Feck Fashion Week photo galleries. Style.com has them. So, too, does New York, Coutorture, the Daily News, Fashionista, and the endless blogs with readerships of two hundred. And they're all the same! WireImage or Getty or some other service that everyone is pulling from. Even the party photos on Guest of a Guest and Down By The Hipster are indistinguishable. So we appreciate this entry from BlackBook — the first entry of illustrated coverage we've seen, and it's quite to our liking. It's of Charlotte Ronson's afterparty at Country Club on 14th Street, where Lindsay Lohan, Sam Ronson, and Nicole Richie made guests feel fat.
Stylist to the starlets Rachel Zoe's new television show premieres tonight. At 11pm. Just in time for you to miss it because there's a Fashion Week party to attend and not a free minute to program your DVR. But The Rachel Zoe Project is on Bravo, which means NBC Universal's media empire most use its powers of synergy to promote the thing. Thus, today's Zoe appearance on the Today show, where she answers the question "Like, why are you making a TV show?" Responds the woman known to the world as Raisinface: Because people were already talking shit about her, and rather than start a MySpace blog to defend herself, she opted to get paid a low five-figure fee per episode to tell her side of things. Also, re: Nicole Richie? Hasn't spoke to her in a year. And re: promoting the anorexic image? Well, of Zoe's 10 current lady clients, none are size zeroes — and she absolutely doesn't promote being super slim for the sake of fashion! Zoe just catches the blame because, well, society wants a scapegoat. And they don't like ugly people. CONTINUED »
Jann Wenner, proving he has style
Bauer has Life & Style. Time Inc.'s People has People StyleWatch. And soon Wenner Media's Us Weekly will have its own fashion spin-off. Despite evidence the faltering economy caused celebrity weeklies' readership to plateau, Jann Wenner is betting a fashion quarterly, launching in the spring, is just what American women want. Inarguably, the demographic's obsession with celebrity style remains; if a trend expert came along and said it was "increasing," we'd believe 'em. So Wenner's bet might be a step in the right direction, given this startling statistic: "[People's] StyleWatch this year raised its guaranteed circulation by 100,000 to 650,000 and now sells more copies on the newsstand than more established fashion monthlies like Elle and Vogue." Then again, Wenner is notorious for being late the game. He still hasn't bothered to invest much cash in the Internet, purposefully allowing others to blaze the trail (and bleed coffers) figuring out their web strategy, which he'll be more than happy to replicate. He's shown he's willing to cut corners. And when American Media tried leveraging Star's expertise to launch the style book Celebrity Living, it flamed out in spectacular fashion. And let's not forget Wenner's other spin-off attempts. He tried remaking Rolling Stone into a reality show and, well, viewers just loved it, didn't they?
While Fashion Week attendees fight over front-row seats so they can more easily make eyes with Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Richie, mere mortals like us hit the tents for a more worthwhile purpose: spotting runway mishaps. Yes, a model stumbling is worth a footnote, and a model falling is worth a headline, but what about a model nipslip? Leave it to Hervé Léger, the revived fashion label that Max Azria took over, which is notorious for its skin-tight fashions that leave zero body fat to the imagination. From Sunday's show, filled with slim leggy girls who, we assumed, wouldn't even have breasts fatty enough to pop out: CONTINUED »
When the historically-hyped all-black Vogue Italia hit the shelves this summer, fashion-philes everywhere wondered if the magazine's focus on black models would change the fashion industry. Would the people in charge of the white-washed runways and magazines see the light and try to be more diverse in their casting practices. During New York's Fall 2008 Fashion Week earlier this year — pre-Vogue Italia — I counted the black models present at a selection of fashion shows. The numbers were as expected but pretty disappointing, save for impressive showings from Diane Von Furstenburg and, of course, Tracy Reese.
So did Vogue Italia change the fashion world? Are black models finally getting the shine they deserve? Unless you believe that more of the same was what they deserved, not exactly. However, at the Spring 2009 shows, currently taking place in Bryant Park, things certainly haven't get worse, and many designers that only had one black model in their shows at least doubled the number this time around. Fashion week isn't over yet, but here's a guess — designers might not care to drastically alter their formulas, but few, if any, will dare have an all-white show.
Runway shows aren't cheap, what with the decor, bids for Bryant Park permits, and complimentary eight balls needed to get models out of bed in the morning. So corporate sponsorship is par the course for these events — to pay the bills, yes, but also because a brand's involvement in Fashion Week supposedly proffers an air of "cool" upon the paying customer. (Hence, Oral B's presence at the House of Cassette show, among others. Indeed, the models all had very white, brittle teeth, from brushing after throwing up.)
But while Evian and Revlon are natural fits in an environment where water and cosmetics are the only things in heavy rotation, some of this year's Fashion Week sponsors point to a disturbing trend in financial outsourcing:
CONTINUED »
How relieved were you to find out that Justin Timberlake's William Rast campaign was for a clothing line and not a terrible, terrible Natural Born Killers rip-off he was starring in?
