Via: USDish.com

“The family was upset to see those pictures, they were a total shock,” Papa Winehouse elaborated. “We’re still grieving for her loss, and we’ve had a difficult week with the six-month anniversary of Amy’s death. To see her image lifted wholesale to sell clothes was a wrench we were not expecting or consulted on. We’re proud of her influence on fashion but find black veils on models, smoking cigarettes with a barbershop quartet singing her music in bad taste. It portrays a view of Amy when she was not at her best, and glamorises [Brit talk] some of the more upsetting times in her life. That’s upsetting for her family.”

Gaultier, for his part, was trying to do right by the chanteuse: ”She was an icon of fashion and truly, the sense of how she mixed the clothes – it was great. It was very Eighties but we did it in a very modern way. It is very joyous.”

Personally, I thought it was a very fitting tribute and it’s not as if LPG had models stumbling out with a bottle of Jack Daniels in their hands. As I would’ve done because I’m a trash bag. Rather, it was a pretty tasteful homage — as tasteful as Jean Paul Gaultier can possibly get —  that I was glad someone in fashion finally made.

Yet, I see Mitch’s point as a grieving father and perhaps a donation to Amy’s charity would have softened the blow. Speaking with the Sun, i.e. the trashiest tabloid on either side of the Atlantic, Mitch vented his righteous indignation, “No one asked us for permission or offered to make a donation to the foundation. This is purely about Gaultier making money, and that’s wrong.” Just sayin’, wouldn’t hurt to open up those purse strings, Jean Paul.

What do you think? Was Gaultier’s show offensive? [Vogue UK]

Ditto’s currently in Paris for couture week where she confessed that Jean Paul Gaultier‘s Amy Winehouse-inspired collection almost made her cry and gave her chills — in a good way. While in the City of Lights, the singer will attend a fancy shmancy dinner to celebrate the cosmetic collaboration as the special guest of Estée Lauder group president and MAC AIDS Fund chairman John Demsey and MAC global president Karen Buglisi. [WWD]

- Rooney Mara, Givenchy’s spring 2012 Haute Couture collection and the Oscars are a match made in heaven. At least that’s the general consensus. [Fashionista, NYT, The Cut]

- Speaking of award-worthy dressing, Leesa Evans, costume designer for Bridesmaids, took inspiration for the characters’ wardrobes from everyone from Forever 21 to Alexander McQueen. [NYT]

- Demi Moore was hospitalized Monday night, allegedly following an epileptic seizure. Moore is — also allegedly — seeking treatment for anorexia and substance abuse. [Huff Po]

- The most expensive T-shirt in the world may be made out of 16 diamonds and cost $400,000, but it still looks like something the Ed Hardy factory threw up in or around New Jersey. [Styleite]

- Jean Paul Gaultier sent models with Amy Winehouse-esque beehives down his spring 2012 haute couture runway. [Style.com]

- Rumor also has it the Andrej Pejic is about to sign a deal for his first fragrance deal with BFF Jean Paul Gaultier. [Frockwriter]

- Adriana Lima will star in not one, but two Super Bowl commercials. Guess New York doesn’t have the only Giants in the big game. #boobjoke. [Modelinia]

- Christian Siriano will soon be heading down the aisle. The reality star cum designer is collaborating with Nordstrom on an exclusive bridal collection. [The Cut]

- European fashion magazines are really not endearing themselves with black ladies. Following a blatantly racist rant about Rihanna in a Dutch pub, Elle France is coming under fire for an article on “black fashion power” and its exploration of the new “black-geoise.” [Fashion Bomb Daily]

- And Gilt Groupe is not endearing themselves to a few dozen of their (former) employees. The company laid off between 80 and 90 people on Friday. [The Cut]

- Nicki Minaj slathered on a few hundred pounds of makeup and a few candy-colored wigs for her new “Stupid Hoe” video:

“Over the past several years, I have been approached countless times to create my own brand,” said Madame Ciccone. “The timing is right and I have found great partners in Iconix, who can help translate my vision to reality.”

Iconix CEO Neil Cole seconded that emotion: “After the highly successful launch of the junior brand Material Girl, we knew there would be a tremendous demand for a brand that Madonna herself is the face of and that truly captures her essence.”

Lady Madonna is already developing a scent with noted celebrity perfumer Coty and will eventually roll out footwear, handbags and intimate apparel.

Is anyone else hoping for a mass-produced version of the Gaultier cone bra? [WWD]

Photo: Trendland

Italian designers are forming a united front to decide on their own dates, out of the three following options: 1.) move to July; 2.) show before New York in September; or 3.) leave things the way they are, which could mean an overlap between Milan and London.

