Posts for December 2012

Switzerland

All the Best Shots From This Weekend's Winter Chic Fest in Switzerland

Arizona Muse, Carey Mulligan, Poppy Delevingne, Teresa Missoni, and Waris Ahluwalia were among those who made the trek to Switzerland this past weekend for ASMALLWORLD's third annual Winter Weekend getaway.
ASMALLWORLD Weekend in Gstaad, Switzerland 2012 | Pictures

Arizona Muse, Carey Mulligan, Poppy Delevingne, Teresa Missoni, and Waris Ahluwalia were among those who made the trek to Switzerland this past weekend for ASMALLWORLD's third annual Winter Weekend getaway. And though it may have been frosty on the slopes outside the Gstaad Palace Hotel where the weekend's festivities took place, there was plenty on the docket to keep guests toasty.

On Friday evening, the crowd kicked off the fun with a champagne cocktail and diamond hunt. The big winner of the evening was Tali Lennox, who, clad in a two-toned leopard-print minidress, ended up winning the grand prize: a glittering pair of Bucherer diamond hoops. The next day it was off to the lifts, where Jessica Joffe and Lily Kwong showed off their best cold-weather getups (no puffy snowsuits here) while Muse frolicked with son Nikko in the snow before joining the rest of the crew for a fondue feast.

And that wasn't all. Saturday evening's black-tie charity gala hosted by Mulligan had everyone from Harley Viera-Newton to Harvey Weinstein in high spirits — especially when singer Alysha Umphress took to the stage for a surprise performance.

Highlights from the weekend, here in the slideshow.

Link Time

Nicola Formichetti's Greatest Fear, Dree Hemingway's Desert Trip, and the Queen of the Runway

All the bits fit to print here, in our daily news roundup.



All the bits fit to print here, in our daily news roundup.

  • Dree Hemingway and longtime friend Jesse John Jenkins turned a road trip in the California desert into a candid photo shoot. [Nowness]

  • In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the queen's coronation, Buckingham Palace will host a fashion show of royally approved designers next July. [Telegraph]

  • Chopard is celebrating Harrods' collaboration with Disney with a line of haute joaillerie inspired by the Disney princesses. [High Snobette]

  • Mark your calendars: Lifetime will air the documentary, Project Runway Spotlight: Marchesa, this Thursday. [Styleite]

  • Monique Lhuillier will debut a capsule collection of bridal shoes for Fall 2013. [WWD]

  • Are designer collaborations falling out of fashion? Industry folk seem to think so. [Racked]

  • The rumor that Diesel founder Renzo Rosso plans to buy a stake in Marni has resurfaced. [Telegraph]

  • Thanks to Derek Blasberg, crafting the perfect thank-you note just got a whole lot easier. [Opening Ceremony Blog]

  • Michael Kors has collaborated with Alexandra Richards to create an exclusive holiday playlist. [Fashionologie Inbox]

  • Marisa Miller and husband Griffin Guess welcomed son Gavin Lee over the weekend. [Modelinia]

  • An apple a day will make Nicola Formichetti run away. [Glamour]

    Photo Source: Nowness

  • Valentino

    Watch: Inside Valentino's Master of Couture Exhibit

    "For me it was very important to give the essence of femininity, the essence of glamour, and the essence of haute couture," said Valentino of his legendary body of work.

    "For me it was very important to give the essence of femininity, the essence of glamour, and the essence of haute couture," said Valentino of his legendary body of work. "It's like a sculpture that is done in the body of the lady."

    In a just released short film, the designer shows off some of the "sculptures" that are on display at London's Somerset House as part of the exhibit Valentino: Master of Couture. Mannequins dressed in some of the designer's most iconic dresses are arranged on either side of a long, wide runway. "It's quite amusing for people to go and do the runway themselves and to watch the clothes seated and being spectators."

    Some of the dresses in the show date back to his first collections in the '60s, and some are seriously famous: Pieces worn by Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are featured, and so is the dress Julia Roberts wore when she won the Oscar for Erin Brockovich in 2001.

