The fashion Industry was in uproar last week after John Galliano was dismissed as Creative Director from Christian Dior following numerous anti-Semitic allegations made against the designer. Galliano has denied all allegations made against him and claimed that he is of partial Jewish ancestry, although this has not been verified. The dismissal on 1^st March came immediately following the release of a video clip of the designer, who was unquestionably inebriated, stating, “I love Hitler”.

When I first heard the news and watched the video post that was made public over the World Wide Web, I was unsurprised by his behavior and by the reaction from Dior.

I was introduced to the designer after the 2009 Spring-Summer Haute Couture Dior show, in January 2009 and while he was polite, my lasting impressions of him were not favorable. I found him to have a thick and unattractive façade. It has long been known within the fashion industry that Galliano was prone to living a hedonistic lifestyle that resulted in drink and drug related addictions and although it seemed he had been clean for some time, there were rumors circulating that he had relapsed, partly due to the pressure of producing 12 collections a year. He was responsible for six collections for Dior, including the bi-annual Haute Couture, and six collections for his own label. Recent speculation that he had been increasingly less involved with the design process for Dior over the past few years was also starting to emerge.

Christian Dior is the largest holding company within LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) the world’s leading luxury goods conglomerate. Billionaire financier, Bernard Arnault owns 48% of LVMH and in turn, the company, which creates billions of dollars in revenue every year, can easily afford to ensure video clips such as these never see the light of day. Yet, on this occasion, they chose not to.

The fact that Dior fired the designer so promptly, confirmed a personal prediction that the company had been looking for a way to let him go for some time due to repeated displays of inappropriate behavior. The leaked footage, which was not the first of its kind, was the final piece of evidence needed to terminate their chief designer without a pay off that would have been in the region of $25 million.

After all, Christian Dior was established as a couture house post World War II and was considered to represent a new beginning. Given this legacy, Galliano’s comments were as much anti-Dior as they were anti-Semitic.

While I accept that there are people in this world who, through lack of education or for their own reasons, are racially intolerant, Galliano’s words were inarguably appalling. However, given the encouragement from the amateur filmmaker, on this occasion, they may well have been for shock value. Galliano’s personality, like his work, is known for being theatrical and provocative. Even accepting this possibility, one can’t help but wonder what might have been behind his hateful comments. In the video, Galliano tells the woman, “You are ugly”. Since the designer does not possess model good looks himself, most viewers have inferred that his remarks were an attempt to cover his deep-rooted depression and insecurity.

More than the reason behind the tirade, I have been intrigued by the mixed reactions. Academy Award winning actress, Natalie Portman, who had an endorsement contract with Dior for its fragrance Miss Dior Chérie, made this statement, “I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano’s comments. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect upon these prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful.”

Meanwhile, costume designer Patricia Field, defended Galliano’s tirade as being “misunderstood theatre.” While there are mixed opinions within the fashion elite, many insiders have refused to comment, other than to suggest, “It is a shame.” I was interested to pinpoint what precisely people felt was a shame. Is it the fact that he is no longer Creative Director of Dior? Or that he would make such remarks? A general consensus seemed to indicate that editors felt it was a shame this incident had tarred the fashion Industry while Karl Largerfeld stated, “It is a horrible image for fashion.”

While it clearly isn’t a positive reflection, I hardly feel that the general public looks upon the directors of the fashion world as saintly. For many outsiders, who have never met a designer in their life, the closest image they have to relate to, are the characters from ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’

Rather more, because of this attention, accounts of Galliano’s achievements have been highlighted in the media. Galliano’s design talents were noted at a young age, while he was still a student at Central Saint Martin’s College in London where he graduated with a first class honors degree. His first collection, inspired by the French Revolution, was bought by London boutique, Browns. Shortly after, he was able to start his own label. A few seasons later, he moved to Paris, where his talents were recognized by Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley. In 1995 he was appointed as the designer for Givenchy, also part of LVMH, and within two years, he replaced Gianfranco Ferre as the chief designer at Christian Dior. Many have cited his great attention to detail as playing a large factor in his success.

Galliano’s suspension came before he was able to complete work on the Dior Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 Collection. Consequently, the Paris Fashion Week show, held last Friday, was preceded by a formal announcement from Dior Chairman, Sidney Toledano, confirming the termination and apologizing on behalf of the company, for Galliano’s comments. Since the designer was not present, the final walk was taken by the Dior atelier, walking out to a standing ovation from the tearful audience.

