Franco’s first of his “Episodes of an Untitled Film” will debut on February 15 on Seven’s YouTube channel with a new episode premiering every week. The aforementioned “Untitled Film” is actually titled The Death of Natalie Wood, an extended three-hour version of which will be played as part of “Rebel,” an art installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Inspired by Rebel without a Cause starring Wood and James Dean, “Rebel” also features work from Ed Ruscha, Paul McCarthy, Damon McCarthy, Aaron Young and Harmony Korine.

Franco’s interest cum obsession with James Dean is akin to Linday Lohan‘s obsession cum super-obsession with Marilyn Monroe, only to a more successful — and a more clothed — degree. You may remember that post-Freaks and Geeks Franco played Dean in a made-for-TV movie and later directed a biographical movie on Sal Mineo, Dean’s tragic sidekick in the 1955 classic. “Part of me wanted to fill it out and do a tribute to Natalie Wood, as well,” Franco said in reference to the untitled film’s title.

As for his collaboration with Seven, Franco had this to say about it: “The videos have a vintage feel to them. They feel like they are from a different era, which I think really fits with the new line that Seven had in the shoot — a lot of cool denim tops and jeans…The look of the film and the clothes feels very Seventies. We shot right on the beach and drove up the PCH [Pacific Coast Highway], so I guess you could say it’s a vintage 1970’s California dreamy feel. The movies that I cut together have a lot of weird double exposures and super- imposed images over other images, so it’s a real, I guess you could say, trip.”

The film features a cast of models/actors/artists/musicians I’ve never heard of — as well as a cameo by Franco himself — while Lily Donaldson takes center stage in the print campaign (above). And while he’s no stranger to modeling as the broodingly handsome face of Gucci for the past few seasons, Jimmy Francs is also in talks to move behind the camera to direct something for the Italian house. [WWD]

Check out a behind-the-scenes look at James Franco’s Seven for All Mankind film below:

Get them for $1,195 at Bergdorf Goodman.

[Huffington Post]

The knighthood, bestowed by president Nicolas Sarkozy, recognizes Hayek for her “services to the French Republic,” notably, her work as ”director and producer (and) active member of charitable foundations for 23 years.” The fact that Hayek’s old man is Francois-Henri Pinault, a close friend of Sarkozy and the head of PPR thus the owner of pretty much everything including Gucci, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, I’m sure had nothing to do with it. Nor does the fact that Hayek’s father-in-law, Francois Pinault is simultaneously being named a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.

But the French are croaking their disapproval nonetheless, calling Hayek’s appointment a joke, “an insult to France” and as a result Napoleon Bonaparte, who instituted the honor in 1802 in an attempt to replace the nobility, is “turning in his grave.” One honoree has even refused to accept the award. Henri Torre, the crotchety 78-year-old  former minister and member of Sarkozy’s ruling party sassed, “Too many people have been nominated who do not deserve to be honoured” and claimed that the award had been tainted with “croneyism” by “naming any old people.”

It’s one thing to say that the Mexican actress is undeserving of being made a French knight, but calling her old is really stepping over the line, France. [Telegraph,Vogue UK]

Key Pieces: Mini skirts, bold prints, leopard anything/everything, skirtsuits, body-con dresses, tights, the occasional statement evening gown for when Mr. Sheffield lets her out of the house and, of course, tons and tons of hairspray.

Designers to Wear: Vivienne Westwood, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Betsey Johnson

Defining Fashion Moment: Whenever Mr. Sheffield had any sort of high-brow event at the manse, Fran would finagle her way into the party with a show-stopping entrance atop the staircase, which she would then descend dramatically like the drag queen she is. However, any serious discussion of Fran’s style would be incomplete without mention of  her equally fabulous mother Sylvia Fine and gold-lamé-loving grandmother Yetta. The apple doesn’t fall far from the heavily-sequined tree.

Crawling through the Boogie-Down, Lopez extols the virtues of her hometown and getting back to one’s roots — “They may be just streets to you, but to me they’re a playground.” –  but in truth, those streets aren’t streets to her either. While her body double was braving the hood, La Lopez was comfortably sitting inside her Fiat some 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles. Thanks to some innovative post-production, no one was any the wiser.

