Mankini's, bustiers and handbags on the Mens catwalk????

The mens shows have been a tad dissapointing, but mens fashion is pretty much limited anyway.

How to spice it up? Introduce heels and handbags and the ocassional mankini.

Even the occassional "bustier" showed up.

FROM the beaches of Kazakhstan to the catwalks of Milan, enter Borat, fashion arbiter. The mankini has finally found its way into high fashion.

JUST IN!!! Sneek pic- July All Black Vogue Italia.

From left: Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn and Naomi Campbell.

Cathy did it again. The New York Times got a sneak preview of Italian Vogue's all-black issue, and now we can resolve the pressing Who's the Cover Girl issue: As you see, Liya Kebede got the top spot on the fold-out cover followed by Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, and Naomi Campbell. She gives us a sneak peek at the Steven Miesel pictures for Vogue Italia. The All Black Vogue Italia issue will be on European newsstands next Thursday and in the United States soon after.

Racial prejudice in the fashion industry has long persisted because of tokenism and lookism. For the July issue of Italian Vogue, Steven Meisel, one of the most influential photographers in fashion, has photographed only black models. Naomi Campbell is featured in one of these images.

In a reverse of the general pattern of fashion magazines, all the faces in the July issue of Italian Vogue, including Sessilee Lopez, are black, and all the feature topics are related to black women in the arts and entertainment.

Mr. Meisel was given roughly 100 pages for his photographs.

Tyra Banks

Ms. Sozzani (Editor, Italian Vogue) said the issue was not a response to criticism that she, too, has under-represented blacks or portrayed them as stereotypes. “Mine is not a magazine that can be accused of not using black girls,” said Ms. Sozzani, noting that Naomi Campbell has had several covers, and that Liya Kebede and Alek Wek have also had covers

Naomi Campbell

Over Ms. Sozzani’s initial objections, Steven Meisel also hired Toccara Jones, a full-figure model, who became known from “America’s Next Top Model.” “I wanted to say something about weight, and I’m never allowed to do that,” he said. “I met Toccara and thought, she’s beautiful. What’s the deal with her? She’s great and she’s sexy.”

Sessilee Lopez

Ladies, life truly does not get much better. First Obama, then this.

Read Conspicuous by their absence

Is it a thong, Is it a boot? Open booties anyone?

This is one trend that goes waaaayy above our heads. Is it a shoe, Is is a boot? Sorry, we are just not cool or sophisticated enough. We cannot even pretend to get it. We saw it last season, as a shoe boot?

And now, - the thong boot. If anyone gets it, please explain.


It is described as "Downtown cool with a certain sophistication. Like something we picked up while vacationing in Italy." If they wear it in Italy, it must be okay right???
The point of wearing boots is to keep your feet toasty, right? The point of wearing thongs is to keep your feet airy. Or is the thong bootie to keep your ankles warm.
We will continue to try to understand. It just all seems rather redundant.

Harry Potter star lands $6m Chanel deal, Naomi settles housekeeper dispute.

Nice job to land at 18.

Emma Watson, the actress who stars as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, is the new face of Coco Mademoiselle, the Chanel fragrance.

The 18-year-old has signed a two-year contract worth £3 million with the French fashion house, and will replace another young British actress, Keira Knightley, who has featured in its advertising campaign for the past two years.

Miss Watson has signed with Storm, the leading model agency, which was thought to have secured her first major campaign.

Chanel has been dressing her for film premieres in recent months. Chanel claims to be creating a new role for Miss Knightley. What? That of Emma Watsons mother?



'Once it became clear she is growing into a beautiful young woman and wears the Chanel brand so elegantly, they had to sign her up. Chanel realises it is important to target a young audience.' Now, we know what Mr. Lagerfeld watches in his spare time.

NAOMI CAMPBELL SETTLES HOUSEKEEPER CASE -June 16/08

Don't know about you but we certainly are finding it hard to keep track of Naomi's shenanigans as much as find them so very exciting. Yes, we'll date the post titles:) and see if it works.

