eBay is working hard to craft a reputable fashion image and has now enlisted designer Derek Lam to help with a crowdsourcing experiment. Derek will design a capsule runway collection to be shown in February; then eBay users will choose which pieces will be produced and sold on the site. Stay tuned!
DSQUARED Twins Dean and Dan Caten were joined by stars including Dita Von Teese, Courtney Love and Sharon Stone on the red carpet last night for the amfAR Inspiration gala in LA.
Kylie Minogue hosted the gala, which was held at the famous Chateau Marmont to raise money for amfAR’s AIDS research. She was joined by designer Kenneth Cole, Ali Larter, Adrien Brody and Mia Maestro.
“I have a huge collection of hats – I have a whole room dedicated to them so that’s a lot of hat,” confesses the burlesque performer and global ambassador for Cointreau.
“You have to be brave to wear a hat. Wearing a hat says: ‘I have confidence and I don’t mind if people are looking at me.'”
But there is one thing Von Teese does mind – if someone else tries to put a hat on her.
“I have to put a hat on myself. There’s just something about wearing it the right way, getting the right tilt, it’s super important,” she says, going on to explain that she has a preference for vintage hats because there’s just something “modern hat designers miss in proportion”.
And of this room of many hats, can she possibly have a favourite?
“Some of them are missing at the moment – they’re in Stephen Jones’ exhibition, they’ve been gone a year. But I do have a brown, Forties trilby hat with a parrot face on it which is perfect in proportion. It’s all in the detail.”
She may have been at GQ’s Gentlemen’s Ball yesterday, but there was no chance that Demi Moore was going to step back and let Mr. Kutcher have the whole spotlight. Mrs. K stepped out in a gold-embellished frock from Christophe Decarnin’s red carpet-friendly Fall 2010 collection for Balmain. She kept her accessories accordingly minimal, from her blown-straight hair to her simple black pumps—this is one dress that more than speaks for itself. We’d say she does the look proud. What do you say?
GIORGIO ARMANI’s artist of choice, Richard Hambleton, will display his latest work in a new exhibition, held in London’s Dairy Studios. Curated by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and sponsored by Mr Armani himself, the collection has previously shown in Cannes, New York and Milan.
“I have long been a fan of Richard Hambleton. Richard’s work is of the streets, and for me stands as a reminder that art in all its forms is first and foremost driven by individual passion and creativity,” Mr Armani tells us.
Inspired by urban settings, Hambleton is known as the Godfather of Street Art and is renowned for influencing artists such as Banksy and Paris-based Blek le Rat. His earlier works can be seen at the MoMA and the Andy Warhol Museum in New York.
“Richard Hambleton’s brush stroke as an artist is genius and is in a league of its own. Most significantly, he is the most important and influential living street artist in the world today, with a story and career that is unparalleled,” says Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld. “It is also a privilege for us to collaborate again with Giorgio Armani and we’re pleased to present it in such a prestigious space.”
The Richard Hambleton exhibition is open from November 19 – December 3 at The Dairy, 7 Wakefield Streeet, London, WC1.
“CAN I get a drink first?” asked Katie Grand upon arriving at the Longchamp boutique on New York’s Madison Avenue for the party celebrating her fourth issue as editor-in-chief of LOVE magazine, with Proenza Schouler duo Jack and Lazaro at her elbows like a pair of adorable bookends.
The usually staid store had been outfitted for the occasion with larger-than-life posters of the eight covers shot for LOVE’s “Gorgeous” issue—unofficially dubbed “the tits issue” by Grand for the focus placed on boobs n’ butt, both of which are very (ahem) big for fall—along with the limited edition LOVE Le Pliage bag that Longchamp created to commemorate Grand’s grand vision.
After vetoing the evening’s signature Gin & LOVE Tonic (“Why’s it got lemon in it? I want something nooormal”), in favour of Champagne, the superstylist — who just finished lending her sartorial Midas touch to the runway shows of Giles, Jonathan Saunders, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Topshop Unique and Ungaro — greeted guests including Uma Thurman, Missy Rayder, Keegan Singh and Eddie Borgo, Tabitha Simmons, Patrick Demarchelier, Theodora Richards, Alessandra Ambrosio and Patricia Field.
Why no tits on view for the tits issue? we asked Grand, who was sporting a black and white Celine feather frock that came up to just beneath her chin. “Oh my God, we’re so over tits by now. We’re on to the next thing.” Which is? “Flat chests and no hips!” she grinned.
Reese Witherspoon really knows how to turn on the heat.
She looked ravishing at Tuesday evening’s Avon Foundation for Women Gala in New York City, taking to the pink carpet in a sizzling strapless dress by Jason Wu. The frock’s nude bodice with sheer black overlay was particularly sultry for Reese, who tends to shy away from overtly sexy looks.
Ms. Witherspoon paired the dress with a loose, wavy hairstyle, sparkling chandelier earrings and black peep-toe pumps. There’s a reason why she’s called America’s sweetheart.
LARA STONE has won “significant” damages from French Playboy, after the magazine published unauthorised photographs of her in June. The supermodel will donate the money to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
“No woman wants photos of them to be published in Playboy without permission,” Stone said in a statement. “I’m very pleased to have won the case, although of course I would rather not have had to take legal action at all.”
Stone announced she was taking legal action against the magazine and American photographer Greg Lotus in July. According to the Press Association, Playboy will also publish a legal statement its next issue, confirming it has infringed Stone’s image rights.
MICHELLE OBAMA’s wardrobe choices have boosted the retail world by £1.7 billion.
According to the Independent, a new study conducted by the Harvard Business Review reveals that the share-price value of each of the 29 fashion labels the First Lady wore between November 2008 – December 2009 soared to an average of £8.84 million.
“People on a middle class budget can afford many of the things Michelle wears; and not only that they can see them on the internet,” says Professor Yermack, who headed up the study. “You can go to the blogs, see what she’s wearing and immediately transfer to a site and purchase it. It’s a combination of the middle class positioning of her wardrobe and the technology making it very easy to find.”
In her jewelry, designer Solange Azagury-Partridge has a flair for the dramatic. Same goes for her taste in interior decor, to judge from her new Beverly Hills boutique. The walls are lined in plush burgundy velvet, display cases come in velvet, too, and the designer’s rainbow carpeting (a mainstay of all her shops) will line the floor. (Yes, will—it’s caught in customs at the moment.) Tucked into a back room at the opening fête was an “aura reader,” and fans like Jennifer Tilly queued up to have their emanations read. But as for the designer herself, a clairvoyant might’ve been more helpful. She’s got a few projects up her sleeve, Azagury-Partridge (left, with Brad Goreski) said last night at her opening party, but the cat was far from out of the bag. “I’ve got three collections in the pipeline for next year or the year after, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you because they haven’t been released yet.” Any chance she’s dabbling in diffusion jewelry? “I really enjoyed doing an H&M collection a lot,” she said, referring to the fast-fashion range she designed in 2005, “to have the jewelry much more accessible and to work with completely different materials.” But for now, the prospect is just a possibility. “I think one has to concentrate on what one does best; I love jewelry and I love interiors. If I were to do anything else, I would have to do it in a smaller, more concentrated way,” she continued. “I have a couple of little ideas. But again I have to kind of keep them to myself.” A forthcoming store in Singapore, on the other hand, is a definite.
Solange Azagury-Partridge, 340 N. Rodeo Drive, L.A., (310) 276-4500, www.solangeazagurypartridge.com.
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