>> INSIDER WIRE —The MTV revival of House of Style is so on — and Sports Illustrated cover model Bar Refaeli comes with it. She confirmed that she starts shooting "right after all the parties for Sports Illustrated." No word on whether Chanel Iman, who was also approached about hosting, signed on, but she is appearing on another show — Gossip Girl; she's said to have filmed a cameo last week. [Time, Daily Intel]
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>> The longtime Jil Sander campaign team of photographer Willy Vanderperre and stylist Olivier Rizzo have done it again — this time with Natasha Poly going solo. The Spring 2009 campaign captures the essence of the brand — all minimalism, all the time — with its stark, high contrast take on black and white and shadows. It's quite the departure from their more commercial image turn for the Fall 2008 season, and highlights all the best parts of the Spring 2009 collection — the shape of the shoe, the silhouette of the fringe, the slice of the earring.
>> INSIDER WIRE —It looks like Olivier Theyskens and Nina Ricci owner Puig are continuing to play nice — just a couple of weeks after Olivier was seen sitting at the Nina Ricci table with the brand's president Manuel Puig during a charity event, the Paris Fashion Week calendar has been released, and Nina Ricci is on it, business as usual. It looks like Theyskens might stay on until his contract ends in October — but sources say that Peter Copping is indeed in line to replace him after that. [WWD]
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>> Stefano Pilati approaches the high-low differently than most designers — instead of doing a line for Target, H&M, or Topshop, he sends messengers out to the streets carrying the Yves Saint Laurent Manifesto. Over half a million copies of the twenty-page fourth installment hit the pavement in Paris, London (details where), Milan, Tokyo, and New York on Valentine's Day — Feb. 14 — to inflitrate the public. The lucky first 2,000 passersby in each city go home with a cotton YSL tote bag festooned with heart-shaped USB, loaded with images of current campaign face Claudia Schiffer, plus a behind-the-scenes video of the Hollywood Hills shoot she did with Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Also fun: the additions of centerfold poster and removable stickers.
For those not in one of the aforementioned five cities, the Manifesto debuts on ysl.com the same day. Until then . . .
Lollie Shopping reported on the new Spring 09 Cole Haan campaign, poised to debut next week.
StyleChile interviewed Ursula Stephen, the hair stylist behind Rihanna's sleek coif and a slew of other well-groomed celebrities.
Fashion Copius posted the 12 March i-D magazine covers, featuring British models of many generations.
Eye4Style posted the M.A.C. Hello Kitty video which, as tradition goes, is quite "out there".
>> BLOWING THE COVER —There's still no news on Michelle Obama attending Fashion Week, but it's finally been confirmed that she's appearing on the March 2009 cover of Vogue — in magenta Jason Wu, no less. Inside, her two of her other favorites from her own wardrobe — Narciso Rodriguez and J.Crew — get play. The two portraits were, as suspected, taken by Annie Leibovitz at the Hay-Adams Hotel in January — no pictures are out until tomorrow, but the Washington Post has plenty of descriptory detail. [WashPo, Fashionista]
UPDATE: The cover! [Style.com]
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>> Fall 2009 is jewelry's time to shine, judging by all of the collaborations debuting during Fashion Week. Besides Alexander Wang working with Paris Kain of AbraxasRex on "industrial," "animalistic" pieces, Bensoni commissioned Bing Bang's Anna Sheffield to do candy heart necklaces with pyramid pendants, Jason Wu enlisted Philip Crangi to add a "tough element" to his collection, Gilles Mendel and Subversive's Justin Giunta teamed up for chains and jewels to will appear on and worked into the J.Mendel collection, Eddie Borgo channeled his triangle obsession for Jen Kao, producing a sharp set of baubles — and he also working with Joseph Altuzarra. Not to mention a variety of other partners in jeweldom: Hervé Van der Straeten and Ruffian, Thakoon and Fenton's Dana Lorenz, DanniJo and Trovata, Roxanne Assouline and Brian Reyes . . .
Needless to say, the bijoux will be aplenty this season — especially because those partnerships are a good way to for jewelry designers get pieces out there without spending money — "You'll see a lot of collaborations going on with designers — like Irene Neuwirth is doing jewelry for Richard Chai — so you can see the talent at the same time," says CFDA executive director Steven Kolb.
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FORM takes inspiration from the curvature, texture, and hue of the fresh water oyster. Cashmere jersey, cashmere angora, silk charmeuse, silk chiffon, and silk georgette in ivory, dove grey, and black are all staples this season. FORM is even introducing fox fur mufflers and fox fur attachments that contain various compartments for multifunctional use.
>> INSIDER WIRE —Is Teen Vogue getting a French counterpart? It's rumored that Carine Roitfeld is asking some her junior editors — her former assistant Melanie Huynh, perhaps? — to launch a youth-focused edition of Vogue Paris, which will be published biannually. And while we're on Vogue Paris rumors — Iris Strubegger is said to have cut her hair for a cover, "out in March" — could it be the coveted March 2009 cover, the one with a "fresh new face striking a stark but elegant pose"? [FWD, Place Models]
Last night in London ELLE magazine held their annual Style Awards ceremony in which readers voted for their favorite trendsetters. TV Personality Alexa Chung, who wore Chanel, hosted the event. Courtney Love, who wore Givenchy Haute Couture, was voted Woman Of The Year. Sienna Miller was named Elle's Style Icon and Christopher Kane was named British Designer Of The Year. Kane also revealed his intention to keep his Fall 2009 collection pared down and simpler than previous seasons. For pictures, click on the link above and be sure to check out Fabsugar UK's coverage of the event.
