“Miuccia Prada is honoured and proud to take part in this exhibition which is ‘an impossible’ conversation between Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli,” a brand spokesperson said. ”The comments printed are taken out of context and therefore misconstrued. Mrs. Prada confirmed that she admires the total curatorial independence of the museum to the extent that they almost did not take into consideration her vision.”

Yeah, it’s totally plausible that “I told them, but they don’t care” was a funny aside said with a self-deprecating chuckle and a playful roll of the eyes. And it’s totally plausible that after making these “out of context” statements, Miuccia went around slapping every underling that dared to even breathe in her general direction, which — when taken out of context — seems like a violent outburst but is really just a little thing the house of Prada does for kicks. [Vogue UK]

Visit Donna Distefano in her studio/showroom on 37 West 20th street, Suite 1106, NYC. See more than just jewelry; see all the tools it takes to make your beloved sparklies. And learn the true history behind every part of the jewelry.

A panel of experts will choose the Design of the Year as well as the top designs in six categories including Fashion, Architecture, Furniture and Graphics. In the Fashion Design category, Mary Katrantzou and Céline‘s fall 2011 collections will compete against Vivienne Westwood‘s Ethical Fashion Africa collection, and the collaboration between shoe company Melissa with Italian architect Gaetano Pesce. The winners will be announced April 24 at an awards night at the Museum. [Vogue UK]

Sarah Burton in Vogue UK / Photo: StyleFrizz

Burton told her mum and dad about the commission the night before the ceremony and they saw the dress the same time as everyone else in the world, at an ungodly hour on the morning of April 29th. Only Burton’s core team of designers knew about the now iconic dress in the making. Since it was only days after the royal wedding, Burton cleverly used the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s Savage Beauty exhibit as a cover to explain away her frequent missed appointments.

Finally, on the big day, Burton accompanied Catherine to Westminster Abbey to put the finishing touches on the dress’ nine-foot train: “I remember standing in Westminster Abbey thinking, ‘This is unreal’. It was like a fairy tale. And all I could think was, ‘I hope I don’t trip over’. I didn’t realise the enormity of it until much nearer the wedding day. It was a magical experience.”

It’s been a banner year for Burton, what with the dress, the Met exhibit and widely-acclaimed collections for the design house. Filling the late Alexander McQueen’s shoes, she more than met the expectations of the role, but Burton admitted she had her doubts: ”I definitely considered not taking this job. I was at such a loss, he was such a huge part of my life, my every day. I could finish his sentences but I didn’t know that I could begin anything, and that terrified me.”

She sees her success as a final “gift” from McQueen and notes that, “Out of such terrible, tragic times and from under this dark cloud came that dress.” [Telegraph]

By juxtaposing Schiaparelli’s and Prada’s viewpoints on these topics, museum curators Andrew Bolton and Harold Koda hope to create a dialogue between the designers:

“If we can play with that idea of what Schiap would say, with her real words, and what Miuccia would say, in her real words, on a variety of issues,” Koda explained, “we could end up with something that was a mind-teaser for the audience, and would allow people to see Schiap with increased relevance and Miuccia with a different kind of understanding than they perhaps already have. We want it to be serious in content but playful in its approach.”

This approach will certainly be playful considering who the Met has in charge of the production and design: no other than that master of the spectacular spectacle, Baz Luhrmann. According to Koda, the exhibit will have “a very high-tech aspect” so as to bring the past to life.

On Fashion will run from May 10th to Aug, 19th and will include some 80 designs by Schiaparelli from the late Twenties through the early Fifties and by Prada from the late Eighties through today. The annual Gala — my ticket to which is clearly already be in the mail — will be chaired by Anna Wintour, Miuccia herself and Carey Mulligan — a Prada and Vogue fave as well as the star of Luhrmann’s upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Hello, multi-brand tie-in.

Amazon.com, who along with Condé Nast is underwriting the exhibit, will serve as the Gala’s honorary chair. [WWD, sub req'd]

Photos: WWD

Photo: WWD

Reminiscent of his work for Savage Beauty at The Met, Palau nonetheless thought that “[t]he idea seemed quite extreme, but it’s actually very pretty.” You say pretty, Guido, we say STUNNSIES.

Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli are reportedly the focus of the Costume Institute’s next exhibit in the spring. Schiaparelli, who is as important to Italian fashion as Gabrielle Chanel is to French fashion, had a groundbreaking and innovative line between the two world wars but was unable to adapt in the wake of Christian Dior’s New Look.

While Prada is obviously one of the most successful and influential women working in fashion today and is also of Italian descent. No doubt the Institute’s curator, Andrew Bolton, will draw some parallels between the two women’s lives and careers. But for now, the Met is remaining mum on the matter. [WWD]

The Museum of Modern Art
MoMA’s permanent collection boasts incredible modern and contemporary pieces but perhaps none cause as many yelps of glee as Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. The museum is currently open seven days a week, and late on Thurs – Sat until September 3 so there is no excuse not to get acquainted.

photo credit: www.moma.org

Why You Should Care
Fun Fact: Van Gogh created this painting while at an asylum in the south of France. It’s good to know that even before Charlie and Lindsay, the world always had talented wack-o’s.

Scholarly Snippit: The Starry Night combines real natural elements as well as creations driven by Van Gogh’s emotions and incorporates highly charged brushwork.

Vocab: Post-Impressionism describes changes to the accepted methods of painting landscapes and scenes of everyday life in the late 1800s, incorporating added focus on elements such as light, color, and brushwork.

Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Diana’s granddaughter-in-law, directed the film Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, debuting at the Venice Film Festival September 3rd, as well as wrote the similarly-titled coffee-table book, which hits bookstores October 1st.

Featuring contributions from everyone and their mother, including Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Hubert de Givenchy, Diane von Furstenberg, Richard Avedon, Anjelica Huston and Ali McGraw*, the film is Immordino Vreeland’s first:”As soon as I started research for the book, I said to myself, ‘I should be working on a documentary.’”

Brazilian-born installation artist Eli Sudbrack of Assume Vivid Astro Focus — working under the direction of Barneys creative director Dennis Freedman – developed the artwork for Gaga’s Workshop, which will be featured throughout the workshop, in display windows, on shopping bags and in packaging.

The workshop — open from mid-November through January 2 — will be a Gaga-inspired shopping environment featuring limited-edition gifts designed by the popstar and her wonder twin, Nicola Formichetti. Barneys.com will also carry these gifts — which include candies, toys, apparel, accessories, candles and cosmetics – through a special microsite with 25% of sales from the workshop being donated to a charity of Lady Gaga’s choosing.

“Holiday is about joy, sharing and inclusiveness, and to me, Gaga really represents all of that,” explains Mark Lee, chief executive officer of Barneys New York. Lee took his inspiration from Gaga’s recent takeover of New York landmarks — “from Carnegie Hall for the Rainforest Benefit to the Metropolitan Museum and the Today show at Rockefeller Center” — and, of course, Babs Streisand‘s first TV special featuring a performance in Bergdorf’s.

While Gaga is expected to show up to the unveiling of the workshop, Lee hopes that she’ll be so “blown away” she puts on a little show of her own right then and there. Ugh, imagine? It would be something of a miracle on Madison Avenue. Oh, I do believe in Lady Gaga! I do! I do! [WWD]

What could be colorful enough to honor Antoni Gaudi’s “Dragon” in Barcelona, Spain?

Photo: Superstock

NEW YORK

- The Wall Street Journal called in an expert to explain why Linda Evangelista‘s son needs $46,000 a month from his father, billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault-Hayek. Turns out young Augustin James is ballin’ out of control. [The Cut]

- A report that Jay-Z bought Billionaire Boys Club – Pharrell‘s clothing line — have been refuted by Jigga himself, who claims he’s only “partnering” with the Neptune. [GQ]

Savage Beauty is on track to supersede Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, which set the attendance record for a fashion exhibition when it bowed to 576,000 guests back in 2008. Meanwhile, McQueen has been breaking records since it opened in early May, becoming the museum’s second biggest opening in history, behind Vincent Van Gogh’s The Drawings.

Several factors are attributed to Savage Beauty’s triumphant run: the wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; the insufferable heat; a booming tourist season. But most important is the exhibit’s mass appeal. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty manages to transcend fashion while standing alone as a testament to a great artist and his incredible legacy.

