Flávia Linden
Cassy Bhairo
Samantha Mariko
Crystii Lin
Marie M
He's back! Kind of. After months of rumors, WWD reports that John Galliano is slated to design the costumes for Stephen Fry's forthcoming London production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Given his flare for theatrics, and the fact that he created onstage wares for the same play back in 1982, we'd say the designer is more than qualified for the job. Galliano is also apparently still in talks with Oscar de la Renta about assuming a more permanent role at the company. "I love John. He is a great talent," de la Renta said.
Chanel held its Western-themed Metiers d'Art show in Dallas last night, and following the spectacular, the house announced that Kristen Stewart (who flew to Texas to watch the runway romp) will star in the house's Pre-Fall campaign. Stewart has been the face of Balenciaga's Florabotanica fragrance since 2012, and, given her well-documented friendship with Nicolas Ghesquiere, we're wondering if there's a Louis Vuitton campaign in her future, too. The Chanel ads will be lensed by Lagerfeld, and are set to debut in May 2014.
Riccardo Tisci is known, among other talents, for having one of the keenest eyes in casting. So when he puts an unexpected face in his ad campaigns for Givenchy, the world takes notice. Expect tremors on this one. Presenting the new star of the label's Mert & Marcus-shot campaigns: neo-soul singer Erykah Badu.
"Erykah, she's an icon—come on!" Tisci said by phone from Paris. "What I want to do with my advertising campaign is spread the love. Already now it's been three seasons that I've been using people that express something—they are great artists, or beautiful women, or stylish women, or models that I really believe in. It's kind of a family portfolio."
Tisci had known Badu slightly but had never worked with her. Still, he said, he'd had her image in the back of his mind when he was designing the Spring 2014 collection, a mash-up of African and Japanese influences. "She's one of the most stylish women I've met in my life," he said. "She's got such a good sense of proportion, of colors."
What may attract as much attention as the unexpected Badu cameo is the fact that all of the campaign's female models are women of color (the models Maria Borges, newcomer Riley, and Asia Chow). It follows a season with a noticeable uptick in the use of models of color on the runway, following scathing condemnations of homogeneity in fashion from Bethann Hardison and Iman, sounding off from certain casting directors, and coverage of the issue in The New York Times.
"There was a lot of talk this season in fashion," Tisci said. "Me, I was one of the persons who ended up not being touched by this. I discovered Joan Smalls, I discovered Maria [Borges]. I discovered a lot of black girls, and I've been always supporting them. For me, I grew up in a family and I grew up in a culture, an education, that we all are the same." (He was already working on the collection, and had Badu in mind, when the first articles came out.)
It's true that Tisci has been active in promoting women of color on his runway and in his campaigns. (Besides Smalls and Borges, he has championed Grace Mahary, Dalianah Arekion, and Daniela Braga, among others.) Does he think the world will catch up to his lead? "I hope so," he said. "It's 2013. Everybody's being so cool about Instagram, about Facebook, any media—everybody's being so open. At the end of the day, why are not so many black girls or Latin girls in shows? When you have an American president who is black! When I see this happening, it's quite sad, I think. People can be so avant-garde, so advanced, but actually not, because people are still making differences between skin color."
Chanel's Metiers d'Art show is scheduled to hit the runway in an icy Dallas, Texas, this evening (an unlikely locale, we know, but Dallas' Neiman Marcus was one of Coco Chanel's first supporters after she revived her business in the fifties). Naturally, it's a hyper-exclusive affair, and, according to WWD, the city's fashion set has dubbed invites to the Western-themed spectacular "Golden Tickets." Does this make Karl Lagerfeld fashion's Willy Wonka? We bet the 2.55 bag is more enduring than an Everlasting Gobstopper…. In any event, check back later tonight to get the full rundown of Chanel's Pre-Fall extravaganza.
