Snakeskin prints are a cool way to add an element of texture to your outfit without necessarily breaking the bank. From Roberto Cavalli's snakeskin deco print dress, which gives the appearance of actual scales, to a simple cropped blouse from Topshop, this trend can be found at all price points. Pair snakeskin prints with denim or black elements for a crisp summer look.
Last night Burberry staked their claim on the New York City skyline by lighting up 50-foot-long Burberry signs atop their new Madison Avenue headquarters. Thanks in part to the establishment of The Burberry Foundation and a $50,000 donation to local youth projects, Mayor Bloomberg declared yesterday "Burberry Day" in New York. There to celebrate were Burberry's Christopher Bailey, Lily Donaldson, Terence Koh, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and more. Check out photos from last night's rooftop fête atop The Palace Hotel in the gallery below.
Like this year's Armani Collezioni Cruise range, the Giorgio Armani Cruise 2010 collection stayed close to home. Trim suiting, shades of grey and slinky cocktail sheaths are instantly recognizable as signatures while a few key surprises, like geometric prints and bursts of color, keep the collection seeming alive and new.
Miuccia Prada was interviewed by CNN's Talk Asia and spoke about wader boots, the Italian stock exchange and how she went to mime school for six years. ..
Emma Cook is discontinuing her line next Fall while Veronique Branquinho is in the process of liquidating.
A few new names have made it onto the Men's Fashion Week roster including Tim Hamilton and Alexis Mabille.
H&M's uptown opening called for shopping and drinking by a good number of pant-less partygoers.
>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —A number of designers are sticking to what works for the Fall 2009 ad campaigns, and Donatella Versace is taking it to the extreme — a new preview of Versace's upcoming ads (left), features Gisele Bundchen looking almost exactly the same as she does in a shot from the brand's Spring 2008 campaign (right). Marc Jacobs, too, is sticking with a formula at Louis Vuitton, pairing Madonna and Steven Meisel for the second season, but for his own label, it sounds like he's forgoing a celebrity face in favor of multiple models. [TFS, ONTD_FF, TFS]
>> Christian Lacroix, filed a petition for protection from creditors — the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection — in a Paris court today, which will then decide whether to restructure or liquidate the company.
Lacroix CEO Nicolas Topiol said he plans "a continuation of the business, but the crisis has definitely hit us below the knees." He declined to say how much was owed, but did say that ready-to-wear sales for Fall 2009 were down 35 percent and losses for 2008 were about $14 million on overall revenues of approximately $42 million. He characterized couture sales — Lacroix's bread and butter — in 2008 as “flattish,” but far better than those for ready-to-wear.
Today's petition throws the status of Lacroix's Cruise 2010 and Fall 2009 couture participation, both coming up — the latter in early July — into question, but Topiol said both collections are still in progress. A scaled-back couture presentation is "most likely" — the strain of finances on the company was already visable during the Fall 2009 show, which was held in a parking garage with only broken mirrors providing decor — and noted that couture remains Lacroix's "most flexible business because we do most of it internally and we have a very dedicated group of clients.”
Some restructuring, including job cuts for some of the firm's 125 employees, is expected, but a sale of the company is also a possibility — Lacroix's owner, Falic Group, has been in advanced discussions with a group of Swiss investors. Topiol's take-home message? The filing “doesn’t mean the end of the story. It’s the beginning of another chapter.”
>> THE MODELIZER —Rumors are circulating that Vogue Italia is taking extra measures to keep its covers secret until they come out — apparently they've starting using nondisclosure forms forbidding anyone working on set from leaking details — but apparently there's no such policy for Vogue Paris. Sessilee Lopez tweeted about a Vogue shoot she did with Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin today, and COACD confirmed it was for Vogue Paris — her first with the magazine. No word on whether it's for a cover or inside the book. [TFS, TFS, SessileeLopez Twitter, COACD Twitter]
