>> THE MODELIZER —The infamous 2006 suit against Naomi Campbell — the one where her maid alleged verbal abuse, plus a little bout of being struck on the head with a cell phone for not finding Naomi's designer jeans — has officially been settled. Terms of the agreement are confidential, but Naomi always denied the claims and was never charged with any crime in the matter. [AP]
*image: source
>> Alexander Wang may be skipping his legendary fashion show after-party this February, but he's got a more democratic treat in store instead: the T by Alexander Wang line he promised back in August, just as described. “Necklines are stretched and armholes are strategically lowered so that it looks worn in. It’s like sleeping in a T-shirt and then wearing it the next day. It’s not this crisp little T out of the dryer. It’s draped and kind of wilted." The twelve styles of dresses, tops, and tanks are a third of the price of his mainline — think dresses for around $85, tees around $75. Stock hits stores by the end of the month, and Saks already has some pieces available for pre-order.
>> INSIDER WIRE —Marc Jacobs might be losing his right-hand man at Louis Vuitton, Peter Copping, who recently met with Mario Grauso, president of Puig. This could mean Grauso is thinking of replacing Olivier Theyskens with Copping when his Nina Ricci contract runs out in October, or he could be looking at him as a successor to Carolina Herrera. [WWD]
>> Carine Roitfeld wanted to make Lara Stone a star with her dedicated February 2009 issue of Vogue Paris — so is it working? Peter Lindbergh coaxed the man in the suit out of her, a la Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista in 1991; Nan Goldin gave her the grunge treatment; Hedi Slimane captured her glamour — and that's just the beginning. Some are disappointed with the issue, but one thing's for sure — people are talking, and it's not just the usual Lara too-much-nudity fodder. Pretty good for "a girl who under any other circumstance would have been found to be 'too big' or 'too . . . umm mature' to fit into the [modeling] standard."
Gallery is NSFW.
*image: source
Pretty Legit has some February Vogue eye-candy and she's none too happy with the recumbent arrangements.
Fancy a tour of some of Tokyo's coolest shops? The Glossy captures her travels to the city before skipping off to Hong Kong.
Fashion Verbatim loves to entice their readers to feel something when it comes to fashion and, well, yes, this outfit did make us a little salty.
Poetic & Chic wrote on the Spring 09 Louis Vuitton ad campaign featuring Madonna. She writes, "Vuitton is still going day-glo, over-the-top, and high profile in a time when people are tightening belts and shopping the closet.".
>> INSIDER WIRE —PETA has been heavily targeting Donna Karan since the latter half of 2008 — storming her DKNY runway in September, papering the streets of New York with "Bunny Butcher" ads in November, launching the now-offline DonnaKaranBunnyButcher.com in December. As a result, she vowed to be fur-free for Fall 2009, with "no plans" to use fur in the future. Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein have been past PETA targets . . . and it sounds like Giorgio Armani is next on the list. [PETA]
Last night we attended the second annual Supima Competition For Emerging Designers runway show at Gotham Hall. The competition promotes both young design talent and the usage of Supima cotton as a high fashion textile. Designers were judged based on the categories "Innovation in Knits", "Innovation in Denim and Chambray", and "Innovation in Superfine Shirting" and were supplied with ten yards of top-quality fabric, a model, and a private fitting appointment prior to the show. Check out our photos from last night's event below, and, to see who won the competition, click here.
>> The September Issue, RJ Cutler's documentary film about the making of the September 2007 issue of Vogue, doesn't premiere until this weekend at Sundance — Anna Wintour's attending in support — but a first look is available below, with Anna grilling two editors on whether pink is the most appropriate message for September. Cutler filmed in the Vogue offices for eight months, coming away with 300 hours of footage, and even though the project was Anna-approved, he didn't always feel welcome.
Apparently, creative director Grace Coddington wasn't a fan of Cutler — "The first thing she said to me was go away . . . She couldn’t throw us out of the building because she’s not the boss. Anna’s the boss and she had invited us in. But she was unhappy to see us. And when Grace is unhappy to see you, that’s not the place anyone wants to be. God bless her, she [eventually] gave us a chance." Daughter Bee Shaffer, plus plenty of designers — Karl Lagerfeld, Thakoon Panichgul, Nicolas Ghesquiere — all make appearances, and there's even an especially timely moment where Wintour ponders the end of her career.
Marc Jacobs took his inspiration for the Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2009 collection from "a book about wartime fashions"--well, at least he isn't sugar coating it. Aside from a couple of suspiciously tent-like day dresses we think this throwback is a welcome one. Still present in the collection are modern platform heels, cropped trousers, and fur bombers which help bring the retro cuts and accessories up to date.
