Archive for April 2011

Fashion News Roundup

Fashion News Roundup: Gaddafi Wants His Own Met Costume Institute Exhibit, Celine is Opening a New York Flagship, and Asian Models are on the Rise

“Inspiration Dior” Exhibit Opens Thursday in Moscow: The retrospective at the Pushkin Museum features pieces from Dior’s 64 year history alongside paintings by artists like Toulouse Lautrec and photographs by Richard Avedon and Man Ray. {WWD, subscription required}

The Key to Heel Comfort May Be Flexibility: Raphael Young, known for his structural footwear designs has attempted to make the high heel more comfortable. He has a created a $600 shoe whose sole is injected with latex. {Styleite}

Muammar Gaddafi, Style Icon?: Apparently, the Libyan leader believes that his wardrobe should get a retrospective at the Met, and that his personal style has influenced celebrities such as Michael Jackson. {T magazine}

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Quote of the Day

Karl Lagerfeld on Cutting His Ponytail and Who Should Succeed Galliano at Dior

By Leah Chernikoff Tuesday, Apr 26, 2011 / 12:00 PM

Do you ever think about cutting your hair?
No, because I’m afraid it won’t grow again. And I’m not very gifted for hairdos. This is the quickest thing in the world. It takes less than five seconds.

Do you do it yourself?
No, I have someone who comes to the house and washes it, puts in the dry shampoo, and takes care if it because I have no time. I don’t even have time to go to the dentist. I’m busy but in a pleasant way. I’m the one who wanted to do all of it, so I can’t complain.

What are your thoughts on Dior? Who should take over?
Well I’m not a consultant there, but I think Riccardo Tisci would be good, and then Haider Ackermann at Givenchy—not because they are friends of mine, but because they are good.

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New Bill Proposes a Year of Jail Time For Buying a Counterfeit Bag

Shopping for fake Louis Vuittons or Chanel bags on Canal street in Chinatown has become a requisite tourist activity. Only now you could go to jail for it.

City councilwoman Margaret Chin, who represents the Chinatown district, is introducing a bill this Thursday that proposes harsh punishment for shoppers caught purchasing counterfeits, the New York Post is reporting. Under Chin’s bill, that fake LV could cost you $1,000 in fines (still not quite the cost of some of the real deals) or up to a year in prison.

Sound harsh? That’s the point.

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Beauty

New Nail Color Alert: Essie’s Summer Collection

Essie‘s new summer nail collection, Color Me Braziliant, is everything summer should be–hot and bright. Essie’s spring French Affair colors were sophisticated and demure; the company’s going the opposite way for summer, with brash and sassy colors inspired by Brazil.

There are six colors in the collection, and it’s heavy on orange shades: Braziliant (bright orange), Too Too Hot (fire coral), Super Bossa Nova (tourmaline pink), Smooth Sailing (blue topaz), Meet Me At Sunset (flamingo citrine) and Absolutely Shore (pale seafoam green).

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Royal Wedding

The List of Royal Wedding Attendees is Out, We Pick Their Outfits For the Big Day

It’s come to the point that Royal Wedding Mania might be a diagnosable disease. While I’ve been trying to remain aloof, day by day it becomes increasingly more difficult to avoid. I was finally sucked in today after the guest list was released, meaning I spent all day picking out outfits for the ten most fashionable attendees (outside the wedding party).

Amongst the Golden Ticket holders (it does feel a little like Willy Wonka doesn’t it?) are the Beckhams, Elton John, Mario Testino, and Joss Stone, naturally.

Click through to see what we hope the Royal Wedding attendees wear, and be warned, our picks are a little (OK, a lot) non-traditional for Westminster Abbey (bare shoulders! gasp!).

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Campaigns

Gwyneth Paltrow Is Coach’s New International Brand Ambassador

She cooks! She sings! She wins Oscars! She has perfect straight hair! And now, she’s landed a gig as Coach’s brand ambassador.

Coach celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, and the company tapped Gwyneth Paltrow to front its fall and spring international campaign. The ads are in the can, having just been shot by Peter Lindbergh on a Manhattan rooftop. We won’t see them here in the US, though; they’ll be used in certain markets in Asia and Europe. Expect to see the first ads drop in September in international glossies.

