Monday, October 05, 2015

Fashion Week : Chloé Defines Easy Dressing for Spring 2016

Chloé Defines Easy Dressing for Spring 2016:

A look from Chloé's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
A look from Chloé's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
Day three of Paris Fashion Week kicked off at the Grand Palais with Chloé Thursday morning. Creative Director Clare Waight Keller is at the top of her game these days, so she felt no reason to reinvent the wheel this season, instead creating a free-flowing, gently colorful collection dedicated to an "excessively lived simplicity" — one "staying true, staying what we are, moving forward, every day."

All of it embodied easy dressing with a festival feel, from the opening number — a sporty navy and red pullover with a robin's egg blue floral maxi skirt — to the final, and strongest, look: a sweeping pleated chiffon halter dress in an eye-pleasing combination of salmon, cerulean, mint and lilac, its front embroidered in lines sloping from the rib cage. The sporty elements were a surprise: Track pants aren't part of Chloé's usual strain, but they underlined Keller's emphasis on ease and simplicity; so, too, did the lingerie-like camisoles and slip dresses, the frayed denim shorts and dresses, and luxe overalls. But it was the most traditionally Chloé looks that moved us: the aforementioned halter dress; delicate white eyelet and broderie anglaise separates; and a narrow white net dress covered in a rainbow of small flowers. — Lauren Indvik

Carven

Guillaume Henry is a tough act to follow, but designers Adrien Caillaudaud and Alexis Martial (who replaced Henry in March after he decamped for Nina Ricci) have proven they're up the task. They presented their second ready-to-wear collection for Carven on Thursday, which was easy and nautical in flavor: dresses and skirts with hemlines cut like portholes, stretch flared pants with crisp cotton shirting, silky but tailored pantsuits and short printed dresses with frothy hems. What we liked most were the knits: a lavender sweater wrapped in coral and acquatic life forms, and cheeky mesh versions that read "Kid Shark" and "Kid Waves." -Lauren Indvik

Vetements

Vetements, the Paris-based label from Margiela-trained Royal Academy of Arts alums, has had buzz from the beginning: last season’s show had editors schlepping to a Parisian sex club for a 10 p.m. show. But on Thursday night, in a kitschy dining establishment in Chinatown, the buzz cemented into something that extended beyond industry intrigue, bubbling over from energy of the underground.

The designer brothers Demna and Goran Gvasalia presented a vision of deconstructed workwear and post-work suiting. The suiting got a neon pastel makeover (with hints of tie-up bodysuits peaking out the front), and tea flower-printed apron dresses arrived in massive proportions for men and women. Danger-orange sweatshirts, spelling "Antwerp" on the sleeves, felt like future street uniforms.

Like in the past, oversized tailoring (enlarged jackets, hugely boxy dresses) reigned supreme. And the feeling of raw, from-the-street energy — that this is more a cult and a life than anything based in trend — was alive and well. Speed metal was the soundtrack as the models — men and women, beautiful, harsh, and including Russian cult designer streetwear Gosha Rubchinskiy — stomped the runway in genderless thigh-high boots and argyle knits.

Kanye West sat front row. (Onlookers from the bar across the street cheered, "Kanye, president!" as he left.) Yes, Vetements was loud — if it’s not already on young people's radar already, it certainly will be now. —Ashley Simpson

Homepage photo: Imaxtree

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 11:27 AM
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Rick Owens Sent Human Backpacks Down His Spring 2016 Runway

Rick Owens Sent Human Backpacks Down His Spring 2016 Runway:

A look from Rick Owens's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
A look from Rick Owens's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
Season after season, Rick Owens's runway shows can best be described as something out of a particularly eccentric Stefon sketch from "SNL"'s Weekend Update. Owens — who first studied fashion design in Los Angeles before moving to Paris — certainly doesn't hold back from presenting unconventional (and at times, unsettling) elements alongside his drapey, lightweight clothing. From exposing his male models's bare, swinging penises to trading traditional models for an entire step dance team, both his men's and women's presentations pair performance art with the garments he creates. And at the tail end of a long and exhaustive Fashion Month, his Paris Fashion Week time slot certainly brings the anxious anticipation to its show-goers, if only to answer the question: "What could he possibly have come up with this season?"

On Wednesday, Owens showed his spring 2016 collection with his usual tricks up his sleeve — though this time, the show's antics were more full-bodied than they've been in the past. In 11 of his 42 looks, Owens harnessed another person onto a walking model's back or front to create the illusion of a human knapsack (which, of course, is a Stefon joke in and of itself). But if we've learned one thing about Owens's seasonal stunts, it's that he has a reason for everything he does.

For this spring line, the designer drew inspiration from motherhood and sisterhood, as well as nourishment and regeneration, which his show notes describe as  "women raising women, women becoming women and women supporting women — a world of women I know little about and can only attempt to amuse in my own small way." It was rather literal, then, for Owens to place some models' heads atop other's groins, a detail which puts his entire catwalk into an almost endearing and beautiful (or simply, less disconcerting) perspective.

