W.E.

Last night, Persol fêted their annual ‘Magnificent Obsessions’ exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens with costume designer Arianne Phillips as one of its honorees. Mention Phillips’s name to anyone in the music or film industries and you’ll immediately notice a twinkle in their eye—the woman is legendary. She’s worked as Madonna’s personal costumer for 15 years on top of an additionally long list of film credits. Most recently, she did the costumes for Madge’s current MDNA Tour which marks their fifth touring collaboration. At the exhibit, which opens today through August 14th, you’ll find an entire section devoted to Phillips’s costumes for the Madonna-directed film, W.E, which focuses on the Duchess of Windsor’s controversial life. Dutifully holding court beside her exhibited creations, we chatted with Phillips about what it’s been like to work with the queen of pop for over a decade. Fashionista: How does it feel to see your work exhibited like this?

• By Misty White Sidell
  Jun 14, 2012

W.E., Madonna's directorial debut about the life of Wallis Simpson, got quite a bit of hype in anticipation of its release--and not just because the

• By Dhani Mau
  Apr 30, 2012

The relationship between fashion and film is a bit incestuous. Fashion on the red carpet is always (always) a hot topic, actors are not only starring in campaigns (has anyone seen Edward Norton for Prada yet?) but walking down the runways--and then, of course, there's the fashion that actually appears in films. So we are less than shocked when designers are inspired by Hollywood (or vice versa). To wit, the roaring 20s were paraded down more than a few catwalks during the spring 2012 shows, and even a few pre-fall outings, proving that this inspirational era was not just an isolated incident. While this may disappoint some critics, the style remains, and it does raise the question--did the releases (looming or otherwise) of period pieces like W.E. and The Great Gatsby inspire this turn towards the flapper, or would designers have found themselves inspired by the decade anyway? To be honest, the question hardly seems the point considering how fashion and film are practically bed buddies. The jazz age isn't the only recent evidence of this symbiotic relationship. Consider The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, or even My Week With Marilyn. Or just let us. With the Oscars upon us tonight, we thought it was a good time to look back and the films inspiring fashion now.

• By Dana Kruspe
  Feb 26, 2012

More images from Madonna's directorial debut W.E. are out, thanks to a spread in Vanity Fair's September issue, and let me tell you: They do not disa

• By Hayley Phelan
  Aug 12, 2011

The first stills from Madonna's directorial debut W.E. are out, courtesy of Grazia, and they are beautiful. W.E. stars Abbie Cornish as a woman in 1998 who is infatuated with the 1930s marriage of King Edward VIII (played by James D’Arcy) and his relationship with Wallis Simpson (played by Andrea Riseborough). The film will reportedly switch back and forth from the '30s to present day, highlighting parallels between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's romance and a modern one.

• By Dhani Mau
  Aug 2, 2011