THE WEEK IN FASHION: JANUARY 28TH- FEBRUARY 1ST

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

We may have got through January unscathed (hurrah!) but now it's February and just one week until the AW13 shows begin. Helpfully, our stateside friends have been compiling some excellent articles full of tips for getting through fashion weeks in the very best way possible. First comes US Vogue's guide to getting slimline calves and ankles. They've pre-empted the chunky calf epidemic which is set to spread thanks to the newly fashionable chunky, low heel. Without our leg lengthening stilettos  we're all going to be revealing the reality of our sizable lower leg. Thankfully, there are tips from ballet experts and the like for some last minute crisis aversion. I love the Platypus walk, it's great fun.

Low heels like Louis Vuitton's need slim legs (image via westeastmag.com) 

My week has been blighted by a yucky cough and cold so I find the New York Times rundown of everything editors and designers do to prevent the lurgy during fashion month extra pertinent. indeed, the flu and norovirus epidemics which are sweeping both Europe and America make illness a real possibility. There are some brilliant anecdotes, including how one editor held vomiting throughout a Chanel show. FYI, there will be no touching this fashion season.

On to the rest of the week's fashion news now. Let's begin with the drama which occupied most of everyone's Monday morning, did Jennifer Lawrence's Christian Dior dress rip at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards? Of course, the DM thought so, but they don't have quite the appreciation for couture construction as some. It was soon made clear that it was down to the tiered nature of the gown that it appeared to split apart. You might have thought they'd think of that before they sent an actress quite likely to win an award out in the gown? Nevertheless, Raf did a gorgeous job on Marion Cotillard's dress.

Marion Cotillard in Dior (image via stylebistro.com)

Huge congratulations to Nicholas Kirkwood, winner of this year's Vogue Fashion Fund award. Who doesn't love Mr Kirkwood's bright, beautiful and glamorous shoes? Even so he had to beat off stiff competition from Mary Katrantzou, Roksanda Ilincic, Emilia Wickstead and Peter Pilotto. Nicholas will get £200,000 to invest in his business, as well as targeted mentoring from the very best industry experts. He already has stores in London and New York, plus a newly-debuted men's line. We can't wait to see the rise and rise of Britain's brightest shoe talent.

Nicholas Kirkwood celebrates his Vogue Fashion Fund award (image via vogue.co.uk)

Nicholas Kirkwood for Erdem SS13, lovely! (image via shoera.com)

It was only a matter of time before Karl Lagerfeld's sharp tongue made another appearence. This time, it was directed at Michelle Obama and her new bangs...

“I adore Madame Obama. . . [but] frankly, this doesn’t suit her. The fringe was a bad idea, it’s not good.”

Somehow, we think FLOTUS will above Lagerfeld's comments. Besides, if reports are to be believed then she will have been busy this week being shot for the cover of US Vogue by Annie Leibovitz. Then there's the small matter of getting through a second term at the White House.

Go Michelle and your new bangs! (image via yahoo.com)

In yet more proof that the nineties are back, DKNY has reissued 15 pieces from their archives in collaboration with Opening Ceremony. The label made its name in 90s streetwear so its only right that they get in on the act as it has a renaissance now. And who better to model the collection than everyone's favourite model , Cara Delevingne? Get yourself to Opening Ceremony this weekend, in store or online, to get your hands on a cropped hoodie, zip up jumpsuit or a natty bomber jacket.

Cara's cornrow buns for DKNY x Opening Ceremony

It's never a good time to do a photo shoot on a holocaust memorial, but particularly not at the same time of year as Holocaust memorial day. Spanish blogger Pelayo thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the stark architecture and the way his bight pink bag would stand out against the grey columns, but all in all it was a terrible idea. Think before you blog people. 