While the concept of "sisterhood" has now become a popular theme — movement, even — in pop culture, it's safe to assume that Owens's interpretation brings the notion to a fever pitch. Never did we think that Owens and Taylor Swift's sequin-wearing, pie-baking girl squad would have so much in common, but alas: Owens's shows are always full of surprises.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 11:25 AM
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Dior Breathes Light and Air Into its Spring 2016 Collection

Dior Breathes Light and Air Into its Spring 2016 Collection:

A look from Dior's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
A look from Dior's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
Dior does not do things in a small way. For its spring 2016 show, the house erected a hill-like structured covered in some half a million blue and lilac delphiniums in the back courtyard (Cour Carrée) of the Louvre. The space was harder to squeeze into than a hobbit hole, with publicists and security guards repeatedly clearing the way for VIP guests like Rihanna, Elizabeth Olsen and Emilia Clarke, who looked on from the front row.

From a slope covered in yet more delphiniums, Israeli model Sofia Mechetner emerged in a white scalloped cotton top and matching shorts, her neck wrapped in a silk scarf and a jeweled choker. The look set the tone for the rest of the show, which was airy, feminine and restrained in its simplicity. Scalloped edges were a recurring obsession, appearing on cropped sweaters and more white cotton tops and shorts, which were layered under diaphanous organza dresses in stripes of pale pink, apricot and lilac. Suiting figured prominently, too; the house's signature "Bar" jackets were sinuously tailored, their lower regions inventively pleated in black silk, and straight-leg trousers were cut high at the waist. Embellishment was almost totally absent, confined to the embroidered flowers on a pair of off-white coats and the sheer diagonal panels of a handful of silk separates. Again, the emphasis was on simplicity and femininity, without (as Raf Simons expressed in his show notes) "sacrificing strength and purpose."

It was a beautiful show — one that had more than one editor in my section raving that it was the best thing they'd seen this season. But what really struck me was how simple it was, how clearly Simons was able to articulate so much without resorting to costume or exaggeration or elaborate styling tricks. That, and how modern — and yet unmistakably Dior — it looked. Rare is the designer who can bridge a house's history to the present in such a way.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 11:18 AM
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Isabel Marant Takes a Tour Through India for Spring 2016

Isabel Marant Takes a Tour Through India for Spring 2016:

A look from Isabel Marant's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
A look from Isabel Marant's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
It was a lovely day in Paris on Friday, and Isabel Marant's decision to hold her show outside, at the Palais Royal, proved auspicious. The sunlight illuminated a collection that was tried-and-true Marant: bohemian, laid-back, with a worldly, traveler vibe.

This season, her girl went to India, picking up a black fringed coat and blouses edged in faux pearls and lines of colorful embroidery; loose pants cuffed or rolled up above the ankle; light cotton wrap dresses, their straps trailing, that could move easily from day to evening; and rope sandals tied at the ankle. Metallics worked fluidly in the collection, appearing in a gold duster coat and wrap jacket, sequined leggings, and silver shorts and pants. Red and white striped pants with a fringed wrap skirt (shown above) were a particular favorite, as was a burgundy wrap shirt and skirt combo in congruous prints. Not only were the clothes inspired by travel, their emphasis on versatility and comfort made them well-suited for it, too. Marant devotees will have plenty of options to pack come spring break.

Homepage Photo: Imaxtree

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 11:13 AM
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Shoppers Are Devouring Uniqlo and Lemaire, Which Will Return for Spring 2016

Shoppers Are Devouring Uniqlo and Lemaire, Which Will Return for Spring 2016:

A look from the Uniqlo and Lemaire collection. Photo: Uniqlo
A look from the Uniqlo and Lemaire collection. Photo: Uniqlo
We thought Balmain for H&M would be fall's big collaboration hit, and while that collection has yet to debut, we've learned from the launch of Uniqlo's partnership with Lemaire (designed by Christophe Lemaire and Sarah Linh-Tran) that there are more minimalist sweater-lovers out there than we thought.

What we expected to be a pretty tame shopping/launch event at Uniqlo's Soho store on Thursday night turned out to be a bit of a madhouse. In the time I was chatting with Uniqlo USA's CMO & Director of Brand Marketing Justin Kerr, my size had disappeared in several of the styles I wanted, and the area housing the collection became packed to the brim with literally every stylist and editor you don't see in street style. In Paris (according to our own Lauren Indvik), the line to get into the section was so long she didn't even get a chance to shop. On Friday — which marked the collection's public launch — Racked reported that several stores in New York are running out of stock in many styles. And while we thought it might just be color-averse New Yorkers and Parisians buying up the understated wares, the collection is nearly sold out online, too.

Of course, Uniqlo is no stranger to surprisingly successful collaborations with low-key designers and tastemakers that beget pretty simple clothes and that the retailer doesn't make a big fuss about: A few years ago, you couldn't walk down the street without seeing someone in a Jil Sander x Uniqlo coat — a collaboration the retailer has resurrected twice due to its success. It also has an ongoing collaboration with French style icon Ines de la Fressange, and one coming up with Carine Roitfeld — both of whom are revered in fashion circles, but relatively unknown by the mainstream.