    "I have been so lucky in my career," Valentino said of how important his clothing has been. "I don't know if I deserve it or not, but I have been very very lucky." Get an inside glimpse at the exhibit, which runs through Mar. 3, 2013, in the video below.

    Balenciaga

    Candid Grace: Coddington on Ghesquière, Wang, and Galliano

    Grace Coddington isn't keeping quiet about what she thinks of Alexander Wang replacing her friend Nicolas Ghesquière as creative director of Balenciaga.

    Grace Coddington isn't keeping quiet about what she thinks of Alexander Wang replacing her friend Nicolas Ghesquière as creative director of Balenciaga.

    Coddington, who said last month that she hoped Ghesquière wouldn't "just give up and walk away" from fashion, has added her voice to the chorus of people commenting on Wang's new job. She told The Huffington Post that she's optimistic about the future of the house. She also shared her thoughts on Ghesquière's possible future plans, and on whether John Galliano will ever make a comeback.

    On Wang designing for Balenciaga: "I'm sure Alexander Wang will do really well. He's very well-liked. It's an incredibly difficult thing to take over for Nicolas because there are all the old fuddy-duddy people like me digging their heels in. But you've got to embrace it — it's happened. I'm sure the Gucci people thought long and carefully, they didn't just pull him out of a hat. And he fit all their criteria."

    On whether Wang can really replace Ghesquière: "Don't think of it as the same house as it was when Nicolas was the creative director; that's everybody's mistake. Don't think of it as a replacement for Nicolas, because it isn't. Alexander has a whole different agenda. He's a very confident young man, he's cute-looking, girls love him, he's an 'It' person and he makes very affordable clothes. I haven't spoken to him, but he can only do what he can do. He can't be somebody else, and he certainly can't be Nicolas."

    On Nicolas Ghesquière's next steps: "He will bide his time and come back. He's too brilliant to just disappear. He's very passionate about what he does. He's not caught up in fashion and celebrity at all. I don't think he's going to go off and become a sculptor like Helmut Lang, either."

    On whether Galliano can come back to the industry: "I hope he will return, but I don't know. That's a tough one to get over. That's tougher than the Gucci people thinking they want a change of face. I love John; I think he's brilliant. He certainly intends to come back — when he's ready."

    Best Dressed

    This Week's Best Dressed

    It may only be December, but already Spring 2013 is in full bloom.
    Best-Dressed Celebrities and Models | Dec. 14, 2012

    It may only be December, but already Spring 2013 is in full bloom. At least when it comes to certain stylish stars. Amanda Seyfried, Naomi Watts, Elle Fanning, and Sarah Jessica Parker were among those spotted in some of the upcoming season's most desirable pieces; Cate Blanchett even did it twice.

    Not that this kind of season-hopping is new or even surprising; notables have always had dibs on the freshest batches of stuff. However, what makes this batch of head-start dressing so enticing is that the looks match their respective wearers' personas to a T. See what we mean — plus ogle the rest of the week's chicest, including everyone at Vogue's Balmain dinner in New York — right here.




    Source: BFA

    Burberry Prorsum

    Burberry Prorsum Pre-Fall 2013

    While other designers have been letting their clothes get farther and father away from the body, Christopher Bailey has been busy bringing Burberry's lines closer to the curves.
    Burberry Prorsum Pre-Fall 2013 | Pictures

    While other designers have been letting their clothes get farther and father away from the body, Christopher Bailey has been busy bringing Burberry's lines closer to the curves.

    For the women's side of his Pre-Fall 2013 collection, that meant body-hugging everything: dresses, skirts, sweaters, and even the house's signature outerwear. It was forthrightly sexy stuff, especially the cocktail dresses sewn on top of mesh bodices. There was a definite tinge of a professional-grade luxury as well; perhaps that idea was best expressed in a coat with fur on top and camel below the waist, and in slim pencil skirts that stopped right at the knee.