Condé Nast, for its part, is not having any of this. In a letter to Mario Boselli, head of the Italian Chamber of Fashion ”obtained”  – *cough* stolen *cough*– by WWD, CEO Jonathan Newhouse writes that Vogue editors “like the schedule the way it is presently organized. We at Condé Nast do not want the schedule to be changed. We very much oppose moving the Milan shows earlier so that they overlap or conflict with the London fashion shows — or with the New York fashion shows or those of any market.”

Newhouse then goes on to basically threaten a boycott by all Vogue editors — American, British, French and Italian — of Milan shows, stating matter-of-factly that “they will not under any circumstances abandon the London or New York shows if the Milan shows are moved earlier.”

The root of the conflict stems from a pact in 2008 when all four cities agreed to kick-off the fashion weeks on the second Thursday of February and September. Boselli claims that the agreement was only for three years while the CFDA‘s Steven Kolb and the British Fashion Council‘s Caroline Rush contend that it was indeed a permanent arrangement.

As for the fromage standing alone, Paris is expected to side with Milan. However, Didier Grumbach, head of the Chambre Syndicale, would rather come to a compromise and wants everyone to just chill the eff out: “When planning our schedules we have to factor in the time constraints of houses such as Jean Paul Gaultier or Givenchy that deliver couture, men’s and women’s shows with one designer. In any case, these things can’t be improvised. We have our locations. To move dates on venues like the Grand Palais cannot be improvised. Those dates are decided months and months in advance. If [anyone wants to] move dates for 2013, why not, we have the time to talk about it, to arrange it.”

Frankly, it’s a little odd that London is siding with New York considering the hubbub over model castings earlier this season, with London designers blaming New York for hogging all the best girls and the general feeling that LFW was being squeezed out. Now it seems Milan is feeling the crunch and are going to have to come to a decision soon or face the wrath of Wintour. [WWD, sub req'd]

Photos via Fashion Gone Rogue

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]

Karlie joins the ranks of iconic supers Veruschka and Naomi Sims that have graced the legendary pub. Trailed by Revere over the course of four days in July, the 19-year-old’s cover was snapped backstage at Jean Paul Gaultier’s Haute Couture show. Now I’m ready for a Vogue cover, an attempted acting career and general world domination.  [Life]

When asked by Jean Paul if there was anything that she didn’t want to be asked, Gags just looks at him and says, very matter-of-factly, “No.” So they talk about everything from her past drug use to her special relationship with the little monsters and of course, the fashionality. The seething fashionality that includes a fair share of spanking and a priest costume.

Yeah, this is definitely going into my post-Fashion Week TV queue. Check out the hilariously dramatic preview below.

For instance, Coco Rocha and Sean O’Pry dancing all over Venice for Americana Manhasset is 10 times more interesting than the ad itself.

NEW YORK

- Diva and pioneering androgyne Annie Lennox is getting a fashion retrospective at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. I hope patrons have to literally walk on broken glass throughout the exhibit. [Style.com]

Laugh it up, Radcliffe, you’re next.

- Emma Watson continues to be perfect while showing that rarity among Hollywood actresses — genuine emotion — at the premiere of the 300th and last Harry Potter film. And she did it in Oscar de la Renta. Atta girl, steal my heart. [Jezebel]

- Also on the heart-stealing perfect superhighway is male super Jon Kortajarena who seriously hoofs it up  in the new ad for Kokorico, the latest Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance. [Oh La La Mag]

- Lady Gaga , a self-proclaimed “show with no intermission,” doesn’t speak German, but she can if you like. Either way, she’ll make as much sense as her recent column in V — a missive on reality versus fantasy. Short version, there is — surprisingly —  no line. [V Magazine]

- And the bride wore…TOMS? [Refinery29]

- Speaking of random ideas with little to no reasoning, Cedric the Entertainer is starting his own line of hats called, ingeniously enough, Who Ced?

- Megan Fox just can’t catch a break these days. After being replaced by professional stunner Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in the latest Transformers movie, she’s now been replaced by professional panty-wearer Rihanna as the face of Emporio Armani underwear. Sidebar, way to class up the brand, Armani. [Fashion Week Daily]

Most Sublime and Divine

Couture at its finest, eliciting emotions rarely experienced outside of a gay bar’s men’s bathroom.

Givenchy

Model castings are one of the most important parts of a fashion or beauty photography editorial or print advertising campaign.  Those of you having to have cast for a job probably understand how complicated the whole affair can be.

