For centuries, the world was missing a retelling of the nativity starring fashion people. Yesterday that void was filled–thanks, of course, to Love Magazine and Katie Grand’s apparent ability to talk models into doing just about anything.
2012 is shaping up to be a year of (attempted) revival for fashion brands. The latest? Ungaro.
Almost exactly a year after it was announced that Giles Deacon, Ungaro’s most recent short-lived creative director, had left the company, followed by CEO Jeffrey Aronsson and other advisors, WWD reports that a new team has taken the reigns with plans to return the label to the runway next season.
The new creative director?
Jourdan Dunn and Saskia de Brauw Cover i-D‘s Winter Issue: Joining the ranks of Hailey Clausen and Anja Rubik, Miss Dunn and de Braw’s shots account for two of the six covers from the magazine’s “Winter Warm Up” issue. Jourdan’s makeup is giving us vitamins A-E right now! We love it! {Models}
Rihanna Wears a Onesie, Goes On Vacation: Take a look at some behind-the-scenes shots of Riri on her Loud tour. The best pics include her chillin’ in the studio in a onesie and a full face of makeup. There are also some lovely personal photos of her on vacation in Italy with her friends (she wears a lot of swimsuits, shops for pottery, and generally acts naughty). {Rihanna Facebook}
Nicole Richie Named “Influencer of the Year”: ‘Tis a rare thing to see a celebrity accessories line truly produce anything worthy of note, but Nicole Richie’s House of Harlow 1960 is certainly an exception. The Accessories Council has honored her with the “Influencer of the Year” award, for consistently producing unique pieces we actually want to wear. {The Fashion Spot}
Happy Birthday, Mulberry! In celebration of the British accessories brand’s 40th year, the label teamed up with artist Josh Gurrie to create an animated film that illustrates its history, from the story of founder Roger Saul to collaborations with Alexa Chung, Emma Hill, Giles Deacon, Stuart Vevers….
It’s charming and entertaining, much like Mulberry itself. Our only request? Can these scenes be transformed into a coloring book? We just bought a set of 100 colored pencils, and would love to use them on Alexa….
PS: Got to Mulberry.com for more birthday surprises.
I have a new obsession. Orla Kiely’s namesake ready-to-wear line seems to have shamefully few fans in the US, though I can’t imagine that will be the case for much longer. The label seems to have a strong following in the UK where it is based, made evident by the Brit-heavy crowd at Tuesday night’s party for the designer at the Ace Hotel’s Liberty Hall, which included The Like’s Tennessee Thomas, Giles Deacon and soon-to-be divorcée Karen Elson. (P.S. a little birdy told us that “divorce party” didn’t actually happen.)
Thanks to a grand endorsement from Carine Roifeld, Hakaan Yildirim was already a name to know when he received France’s prestigious ANDAM award in 2010. “We’re in Harvey Nichols, Colette, Opening Ceremony–it’s nearly 26 stockists internationally!” he told Fashionista at the awards ceremony in Paris last October.
Now it’s time for another up-and-comer to take advantage of the prize, i.e. €220,000, a mentorship with former Chloe chief exec Ralph Toledano, and the chance to show at Paris Fashion Week. This year’s nominees include Jeremy Laing, Adam Kimmel, Anthony Vaccarello, Commuun, Matthew Harding, and Yiqing Yin. The judges? Pierre Berge, Hillary Alexander, Emmanuelle Alt, Nicole Phelps, Sarah Lerfel from Colette, and Humberto Leon from Opening Ceremony, to name a few.
PARIS–“Haven’t we met before?” was the first thing Giles Deacon said to me as we chatted backstage after the show. I told him that yes, we had indeed met, but in far less glamorous circumstances, when I bartended in East London as a student, and pulled him a pint or two. “You must have made me lots of drinks then!” he said with a laugh. That sums up Giles Deacon in a sentence: unafraid to have a good time, whether in a crumby pub or at the Italian Embassy, where his second Ungaro show was held.