In further fashion getting political news, a petition for Victoria's Secret to stock mastectomy friendly bras and prosthetics attracted signatures from 120,000 people. Allana Maiden began her campaign because her Mum- a breast cancer survivor- really wanted to be able to shop in Victoria's Secret again as she had done before her op. Find out more about their mission in The Daily Beast's excellent report.

Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop 

If your childhood was remotely like mine, then you might remember visits to The Body Shop, where they would hand out canvas bags with their anti-animal testing slogans plasted across the front. It was a strong message and a campaign which the store, which was originally founded by Anita Roddick, has kept up for nearly 20 years. In 1996, a petition calling for an  end to the practice attracted 4 million signatures. Now, the EU has listened to Body Shop, and their partners Cruelty Free International and banned animal testing. It's just sad that Anita Roddick didn't live to see the day.

Betty Halbreich, Bergdorf's personal shopping legend and subject of
Lena Dunham's new show (image via style.com)

Just when you thought Lena Dunham couldn't be any more awesome, it turns out she can. Reports suggest that the Girls creator is working on a new show about Bergdorf's personal shopper Betty Halbreich. Details are sketchy but this still excellent news to start the weekend on, isn't it?

THE WEEK IN FASHION: 25th-29th JUNE

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Cloak by Giles Deacon and Jeremy Deller (image from guardian.co.uk)

We're sandwiched right in the middle of Britain's two big events of the year- the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics- so this week was an apt time to launch Britain Creates, a collusion of fashion and art. Designers such as Jonathan Saunders and Mary Katrantzou worked with artists including Jeremy Deller and Mat Collishaw to create pieces for the exhibtion which underlines the creativity at work in the UK in 2012. The open brief given to the collaborators has resulted in an array of artworks from hats to sculptures.There was a launch and charity auction on Wednesday evening at Selfridges but the pieces will be on public view from 6th to 29th July at the V&A which has worked on the project with the British Fashion Council.

Screen print by Jonathan Saunders and Jess Flood- Paddock (image from guardian.co.uk)

Wednesday was a busy evening as it was also the night that the much anticipated auction of pieces from Daphne Guinesses' wardrobe took place at Christie's. It was a night of records after £133,250 was paid  for a Mario Testino portrait of Guinness- the highest sum a piece of his work has ever reached. The record price for a McQueen was also smashed after £82,250 was bid for an empire line gown which Guinness originally wore for a Harper's Bazaar shoot. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Isabella Blow Foundation. There are plans afoot for an exhibition of Blow's vast fashion collection which is now owned by Guinness.The dress's winning bidder was none other than Lady Gaga and Guinness took to Twitter to thank the star for her contributions:

'And, THANK YOU my friend Lady Gaga. You are a real person. and a great one! Your proof of friendship, your time was very touching XXXX'

Gaga replied:

'I am a passionate fashion collector & feel honored to support The Isabella Blow Foundation. Daphne Guinness is a pioneer for artistic women'

Daphne Guinness in the record breaking McQueen dress (image from telegraph.co.uk)

Fashion show attendees can always depend on Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana to put on a mega glitzy extravaganzana each season. The Italian design duo are now adding their name to the couture calendar with a show in their native Sicily on July 9th. However, the press will not be allowed in to report on the glmour as the event will be reserved for clients- only. It's an interesting move after Dolce and Gabbana's more affordable line, D&G, was shut down this year. This is another sign that the big money spenders who demand made-to-measure gowns have not gone away during the financial crisis. Now the mere mortals among us are left to mourn the fact we won't get to see anything from what is sure to be a molto fabulous occasion. 

A look from the gold and gilt-full Dolce and Gabbana AW12 show (image from catwalking.com)

It's been a nostalgic week for Spice Girls fans- myself very much included- after the launch of Viva Forever, a musical based on the songs of the 90s group. It's been written by Jennifer Saunders and produced by Judy Cramer. From a fashion perspective, the girls have come a long way since the pigeon -holed days of Sporty, Ginger, Baby etc. Melanie 'Sporty' Chisholm had swapped crop tops and adidas for a white tiered Acne dress and Victoria 'Posh' Beckham was naturally in a dress of her own much lauded design. The only Spice who hasn't moved on it seems is Geri 'Ginger' Halliwell who eschewed a designer number for the big appearence, instead making her own dress with a little help from Emma 'Baby' Bunton. It's safe to say that this DIY jobbie will not achieve the same fame as the Union Jack dress she ran up out of a tea towel for the Brits in 1997.

