Major American editors turned out for the Cacharel show. From Vogue to Elle to Marie Claire, they were all there, front and center. As I spoke to the editor to my right, we both echoed each other’s curiosity of what we might see coming down the runway.
Then, I remembered that this is the first collection from new Creative Director Cédric Charlier, who worked under Alber at Lanvin for 6 years. And suddenly all the renewed interest made a lot more sense.
The atmosphere in the room led you to believe that what was going to come out on the catwalk would be some highly dramatic. The lighting said drama, the giant wall sculpture background that looked like crinkled-up paper said drama, even the major width and curved entrance to the runway screamed drama.
What came out was unexpectedly light and breezy. There was lots of white, loads of cotton in the form of dresses and skirts, monotone looks and at times asymmetry in hemlines. The pieces that really stood out were the dresses, and a multi-color watercolor fabric trench. Up-close, the detail of the color and the paint-like effect was incredibly delicate and pretty.
As for the drama? That was definitely saved for mama.
The duo’s been designing the line for just one year and though they haven’t made much commercial headway, they’ve gotten solid critical reviews and appeared to be on the right track toward revitalizing the French brand, which celebrated it’s 50th anniversary in Paris this past Fashion Week.
But they weren’t doing it fast enough for Jean Bousquet, the brand’s founder, who’s still in control of the line and let them go over “a conflict over creative vision”.
The thought of designing for someone else’s brand when that iconic figure’s still alive could make even the most hardened designer feel sick. It might not be Laurent and Pilati, but tension inevitably arises when trying to express something so personal while trying to create something fresh and new.
This Spring’s Cacharel collection was fun to see on a runway, and ten times more wearable than most, but it wasn’t so much classic Cacharel as it was grown up Eley Kishimoto, and we’re not surprised they weren’t the right fit for the French brand.
Though we don’t think Bousquet has too many chances left. Maybe he should focus on a total vintage revival - because that’d sell in a heartbeat.
The Cacharel show might be the longest we’ve ever attended.
When it finally ended, everyone stood up to leave and it started again. The first time through, we saw at least forty-five looks from Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto, the new creative directors of the brand.
Their girls wore colorful summer dresses, crop tops, bird earrings and especially cute sandals. The best part of their outfits? See TeenVogue.
Then, after the first designer bow, we were treated to a string of archive-inspired liberty print dresses modeled with bare feet and a bow from Cacharel’s founder Jean Bousquet himself in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
At least they know that if you make it long, you have to make it worth it.
Last year, Beyonce posed in whirling teacups for Disney, and this year, it’s Gisele.
The blonde Brazilian was cast by Annie Leibovitz to star in the latest Disney World ads - she’ll be Wendy from Peter Pan.
The move marks another coup for Gisele, whose Victoria’s Secret contract wasn’t renewed last year, but instead got replaced with work for Cacharel and Yves Saint Laurent.
We know the Disney ads pay a huge sum, but we’re also a bit intrigued by the casting, as in high school, we were delicately informed that Peter Pan is nothing but a perverse fantasy about repressed sexual desires and wish fulfillment.
Making Gisele into Wendy Darling - not even Tinkerbell! Wendy! - should provide some confusing dreams for every 10-year-old in America.
Meanwhile, it’s made us question every Disney fixture in very inappropriate ways… Mister Toad’s Wild Ride? Eeeew!
Betsey Johnson has sold her line of underwear to Urban Outfitters for a while, but if you wanted a leopard Betsey dress to match your leopard Betsey bra, you had to go to one of her boutiques.
No longer.
Now Urban Outfitters carries Betsey’s main line along with her lingerie.
The partnership seems to indicate that Urbans might make its US stores more like its UK stores, which sell lines like Cacharel, Paul and Joe Sister, Vanessa Bruno Athe, and See by Chloe.
Leaving Victoria’s Secret might be the best thing that happened to Gisele Bundchen.
After rumors of an H&M line, a Cacharel campaign, and a series of YSL ads all surfaced, Gisele is the face of yet another brand:
Aquascutum.
WWD reports she just shot the ads with Mario Sorrenti (our favorite of Kate Moss’ ex boyfriends). She’ll star with Jamie Dornan, the mildly famous model-turned-actor who romanced Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette (and Lindsay, Keira, etc. in real life).
Besides being sexy, the ad is something of a milestone: It means a brand that shows at London Fashion Week has scored a major celebrity face… something that hasn’t really happened yet.
Is this another sign of the London kids getting hauter? Or just Gisele’s way of keeping busy?
That rumor we spread about Mark Fast doing a line for Topshop? It's true. And it's in last week's Sunday Telegraph magazine which means it was true before we even said anything and we've had it in our lap since... Read More
Meet Blue Logan, if you haven't already. A couple of years ago a friend dragged the soft-spoken Brit to a show at London Fashion Week, Aquascutum he thinks, and he started to draw the models as they walked down the... Read More
Major American editors turned out for the Cacharel show. From Vogue to Elle to Marie Claire, they were all there, front and center. As I spoke to the editor to my right, we both echoed each other’s curiosity of what we might see coming down the runway. 
Betsey Johnson has sold her line of underwear to Urban Outfitters for a while, but if you wanted a leopard Betsey dress to match your leopard Betsey bra, you had to go to one of her boutiques.
