Paweł Lewandowski
Jess A
Manuella Lupascu
Izzy Bea
Theo Ortengren
It might be freezing here in New York (actually, it's 9 degrees below freezing, to be exact), but Resort's wares are already trickling into stores. And to celebrate the season, cbamd.com is launching a special capsule that will appeal to beachgoers and chilly city dwellers alike. The e-tailer has tapped Scottish wunderkind Christopher Kane to create a primary-colored capsule, which will hit the Web Friday, December 13. Priced between $420 and $1,435, the collection boasts a palette of marigold, cerulean, cherry, and white, and comprises frocks with lace cutouts, easy embellished sweaters, an intricate lace-covered bomber, and an appliqued blouse and T-shirt. Also in the mix is a pair of tapered-ankle sweatpants. However, seeing as this is Christopher Kane—the king of luxe London quirk—the latter aren't just any old joggers. Their calves are wrapped in black floral filigree, making them a covetable wardrobe staple, whatever the weather. Take a first look at the lineup here, exclusively on cbamd.com.
Need proof that fashion has become increasingly seasonless? Look no further than the Spring runways. Despite the spring season, there was no shortage of statement-making furs. Miuccia Prada sent out vibrant intarsia furs printed with trompe l'oeil bras and female visages, while Fendi's Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi whipped up shaved-mink toppers that weigh mere grams, as well as fuzzy ear cuffs, handbags, and playful "buggies" charms. Elsewhere, pelts were incorporated into accessories like Michael Kors' twisted cashmere shrugs backed in sable, and Burberry Prorsum's shaggy clutches. Showing fur alongside summery dresses makes sense, given these collections hit stores in February, but then you have a designer like Francisco Costa, who threw that reasoning out the window by whipping up a pale lilac shearling for his latest Calvin Klein Collection Pre-Fall outing. Even if it delivers in May, that coat was covetable enough to buy now and wear later.
Click for a slideshow of Spring's best furs.
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.