But now that the fox-fur-trimmed cat is out of the Gucci bag, this only proves that you can take the diva out of the hood, but you can’t make that bitch go back without a body double, some digital manipulation and a multi-million dollar endorsement deal. [The Smoking Gun]

Photos: Fashion Gone Rogue

Reese will be rated on the below categories, five being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

What grade did Reese receive? Check out page two to find out.

Link Love: Vogue.com

Styled by Sara Fernandez. All photos from Fashion Gone Rogue

Patrizia Reggiani on trial in 1998

On  May 22, 1985, Maurizio packed a bag and told his wife that he was going away for a few days. Shortly afterward, a friend of Maurizio’s stopped by to tell Patrizia that Maurizio wasn’t coming back after a few days, or at all. After 12 years of marriage, Reggiani and Gucci had grown apart. Patrizia had been integral in overseeing Maurizio’s ascension to the head of the company, but she had grown overbearing and he desired his precious, precious freedom.

Inside the Tom Ford design studio:

Ford on his return to fashion:

Ford on leaving Gucci and making movies:

The full documentary airs Sunday at 8 p.m. and to check out the trailer visit the OWN website.

Mark Cramer and Coy Barton; “I’m in Steve Madden, he’s in Chinese Laundry,” said Mr. Barton of their shoes.

“I wish society was more acceptable of men wearing heels,” laments Jeff Paice, one of the queens interviewed by the Times, while in a black button down, black trousers and a pair of wedged sandals. Once upon a time, however, men could wear heels without stigma.

In 18th century France, Louis XIV often wore five-inch heels depicting miniature battle scenes. The Sun King decreed that only nobility were allowed to wear heels in red — how’s that for trademark infringement Christian Louboutin — and that no one could have heels higher than his own. Diva. Then in 1791, following the French Revolution, noted lilliputian Napoleon Bonaparte banned high heels to show equality.

Louis XIV in a sensible heel

For Paice, though, the options for a pump-lovin’ man leaves much to be desired. His cohorts, Coy Barton and Mark Cramer, allegedly 24 and 25, couldn’t agree more. ”I literally look at girls and think, you have so many options. You have jumpers, you have skirts, you have dresses, you have pants, you have shorts. Boys have pants and shorts. Or suits and a shirt,” Barton says, both he and Cramer dressed similarly in grey slacks, white dress shirt and tranny heel. But Barton, in his $115 Steve Maddens and Cramer in his $170 Chinese Laundry booties, don’t consider this a form of drag.

To them and to Sean Wagner, the heels are not about creating an illusion, they’re about having fun. “As far as we’re concerned, this is just bringing a look to a club — which is what you are supposed to do,” explains a bearded and bespectacled Wagner, in an eight-inch neon green pair of lace-up ankle boots — or as he refers to them, “my usual hiking shoes.” The 6’2″ Wagner is also a fan of the height the shoes give him. “I’ve bought Louis Vuitton. I’ve bought Gucci. But a lot of designers don’t go high enough for me. I found a company in Arizona that will do 15-inch heels for $3,000.” Let’s see 6’2″ plus 15″ equals…a towering tranny inferno.

Also taking the designer high-heeled road is Gregory Alexander, whose six-inch Balenciaga wooden wedges retail for $2000. That, however, is not the only price he’s paid for his shoe fetish. Last summer, while trying to jump a fence to get into a party, Alexander broke his ankle and was in a cast for four months. ”They told me I should never wear heels again, obviously,” he recounts.

But a broken ankle never keeps a lady down and by the time the NYT caught up with him, Alexander was in his Yves Saint Laurent Imperiale platform stiletto ankle boot — these L.A. gals do love an ankle boot —  skinny black jeans, a shirt and skinny tie and, of course, a motorcycle jacket, Because you gotta keep it butch. [NYT, Random History]

Having mastered the art of social media — they’re #1 on Facebook with nearly 9 million “Likes” and #2 on Twitter — Burberry continues to find innovative ways to engage consumers such as a live-streaming Tweetwalk, where looks from London Fashion Week were Tweeted before they hit the runway. They also scored well in e-commerce and mobile commerce thanks to its global site relaunch, landing the over 150-year-old British label the top spot on the L2 index and the official label of “Genius.”

