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Hayley Phelan

Posts by Hayley Phelan

Designers

Haute Home: See How Versace, Marni and Bottega Veneta’s New Home Designs Stack Up Against Their Ready-To-Wear

By Thursday, Apr 19, 2012 / 12:36 PM


We already love them for what they do for our wardrobes, and now it’s time to see what some of our favorite designers can do to chic-en up our homes.

Versace, Marni, Bottega Veneta and Maison Martin Margiela all debuted new furniture collections at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, an annual furniture fair in Milan which is the largest of it’s kind in the world. In other words it’s kind of like Fashion Week but for furniture.

So what did these talented fashion designers cook up for their home collection? Versace stuck with leather and gaudy gold and black prints, while Bottega Veneta kept it minimal and luxe with a woven leather couch. Maison Martin Margiela stuck to the basics in all-black, and Marni got quirky with vibrant, offbeat color combinations. Is this sounding familiar to anyone else?
Read more »

Celebrity

LA Jeweler Now Selling Identical Version of Angelina Jolie’s Engagement Ring for Half the Price

By Thursday, Apr 19, 2012 / 10:56 AM

Well that was fast. Only a week after pictures of Angelina Jolie’s engagement ring surfaced, the enterprising jewelry company Jacob & Co is selling a ring that looks almost identical to the one Brad designed for Angie with the help of jeweler Robert Procop.

Only, is it actually a knock off? According to a spokesperson for Jacob & Co the company already had a ring in their current engagement ring collection that is almost identical to Jolie’s sparkler, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting. Read more »

Media

Valentine Uhovski, Tumblr’s “Fashion Evangelist,” On His New Gig And What He Plans To Do About Thinspo

By HAYLEY PHELAN and Leah Chernikoff Wednesday, Apr 18, 2012 / 5:11 PM

Photo: Getty

Back in November, we reported that Rich Tong was out as Tumblr’s fashion director following some controversy over his reportedly pitching sponsorship proposals that were seriously overpriced.

In to take his place is seasoned fashion journo Valentine Uhovski, who has just been named “Fashion Evangelist” at Tumblr (seriously, that’s his official title).

We caught up with Uhovski to chat about how he landed the new gig, what he plans to change, and how Tumblr is dealing with that whole thinspo problem.

Fashionista: So how did you end up at Tumblr?
Tumblr is by far my favorite social platform, and I was lucky enough to consult them during their most recent Fashion Week program in February. We worked with 5 awesome local bloggers this season, and the content they created on their individual blogs and on our NYFW tag page was incredible. From top brands like Marc Jacobs and Rachel Zoe to our partners at Milk, everyone couldn’t have been more supportive. Nicola Formichetti, who’s a certified Tumblr addict, also got involved by working with us on an event and creating his own amazing Nicopanda virus blog. About a month after Fashion Week, I got a call from Tumblr with a job offer and I was extremely excited to join.

You’ve been in fashion for a while–including a long stint at The Daily. How did you get from there to Tumblr and everything in between?
I worked at The Daily for exactly four years. I’ve covered every fashion week on the planet, interviewed pretty much every designer, and worked with an amazing, young team. It was cool to be one of youngest people in the American sections in Paris or Milan for so many seasons and go to couture. I also worked with the amazing Aliona Doletskaya a lot during that time, who a year ago asked me to be one her first hires during the launch year of first international editions of Interview, and that turned out to be a rewarding and very creative project. I will still contribute to Interview Russia and work on Artruby.com, an art site I co-founded a few years ago. I also learned a lot from contributing to other big publications, like The Wall Street Journal, which I freelanced for during this past year.

What are your plans for Tumblr in this role? What changes can we expect to see and what will your role entail?
Tumblr is growing so fast every day, and our incredible fashion community is growing with it. We’re excited for mega brands with upcoming Tumblr launches, as well as a media debut that the industry will be very excited about. But my goal is to intimately work with bloggers and designers of all popularity levels, and to continue to strengthen our community, including our international fashion bloggers. My other mission is to get everyone we know and love on our dashboards. I sincerely believe everyone in fashion and beyond should be on Tumblr, because they’re missing out big if they’re not.

Tumblr took some flack last fashion week for reportedly charging high fees for partnership deals during fashion week among other things–how will Tumblr approach fashion week this coming season in the wake of this?
That’s something I wasn’t involved with so it’s hard for me to answer in detail. But the reality is, that proposal was preliminary and never actually implemented. In September, Tumblr will be more relevant than ever during Fashion Week and we’re planning some amazing things. We’re based here in New York and we consult and meet our creators on the daily basis. You’ll really see that sense of community translated to all of our events and special projects.

