D&G’s closure remains a baffling decision as Prada unveils a collection that is definitely not 1950s and definitely not America.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Milan fashion week’s kings of bling, can make anything look glamorous – even the usually rather downbeat business of closing a 26-year-old fashion label.
Thursday’s D&G catwalk show, right, was as ever a carnival parade of bouncy, youthful glamour. D&G is the younger sister label to Dolce & Gabbana, and the D&G aesthetic has always appeared to be aimed at a woman with the taste of a cheerleader and the bank balance of a CEO.
An illuminated chequerboard of silk scarf prints lit up the backdrop to the catwalk, so that the models high-stepping to hectic remixes of Prince and James Brown appeared like crazed, colourful brides walking down the aisle of a cathedral to fashion.
But, minutes after the designers took their smiling catwalk bow, and just as the audience filed out into the Milanese sunshine, a statement appeared in the inboxes of the show attendees informing them that Dolce and Gabbana are shutting the cheaper D&G label in order to concentrate on their main collection.
It was a very D&G ending. A wistful swansong in the catwalk tradition (rose petal confetti, operatic soundtrack, crocodile tears) would not have been appropriate; true to its brand, D&G went down smiling. In any case, the designers are keen to portray the decision as a positive one, rather than a defeat. “We are going through a very happy moment of our lives,” the statement began. “From the upcoming seasons, D&G will become part of Dolce & Gabbana, giving even more strength and energy to our collections.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6rQwh_ytAQ
Cheryl Cole is considering having her own fashion line because she enjoyed working on her debut shoe collection.
Cheryl Cole is considering having her own fashion line.
The ‘Fight for This Love’ singer recently launched a shoe collection with website Stylistpick.com and says she enjoyed it so much, she would be happy to create her own range of clothes.
When asked if she’d like a fashion range, Cheryl told the Guardian newspaper: “Do you know what? I wouldn’t rule it out, actually. I have loved designing these shoes. I haven’t enjoyed a project so much in a long time. So, yes, it might be the start of something.”
While she is often spotted out wearing high heels, the Girls Aloud beauty admits she always carries around a pair of flats so she can give her feet a rest.
She said: “I don’t walk in heels all day. The key with high heels is to take them off any time you have the chance. And I always have a pair of scrunchie flatties with me, so I can change into those. When I was on ‘The X Factor’, I used to walk across the stage and then, as soon as I was sitting down at the judges’ table and my feet were out of shot, I’d kick them off.”
One style of footwear Cheryl would never wear is knee-high boots – because she thinks, at 5ft 3ins, she’s too short to carry them off.
She said: “I’d take ankle boots every time. I think it’s because I’m short, I can’t do a knee boot.”
Cheryl Cole.
London Fashion Week has been thrown into crisis after heavyweight Italian fashion brand Gucci, who will show their spring/summer 2012 collection in Milan on Wednesday, ordered countless models to fly to Milan early to begin fittings for their show.
The move has left the bi-annual fashion event in chaos with models being pulled from shows at the eleventh hour, leaving London-based model agencies outraged and threatening to boycott London Fashion Week next season if the British Fashion Council don’t re-organise the London schedule and intervene to prevent what they perceive as bullying tactics by both New York and Milan Fashion Weeks.
Problems began when Marc Jacobs moved his New York show back to make up time his design team lost when Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast of America. Jacobs’ show ran so late on Thursday night that the models couldn’t catch the last flight back to London so had to be pulled from Friday’s London shows.
“We’re not just talking about one or two big girls,” Carole White, the founder of London-based model agency Premier Model Management told us, “Jacobs had numerous models holding on options right up until the day of his show meaning they all stayed in New York just in case they got cast.”
Beyonce is claimed to have kept the audience at her London Fashion Week catwalk show waiting for 45 minutes as she waited in vain for her showbiz mate Gwyneth Paltrow to show up.
But at least the R&B queen may have been heartened to see such big hitters as – ahem – the Faiers sisters from TOWIE, Rachel Stevens and Paloma Faith in the crowd.
The Sun reports that pregnant Beyonce kept pushing back the start time of her House of Dereon (search us) event in the hope that Gwynnie would burst through the door – but to no avail.
A source was quoted as saying: “Beyonce halted the whole thing because she thought Gwyneth was about to arrive.
“She kept calling her but she didn’t show. People couldn’t wait any longer and they had to get on with it.
“Beyonce wasn’t angry. She was just disappointed.”
But she clearly got over it quickly enough, judging by the big grin on her face as she took the applause at the end of the catwalk show.
Beyonce Knowles.
Michelle Obama teamed up with TV’s Tim Gunn on Tuesday to honor the nation’s top designers at the White House for innovations ranging from fashion and architecture to the realm of new computer fonts and floor-cleaning products.
“Good design is good citizenship,” Obama said, quoting the graphic designer Milton Glaser. She said that’s because good design makes life better for everyone.
The first lady hosted a luncheon for winners of the 2011 National Design Awards, which are presented by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City. Obama also invited 15 high school students to join leading names from the worlds of fashion, interactive computer design and other fields in hopes of inspiring them to follow suit.