Morgan Curtis spent several years as a painter and illustrator in addition to helping her mother, Jill Stuart, as an associate designer and all-around consultant. This season, however, she decided to branch out on her own with a lingerie line dubbed Morgan Lane. "My mom has always had a very feminine aesthetic that is often inspired by vintage lingerie, and that's where I came to appreciate it. She started when she was so young and did everything all by herself. So I told her, 'If you can do it, I can do it,' and she's been my biggest cheerleader," Curtis told cbamd.com. She had previously been working on a series of oil paintings that referenced thirties Kewpie dolls and decided to incorporate those into her brand as a muse and mascot named Lanie, who appears on novelty pieces like satin panties, bloomers, an embroidered eye mask, and even the packaging. Curtis explained, "Lanie is kind of mischievous and a bit of a vixen. She's named after my youngest sister, who's always been a bit of a troublemaker. Featuring her helped keep things cute and playful instead of getting too dominatrix-y and over-the-top sexy." These underpinnings may be sweet, but they still have plenty of allure. Highlights from the debut range include shapely mesh bras with hand-cut silk floral appliques and matching knickers (a pair of high-waisted briefs with subtle side cutouts modernize a retro style), as well as versatile bodysuits and lacy sleepwear rompers. Every piece is carefully considered, down to details like silk-covered hooks and a flattering fit. "I found an amazing patternmaker who gets things right off the first sample," Curtis said. "She has the same name as my grandma, which I thought was a good luck charm."
Morgan Lane's debut collection ($48 to $328) is currently sold at Matchesfashion.com and will be available beginning February 2014 on cbamd.com.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful…but bright furs are so delightful. Real or faux, furs in electric hues are the savviest way to keep warm this season. However, if you're questioning the life span of a candy-colored fur bag, take note: This isn't just a winter trend. Between the expressionist coats at Prada and the fuzzy bags, jewelry, and Buggies at Fendi, bold fur had a major warm-weather moment on the Spring '14 runways. Go big in a nearly neon coat, or add just a hint of fluff with a covetable key chain. Shop all of our favorite colorful pieces by 3.1 Phillip Lim, Fendi, Topshop, and more, below.
Bondage seems to have a widespread appeal these days—just ask leatherwear designer Zana Bayne. Based in New York, Bayne is known for her leather harnesses, corsets, and various other hard-edged accoutrements, and the likes of Prabal Gurung and singer Lorde both come to her for S&M-inspired accessories. "Whenever I work with Prabal, it's really about the collection and how the harness can work as an accessory," offered Bayne, who, having launched her line in 2010, just finished her fifth collaboration with Gurung—she was responsible for the layered PVC and leather harnesses that accentuate the cutout backs of Gurung's white and pastel Spring dresses. Lorde, meanwhile, donned a leather halter piece in her recently released "Team" video.
For her own Spring '14 collection, the lookbook for which debuts exclusively here, Bayne crafted a range of wares inspired by the coiled, arching lines of nature's flora. "I looked at the shapes made by crawling vines on trellises and trees, and wanted to bring the collection to a softer, more feminine place," said Bayne. Rosettes add a final, romantic flourish to the intricate face coverings, bustiers, and skirts in nude, black, and aubergine.
Somewhat ironically, the designer avoids creating harnesses that might limit movement. "It's one of the reasons I tend to stay away from pieces that go onto the legs," said Bayne. "If you can't move in it, then I don't think you should wear it."
Zana Bayne is currently carried at Opening Ceremony, Oak, Lane Crawford, and Coco de Mer, and will soon be available at Selfridges and New York's Dover Street Market. Her designs are also available online at www.cbamd.com. Prices range from $20 to $1,125.