WHILE Naomi Campbell is gearing up to appear in court this week to answer charges relating to that incident at Heathrow Terminal 5, she can at least breathe a sigh of relief having settled another case against a former housekeeper at an employment tribunal.

The supermodel has settled out of court with Slovakian former maid Ivana Lovas, who brought a case of racial and sexual harassment, unfair dismissal and breach of contract against her - claiming that Campbell made her life a "living hell" prior to being forced to quit her job last October.

In this latest case, she has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum - which is reported to run into thousands of pounds - in damages.

"I can confirm the matter has been resolved," one of her representatives confirmed to the Sunday Mirror.

Clooneys' ex - Larsen lands major fashion campaign.

Who knew being a gold digger would pay off so fast and so furiously. Ladies, head off to Vegas and apply for that job as a cocktail waitress and before you get to Vegas, stop off, eat some scorpions on that ridiculous show - Fear Factor. You might meet your own potential meal ticket.

Oh well, Ashley Dupre is also a star, of sorts. A girl has to find work after her meal ticket expires.

Trust men to make such an obvious mistake, Clooney does not bring anyone out in decades and then shows up with Miss Cocktail waitress who is bent on milking every single last cent out of her fame by association. Yeesh!

Larsen is the new face of "Christian Audigier" a member of the same group that make the "Ed Hardy" and "SMET' fashion lines.

"She is a fresh, elegant and classy girl," says the designer of his new muse, who models a variety of dresses from his new couture line in the ads. "I saw her on a red carpet and liked her style and European look."

Did you mean "her Vegas look" perhaps?

Larson was in LA last week for the shoot, which will be unveiled later this month, according to PEOPLE.COM.

Lanvin Resort 09 - Hampton meets Hawaii

Alber Elbaz described his cruise collection as a Frenchified take on American sportswear, with plenty of that South Fork easy allure. "But twisted Hamptons," he noted while tucking into a bowl of sorbet to the helium strains of Dolly Parton at his Paris studio on Saturday. Shapes are light and languid, not to mention a bit Thirties with an emphasis on a new elongated silhouette for the house.



Case in point: his polkadot silk gazar column gown worthy of a latter-day siren à la Jean Harlow. Add to that the designer's cheekily embroidered T-shirt matched with a formal floor-length silk skirt and his "jogging suit for the woman who doesn't jog" cut in sexy black silk and you get the rest of the season's message: carefree glamour.

His accessories, in his words, "screaming" — embellishments spicing up the collection. Especially notable are his versions of a luxury lei: glitzy garlands made from iridescent flowers strung on fake pearl necklaces. (WWD)

30% off Anya Hindmarch - 3 days only!

Swarovski Runway Rocks!

SWAROVSKI RUNWAY ROCKS, the glittering catwalk show hosted by Nadja Swarovski at The Phillips De Pury Gally in SW1 last night, featured innovative crystal designs from the likes of Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane and Marios Schwab.

Of the show, Nadja Swarovski said: "Last night's show was the culmination of five years of innovation and creativity in jewellery design by the world's most cutting-edge designers, using Swarovski crystal. We are proud and honoured to be able to work with such visionary individuals."















Johnny Rocket's creation



Each one-of-a-kind creation was a celebration of crystal - while the more wearable creations from Marios Schwab and Christopher Kane incorporated the style from their ready-to-wear shows (Schwab's model wore a long, body con dress draped with crystal pearls while Kane's girl swapped ripped layers of denim for white crystals), others were avant-garde reminders of what a little crystal can do to enhance an outfit.



Zaha Hadid, Alexander Byrne, Farah Khan and Erickson Beamon, one of my favorite jewellery makers ever was featured. To view Erickson Beamon jewellery, check out BlueBee.com









Corset-maker-to-the-stars, Mr Pearl stayed true to form and created a crystal-embellished corset for Swarovski Fashion Rocks. Amazingly amazing!

The night's glittering Swarovski Runway Rocks was one hell of a hot night - in every sense of the word.

The air-conditioning was off and guests were left fanning themselves.