This year’s design award winners include Matthew Carter of Boston for his lifetime achievements in typeface designs that included creating the fonts Verdana and Georgia for Microsoft.
Michelle Obama.
Kim Kardashian is so proud of her little sister, Kylie Jenner, who walked in Avril Lavigne’s fashion show in NYC! The reality star looked on from the front row with a huge open-mouthed smile on her face when she saw her lil sis strut her stuff.
“Just left @AvrilLavigne’s fashion show w my lil sis @KylieJenner walking in it! She was so fab (sic),” Kim tweeted on Monday night. Kylie, 14, must have been so excited—and nervous—to get out on that runway and model during fashion week! Obviously her whole family was very proud of her!
Kim Kardashian is so supportive of her younger sisters. Both Kylie and Kendall have a special place in Kimmy K’s heart, and it’s almost like she is mentoring them in some way. She was such a mom(ager) sitting there watching Kylie! Abbie Dawn (the name of Avril Lavigne’s fashion line) tweeted a picture of Kim all smiles when she saw Kylie come down the runway.
In case you were wondering about the Kardashian-Jenner-Lavigne connection, Avril has been dating Brody Jenner, one of Bruce Jenner’s sons from a previous relationship. It’s all about who you know!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQT5gQt8vU
The Mirror Fashion Director’s verdict on Victoria Beckham’s 2012 Spring/Summer Collection.
If ever there was time to stop referring to Victoria Beckham as pop star ‘turned’ fashion designer it’s round about now.
Having just shown her spring/summer 2012 ready to wear collection at New York Fashion Week there’s no doubt that the fashion thing is more than just a flight of fancy.
Just two months after giving birth to baby Harper Seven, Victoria’s latest collection has received high acclaim from the fashion pack and her evolving label has established itself as one to watch on the New York fashion schedule.
With an urban edge and techno stretch fabrics that we haven’t seen before her dresses still featured her trademark calf and midi lengths and clever play on proportion.
Stand out pieces were the over-sized silk gazaar or silk satin parka and bomber jackets which worked well teamed with jersey body conscious dresses.
Grosgrain webbed straps gave the collection a modern sporty feel that’s sure to strike a chord with her growing celebrity following and her fans when the collection goes on sale next summer.
Victoria left her baby daughter outside because she worried that the catwalk show would be too loud for her. But something tells us it won’t be long before we see her in the front row.
Victoria Beckham's collection.
She hasn’t had a legitimate movie role in years, but a photo of Hollywood hellcat, Lindsay Lohan was worth enough for a fashion week shutterbug to lose his press credentials over.
The drama unfolded at last night’s Cynthia Rowley show when the puffy-lipped Lohan took her seat just before the lights went down. As the paparazzi were rushed away, one intrepid photographer sneaked from backstage and popped a few pictures of the washed up actress.
Before Lohan could shield herself from the flashes, a security guard pulled him away and ripped off his credentials before escorting him out as the crowd roared.
Rowley, for her part, showed solidarity with Lohan by pointing and smiling at the washed up star after taking her bow.
Lindsay Lohan.
Crowds gather around Justin Bieber wherever he goes, and Dolce & Gabbana’s Fashion’s Night Out on September 8 was no exception. In fact, when the Teen Dream’s New York fans found out he was visiting the Dolce & Gabbana store on Madison Avenue and 69th street, they showed up in such numbers that media observers described the crowds as “almost out of control.”
Yes, Justin Bieber’s first Fashion’s Night Out appearance must have seemed a bit too much like deja vu to his manager Scooter Braun, his security team, and others in his entourage. The hundreds of screaming beliebers who surrounded the D & G store were like a replay of the Biebs’ June appearance at Macy’s where he was tackled by an adult man who turned out to be an undercover cop. Fortunately, nothing that dramatic transpired on Thursday. However, the “complete madness” that ensued as a result of JB’s visit, caused the fire marshal to show up and order him to go upstairs. Apparently, there were so many people crowded around the entrance and exits, that the marshal must have considered it a fire hazard. Sadly, some of Justin’s fans didn’t get to see him.
Fortunately, however, according to Hollywood Life, Scooter Braun was there to help with the merchandise signing. Whatever that means. No offense to Scooter, but his autograph on a D & G purchase isn’t quite the same as the Biebs’.
Sep
21
After the riots which swept the capital, there is no doubt that London is in need of some good media coverage. What better tonic than the froth and glamour of London Fashion Week? It seems though that this year’s offering is already falling flat.
While London’s fashion scene is famous for its energetic and eclectic vibe, the capital’s September Fashion Week is failing to pull in some of the biggest brands around. While London was named the “world’s top fashion capital of 2011″ by Global Fashion Monitor – doubtless helped by the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress – London Fashion Week itself seems to be slipping off the radar.
Of course, it doesn’t help that New York Fashion Week has moved its dates so that London is now the drab filling in the fashion sandwich, sliced up by Milan on on side and New York the other. Many models are simply flying from Milan to the Big Apple, leaving London in their jet stream.