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subscribe to style file blog via RSSH&M Announces Its Newest Collaborator: Versace
June 21, 2011
The Swedish mega-retailer looks to be on a roll. After the success of its stampeded-for Lanvin for H&M collection, the company announced today that its designer collaborator for Fall 2011 is none other than Versace.
According to Donatella, the collection for H&M will be “quintessentially Versace,” inspired by the archives, and including clothing, shoes, accessories, and jewelry for men and for women. (It’s also the first H&M designer collaboration to include home pieces, including Versace for H&M pillows and a bedspread.)
The studded leather dress Versace wore for her bow at her men’s runway show in Milan yesterday gave the world its first glimpse at the forthcoming collection, which hits U.S. stores on November 19th. A follow-up Pre-Spring collection by Versace for H&M will be available January 19, 2012, exclusively online in countries where H&M offers e-commerce.
Above, Versace’s bow dress, as well as peeks at a few other pieces from the men’s and women’s lines.
tags: Donatella Versace, H&M, Versace
Miuccia’s Angels: Five New Models To Watch
June 20, 2011
After leaking last week, images from Steven Meisel’s Prada Fall ad campaign were officially released today. And leave it to Miuccia (and casting director Ashley Brokaw, of course), to throw a curveball: After tapping some of the modeling world’s biggest for her recent campaigns, she went for lesser-known beauties this time around. Statuesque Swede Frida Gustavsson is the only remotely recognizable face in the bunch. The other five mystery girls making their big splash—Kelly Mittendorf, Julia Zimmer, Ondria Hardin, Antonia Wesseloh, and Dorte Limkilde—are unknowns…for now. They’re all but guaranteed to be in-demand at the Spring ‘12 shows, despite the fact that some of them have never set foot on a runway. The one attracting the most buzz is 17-year-old Kelly Mittendorf. The Arizona native, recently signed by the Marilyn agency, has that strong and unique, expressive look that is distinctly Prada. (She’s already been making her fashion chops known on her Tumblr and Twitter pages.) The label’s endorsement is hard to match, let alone to beat. Mrs. P launched careers of many of the top models today, including Sasha Pivovarova, Daria Werbowy, Lindsey Wixson, and Daphne Groeneveld.
tags: Antonia Wesseloh, Dorte Limkilde, Frida Gustavsson, Julia Zimmer, Kelly Mittendorf, Ondria Hardin
In Milan, Calvin Looks Hot And Keeps Cool
June 20, 2011
The Calvin Klein man—at least as Italo Zucchelli, Calvin Klein Collection’s creative director, sees him—is a sporty hunk. No waifs on the Calvin catwalk. And few, either, at the lavish party the label threw at its European headquarters last night to celebrate the new collection. CK models, including former label face David Agbodji and upcoming campaign boy Dmitry T. (who also opened and closed the Spring show), mixed with Joe Jonas, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Francesco Scognamiglio, and Francisco Costa. Agbodji and Dmitry had the night off, but a troupe of hulking dudes were on the clock: Entertainment was provided by a dozen CK-clad dancers, who swayed on balconies to the sounds of DJ Stretch Armstrong. Zucchelli himself paid homage to the archetypal Klein muscle boy, Mark Wahlberg, a picture of whom (from his nineties-era, Herb Ritts-shot Calvin underwear ads) was emblazoned on his T-shirt. Between the gogo boys and the company (like swimming champion Nicolò Ossola), you’d expect the temperature to be rising, but not here. The party was unnaturally cool—at least by Milan standards—thanks to the gusting AC. “It’s a piece of New York in Milan,” Zucchelli said with a laugh.
tags: Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Calvin Klein Collection, David Agbodji, Dmitry T, Francesco Scognamiglio, Francisco Costa, Italo Zucchelli, Joe Jonas, Mark Wahlberg, Nicolo Ossola, Stretch Armstrong
Mugler Menswear Goes NSFW, Debbie Harry On The Good Old Days (And The Good Old Clothes), Marilyn Monroe Breaks Her Own Record, And More…
June 20, 2011
Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti is kicking things in a kinky direction for his men’s show on Wednesday. The “uncensored” versions of his new video series, with a guest appearance by the band Jessica 6’s Nomi Ruiz, will air on Xtube, a user-generated porn site, the day after the show. [WWD]
Debbie Harry helped make punk style cool when she and Blondie hit the scene in the seventies, but as the rock ‘n’ roll queen explains, ripped and shredded was about all she could afford. Harry talks about her early onstage style and the long love affair between music and fashion in the new W. [W]
Marilyn Monroe beat her own record when her white halter-neck dress sold for $4.6 million, topping her dress that went for $1.4 million in 1999 as the most expensive dress ever. The infamous subway grate dress from Debbie Reynolds’ collection was auctioned off along with other legendary Hollywood costumes worn by Charlie Chaplin and Audrey Hepburn. [Vogue U.K.]