Just Gorgeous and breathtaking. Watch the show at SwarovskisparKlesTV











Julien McDonald for Swarovski Fashion Rocks

New York leads Fashion week 2009 line up.

Where this coveted position in the kick off of Fashion Month for the year used to belong to London, launching ahead of New York, Milan and Paris, these days it's settled in between and equal to the big guns, taking the second spot after the world's buyers and press return to Europe having witnessed New York kick off the collections.

There could still be a change in schedule however, as CFDA is trying to prevent its members from having to show over Labour Day - which traditionally falls on the first Monday of September.

In a bid to try and start the date shake up as early as possible, that means the Council, headed by Diane Von Furstenberg, has announced that New York Fashion Week will run from February 13 to 20 (as opposed to the more traditional February 6 to 13). In other words, it'll run straight over London Fashion Week.

So far it looks like London will have just four full days to show - from February 21, the day after New York ends, to February 24, the day before Milan Fashion Week launches.

We want to give all the designers enough time to produce and deliver their collections between seasons, and international fashion weeks have been under pressure for some time to condense for press and buyers who find it difficult to spend so long away from their businesses," says a spokesperson for the BFC.

Click here to view your Fashion Calendar

Mischa Bartons Chanel Carnival look.

Chanel handbag, diamante black heels and a Broderie Anglais summer dress aren't what you'd usually wear to a carnival but then again not everyone is Mischa Barton.

The actress was at the A Time For Heroes Celebrity Carnival in LA to support an AIDS charity. Do you like Mischa's carnival look? (

Are "It" handbags now a thing of the Past?

Think about it, its been a while since we had a Baguette, a Balenciaga, a Chanel - the handbag that was guaranteed to open doors and earn you respect. Are women finally coming to their senses??

Our own new favorite handbag, practical with the right amount of fashion rush.

Of course there are still a few women who rush out there to purchase whatever purses are declared to be the new thing, but even they cannot ultimately keep up with the unending roster of handbags that we are bombarded by. Show-off, celebrity-endorsed totes, with silly names and even sillier price tags, are the fashion equivalent of negative equity. Face it, there has been no "it" bag for a while and frankly we hope it stays that way.

But what to carry instead? Something anonymous and expensive by an unknown brand? A blue-chip classic? Or something cheap and cheerful? These are all sensible options, but they don’t provide that magical fashion hit.

The bags that matter now are the ones that work with the wearer, rather than overpowering them. Instead of being a catch-all purchase that guarantees instant fashionability, it is part of a bigger picture.

These bags reflect the lifestyle, personality and attitude of the wearer, not just their bank balance. When you look at it like that, brand names and price tags matter less than quality, design and general gorgeousness.

And thats the way it should stay. Say hello to the "Me" bag! Me buys it, because Me likes it!

CK " Secret Obsession" last minute venue change.

GUESTS wanting to enjoy a glass of bubbly with Eva Mendes for the launch of Calvin Klein's new fragrance, Secret Obsession, in New York last night had their hopes dashed when organiser Coty Inc cancelled the party at the eleventh hour due to a dispute over the venue.

The location, on SoHo's Broome Street, was vetoed on the afternoon of the party when the building's landlord apparently realised that the tenant had rented out the venue without notice.

"Coty Inc, the licensee for Calvin Klein fragrances, had planned to celebrate the launch of its latest Calvin Klein fragrance at a private New York City residence last night," the company explained in a statement.

"As a result of ongoing disputes related to the use of the contemplated space, of which it was not aware until shortly before the proposed commencement of the event, Coty felt compelled to cancel the event as Coty did not wish to be embroiled in a dispute to which it was not a party.

Calvin Klein Inc was not involved in the production of this event."

All was not lost, however; despite the short notice, the party managed to relocate to Barolo restaurant on West Broadway, reports The Daily

Target wont quit, Hindmarch and Morrisson added to roster.

Target just wont quit. Anya Hindmarch and Sigerson Morrisson join the roster of celebrity designers for Target. Target is partnering with renowned footwear designers Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison to launch a limited-edition footwear collection, Sigerson Morrison for Target.