Kate Spade was a newcomer to the index but their blend of smart e-commerce and a strong mobile and social presence skyrocketed the brand to the #2 spot. Storied houses Chanel and Christian Dior, on the other hand, seem to be resting on their luxury laurels earning only “Average” L2 IQs.

Prada and Hermès started running with the bad girls in school, smoking in the bathroom and dating college boys instead of working on their social media and as a result their IQs plummeted from “Gifted” in 2009 to “Challenged” in 2011. And to make matters worse, Prada was cited as the “biggest digital disappointment in luxury.” Yikes, wait til your father hears about this….

But in their defense, Europe might just have a harder learning curve. Ten of the top fifteen brands in the L2 index were American and on average American brands have a higher digital IQ than their Euro counterparts. Finally, somewhere the U.S. excels in something besides obesity and sluttiness.

The top 10 list is as follows:

1. Burberry: Digital births an icon: Proof that digital investments translate to shareholder value.

2. Kate Spade: Top social media score; Index newcomer did not get memo that heritage is necessary to be iconic digitally.

3. Coach: New York native continues to woo the blogosphere and registers top scores for site experience.

3. Gucci: Gucci Connects dots and delivers with shoppable video and recent Tumblr launch

5. Dolce & Gabbana: Global site relaunch threads needle of edgy and effective.

5. Tory Burch: Facebook store leads fashion F-commerce (r)evolution.

7. Ralph Lauren: New York Times iPad app takeover transforms brand into rich media publisher.

8. Hugo Boss: Top mobile scores and interactive YouTube channel venture differentiate the brand online.

9. Louis Vuitton: Embracing the spirit of travel with Amble app; Leads on Foursquare.

10. Michael Kors: Destination: Kors. Evolving brand into an online lifestyle.

[Luxury Lab, Telegraph]

1. “The Butcher” - Mario Testino, The Face, 1996

"The Butcher" - Mario Testino, The Face, 1996

“Shot during the meat crisis in Britain, this much-copied story was a turning point in my career. And I don’t even like meat!”

“The intent is to tell our story and make it visible for everyone doing something with and for this city,” Gucci president and CEO Patrizio di Marco said. “Eight million people transit on this square.” That will make for quite a few drop-ins.

From Le Figaro via The Cut:

From the first model on the runway, we are struck by what resembles an out-of-style Gucci collection from ten years ago. The fussy complications of the cuts (drawstrings, shirring, high-waisted skirts, leg-of-lamb sleeves), the disheveled hairstyle of a girl barely back from happy hour, and the overdone makeup… Overload is the key word of the show… The laced shoe? An ersatz model of an Alaïa. The jogging shorts in black leather? Already seen last year in Céline‘s cruise collection, as were the sandals with bracelet straps (here, encrusted with rhinestones). The coat bristling with raffia? A pale version of those in Yves Saint Laurent‘s spring 1967 collection.

And then shit gets personal:

At the end of this inventory suited to Kim Kardashian, Tom Ford appears. He advances. And he remains there, in the central area, asking people to stand up. Perhaps [people would do so] out of distress, or sympathy, or because all of this is supposed to be festive after all. But everybody just looks at their feet. The music does not stop. Ford tries to speak above the noise, louder. We can’t hear a thing. We just see this baby-faced man trying desperately to clear the air. He throw[s] himself upon his companion, Richard Buckley, and hugs him (Ralph Lauren often hugs his companion Ricky at the end of his shows, but then he returns backstage). But here everyone stays put. So Tom Ford retreats toward Anna Wintour and now it’s she whom he decides to embrace. Troubling.

A.) That comparison to Kim Kardashian is verging on out-of-line. B.) I’m pretty sure Mouzat called Ford fat with that “baby-faced” comment. And  C.) I think the most “troubling” part is that he reportedly had the cajones to publicly embrace Anna Wintour. People have died for less.