So why isn't Uniqlo pursuing the Balmains and Karl Lagerfelds of the world like some of its competitors? "We don't have a checklist or any specific way we go about it," explained Kerr. "We're just looking for like-minded people that want to improve people's lives through clothing. We're a global brand, we meet a lot of designers and talented people and when we meet someone we feel we share a lot of the same values with, we open up a conversation to figure out if we can work together." He felt the Lemaire collaboration worked because "they really weren't about occasion wear; they were about, let me make a beautiful garment that you can wear every day and fall in love with over and over again."

I bought this. Photo: Uniqlo
I bought this. Photo: Uniqlo
From a marketing standpoint, the team intentionally kept things simple, letting the beautiful images put together by the Lemaire team speak for themselves. "You'll notice we never have catchy slogans, we never try to hit you over the head," he explained. "People [shopping here today] will start to talk about it; fans of Uniqlo will be surprised and delighted by this collection and fans of Lemaire will love to see it at this absolutely perfect price."

The prices are great — the $60 sweaters and $170 jackets feel like they should cost more, though they certainly aren't Lemaire-level quality. However, said price point does inspire shoppers to buy those sweaters and dresses by the busload, which it sounds like they are doing; but if you can't find an item you were looking for, you'll have another opportunity come spring, as Kerr confirmed that a second collection is on its way.

As for whether this collection will be restocked, we've reached out to find out and will report back when we know more.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 11:08 AM
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Rihanna Out-Dressed Everyone at the Dior Show

Rihanna Out-Dressed Everyone at the Dior Show:

Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images
Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images
If you want to understand how Rihanna looked relative to every other human at Dior's Paris Fashion Week show on Friday, just take a glance at the two men behind her. Those are faces struck by pure wonder. I'm sure those guys won't be able to speak for another week, at least.

And rightly so. Riri, who is currently the face of the French fashion house, was dressed in head-to-vinyl-toe Dior couture; that would be fall 2015 for the insanely regal cape (with one fur sleeve) and spring 2015 for the boots.

Let's get another angle on it.

Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images
Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images
Amazing. If I were Rihanna, I would retire to my hotel room with a bottle of champagne and curl up in bed for an evening of Netflix before falling asleep, still wearing that beautiful tent of a garment. It would be so awesome to be Rihanna.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:32 AM
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Suede Makes a Return on the Paris Runways

Suede Makes a Return on the Paris Runways:

From left to right: Jonathan Saunders, Derek Lam, Balmain, Prada, and Alberta Ferretti
From left to right: Jonathan Saunders, Derek Lam, Balmain, Prada, and Alberta Ferretti
It would be hard to imagine the season that followed fall 2015 — which was overrun with '70s mania — wouldn't experience some runoff from that era. We have seen the decade pop up again and again for spring, which is no surprise. One of the more popular throwbacks has been suede, and the parade coming down the catwalk at Balmain this week in Paris clinched it. Some designers experimented with colors, but many others stayed true to its sandy, neutral hues.

For more spring 2016 trends, click here.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:30 AM
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Comme des Garçons's Spring 2016 Collection Defies Instagram-ification

Comme des Garçons's Spring 2016 Collection Defies Instagram-ification:

A look from Comme des Garçons's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
A look from Comme des Garçons's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
On Saturday afternoon, a small audience descended two flights of marble stairs inside the rehabilitated Credit Lyonnais headquarters (now the office building Le Centorial), leaving its slick facade for a small basement gallery with an exposed concrete ceiling and black steel beams. It would have been much easier to stage a show upstairs — which would have accommodated far more than the roughly 100 guests invited — but this isn't how it's done at Comme des Garçons.

It was unusually warm day in Paris, and the temperature in the basement felt more like the intense heat wave we remember from the men's shows in late June. What one would make of the 15 intricate outfits of deep and icy blues, black and white velvets and cascades of marabou feathers would ultimately depend very much on how one experiences the show. The voluminous garments – a black large coat with white cotton ruffles running down the front, a black shiny velvet coat tied on the sides like old curtains, a pleated black wool and velvet coatdress with sections of plumes dissecting the garment or the bluish velvet dress with enormous cinched sleeves – offered the idea that clothes can be a refuge in times of crisis, that we can safely bury ourselves underneath all those layers and volumes to be safe from any perceived threats.

But the high temperature inside the small cavern, perhaps not deliberate, made me think of the current crisis of global warming, where the earth is getting hotter and the atmosphere is getting thinner due to man-made pollution. What is fashion's response to this crisis? One way is moving towards supposedly greener means of production, if that's even possible. (Even so-called organic cotton uses more water and consumes more resources despite being branded as more sustainable.) The other way is perhaps more catastrophic — building a cocoon as a means to save oneself from impending disaster, knowing that this protection is short-lived. Perhaps the heavy handiness of the garments is a deliberate attempt to get us to concentrate on the role of fashion instead of view the creative endeavor as simply in the service of tweeted and Instagrammed images.

Each of these 15 garments employed the best of couture craftsmanship. An ice blue and navy dress with exaggerated sleeves, rolls of feathers and half-circle velvet rings testified to the immensely complicated process of construction and handiwork that goes into the making of these garments.

