Dec
13
Sales of black mock turtlenecks, as worn by Steve Jobs at product launches, have gone through the roof. Has the death of the Apple co-founder prompted a surge in longing for geek chic clothing?
Since Steve Jobs’ family announced his death on Wednesday a steady flow of glowing tributes from the great and the good have flooded in. Big hitters including Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have lavished praise on the man widely considered to have been a true visionary and one of the greatest CEOs of his generation. Given Jobs undoubted influence over how we all live, it’s really little surprise his death has triggered such an outpouring of praise. However, what is somewhat more surprising is that his geeky fashion sense has seemingly come into vogue overnight.
Rise of the (mock black) turtleneck. Gossipy website TMZ reported that sales of black mock turtlenecks, as worn by Steve Jobs at product launches, have skyrocketed since his death. TMZ interviewed a rep for the St. Croix clothing brand (which kitted out Jobs) who revealed that they’d experienced an “almost 100% increase in sales” in the first 24 hours after his passing. The grateful rep added, “we have a great respect for everything he did and we’re glad he believed in our American-made product.”
Steve Jobs.
Dec
6
A young fashion designer from the German city of Hanover is revolutionising high fashion by designing clothes with a staple she can find in her fridge — milk.
Anke Domaske, 28, has developed a fabric called QMilch made from high concentrations of the milk protein casein — the first man-made fibre produced entirely without chemicals.
“It feels like silk and it doesn’t smell — you can wash it just like anything else,” Domaske told Reuters.
Made from all natural materials, the QMilch fabric is ecological but also has many health benefits, said Domaske, who also said the amino acids in the protein are antibacterial, anti-ageing and can help regulate both blood circulation and body temperature.
Anke Domaske.
As designer of Louis Vuitton, whose show takes place on the last day of Paris fashion week, Marc Jacobs gets to close the catwalk season – and he could not resist signing off with a wink.
While the March show was staged on a set depicting Claridges in the early hours of the morning, and ended with the sight of Kate Moss’s bottom as she exited the catwalk in hotpants and leather boots, smoking a cigarette, for this show, the wink was less saucy but, in its own way, just as provocative.
It is the fashion world’s worst-kept secret that Jacobs is the frontrunner to replace Galliano at Dior, with an announcement perhaps in the next few weeks, although negotiations are reported to have stalled over Jacobs’s salary expectations.
Before this show, journalists were warned that Jacobs would not be answering any Dior-related questions. That, however, did not mean he had no messages to convey.
Louis Vuitton 2011.
Nov
22
Get ready my fellow fashionistas, LA’s Fall Fashion Week is less than two weeks away! With that being said, you better start dusting off those Manolo’s and be sure to hold the whipped cream on your caramel macchiatos, because dressing to the nines is an absolute must when it comes to Fashion in LA.
Fashion Week LA began in 2002 by an eclectic group of designers, editors, agents, and other market-makers, whose passion and dedication for fashion is what keeps Los Angeles marketplace the very best of the best.
If you want to be in the know about today’s hottest trends and designs, check out our fab guide to hitting up all the glamour hot spots during this Fall Fashion Week.
Zoe Saldana.
Kanye West finally unveiled his much-discussed womenswear line Saturday night (October 1) with a high-profile show at Paris Fashion Week that was as full of eye-catching designs as it was celebs.
From Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour to actress Lindsay Lohan, the stars were on full display for West’s show. Minutes after ‘Ye took his bow, we spoke to Ciara, who phoned MTV News from backstage to give us her take on the collection. And, yes, she was impressed with what she saw.
“It was amazing. The clothes, the feeling in the room, the energy backstage — it really feels special,” she said. “It was definitely one of the most talked-about events [of Paris Fashion Week], because it wasn’t going to be your typical show. This doesn’t happen every day, and to see someone like Kanye, who aspires to succeed in fashion, to get so much respect and cross over like this, it was monumental. It was an historic moment.”
While she was amazed by the fashion community’s embracing of West, Ciara was quick to point out that she was just as struck by his designs, singling out a few favorite looks.
“I loved the pants, the color-blocking and the orange, I loved the fur accessories, I loved the black dresses,” she said. “There was a lot of attitude. It was strong, sexy … I loved it. I kept seeing looks that made me think, ‘Oh my God, I want that.’ ”
Everyone left the Christian Dior SS ’12 show with the same lasting memory – Karlie Kloss’s backside. Imprinted in our thoughts forever. Not to say that it was the only memorable thing about the collection, but in a flimsy transparent veil it undoubtedly closed the show.
For the past six months, talk about Dior has only been about who’s next? Which big name designer will take up the reins of this luxury juggernaught? But spare a thought for the designer who is in the meantime responsible for turning out some clothes. Bill Gaytten worked with Galliano for twenty years, and, temporarily, the house is in his hands. His couture collection was widely panned by critics in July, which may explain the slight reserved feeling about the ready-to-wear. Don’t get me wrong, the clothes were pretty, some beautiful and others exquisite, but Gaytten has pulled Dior back to basics. Tailoring? Check. Trapeze coats? Check. Enough evening gowns to dress the world’s rich and fabulous? Check, check, check. But there was something a bit apologetic about it all. Although maybe it’s just that for the first time in a long time the crowd has actually imagined themselves wearing Dior, as Galliano’s interpretations were so theatrical, so over the top – I can’t say I miss his ‘acting’ models (nothing worse by the way) – whereas Gaytten’s Dior is about the clothes, not about outrageous make-up and styling. And I quite liked that.
