Hedvig
Kazia Jaszkiewicz
Anna Le
Izzy Bea
Mallory W
The models in Honest By.'s campaign for its collaboration with Mats Rombaut are—save some derby shoes—stark naked. "It all has to do with the Honest By. name—we're only selling shoes in this collection. So we had to be honest about that," offered the brand's founder, Bruno Pieters.
Fair enough—after all, Pieters—who took a hiatus from fashion after retiring his eponymous label in 2011—launched Honest By. last January on a platform of sustainability and transparency. "The idea when I came back to fashion was to use it as a tool for change," said Pieters. "Fashion is something that can inspire people, consciously or unconsciously, and that's the goal with Honest By." The sustainable aspect is a given—all the wares Honest By. offers are eco-conscious. And transparency comes into play with the price breakdown. Pieters clearly explains to his customers how much it costs to produce each garment or accessory.
In addition to a mainline designed by Pieters, Honest By. commissions wares from emerging talents—like Nicolas Andreas Taralis and Heaven Tanudiredja—in an effort to help introduce them onto the international scene. His latest project features on-the-rise Belgian-born, Paris-based sustainable footwear designer Mats Rombaut.
Tomorrow China's leading luxury retailer, Lane Crawford, will open the doors to its brand-new Yabu Pushelberg-designed Shanghai flagship. A veritable designer mecca, the outpost is LC's largest property and stands to stock five hundred international fashion, jewelry, beauty, and lifestyle brands.
A buying team of eighty-five experts curated the store's comprehensive brand selection, which includes everything from Saint Laurent to Sacai to J.Crew. Lane Crawford is notable for introducing the latter into the Chinese market for the first time. Additionally, the three-floor store boasts a series of pop ups, and three homegrown labels—Helen Lee, Ms. Min, and Chictopia—will be carried in the flagship's Hub section, which aims to promote and nurture emerging industry talents. Lane Crawford is also set to implement its first e-tail meets in-store facet in Shanghai: Customers will be able to pick up and return Internet orders at a special concierge center, marking an innovative fusion between the online and the on-ground.
Lane Crawford plays a long-standing and important role in China's luxury goods landscape, with multiple branches already operating in other cities such as Hong Kong and Beijing. But Shanghai holds a special place in its heart. "Since the company opened its first store here in 1872, the city has been an important part of our heritage," said company president Andrew Keith. "We are thrilled to be back."
Girls. Or at least that’s what Forbes‘ latest report suggests…about the modeling world. While 2013′s top-earning female super—Gisele Bündchen (who else?)—raked in a cool $42 million between September 2012 and September 2013, the world’s most money-making male model, Sean O’Pry (of Versace, H&M, Kenzo, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Spicebomb campaign fame) made only $1.5M in the same timeframe. Not that we’re terribly surprised—Beyoncé’s rarely wrong.
Did you know that Roland Mouret has a peacock named Mario? Neither did we. Apparently, he lives at the designer's home outside London, along with a Jack Russell terrier called Dave. "He's a very vain bird—he loves looking at himself in the windows," said Mouret at a cozy dinner in New York's Wallse restaurant last night. Unfortunately for us, Mouret didn't bring the pets along for his whirlwind three-day trip to the Big Apple. But the jaunt, he explained, served as homecoming of sorts.
"I had my big success in this city with the Galaxy dress, and it's nice not to forget it," recalled the French designer, referring to the curve-enhancing Fall 2005 frock that he showed at New York fashion week—it was widely regarded as the "dress of the decade."
"I was so sure that that was going to be the dress," said Mouret's stylist of twelve years and the evening's co-host, Ten magazine's Sophia Neophitou. "I love being right," she laughed.
Indeed, Mouret's come a long way since that career-defining moment, what with the growth of his brand, his glamorous London store, his recent launch of handbags, and, of course, the move to Paris fashion week, where he showed his Spring '14 offering in September. Suffice to say, a party across the Atlantic isn't the most obvious way to unwind after sending one's collection down the catwalk. But the designer insists that he's got relaxation down pat. His secret? "A little red wine," he whispered—with a glass of vin rouge in hand. And while he and Neophitou took a trip to Greece before the Spring season kicked off (apparently, the beach culture there influenced his latest lineup—particularly the runway music), he's not a supporter of post-fashion month vacations. "It's not the eighties. We can't do that anymore!" he offered, continuing that the fast paced Internet culture requires designers and industry professionals to work 24/7. When asked if he missed the good old days, he replied, "I prefer it now—I prefer it now because everything feels new."
Lena Dunham—the outspoken Girls creator with a singular and oft outré aesthetic—has a fashion-forward new project in the works: an HBO comedy based on the life of 85-year-old Bergdorf Goodman personal shopper Betty Halbreich.
During the New Yorker festival, The Telegraph was privy to a convo between the two ladies, in which Halbreich, who's worked with Bergdorf since 1978, admits that she's never watched Girls and that she was wearing a "panty girdle."
The style maven also commented on Dunham's Emmys look: "That blue eye shadow…made your eyes tear," she said, to which Dunham lightheartedly replied, "I know. The Emmys weren't my finest hour." Who knows—perhaps Dunham could get more than just TV material from the seasoned sartorial adviser.