Reed Krakoff told WWD that Gwynnie was a “natural choice…She embodies the spirit, energy and elegance of the Coach brand.” And Gwyneth evinced some hometown pride saying, “Coach (is the) quintessential New York brand.”

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Magazines

Cindy Crawford Is a Vogue Covergirl Again at 45

By Leah Chernikoff Tuesday, Apr 26, 2011 / 8:56 AM

OG supermodel Cindy Crawford graces the cover of Vogue Mexico’s May issue. And damn does she look good. Since her super reign during ’90s, Crawford has delved into home and beauty lines, though never quitting modeling completely. Because clearly, even though Crawford recently said she feels like an “outsider” in the modeling world, she’s still got it (thanks, in part, to her amazing cosmetic surgeon whose name we want asap). She covered Vogue India last year, Vogue Espana in 2009, and had an editorial in Vogue Paris in 2008. Is Cindy back?

Shopping

Contemporary Retailer Metropark Awards Shoppers Who Use Pose

When we heard about Pose, the app that allows you to share shopping finds with friends both real and virtual, we knew that it was going to inspire retailers to get creative. Metropark, a mall retailer that combines fashion, art, and music in its retail space, is encouraging shoppers to use the iPhone app in its stores for the next three weeks.

Starting now, if you use Pose to capture pictures of clothing or accessories from Metropark and then share those finds across Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #MetroparkUSA, you’ll be randomly entered to win a gift certificate. The Pose feeds will be broadcast in Metropark stores across the country in real-time. Two shoppers at random will be chosen each week to win a $200 gift certificate.

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Beauty

Looking To Really Freak Out the Next Person You Kiss? Try Morphine Lip Balm

We already told you about numbing panties, which, despite the fact that they go on your nether regions, actually have a rather pedestrian purpose. (What you do with them when you’re not getting a bikini wax is your own business.) But now there’s Morphine Lip Balm, and its sole purpose is to help spice up your kisses.

Inspired by the 2006 Kill Hannah song “Lips Like Morphine,” Morphine Lip Balm was developed to “help create a perfect kiss and one that they will never forget.” When you read the ingredient list, you could be looking at any high-end lip product: grape seed oil, blackcurrant seed oil, vitamin E, jojoba. Until you get to the 4% benzocaine–that’s the same numbing ingredient that’s used in over-the-counter products like Orajel and mosquito bite sprays.

We spoke to Sheen Moaleman, Morphine Lips’ founder, to hear more about this fascinating product. Here are a few things we learned:

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Campaigns

Exclusive: Behind the Scenes With Tiffany and Co.’s New Locks Collection

By Leah Chernikoff Monday, Apr 25, 2011 / 5:00 PM

Getting locked up is only OK if Tiffany is your jailer, um, jeweler. Here, an exclusive behind the scenes look at the shoot for the latest locks collection for the iconic brand’s site, styled by power stylist Estee Stanley (she’s styled Jessica Biel, Lea Michelle, and the Olsen twins). The lock collection is available online now and prices range from $80 to $6,000.

Fashion Is Fun

Design a Collage for Prabal Gurung and Win a Cashmere Piece From His Spring Collection

Net-a-Porter is now Prabal Gurung’s exclusive online retailer, and to celebrate, Prabal wants to give you some free clothes.

But you’re going to have to work for it. Whether you fancy yourself a rock star on Polyvore or a budding stylist (or just, you know, like free designer clothes), head over to Prabal’s blog.

They want you to create a look using one of the two color-blocked cashmere pieces featured there as the centerpiece. Using accessories from spring 2011 runways–they can be from anywhere–design a collage and submit it by May 16. They’ll display their three favorite looks on the blog, and then choose the winner at the end of May.

We’d like to suggest avoiding using this look, since it’s been done already:

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Image of the Day

Image of the Day: Arizona Muse and Her Two-Year-Old Son Nikko Model for J.Crew

By Leah Chernikoff Monday, Apr 25, 2011 / 3:45 PM


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