There’s been a lot of buzz recently about “thinspiration” for pro-Anorexia communities popping up on Tumblr among other micro-blogging platforms. How is Tumblr approaching the banning of Thinspo?
That’s an issue that we take very seriously and was recently addressed on our Tumblr staff blog. Very clearly, as part of our new Community Guidelines, we will not allow blogs that contain content promoting or glorifying self-harm. This is an ongoing process and our Support team is currently responding to reports that have been made. We understand the importance of giving users the appropriate resources and have worked with NEDA and other organizations and will start showing PSAs for pro-ana and related search terms in the near future.

Lastly, why do Tumblr and fashion go so well together? How do you see fashion and Tumblr continuing to evolve together?
Tumbr ultimately is filled with the most creative people in the world. It’s the most visual, most addictive, and most immediate forum for fashion. And a blogger from Croatia is just as important as Prabal on Tumblr. I think that this community of millions of fashion folks on Tumblr creates the world’s largest, most exciting, and regularly updated magazine and it just keeps getting better.

News

Sarah Burton Made the Time 100 List (Plus See the Other Fashion Peeps Who Made the Cut)

By Wednesday, Apr 18, 2012 / 11:35 AM

Each year Time releases its list of the 100 most influential people in the world, including a wide range of individuals–from CEOs and politicians to pop stars and scientists–and needless to say it’s kind of a big deal if you make the cut.

Last year, Tom Ford was the only fashion industry player to get a nod, but happily this year’s list has a few more fashion peeps on it. Also happily, they’re all women.

This year’s list is also different because Time enlisted the help of notables like Sarah Jessica Parker, Katie Couric and Stella McCartney to actually write the blurb on each honoree.

Click through to see which fashion industry players made the list.

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News

Topshop to Launch Bridal Collection Designed by Richard Nicoll

By Wednesday, Apr 18, 2012 / 10:18 AM

A look from Nicoll's SS12 Collection. Photo: Imaxtree

Topshop is bringing bridal to the high street.

The fast fashion retailer has just announced plans to launch a wedding collection, designed by Richard Nicoll as an extension of their Studio brand, which will become available in June, Vogue UK is reporting.

While the retailer has yet to release any images of the collection, they promise it will feature Nicoll’s signature sculptural shapes and feminine fabrics and will be a “modern alternative to meringue culture.” Read more »

Models

Gisele’s Gorgeous Five Year Old Niece Is a Model and Designer (Really)

By Tuesday, Apr 17, 2012 / 5:20 PM

Duda Bundchen in a video for Brandili Mundi


Gisele better watch out: The supermodel‘s five-year-old niece may soon take her place in the spotlight.

Duda Bundchen, the daughter of Gisele‘s sister, has not only landed a gig as the face of Brazilian children’s clothing company Brandili Mundi, she’s also been tapped to design a line for the brand, Forbes is reporting. Read more »

News

Why Pro-Anorexic Content Still Flourishes On Sites That Have Banned It and Who’s Really To Blame

By Tuesday, Apr 17, 2012 / 4:00 PM

Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest have all banned so-called “thinspirational” images–but has it really helped? That’s the question many news outlets, including New York Daily News, Jezebel, and Mashable are asking.

But while the question may be on everybody’s lips, the answers are far from forthcoming. “I think it’s too soon to tell [if the banning of thinspo images will have a large impact on the pro-ana community],” Lynn S. Grefe, MA, President and CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Both Pinterest and Tumblr have been working with NEDA to ban pro-ana content.

While Mashable claims Pinterest has done “little-to-nothing to edit out the pro-anorexia content,” citing the fact that hundreds of images still come up when you search a tag like “thinspo,” it’s worth remembering that Pinterest’s new terms of use only went into effect on April 6, and that successfully policing the images is going to be a slow process. Read more »

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News

CFDA, Vogue Launch New Green Initiative; Find ‘Most Factories Far Below Global Standards’

By Tuesday, Apr 17, 2012 / 11:20 AM

Photo: Getty

The fashion industry is coming clean. The CFDA and Vogue have launched a new green initiative, Clean by Design, in partnership with National Resources Defense Council, WWD is reporting.

The initiative has already gained support from some of the industry’s biggest players including Tory Burch, Mickey Drexler, Zac Posen, Francisco Costa, and of course Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has also leant her support, speaking at yesterday’s luncheon announcing the initiative, which comes not a moment too soon.

Experts and promotional video shown at yesterday’s announcment made increasingly clear just “how toxic fashion’s impact on nature can be,” showing rivers in China polluted with dyes, and explaining that it takes over 200 tons of water to produce one ton of fabric–something which will have to change as our demand for clean drinking water is on track to double over the next 40 years.

One of the huge hurdles that has made reducing the fashion industry’s carbon footprint difficult, is that most brands produce out of China. Besides being on the other side of the globe, China’s production practices are anything but transparent, making it difficult for brands to have an accurate picture of what goes on in their own factories.