Casting protocol and logistics are changing all of the time and the necessity to see a model in the flesh so to speak is less important than most of you might think.

Highly evolved internet technology has changed the dynamic considerably. Access to information about the model and how she appears on screen, provides all of the decision makers a much wider gamut of information about her-him than ever before. If the pertinent information about the model is up to date, that information can be even better than a real on the spot casting. However, the responsibility falls on the model agency to provide the most up to date information on the models dimensions, hair color and cut, skin condition etc. so that the client can make an accurate assessment of the model they are casting.

Some of the questions we ask model agencies are what is her REAL shoe size, weight, height, hair color, length of hair and skin condition.  In most cases the agencies will be forthright and honest when confronted directly.  Don’t trust a comp card for the information, as it is already outdated when you get it. The model could have had a hair color change the night before your shoot for another clients needs and you will not be informed until she shows up, unless the agency is really on the case, this will rarely happen.  So you have been warned.

Real castings are often needed in the following cases.  The model has come in from another city or country and is available for a limited time only. The model is a new be and hasn’t any images at all or just a few snap shots. She has had a radical re-looking and nothing in her book represents her new look. It is a beauty capping and the skin is very important as the client wants to use minimal retouching. The client has honed down the preliminary casting to a few models and now wants to see the real deal (at their expense if the model is out of town). Once the model has been hired and need to do a pre-show fitting, as I have illustrated with a pre show Jean-Paul Gaultier model fitting.

If you are new to casting, get ready to be disappointed. In most cases, models are required to come to castings with little or no make-up and what you see in the flesh is nothing like what you saw when you scrutinized her on the web.  It is often as radical as night and day.

However, with the understanding of image usage and rendering in that chosen media, most good casting directors and photographers can see what the potential of the model is with all of the available information on the net which includes video, snap shots, tear sheets, skype conferencing calls etc. and in fact, many prefer to see how models are rendered in the format they will be exhibited in.

With new 3D technology coming to the forefront, virtual castings will become the norm and “real” castings will be done as part of the finalization process and for the fittings only.  In fact, fittings will eventually be done virtually as well, using outerwear templates to determine exact sizing and fitting parameters.

My recommendation is to compile as much info on the model as possible via the net and when convinced of your edited choice, than call in the choices for your finalization process.  This is a real time saver, unless of course you are casting for a speaking roll.  Now that is an entirely different subject. Or is it?

This show seemed to have a little something for everyone.  Whether it be tailored pieces, billowing silhouettes, subdued colors, bright bold prints, something masculine, or something in between this collection really has everyone covered in the chicest way.

Unlike other shows with prints Gaultier decided to go with more graphic designs of tropical images. After viewing this show it is apparent that plaids are trending.

The scooping on the lapels is something I have never really seen done well in menswear but it drapes well and seems fresh in this collection

Thank you Jean for bring this beautiful collection into our lives.

Follow me on Twitter & visit my personal menswear blog for more pictures & Mens Fashion Week coverage: dailyMISTER.com

The designer was on hand to discuss the exhibit and revealed he initially didn’t even want to do it:

“…[A] retrospective usually follows your funeral and I’m still alive, but Nathalie Bondil [director and chief curator at the MMFA] convinced me. The purpose is to show what I want to say through clothes. It is to make clothes that you will love and wear. It’s a good way to show my themes.”

Those themes, explored in “From Sidewalk to Catwalk,” are the Odyssey of JPG, Boudoir, Skin Deep, Punk Can-Can, Urban Jungle and Metropolis and are displayed to full effect on lifelike mannequins. These mannequins bear the faces of real people, filmed and projected onto them, thus giving them the appearance of winking, moving their jaws and speaking.

Featuring 130 pieces culled from more than 150 of Gauliter’s collections, starting from his first in 1976, the exhibit also includes clothes Gaultier made for films and even Madonna‘s iconic cone bra.

Luckily, the Canucks won’t be hoarding this exhibit for too long. After it closes at the MMFA October 2nd, it will move to the Dallas Museum of Art from November13th through February 12th and from there to the de Young Museum in San Francisco from the end of March through July. [WWD]

1. Princess Diana – Diana Spencer

Title: Princess of Wales
Prince Charming: Friend, confidante and designer of choice, Gianni Versace, particularly since Prince Charles proved more frog than prince.

