QUEL SCANDALE! Presents Fashion Fascists: Christian Dior’s “Nazi Look”

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

After Hugo Boss recently apologized for its namesake founder’s Nazi past, we’ve realized that designers were heiling Hitler left and right all up and through the 20th century. So in light of this —  and of the coming Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana (mazel!) — we’re highlighting the biggest fascists in fashion history as part of our ongoing Quel Scandale! feature. First up, Christian Dior got down and Nazi decades before John Galliano drunkenly slurred his way right out of a job.

#NYFW: Badgley Mischka Spring 2012

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

I rolled out of the figurative gutter of the literal FashionIndie office this morning and dragged my hungover self to Badgley Mischka. Though I didn’t have my coffee/Jack Daniels, the collection was definitely the best part of waking up. There were red carpet gowns galore that we’ll no doubt be seeing in the coming months. But there were a few missteps — I’m the last girl on earth to decry a  hotpant, but when said hotpant interrupts an otherwise stunning procession of dresses, I can’t fully support it. Though I’d probably end up wearing it. Okay, totally end up wearing it.

INDIE NEWSROOM: Marc Jacobs and Dior Hitting a Wall…Franca Sozzani Wants Galliano Back…Anna Wintour Guffaws for Fashion

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

- Dior may have bitten off more than it can chew as Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy are reportedly asking for a king’s ransom to take the crown left vacant by John Galliano. [WWD, sub req'd]

INDIE NEWSROOM: Lagerfeld on Life…Galliano Found Guilty…Lady Gaga’s Newest Hobby

Edited by Jorge Martinez-Garza

- When asked what he would save if his house were burning down Kaiser Karl Lagerfeld responded, “Which house? I have several.” [The Guardian]

- Galliano was found guilty in Paris…Can we move on now? [The Guardian]

Top 11 Classiest Fashion Schools in the World

Edited by Jessica Lapidos

Welcome to our month of Fashion Education. To start you off in the right direction, let’s examine your choice of design university, or more importantly, the fashion schools of choice. Certain alma maters produce an exceptional level of talent, consistently. Let us see where you stand, and who stands out as your alumni and professors. (Note: we are only looking at schools that speak English. Paris has burned.)

INDIE NEWSROOM: Annie Leibovitz Hits a Kardashian Low…Marc Jacobs Shunning Celebs This Season…The Touch, the Feel, the Smell of Snooki

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

-Formerly esteemed photog Annie Leibovitz is now shooting Sears catalogs. And what’s worse, the stars of these Sears catalogs are those blights on the landscape of pop culture, the sisters Kardashian. Leibovitz shot them for Kardashian Kollection, their new line of clothing with the mass retailer and apparently she didn’t give two shits about it. Note how Khloe Kardashian is downsized a good half-a-foot to fit into the pic. [Jezebel]

INDIE NEWSROOM: When Karl Met Florence…When Lee Met Daphne…When Zombie Met Andrej

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

- Karl Lagerfeld photographed gentlemanly ginger Florence Welch for the cover of Vogue Nippon.  [Design Scene]

Amber Valletta Is Literally 120 Years Old

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

With the aid of some expert make-up and prosthetics, supermodel Amber Valletta gets buried in the sands of time, aging 100 years — and looking impossibly chic along the way — in Steven Klein‘s brilliant editorial for W, “One for the Ages.”