-inspired Karen Millen dress in August to The Time Traveler's Wife Premiere. Only a month later, Erika Kristensen wore the same sheeny ensemble to a Pre-Emmy party. Karen Millen crops up at the InStyle Golden Globe party for a third round, this time on Gillian Jacobs.
Popular much, Karen? If you were on any more celebrities, we'd have to start calling you James Blunt.
"I hate that. I don't believe in avant-garde clothes for a future that will never happen. Fashion is always now." -Karl Lagerfeld, responding to a backstage dweller who suggested his couture collection was 'futuristic'
MANGO is once again using Scarlett Johansson as the star of their new ad campaign, this time for Spring/Summer 2010.
On this occasion, the photo shoot took place in New York City, where the actress modelled the new designs of the Spanish fashion firm. Once again, Scarlett Johansson was sexy and elegant through the lens of the acclaimed photographer Mario Sorrenti, who received styling advice from Damián Sánchez, the Creative Director of MANGO.
“I love working with MANGO. This is the third campaign I have done with them. The photographer, Mario Sorrenti, makes me feel very comfortable: the sessions are great fun. I see MANGO as a casual firm, with lots of combinations of garments, fresh and youthful”, said Scarlett of this her third collaboration with the Spanish brand.
WWD calls Givenchy's couture collection "disjointed and often jarring." Oh, and don't forget "garish." Ouch.
Ex-MTVer, Alexa Chung, sits front row at Chanel's couture show. Really. Karl? Please.
Ciara was booed by photographers when she was late for Givenchey's couture show. Ha ha. Way to pull a Kanye, Ciara.
Dorian Ho rocked Hong Kong Fashion Week, which ended on January 21, according to the Chinese buyers and international trendspotters in attendance.
Givenchy Couture
This past summer, we told you about ALICE, Alice Temperley's new diffusion line, that is now preparing for launch alongside the Temperley London Fall 2010 RTW collection.
Select pieces have already been seen hitting the streets, girding the loins of Fearne Cotton and Ben Grimes. The line is, thankfully, not a far departure from Temperley London; it features light jersey pieces, t-shirts, summer dresses, and the label's signature leather and denim biker jackets.
Temperley really did do it properly- why partner up with Target (we're talking to you, Rodarte), when you can just launch your own diffusion line that people will eat up?
After the once-powerful Christian Lacroix was reduced to a licensing operation by a Paris court, what is a surviving "underdog" couturier to do?
"I can't do couture like Chanel or Dior. Of course not," Anne Valerie Hash admits. "But I do want to experiment."
Hash's experiment involved hand-me-downs from fashion's finest. "I had this idea to do something about personal clothing, memory, and identity, so I started writing to people I admire and asking them to send me something of theirs to transform."
With a pair of pajamas from Alber Elbaz, Tilda Swinton's Vivienne Westwood tee, Jean Paul Gaultier's Breton shirt, Pete Doherty's frogged drummer-boy jacket, a veil from Diane Pernet, a Chanel jacket from Daphne Guinness, and Charlotte Rampling's spencer, Anne Valerie Hash created a fluid and revolutionary couture collection.
Reminiscent of a nonchalant Parisian synthrock star, Hash combined the adventitious pieces to create shining looks in relaxed silhouettes.
This is a perfect example of the proper way to respond to the ailing economy. Instead of selling out to Walmart or Target, Anne Valerie Hash designs a notable and culturally-relevant collection, inspiring reinvention while upholding quality.
...and what a certain Grazia editor couldn't. Dior Couture 2010 was ruined for Grazia Magazine, no thanks to the obnoxious pink ribbon on the "pesky hat" atop the 13 year old blogger's head.
"not best pleased to be watching couture through 13 year old Tavi's hat," the editor (who shall remain nameless, it seems) tweeted during the show.
Paris is Burning
Fashion crush, Olivier Zahm, and It-girl, Josephine de la Baume, at the Yves Saint Laurent dinner in Paris.
"No one is focusing on the semiotics of fashion in a disaster, but there’s an important function, when people are desperate for some kind of infrastructure, in someone wearing a white coat or some kind of quasiuniform.”
