Fashionista

How to Make It in Fashion: June 21, Dream Hotel Downtown, New York

Monday May 9th, 2011

Kate Middleton’s Hairdresser Practiced Her Wedding Day ‘Do Using a $10 Plastic Tiara From Claire’s Accessories
Royal Wedding

Kate Middleton’s Hairdresser Practiced Her Wedding Day ‘Do Using a $10 Plastic Tiara From Claire’s Accessories

Kate Middleton’s long, shiny hair is one of her style trademarks, and she was universally praised for wearing it down on her wedding day instead of in some tortured updo. While it looked chic and almost effortless, a lot of practice actually went into that hairstyle.

The tool of choice? A plastic tiara that the team at the Richard Ward salon in London bought at Claire’s Accessories. It cost £6.50, which is about $10. According to the Telegraph, they picked up the tiara, taped up some windows in a back office so no one could spy on them, and practiced on a personal assistant.

The Middletons’ long-time hairdresser, James Pryce, also shared the secret for how they fastened the real tiara.

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Published at 5:32 PM
Kate Middleton’s Favorite Wedges To Be Reissued in June and There’s Already a Wait List
Royal Wedding

Kate Middleton’s Favorite Wedges To Be Reissued in June and There’s Already a Wait List

You know those black patent espadrille wedges that Kate Middleton loves so much she was seen in them immediately before and after her wedding?

They’re by Brit label L.K. Bennett and the shoes are the latest in a string of items made golden by the Duchess of Cambridge. First it was that blue Issa dress she wore to her official engagement announcement, then it was the white ruffle Reiss dress she wore in her official engagement portraits shot by Mario Testino. And of course, her Sarah Burton for McQueen wedding dress has already spawned countless knockoffs.

Middleton’s stand-by L.K. Bennett Greta wedges (£150) are now being reissued and appropriately renamed ‘The Kate.’

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Published at 11:32 AM

Friday May 6th, 2011

Pippa Middleton’s Dress Is the First Bridesmaid Dress That Anyone Ever Wanted to Knock Off
Royal Wedding

Pippa Middleton’s Dress Is the First Bridesmaid Dress That Anyone Ever Wanted to Knock Off

Being a bridesmaid is a rather thankless task that normally requires you to wear an unflattering dress that will never see the light of day again. But Pippa Middleton has singlehandedly raised the bar for bridesmaid fashion. (It also helps that she has a body built for sin and could probably make the dowdiest thing in existence look fabulous.)

The New York Times‘ Stephanie Clifford is reporting that Pippa’s Sarah Burton for McQueen dress is the first famous bridesmaid dress that fast fashion bridal manufacturers are trying to get into production as fast as the bride’s. So not only are they trying to make TWO princess wedding gowns, they’re also scrambling to churn out a slinky bridesmaid’s number. And in this era of immediate gratification, manufacturers need to get the gowns to market in about 12 weeks to satisfy the demand for all three gowns.

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Published at 5:17 PM

Thursday May 5th, 2011

Kate Middleton’s Dress-Making Team at McQueen Thought They Were Working on a Movie Costume
Royal Wedding

Kate Middleton’s Dress-Making Team at McQueen Thought They Were Working on a Movie Costume

Just because Kate Middleton‘s wedding dress and its designer have been revealed, doesn’t mean it’s time to stop obsessing over it.

There are still so many questions! The foremost being, how in the world was the dress kept a secret?!

There have been rumors of secret meetings behind locked doors, and that the dress was created in pieces.

The latest scoop, reported by Us Weekly, says that the lace-makers were told that they were working on a dress for a British costume drama. Seamstresses at Alexander McQueen also thought that the gown was for a film (no wonder why no one blabbed). All senior staffers at McQueen were instructed to lie if asked whether Burton was the ‘chosen one.’

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Published at 5:27 PM
Kate Middleton is Coming to America (For the First Time Ever)

Kate Middleton is Coming to America (For the First Time Ever)

OMG Kate Middleton is coming to the States!

Considering us Americans were far more obsessed with Kate Middleton and the royal wedding than Brits seemed to be (not that our obsession has waned), it’s only right that she come visit us. Clarence House announced today that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit California from July 8 through 10. It’s the first time Kate Middleton has ever visited the States, and the first time Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will visit the US in an official capacity.

Can’t wait to see Kate Middleton’s California girl wardrobe.