This isn’t the first time Ford has weathered bad press as noted sassbag Cathy Horyn referred to Ford’s spring 2001 Gucci show as “not just truly ugly, but also…completely at odds with his reputation as a designer who loves women.” And then there was that reporter at the Guardian, Jess Cartner-Morley, who also had some choice words for Ford’s latest collection.

So, is it a case of sour grapes, or has Tom Ford simply made an unfashionable misstep? Well, you’ll have to wait to form your own opinions when the photos come out, but everyone’s allowed a mistake every now and then. Hell, we keep Jean Paul Gaultier around and when’s the last time he did anything passably good? Oh, right. [The Cut]

The Jazz Age was in full swing at Etro where the Italian label’s namesake paisley print was barely recognizable. Veronica Etro turned to futuristic artist Fortunato Depero for Art Deco prints screaming with vivacity. The Chrysler Building even made an appearance.

1. You don’t need any sleep to look radiant—if you have Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick and finishing powder on hand.
The morning I go to meet Ford at his glitzy London HQ, he has had two hours’ sleep the night before. He has terrible insomnia. However, in his immaculate black suit, white shirt, and black tie, he looks crisp and fresh. I would like to know his secret, I tell him.

“Powder under the eyes,” he declares authoritatively. “The only thing making you have bags is the light hitting the high points of the skin. If there is translucent powder under your eyes,” he says—grabbing a gorgeous glossy brown-and-gold compact and, looking in the mirror, dusting finishing powder under each eye—“and you use a little stick foundation, and then the powder in moderation, the shadows are gone.”

Ford is endearingly vain. For a man so famously handsome and successful, he is as insecure as a teenager about his looks. Even though he spends serious amounts of time peering into his magnifying mirror (a compulsory piece of equipment, according to Ford), it’s not to say, “ ‘Wow, I look great’; it’s to think, I’m getting older and my eyebrows are getting longer and they need a cut, and oh, God, maybe I need a little more Botox here. So all I see are flaws when I look in the mirror—initially, until I correct them.”

The point is, whatever the beautiful 50-year-old Ford is doing, he wears makeup. And the starting point for him—and so for his cosmetics line—is flawless skin. As well as stick foundation, the range includes primer and an extraordinarily light “traceless” liquid foundation. When I try it, it seems to magically disguise any unevenness in my skin without being visible. I usually hate foundation because it’s so obvious, but this feels and looks completely different—like nothing is there at all. “Everything about the Tom Ford world is perfect,” says makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, who helped Ford create the line, “and that includes perfect glowing skin.” I tried Ford’s moisturizers and serums—his collection includes skin care as well—over the space of six weeks, and my complexion seemed to spring into bloom.

2. Get a dressing table now.
One of Ford’s favorite childhood memories is of watching his mother do her face every morning at a dressing table equipped with magnifying mirrors and spotlights at their home in the Houston suburbs. “She looked like Tippi Hedren,” he remembers. “She didn’t wear a lot of eye shadow, but there was definitely foundation, a brow, and lipstick with a very orange, 1960s cast to it. She would tease her hair up between sips of coffee, spraying on the Aqua Net, as it’s called in Texas.”

Tom Ford isn’t about on-the-go makeup. When my box of his new products arrives—mahogany-handled brushes (manufactured by the world’s finest brush factory, in Japan), blushers, powders, kohl pencils, nail colors, lip glosses, and lipsticks—the need for a dressing table is suddenly pressing. I have to spread it out all over my bed just to take it in. “You can’t put this makeup on in the subway or in the car ever,” Ford had told me. “Because if you paint your mouth on slightly crookedly, you no longer have a straight mouth, you have a crooked mouth. Why would you do that?”

3. Manners maketh makeup.
Ford is famously old-fashioned about putting on your face in public. If a girl needs a touch-up, he says, she should go to the powder room. There are, though, exceptions. “If you have a gorgeous hand and gorgeous mannerisms and a gorgeous compact . . . there’s a very well known beauty, I can’t say her name, but I used to see her a bit for dinner,” he confides. “She’d lay out a compact, a lip brush, a lipstick, and it was like part of the knife and fork. After each course, out came the compact and the lipstick, and somehow she pulled it off, because it was so much her thing.”

