>> Anna Wintour joined New York as fashion editor in 1981 and was there through 1983, when she left to become creative director at Vogue. A handful of the spreads she produced while at New York have turned up, and many show the seeds of Vogue's future. In one, there's a photograph of a model at a grocery, a concept that Wintour has used at Vogue since; another called "Fur For All Seasons," is staunchly pro-fur — there's even a tiny credit: "None of the furs shown is on the endangered species list. Still another is photographed by Peter Lindbergh, who Wintour has employed often for Vogue.
Posts for July 2009
Givenchy Launches Redux, A Slightly Lower-Priced Line of Greatest Hits (Including Shoes!)
>> Riccardo Tisci launched a capsule collection of his greatest hits — called Redux — along with Givenchy Resort 2010 in June, but what he failed to mention before is that this isn't just a one-time thing: he plans to show a Redux collection twice a year alongside his pre-collections. In stores in October, the first Redux collection, focusing on studs and white blouses, will also include shoes — all less expensive than the usual runway offerings; prices start at approximately $350.
>> Andre Leon Talley Almost Didn't Make the Final Cut of The September Issue —Last night, The September Issue director RJ Cutler made an appearance at the SoHo Apple Store in New York, revealing that in the process of editing down the enormous amount of footage he had, Andre Leon Talley was actually entirely eliminated from a late-stage cut of the film. He mentioned that after Anna Wintour saw a rough cut of the film, she had a long list of suggestions — perhaps one of them was getting ALT back, because as we know, he and his "famine of beauty" are definitely in the final cut. [The Shophound]
Good on Tomas Maier: Bottega Veneta Is Currently PPR's Only Brand Seeing a Rise in Sales
>> Just a few days after LVMH reported a decline, causing all marketing to be cut save for its top-performing brands, PPR reported a 76 percent decline in first-half profits. Tomas Maier can breathe a sigh of relief: the company's only area of growth was Bottega Veneta, on which PPR has been focusing, which saw an 8.6 percent rise in sales in the second quarter.
At flagship brand Gucci, which accounts for the bulk of Gucci Group's profits, Frida Giannini was credited by PPR chairman Francois-Henri Pinault for bolstering PPR as a whole with sustained demand for her bags in China.
>> Victoria Beckham Rumored to be October 2009 Vogue Cover Girl —Victoria Beckham has covered Vogue UK, India, and Russia, but she's never had an individual cover for Vogue, only appearing with the Spice Girls in January 1998. With the success of her namesake dress line Victoria Beckham Collection, which has been selling briskly on Net-a-Porter and for which she recently shot an upcoming campaign, plus an impending perfume launch in the States, supposedly October is the month that a PR effort has wrangled for her individual debut. [Chic Report]
Roberto Cavalli, Wife of 28 Years Eva, May Have Split
>> In the past year, Roberto Cavalli has commissioned a one bedroom home on his existing 32-acre estate in the Florentine countryside of Italy, fanning rumors that he and his business partner and second wife, Eva, of 28 years have split. Their business partnership seems to continue — they took a bow at the end of the Cavalli menswear show together on June 22 — and she still lives in his previous home with the parrots and the indoor pool, just steps away, but when JJ Martin of T Magazine asked him if he ever goes into his old house:
He decisively responds, "No, no, no." Does Eva mind his absence? "I don't know," he answers quietly. "You'll have to ask her." So this is a way to live together but apart, I suggest. "Right," he says. "Is that bad?"
>> New York Post Maintains Hearst Is In Talks to Take Over Elle —Despite the fact that Elle owner Lagardere released a statement denying the New York Post's report earlier this week that Lagardere was exploring a deal with Harper's Bazaar publisher Hearst to take over the US operations of Elle, the New York Post responded today, stating that it "stands by its story." [NY Post]
Alexander Wang, Gareth Pugh, and More Are Scooping Up Chance to Show at MAC and Milk's Free New York Fashion Week Venue
>> Soon after Maybelline announced it would be be taking over from five-year Bryant Park cosmetics sponsor MAC, MAC — presumedly, as New York Times' Eric Wilson put it, tired of having to share "a rather circuslike stage with other sponsors who were competing for attention, sometimes including makers of doughnuts, cameras, toilets and Big Macs" — announced that it would be producing the tentatively-titled MAC and Milk Fashion Week with Milk Studios at the same time as the traditional New York Fashion Week.
The event can be seen as either a complement or a competitor to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, but on the record, anyway, there seem to be no hard feelings. Milk Studios founder Mazdack Rassi says of the initiative: "This week is not an alternative show space, it's a way of cultivating designers and helping them come up with new ways of selling their clothes." And Zach Eichman, a VP of IMG Fashion, which produces the shows at Bryant Park, told the New York Times last week the company welcomed the MAC and Milk event and that bus service between shows would be available when possible. “We can’t do every show in the tents. We hope they will be successful.”
Marcus Lupfer Launches Yet Another Collection For Topshop
Knitwear designer Marcus Lupfur's most recent capsule collection for Topshop hit shelves this week. The German-born designer began producing small capsule collections for Topshop back in 1999--just a year after he launched his own namesake label, which today sells to the likes of Net-a-Porter and Colette. Lupfur is also currently the creative director of Armand Basi One, a family-owned knitwear brand from Barcelona, Spain. As for his Topshop collection, this week's release includes oversized knits decorated with pineapples, parrots and half-opened mouths. The fine gauge cotton yarn sweaters all retail for $170.
Shopping: Draped Skirts Do All The Work

Thanks to Nicolas Ghesquière, a draped skirt is at the top of everyone's fall must-have list. His Fall 2009 collection for Balenciaga revealed numerous examples, each one more glamorous than the next. Luckily, there are plenty of styles on the market for fall. We especially love the jersey renderings, sent out by contemporary designers like Alexander Wang.