It can almost be excused then, the JT's premiere at Fashion Week last night at Roseland Ballroom featured a supporting cast that read like a who's who of 2008 douchery; Jeremy Piven and the Entourage cast, back from their mile-high season premiere, took front-row seats, while Anna Wintour had to beg to be let backstage to meet her favorite member of N'Sync. Some bouncer didn't recognize The Devil Wears Prada muse when he barred her from the private entrance, and was subsequently devoured at a post-show supper featuring fava beans and a nice chianti.
By now you've probably flipped through the fall fashion books, and made your way to a bikram yoga class to work out all the kinks in your back and shoulders that tend to afflict persons carrying an extra 21 pounds — because that's how much weight you were lugging around if you picked up the September issues of Allure thru W. (For what it's worth, it's lighter than last year's load.) The crowning jewel of the heavy mags was, of course, Vogue, whose 798 pages weighed in at a whopping 3.74 pounds. [Folio] It's just Anna Wintour's way of telling this year's runway models how much weight they have to lose if they plan on walking in this season's shows.
The theme of New York's Fashion Week? Poor people. The Migrant Mother look is in right now, what with the recession and everything making it harder to buy that $4,000 "peasant skirt" from Saks. "Women will pare down to essentials and make what they have go further, both in fashion and in their day-to-day spending, say trend-watchers and designers who unveil spring 2009 looks at New York's semi-annual Fashion Week starting on Friday," says somebody paying attention. It's like the Depression all over again, but this time with irony.
Okay, whatever. There were no blogs during the Depression, thank god. OMG banks took farm. Mood: Pensive.
On the heels of the Vogue India debacle, where the country's poor and infirm were used as models to shill haute couture, it's just a lil' bit presumptuous to have New York runway shows with messages like "dress conservatively for the harsh economic winters ahead." Like, so what if the Euro is still kicking your ass? At least you aren't in a country where half the residents live off less than a buck twenty five a day.
And make up your mind, Fashion. Either you are trying to sell Burberry to those below the poverty line, or you're making rich people dress in sackcloth. Not both, or the time-space continuum will rip.
Regardless of the state of the economy or metaphysics, here's hoping Betsy Johnson's new mauve line is called Grapes of Wraps (ba-dum-bum).
There was the fake Louis Vuitton trash bag. The fake Louis Vuitton car, mo-ped, place mat, and store front. And now, something even Jason Preston wouldn't carve into his own head. If Louis Vuitton can sue eBay, they sure as shit better be able to sue the jerk-off responsible for this.[Daily Fiasco via Kempt]
Sears' most recent ad campaign of a High School Musical collection failed to attract the coveted macho (but still letting mom pick out their shirts) demographic. To counteract the prissiness, the brand has signed a deal with the U.S. Army that will allow the insignia of the troops to be placed on civilian apparel for the first time, making it even easier for teens in the Midwest to jump from mallrat to Iraqi target, since shooting guns and driving SUVs around in baggy pants is the same no matter what continent you're on. And Generation Kill made it look like so much fun.
Usually the impetus for joining the Army has something to do with patriotism or financial straits; turning it into a fashion statement is diabolically genius in a way only mid-range affordable department stores can be. (By the way, that sound you hear isn't gunshots, but the noise Chico's executives make as they vigorously slap their hands to their foreheads for not thinking of the idea first.)
Hey, at least it's for a good cause: Money from the "authentic lifestyle reinterpretations" line will go towards Sears' "Heroes at Home" program, which provides house renovations to military families. For a down payment of $11.99 today, you can get a return investment as soon as your kid goes off to war, dies, and leaves you with a broken home. Success!
Oh to be a blogger who yearns to cover Fashion Week! The semi-annual two week party with fancier clothes than usual is also where the power struggle between the old guard (fashion houses and their PR agencies) and the new regime (us Web 2.0 types) goes down. The two warriors clash, negotiate, and, on the dozens of occasions we've heard about, go home together. Mostly, the furor between the two erupts over credentialing — the clipboarding process where a publicist says yes or no to media outlets who want to cover their clients' shows. These days, as the DNC and RNC saw, bloggers sees themselves entitled — equally, if not more so — to the same lavish treatment and access as the established players, like those who produce their content on actual paper. Except the publicists, who are paid to promote and protect their clients' image, are wary about the wayward things a blogger might post. And the fact that she could criticize a runway show in real time, as the models are still walking. This is scary. Which is why publicists like Kelly Cutrone, of fashion PR firm People's Revolution and The Hills regular, don't want to deal with this shit. CONTINUED »
Porn star and producer Michael Lucas has started a fashion blog. It features the (strict?) top wearing clothes you probably don't want to use in wiping the lube off your hand, and other body parts. [Lucas Fashion]
Stylista judge and Elle creative director Joe Zee may or may not be ruining the magazine, may or may not be polluting the magazinewith shirtless model boys, but most certainly is leveraging the magazine to cement his own brand.