4. Makeup is the new It bag: Change it and you don’t need a new frock.
“You can take a little black dress,” explains Ford, “and put on twenties makeup, thirties makeup, or seventies makeup, and that dress becomes totally different.”

5. Thou shalt wear “full on” color for evening.
Ford has always believed in color in his clothing. His makeup range contains every shade the Tom Ford woman needs for her face: sexy nudes, glamour reds, moody plums, midnight blues, and titanium blacks for night.

After timidly playing with the colors at home, I’m ready to give them a trial outing. The occasion: insanely fabulous tickets to see Alicia Keys at a one-night-only performance in London.

The look starts with nails. I take a bottle of African Violet—a luscious dark-fuchsia—to Coco Nail Bar on Portobello Road, just about the only place you can get a simultaneous mani-pedi in London. The manicurist whispers that she feels “honored” to be using the first Tom Ford polish. Once my nails are done, I feel the beginnings of a Bianca Jagger moment coming on: The exotic dark pink reminds me of the lacquered, lipsticked icon in her heyday.

It seems right to make up my eyes more daringly than usual. I pick the palette of lilacs and purples, Violet Dusk, and gradually layer on each shade, topping it off with the shimmery “sequin” finish. (Each eye-shadow compact contains four shades of varying intensity and texture in a given color harmony, and represents a complete look curated by Ford.) I add a shot of peacock green along my upper lash line, using the Metallic Moss kohl pencil, and gently shade my lips with the muted Pink Dusk lipstick. I’ve somehow managed to pull off an updated disco-chic look, rather than descending into the Priscilla Queen of the Desert territory I had feared.

I throw on a bias-cut, original 1970s black jersey dress, Moroccan gold earrings, gold Manolos, and grab a dark-brown patent clutch with gold trim. I feel dressy and fun with my lacquered nails and glittering eyes. When I run into a makeup-free Phoebe Philo at the after-party, I momentarily doubt my violet eyelids. But only momentarily. It is so much fun wearing brights that I vow to try the tantalizing greens of the Sahara Haze palette on my next night out.

6. If you don’t have a long neck, draw it.
Ford believes you can create any shape of face you want using his Shade and Illuminate palette—a compact containing a brightening “lifting” cream and a darker “sculpting” one. “If I know that one cheekbone is higher than the other, I can put highlighter on the lower one,” he says, showing me how to do it, “and suddenly my cheeks look symmetrical, because the light bounces off the lower one better.” Ford says you can even create a jawline like Linda Evangelista’s. “If you don’t have that fabulously strong jaw, you could basically highlight where your neck is and shade where your chin is, and you would have a really strong look.” In case this sounds a little intimidating, Ford reassures me that Charlotte Tilbury will be personally training the beauty advisers at every one of his counters worldwide so they can show women exactly how to do this.

7. Change your eyebrows—avoid plastic surgery!
Ford is eyebrow-obsessed. He believes eyebrows are the one thing you can dramatically change on your face without going under the knife. To that end, he has included an angular Brow Sculptor, which allows the user to get a much sharper line than with an ordinary eyebrow pencil. The formula is soft, so it’s great for gentle filling.

8. Old Hollywood glamour is the best Hollywood glamour.
Despite his other job as a movie director, Ford admits he often feels the current Hollywood standard of beauty is “tragic.” He says Hollywoodized women—whether they are in London, L.A., or New York—who all look exactly the same are like “Barbies. Real women shouldn’t look at any of it or think about any of it.” Instead, he tells me, “women should do the same as I did when starting my brand: What colors do I always like? What was my favorite period of makeup? What am I comfortable in? What time in my life did I think I looked my most amazing? What was I wearing? And from just thinking about those things, you can start to put together who you are. Then stick with it. It doesn’t mean your shoulder or heel shouldn’t change a little, but it gives you a base.”
9. Bitter Bitch is the new Vamp.
Enough said about the sexiest chocolate-brown nail polish I’ve ever seen.