This is fashion's last resistance to the onslaught of the Instagram era, where designers are obligated to make the kinds of clothes that will be most "liked" in the fleeting moments captured and transmitted to small screens, rather than questioning the role of fashion and the design process. So far in Paris, that has been the primary consideration of designers. Surface satisfaction has long replaced depth and a sense of innovation and experimentation in fashion. It is nothing short of a marvel that a show of clothes can still move an audience satiated and virtually immune to the sort of stimulation runway shows these days provide. Each of us will have a different opinion of this show according to how we each experience what we saw. Isn't that the real magic of fashion?

Long Nguyen is the co-founder and style director of Flaunt.

Homepage photo: Imaxtree

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:30 AM
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Guillaume Henry Hasn't Yet Hit His Stride at Nina Ricci

Guillaume Henry Hasn't Yet Hit His Stride at Nina Ricci: Guillaume Henry — the designer who brought life back to Carven over his five-year tenure, transforming it from a faded couture house to a high contemporary brand with a gamine feel — made an excellent debut as the new creative director of Nina Ricci in February. It was sophisticated and ...




Original enclosures:


Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:29 AM
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Céline's Spring 2016 Collection Adds a Gamine Touch to its Signature Minimalism

Céline's Spring 2016 Collection Adds a Gamine Touch to its Signature Minimalism:

A look from Céline's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
A look from Céline's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
This season, many designers — including some of the industry's more minimalistic ones — have embraced brighter, bigger and at times, busier silhouettes and styles. At Prada, makeup guru Pat McGrath coated models's lips with a layer of her high-impact gold pigment for an uncharacteristically bold beauty look; at Chloé, Creative Director Clare Waight Keller traded her signature frou-frou femininity for colorful festival-wear. Dior's spring offerings were, admittedly, much simpler than Raf Simons's previous track record, but with a 40-ton mountain constructed of 300,000 delphinium stems, the show's presentation was far from uncomplicated.

On Sunday, we learned that this spring's widespread grandeur also includes Céline's Phoebe Philo, who jazzed up the label's traditionally pared-down clothing with hits of lace and embellishment. For a label widely heralded as jump-starting fashion's minimalist movement, Céline's spring range was far more gamine than it's been in the eight years since Philo rebooted the house.

Don't get us wrong: Philo's sharp, clean creations still served as the collection's bread and butter, with silk slip dresses, floaty trousers and structural, shin-length dresses encompassing the majority of the line. Seven of the 41 looks featured crisp frocks or tops with distinctly puffy shoulders — an embellishment that will surely be imitated by plenty of contemporary brands come 2016. Two long-sleeved, ankle-length dresses in putty and peach served as distinct foils to the more architectural pieces in the collection, including a number of graceful blazers and overcoats.

What was most memorable about Céline's latest range was not the minimalism that defines the luxury label but, instead, the lacy detailing that gave Philo's simplicity a feminine boost. We would be remiss, of course, if we didn't spotlight the accessories, including a briefcase bag with a plush underside.

Homepage photo: Imaxtree

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:28 AM
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See Every Look from Alexander McQueen's Spring 2016 Collection

See Every Look from Alexander McQueen's Spring 2016 Collection:

The finale of Alexander McQueen's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
The finale of Alexander McQueen's spring 2016 collection. Photo: Imaxtree
Just hours after Céline debuted an unusually gamine range for spring 2016, a similarly feminine, albeit grandly Victorian collection marched down Alexander McQueen's runway on Sunday. While much of London Fashion Week featured period lace and structural collars, the charmingly antiquated aesthetic hasn't yet made a significant splash during the Paris shows. For the occasion, Creative Director Sarah Burton combined frilly, floaty ruffles with tousled hair, dusty makeup and a slew of chain jewelry layered one on top of another.

Our full review will be posted shortly, but you can see every look from Alexander McQueen's spring 2016 collection in the gallery below.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:27 AM
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Cosmopolitan Celebrates its Anniversary With a Kardashian/Jenner-Filled Cover

Cosmopolitan Celebrates its Anniversary With a Kardashian/Jenner-Filled Cover:

Cosmopolitan's November 2015 issue. Photo: Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan's November 2015 issue. Photo: Cosmopolitan
It's been a year of 50th anniversary celebrations for Cosmopolitan. The Hearst magazine first celebrated the milestone with a Madonna cover in May — the pop star's first since she marked the brand's 25th anniversary in 1990 — and now the November issue features a very special cover: All of the Kardashian/Jenner sisters and momager Kris Jenner appear together for the first time since they first posed for Redbook in 2011. Individual Cosmopolitan covers featuring Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian will also be released.

"It really is like air traffic control, getting all of you together," said Editor in Chief Joanna Coles on the September 27 episode of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," featuring the cover shoot, where the women posed together in matching white shirts. Kim Kardashian told Coles in the episode that early in her career a publicist had warned her, "Kim, let's be realistic, you're never going to be on the cover of Cosmo," when the reality star expressed her hopes to grace the magazine one day. November marks her third cover.

