Rumors are again afloat that Martin Margiela is leaving or has already left his Maison. Eventually, Mr. Margiela, publicity stunts just turn annoyances. [JC Report]
Next month's men's shows in Paris and Milan should be a bit more energetic than last season's dreary showing. A slew of new and old favorite designers will show and present collections, which will hopefully amp up both weeks. [WWD] via [The Cut]
Dolce & Gabbana won't ever do a diffusion line. When asked about the possibility of working with H&M
Stefano Gabbana responded "No, we don’t need to. That kind of exposure could be dangerous for us." [Telegraph UK]
Fashion types apparently love NYC's park-in-the-sky, The High Line. Calvin Klein is throwing a pary there this summer. Layman's would also probably love it if a) invited to CK's party or b) if they would open it to the public already. [WWD]
Anna Wintour and NYC Mike Bloomberg are joining forces to request that stores stay open late and people not shy away from throwing big parties during Fashion Week in hopes that it will give a boost to the industry. Yes. Please. [NYT]
Laura Bennett of Project Runway fame will have her reality show this fall. Cameras will follow her life as designer, architect and mother of God knows how many children. [Fashionista]
Two worlds you never thought would unite: fashion and comic books. Marvel is set to release a comic book series called "Models Inc." that chronicles mystery and mayhem in the fashion community. Tim Gunn appears in the first issue. [NYT]
Not to be outdone by Anna's 12 minutes on 60 Minutes, Carine Roitfeld has a full interview in the UK Guardian. Her metaphors are astounding such as when she talks about not over-working herself: "It's like when you squeeze a lemon too hard, you run out of juice. Me, I have plenty of juice." [Guardian UK]
Alexander McQueen is foregoing a traditional runway show for his S/S men's collection in favor of "something very special" his publicist says. [WWD]
The Louis Vuitton store in Tokyo got the full-force Murakami treatment, filled with his artwork and toys. He's promoting his Multicolor collection, and there's even an interesting promotional short. [Yeh Word!]
Jesus Luz thinks he's the best thing in male modeling since briefs, charging almost $100,000 per appearance in Brazil. Other male models are on the defensive. [NYDN]
Ed Westwick took Grazia's Fashion Quiz and faired slightly better than Chace Crawford. He is British, after all. [Grazia]
It was an eventful week last week for Mr. Cavalli, and he's not looking to be out of the press anytime soon what with all the Just Cavalli woes, lawsuits and, of course, crying. So let's break it down.
We first got word that Cavalli was canceling the runway show for Just Cavalli because it hasn't been doing so well, and everyone saw this as the mega-metaphorical final blow that would smote the line. Then we learned that the line would show after all, but in a presentation rather than on the runway. Not a day later it was revealed that Ittierre, the production and licensing company that makes Just Cavalli, went bankrupt earlier in the month, prompting the JC presentation insteadof the runway show because, says Cavalli, "I can't make a show with so few pieces. I don't like to do 50 percent. For me, a fashion show is my adrenaline, my emotion. To decide not to show was, for me, very hard." Then he got all weepy. Che triste! (but, he did remind us that he has, like, a million Facebook friends and they make him happy.)
Now, in the most recent development, it's being reported that Ittierre is suing Cavalli for all the trash talk! Cavalli claimed dissatisfaction with the production quality of the line and now Ittierre is firing back saying that his decision to cancel the show was "unilateral" and "unjustified with serious prejudice to Ittierre's image." We love that this is so junior high, but having someone as famous as Roberto Cavalli slam you worldwide would get us all "hold up, bitch" too. Ittierre operates licenses for a lot of other labels like C'N'C Costume National and John Galliano, so having a bad word against them could hurt their credibility in the eyes of other brands.
Still, Cavalli continued his denouncement of the company, noting that his contract expires in two season so he practically already has "a foot outside" and that the contract, as far has he is concerned, "has expired." He also noted that he's tried to end the contract before, since Ittierre didn't pay him the $25.3 million owed in royalties.
So here is where this fashion season's battle royale stands thus far. Our breath remains bated as we continue to see how this plays out, because not one but two necks are on the line and it would just be a pity to see everyone come crashing down, zebra-print and sequenced pieces lying in ruin.
DSquared has almost finished the costumes for Britney Spears Circus tour. [WWD]
According to the New York Times, men are now wearing tighter pants so that their asses will get noticed. This is, obviously, nothing new to us. [NYT]
The Olsen Twins are launching another line of menswear. This time under their other label, Elizabeth and James. Says Ashley, "we always knew there would be a guy, a James." Clever little elf. [WWD]
The Italian fashion industry is seeking financial help form the government. Gosh, bailouts are all the rage now. [Telegraph]
We noted last week that Cole Mohr made a video for The Cut in what we thought was the first (and the last) installment of his film diary for New York Fashion Week. Well, turns out the bad boy of modeling has made another one. And what do we learn this time? Here's a piece of dialog from the clip:
Model 1: It's not easy, we have to get up at like, eleven o'clock and, like, you know, go get our makeup done -- it's a really hard life, you know.