10. It’s chic to wear jeans and a T-shirt and be made-up.
Ford tells me that the coolest 20-something girls in his London office come to work in high-street clothes and immaculate makeup. “They grew up in the hip-hop moment of nothing, so they’ve reacted against that and want to be glamorous. They want a lacquered lip.” Ford shows me a crimson lip gloss that recalls the Dallas and Dynasty starlets. It’s fun, fabulous, the perfect orangey red. Ford has always loathed lip gloss, so it took him a while to get to the point where he could add one to the line. His strikes me as different, more grown-up: saturated and opaque, yet not sticky.

Putting a face on suddenly feels chic again.

Credit: Fall 2011 Vogue September Issue

Photos from Style.com

Models on Todd Lynn's Spring 2012 runway / Style.com

According to Carole White, founder of Premier Model Management and not the biggest Naomi Campbell fan, ”We’re not just talking about one or two big girls. Jacobs had numerous models holding on options right up until the day of his show meaning they all stayed in New York just in case they got cast.”

White goes on to say, ”Gucci demanded that girls fly to Milan on Saturday to meet Frida to see if she would consider them for her show, which meant Saturday got trashed. Then the girls were expected to fly straight back to London, and if Gucci were interested, fly back to Milan again on Sunday for another round of casting, then for fittings on Monday. Only a tiny fraction of them realistically have a shot at being in that show — we all know it will be full of mega girls. I find it insulting that a designer like Frida thinks London is so insignificant that she would do that.”

For agents and models alike, Gucci and Jacobs are major gets, but that leaves the already packed London schedule of designers feeling like fashion’s bastard step-children. A source at Todd Lynn claims to have “lost 10 out of 19 girls,” with agents calling them in the middle of the night to pull their girls and some models not even showing up for fittings because they’ve flown off to Milan.

Also not helping matters is LOVE magazine editor Katie Grand — damn you Katie Grand — who styled for Jacobs and also styled for the London-based designer Giles Deacon. Grand demanded a five-hour call time — which one “fashion insider” calls ”unnecessary, absurd, selfish and wrong,” citing Paris’ strict two-hour limit — thus monopolizing any girls left in town after Burberry.

Amidst fears that London Fashion Week may be squeezed out all together, the British Fashion Council is beginning to feel the heat. The BFC is being accused of mismanaging the show calendar and for not standing up to the organizers behind the  New York and Milan fashion weeks.

Meanwhile, CEO of the BFC, Caroline Rush, insists that something is being done. She’s not particularly clear what that something is, but the Council has “invested time in developing direct relationships with model agencies to better understand their challenges and encourage them to send more internationally-recognised catwalk models to London. This season, the models at designers such as Jonathan Saunders, Erdem, Christopher Kane and Tom Ford have been of a global standard.”

Well, for those handful of shows, good for you. But for everyone else suffering at the model-grabbing claws of New York and Milan: damn you, Caroline Rush. [Telegraph]

Jackets go ablaze when electric hues brighten up the scene. Proenza Schouler, Jil Sander and Phillip Lim have not gone back to black, and how refreshing!

Other topics Ford explores in his interview include his return to fashion and the why of it: ”Because I’m not Doing The Fashion System. I don’t do shows. I don’t have reviews. I’m not putting the clothes on every celebrity so that by the time they reach the store the customers are sick of seeing them.” *Cough, Prada, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, cough.*

Speaking of Gucci, Ford compares his time at the Italian luxury house to the work he does now: “At Gucci, it was all about creating The Look each season The Shoe, The Bag, The Hair. But now I have no desire to create The Look. I just want to make beautiful, glamorous clothes.” Pity he won’t wear them, though.”

But before sending a look down the intimate, exclusive runway, Ford always has his PR lady Whitney or Carine Roitfeld when she’s not pussyfooting with Karl Lagerfeld, try it on: ”If they don’t wear it, it doesn’t go into production.”