As Edward Murguia, a 67-year old sociology professor from Texas A&M University — perhaps the last person you’d expect to find at a retrospective for a British designer who hanged himself over a year ago — observed: “You take a medium like fashion that you don’t think is going to have that much depth, and then you find that it does…I could never imagine how much he got done in such a short life.” [NYT]

Since its record-breaking opening day, over 150,000 people have seen Savage Beauty, resulting in lines, crowds and kilt-tearing. But starting Monday, June 6th, it will be even easier to go on McQueen’s Magical Mystery Tour.

“Met Mondays with McQueen” will allow visitors –  for $50 — access to the exhibit between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm when the rest of the museum is closed. It would kind of be like Night at the Museum but if Ben Stiller was played by Daphne Guinness and instead of dinosaurs, the mannequins came to life and started catwalking.

Meanwhile, I smell a sequel…. [WWD]

1. Booze. Let’s be real, if shit’s going down tomorrow, I’m going out in a vodka-soaked blaze of glory.

2. At least one piece of McQueen’s Savage Beauty. Yes I am breaking into The Met and yes I am wearing this gold duck feather coat out.

3. Egoïste. Because I need to see a Louis Vuitton-attired polar bear taking in an Al Gore lecture on global warming before I die. That happened.

4. These post-Apocalyptic video looks from Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)”:

Photo: NY Mag

And Lady Gaga‘s “Judas”:

Photo: Nicola Formichetti's Blog!!

5. Oprah. I know this is short notice with the world ending tomorrow and all, but I really think Oprah and I should be together since I’ve recently adopted her as my mother. She’s not really aware of it.

6. Violent Lips. Sometimes a girl needs to look fierce and really this isn’t the time to slack off with boring old jungle red or whatever signature color you use. Give me a hot pink leopard lip and call it a day/year/life.

7. Made in Brazil #3.

Boom:

Photo: Models.com

Nuff said.

8. Angelina Jolie’s Atelier Versace gown from Cannes. I love a good statement-making gown when the skies open up; and this gown will say, “Excuse me, stop what you’re doing. I get it…but I’m in the room.”

9. A pair of Louboutins I lifted from FI‘s Editor-in-Chief Sam Lim. Barring the fact that I’m about six shoe sizes bigger than she is, Sam’s long hours in the line at the Christian Louboutin sample sale should be celebrated. Celebrated with a unbearably painful walk-off.

10. Fashion Indie’s Mixtape Vol. 3. If we’re all still here next week you can get a listen for yourself, but I’ve already got my copy and will be dancing till the world ends.

Speaking of Britney, I forgot to include drugs — last minute shopping …literally!

The masks, crafted from leather, jewels, burlap, lace, felt, fur and feathers, were meant to compliment the extraordinary pieces without overpowering them — if that’s even at all possible.

Palau wanted to do right by the late designer for whose shows hair was “always an important part.” Finally, a Guido you can be proud of. [NYT]

- And not at all coincidentally, Anna Wintour is now a museum board member.

- Gisele is the most super supermodel in the world and future supers can only pale in their already pale comparisons.

- Isabella Blow‘s posthumous wardrobe will live on thanks to Daphne Guinness and a generous, completely justifiable use of the Guinness fortune.

- Hindu’s were up in arms — all 4 of them! — over a swimsuit bearing the goddess Lakshmi.

- The Schwarzenegger-Shrivers are now sans a hyphen (okay, it was never there) and a  marriage (nor was that).

- A fashion mag so rare you might be dead before it comes out again. Particularly since the world is ending any day now.

- Get your library cards out, Gaga wants to talk about…reading.

- This June John Galliano will be spelling couture : C-O-U-R-T…cause that’s where he’s going…court.

- Like that great poet — what was his name, oh yes, Biggie Smalls — once said, “Mo Money, Mo Problems.” Those problems just involve cutting back on the Birkin allowance.

Wintour has been an honorary trustee of the Met since 1999 and has co-chaired 13 benefits since 1995. In those 16 years, she has raised approximately $85 million for the Costume Institute with last week’s Met Gala pulling in $10.4 million.