Over the past few years, Dior has produced some incredible collections, notably in 2008 and 2009. Dresses that are timelessly chic and reminiscent of Dior’s famous New Look. This last collection could not have been more different. It was a tribute production, characteristically John Galliano, with the first model wearing a long cape and tall boots, looking distinctively like the designer himself. Could Galliano have known this would be his last collection for the label?

While I consider that a possibility, I do not share the view that many seem to have taken that this is the end of the road for him professionally. He has reportedly now checked into a rehabilitation facility in Phoenix, which will hopefully give him the opportunity to address his inner demons. This is exactly where he needs to be right now. Many in the fashion Industry may be fair weather friends, but there are equally as many who I am sure will be there to offer him the strength and encouragement that he so obviously needs.

While emotions are running high, many are speaking as if he has retired or worse, as if he has died. I would not be so quick to write him off. Audiences love a comeback and I have every faith that Galliano is capable of quite the encore.

As he faces trial from both Paris Police and from public opinion, reporters are already speculating as to who will take over as chief designer of Dior. One name being repeatedly mentioned is Riccardo Tisci, the current Creative Director at Givenchy. No doubt, this will be an extremely well considered decision. As it stands, LVMH stock has been strong for the past year and there has not been a noticeable decrease in value over the past week. If anything, stock value is more likely to be affected by the current rising price of oil than a changeover of staff. To put it succinctly, Dior was strong before Galliano and will continue to be, long after Galliano.

Post written by Kirsten Lea & Watch the Video’s Here

LINK:http://houseofscissors.blogspot.com/2010/09/nyfwrodartespringsummer2011.html

LINK:http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/coutureinthecity/hJJq/~3/CLm3ryFS-CI/

LINK:http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/coutureinthecity/hJJq/~3/CLm3ryFS-CI/

by John Lopez
Let me get straight to the point: Go and pay to see Scott Pilgrim right now. Why, you ask? Well, check out last weekend’s box-office totals. See Scott Pilgrim? Keep looking—it’s down there at No. 10. It made only $5 million dollars in its second weekend of release, a 53 percent drop from the first weekend, with a total domestic gross of $20 million. That’s not good. (Trust me when I say “not good”: Universal not only spent a lot making this, it spent a lot marketing it. They had to market the hell out of it because it was something you probably hadn’t heard about before—you know, the way movies used to be.)

The film’s dismal performance is pretty disheartening for anyone who’s a fan of the new, as opposed to the stale, trite, and cliche, because whatever Scott Pilgrim is, it is definitely not stale, trite, or cliche. It doesn’t redo old ideas, revisit threadbare conceits, or remake twice-told stories in a tired way. In fact, it’s good. Or, if you’re searching for movie-critic adjectives, you could call it “different,” “fresh,” and “innovative,” if not “cool,” “fun,” “heart-warming,” “intelligent,” and/or “awesome.” (Have fun with those, blurb-makers!) Listen, if A.O. “Nashville’s-the-Greatest-Movie-Ever” Scott can recommend a film aimed at video-game-junkie twentysomethings, whose themes and characters are as important to him as a Surgeon General’s Warnings is to Don Draper, there’s probably something there. And if you haven’t noticed, it’s been an atrocious year for movies. That’s not just our opinion: it’s so bad even studio executives are ringing up agents with frantic “Oh my God, what have we done” conference calls to ask, “Oh my God, what have we done?”

/a>So, if the movies have been so bad—if, as we complain, there’s nothing good playing—why is a good movie having such a hard time finding an audience? Scapegoats include Michael Cera’s ability to “open” a movie (though pretty much every actor gets that stigma these days); the inability of audiences to understand what the movie is (so we see only movies that can be easily summarized in canned tag lines? Like what, for example? Inception?); and, of course, comics and fan boys. (Right, because those people definitely don’t pay to go see movies.) Maybe Scott Pilgrim’s target audience—the Facebook generation—is downloading it instead of paying for a movie ticket. It’s hard to say if that’s true, but if it is: please, even if you’ve already illegally downloaded Scott Pilgrim, posted it on your Wall, and exported it to your iPhone 4, I assure you it’s much better on the big screen—almost as if that was the way director Edgar Wright intended it to be seen. And guess what, it wasn’t hastily converted to 3D either, so you don’t have to pay an extra $5 to wear funny glasses, watch an underlit screen, and get a migraine. So, put down the iPad (especially if you’re driving), turn left at the multiplex, and go buy a ticket. Tonight. Come on, it’s a Tuesday in mid-August, where else do you have to be? Plus, if you live in the lower 48, I can guarantee it’s a lot cooler in that theater.