As for that infamous French Vogue he guest edited for Roitfeld, Ford explains his reasoning behind all the geriatric grinding: ”My mother doesn’t like me saying this but she’s in her late seventies and her boyfriend’s in his late sixties. The point is she’s active and looks amazing, and yet we’ve taught ourselves to think that ageing’s embarrassing. That’s why I left all the wrinkles in the story shot for French Vogue of an old couple having sex”.

[Quick joke, what does one call a 78-year-old cougar? Madonna,10 years ago. *Rimshot.*]

And then there’s Ford’s burgeoning film career after 2009′s wonderful A Single Man. While his next film, allegedly a comedy, is “ready to go,” the life of a filmmaker has its difficulties: ”I would lose my mind if I just did films…I enjoy the speed of fashion. I love doing different things and I think I still have something valid to say in fashion.” I fully support that — I always find whatever Tom Ford says to be valid, no matter how batshit it is. [Telegraph]

Frye Julia Riding Boot $368 – So incredibly chic with a dash of red, smooth, full grain leather is stacked up on three glorious inches.

FashionIndie‘s own Jessica Lapidos captured
during last Fashion Week by NY Mag

Go East, Young Tran!

Asia is booming! With many designers flocking to the Far East not only for business but inspiration, why not give a knowing wink to the Orient with this look, featuring a Boudicca cape, cropped McQ jersey harem pants and of course, what Asian sensation is complete without a little Hello Kitty?

Thank you. Madge looks the best I’ve seen her in 102 years in this Vionnet gown, but the real kicker are the giant, completely unnecessary but nonetheless perfect sunglasses studded with red crystals. While Madonna looks great, the advanced buzz for W.E. is…god awful. Swept Away 2: On the Shores of Failure.

For the Pretentious Art Snob:  You’ve been there, done that, own everything and everyone so even the most avant garde installations leave you bored. But that doesn’t mean you have anything else to do.

Hands down my favorite spread so far in this, the September issue season, Klein, Valletta and Edward Enninful envision an eternal heroine and her struggles over the course of a century, featuring looks by Chanel, John Galliano, Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tom Ford, Givenchy and Alexander McQueen.

“September 29, 1929: A month before the stock market’s Black Tuesday, our heroine’s opium-tinged 29th-birthday party in the Blue Room rolls on.”

In a statement on A&F’s website:

“We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.”

A&F wants The Situation to wear an “alternate brand” and has also “extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response.”

A. Since when is Abercrombie & Fitch an aspirational brand? Sure, once upon a time it was actually a respected label but that went flying out the door once those homoerotic soft porn biannuals disguised as catalogs started popping up in-store.

B. Correct me if I’m wrong (don’t you dare), but isn’t The Situation the kind of customer A&F mainly appeals to, i.e. douchebags and juiceheads?

C. This has been happening to Snooki for ages with designers purposely sending her their competitor’s bags in order to avoid being associated with her, so the Jersey Shore kids are basically fist-pumping, cartwheeling and throwing up all the way to the bank. God bless America. [WWD]

For the Cowboys & Aliens premiere at the 64th Festival del Film di Locarno in Locarno, Switzerland, Babaii wanted Olivia to rock a classic bun a la Grace Kelly with a modern twist. He applied Couture Colour Pequi Oil Treatment before blow-drying, curling and sweeping her hair back to elongate her neck and highlight her stunning features. Soft and lovely, we love the contrast between her hair and ultra-loud custom Gucci gown.

 Who’s fault is it? Salma, I’m looking at you.

Pinault, chairman and CEO of PPR — the conglomerate behind Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and a slew of other brands — is one of the richest men in the world…and Evangelista is getting hers.

If the super gets her way — and when doesn’t she? — that 46K “would probably be the largest support order in the history of the Family Court,” says some professional legal dude.

While Pinault is busy making it rain for Valentina, his 3-year-old daughter with Hayek, there’s a draught when it comes to Evangelista’s 4-year-old son, Augustin James — meanwhile, you do the math — with Linda’s lawyer claiming, ”He’s just been sitting back, paying zero.”