And for your unsubstantiated rumor of the day: Is Carine Roitfeld launching her own fashion magazine? [Hint]
tags: Carine Roitfeld, Debby Harry, Marilyn Monroe, Mugler, Nicola Formichetti
Celebrating The David (No, The Other One)
June 20, 2011
Michelangelo’s David doesn’t have much competition in the perfectly-sculpted department, but one man who can challenge him on the ab front is David Gandy. The English-born model’s swarthy good looks and impossible physique have made him a favorite of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who have long cast him in their shows and campaigns. Gandy hit the catwalk for the Spring ‘12 Dolce show on Saturday, then was paraded through the streets before arriving at a private party in his honor at the label’s Milan store. The occasion? The publication of David Gandy by Dolce & Gabbana, a coffee table—or, ahem, bedside—compendium of the best of DG in (and out of) D&G. Here, a few shots from the new book. Like his look? Gandyesque proportions may be beyond the reach of the common man, but the model is happy to provide a few style tips to guys in need, via his own dedicated iPhone app.
tags: David Gandy, Dolce & Gabbana, Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana
Sole Men
June 20, 2011
Ever since the Prada creeper brogue clomped its way down the runway way back in Spring ‘11, the heavy-soled shoe has been the go-to for menswear editors and savvy shoppers. In Milan, the layered brogue-espadrille (brogue-adrille?) was still one of the shoes of choice among the showgoing class, and on the runways, lace-ups continued strong. At Burberry, Christopher Bailey showed crafty, thick-soled espadrilles, some with kiltie details. At her golf-inspired show, Mrs. Prada introduced kiltie shoes, too, in layers of ultra-bright color and gum soles. Italo Zucchelli of Calvin Klein did a typically futurist take on the style, with clear-plastic soled lace-ups, and today at Gucci, even the house that horsebit built was showing oxfords. So much for thinking light next summer. See you next fall, loafer?
Clockwise from top left, above: Prada; Burberry; Gucci; Calvin Klein Collection.
tags: Burberry, Calvin Klein Collection, Christopher Bailey, Gucci, Italo Zucchelli, Miuccia Prada, Prada
For Father’s Day, Two Second-Generation Designers Remember Growing Up With Dad
June 17, 2011
Following your father into the family business isn’t a given these days, as it once was. But for fashion-world progeny, a lifetime spent in the studio and at the show can lead to a fashion career of his or her very own. In honor of Father’s Day, Style.com checked in with two second-generation designers to hear about the good old days and the lessons they’ve learned—and given—dear old Dad.
Ally Hilfiger debuted her shirtdress-based line, Nahm, with co-designer Nary Manivong in February, but her schooling in the business began years ago at her father Tommy’s headquarters “I used to go to Bring Your Daughter to Work Day with him when I was little and I would sit in all of his design meetings,” Hilfiger tells Style.com. “They would always give me flats to color in with design markers and that’s when I started my color sense.” Those play days at the office became official work days when she signed on to intern with dad, joining him in business and design meetings, trips to factories in Hong Kong, and sample shopping. “Whenever I was asked for my opinion, I would give it, and he valued my opinion very much,” she explains. She’s not slow to share her opinion on his line, either, along with her sister and stepmom. “We’re like, ‘Dad, you have to make those heels a little higher,’ ” Hilfiger laughs.
Like Hilfiger, Moises de la Renta spent his childhood at his dad Oscar’s design studio, toiling in tulle and the rich fabrics that define the de la Renta name. “My father’s office was like Santa’s Workshop,” he tells Style.com from London, where he’s currently traveling. “The most wonderful fabric and colors everywhere—colored pencils, watercolor pencils, and there was an in-house chef. It was like our own secret club because in those days it was a small, tight knit group of people and it was like a family, we all ate together… people were cool, man.” Like Hilfiger, he’s also moved from youthful internships in fashion—at ODLR and at Phat Farm—into his own clothing and accessories line, MDLR. Don Oscar has offered guidance over the years, as well as plenty of style tips to his son. The most valuable? “How to wear a suit well,” Moises says, “and to keep one’s hands manicured.”
tags: Ally Hilfiger, Moises de la Renta, Oscar de la Renta, Tommy Hilfiger
The Meat Dress Returns, Mert And Marcus Meet Versace, Lily’s Dreaming Of A Chanel Wedding, And More…
June 17, 2011
Where’s the beef? The cuts that made up Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress are currently cooling in a meat locker, but the frock is set to go on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and remain there until February. [Vogue.U.K.]