2. Princess Grace – Grace Kelly

Title: Princess of Monaco
Prince Charming: Longtime BFF, Josephine Baker, whom she met in 1951 after standing up for Baker against The Stork Club’s racist practices

3. Princess Jasmine – from Disney‘s Aladdin

Title: Princess of Agrabah
Prince Charming: Street urchin turned Prince Ali, Fabulous He Ali Ababwa

4. Princess Ann – Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (1953)

Title: N/A
Prince Charming: Co-star Gregory Peck and Hubert de Givenchy whom she wore to accept her Best Actress Oscar for her performance

5. Princess Charlotte – Charlotte Casiraghi

Title: Princess of Monaco (she’s Princess Grace’s granddaughter)
Prince Charming: Gucci’s Frida Giannini who exclusively designs Princess Charlotte’s equestrian wardrobe.

6. Princess Sirivannavari – Sirivannavari Nariratana

Title: Princess of Thailand
Prince Charming: Fashion. She’s designs her own fashion line and is a regular at Jean Paul Gaultier‘s shows.

7. Miss Chi Chi Rodriguez – John Leguizamo in To Wong Foo

Title: Drag Princess, “P to the R to the In to the Cess”
Prince Charming: Julie Newmar, who crowns the princess a queen while wearing a Mugler catsuit.

8. Princess Leila – Leila Pahlavi

Title: Princess of Iran
Prince Charming: Barbiturates. A former Valentino model, Leila had her share of demons including anorexia, depression and drug abuse, which ultimately claimed her life.

9. Mia Thermopolis – Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries

Title: Princess of Genovia
Prince Charming: Julie Andrews, whose spoonful of sugar helped make the royal medicine go down as Mia’s grandmother, Queen Clarisse.

10. Princess Catherine – Kate Middleton

Title: The Duchess of Cambridge, Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales
Prince Charming: Sarah Burton, whose Alexander McQueen wedding gown propelled Kate from lady to Lady.

A teaser trailer debuted on YouTube a few days ago and if anything,  it clearly shows that the French know how to go about making a professional documentary. [WWD]

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

Fit: 5

Appropriateness: 4

Trendiness: 5

Styling: 4

Hair: 5

Makeup: 3

Pose: 5

Confidence: 5

This Gaultier couture gown is absolutely stunning, and I’m so glad Sonam did it justice. She wears it well and looks extremely confident on the red carpet. Her eye makeup is way too heavy and a bit juvenile, but that didn’t stop her from acing the look.

Gaultier is the most recent addition to the Puig fashion family, which includes Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera and Paco Rabanne. JPG will step down as president, making room for Manuel Puig (right), so that he can focus his attentions — thankfully — on designing his couture and ready-to-wear collections.

The past few seasons have seen Gaultier in a creative rut, but the designer is happy about the new partnership, saying of the Puigs: “They know what they want to achieve and they are buying Gaultier for Gaultier, not to turn it into something else.”  Well, they could at least turn it into a good label again…I’m just sayin’. [WWD]

*Andre Leon Talley wins the award for best purple tent. As always, his volumes are amazing.

Let’s take a look at the Best Dressed of the night. This category has quite a bit of people, as it should, for fashion’s biggest event. These were the As and high Bs, the working girls.

Shalom Harlow is my pick for BEST DRESSED in Marchesa. This is what the Met Ball is all about – she looks breathtaking in that gown.

I almost fell over when I saw Christina Ricci in Zac Posen. She never ages a day and looks super sexy in this sheer number.

I found Mary-Kate’s dress underwhelming, but Ashley Olsen looks ravishing in vintage Dior Haute Couture. The whole look is perfect.

Elle Fanning looks like a little couture doll in Valentino. She is so outshining her sister, it’s not even fair.

Rihanna has been looking haggard lately, so I was pleasantly surprised at how elegant she was in this striking Stella McCartney gown.

Iman, also in Stella McCartney, turned it out in a metallic gold jumpsuit. A little draggy, a lot amazing.

Karolina Kurkova in a spring 2011 Jean Paul Gaultier lace legging-dress creation. If the models can’t do it, who can?

I love this Prabal Gurung gown and funky jewelry on Ciara. White could be difficult to pull off at the ball, but she did it right.

Even though Crystal Renn is too skinny for my taste, she is an absolute vision in Alexander McQueen. I need my hair to look like this.

After getting ready in a Barneys window yesterday, Daphne Guiness showed up in McQueen. Perfect, amazing, stuns.

I loved Ginnifer Goodwin‘s look from the moment  I saw it. Then I realized it was custom Topshop. Damn she makes it look good.

Naomi Campbell looks like the queen she is in custom McQueen. She wears the sedatives well too.

Hamish Bowles looks like a true gentleman in custom McQueen. Love it from head to toe.