Originally, each sister was going to get her own individual cover, but due to a contractual agreement Kendall Jenner had already made with another project (meaning: stay tuned for a Kendall November issue for another title), she was unable to shoot one by her lonesome.

See the behind-the-scenes drama go down in the clip from the "KUWTK" below, and pick up the November issue of Cosmopolitan on newsstands October 13.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:25 AM
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Fashion Week : What Everyone Was Talking About in Paris This Weekend



  1. What Everyone Was Talking About in Paris This Weekend:


What is everyone talking about at Paris Fashion Week? It's neither a designer, a show, a model nor your next round of creative-director-musical-chairs (though there's still plenty of speculation about who will replace Alexander Wang at Balenciaga). Rather, it's Instagram. Vogue editor Anna Wintour hosted a dinner for co-founder Kevin Systrom and his newly appointed head of fashion partnerships, Eva Chen, last week, gathering industry luminaries including Phoebe Philo of Céline, Olivier Rousteing, Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane, Gucci's Alessandro Michele (who flew in from Milan), Donatella Versace, and models of the moment Kendall Jenner, Jourdan Dunn, Gigi Hadid and Liu Wen. As one attendee observed, "If a bomb had gone off, half of the fashion industry's greatest talents would have been wiped out."

However, the conversation about Instagram isn't centered on the dinner itself but rather on designers' need to create Instagram "moments" — even collections — that can be easily translated and shared via mobile phones. Vanessa Friedman at the New York Times aptly called it the "Instagram imperative," arguing that, "when it comes to clothes, it has been one of the more damaging developments of the age." Cathy Horyn, writing for The Cut, predicted that 2015 might be the year when "fashion visionaries split into two camps: those who are obsessed with form, and those who focus on imagery."

But for every Instagram-happy Balmain, Lanvin and Rochas show, there were collections that defied easy Instagram-ification. Rick Owens staged what was reportedly one of the most powerful presentations of Fashion Month, with models carrying each other on the runway in a salute to female support and solidarity and moving guests to tears. It was a message wildly misinterpreted on the Internet — immediately generating parodies and memes. Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garcons show likewise resisted quick image-based interpretation. As Long Nguyen observed in his review for this site, the show experience Kawakubo created for her 100-odd guests — from the overheated basement setting to the 15 striking, not-easily-interpreted works of couture-level craftsmanship she sent down the runway — could not be readily explained by a series of filtered photos.

Here's what else you missed in Paris this weekend, in one quick, handy cheat sheet.

// SATURDAY //

Junya Watanabe

Three looks from Junya Watanabe's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Junya Watanabe's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Rei Kawakubo protégé Junya Watanabe's spring show was all about how accessories can make the outfit, which he did in an exaggerated way, looping big hoops of stainless steel and patent leather over the shoulders of rather simple tunics and dresses, and fitting models in headgear that looked like plastic Saturn's rings (but flopped more like rabbit ears in action). It was full of movement, but lacked feeling.

Haider Ackermann

Three looks from Haider Ackermann's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Haider Ackermann's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Disco smoke made a fitting backdrop for Haider Ackermann's acid-toned collection, which had a glamorous punk feel with its glossy, low-strung trousers, cropped biker jackets and shredded blouses. Feathered headdresses added a touch of unexpected elegance.

Veronique Leroy

Three looks from Veronique Leroy's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Veronique Leroy's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Veronique Leroy has built up a loyal following of women-who-work since she launched her label 24 years ago, and for spring she is challenging her customer to think a little more eclectically, mixing unexpected colors (like a sweet red-striped dress with a purple belt) and textures. Whether her customers choose to take her styling cues or not, they'll find plenty of really wonderful pieces to take away — and wear however they want.

Mugler

Three looks from Mugler's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Mugler's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
It's a little tough out there for designers who like to create tight, sexy dresses and show a bit of skin — the fashion world is much more enamored with the covered-up sexiness shown by Phoebe Philo, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham these days. But designer David Koma, who continues to show his own eponymous label in London, does it better than anyone, opting for a less-is-more approach and super-sharp tailoring. He opened Mugler's spring 2016 show with a navy long-sleeve jumpsuit cut low in the front and off the shoulders, that, strategically layered, could work for the office. We were also fond of a navy pantsuit that had the same diagonal white buttons and a black apron-front dress cut away to reveal a slit pleated skirt underneath.

Acne Studios

Three looks from Acne Studios's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Acne Studios's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Acne Studios dedicated it's spring 2016 collection to musicians — and the dedication was quite literal at times, with guitars adorning the fronts and backs of one-sleeved vests and blazers. We loved the use of crushed velvet — not traditionally a high-fashion fabric — on blazer pockets, columnar dresses and thonged platform sandals, but it was the accessories that were the stars of the show: oversized cross-body bags and clutches in pale folded leather, those aforementioned sandals, wrap-around sci-fi sunglasses, and trouser socks turned into boots with the addition of rubber soles, some jazzed up in neoprene and snakeskin.