Mark your calendars—on December 10, Mark Ronson will head to New York's Highline Ballroom to host The Other Ball: a soiree and auction whose proceeds will go to Arms Around the Child. Founded by Leigh Blake, the charity aims to provide struggling children in developing countries with a loving home, medical treatment, protection, and education. Underwritten by Topshop, the event will feature performances from The Black Keys, A$AP Rocky, Lykke Li, and more. And if the party isn't enough to get you in a giving mood, the one-of-a-kind teddy bears up for auction most certainly will. Christian Louboutin, Alexander Wang, Topshop's Topman, Opening Ceremony, Thom Browne, Simon Doonan, and Chromat have each put their own spin on the stuffed toys, which, crafted from black leather, are surprisingly subversive. "I had so much fun reimagining my bear," offered Doonan of his buckle-and-spike-embellished design. "I channeled Helmut Newton and added a dollop of Christopher Street circa the seventies. I wanted to show that bears can be kinky, too." Wang's version also has a dark side, what with its silver X-eyed executioner's mask and black studded collar. Louboutin, meanwhile, whipped up a superhero-style bear, complete with a cape and paws in his signature hue of red, and Thom Browne's iteration is dressed in one of the designer's unmistakable cropped suits. "We need to bring more awareness to the importance of children's happiness, well-being, and innocence," said Browne of the project. Each bear will go under the hammer for a starting price of $1,000, and if you can't make it to the Ball, online and telephone bids will be accepted until noon on Tuesday. For information on bidding and tickets, visit theotherball.org.
In a Chelsea photo studio last month, the scene was a jungle of sorts. Nothing as literal as palm-frond props—but there was a baby tiger and toxic ooze seeping out of jumbo Polaroids that Peter Beard had laid on the floor. Beard's friend/muse/producer, Natalie White, warned no one in particular: "Don't step in the goo! You'll burn your feet off!"
Beard, naturally, was braving the terrain in socks. Now in his seventies, the man famous for his adventures in Africa seems as dismissive as ever of caution or over-planning. Beard made his way through the chaos in sweatpants, a wet paintbrush in hand. "I try and make it messy," he said. "We don't like chic."
That "we" includes Raphael Mazzucco, the photographer Beard partnered with for the four-day shoot. White (who's also worked with Olivier Zahm and Will Cotton) made it happen, but the two photographers are friends from Montauk, where both have houses. Another thing they've got in common: a portfolio full of beauties. Beard's contains everything from Veruschka for Vogue in the seventies to the 2009 Pirelli calendar; Mazzucco's, the stacked rosters of Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret. They were working separately, thus offering Angela Lindvall, Noot Seear, Pamela Anderson, and the other models who came by the opportunity to do a two-for-one. And each was flexing his own style: Beard double-exposing images of African wildlife over models and Mazzucco experimenting with baby powder and colored gels.
Both were happy to leave a lot of the process up to chance, and neither had any particular plans for the images. "London would be good," was as specific as Mazzucco got. For the time being, the only place to see them is cbamd.com.
Achtung-Mode—Germany's pioneering indie fashion and culture magazine—is debuting its Bauhaus-themed tenth anniversary issue tomorrow. And to celebrate the decade milestone, founder Markus Ebner decided he wanted to offer up a little something special. "When magazines turn ten, or twenty, or whatever, there's not that much you can do," he told cbamd.com. "I mean, you can do ten covers, you can ask designers to write letters saying, ‘Dear Whoever, Happy Tenth Anniversary!', but I wanted to do something not like that." His answer? A capsule collection of ten special-edition items crafted—and photographed—by some of the most exciting German, Austrian, and Swedish brands and talents. For instance, there's a luxe leather bag by Akris (snapped by Sandra Semburg), a suit by Regent that was handmade in Germany (shot by Michael Mann, below, left), a crisp white shirt by the legendary Jil Sander (lensed by Mary Scherpe, below, right), an amulet by Tomas Maier (shot by Oliver Helbig), a parka by Kostas Murkudis (captured by Jork Weismann) and some cashmere Agnona socks by honorary German, Stefano Pilati (photographed in a field by Debora Mittelstaedt). "He's been living in Berlin for the last year and a half, and he's such an important designer, and he's opening a studio there and hiring people, so that's exciting for us," offered Ebner.
The items will be available at Andreas Murkudis' Berlin concept store, which Ebner describes as the "Colette of Germany." As for the editorial photographs of the anniversary merch, they'll not only be included in the new issue, but displayed alongside their corresponding products Murkudis' store. If you're lusting over these creations, you'd better scoot to Berlin quickly as quantities are limited. Fittingly, only ten editions of each product were produced.