Valerie Steele, Director of the Museum at FIT, weighed in on the function of clothing and uniform as an amino acid of the social protein. The crisis in Haiti, a country with little regard for the officiality of uniform (or any kind of substantial social superstructure), has shed light on this one of many vital functions fashion plays in our world.
In the same vein, don't you always feel better when you're surrounded by people who are well dressed? It implies an attention to detail, an indicator of consciousness that lends order to our world.
So don't knock fashion, it will save us all.
On the subject of things that are so fabulous they're practically illegal, just you check the eff out of this.
Nathalie Rykiel and Marc Jacobs were just awarded the medal of Arts and Letters on behalf of the French government, with the title of chevalier.
As in, knighted. The titles of chevalier, officier, and commandeur are awarded only to those who have "significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural heritage"
"It is one of the greatest honors and that is why I made a point in giving my speech, which I wrote myself and repeated all night, in French," said Jacobs of the award and his acceptance speech.
While Nathalie Rykiel appears to have remained rather mute on the subject, her mother Sonia was proudly in attendance.
What a great day for fashion.
This afternoon, Condé Nast named Gina Sanders the new CEO of Fairchild Publications. Gina, who is mostly publicized in the blogs for being the wife of Steven Newhouse, has an impressive resume on her own. Sanders was the founding Publisher of Teen Vogue (you're welcome, Lauren Conrad) and the Vice President and Publisher of Lucky since 2008.
Fairchild, which encompasses WWD, WWD.com, Footwear News, Fairchild Books, and Fairchild Summits, was acquired by Condé Nast in 1999.
Milla Jovovich is to replace Heidi Klum in the Spring 2010 ad campaign for Ann Taylor.
Just because you're tired of being tacky, Heidi, doesn't mean you get to drop it, turd-like, into someone else's lap.
Especially Milla- you deserve better!
Because she turned 36 this weekend! Nothing looks as good as skinny feels, except maybe Kate for her age.
Hopefully she doesn't age as gracefully as she tore that Balmain dress...
Happy Birthday, Kate! I guess that means you have to start being a real mom now, and maybe marry that dude while you're at it. That is unless you have something better to do.
Julianne Moore is quite the editorial darling these days.
She recently appeared in a new Bulgari ad campaign, sporting 115-carat emerald earrings, the Bulgari Chandra bag, and well...not much else.
Not to mention her Oscar-buzz inducing role in Tom Ford's directing debut, A Single Man.
Somebody sure is riding the gravy train to fashion party, wouldn't you say?
With news of Jimmy Choo pairing up with Uggs for a new shoe launch, it's becoming more and more difficult to sharpen the blurred lines between luxury and mass market. Let's face it, Choo already designed shoes for H&M. Time for damage control!
But even pristine luxury shoe brands struggle with maintaining their image. Christian Louboutins have to deal with red-soled knockoffs stomping ungracefully all over Manhattan and beyond.
Check out the questionable clackers I spotted on 7th today.
This encounter inspired me to do a little research: How can one tell the difference between a fake and the real thing?
1. The "leather" will have a chemical odor.
2. "Hand-stitching" is unsuccessfully replicated by a machine.
3. Heels are wobbly and unsturdy.
4. The logo is distorted.
5. There is no cushion at the ball of the foot.
6. The sides are cut too high.
Now, District L does not expect you to sniff for toxic odors or inspect your friends' toe cushioning, but just as the subway systems warn, "If you see something, say something."
You have GOT to watch the part where the model knocks over the crazy PETA person at the DIOR show. That model is probably 100 lbs at most and she still LAYS OUT the activist.
Moral of the story: Eat meat.
"Where has we met before? Balenciaga show? Front row! Backstage in Paris or FaceHunted in Milan? Oh!"
Face Hunter's new book
What we're excited for:
Toni Maticevski will rock the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at 2pm in the Altman Building. As if we couldn't gush about Toni enough, it's so worth the cab fare. Suck it up.
Farah Angsana spoke to District L a year ago about her penchant for glamor before we showed readers her upcoming work. We're expecting big things at her show on February 11 at 6pm.
Venexiana will take place on Friday, February 12 at 9pm. Get freakin' excited!
ADAM is back in the tents for fashion's last season at Bryant Park. He scored a plum 2pm spot on Saturday, February 13.