Even if you've never seen Prada Marfa—and unless you've made a pilgrimage to rural Texas' unlikely outpost of conceptual art, you probably haven't—you've no doubt heard of it. The eerie adobe installation in the middle of the Texas desert was created by the artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset in 2005. Though it is made to resemble a store, it is arguably more of a sculpture, given that it's not open for business (or open at all—the doors are permanently locked). And it is not an official Prada location, though Elmgreen and Dragset did receive the company's permission to use the logo, and the house donated Prada bags and shoes for the windows, albeit bottomless bags and only right shoes to prevent looting.
Most critics see Prada as a comment of sorts on consumer culture. Is it also an advertisement for a luxury brand? That's what the Texas Department of Transportation is now arguing. And for that reason, the installation is in jeopardy of being removed.
"According to law, Prada Marfa is considered outdoor advertising, and a state license and permit are required. Prada Marfa does not have either of those," said Texas Department of Transportation representative Veronica Beyer. "Obviously we appreciate artwork, and we enjoy seeing it across our beautiful state. But like all other outdoor signs, we have to make sure that they follow federal and state law," she continued. "The real big issue here is that 10 percent of our federal transportation funding is tied to us following these laws. We are at risk of losing 10 percent of federal highway funding—which is huge for Texas." When asked if the federal government had actually made any such threat, Beyer responded, "We need to check that out for you."
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have acquired a minority ownership stake in e-commerce brand BeachMint, reports WWD. The company, which comprises ShoeMint, IntiMint, StyleMint (the Olsens have served as designers here since 2011), and JewelMint (which just announced a collaboration with Richard Chai), has brought the busy twentysomethings onboard to consult and serve as co-chairs of its advisory board.
The twins have already proven themselves in the fashion biz, what with the success of Elizabeth and James, Olsenboye, and, of course, their luxury line, The Row. Their latest investment makes us think that this pair might just be en route to becoming a whole new breed of fashion mogul.
Goossens does a brisk business with its perennials—namely sautoirs, brooches, and cuffs much in the spirit of Gabrielle Chanel. That stands to reason, because Mme. Chanel worked with the jewelry brand's founder, Robert Goossens, for years. (It's worth pointing out, though, that while Chanel now owns the brand, Goossens does not make Chanel's costume jewelry.)
For Spring, Goossens continues to expand on its heritage with what its president Patrick Goossens calls "a relaxed take on Indian jewelry." The house offered bohemian maharini rings, hoop earrings, and stackable bangles. There's also the geometric Baguette story, with Y necklaces made of tinted rock crystals and poured glass in soft-focus hues of peach, violet, gray, and blue. Some pieces, such as an asymmetrical necklace, can do double duty as a wraparound bracelet. And then there is the statement-making Alchemie collection. "My father worked a lot with Celtic symbols and nature-related esoterica, always with beneficial meanings," explains Goossens. This brand history was reborn in a handful of runes in rock crystal and gilded bronze, and talismans that radiated an aura of mystery—not to mention androgynous allure.
It's back. Topshop announced today that it's reigniting its hyper-successful collaboration with Kate Moss. Moss worked on fourteen collections for the high street retailer between 2007 and 2010, all of which were inspired by her own saucy, bohemian style.
So why did the model decide Spring '14 was the right time to revive the range? "I have really missed being involved in the design process, and working with the team at TOPSHOP," she said in a press release.
"Now more than ever with London being at the forefront of fashion…it feels like I'm back home working with TOPSHOP." Moss is currently designing the lineup with Topshop's creative director Kate Phelan. The new offering will hit stores worldwide in April 2014.
Last Friday night, Teen Vogue kicked off the weekend with its annual Young Hollywood party to celebrate the silver screen's rising stars. To no one's surprise, Kiernan Shipka ranked among the best dressed of the evening. Stepping out in a black top and silver and black paisley-print pants from Emporio Armani, the 13-year-old starlet consistently masters the fine art of appearing mature and sophisticated yet youthful and age-appropriate at the same time. Modern Family's Sarah Hyland was also in attendance in a white Clover Canyon frock with a playful print that featured everything from colorful florals to skiers racing down the hem of the skirt.
Tilda Swinton, the master of androgynous chic, continues to nail menswear-inspired trends on the red carpet. On Wednesday evening she accepted the Douglas Sirk Award at the Hamburg Film Festival in Germany in an all-black Haider Ackermann pantsuit, accented with a diamond brooch and striking red lips. The following afternoon, Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore gave us a double dose of Dolce at the unveiling of Moore's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Moretz paired red heels with her blush-pink Dolce & Gabbana dress, while Moore opted for a pale yellow dress with sparkles along the neck and wrists. Meanwhile, on Thursday in Madrid, Hailee Steinfeld donned a black diamond-patterned skirt with a kitschy Markus Lupfer sweatshirt covered in sequined pouty lips to a photo call for her new film, Ender's Game. Paired with knee-high black Stuart Weitzman boots (and bangs!), Steinfeld put a fresh twist on schoolgirl chic.