Photo: NRDC

“What we found when we got there was that the standard of operation of many, if not most, factories was far below global standards and desperately needed to improve,” said Linda Greer, director of the NRDC’s health and environment program.

“The era of operating without knowledge of your factories abroad is ending,” Greer continued. “And the curtain is rising above the sorts of problems and aspirations that we have abroad. It’s really time to get moving and not just figure that ‘It’s halfway around the world and nobody will ever know.’”

Greer’s statement hits home the fact that many designers, and American consumers, seem to have an out of sight, out of mind approach to fashion’s environmentally harmful manufacturing practices. But that needs to change. Hopefully Clean by Design will be a step in the right direction.

Fashion Is Fun

Would You Rather…? The Salad Dressing Edition

By Monday, Apr 16, 2012 / 4:36 PM


And they say fashion people don’t like food…

T Magazine‘s “Salad Days” editorial from their most recent issue featured several dresses that had been decked out in fruits, veggies and fish (yum)–And, surprisingly, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen fashions made out of food. A few years ago artist Ted Sabarese commissioned a few designers to create several looks out of his favorite munchies, including waffle pants, bread epaulets and a wonderful gown out of artichokes. Then again, the person who should really be credited for making this whole “salad dressing” thing cool, is none other than Paul Newman, whose delicious salad toppings have been the staple of every calorie-conscious, salad-eating fashion girl for years.

So, which salad dressing do you prefer? Read more »

Shopping

Former Fashion PR Launches New Wedding Site To Let Brides ‘Buy It, Wear It, and Send It Back’

By Monday, Apr 16, 2012 / 3:30 PM

As anyone who has ever watched Say Yes to the Dress knows, finding the right wedding gown can be downright brutal–especially on your wallet. Happily, genius new tech startup Nearly Newlywed, which launched just last Wednesday, is helping to change all that.

Here’s how: The brainchild of former fashion publicist Jacqueline Sheller Courtney, Nearly Newlywed carries a curated selection of ‘nearly new’, hard-to-find, fashion forward wedding dresses from designers like Oscar de la Renta, Monique Lhuillier, Marchesa, Rodarte (and loads more). The best part is that Nearly Newlywed offers a ‘Buy it, Wear it, and Send it Back’ guarantee that allows brides to purchase the gown of their dreams, wear it (and even make alterations!) and then sell it back immediately for 30% of what they paid, or reconsign it for 70%. Courtney cleverly uses Pinterest to connect with nearlyweds and offer gown suggestions based on their inspiration boards. (Like we said: Genius)

We got in touch with Courtney to talk about her new venture, how her work as a fashion PR influenced the concept–and why she’s making it her mission to bring the red carpet experience to every bride.

How would you describe the mission of Nearly Newlywed?
Jacqueline Sheller Courtney: In short, it is really ‘making brides happy’ – we really care about our brides, ‘nearlywed’ and ‘newlyweds’ alike, and want to create a personal, fun, upscale experience for them. Getting married is one of the happiest times in a lot of girl’s lives…[and it's also] a chance to have a ‘red carpet moment’ that many of us don’t often have, so I want to offer girls everywhere the opportunity to wear the jaw dropping gowns they grew up swooning over in magazines, just like I did.

How did working as a fashion publicist prepare you for what you’re doing now?
A lot of the inspiration for our ‘Buy It, Wear It, Send It Back’ Nearly Newlywed Guarantee came from my work dressing celebrities and editors as a publicist. I saw how these women, arguably with the most access in the world to high-end fashion, borrow 3-15k gowns on a regular basis from PR showrooms. It was a bit like the idea of renting, but the difference was, for a celebrity like Gwyneth Paltrow, she could alter the dress and hold onto it for a few months until her entire press twirl was over – so it would be altered ‘just so’, kept for the right event, and then returned – although sometimes, the celebrity would just keep it anyway. So that type of behavior really inspired me to bring that ‘red carpet experience’ to bridal.

What sort of experience do you hope to bring to brides-to-be?
For many women, even if they have the means to purchase a 10k gown, knowing that they will only have cause to wear it once it too much of a deterrent to splurge – so I want to come in, fit the pieces together, and make it to so they can – whether by purchasing a gown at a substantial discount, selling that dress back after their wedding, or consigning a dress.

What sort of advice would you give to a woman searching for her wedding dress?
Don’t set limits for yourself, and that goes for style, inspiration, and ‘cost’. The most important thing about your wedding is how you feel on that day – if you feel incredible, you will look incredible, and your memories and photos will tell that story. The dress is a big part of that, so get inspired and be creative. Think of outfits and photos where you felt especially beautiful, and look for common themes in those, these can help you discern what you really want in a dress.