What’s with the pushiness, you ask? Why is this so important? Well, one could argue, if you’ve ever complained at all about the woeful state of cinematic storytelling—how you get more engaging narratives in email forwards than you do at the movies these days—a healthy aversion to hypocrisy pretty much compels you to get your butt in that seat. See, as much as we like to complain about cynical studios and throwaway films, the fact is they make money—or just enough money to justify the bad habits. And if you must know, that’s what studios are trying to do (make money). Further, they don’t make junk out of some callous desire to inflict bland pain on our eyeballs. If anything, they inflict bland pain on our eyeballs out of fear: fear that they’ll take a tentative, baby-step stab at something different, something that presents semi-realistic issues, imperfect characters, and complex resolutions in a novel way—and no one will come. And they’ll lose money. And all the nay-sayers will take the box-office numbers as the final word on a movie’s worth. Worse, the studios won’t make those movies because when you’ve bet $100 million on “something new” and come up short, it doesn’t matter if in your heart of hearts you can tell yourself you made a good movie: you’re not going to bet your next $100 million the same way. If you still have a $100 million to bet. Or a job.

But I saw Toy Story 3 and Inception, you say. I’m doing my part as homo economicus, driving the market to provide the product I want. Good for you, but at this point, Chris Nolan and Pixar are going to be O.K. They are what you might call a “known quantity,” and Hollywood loves those, because they make for safer bets. But Scott Pilgrim was a risk, a gamble, a leap of faith. The sad-but-true fact is that studios and their corporate parents just don’t know how to do that, and when they do, you need to smack them upside the head with box-office success for them to understand the lesson. There was a different time, a desperate time: when the world was in crisis, the old studio system had collapsed, television was offering great storytelling, and gas was $3 a gallon. The studios had nothing to lose then, so they threw everything against the wall, took risks on new talent and crazy ideas, and we got films like Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, Apocalypse Now, Alien, Rocky, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, A Clockwork Orange, Star Wars, Jaws, Taxi Driver, Grease, Annie Hall, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and, oh yeah, The Godfather.

So, it can happen. But only if we, the not-so-faithful moviegoers, make it happen. Because studios, executives, actors, producers, writers, directors, agents, would love nothing more than to make the movies we actually want to see—that is, if we go see them. However, we have to demand better films with our wallets and our eyeballs. If we, as the audience, complain that studios don’t love us enough to give us something really worth our time, then we need to have the self-respect necessary to slay the sell-out stooges who tell us we can’t ask for anything better than Vampires Suck. (If you’d seen Scott Pilgrim, you’d get that reference.)

But really, the best reason to go see Scott Pilgrim is because it’s a good movie. It takes a stab at saying something honest in a new way, and has a lot of fun doing it. If you like that kind of thing, and would like to see more of it, please go and pay to see Scott Pilgrim right now. And if you don’t like it, I’ll forward you a really funny YouTube video about double rainbows. You can ROTFL. I’ll be at the theater.
/a>

True story. Bill Pope also shot the 'Freaks & Geeks' pilot. I once suggested to him that 'Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World' would be equidistant between 'Freak & Geeks' and 'The Matrix.'

Funny.

Sources: Vanity Fair/a>, Edgar Wright’s official blog/a>.

Normally I really dislike ‘Vanity Fair’.. but I really liked this article. John Lopez is so right.
Also, watch the video.. the editing is tight. Epic.

Go and Pay to See ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Right Now
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/50307364.html
by John Lopez Let me get straight to the point: Go and pay to see Scott Pilgrim right now. Why, you ask? Well, check out last weekend’s box-office totals. See Scott Pilgrim? Keep looking—it’s down there at No. 10. It made only $5 million dollars in its second weekend…
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Taylor Momsen is living the rock’n'roll dream life: The 17-year-old Gossip Girl star’s new band, the Pretty Reckless, have just finished a successful run on the Vans Warped Tour and will drop their debut album, Light Me Up, later this year.

SPIN recently hooked up with Momsen in New York City to shoot photos for our September issue and talk about her rockin’ fashion style, the “bad experiences” she’s had, and why Rihanna annoys her.

“I’m Not a Role Model”—-

That’s what Momsen told SPIN over lunch in a New York City diner, after arriving dressed in thigh-high black nylons and itty-bitty jean shorts with her bleached-blonde hair cascading over skinny shoulders, a look she describes as “high-class hooker.”