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Published at 10:43 AM

Wednesday May 4th, 2011

Fashion News Roundup: Lanvin’s Launching a Children’s Line, Lindsay Goes Sheer and Braless For Community Service, and Katy Perry Covers Vanity Fair
Fashion News Roundup

Fashion News Roundup: Lanvin’s Launching a Children’s Line, Lindsay Goes Sheer and Braless For Community Service, and Katy Perry Covers Vanity Fair

Lanvin Is Making Pricey Kids’ Clothes: Lanvin will introduce a 25-piece kid’s clothing line which will hit stores in late November. Unfortunately for Rachel Zoe and her baby boy, it’s for girls only (ages 4-10). The line will reflect Lanvin’s “ultrasophisticated approach”—meaning, ka-ching. {WWD, subscription required}

Lindsay Wore a See-Through Top Braless for her First Day of Community Service: She didn’t even bother to throw on an old pair of Ungaro pasties. Perfect outfit for the Women’s Center. {Egotastic}

Galliano Hired a New Lawyer: Aurélien Hamelle at Metzner Associés in Paris is Galliano’s new legal representative. The High Court in France will set his trial date on May 12. {WWD, subscription required}

Katy Perry Is Covering June’s Vanity Fair: She’s wearing red lips, bouncy hair, a champange gown, and spectacular decolletage on the cover. Read the interview–she discusses artichokes as a metaphor. {Vanity Fair}

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Published at 1:10 PM
Report: Kate Middleton and Sarah Burton Collaborated “50/50″ On the Dress
Royal Wedding

Report: Kate Middleton and Sarah Burton Collaborated “50/50″ On the Dress

Sarah Burton continued one of the most triumphant weeks in her career with a stop at Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship in NYC yesterday where she did a meet-and-greet in the McQueen shop there. Despite being told not to ask her about the royal wedding, human nature got the best of people.

One attendee spoke to Burton and told WWD afterward of the conversation, “She said the princess was one of the most lovely women she has ever met and she was really low maintenance. She said the palace called her and the collaboration between her and Kate was 50-50.”

After that, Burton tried to avoid the topic, with mixed success.

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Published at 9:02 AM

Tuesday May 3rd, 2011

Kate Middleton Smelled Like White Gardenia Petals on Her Wedding Day
Beauty

Kate Middleton Smelled Like White Gardenia Petals on Her Wedding Day

Why has no one been talking about Kate Middleton’s wedding perfume? A scent can be the ultimate accessory (though obviously it’s difficult to take a picture of someone’s smell). If you want to be very thorough in knocking off Kate’s wedding, one must know these details.

Basenotes, a very comprehensive and brainy fragrance blog, broke the news that Kate wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum. Never heard of Illuminum? The line’s English founder, Michael Boadi, is a former celebrity and runway hair stylist. He launched a first line of perfumes (with the questionable name of Boadicea the Victorious), which currently has 35 fragrances. Michelle Obama purchased three of them back in 2009.

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Published at 6:52 PM
The Top Ten Most Stylish Mother and Daughter Pairs; My Mom the Style Icon Weighs In
Fashion Is Fun

The Top Ten Most Stylish Mother and Daughter Pairs; My Mom the Style Icon Weighs In

Ever come across an old photo of your mom–you know, a photo from before you even existed–and thought, “Damn, my mom looks good” and then “OMG I want that whole outfit”?

Piper Weiss did, so she started a blog called My Mom the Style Icon where she posts photos of stylish moms that date from the 1920s through the 1980s, tells the stories of the moms in the photos, and offers up hilarious commentary on their outfits. That blog is now a book, and last night Coach threw a party to celebrate its release–just in time for mother’s day. (Seriously, buy it now for your mom).

True to her mom-style obsession, Weiss, who by day is an editor at Yahoo! Shine (you should read her stuff there because it’s hilarious), wore a vintage Pierre Cardin dress that was her mom’s in the 70s that she gave what she calls a “a shoulder pad-ectomy” and had shortened. Mama Weiss, the inspiration for the book, was there too, looking stylish as ever.

There are exceptions to every rule, but it seems style is more often than not passed down from mothers to child. So we brainstormed with Weiss to come up with the ten of the most fashionable mother and daughter pairs (and one mother-son pair), and she offered her two cents on each stylish duo. What other stylish mother daughter pairs did we leave off?

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Published at 6:31 PM

Monday May 2nd, 2011

How Joe Zee Recovered From A Disastrous First Interview at WWD and More Lessons From the Vitaminwater Panel at FIT

How Joe Zee Recovered From A Disastrous First Interview at WWD and More Lessons From the Vitaminwater Panel at FIT

Long before Elle’s Joe Zee found stratospheric success as a stylist, editor, and yes, reality star, he experienced this horrid reality:

As a recent college grad applying to be a fashion editor at WWD, Zee was asked to stage a photo shoot as a test. The results were even more disastrous than any conundrum Bravo or MTV could cook up: first, the location flooded; then, a light fell, exploded, and caught on fire. And his model? A no-show. By the time Zee did damage control and found another model to fit the clothes, the location kicked them out, closing before they’d even shot a single frame.

Needless to say, Zee didn’t get that WWD job, and to this day he “can’t even explain the level of devastation” he felt. So how, then, did Zee become such a force in the fashion world?

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Published at 5:45 PM