    For the boys, Bailey seemed a little more carefree. Shirts in a heart print stood alongside sweatshirts with cartoon versions of a London police officer or a Royal Guardsman at Buckingham Palace, all of which added a little humor to the collection. And while there were no shortage of topcoats and trenches here, the most notable piece of outerwear was a motorcycle jacket lined with mink. How decadent — and cool — is that?

    BCBG Max Azria

    BCBG Max Azria Pre-Fall 2013

    A trip to Istanbul inspired Max and Lubov Azria to create a softer collection for Pre-Fall 2013 than the leather-infused offering they turned out for Spring.
    BCBG Max Azria Pre-Fall 2013 | Pictures

    A trip to Istanbul inspired Max and Lubov Azria to create a softer collection for Pre-Fall 2013 than the leather-infused offering they turned out for Spring.

    Here, instead of the strappy harnesses that adorned the bodice, there were soft ruffles of fabric that spilled from the necklines and shoulders of shirts and dresses. Pants were cut wide, and as with a number of other designers this season, the Azrias let a few skirts fall below the knee to midcalf.

    You can see the Turkish capital literally in mosaic-tile prints and rich color choices — like the tomato red of a dress with sheer sleeves decorated with buttons of varying sizes. But it was also felt in flounces like lace insets and decorative cuffs. "It's such a romantic place," Max said. "It was really influential of the collection's mood."

    Naomi Campbell

    Naomi Campbell Is Suing Over Elephant Polo Accusations

    Naomi Campbell is suing The Daily Telegraph over an article last month that claimed she made plans for an elephant polo tournament in India.



    Naomi Campbell is suing The Daily Telegraph over an article last month that claimed she made plans for an elephant polo tournament in India.

    Campbell had reportedly organized the games as part of a lavish birthday party she threw for her boyfriend, Russian real estate mogul Vladimir Doronin, at a 15th-century fort in Jodhpur last month.

    "The simple truth is that there was no plan for elephant polo," said the supermodel's lawyer Gideon Benaim. "Ms. Campbell did not cancel it because it was never going to happen in the first place. We have as yet no idea where the false claims originated from; perhaps the Telegraph will let us know in due course."

    The real luxuries at the party included a live performance by Diana Ross and private planes chartered to fly in guests like Kate Moss and Edward Enninful. But animal rights groups blasted Campbell when the Telegraph claimed the party would also include elephant polo — with three celebrity attendees to a team — and Campbell roundly denied the allegations. The paper has since removed the story from its website.

    It's not known what kind of damages Campbell's suit seeks, but when she sued The Daily Mirror for invasion of privacy in 2001, the case was eventually settled for £500,000 —about $806,000 at current exchange.

    Brad Pitt

    Nicholas Kirkwood's New Line, Giorgio Armani's Next Gig, and IMG's Fresh Face

    These stories and more in our daily news roundup.


    These stories and more in our daily news roundup.


    Missoni

    Missoni Pre-Fall 2013

    Menswear inspiration has touched more than a few Pre-Fall collections, but Angela Missoni took the interplay between masculine and feminine to new heights in her latest offering.
    Missoni Pre-Fall 2013 | Pictures

    Menswear inspiration has touched more than a few Pre-Fall collections, but Angela Missoni took the interplay between masculine and feminine to new heights in her latest offering.

    Many of the trousers, though cropped above the ankle, were cut wide with single pleats. And save for a few coats with the rounded shoulders designers have favored of late, the outerwear here tended to be fairly boxy. Many featured strong collars — like a houndstooth topper with an aggressively striped notch lapel, or a double-breasted number in pale blue trimmed with enough fur to cover the wearer's neck and chest.

    But not even that coat could suppress the girlie things Missoni layered underneath, like turtlenecks made from a lacy knit or the unexpected thigh-high cut of a pair of shorts. The fabric combinations here were genius (and feminine), too: knitted exterior pockets on another houndstooth coat; a lace inset that exposed the thighs on an otherwise opaque dark gray dress; and the screaming marriage of turquoise lace, a knubbly black knit, and smooth copper and black stripes on a cardigan were just a few of the pieces that couldn't help but stand out.

    Photos courtesy of Missoni