In addition, the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit has proven wildly popular so it was inevitable that the Met would eventually have to sell its soul give credit where credit is due. [WWD]

With 5,100 visitors on May 4th, Savage Beauty is the second biggest opening day in the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s history. But what’s number one? That earless showboat, Vincent Van Gogh, whose Vincent Van Gogh: The Drawings drew in 5,400 people in 2005.

Nevertheless, the McQueen exhibit proved so popular the Met had to suspend its guided tours. The museum also sold 600 catalogs and at $45 a pop, Vincent Can Gogh suck on that. [NYT]

Photos: Styleite

- But what does this mean for Burton and the McQueen brand? A series of industry insiders, retail experts and just plain know-it-alls agree that landing the royal wedding dress was a large coup for the Alexander McQueen label, particularly with the Met Costume Institute Gala and Savage Beauty exhibit opening this week. McQueen will become a household name — though it was already that in my household — and will now have a “guaranteed legacy” while “taming” the house’s trademark “edginess.” Sales are expected to go through the roof due to a new, heretofore unseen level of awareness for the McQueen brand and as for Burton; rumors are reaching a fever pitch over her possibly serving as a replacement for John Galliano at Dior. But with the spectacular success of the new Duchess’s wedding gown, PPR (McQueen’s parent company) would likely do everything in its power to keep her on…at least if they were smart they would. [WWD]

- Model Agency Wars! After Next Model Management sued Ford Models for allegedly poaching a trio of models — Karmen Pedaru, Anna Aleksandra Cywinska, and Anna J. — DNA has gotten litigious over Maryna Linchuk, whom they claim Ford “solicited and induced” to break contract. DNA’s result? They’re suing Ford for $2 million. Big game hunting in the wilds of the modeling world can get very expensive. [Fashionista]

- Also on said list is Glee‘s Chris Colfer, who just sold a pilot to the Disney Channel and is also writing and starring in the indie film, Struck By Lightning, directed by the guy who did Saved! – it’s Kurt’s turn! [The Daily Beast]

- You can get even closer to the Met’s Costume Institute Gala thanks to Vogue‘s new iPad app, which has 5 years of behind the scenes footage, a preview of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty and even a tribute to McQueen by the bobbed one herself, Anna Wintour. [Fashionologie]

- Supermodel icon and MILF extraordinaire, Cindy Crawford says she feels like an outsider now: I just saw the CoverGirl commercial with Taylor Swift and I thought, ‘Wow, it is so hard for models to get a job these days.” Well, I hope you’re happy now, Taylor Swift — you’ve alienated one of the greatest supermodels of all time. Thanks again, Swift. [Fashionologie]

- Crawford went on to say: “And I also think when I was modeling, size 6 was a normal size and now it’s like 2 or 0.” Well, according to a new study from the University of Bologna, Italy, allowing larger models onto the runway will promote obesity since skinny models provide an incentive for weight control. And that incentive is called cocaine. [Daily Mail]

- The Center for Disease Control estimates that by 2020 every state will have a ban on indoor smoking. I personally don’t smoke, unless I’m 5 Long Island Iced Teas into the night, but there’s just something comforting about a seedy, smokey bar — something that just says ‘Welcome home, homo.’ [Gawker]

Link Love: The Cut, The Daily Telegraph

The pieces were photographed for the exhibit catalogue by Sølve Sundsbø using live models who were digitally altered to look like mannequins, thus giving the clothing movement. It looks absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to basically live in the Met for the entire month of May.

Link Love: Vogue UK / NY Mag

Conceived by the Chairman of the Institute’s Board of Directors, Oscar de la Renta and curated by Vogue‘s own Hamish Bowles, Balenciaga: Spanish Master is the the first collection “to consider the impact of Spain’s culture, history and art” on the career and artistry of Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972).

Portrait of the artist as a young fox

Balenciaga forever changed the way women dressed and introduced dramatically different silhouettes into a woman’s sartorial lexicon. Spanish Master showcases some of the designer’s brilliant, beautiful and very often groundbreaking work in millinery, evening gowns, cocktail dresses and daywear, particularly highlighting his expert construction and tailoring.

Photo: GDK is the new black.

Featuring over 70 pieces from the Balenciaga archives, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, The Hispanic Society of America, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Texas Fashion Collection, the collection also benefited from loans from the private collections of Sandy Schreier and Bowles himself.