Spices reunited (image from telegraph.co.uk)

In other Spice news, the girls are apparently planning to auction many of their outfits- including the Buffalo boots which we think may be about to have a bit of a revival- for Save the Children and Children in Need. There are also whispers that Victoria is expanding her fashion portfolio even further with a collection designed with Sarah Jessica Parker, who previously dipped her toe in design waters with her role as Creative Director at Halston.

Beckham's new collaborator: Sarah Jessica Parker, who
 previously worked on Halston Heritage (image from marieclaire.co.uk)

Huge congratulations to Paula Reed who is leaving Grazia to become Fashion Director 
at Harvey Nichols. Her move continues the growing trend for moves from editorial to
 retail. Last year, long-time Vogue Fashion Editor Kate Phelan moved to Topshop while 
Lucy Yeomans has recently left her editorship of Harper's Bazaar to edit Net-a-Porter's
 magazine. We can't wait to see Harvey Nichols with Paula's touch.

Image from philltaylorblog.blogspot.com

The Paris Menswear shows are in full swing after Milan earlier in the week. Vogue Italia 
editor Franca Sozzani took to her blog to tell the world that a lot of what she sees at menswear
 shows 'is not a nice sight for anyone'. She was referring to 'cropped pants and polo shirts,
 so tight they showed through, depending on the body’s shape, toned-up biceps or curved
 bellies'. It's an interesting perpective when many Womenswear catwalk shows also contain
 looks which are far beyond the reach of the every day woman. However, let's not dismiss
 menswear altogether. Raf Simons' show won the praise of many for his collection this
 week which does, admittedly, have some of the elements Sozzani discusses- short shorts
 and big pink coats (a trending item after J.W Anderson also did one). Then there's Kim
 Jones' collection for Louis Vuitton which was a film-like nautical dream full of outfits
 I'm sure Sozzani would love. The quote of the day from Mr Jones? "I wanted to do a 
luxury version of things that are real" 

RAF SIMONS

A man version of the coats from Raf's last Dior collection (from catwalking.com)

Evidence of Mr Simons' art and archtecture obsession (image from catwalking.com)

 LOUIS VUITTON

I want to go on holiday with Kim's boys (image from catwalking.com)

Also at the menswear shows, history is being made with the longest fashion show ever, courtesy of Band of Outsiders. It's set to go on for 60 hours and you can watch what's going on in the Paris gallery where it's taking place by clicking this link. There is just one, as yet unidentified, model taking part and he changes every 90 minutes. The final three hours, tonight, will see guests invited into the space with the entire collection on show. A little bit of genius from Scott Stenberg, Band of Outsiders' Creative Director.

The model in the longest fashion show ever eating his dinner (image from fashionista.com)

Ever wondered what Karl Lagerfeld is doing when you hop on the bus to work or set off to the pub in the evening? Well now, you can find out after  the Chanel Creative Director told Harper's Bazaar the ins and outs of his daily routine. We learn that no hot drinks pass his lips, mornings are spent in a white shirt of 17th century design and all he seems to eat are steamed apples. Completely fascinating. 

A day in the life of Karl Lagerfeld (Karl's own photo, from harpersbazaar.com)

More music costume nostlagia now. This time from Lourdes, daughter of Madonna. She tweeted a photo this week of herself wearing a cone bra, the very same style made iconic by her Ma. This is the 2012, MDNA version, complete with hip caging, designed by the original creator himself Jean Paul Gaultier. I'm pretty sure every girl would like to have her moment in a cone bra- and who hasn't tried to recreate it using plastic cups? Lucky Lourdes gets the real thing. 