Left: Anya Hindermarch pewter collection

They've just announced two new limited-edition diffusion lines by Anya Hindmarch and Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison of Sigerson Morrison.

Anya Hindmarch handbags:
This collection is the sixth handbag launch in a series of limited-time-only accessories designers at Target.

The Anya Hindmarch for Target collection will be available at select Target stores nationwide and at Target.com October 12 through December 26, 2008.


Sigerson Morrison will do the shoe collections. This is the third footwear collection in a series of limited-time-only accessories designers at Target. The Sigerson Morrison for Target collection will be available at select Target stores nationwide and at Target.com October 12, 2008 through December 26, 2008.

Paris bids adieu to Yves St. Laurent

PARIS — Hundreds of onlookers thronged behind barriers around the Eglise Saint-Roch here Thursday as the world of fashion bid adieu to Yves Saint Laurent.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, accompanied by First Lady Carla Bruni, decorated Saint Laurent’s oak coffin with the French flag and gave Saint Laurent military honors in the late designer’s capacity as a grand officer in the French Legion of Honor.

When Saint Laurent’s remains arrived at the 17th century church on the Rue Saint-Honore on the Right Bank, applause erupted from the crowd that had come to pay their respects to the celebrated couturier, who retired in 2002.

Saint Laurent died of brain cancer last Sunday at age 71.The memorial mass is likely to be remembered as one of the most important and biggest French fashion funerals since the death of Christian Dior in 1957.

People began to arrive in the morning to stake out a spot behind the police cordon from which to watch the mass. A giant-screen television, first broadcasting YSL fashion shows, was erected outside the church for the public, who snaked around the block. Inside, the church, Paris’ parish for artists, was redolent with lilies and jasmine, while the outside was ringed with bouquets of white roses.

The mass started at 3:30 p.m., but the more than 800 guests began to trickle in as early as two o’clock. A visibly emotive Catherine Deneuve arrived cradling a bouquet of wheat. “Saint Laurent was pure elegance,” she said.

Other notables included Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Christian Lacroix, John Galliano, Alber Elbaz, Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Stefano Pilati, Kenzo Takada, Hubert de Givenchy, Vivienne Westwood and Ricardo Tisci. Giorgio Armani and Hedi Slimane were among designers awaited, but were ultimately unable to attend.



LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman Bernard Arnault, PPR owner Francois Pinault, Bernadette Chirac, Paris mayor Betrand Delanoe, Jacqueline de Ribes, Philippine de Rothschild, Farah Diba, Bethy Lagardere, French writer Bernard Henri-Levy and his wife Arielle Dombasle, Ines de laFressange, Laetitia Casta and Claudia Schiffer also climbed the stone steps to the church. (WWD)

Why Linda Evangelista is STILL a "Supermodel"

Before there was Giselle, there was Linda!. Linda Evangelista that is. There were Linda, Christy, Cindy and Naomi. The original Supermodels.
They were the real butter, everything else after that is "I can't believe its not butter." Something else masquerading as the real thing.
Canadian Linda Evangelista makes the cover of June Vogue Italia as we all wait with bated breath for the much hyped July vogue Italia issue with the all black models.
Linda Evangelista was one of the best of the best models in the 90's and now, at age 40 something, she looks like she can still teach younger models a thing or two about modelling.


Lindas' chameleonlike ability to transform herself was what booked her jobs until she made her now infamous statement about how she wouldn't get out of bed for "less than $10,000 a day".
That statement in 2008 does not seem the least bit inflammatory but back then, it drew gasps. Linda was the favorite of Vogue Italia in the 90's after featuring in an unprecedented number of covers.

YVES ST.LAURENT IS DEAD!

Yves Saint Laurent, one of the greatest fashion designers in history, died at his home in Paris late Sunday at 71 after a long, undisclosed illness. He had been bedridden recently and friends said in the last week he had been unable to eat or talk. Saint Laurent had been rarely seen over the last year, and even then he was wheelchair bound and weak.