On average how much will “borrowing” a dress set a bride back?
It really varies on which options you choose and the original price of the gown, as we have dresses ranging from 500 to 17K original retail. If for example, you purchase a 10K dress for 4K that has our NNGuarantee, you can either sell it back immediately for 30% (1200$) or reconsign it for 70% ($2800 when it sells) – meaning it would cost you in total as little as $1200 after all is said and done, depending on the options you select – which is roughly 90% off of retail.

How does it work for a bride to alter the gown, without changing the value of it (ie making it unusable for others)?
Alterations are tricky, but most of the time they don’t drastically affect the value of a gown, they just change who will be interested in it next. Trying to keep as much length as possible in the gown is something we recommend, as dresses can easily be altered shorter, but not made to be longer. It is most important to retain the original design and dignity of the garment, focusing on fit rather than ‘redesigning’ in any substantial way.

Click through to see some of Nearly Newlywed’s wedding gown offerings.

Photos: Lisa Beggs
Florist: Denise Fasanello

You can follow Jacqueline on Twitter at @nearlynewlywed or connect with her on her Facebook and Pinterest.

Launch Slideshow »

    Designers

    Pitti Immagine Uomo Names Carven as Next Guest Designer

    By Monday, Apr 16, 2012 / 3:00 PM

    Photo: Getty

    Here’s another reason to look forward to Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence this June (besides the hordes of well-dressed cute boys who will be in attendance): Carven‘s Guillaume Henry has just been announced as guest menswear designer.

    “Carven is one of France’s historic labels,” Lapo Cianchi, Pitti Immagine director of communications and events, said in a statement. “And now, with Guillaume Henry as artistic director, it is enjoying a new burst of strength…We are very pleased that [Henry and Carven] have accepted our invitation.”

    Considering past guest designers have included Valentino and Rodarte, the new gig is certainly an honor for the young designer, who has been at the helm of Carven since it’s 2009 revival. He’s also only designed two menswear collections for the brand so far. But, given Henry’s extraordinary talent, it only took two collections for the organizers at Pitti to know he could be the next big thing.

    “We were very impressed when we went to see the Winter collection in the Paris showroom last season, it harmonized perfectly with the general trend we are promoting at Pitti Uomo: a new, sartorial elegance and affordable luxury in menswear,” Cianchi said.

    While details on what Henry’s presentation will look like are fuzzy, WWD is reporting he will present Carven’s spring-summer 2013 men’s collection “likely in a runway show format.”

    Cianchi was a little more opaque saying, “We are convinced that Carven and Guillaume Henry will find the right conditions for moving forward with their project here at Pitti Uomo in Florence.”

    Regardless, yet another reason Henry is one to watch.

    Celebrity

    Madonna Says She’s Afraid of ‘Not Being in Control,’ Might Be Launching Nail Polish

    By Monday, Apr 16, 2012 / 12:24 PM

    Photo: Getty

    Madonna may be nearing retirement age, but don’t expect her to slow down anytime soon.

    The 53-year-old music icon is gearing up for her ninth world tour (which will kick off in Tel Aviv in May and finish in North America in November) as well as promoting her new fragrance Truth or Dare, planning a lingerie and footwear line, oh, and raising two kids. She recently answered questions from fans at her Macy’s fragrance launch, and sat down with WWD for a candid chat about all the millions of things she’s doing right now. Here’s what her Madgesty had to say:

    On who will design her MDMA tour outfits:

    “I worship and adore [Jean Paul Gaultier]. He’s creating one of my costumes, and kind of godfathering the costumes for a section of my show, with all my dancers. I’m really happy he’s doing it, because he’s such a genius. And I’ll probably wear something that Riccardo [Tisci] from Givenchy makes. But the rest of it is going to be what my costume designer Arianne Phillips creates with me.”

    On her Truth or Dare commercial being banned:

    “I don’t understand. It was perfectly innocent. I just touch my cleavage once or something. I think it’s dreamy and sensual, and I think it perfectly conveys the feeling I’m trying to evoke with the perfume. It’s a perfume for a woman.”

    On extending the Truth or Dare brand to include other beauty categories like nail polish and body spray:

    “Once again, time-consuming. I want it to be good. [More beauty categories are] something I’d like to develop, but I need to get past all of my other responsibilities and commitments like my tour. So, sometime in the future, yeah.”

    On making a perfume that smells like whiskey down the line:

    “We should make a men’s cologne that smells like whiskey. I can’t drink it, it’s too strong, but it smells amazing — a really good old whiskey.”

    On how her seder was (a fan asked this one):

    “Long.”

    On her biggest fear:

    “Not being in control. Not knowing what lies ahead.” [Ed note: Shocking.]