We wish you happy weekends with this video which has reignited our love for Lana del Rey. All you need to know is that she plays Jackie Kennedy while Rocky is J.F.K. It's beautful in a VERY Lana way...

THE WEEK IN FASHION: JUNE 18th- 22nd

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Another week has whizzed by and there are plenty of developments to catch up on before the weekend...

Yves Saint Laurent outside the original store Saint Laurent (image from YSL twitter)

The news that rocked the (fashion) world so much that it was trending on Twitter on all day yesterday and this morning is Hedi Slimane's decision to change the hugely iconic YSL logo and Yves Saint Laurent moniker to SLP (i.e. Saint Laurent Paris). This isn't the first big change Slimane has brought about having already moved the brand's creative studio from Paris to LA. The outcry from the industry has been unmitigated. Here is a good example of the tone of tweet appearing on our timelines yesterday:

Fashion156.com ‏@Fashion156

#YSL rebranding to 'Saint Laurent Paris' sounds like a chain of downmarket budgets hotels. Why mess with something so iconic? thoughts?

However, Pierre Bergé, Saint Laurent's partner and the person who probably has the closest emotional ties to the house, is not so worried. In an interview with L'Express he declared that the name change is "an excellent idea". Furthermore, Bergé states his confidence that Slimane can take Saint Laurent back to being "a house of creation" and to the "prestige which is at it's heart". It's interesting to note that Saint Laurent Paris was the original name the house worked under and so it is really a revisiting as opposed to a complete novelty.

Raf Simons' new menswear ads (images from dailymail.co.uk)

Paris' other newly instated big name designer is, of course, Raf Simons at Dior. There have been no shocking Dior announcements from him thus far however images of his eponymous menswear line's ad campaign were released this week and show that Raf is perhaps indulging any temptations to shock via this outlet. The imagery shows deconstructed bodies in a collage-like style. Many have called the campaign, entitled Run Fall Run, weird but I think it's quite beautiful and just what we have come to expect from Raf. Now bring on the new Dior!

Givenchy AW12 ads with Stella Tennant (image from fashiongonerogue.com)

More Autumn/ Winter campaigns are being released every day. We reported earlier in the week on Prada's look of the season and today I'd like to bring Givenchy's to your attention. Tisci favourites Stella Tennant and Joan Smalls are among those who feature in the shots inspired by "the energy of a rave".  Mert and Marcus were behind the camera and Carine Roitfeld  was styling- fashion dream team.

Gary Richardson, legendary hair colourist from Daniel Hersheson, very sadly passed away last week. LOVE magazine, with whom he had a close relationship, posted some great images of his work which we'd love to re-share...

Images from www.thelovemagazine.co.uk

As guest designers at this year's Pitti W event, taking place this week in Florence, Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos were bound to pull something special out of the bag. The images from their presentation in a Florentine palazzo confirm those suspicions. The pair, who are already famed for their complex and form enhancing prints, installed a "digital kaleidoscope" at the venue which projected the prints- inspired by medieval manuscripts- onto surfaces all around. The result is an "old-meets-new celebration"which is depicted not only in the setting but in the garments themselves.

Peter Pilotto at Pitti W (image from Vogue.com/ Peter Pilotto)

Pilotto's prints on the walls of the palazzo (image from vogue.com/ Peter Pilotto)

Here's an up-close look at one of the pair's new tailored pieces at their London resort press day this week.

You know by now that we're suckers for little snippets of King Karl news so I loved these pictures The Telegraph found this week of what appeared to be the Chanel designer in a fishing boat in rough waters. Cue daydreams of Chanel SS13 being comprised of macintoshes, galoshes and gold spun fisherman beards. No such luck though as it's actually Karl impersonator Jörg Knör who regularly dresses up as Mr Lagerfeld. Oh well. 

