>> When it's cold and dreary outside, we're keen on cozying up indoors. This Winter, we suggest you lounge around in our chic options from Bamford, J.Crew, Anthropologie, and Burberry. Vintage-inspired pajamas, cashmere robes, shearling-lined slippers . . . staying in never looked so good!
>> Michael Kors is hitting 30 years in the business this year, but just because he's celebrating doesn't mean he's slowing down, he tells the Los Angeles Times: "There will be another 30 years. I'm not 80. This isn't the hydraulic lift coming up at the Oscars and the slow wave. I still feel like a kid."
His attitude toward designing has changed since he started, however: "Initially, my clothes couldn't be expensive enough. I went from thinking fashion was only the provenance of big-city affluent people, to thinking you could be 14 or 80, live in the city or suburbs, have endless money or a limited budget, and buy something great-looking at the right price for you. The world has changed, and people look and feel better for it."
And he plays his part to make sure the lower-priced Michael Michael Kors collection is quality: "I always say, 'If you blurred your eyes, would the wealthiest person in the world want to wear it?' If the answer is no, we don't make it."
Kors, who dressed Mark Wahlberg's wife, Rhea Durham, for the Golden Globes over the weekend, doesn't see himself as a red carpet panderer: "If it's a client of ours, or someone I'm intrigued by, then collaboration is great. But we're never going to have rolling racks with ball gowns all over town. That's not who we are."
But he does have ambitions in the entertainment industry. He's represented by Creative Artists Agency, and although he doesn't want to direct a la Tom Ford, he says, "My real love is theater and stage. But unfortunately, my day job is busy, to say the least. Could we see Michael Kors the impresario in the future? Maybe. Producing something would be intriguing."
>> Tunic-over-pants pairings came back with a vengeance for Pre-Fall 2011 thanks to designers like Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, and The Row. No need to wait mid-year to nab the look: peep our two looks, one casual, one dressy, and get inspired for the next wave of throwback cool.
Casually Cunning, left to right: Electric Feathers Kimono Coat ($633), Topshop Stone Square Stud Earrings ($20), Zero + Maria Cornejo Cade Tunic ($695), Free People Super Skinny 5 Pocket Jeans ($78), Diane von Furstenberg Philomena Clutch ($325), Alexander Wang Ines Loafers ($425)
Fancy pants, left to right: Marc Jacobs Leaf Applique Tunic ($1,511, originally $3,022), Hope Hubert Trouser ($218), Lover Harvest Moon Cropped Blazer ($131, originally $435), Ben-Amun Green Double Square Drop Earrings ($80), Michael Antonio Luna Satin Pumps ($60)
>> Kate Middleton has reportedly chosen a wedding dress designer, and although London couturier Bruce Oldfield's name keeps coming up, it sounds like another British designer could be a possibility. On Friday, Middleton was spotted on a shopping trip to Bicester Village, the designer outlet center in Oxfordshire, with her mother and sister. Apparently the Middletons are regulars at the outlet, but Temperley London — whose designer Alice Temperley did Milla Jovovich's wedding dress, for example — was one of the stores they visited, and it could be the right choice if Middleton wants to be budget-conscious, which, based on her past decisions, seems to be of utmost importance to her. [WWD]
>> Vogue is treading new cover girl territory, what with Kristen Stewart on the February 2011 cover and upcoming Vogue covers for two more first timers — Lady Gaga and Rihanna — but the Stewart cover also marks another first: Proenza Schouler's first Vogue cover. And the coup doesn't stop there — Stewart wears Proenza exclusively in the cover story, including outtakes.
Stewart first wore Proenza in November 2009, at the London Twilight Saga: New Moon premiere, but Lazaro Hernandez says that he and Jack McCollough hadn't met her physically until when they were photographed by Mario Testino together for the Vogue cover story. "She's very the girl we have in mind when we design," he added. "It's cool to see Kristen in the clothes because she's not 'the lady,' and that's exactly who we see in those clothes."
>> If you're searching for an inspiring Winter outfit, look no further. This street-snapped cutie looks simultaneously cozy and cool in a pleated maxi skirt, cable knit sweater, camel coat, and brown lace-up booties. Smitten? Emulate the look with pieces from Charlotte Ronson, Rag & Bone, Mango, and American Apparel.
Left to right: Mango Wool Mix Camel Coat ($241), Falke Soft Merino Tights ($65), Charlotte Ronson Pleated Maxi Skirt ($175, originally $250), Topshop Camel Felt Floppy Hat ($50), Rag & Bone Combat Boots ($248, originally $495), Gap Cable Knit Sweater ($30, originally $60), American Apparel Skinny Belt ($34)
Photo courtesy of the lookbook.nu
>> In the past year, Gareth Pugh has been rumored to be taking jobs at both Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler. Obviously neither of those worked out — Sarah Burton is now in place at McQueen, and Nicola Formichetti has filled in at Mugler — but when it comes to an opportunity at another label, Pugh says: "I would never say never. I have never been asked so I wouldn't know whether I would say yes or no. If I did do it, it would certainly have to be the right thing. I'm not holding out for that. It would obviously change the way I work and the way I live and I'm quite happy with what I do at the moment so it would have to be a very good offer."
He continued: "There have been so many rumours. How many jobs can one person do? To be honest with you, I thought that the McQueen thing was a little in bad taste with the circumstances surrounding that. Other than the inappropriateness of it, it is vaguely flattering but obviously the inappropriateness did rather take over."
And it sounds like he didn't necessarily feel qualified for the McQueen job: "I met [McQueen] a couple of times but I didn't know him as a person, I never worked with him. They obviously have a very specific way of working there — and Sarah Burton obviously worked with him for a long, long time and to be given that role and responsibility is a tough one. To step into those shoes, I'm not jealous of that situation at all, I don't envy her position. It's flattering but I think a little ill-founded."
>> Jourdan Dunn appeared in Vincent Cassel's Yves Saint Laurent men's fragrance campaign a couple of years ago, but for Spring 2011, she's got her own Yves Saint Laurent beauty campaign. Shot by Terry Richardson for YSL Touche Eclat, the ad marks Dunn's first solo beauty campaign and her first big campaign since her pregnancy in 2009. [Models.com]
>> Tao Kurihara, who showed her first Tao Comme des Garcons collection in March 2005 for the Fall 2005 season, has decided to end the label; the last Tao collection will be the Spring 2011 collection, which was shown during Paris Fashion Week last October.
“Tao wants to have a change of lifestyle and prefers to concentrate her creative energies on the ever popular label Tricot Comme des Garcons, shown in Tokyo twice a year,” Comme des Garcons explained in a statement. Kurihara, who worked assisting Junya Watanabe at Tricot Comme des Garcons after graduating from Central St. Martins in 1997, took over creative direction of Tricot from Watanabe starting with the Fall 2002 collection.
>> If quirky flatforms, spotted all over Derek Lam, Vena Cava, and Prada's Spring runways, strike your fancy, it's time to step up to the plate. Don't wait until Spring: our fresh picks from Elizabeth and James, Chloe, and Joie can be worked into your Winter wardrobe now — try them with wooly tights and a pair of skinny cords — and then come warmer weather with freshly exfoliated legs and a cute Summer dress.
