Posts for October 7th 2009

Miu Miu

Miuccia Prada Interprets "Innocence" with Cat and Bird Prints for Miu Miu Spring 2010

>> Kate Moss, who attended Yves Saint Laurent a couple of days ago, was in the house for Miu Miu — as were Baz Luhrmann and Renee Zellweger.
Miuccia Prada Interprets "Innocence" with Cat and Bird Prints for Miu Miu Spring 2010

>> Kate Moss, who attended Yves Saint Laurent a couple of days ago, was in the house for Miu Miu — as were Baz Luhrmann and Renee Zellweger. Miuccia Prada took one of her favorite themes — "pretty perversity," as Suzy Menkes describes it — and sent out a trail of looks mixing prints of cats, swallows, or reclining nudes.  Daisy fasteners were affixed on clutch bags.

“It is fresh — about how innocence can survive in this world,” Prada said of the collection, which juxtaposed sweet skirts and schoolgirl collars with bra-like cut-outs and harnesses; Prada exclusive Lindsay Wixson closed, wearing a crystal "rib-lace" — a harness-like necklace that passed beneath the bra.

Interesting side-note — apparently Miu Miu has departed from a number of US department stores after a disagreement over how it should be displayed, writes the Wall Street Journal: "the company wanted their own store-in-stores, while the stores wanted to mix Miu Miu in with the other bags, according to a person familiar with the company."

Vogue

Irving Penn, One of Fashion's Most Influential Photographers, Dead at 92

>> Irving Penn, one of the fashion industry's most influential photographers, died this morning at his home in Manhattan, according to a friend.  He was 92.

>> Irving Penn, one of the fashion industry's most influential photographers, died this morning at his home in Manhattan, according to a friend.  He was 92.

Penn started out in 1937 as an unpaid design assistant at Harper's Bazaar, but it wasn't until he was hired as assistant to Vogue's art director Alexander Liberman in 1943 that his career started taking off.  His first assignment involved designing Vogue's covers: He sketched out several designs, but none of the staff photographers would oblige, so at Liberman's behest, he photographed them himself. His very first color photograph for Vogue, a still life of a gloves, belt and pocketbook, became a cover — October 1, 1943.  His photographs appeared on over 150 Vogue covers over the next 50 years.

His perfectionism comes through in his work — Liberman related a story of when Penn was asked to take a picture of glasses falling from a serving tray.  He apparently insisted that Baccarat crystal be used for authenticity's sake, and went through several dozen shattered glasses before the final picture met his standards.

In 1947, Penn was asked to make a group portrait of the twelve most photographed beauties of that era.  At that session, he met Lisa Fonssagrives, a few years older than he and credited by some as the first supermodel.  They fell in love and were married in 1950. The two collaborated together, producing what become some of Penn's most memorable pictures — including “Rochas ‘Mermaid Dress,’ Paris” and “Woman with Roses, Paris” — on his first assignment to photograph the Paris collections for Vogue. "I didn't know Balenciaga from a baseball player," Penn told Vogue in 2007. "But she was a real pro. And she was not offensive about teaching me."  Their marriage lasted 42 years, until she passed away at 80 in 1992.

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton Spring 2010: All Clogs, Raccoon Tails, and Massive Fros

>> Louis Vuitton started exactly on time this afternoon, leaving more than a few editors shut out and half the front row empty; of those who did make it inside in time, some were still on the runway when the show commenced, leaving opener Patricia Van der Vliet to barge right through.  Every single girl had on a sky-high afros, each made from five smaller wigs sewn together, which bobbed "up and down like big pom pom balls" as they walked; Grace Coddington apparently "whooped with delight" at the first sight of them.

>> Louis Vuitton started exactly on time this afternoon, leaving more than a few editors shut out and half the front row empty; of those who did make it inside in time, some were still on the runway when the show commenced, leaving opener Patricia Van der Vliet to barge right through.  Every single girl had on a sky-high afros, each made from five smaller wigs sewn together, which bobbed "up and down like big pom pom balls" as they walked; Grace Coddington apparently "whooped with delight" at the first sight of them.

A flurry of models were front row — Sophie Dahl and her fiance Jamie Cullum, Natalia Vodianova, Daisy Lowe — but Georgia May Jagger was a surprise on the catwalk.  The show, inspired by the '80s and '90s New Age traveller and “street clothes, embracing the hippie-cyber, tribal-punk world,” according to Marc Jacobs, included everything from kitten-heeled clogs to bags with raccoon tails — straight from Williamsburg hipsters — to bike shorts and glitter anoraks.  And Jacobs himself wore a pair of the furry clogs for the finale.

Vogue

>> Anna Wintour Left Paris Fashion Week Early —Anna Wintour reportedly left Paris days ago — she was last seen at Dior on Friday — presumedly to deal with how she's going to cut Vogue's budget by 25 percent for 2010.  Her plan must be completed in the next two days so changes can be implemented quickly — layoffs (if that is how she chooses to rebudget) may be announced as early as Friday.

>> Anna Wintour Left Paris Fashion Week Early —Anna Wintour reportedly left Paris days ago — she was last seen at Dior on Friday — presumedly to deal with how she's going to cut Vogue's budget by 25 percent for 2010.  Her plan must be completed in the next two days so changes can be implemented quickly — layoffs (if that is how she chooses to rebudget) may be announced as early as Friday. [FWD, FWD]

feature

Fashion in 50 Seconds 10/07/09 Spring's New Nail Color

Peter Philips putty-colored nails a Chanel are the new Jade.  Lily Cole is co-designing an ethical knitwear collection and shoppers will be invited to design custom pieces online.  Simon Doonan will decorate Barney's holiday windows with "Saturday Night Live" theme.

Peter Philips putty-colored nails a Chanel are the new Jade. 

Lily Cole is co-designing an ethical knitwear collection and shoppers will be invited to design custom pieces online. 

Simon Doonan will decorate Barney's holiday windows with "Saturday Night Live" theme.

Daphne Guiness in Vogue Italia shot by Steven Klein.

Club Monaco stores now selling vintage jewelry.

Versace closes its Japanese stores.

Source: Getty