The designer’s health had been precarious throughout his life. At age 21, he burst onto the scene as the sensational new designer at Christian Dior, replacing the late Monsieur Dior himself. The bespectacled, shy, soft-spoken designer quickly became an icon — and would remain so for the next five decades.

Informed of Saint Laurent’s death, Oscar de la Renta said: “His circle had become smaller than small and he saw only his closest and most loyal friends — Loulou de la Falaise, Betty Catroux, Pierre Bergé.…He marked a period of fashion in an extraordinary and exciting way. He had an eye for color, an eye for the exotic. At one point, for a very long time, he was the king of fashion. Everyone wanted to be Yves Saint Laurent. He was such an unbelievably gifted man. He sketched beautifully, he wrote beautifully.

“He’s my big fashion hero and always has been and it’s really sad that he’s gone,” said Marc Jacobs Sunday night of Saint Laurent’s death. “I just think to me and to so many others he has been such a great inspiration in terms of everything, first and foremost in terms design. Saint Laurent was the first to look at youth and street culture and take elements and make them chic.

Yet Saint Laurent always seemed to have a love-hate relationship with the fashion world. On the one hand capable of breathtaking creativity, the pressures continually wore on his nervous nature and he would disappear for months to recuperate. There were so many warnings over the state of his health through the Eighties and Nineties that they became a type of macabre joke — rivaled only by quips over what color his hair would be when he would take his bow.

Throughout his life, Saint Laurent shunned the spotlight. With homes in Paris and New York, a villa in Marrakech and a chateau in Normandy, he could create his own environments. He owned paintings by Goya, Matisse, Leger, Munch, Klee, Picasso and Cezanne but it was the writer Marcel Proust whose work most informed his life. At Chateau Gabriel, a 19th-century castle in Normandy that he owned jointly with Bergé, all the guest rooms were named for Proustian characters.

He was a voracious reader, with Christian Berard, Jean Cocteau, Orlean Petit, Louis Jouvet — and, of course, Proust — among his favorites. He said he never wanted to finish reading “Remembrance of Things Past” because he couldn’t bear to part with it.

His parents wanted him to study law. He wanted to go to Paris and study art. In 1953, when he was 17, he did. A year later, he met Michel de Brunhoff, director of the French edition of Vogue, and sold him some sketches. At de Brunhoff’s suggestion, Saint Laurent entered a contest sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat. One of the judges was Christian Dior, who looked at the drawings and realized they had a startling similarity to his own sketches. Saint Laurent was hired as an assistant

He said his happiest and most productive period was the late Sixties and early Seventies, during which he introduced his “rich peasant” look, his gangster tuxedos and his “tarty” Forties collection.

“I work because I have to,” he said, “not to make money, but for the people who depend on me. If I don’t create the next collection, and the collection after that, they will end up on the streets.”

At the end of October 2002, Saint Laurent left his atelier and his office for the last time. “I am much more at peace now,” he told WWD, adding he had no regrets. “I am not sad — just nostalgic.”

At 1 p.m. Saint Laurent left the premises for the last time, his faithful dog, Moujik, in tow.

Over the next six years, the designer would devote himself to the foundation, mounting exhibitions culled from the house’s vast archives. He would appear in public occasionally, always saying he was glad to be out of fashion.

After all, as Saint Laurent said in a phrase that could serve as his mantra, “Fashions fade. Style is eternal.”

OOPS! Why are you wearing my one of a kind dress???

This week for the New York premiere of “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker wore a strapless Nina Ricci gown designed by Olivier Theyskens. It was one of 40 outfits that Parker planned for the movie’s premieres in London and Berlin, and the press junkets. New Yorkers have no trouble seeing SJP as Carrie, and given the TV show’s name-dropping familiarity with the fashion world, what she wore to the opening was bound to get attention. It had to be a stand-out.