Elie Saab

Three looks from Elie Saab's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Elie Saab's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Elie Saab is revered for his magnificent, unabashedly feminine couture dresses, but his ready-to-wear line is all about a younger customer. That was apparent this season in his choice of casting — models-of-the-moment Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner both walked — and his emphasis on girlish silhouettes, which ranged from above-the-knee A-line floral dresses, some paired with striped silk bomber jackets, to sheer evening options that straddled the line between jumpsuit and dress.

Vivienne Westwood

Three looks from Vivienne Westwood's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Vivienne Westwood's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Vivienne Westwood is still the punk queen, and her Gold Label show on Saturday included a whole cast of weird characters — a thick-veiled beauty in an oversized blazer and cropped pants, a suited bellhop with a tragic air, and a ghostly sailor in a floating yellowed dress. Even more ghostly were the coats whose shoulders were suspended several inches over the models' heads, which had guests' phone cameras snapping. It made for an engaging — and certainly Instagrammable — show, but on the runway at least, Westwood has seemingly lost her power to provoke.

Comme des Garcons

Three looks from Vivienne Westwood's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Vivienne Westwood's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Rei Kawakubo showed only 15 looks to a small audience of roughly 100 on Saturday, but they made a deep impression. Read our full review here.

Nina Ricci

Three looks from Nina Ricci's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Nina Ricci's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Guillaume Henry, the designer responsible for putting Carven back on the map, showed his second full-season collection for Nina Ricci on Saturday, but it failed to live up to his excellent debut at the house. Read our full review here.

Olympia Le Tan

Three looks from Olympia Le Tan's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Olympia Le Tan's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Olympia Le Tan got her start transforming book covers into covetable, $1,300 clutches, which were an immediate hit on the red carpet. Since 2012, she has been producing full ready-to-wear collections alongside her accessories, which have a quirky, tongue-in-cheek approach that really works. On Saturday, she showed a collection inspired by Japan — a tricky one, given all the controversy around cultural appropriation these days — sending models down the runway with little Japanese lunchboxes, and dresses and skirts in red, gold and black silk, some emblazoned with "Hotel Olympia." Wherever that is, we want to come stay.

// SUNDAY //

Kenzo

Three looks from Kenzo's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Kenzo's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
For spring 2016, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon — the designers behind Kenzo as well as their own New York-based label, Opening Ceremony — sent their girl on a trip around the world. She came back with a graphic, pleasantly clashing wardrobe of layered skirts and dresses, relaxed trousers, deconstructed swimwear, scuba shoes and sandal boots. The clothes, the cheery music and the palatial set were just what we needed to get going on Sunday morning.

Ungaro

Three looks from Ungaro's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Ungaro's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Italian designer Fausto Puglisi is feeling the '70s vibe, and his show for Ungaro on Sunday mixed some nice, hippy-dippy florals — updated with a stenciled print and netting on the sleeves of a couple of blouses and a pink blazer — with the sexy, power-woman fare the house is hallmarked for. The floral halter top/miniskirt/appliqued boot combos weren't our taste, but we're sure some daring young fame-seekers wouldn't mind giving them a spin.

Céline

Three looks from Céline's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Céline's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Underwear became outerwear at Céline's elegant spring 2016 showing on Sunday. Read our full review here.

Roland Mouret

Three looks from Roland Mouret's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Roland Mouret's spring 2016 collection. Photos: Imaxtree
In Le Royal Monceau's grand hall, Roland Mouret sent a spring 2016 collection down the crystal chandelier-lit runway that was all about the Galaxy dress. The dress turns 10 this spring, and the celebration of Mouret's curve-hugging, hourglass-flattering sheath was vibrant with new iterations in deep teal, mint green, fluorescent orange, and a selection of floral-printed cocktail gowns, several with subtle cutouts and '90s-referential spaghetti straps. One-shouldered dresses stood out, and with girls like Lindsey Wixson, Taylor Hill and Alice Metza walking, the energy was at a high. — Ashley Simpson

John Galliano

Three looks from John Galliano's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from John Galliano's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
It's been four years since designer John Galliano, now of Maison Margiela, was booted from both Dior and his own label — and both are still kicking. Artistic Director Bill Gaytten had some excellent looks in John Galliano (the label)'s spring 2016 lineup he showed Sunday, particularly the tank dresses, which were sheer and bisected with bands of electric blue sequins or ruffles, and a cutaway military jacket with sequined lapels.

Alexander McQueen

Three looks from Alexander McQueen's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
Three looks from Alexander McQueen's spring 2016 show. Photos: Imaxtree
To close out the shows on Sunday, Sarah Burton showed one of her most beautiful — and wearable — collections for Alexander McQueen yet. Read our full review here.

Homepage photo: Imaxtree

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:21 AM
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Alison Loehnis Promoted to Net-a-Porter Group President as Yoox Merger is Completed

Alison Loehnis Promoted to Net-a-Porter Group President as Yoox Merger is Completed:

Natalie Massenet, left, and Alison Loehnis, right. Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images for NET-A-PORTER.COM
Natalie Massenet, left, and Alison Loehnis, right. Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images for NET-A-PORTER.COM
After being announced in March, the deal to merge Yoox and Net-a-Porter into one luxury e-commerce giant, is done. At midnight on Monday, the now-named Yoox Net-a-Porter Group began trading on Milan's stock exchange. As of 9 a.m. EST, shares are up 5.45 percent to ‎€25.59 ($33.19). Shares also rose in Richemont, which now owns 50 percent of Yoox Net-a-Porter Group shares.