I always wait with baited breath to see what Blake Lively is wearing. She obviously did not disappoint in a Chanel toga.

New York’s best couple showed up looking better than ever. Beyonce is working that Emilio Pucci gown like whoa.

Queen Bitch Anna Wintour gave her best smile to the camera and looks like a shiny grandiose statue in Chanel.

On to the Most Boring of the night. On any other occasion, these folks would have looked great (probably). Unfortunately, this also means they’re the Cs of the Met Ball.

I’m sleeping. Zoe Saldana is usually among the best dressed. Why did she choose this boring Calvin Klein for the biggest fashion night of the year?

Leighton Meester is amazing, but she has trouble getting it right. Different shoes and hair would have done this Louis Vuitton dress more justice.

I love this Michael Kors dress on Emma Roberts, but she has the body to wear something more over the top on a night like this.

Madonna, the Material Girl herself, definitely could have done better than this Stella McCartney dress. Pretty, but boring.

I’m actually quite obsessed with this Miu Miu dress Michelle Williams is wearing. But I would wear this to a nice dinner, not a gala.

And now ladies and gentleman, the Worst Dressed of the night. These are the Ds and Fs of the Met Ball, the creme de la creme of mistakes.

ARGH! Christina Hendricks used to dress so well! This Carolina Herrera gown is an unflattering fit and color on her.

Oh dear. Hate to say it Alicia Keys, but it looks like you’re wearing a giant turd instead of Givenchy. Brown jacket AND dress is NOT fly.

Jennifer Lopez looks like a halfway plucked bloody chicken. Matchy-matchy lipstick, bag and Gucci is a no go.

I thought Chloe Sevigny would make McQueen look good, but I was wrong. The hair is awful and the dress fits like she grabbed it off some rack.

Sorry to say it Kate Hudson, but this Stella McCartney is not a cute pregnant lady dress. And whatever is on your head isn’t working either.

Nooooo! In the rush of preparing for the gala, Lucy Liu forgot to get a wax! Oh wait, that’s just her looking blech in Vionnet.

I hope everyone enjoying looking at the red carpet photos from the 2011 Met Gala as much as I. Who was your best and worst dressed of the night?

- Some bitter queens at Chanel USA apparently had some “grumblings” over Gossip Girl star Blake Lively being named the brand’s Purse Ambassador — considering her look “off-brand.” Karl Lagerfeld, meanwhile, immediately had the disgruntled employees taken out back and turned into Chanel quilted handbags that he later gifted to Blake as a token of his esteem. [Daily News]

- Beyoncé has dropped her father Matthew Knowles as her manager after overseeing her career from Destiny’s baby to an Independent Woman [Part 1]. Now if only we can convince her to drop her mom Tina as a stylist…and then maybe bomb the House of Dereon…we can get the U.S.S. Fierce back on course. [Popeater]

- For Halloween, an industrious British gay — I’d say “flaming fag” but that’s completely something else over there — super-glued a tiny sequined hat to his adorable little, queer head. When the hat wouldn’t come off he visited the ER where they mercifully cut off part of the chapeau, leaving only the brim which came off hours later. Personally, I don’t see the problem with a tiny sequined hat permanently affixed to my head. Some say problem, I say party…24-7. [Huff Po]

- Talking plastic replicas of Jean Paul Gaultier and some of his famous clients will adorn the designer’s retrospective at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal this June. Also on display will be Madonna’s famous conical bras which you can use to pierce those talking plastic replicas in their creepy talking plastic faces. [The Cut]

- Reese Witherspoon got married to someone who’s not Ryan Phillippe so I clearly don’t care, but seems someone couldn’t help stealing the spotlight; among the guests at the wedding were new couple, Oscar-winner Sean Penn and Tony-winner (that must be a type-o) Scarlett Johansson. Let’s see, Sean Penn doesn’t have the greatest track record with women, so I’m just going to sit this one out and wait for the inevitable police report. [Popeater]

Misty

We’re getting Misty eyed with Marlena Szoka featuring the best looks of Haute Couture Spring Summer 2011 Collections for the April edition of Harper’s BAZAAR China with Gaultier Paris by Jean-Paul Gaultier, Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal, Chanel Haute Couture by Karl Lagerfeld, Elie Saab Haute Couture, Alexandre Vauthier Couture, the last Dior Haute Couture Collection by John Galliano, Armani Privé by Giorgio Armani, Valentino Haute Couture by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci captured in the Mist of the Hotel Le Bristol, Paris by Benjamin Kanarek.