The collection was definitely better suited to a cocktail at the embassy than a beer in a dive bar: Giles presented a fearlessly sexual woman–a playboy bunny at times, a dominatrix at others. Referring to Ungaro’s famous comment that he “dresses mistresses rather than wives,” Deacon borrowed and condensed all codes of sexuality and taboo onto one catwalk.
LONDON–Giles Deacon, much like his friends Katie Grand and Luella Bartley, is just innately cool. The East London space in which he showed his Spring 2011 collection last night–an old brick warehouse of sorts with low ceilings–was just cool. And the clothes he showed–some beautiful, some beautifully off kilter–were also, well, cool.
Aggy Deyn opened with a Mohawk and a pair of pastel sneakers (or trainers, as the Brits call them) encrusted in Swarovski crystals. (Giles is yet another designer supported by Swarovski.) Other notable models included Alessandra Ambrosio, Jessica Stam, Coco Rocha, Ashley Smith and footballer WAG Abbey Clancy–who is apparently three months pregnant and in the midst of a cheating scandal. Famous Brit Kelly Brook–I really have no idea what she actually does–was also there.
Bedbugs Swoosh: The bed bugs are back (were they every really gone?). Their latest victim? The 95,000 square-foot Nike store on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue. While Nike has released a press release addressing the bedbug problem, none of the signs outside let passersby know that the store has been infested with bedbugs. Sneaky. {The Cut}
Taylor Momsen Is on Fire, Literally: Taylor Momsen and her band The Pretty Reckless have released their new video for ‘Makes Me Wanna Die.’ In it, Momsen strips down to her underwear while walking through bits of burning debris and leaping flames. Shocking. {Huffington Post}
Giles Comes To NYFW: Maybe. Following the steps of other UK designers such as Preen and William Tempest, Giles Deacon wants to show his eponymous label in New York next season rather than London. {Fashionologie}
If you don’t know William Tempest, you soon will. He’s a baby-faced 24-year-old Englishman with an amazing pedigree (stints at Giles Deacon and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac) who already counts Emma Watson, Kate Moss, and Victoria Beckham as fans. After his first collection debuted three seasons ago, he was compared to a young McQueen.
This is his first season showing in New York. I asked him what he found different about showing in New York vs. London and he told me, “The energy’s just really different. I was excited to do a presentation here so that I could actually meet editors and buyers in person.” He’ll also be showing in Milan this season. His clothes are clearly ready for their international close-up.
New York Times Versus Neighborhoodies Versus Rodarte: When Rodarte released its New York Herald Tribune tee as a tribute to the cult-classic film Breathless, apparently they forgot the cliché that there are no new ideas. T-shirt underdogs Neighborhoodies had already been producing a near-exact doppleganger of the shirt for years– minus the ghosted-out “Rodarte” text, of course. Neighborhoodies is now in a legal kerfuffle with The New York Times, but the Times may not have much of a case. We expect the newspaper giant to emerge from the conflict with no winnings and some bad press–as they say, no news is good news. {Racked}
The Un-Cuddly Facts About Organic Cotton: Hipster mommies and daddies everywhere wouldn’t dream about putting their little Emmett/Regina/Asbury in anything other than 100% pure organic cotton, but they may not realize that the kid’s going to have a hell of a complex when he grows up. According to Time magazine, the insecticide restrictions necessitated by the “organic” label are putting babies in Africa at an even higher risk for Malaria, a disease that’s already wreaking havoc on Uganda. Let’s hope the newly-pregnant Stella McCartney avoids this trap….{Ecouterre}
Giles Deacon has officially confirmed his new post as creative director at Emanuel Ungaro.
“Various things have happened at the house recently which for legal reasons the company can’t comment on – but I like to think of the bigger picture,” Deacon told Vogue UK early this morning.
“The house and its legacy have a lot more to them than that – and there will be announcements over the coming weeks about the business. I can’t talk about them yet but various changes are being put in place.”