“I dress for myself,” she says. “Clearly, it’s provocative, but it makes me feel good. And if the only reason it makes someone uncomfortable is because I’m 17, then that person’s a scumbag because it shouldn’t matter.”

What She’s Not—-

A “drug addict,” a “crazy fuckin’ psycho who’s gonna end up in the gutter next week,” or a rebel.

“I’m figuring out who I am and what I want to be doing,” she says.

A Provocateur—-

On the Pretty Reckless’ debut, Light Me Up, Momsen wails about getting damaged (the dive-bar anthem “My Medicine”), disrobing (the propulsive “Goin’ Down”) and fessing up to some “not-okay” urges (“Light Me Up”). Elsewhere, she sings, “I’ll let you in through the back door” on a song that could just be about a house party. Right?

“I’ve Had a Lot of Bad Experiences”—-

When asked about the basis for these suggestive lyrics, the otherwise chatty Momsen chooses her words carefully.

“I’m not really sure how to answer properly yet,” she admits. “I’ve had a lot of bad experiences, and whether that’s from sex or drugs or something else, they are adult experiences that would fuck anyone up.”

Rihanna Does Not “Rock”—-

Momsen is very protective of what she considers “rock,” a word she uses frequently.

“People think pop is rock, and the lines are getting blurred. Now Rihanna’s wearing fuckin’ leather jackets, and it’s really annoying.”

“Music Keeps Me Young”—-

“I was at a point where I was getting up and going to work, but I was drained,” she says. “Gossip Girl gave me a platform to make this happen faster, and I’m grateful, but if I’m not doing something that makes me happy, then I’m dying. Music keeps me young.”

She’s Not Just Another Actress-Gone-Singer—-

“I know nobody wants to like our music. Online, people said, ‘I really wanted to hate the EP but I like it.’ I hope things continue on that path. But I’ll be making more records whether people are listening to them or not.”

Light Me Up is out later this year. Watch her video for “Miss Nothing” below:

SOURCE 1

SOURCE 2

Taylor’s hooker heels thank you for your time.

LINK LOVE:Taylor Momsen describes herself as a high-class hooker.

Nous Model’s Warren Metcalfe could not be any more stunning in these photos by Aldo Rossi.

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Disney and M.A.C’s collaboration collection, Venomous Villains, isn’t expected to debut for some time. But now a sneak peek video has been released to show off the collection. Here’s our chance to catch a glimpse before it hits store shelves! Cruella, Maleficent, the Evil Queen, and Dr. Facilier all make an appearance in the video. Click here to check out Venemous Villains.

LINK LOVE: fabsugar

LINK LOVE:BEAUTY: Sneak Peek at the Venomous Villains

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More photos of Hugo by Hugo Boss Fall/Winter 2010/11 ad campaign featuring Sasha Pivovarova and Ben Hill by Cedric Buchet.

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With all the recent hype about 3-D movies, A|X Armani Exchange is among the first fashion companies to create a 3-D ad Fall/Winter 2010/11 campaign that encompasses print, outdoor, a music video and an interactive online component on its web site. The 3-D print ads, along with 3-D glasses, will appear in the September issues of GQ, Interview and V magazines.

The print ads were shot by Matthew Scrivens featuring Brazilian models Tamiris Souza Freitas and Arthur Sales.

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Check out Gabriel Aubry as he steams up the pages of the September issue of Details.  Aubry was photographed by Alexei Hay in the famed Ziegler House on Manhattan’s upper east side in a fashion spread that shows readers how to give suits a “bad-boy edge.”

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LINK LOVE:Jesus’s Video/Single Is God Awful

How do you make an epic environmental disaster into a fashion spread? Is that tacky or brave?

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The past few years Kitsuné has been one of the hardest to find brands here in the United States. With their recent collaboration with Opening Ceremony, their ongoing partnership with Bergdorf Goodman, and an upcoming trunk show with Barney’s, the Japanese-French retailer is INVADING OUR SHORES (but in a good way).

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LINK LOVE:MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE: Ke$ha "Take It Off’"

Visual masterpiece indeed.
I can’t wait to see the final product. What about you?
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Real Housewives of New Jersey star, Teresa Giudice, has found another way to bring in those bucks to make up for her $11 million debt. Teresa is the new face of her local tanning spot, Sizzle Tans. She even stars in quite the video for the salon.

LINK LOVE: Jezebel

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LINK LOVE:DAILY STATEMENT #115

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