Enter "From A to Zee," the most clever take on "From A to Z" since Centrum's "From A to Zinc." Zee's new web feature is a 26-page listing of his favorite things for fall; if popular, we see the feature returning in the winter, spring, and that season when everybody leaves New York.
But as with any "A to Z" list, where objects of desire must begin with the letter of the alphabet on whose page they appear, we're never impressed with what they can come up with for letters like B, G, or M. Give a second-grader some blocks with letters on 'em, and he'll be able to find a word that begins with C ("car") or H ("harlequin").
It's those tricky letters, like Q, X, Y, and Z, that must impress us.
Inevitably, X always turns into something that is "Xtreme" (as it does with Zee's list) or "X Marks the Spot," as it does in Departure magazine's "Dress Code: The A-to-Z Style Guide" this month. But how does Zee manage with for the rest of the challenging alphabet? CONTINUED »
(Click to enlarge)
Call it exploitation, post-colonialism, or poor marketing, but the image seen here is actually part of a high-end fashion spread. The editorial layout, which features a toothless gent identified only as "man" who holds a $200 Burberry umbrella, is part of Vogue India's attempt to capitalize on the nation's growing middle class.
The mag's August issue featured not models, but "average" citizens, all unnamed, holding designer bags and couture items. Yes: Poor people wearing items they couldn't afford with the sale of both kidneys.
Generally, we'd applaud the use of non-models in a fashion book. But we usually reserve our "thanks for not using anorexic models" applause for those who don't substitute them with "skinny because of malnourishment" persons.
Most Indians survive well below the poverty line on less than $1.25 a day, giving this whole spread a very disturbing Derelicte-Zoolander vibe. But it's the way Vogue India is using its models — Look! Silly poor people! — to appeal to the middle class (that thi that's supposed to help get rid of the caste system) that's so offensive. CONTINUED »
Fashion guru and silver fox Tim Gunn commented on tween dream Hannah Montana's appearance, noting that "She's just a little too tart," and went on to say she looked 25, not 15, forgetting that's the end goal of every teenage girl. So Miley Cyrus/Hannah is right on track.
Unlike most teenage girls though, Hannah and Miley's look is personally manufactured by the Disney Channel, Annie Leibowitz, and whoever else on the PR payroll in the Burgeoning Sexuality Of Teenage Girls indystry. One might argue Project Runway, which Gunn hosts, is a cog in the very same machine, albeit on a different channel.
Mr. Gunn has been commenting on high-profile celebs a lot recently, including Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain. We're now turning to Gunn for every minor fashion question; he is the Carson Kressley of the late 00s.
Kate Moss, the supermodel with a sordid history and a gold statue of herself on display in a British museum, has hit upon a novel idea and she wants to share it with the world. As it turns out, being a professional model is not the best diet plan in the world, "You go to a show and there's no food at all … I remember standing up in the bath one day and … I was so thin! I was never anorexic … I remember thinking, I don't want to be this skinny."
Not to knock the idea that fashion runways and the modeling industry create unrealistic body-image expectations for young women, but Kate is picking an interesting time (two weeks before New York's Fashion Week, which kicks off the global event) and place (Andy Warhol's magazine) to drop this truth bomb on the world.
Kate's clothing line Topshop is on the brink of a lucrative deal in China, and all of a sudden the formerly mum model gets all chatty with Vogue and Interview about eating disorders? If she really wanted to do something about the pressure models face about their body image, she'd put a sandwich where her mouth is and move up a cup size or two.
Marc Jacobs nooooooooooo. Why are you picking those Russian faux-lesbians from t.A.T.u. for the face of your new fall line? It doesn't make any sense. Fine, they may be as obsessed about their outward appearance as you, but it's way too late to cash in on their 15 minutes, and way too early to try and make an ironic comeback statement. The reason you sign somebody on the matrix of celebrity is to generate buzz, not because you actually find them inspiring. Sigh. Below, "behind-the-scenes" of Jacobs' new blah-spiration: CONTINUED »
Last night's The Hills wasn't the only "reality" show that's begging our attention. So too is Vogue's non-reality web series, which debuted its first episode after spending last month wrapped in hype.
On model reality shows, the first episode is where you meet the characters that you're going to love, hate, and want to be over the course of the series. So let's meet the narcissistic talent, shall we? CONTINUED »
A show of hands here: Who plans on buying a Louis Vuitton bag because it supports Al Gore's climate change project? How about slapping down an extra 300 bucks for a gold-painted recycling logo on your $2,300 Murakami bag?
The fashion biz, like every other industry, is feeling the push to "go green," which is less about climate change than it is about including warm fuzzies about Mother Nature in your marketing campaign. This means a look book stuffed with descriptions like "organic" and "environmentally sustainable."
It's comparable (but not quite as bad) as Exxon saying they are green because they've met with some environmental lobbyists. Or McDonalds saying their food is healthier in reaction to Supersize Me. Except in fashion, it's overconsumers like Marc Jacobs who pretend to send the message.
CONTINUED »
Editorial Director