"Our combined force is staggering, our future potential extraordinary," Federico Marchetti, CEO of the new Group, said in a statement. Now that Net-a-Porter founder and chairwoman Natalie Massenet has left the company, Marchetti leads the company on his own, though as of Monday, he has named former Net-a-Porter President Alison Loehnis president of the Net-a-Porter Group. She will report directly to him.

While it doesn't seem to be a dramatically different role from the one she was in before, the promotion sounds like Marchetti's way of replacing Massenet, albeit with a less powerful role than Massenet would have held. Loehnis is now responsible for overseeing Net-a-Porter.com, MrPorter.com, TheOutnet.com and Porter magazine.

Loehnis, more of a behind-the-scenes girl than Massenet, has been with Net-a-Porter since 2007, and is credited with introducing both the beauty and activewear categories, as well as negotiating Chanel's first foray into e-commerce. Some of the main concerns around Massenet's departure from the company have been that her longtime employees might follow her out, or that Net-a-Porter's relationships with certain brands might weaken. That Loehnis, who has worked alongside Massnet for years, is committed to staying on board, is a good sign.

No doubt, this merger results in an e-commerce juggernaut that's pretty tough to beat, with Net-a-Porter's leadership as an online shopping destination for luxury brands, and Yoox's strength in powering the individual e-commerce sites of luxury brands, from Valentino to Moncler. Sure, Massenet's departure may raise some questions about the former, but competitors — from Matchesfashion.com to Farfetch, which recently got into the business of powering brands' sites — should beware.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:19 AM
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Designers Add a Little Twist to the Trucker Jacket for Spring

Designers Add a Little Twist to the Trucker Jacket for Spring:

From left to right: Hunter Original, Loewe, Alessandra Rich, Belstaff, and No. 21
From left to right: Hunter Original, Loewe, Alessandra Rich, Belstaff, and No. 21
Any trend that starts with "trucker" might raise a few eyebrows (or at the very least, drum up images of dudes like Ashton Kutcher, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell in a certain type of casual headwear). But, with the '90s experiencing an ongoing resurgence, we aren't too surprised to see trucker jackets on the runways for spring 2016. Only this is not your typical jean jacket, of course: designers are adding their own personal twists by using metallics, embellishments and embroidery.

For more spring 2016 runway coverage, click here.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:17 AM
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WOW Demi Lovato Goes Nude and Unretouched for 'Vanity Fair,' Layoffs Hit 'Nylon' Magazine

Must Read: Demi Lovato Goes Nude and Unretouched for 'Vanity Fair,' Layoffs Hit 'Nylon' Magazine:

Demi Lovato Photo: Mike Windle/Getty Images
Demi Lovato Photo: Mike Windle/Getty Images
These are the stories making headlines this Monday.

Demi Lovato requests "no makeup, no clothes, no retouching" for her Vanity Fair portrait.

On the eve of her new album release, singer Demi Lovato posed in a series of makeup-free and nude portraits for Vanity Fair. The concept was spontaneous, inspired by her great-grandfather Buddy Moore, who passed away the day before the shoot. The pop singer explained: "If there's one thing I've learned in the past day, it's that life is too short." {Vanity Fair}

Nylon layoffs amount to one-third of the magazine's staff, according to insiders.

Nylon magazine let 13 staffers go on Friday, including former Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer and Publisher Dana Fields, two fashion editors, two writers and a TV producer. Will Nylon follow in the footsteps of Nylon Guys and transition to an all-digital format? Only time will tell. {WWD}

Condé Nast partners with Snapchat.

Condé Nast will now be giving Snapchat users access to some of its biggest events, thanks to its new partnership with the app. Kicking off with Teen Vogue's Young Hollywood Party on Friday, Condé Nast will post insider looks at Glamour's Women of the Year event and GQ's Grammy Party using the app's Live Story feature. {WWD}

H&M factories in Bangladesh are "dramatically behind" repair schedule.

A coalition of worker and labor rights groups published a report stating that the retailer's apparel factories are behind the remediation schedule outlined in The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. In the report, Accord engineers noticed a total of 2004 violations in structural, electrical or fire safety requirements in a safety inspection of just 32 of H&M's factories. The Accord was created in response to the collapse of the Rana Plaza building and is made up of 190 companies, including H&M, Inditex and Primark. {WWD}

Balmain's Olivier Rousteing gets profiled by The New Yorker.

For its latest profile, The New Yorker takes a look at the role of Rousteing's Army, comprised of the creative director's Instagram followers and his celebrity friends. Perhaps most interestingly, the designer talks about the irrelevance of fashion critics, stating: “It is too bad for critics if they cannot understand this, but the truth is now that their critiques do not matter.” Ouch. {The New Yorker}

The U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim nations agree to a Trans-Pacific Partnership.