Among the costs Evangelista is looking to gouge Pinault on are an $80,000/year nanny and private, gun-toting drivers at $175,000/yr. While the judge seemed sympathetic to those costs — after all, we’re talking about a star here — he immediately dismissed the $7500/month vacation expenses. Scrooge.

Evangelista, who’s worth some $8 million — “and she earned, last year, $1.8 million” — is still a working mother and boy was she working that day in court. When the judge asked her just how many hours she worked in a given week, Linda calmly responded:

“On days when I do not work, I am working on my image. I have to hit the gym. I have beauty appointments. I have to work toward my next job and maintaining my image, just like an athlete.”

And she’s running circles all over this case. In stilettos, too. Good luck, mama! [NY Post]

]]> http://fashionindie.com/linda-evangelista-doesnt-get-out-of-court-for-less-than-46000-a-month/feed/ 0 http://fashionindie.com/6-mens-watches-to-watch-out-for/ http://fashionindie.com/6-mens-watches-to-watch-out-for/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:44:41 +0000 McArthur Joseph http://fashionindie.com/?p=204069 There are few accessories in a man’s wardrobe that tell you about his personality. It is said that every gentle should don a nice timepiece so we brought you 6 that will surely turn head.

D&G, $295

Keep reading for a variety of watches that will all leave the right impression.

- Alleged scissor sisters Freja Behna Erichsen and Arizona Muse get in the habit for Mario Testino and Vogue UK. [Fashionologie]

- The New Directions kids will be singing a sartorial song come September. The stars of Glee are rumored to be participating in Fashion’s Night Out. [Page Six]

- Gucci‘s got a fancy shmancy iPad app. [WWD]

- Noted cuckquean, Lauryn Hill — I’m sorry, Ms. Lauryn Hill — still crazy, still fabulous. [Style.com]

- “I’m having an interview with The New York Times. Can you just leave me alone?” Whines A-List gay Reichen Lehmkuhl whose name I won’t even bother to boldface. [NYT]

Franco is judging you right now, ladies. Sexily.

And the nominees are: director of photography Caroline Champetier for Of Gods and Men; Jessica Chastain, star of Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life; screenwriter Federica Pontremoli for Habemus Papam; Nansun Shi, the producer behind Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame; and producer/director of Attenberg, Athina Tsangari.

The winner will be chosen September 2 by Franco, Gucci creative director Frida Giannini and occasional actress Robin Wright formerly Penn. [WWD]

“The popular image of this jail is linked to the silk suits of godfathers and we need to cancel that image,” says Governor Barbera. But Barbera is an equal opportunity killjoy; in addition to the finer threads in life, she has banned Nike and Adidas. ”We need to cancel class differences and the showing off of status, power and wealth,” she emphasized.

The mob wives, for their part, are taking it as calmly as can be expected. “My husband will be left naked,” remarked one wife. ”He only has designer clothes, and that’s not because he’s flashy but because they last much longer and are better quality. Why humiliate him? Why force us to buy clothes at street markets?” She then tipped over a table, threw her drink in someone’s (anyone’s) face and lunged after the governor’s neck screaming about said naked husband.

The Ucciardone prison, known to inmates as “The Grand Hotel,” has been witness to mobsters holding lobster and champagne birthday banquets as well as a formal wedding in the prison chapel.

Why deny the sacred — and stunning — tradition of mobsters openly flaunting the law and looking great while doing it? I wouldn’t be surprised if Governor Rita Barbera wakes up next to  Raquel Zimmermann‘s head one day. [Guardian]

Gucci New Balthus Cosmetic Case $180 – Classic Italian luxury. Need we say more?

I’m Lauren, your resident NYC dweller, crazed shopaholic and blogger from Diary of a Fashion Addict. Join me as we explore this week’s best online sample sales, NYC street deals, exclusive discount codes from your favorite designers and more.

Deal for a Day:

Let’s keep it simple: Gucci on Rue La La today, 7/19! If you’re in the market, sign on at 11 a.m. on the dot to get first pick.

For an invite: email Lauren@diaryofafashionaddict.com

Go to page two for our perfect Manhattan workday lunch outfit splurge.