Photo: Sandi in the City

The exhibit also ”considers the influences on [Balenciaga's] designs of the country’s great artists, from Zurbarán and Goya to Picasso, Sorolla and Miró, and of Spain’s religious dress and ceremony, its royal history, its rich regional costume, its dance traditions, and the power and splendor of the bullfight. “

Photo: GDK is the new black.

I was in raptures pouring over Spanish Master‘s two floors and was especially surprised by Balenciaga’s continued experimentation and ingenuity well into old age and until his retirement in 1968. One could easily see the rich history from which Nicolas Ghesquière regularly culls and reinterprets through the house’s current collections.

Photos: Blend/Koko Royale

Balenciaga: Spanish Master is an experience that any lover of fashion or art or Spanish history should not miss. The exhibition will be on display at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute through February 19th and is $15 for adults and $10 for students, seniors, and Institute members.

Queen Sofía Spanish Institute  - 684 Park Ave

Like Cristobal Balenciaga, artist Francesco Vezzoli was inspired by religion for his latest exhibition Sacrilegio. He has reimagined 15th- and 16th-century Madonna and Child paintings by Giovanni Bellini, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli utilizing 80s/90s supermodels including Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christie Brinkley, Tatjana Patitz, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour and Kim Alexis.

Kim Alexis

The exhibit purports to examine “the societal worship of figures from the fashion and celebrity industries” by combining supermodels with historical religious icons.

Cindy Crawford

Vezzoli adorned each painting with “makeup, tattoos and large oblong tears rendered in needlepoint” and the gallery itself has been transformed into a Renaissance chapel. Some of the works also feature an FV with “a needle and thread forming part of the initials.”

Christie Brinkley

The exhibit was interesting and wholly entertaining — I mean, Christie Brinkley crying a giant needlepoint Liza Minnelli tear! I’m surprised I didn’t collapse from the amount of awesome being thrown my way.

Whether you subscribe to the artist’s idea of using these supers to “reflect a reality that has a huge power over our lives” or are just tickled by Naomi Campbell as a holy figure, Sacrilegio is definitely worth seeing. Sacrilegio will be on display at the Gagosian through March 12.

Gagosian Gallery - 522 W 21st St

All right, who else can’t fucking wait for this? I have to start digging through my closet to find the perfect McQueen ensemble to wear to next year’s gala…that I’m not invited to.

Cough.

Eyebrow raise.

…

Okay, subtlety’s not working, who do  have to kill to get ticket to next year’s Costume Institute Gala?

Please say a Kardashian….

Over the past several decades, fashion has certainly evolved, and with it, the trendy model look has morphed. From elegant to youthful and grungy to natural, models are just as much a work of art as the clothes on their bodies. Starting May 6th, the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art will kick off it’s newest exhibit, Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion. Featuring peak models from 1947-1997, I’m really curious to see this timeline of faces and make my prediction as to which look the fashion industry will harness next. Hey, you never know, following the 80′s fashion revival, maybe models will start looking like this again! 

GALLERY: FIRST LOOK: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Model As Muse Exhibition

Thanks NY Mag!

Sarah Jessica Parker can be referred to as the voice of fashion. Now, she will be the voice for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new audio guide tour on “Costume: The Art of Dress.”

In the first audio guide by the Costume Institute, and available at the museum from Nov. 25, Parker will guide visitors through approximately 20 pieces of art from the permanent collection, including historical garments, as well as costumes depicted in paintings and sculptures. Parker taped the audio tour in a recording studio in the summer.

“Looking beyond our encyclopedic collection of costume to the museum’s other treasures puts clothing into a historical context,” Costume Institute curator-in-charge Harold Koda said. “Walking through the galleries listening to Sarah Jessica Parker’s narration will bring a sense of discovery and delight to the experience.”

Thanks WWD

For the first time, nearly all of the Costume Institute’s large collection of clothing has been translated into an online database. View original works from Ungaro, Schiaparelli, Givenchy,  and many more.

The project was started in 2000, and since then the department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art has worked on formatting and digitizing information on 29,432 objects from the 31,000-piece collection. It is available to view through the museum’s Web site under Collection Database. The move is part of the museum’s initiative to showcase its entire holdings online.