>> Dior celebrated its 60th year as a couture house by staging a massive haute couture show at the Palace of Versailles. And what could be more fitting than a home known for excess playing host to a designer — and a fashion house — drenched in decadence.
>> Karl Lagerfeld has chosen the gardens at the Palace of Versailles as the stage for his next big production: the Chanel Resort 2013 collection.
The show will be presented on May 14, but other details are still under wraps. Past Chanel Resort shows have been presented in St. Tropez, Los Angeles, and along the French Riviera, and their locations usually speak to the theme of the collection. At Versailles — where the French royal family ruled in extravagance for 100 years before the French Revolution — the only theme that comes to mind is sheer excess.
This isn't the first time Versailles has been used for a show. In 2007, John Galliano rented out the palace for Dior's 60th anniversary couture show, and in 1973, Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass, and Oscar de la Renta faced off against couturiers Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, and Emanuel Ungaro in a runway spectacle that became known as the Battle of Versailles.
Whether Chanel creates a tribute to Marie Antoinette along the Royal Pathway or shows a decadent collection dripping with diamonds by the Grand Canal, living up to past fashion shows at Versailles will be a tall order — but if anyone is up to the task, it's definitely Lagerfeld. The set for his Spring 2011 Chanel show was based on Versailles's extensive gardens, and he's shot numerous fashion editorials at the palace over the years. Click through to see some of those — along with other Versailles-set shoots — here, in the gallery.
>> Joseph Altuzarra, Iris Apfel, and Pamela Love were among those who joined hosts Jenna Lyons and Hamish Bowles at an intimate dinner Wednesday evening in honor of last year's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund recipients and nominees.
Held in the private dining room at Locanda Verde, the dinner was also attended by Lily Kwong, Derek Lam, Mickey Drexler, Michelle Cushnie, and Carlie Ochs, who nibbled on grilled wild branzino and fonduta ravioli while fellow guests — and newlyweds — Tom and Rachel Chandler Guinness tended to the evening's soundtrack.
"You all deserve to win but there just wasn't enough room," Lyons said, addressing the Fund's runners-up and nominees, as she gave the welcome toast. "You should all be incredibly proud to be here."
A peek at the evening's festivities, in the slideshow.
>> H&M's eco-friendly Conscious Collection hits stores today, bringing with it the brand's toniest, greenest line of clothing yet.
Oscar nominees Michelle Williams and Viola Davis have already worn dresses from the collection on various red carpets — which isn't surprising considering the pieces' high level of quality, design, and construction. The collection includes a number of dramatic floor-length gowns in on-trend silhouettes, with pops of neon and floral prints; all are made using sustainable materials.
That should come as no surprise considering H&M's position as a leader in sustainable design. It's annual sustainability report from 2011, which was released earlier today, bills H&M as the world's biggest user of organic cotton. By 2020, the company aims to produce all of its cotton garments with sustainable resources.
"We want our customers to feel confident that everything they buy from H&M is designed, manufactured, and handled with consideration for people and environment," said H&M's CEO Karl-Johan Persson in a statement. Beautiful, sustainable clothing? That's a cause we can get behind.
See the entire collection here, including the recently-released campaign images, photographed by Terry Richardson and featuring models Constance Jablonski, Edita Vilkeviciute, and Karmen Pedaru.