Karl at sea images from www.telegraph.co.uk

I was sad to miss G-Shock's Maarten van der Horst vs. Sibling party last night to celebrate the launch of  the watchmaker's new collaboration with the Fashion East designers. Sadder still that I can't possibly choose a favourite between Maarten's surfer florals and Sibling's colourful animal designs. Lulu Kennedy, Fashion East founder and LOVE Editor at Large, sums it up when she says the designs "are perfect for summer" and "represent the fun spirit of Fashion East". You can get one at G-Shock's store at the Truman Brewery.

The reason I couldn't make it to G-Shock last night was because I went along to hear Melanie speak on My Daily's panel discussing the future of fashion in the digital world. She was joined by the brilliant Mary Katrantzou, LOVE Editor Alex Fury and Sasha Wilkins of LLG. It was a fascinating chat to listen in on and I learnt many things, including the fact that designers plan their catwalk looks according to Style.com's layouts so that when the pictures are up the looks are grouped together in rows of six- observe the colour coordination in this screen shot of Prada AW12.

Left tonight: My Daily editor Libby, Sasha, Alex, Melanie and Mary (image from mydaily.co.uk)

Finally, I know we're almost a week late on this but if you're NOT one of the 4 million people who's already seen Abercrombie and Fitch models dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe" then get to it. Perfect Friday night getting ready to go out entertainment. Just beware the cheese factor is off the scale... Happy Weekend!

THE WEEK IN FASHION: MAY 14th-18th

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Happy Friday fashion lovers. Welcome to this week's news round-up...

Donna Summer working the sequins in Thank God It's Friday (image from telegraph.co.uk)

We begin with farewells to the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer who died yesterday at just 63 years old. If you want to know why Summer's dance tunes were so seminal then you could do no better than to read Alex Needham's analysis for The Guardian. Of course, music and fashion so often go hand-in-hand and Donna Summer's psychedelic eye shadow, mega watt hair do and slinky gowns revved up the glamour vibe of her disco tunes. A true game changer.

Donna Summer, off duty but disco as ever (image from dailymail.co.uk)

May I suggest you listen to this mesmerising tune while you read the rest of the news?



In happier news, the Roitfeld dynasty this week welcomed its latest member, Romy Nicole Konjic. Carine Roitfeld's daughter Julia gave birth to her first baby with Swedish model Robert Konjic. And what more stylish way to have one's birth announced than via a tweet from Mr Derek Blasberg who tweeted on Wednesday 'Congratulations to proud Momma @RestoinRJulia! (And thus, the chicest grannie ever: Carine Roitfeld!) Can't wait to meet the beautiful baby!" It was later confirmed that the former French Vogue editor's new grandchild was a girl.  Might little Romy make her modelling debut in Granny's new magazine, set to be released in the Autumn?

Julia and Romy the bump in the latest iD (image from fashionologie.com)

British fashion stamps: Norman Hartnell (image from guardian.co.uk)

Ever since e-mail, tweeting, face booking and texting became our main modes of communication, the humble letter or post card has taken on a special, sort of nostalgic feeling. Now the Royal Mail is appealing to the scribe in fashionistas everywhere with their new collection of stamps celebrating post-war British fashion. The stamps include outfits by key British designers from the past 60 years including Ossie Clark, Vivienne Westwood and the Queen's favourite Hardy Amies. The stamps have been shot by acclaimed fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø. You can buy the full set for a bargainous £6 here.

British fashion stamps: Alexander McQueen (image from guardian.co.uk)

British fashion stamps: Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell (image from guardian.co.uk)

Congratulations to the brilliant Selfridges which was this week named the world's best department store by The Intercontinental Group of Department Stores. I feel like I'm going to be spending lots of time in Selfridges this summer as they have so many exciting celebrations in store for the Jubilee and Olympics. I went to the launch of Brittanica, an exhibition of dresses made from Vogue patterns from the early 50s with hats by Stephen Jones last week. That's on until 24th June. But there's plenty more to come... tea parties on the roof, crazy golf and a shop where you can buy everything the Queen has- her bag, her gloves, her dog (maybe?). Find out the details here.