To Watch the Video and the Whole Story Here

Cate Blanchett has my vote for best dressed at last night’s Oscars in Givenchy Spring 2011 Couture. Her absolutely stunning look was as close to perfection as one can get.

Fit: 5

Trendiness: 5

Appropriateness: 5

Styling: 5

Hair: 4

Makeup: 5

Pose: 3

Confidence: 5

Mark Ruffalo‘s wife and fabulous lady Sunrise Coigney turned it out on the red carpet in Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2010 Couture and looked more avant-garde than anyone else at the Oscars.

Fit: 5

Trendiness: 5

Appropriateness: 4

Styling: 5

Shoes: 5

Hair: 5

Makeup: 5

Pose: 5

Confidence: 5

Merely one month after giving birth, Penelope Cruz arrived to the Oscars wearing this fiery red gown from the L’Wren Scott Spring 2011 collection. Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz also have my vote for hottest couple.

Fit: 4

Trendiness: 4

Appropriateness: 5

Styling: 4

Hair: 4

Makeup: 5

Pose: 3

Confidence: 5

Did you notice the top three women on my best-dressed list weren’t even nominated for Oscars? Way to steal the spotlight ladies, you deserve the recognition!

Shot by Andrew MacPherson and styled by Brett Bailey, the bodacious raptress lets her hair down, snarls a lot and generally looks like the best thing going on in the world right now.

Wearing Gareth Pugh, Jean Paul Gaultier, House of Holland and vintage Versace, Minaj is demure by…well, Nicki Minaj standards.

Photos: BlackBook

- Items found in Janis Joplin’s handbag: an antique cigarette holder, several motel and hotel room keys, a box of Kleenex, a compact, a bottle of Southern Comfort (empty), a hip flask, gum, sunglasses, credit cards, aspirin, assorted pens and writing pad and a corkscrew. I assume the hip flask was full of SoCo. At least mine is. [The Hairpin]

- Shit is getting UGLY in the Halle Berry/Gabriel Aubry custody battle. Apart from calling her a “fucking bitch,” the Aussie allegedly (his daughter is part black after all) called her the “N” word. I hope she (finally) put that Oscar to good use and threw it at his gorgeous head. [TMZ]

- Jennifer Aniston confronted professional douchebag Perez Hilton about his cruelty to her. I’d like to confront Jennifer Aniston over her current injustice performed upon me. [Huff Po]

- Sassy black lady, my favorite kind of lady, Jazz Ison Sinkfield has been growing her nails for the past 22 years in an effort to meet Oprah Winfrey. I guess that beats my strategy of slowly growing into Gayle King. [Styleist]

- Speaking of becoming a woman, GLAAD is all in a gay huff over an SNL skit they deem to be “dangerous and blatantly anti-tansgender.” Hey, GLAAD, why don’t you untuck for a second and realize it’s just comedy. Sheesh. [Jezebel]

- Lindsay Lohan is under investigation for filching a $2500 necklace from a Venice, CA store on Jan. 22. I hope she threw in a fur and some diamonds as well because $2500 is not worth going to jail for. [People]

- Sartorial star Anne Hathaway had a rare misstep at the premiere of her latest film. And that step landed her in some truly hideous culottes. [Gawker]

- “Oh my god, did someone just jizz on you while you were on your period?”/ “No, silly, I’m just wearing the new Lady Gaga fragrance. And yes.” [Musings of a Muse]

- Jean Paul Gaultier will have his first museum retrospective in June. Make sure to watch your eyes around those cone bras. [NY Mag]

LINK LOVE: Design Scene

Gaultier Createur Thong, $198

Gaultier Createur Babydoll, $913

Gaultier Createur Waist Cincher with Panty, $1240

Balconette Bra, $393

Gaultier Createur Underwire Bra, $523

If none of these are anything to your liking SHOP here!

At an age when many of us can’t even afford a couture gown let alone make one, Maxime Simoëns has joined the official Couture calendar. What’s even more impressive, he’s the first designer to do so without ever having staged a runway.  But before sending out his first painfully constructed garment down the Parisian runway this week, the young couturier shared his inspirations and insights with Style.com.

Your first interest was film. Why did you abandon it for fashion?

Starting from the age of five or six I was totally taken by James Dean, Charlie Chaplin, and Marilyn Monroe. Then I got to film school and found it too technical and scientific—all physics, math, chemistry. I wanted to express myself more concretely; I was thinking less about science and more about the narration of a heroine. Then came Madonna’s “Drowned” World Tour and I took one look at the costumes and silhouettes—and of course the corsets—by Jean Paul Gaultier, and I knew. I went home and started to draw. It totally threw my parents off because after ten years of talking about film I turned around and told them it was going to be fashion.