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, meet Versace. For the first time, Donatella Versace has tapped the photo duo to shoot the house’s upcoming ad campaign, featuring brunettes Saskia de Brauw and Sean O’Pry. A campaign sans a blonde bombshell is not very Versace, but DV says the new look is just what she’s going for. [WWD]
Here comes the bride—in Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld is designing a wedding gown for Lily Allen and has posted sketches of the dress on the label’s blog. [Chanel]
Vivienne Westwood has been a longtime advocate for climate change and eco-consciousness; she’s often used her runways as her soapbox. Now she’s spreading the message on Yoox.com, too, where she’s selling a new line of bags produced ethically by Nigerian women in Africa. [Fashionologie]
tags: Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Lady Gaga, meat dress, Versace
Renaissance Women: Rodarte At Pitti
June 17, 2011
If at first it seemed perverse of Kate and Laura Mulleavy to turn their backs on the Renaissance glories of Florence in favor of an abandoned, dilapidated clothing store as the venue for the Rodarte presentation at Pitti, their decision made sense once you entered the labyrinthine space that producer Alex de Betak had customized for them with neon tubing and a huge ancient, cracked mirror. “We wanted to link the environment to what we do,” said Kate. True, the space artfully embodied Rodarte’s hermetic, sui generis personality.
Rather than Renaissance aesthetics, the Mulleavys focused on Renaissance ascetics, in particular the meditative state of heightened spirituality induced by the Fra Angelico frescoes on the walls of the monks’ cells under the Convent of San Marco. Every nook was intended to evoke those cells, in which the Rodarte gowns were suspended like serene distillations of the artist’s faded, dusty colors and delicate draperies. And a spiritual serenity was, in fact, the impression that lingered longest, perhaps because, in the past, the Mulleavys have made such an art of insinuating the barely suppressed violence of the physical world into their work.
The ten gowns were structured around a single blueprint: a sculpted torso, a long columnar skirt falling straight to the ground. The silhouette was familiar from classical art. Although Kate insisted that Hollywood couture has never been a reference for them, there was also something of the stately elegance of Adrian in this work, with an overlay of the kind of arcane, dreamlike flourishes that characterize Rodarte. A silk dress in vivid lapis blue was draped in lavender silk satin, its skirt a panel of electric blue sequins. Another dress, in dusty blue, was cross-draped with pink silk, like a couture version of Diana the Huntress. A halter-necked gown in white silk featured a torrent of white and red ruffles splitting open down its front. Hidden among the folds: molded Easter lilies, studded with pearls and crystals. The most spectacularly overwrought piece was composed of a cocoon of coppery lamé crisscrossed with huge scimitarlike feathers painted gold that floated over a skirt of white down. The whole ensemble was topped by a gold sunburst crown, one of the sculptural metal details inspired by Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.
Such an outfit was a reminder that all ten of these pieces are destined for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s permanent collection, rather than the bodies of living, breathing women. The significance of that wasn’t lost on Kate Mulleavy. She was free-associating about Carl Sagan making a record of the sounds of Earth and firing it off into space, where others would wonder at it in much the same way that she and Laura had spent five days marveling at Florentine glories that were hundreds of years in the making. In five centuries, will people be standing in front of Rodarte dresses in a similar state of transport? Pitti says yes.
Click here to see the full ten-piece collection >
tags: Kate Mulleavy, Laura Mulleavy, Pitti, Rodarte
Meet The Muse: Evelien Joos
June 17, 2011
Girl-about-town Natalie Joos spends her days casting for shows like ADAM and Yigal Azrouël and editorials for the likes of Mario Sorrenti and Mariano Vivanco, but her passion is vintage clothing. Joos’ blog, Tales of Endearment, spotlights her “Muses,” impeccably styled girls who share her secondhand obsession. In a new partnership with Style.com, Tales of Endearment’s subjects discuss their shoots right here on Style File.
Natalie Joos’ latest muse is one who’s very close to home—her sister, Evelien (or “Blinie,” as Joos calls her, a childhood nickname that stuck). Evelien, a photo editor for V and VMan and an aspiring actress, might be the younger Joos, but she has developed a strong sense of quirky style that is all her own. Her signature? Wild pants (striped, sunflower yellow, or polka dot). She began collecting them while living in Australia and currently owns an assortment that, Natalie says, “would put Willy Wonka to shame.” Evelien spoke with Style.com about the old and the new (and her go-to trouser shop).
How would you describe your style?
I don’t have one particular style. I can make a lot work and it somehow doesn’t look too artistic or grungy—I like to mix vintage and Belgian. People tell me that I make these crazy things work and that it doesn’t look so weird because I dress it down with basics. You know what it is? When I was younger, I had all of these snobbish friends, and I wanted to dress like them and be snobbish. If I was in the Hamptons all dressed up, my crazy quirkiness always came through—my hair or nails would be off or something so it didn’t look right.
Do you rein it in for the office? What’s work style like at V?
I always wear heels at work. In the week, I put much more effort in my clothes because I like dressing up. We can walk in any way we want to. If I want to wear sweatpants and a T-shirt, that’s fine. But it’s a fashion magazine so you can dress up for it. Some people do and some don’t.
What are a few of your favorite spots for buying vintage?
Stella Dallas in Williamsburg. It’s so bad because every time I go in, I buy something. In the front, they have a cheaper section where everything is under $20, and in the back, things are a little more expensive but they are like $100. I also like markets, the Brooklyn one, but other than that, I don’t remember the names of other vintage stores I like. Continue reading ›
tags: Evelien Joos, V, VMan