Model 2: And then you have to go to parties because people invite you and you have to drink alcohol.
Then we get to watch them sashay down the runway, their perfect butts taunting us with what we can't have.
Just Cavalli canceled its runway show in Milan. Is the step-down label from Roberto in peril? All signs point to yes.
Could Iman (pictured) be making another appearance on Project Runway? The show's producer, Desiree Gruber, was overheard telling the supermodel, "call me tomorrow." What could it mean?! [Page Six]
Rafael Nada's ad campaing for Lanvin L'Homme Sport is out. And, yeah, he's hot. [Towleroad]
YSL's private art collection is still raking it in at auction. Recession? What recession? [WWD]
Tommy Hilfiger is expecting his fifth child with wife Dee Ocleppo. A nice golden ticket there for Ocleppo. [NYP]
United Bamboo may not have shown men's during fashion week, but they still make a line. And boy are we glad they do. [Refinery 29]
Chloe Sevigny also makes a men's line, remember? For Opening Ceremony. This -- we're not so sure about. [Material Interest]
YSL's art collection went up for auction yesterday in Paris. The collection has already reached a bid of 206 million euros -- the most expensive ever auctioned -- and still has 2 days left. We're biding our time so that we can swoop in right at the end, eBay style. [AFP]
Should designers sell tickets to their runway shows? Turns out gobs of people would pay $160 or more to go to a show, but designers think it would be confusing to consumers because of the delay in seasons. Is it elitist and wrong that we just don't want to be sitting next to Sally Anne from somewhere in the Bible Belt as she exclaims "Look at how it sparkles under them there lights!" [Racked]
Could the Style Network's Running in Heels actually be worth watching? The New York Times thinks so. Apparently there's enough crying and bitchiness and Nina Garcia in the first episode to keep viewers interested in the whole season. [Heard on the Runway]
Richard Chai is now available at Den. If you saw his most recent runway collection, any New Yorker with a spare hour should be heading there now to snatch up the goods. [Refinery 29]
On Friday, the last day of New York Fashion Week, reality TV addicts and fashionistas alike would have been twitching in their tweeds waiting to get their first glimpses and reaction to the Project Runway finale collections. The show is usually a feast of fanfare: the judges, the celeb guests, the ex-Project Runwayers, the people who snuck in just to stand in the back. But this year the whole thing just seemed a little deflated. And why is that? Because, even though we got to see the collections, we have no idea who made them.
Being that NBC Universal is embattled with the Project Runway producers The Weinstein Co. in a nasty legal tiff, the identities of the finalists are being heavily guarded until the lawsuit pans out. So, for the collections, that meant seeing some nice garments come down the runway, but having no personality to attach them to. And -- as we all know who watch the show -- the people themselves are half the reason we love collections. Would we have raved over Christian Siriano's collection if it didn't come from the pixie prima-donna we know and love? Maybe not, maybe so. In any case, enthusiasm for whoever was showing was easily stifled. Even the ever-German, ever-bubbly Heidi Klum was underwhelmed: "I'm a little bit sad for our designers that they don't get that recognition today." Ve're sad too, Heidi, yeah.
But -- back to Mr. Siriano -- he actually enjoyed the mystery show, claiming it allowed an unbiased appreciation of the collections, because in seasons past there's "always been a weed or two that manages to make it through 'Project Runway.'" A comment like that begs the question -- would have collection been any less "fierce" without his own fierce 'tude? We'll never know. And, for now, the latest Project Runway collections will have to stand, stitch for stitch, on their own until the designers, and whatever personalities they bring along, make it to the airwaves.
Given the frozen retail climate, Fashion Week promised to be a dour affair. But, all told, there were plenty of moments suggestive of a spring thaw. Music at runway shows and after-parties ranged from aggressive rock -- Alexander Wang opened with Welcome to The Jungle -- to exuberant. Even Mattel's Barbie runway event was filled with dance-floor hits, including a disco-inspired Can't Take My Eyes Off a You. Here are some of our favorite tracks from the shows:
Gay men love fashion, and fashion loves gay men. Is it something in our jeans? Celebrating this long tradition, Stylelist exists to offer advice, tips, and the occasional catty observation on celebrity style coups and faux pas.
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