What happened once you arrived in Paris?

I attended the Chambre Syndicale, and I figured that since Gaultier was my inspiration my first internship should be there. It’s very complicated to get an internship there, so I knocked on all the doors I could, and then I hand-embroidered a letter on a corset that I made out of python and painted. It took my whole summer vacation—the corset, the packaging, everything. Mr. Gaultier never saw it, but his assistants did. It made the rounds in-house and that’s how I got my internship in the accessories department.

You also interned at Christian Dior and Balenciaga. What were the takeaways there?

I was an assistant stylist in the embroidery atelier at Dior. So much happens at the last minute that it was a lesson in working on a tight deadline. As an assistant stylist at Balenciaga I worked on inspirations and embroidery, especially prints. Once, two weeks before the show, we changed everything. It was sort of a liturgical theme, and then it was flowers. Working with Nicolas [Ghesquière] is great because he pushes everything to the limit.

How did the annual fashion and photography festival at Hyères become your launching pad?

Hyères is usually about a concept, but some journalists told me that my mini-collection of seven pieces had commercial potential. We presented at Hyères and found ourselves with orders for 600 pieces, which was enormous. I couldn’t work out of my apartment anymore; we had to really set up a house. Then, unexpectedly, the numbers doubled with the second collection. At the same time, Gossip Girl stylist Eric Daman was scouting for the Paris shoot and he liked the collection. It gave us great exposure, and we [Gossip Girl stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester] hit it off.

Is that how the couture connection came about?

Didier Grumbach [president of the Fédération Française de la Couture] had encouraged me to participate in Couture week, but I wasn’t sure at first because couture seemed to me a bit old-fashioned. In the end I decided to do it because it wasn’t about aligning with an old image, it was about a new vision of couture. The timing is perfect because ready-to-wear arrives in stores a week later.

What is your take on couture?

For me it’s not about made-to-measure. It’s more about normalized sizing with French creativity and quality. There’s a whole French generation emerging that’s interested in preserving that tradition. Since we took over Lacroix’s old atelier, we have artisanal know-how to back us up and the capacity to deliver quickly. Those two factors make [creating couture] feasible. The idea with our atelier is to support the young coalition and help consolidate the new generation of French couture.

Who are this season’s heroines?

There’s a Sofia Coppola inspiration for both parts of the collection. The first, which I call “Cherry Blossom Girl,” is dedicated to sacrificial heroines like the teenage ones in Virgin Suicides, but with glamour, geometry, and elegance. The second part is called “This, Madame, Is Paris,” which is inspired by Marie Antoinette. For my first Couture show I wanted a theme that was very French, so I chose the absolute icon.

How do you render an icon of excess in neo-minimalist times?

Instead of panniers and frills I worked a lot on fabric, in mille-feuilles and prints. One print is black marble; another is lace transformed into jacquard that is slightly industrial; and another is a pixelated version of a painting the Queen commissioned for the Petit Trianon. Then you get to a heavier jacquard that I created from droplets of blood Photoshopped and reworked in color, thread by thread. But even if her end was somber, we focused on the lighter, iconic side of things—handmade flowers in leather, white gowns embroidered with stones. And there’s a chain theme to invoke the idea of being chained to one’s destiny.

Has Sofia Coppola seen the collection?

No, but she’s invited!

Link Love: Style.com

This glam and edgy look is filled with sparkles and spikes and everything nice:

1. Wanda Dress by Jones and Jones $150 – topshop.com

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Psychedelic Sister $17 – urbandecay.com

3. Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss # 707 $33 – yesstyle.com

4. Pamela Love Three finger tribal spike ring $1,000 – brownsfashion.com

5. Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau de Parfum Natural Spray $100 – nordstrom.com

6. Alexandre Birman Platform python sandals $795 – net-a-porter.com

7. Kate Spade Swan Lake Scottie $425 – katespade.com

8. Max and Chloe Onyx Dangling Earrings $650 – maxandchloe.com

This time Gaultier is playing with shoulder volume. A bra with built-in shoulder shapers will give you the instant Emmanuelle Alt signature, even in a shlump shouldered jacket. My biggest hope – no, not hope, more like a prayer – is for a Blonde Ambition world tour Rocket Cone Bra flashback. The structured line will be out in the UK January 17th in Harrods.

Link Love: Full Frontal Fashion

Credit: The Cut

LINK LOVE: The Fashion Spot

While Scarlett Johansson presented a Mango button to Jean Paul Gaultier everyone began to realize that she was sporting a new do! The actress arrived in Barcelona last Wednesday with a bob for the Mango Fashion Awards. The layers and waves really make the whole look!