Left, Sarah Jessica Parker at the New York premiere of “Sex and the City” in a Nina Ricci gown designed by Olivier Theyskens. Right, Lauren (Davis) Santo Domingo at the Met ball with Olivier Theyskens. (Photos: Joshua Lott/Rueters, left; Billy Farrell/PatrickMcMullan.com)

Parker was surprised, then, to learn the morning after the premiere that the silver pleated Ricci dress had already been worn on a red-carpet—by Lauren (Davis) Santo Domingo at the Met ball, on May 5. Santo Domingo went to the Met with Theyskens.
What bothered Parker was that she felt she had been deceived by both Grauso and Theyskens, who met her in the studio and assured her that the dress had never been worn except for magazine shoots.
Now she feels she was used by the house. Look, my affection for the dress hasn’t changed,” she said, “but what they did was so short-sighted. It’s just unethical and disappointing that they would allow the dress to be worn again.”

On Grauso - “He didn’t say, ‘Well, actually I just escorted Lauren down the red carpet at the Met.’ ” said Parker, adding, “I just wish it had been handled differently and they had been straight about it.” (NYT)
Grauso claims they did not inform the actress because Lauren Davis is NOT a celebrity and that he and the designer only think of her as a friend. What a cop-out but what a seriously juicy story.
Grauso who heads the house then asks incredulously, "Does everyone look at Style.com?'.
We ask, did somebody just put their foot in their mouth?

As always with SJP, she took the high road.

Sneak peek at Versace Resort 2009

For cruise, Donatella Versace went to town with drapes and tucks, combining loose and slim pieces with references to the Victorian era. The color choices spanned from muted desert tones to vivid brights in a range of silks and crisp cottons. Donatella, you can do so much better, I am such a huge fan of Donatella's stuff. Spring 2008 was phenomenal, just perfect (If you ever find yourself in Bailly Romainvilliers, France -check out the Versace outlet. I hope they are not closed down yet.)

It kinda looks cheap and even the collar necklace cannot distract from the fact that the looks are so eighties and so tired and so lame. Can you believe the Press release? The colors date back to the Victorian Era. The colors spanned from muted Desert tones - Victorian and desert? Okay, now we've just heard it all from the land of PR and writing copy.



It looks like a collection for Steve and Barrys, or H&M or .....you get the picture and it would be perfect. But Versace?.....



Now that you know our opinion, :) What do you think of the new Versace Resort 2009 looks?



Maybe we should wait to see the rest of the collection. There might be a few redeeming pieces in there.

Our obsession with all things Tory Burch

Everyone including ourselves seem to have a Tory Burch obsession. Extremely moderately priced, her caftans, clutches and shift dresses appeal to both high-end shoppers and those on a budget. That's why they're endlessly copied, the Palm Beachy printed clutches at Old Navy, the two-tone cardigans with jeweled buttons at J. Crew, the beaded tunics at Banana Republic, the indispensable flat shoe with a gold insignia on the toe at Target.

Tpry Burch Sequined Silk Tunic - $998.00

Look everywhere, notice the often copied gold insignia on just about every slipper etc in department stores have been influenced by her designs.
What took Ralph Lauren decades -- developing brand signatures such as the Polo pony, Polo shirt, concho belt and blanket coat -- Burch has done in a handful of years. The tunic top, the sequin knit dress, the dickey sweater and the $195 Reva ballet flat named after her mom and adorned with the double-T logo have become classic designs, some of which are cleverly re-created as charms on a bracelet. (More than 300,000 pairs of Reva flats have been sold.)

She launched her line in February 2004 at her own retail store in New York, before wholesaling it. She began with 15 categories, which is a lot for any business starting out. Many pieces, such as the caftans and espadrilles, were inspired by things that her parents wore when they vacationed in the 1960s in Morocco.
Of course, things took off in 2005 after she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. Her site Toryburch.com got over 8 million hits the next day.
With handbag sales up 50% and accessories sales up 200% last year, she'll be unveiling more small leather goods and jewelry.



Tory Burch Provence Woven Clutch - $275.00

But she's also standing at a precipice so visible and so imitated that she has to be careful not to fizzle out. (Kate Spade comes to mind.) (latimes)
Tory Burch is easily the DVF of this generation.