Georges Chakra will be bringing Lebanese-luxe to New York on Saturday, February 13 at 11am. We have learned to expect dramatic dresses and a trend story that is dead-on.
Vassilios Kostetsos rocks the usual late-spot on Sunday at 9pm. The Big Fat Greek Fashion Show lives on!
Thuy will be sending down show-stoppers again on Tuesday, February 16 at 6pm.
Tibi follows Thuy at the 7pm spot!
Thuy, Spring 2010
Fashion house, St. John, finally recognized the rebirth of an old fashion hierarchy. Just like a game of chess, logic has been restored: Socialite beats model, model beats celebrity, and celebrity stays on cover of Star where she belongs.
That's right. St. John ended their contract with Angelina Jolie. Instead they'll be using former PHI model, Karen Elson. District L is delighted. The little redhead is fabulous, she plays a zither, and her sex-eyes are always ON.
"Luxury goods are the only area in which it is possible to make luxury margins." -Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, owner of universe
Karl, we hope that's still true...
Ok, remember when we talked about the youthful trends that cropped up last September at MBFW? Remember when we talked about them again during Milan Fashion Week? Or maybe you recall when we discussed them during London's Fashion Week.
No?
It's fine. Style.com seemed to just remember.
Miss J wants you to get with it.
Fact #1: We plucked this photo from Gawker so you could avoid that painfully slow website with all of their computer-raping flash ads.
Fact #2: This is a photo of Marc Jacobs and his boyfriend, Lorenzo Martone, at St. Barts.
Fact #3: Lorenzo Martone, as skillfully observed by Gawker, is reading Twilight. Don't worry, LoMa, we won't think any less of you - but only because you're Marc Jacobs' babycakes.
Rumor: Sources say that Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone have tied the knot, and that this photo captures their honeymoon.
Don't stress about it. We will overwhelm you with updates.
(And other things your mother never told you.)
Yes, that's right. Kelly Cutrone has a book. Of the Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office variety, Kelly's self-help book teaches certain females how to not be such a little whiny bitches at work. We know you know at least one.
The book will be released by HarperOne on February 2. Expect media frenzy when she says something honest and slightly controversial. Yes, I'm talking about you, Telegraph.
Early December wrecked havoc on Kate Moss' sanity when she said that she was "sick" of being given a hard time by the media. The press attacked her when she revealed her favorite motto: "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Karl would have defended her.
She told friends that she wants to leave Britain for good. (No breaking news there.) But when murmurs began that she was moving to Paris, a whole crop of new rumors appeared. Apparently Moss, who has dual citizenship in the UK and France, has made some sort of arrangement to live near the famed Chanel boutique in Paris.
Price of the property? $32 million.
I guess a couple hundred modeling campaigns and her contracts with Topshop have treated her well. She plans to send her seven-year-old daughter to the international Lycee school. But for what? As long as she's long, pale, and has her mother's face, all she'll need is an international scandal.
After nearly 8 months apart, Nick and Amanda will finally be reuniting in what promises to be a champagne soaked, goodie bag stuffed, ridiculous night filled extravaganza of hi-octane fun and fabulousness.
It's like standing atop a cliff overlooking a beautiful horizon. What's that bright shining light, far out at sea? Could it be the sun...no, wait. This cannot be. It's Karl Lagerfeld, and he's staring you directly in the face.
He sheds a single tear and says "I love your outfit."
Get ready for a wild ride, dear readers.
...it appears some designers are harnessing it (and other social media) to cull customer ideas for upcoming collections. It's not JUST twitter though, so you can relax- we're still not getting one.
'I accept suggestions on women's collection.....(just 2day) :-))))," tweeted Stefano Gabbana.
Coco Rocha also released a video on ohsococo.blogspot.com asking for readers to submit name ideas for her new line.
Alexander McQueen is now live streaming his runway shows.
Calvin Klein is using Facebook for open casting calls to their advertising campaigns.
The list goes on. This really begs the question, however: do we really know what's best for us?
From Twitter...
"What are the odds that @samantharonson and I would be in São Paulo at the same time? Just lucky I guess. Did you get enough cheese bread?"
-Jessica Stam, who apparently can't get away from Samantha Ronson as much as we can't.