It also means that whoever is to be announced as the new Creative Director has a blank canvas to work with, because Gaytten has proved to be the Dior palette cleanser and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Roland Mouret collection.
Most artists make one big splashy video for their latest single and then move on to the next one. As she’s proven over and over again, though — most recently at the VMAs, where she stayed in her Jo Calderone character all night long — Lady Gaga is not most people.
After announcing on Twitter on Thursday that she shot five “fashion films” set to “You and I” with Dutch fashion photography duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, she unleashed the first clip later that day, “Haus of U Featuring Nymph.”
In typical Gaga fashion, it is perplexing, mesmerizing and just a bit odd, and nothing like the way-more elaborate, official music video for the rocking ballad. The barely two-minute black-and-white clip has Gaga pulling off a series of balletic twists and turns while wearing a simple slip dress and ballet slippers, her blonde hair loose and waving in the wind or up in a bun. At various points, there appear to be moths or some other kind of insect flying around in the background and lying dead on the ground.
Oct
25
A crop of younger designers will make their debut on Tuesday at Paris Fashion Week, in what will be the fashion world’s grand finale, after major events in New York, London and Milan, to showcase the Spring-Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collections.
There will be 92 shows, but the speculation and gossip about top jobs is creating as much buzz as the outfits.
At Friday’s Christian Dior show, many are expecting an announcement about who will succeed John Galliano at French couture house Christian Dior.
The British designer was sacked in disgrace on the eve of the March ready-to-wear shows after using anti-Semitic insults in a bar in Paris, an outburst which led to a court conviction in September.
New York designer Marc Jacobs is tipped to move from Louis Vuitton for the job, but negotiations over salary are still ongoing.
Dior’s Spring-Summer collection for Friday has been signed by Bill Gaytten, Galliano’s number two, who has overseen the house’s collections since March.
US rapper Kanye West is expected to make his pret-a-porter debut in Paris – he has reportedly recruited London fashon students to work on his collection.
And there’s a new face at Balmain, where chief designer Olivier Rousteing, the 25 year old who took over in April, will unveil his first womenswear line for the French label.
At Kenzo, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim make their debut after replacing Antonio Marras who was at the helm for eight years.
Fashion historians and observers have always found a direct relation between fashion and the economy. They have gone on to make certain trends as economic indicators—the lipstick index, the rise and fall of hemlines, and most recently, the sale of men’s underwear if Warren Buffet is to be believed. Fashion as a reaction or reflection of the times.
What then do we make of all the gold embellishments, the flapper dresses, and the exuberant prints seen on the Milan spring 2012 runways? Are we headed for better days? Will the global economy be on the upswing when these clothes make it to the stores in February? Or do the glitz and swingy vibes serve merely as diversions from all the bad news? An escapist’s route?
You would thing that we’re in for happier times ahead at the sight of all the black and gold flapper dresses at Gucci or the gold beaded jackets and evening gowns at Roberto Cavalli. There was a lot of shine and sparkle, especially at Gucci where the inspirations were the gleaming skyscrapers of New York, particularly the Chrysler Building.
There was also a cacophony of prints in trippy colors in Milan. Dolce & Gabbana’s collection was heavy with vegetable prints— flirty skirts with red chilies, swimsuits covered with tomatoes, and dresses drowning in aubergines. Does the use of produce as a motif signify a bountiful harvest for global economic markets come spring? Here’s to hoping it would be for Dolce & Gabbana since they are shutting down their D&G line after this season.
Milan Fashion Week 2011.
A budding teenage supermodel has angered several fashion labels after lying about her age in order to appear in top New York Fashion Week shows.
Agents representing Valerija Sestic told at least a dozen designers including Tory Burch, Rodarte and Oscar de la Renta, that she was 16.
In fact, she is still 15, meaning labels that employed her have flouted industry guidelines on the use of underage models.
Her agency, Women Management, has since admitted that she will not turn 16 until October 21.
But that did not stop them from ignoring a similar directive at Milan Fashion Week, as she appeared on the catwalk at yesterday’s D&G show.
Today, fashion designers told how they had been in the dark about the youngster’s true age.
Donna Karan’s press office refused to comment on Valerija’s age, but a spokesman for Tory Burch said they had been told Valerija was 16.
They told the Wall Street Journal: ‘We are conscious not to use models under 16.’
The Council of Fashion Designers of America issued its guidelines on underage models in 2007. They ask that members keep girls younger than 16 off the catwalk and do not allow girls younger than 18 to work past midnight at fittings or photo shoots.
Valerija Sestic.