A pic we took at the Britannica launch

When Vogue put Adele on the cover last year, there was considerable controversy about how a non-model sized person had been presented by the magazine. In fact, it seemed like there such a hoo-ha that the issue should surely have been a big seller. Well, no. Alexandra Shulman revealed in a talk this week that the Adele cover was actually one of the worst sellers ever. In fact, Shulman says she still can't tell which covers will be the most successful, despite twenty years at the helm.

An interesting new angle on the great skinny models debate this week, with a new study which suggests that if models resembled the target audience of the products they were advertising better, then consumers would  be more inclined to make a purchase. Ben Barry, who conducted the study, explained:

"My study found that women increased their purchase intentions by more than 200 percent when the models in the mock ads were their size. In the subgroup over size 6, women increased their purchase intentions by a dramatic 300 percent when they saw curvier models. Conversely, when women saw models who didn't reflect their size, they decreased their purchase intentions by 60 percent, and women over size 6 dropped their purchase intentions by 76 percent."

N.B These sizes refer to the American system so size 6 is size 10. 

Estee Lauder in 1961 (from smh.com.au)

There are plenty of family businesses started by one member and then handed from generation to generation to carry on the philosophy carved out by the founding member. One such company is Estee Lauder, now in the hands of Aerin, the granddaughter of the eponymous founder. However, Aerin has now decided to make a name for herself and is launching her own brand called simply, Aerin. She has long been involved at a high level at Estee Lauder but has now chosen to take inspiration from the brand's archives and gift it a modern twist with Aerin. She told WWD “It’s very much a lifestyle brand, which I think is very much how Estée started. It was always about lifestyle photography and an environment and a world. It’s not necessarily an age group — it’s a state of mind". Aerin will encompass not just beauty but jewellery and home products too. I'm looking forward to the book which will be published next Autumn. 

The Vogue family give us some more great covers this week. The French edition has chosen Gisele as their poster girl for the health issue which launches the health initiative agreed to by all the titles. The carefully placed sand marks clearly underlining the healthy but slim, fit and aspirational proportions of her posterior. The cover announces 'The Return of Curves".

Image from Fashionologie.com

The Italian titles focus on Africa with Ban Ki Moon gracing the cover of L'Uomo. I understand he's the UN Secretary General, and thus has a lot of influence when it comes to policies which might help African nations get out of debt cycles and corruption, but I'd like to have seen an actual African. 

Vogue Italia focuses on Africa (image from Guardian.co.uk)

Happy Birthday to Beyond Retro , the brilliant vintage empire which turns 10 this month. To celebrate, there is a series of gigs, talks and events. I'm hoping to make it to 'Flooded with little Joan Crawfords: Hollywood in London in the 1930s' at the Soho store tonight. Very generously, the Beyond Retro people are also hosting their first ever sale, and it's a goodie- 50% off everything. The sale is taking place over the weekend so make sure you get yourself down the Brick Lane store.

Simone Rocha at LFW AW12 (image from catwalking.com)

Simone Rocha was one of the highlights at February's London fashion week. So we'll be tuning in to SHOWstudio.com on Monday at 3pm to check out her interview on the site.

And finally, a King Karl video special to round off the working week.

The first is from Chanel and sees the designer talk about his Cruise collection which was shown at Versailles on Monday. Listen out for his thoughts on how Mademoiselle herself might have liked the offering....

And Cannes film festival is in full swing, but Lagerfeld's appearance in Jean Roch and Snoop Dog's new video puts our minds firmly in St Tropez. I adore Karl's role as the keeper of the gates to paradise/ St Tropez and the very retro cloudy, heavenly intro.