After nearly eight years of negotiations, the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations agreed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday — the largest regional trade accord in history. The partnership would eventually end more than 18,000 tariffs that are placed on U.S. exports, require state-owned businesses abroad to comply with commercial trade and labor rules, and crack down on wildlife and environmental abuses, such as unsustainable logging and fishing. Months of drafting of the actual pact, and stiff opposition, still lie ahead for the administration. {The New York Times}

MikMak releases shoppable advertising feature.

MikMak, the first mobile video shopping network, released its advertising feature called "Blank Presents" on Monday. It allows brands to sponsor "minimercials," a 30 second mobile informercial, the contents of which are (you guessed it) shoppable. MikMark will be partnering with American Express OPEN, GE, Oxygen Media and Mondelēz International’s Swedish Fish brand. {Fashionista Inbox}

  • CASA DE ORAÇÃO - Esta determinado que o mal saia de nossas vidas e recebamos as bênçãos do Senhor !
Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:04 AM
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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

13 of Hollywood's Most Iconic Blondes

13 of Hollywood's Most Iconic Blondes: Hollywood locks that stand the test of time. Who is the fairest of them all? You decide.



Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe's spun-sugar platinum tresses were like Marilyn herself -- somewhere between easy and elegant. But did you know the aspiring model and actress actually dyed her naturally brown locks golden after a cue that "gentlemen prefer blondes"? Good thing it suited her. Get the look.



2015-06-04-1433442673-1029443-1marilyn.jpg



Blake Lively

From beachy waves on Gossip Girl to perfectly crafted curls on the red carpet, Blake's blonde tresses are an integral part of her persona. Get the look.



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Reese Witherspoon

She's America's sweetheart, a Southern belle and the classic girl next door -- and her personality begins with her hair: golden blond to the point of practically glowing. Get the look.



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Brigitte Bardot

Hair with a certain je ne sais quoi. It's no surprise why Brigitte Bardot--French actress, model and singer--was one of the biggest sex symbols of the '50s and '60s. Her mane murmured "groovy French fox," with streaming blond waves framing her face and décolletage. And those bangs... We've never seen anyone make bangs look so come-hither. Get the look.



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Madonna

If one look could encompass '80s fashion, Madonna's fishnet stockings and bleached blond hair would certainly be a front-runner. While she has reinvented herself several times over the course of her long career, the singer, actress, showgirl and businesswoman is a blonde at heart. Get the look.



2015-06-04-1433442921-9017989-5_Madonna.jpg



Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly wore several hats: Hollywood movie star, fashion icon, princess of Monaco. With her Hermès Kelly bag in hand and perfectly coiffed hair, Grace was the definition of modern, chic and tasteful. Get the look.



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Twiggy

That sideswept pixie cut, that lanky boyish figure and those spidery lashes framing huge doe eyes: Twiggy's mod look defined the Swinging Sixties. She was just 15 when she cut off her long flaxen locks, debuted the androgynous hairdo and ushered in a new standard of youthful sophistication. Get the look.



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Gwen Stefani

Except for two short stints when she dyed her hair blue and then pink, Gwen Stefani has spent most of her career as a platinum blonde. She first adopted her signature platinum hue as a wee ninth grader and never turned back. Gwen's bleached hair is like her style: brazen and playful. Get the look.



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Goldie Hawn

She may have started her career by embracing a "dumb blonde" personality, but the smart and talented Goldie Hawn has since proved to be someone else entirely. Goldie's popularity ascended throughout the '70s as she acted, sang and produced her way through Hollywood. Get the look.



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Veronica Lake

Veronica Lake was the embodiment of 1940s glamour: mature, polished and never too fussy. The funny thing is that she actually found her signature coy look by accident when a loose lock of hair fell over her right eye during a photo shoot. Mysterious and seductive, celebs like Sienna Miller and Amanda Seyfried still mimic the look today. Get the look.



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Gwyneth Paltrow

We'll always remember Gwyneth Paltrow's sleek blond hairdo and Ralph Lauren dress at the 1999 Oscars (the same night she took home the Best Actress award for her performance in Shakespeare in Love). Gwyneth has played around with a handful of styles over the years, but her long, straight locks -- whether tossed over her shoulders or pulled back into a ponytail--will always be a part of the actress's classic look. Get the look.



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January Jones

She's best known for her role as the complex and mysterious Betty Draper on Mad Men, but January is a woman whose look is constantly changing. Whether she's rocking face-framing bangs, a bleach-blond bob, platinum waves or even faded pink streaks, her hairstyles mimic her personality: sexy, provocative and risky. Get the look.



2015-06-04-1433443447-154775-8_januaryjones.jpg



Farrah Fawcett

In 1976, a young, up-and-coming Farrah Fawcett was photographed smiling from ear to ear, sporting a one-piece swimsuit and long feathered waves flung over her shoulders. The portrait sold 20 million copies, making Farrah a legit bombshell. Everyone from preteen roller skaters to full-grown disco divas scrambled to buy blow-dryers and massive cans of hair spray in an attempt to re-create her look, the "Farrah flip." Get the look.



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