LINK LOVE: ONTD

Beckham looks happy and relaxed in the cover photo shot by Ruven Afanador. I love the Gaultier for La Perla bra and Eres panty combo.

LINK LOVE: Design Scene

This is what I want my country home on the Amalfi Coast to look like.

This wardrobe is not a matter of want, but rather a matter of need.

I guess I’m stuck with furniture salvaged from the street for awhile, but I dream of one day having a bedroom like this. So peaceful and lovely!

LINK LOVE: Eclectic Flies

Ditto is a size 26 and known for loving her curves. I say you go girl! Every lady should get to wear fabulous fashion, no matter what shape or size. Gaultier is very ahead of his time in thinking that size 0 is way out.

LINK LOVE: Stylelist

The movie follows Kitano as a Japanese gangster who wants out.  His bosses, however, want him to pull one last job out in Okinawa.  As with most last jobs, things go horribly awry leading Kitano and his team to hide out on the beach.  Once there, a lot of non-action happens, but much like Wong Kar-Wai does, Kitano manages to make this non-action incredibly beautiful.

Like every Film Friday entry, there are suits galore.  And like with most Film Fridays, it’s all about the fit and all about the details.  Even in the noir darkness, one can see that this plain blue blazer fits Kitano well.  And his colleague’s jacket, while it has gigantic lapels, is the perfect shade of grey for Spring or Summer, much like this Marc Jacobs blazer or these from Rag & Bone and Jil Sander.

Somehow, certain characters in the film manage to even make the most atrocious pieces look presentable if not downright stylish.  Check out this minor character’s tie, reminiscent of a collaboration between Beauty & Youth of Japan and The Hillside of New York.

Along with the floral ties are plenty of floral tops.  Again, the connotations of floral shirts (think Jimmy Buffett) are not exactly flattering, but the colors and patterns used make shirts like the ones above work.  Take notes, old white men traveling in Hawaii.  And the kid’s t-shirt in the first pic?  Not too different from the type of stuff Japanese brand 45rpm is doing.

There’s also a little bit of the weird here and there (if the floral tie didn’t do it for you).  Check out the pants on the somber gent to the left, oddly similar to this offering by the good folks at Oak.

Also, check out the other somber guy on the left, Mr. Short But Threatening, rocking a chalk-stripe suit not unlike this from Dolce & Gabbana or a reverse version of this Vivienne Westwood blazer.

And lest we forget about the ladies (a definite no-no), some more floral pieces.  The above like any number of tops you’ll see floating around this summer, the dress like prettier, more vibrant versions of these by Jean Paul Gaultier and Tsumori Chisato.

And, in a nutshell, there’s the style of Sonatine.  Like any previous Film Friday editions, of course not everyone will agree with this film’s inclusion as a movie with sartorial worth.  In fact, many will probably share the same opinion as Kitano’s character above.  The fact remains, though, that the characters in this film pull off both traditional and more daring pieces with ease and that makes it worth any Film Friday.

Kitsuné Macintosh

Olympia Le-Tan purses

Jean Paul Gaultier ensemble

Bleu de Paname Chemise Travail Gabardine

Alexis Mabille dresses

Get super-psyched.  And start selling plasma for money.

LINK LOVE: SLAMXHYPE

However, her new runway shows for Chanel and her Jean Paul Gaultier ads show a skinnier side of Crystal. Can she still be considered a plus-size model?

Here is a picture from when she had her curves and natural body:

Now here are her newest photos:

Do you think Crystal is becoming to skinny again?

Filed under: Fashion, Photography Tagged: Chanel, Crystal Renn, Fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier

LINK LOVE:Crystal Renn Controversy

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Is there anything that says LADY more than a head scarf?  Ping Hue Chung, the comeback kid Crystal Renn and Kelly Moreira are just sitting back in their Gaultier, clutches in hand, waiting for the orgy to start. Or maybe it’s over and they’re waiting for a bus. Either way, I’m over people wearing pants.

(Hint: It’s in the turban)

Kloss continues to channel classic film noir femme fatales, as seen here in the recent Gaultier HC show in Paris. And let’s not forget her dead on Betty Bacall for Dior:

LINK LOVE:Karlie Kloss Has a Gun…

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I don’t have a huge crush on this collection. The colors are really dark, and the hats looks funny.  I did  like some looks though and a Dita Von Teese appearance ( she seems to suffer with her corset). Check out the photos after the jump…