- YSL‘s Stefano Pilati thinks John Galliano pretty much ruined drugs for everyone. [Styleite]

- Well, this happened. Anna Wintour in the subway. Note the look of complete and utter fear on her usually emotionless face. [The Cut]

- You could help Oscar de la Renta design his resort collection. [WSJ]

- Beyoncé is reportedly planning two albums next year. Because nine months of pregnancy left her with far too much time on her hands. [LA Times]

- 95-year-old club kid Zelda Kaplan passed away today. Luckily, she was sitting front row at a fashion show, perhaps the most fitting and fabulous way to go. R.I.P. Miss Girl. [NY Post]

First things first, let’s talk about what DVF was wearing. According to WWD, von Furstenberg “swooped into the courtroom wearing gold-rimmed aviators and a long black sparkly knit sweater over an off-white turtleneck and black skirt.” Legal. Ease.

Anyhoo, back in August, Judge Victor Marrero, a Manhattan Southern District judge, denied Louboutin a preliminary injunction that would have stopped YSL from selling its monochromatic red pump from its 2011 resort collection, and further questioned the validity of Louboutin’s trademarked red sole. Marrero ruled that no designer could have a monopoly on any one color.

Louboutin’s lawyer — who also happens to be DVF’s lawyer — Harley Lewin claimed that Marrero misjudged the case by assuming Louboutin meant every shade of red and not the Chinese red he had trademarked in 2008. YSL’s lawyer, a David Bernstein, argued that YSL’s monochromatic pumps are integral to the brand’s DNA, adding, “We don’t want to find out we can’t make red shoes.”

While the judges openly criticized Marrero’s opinion and the findings on which it was based, there’s no guarantee they’ll overturn his verdict. If they do, however, it’s back to court for both parties. I’m hoping for another trial if only for another DVF cameo. What will she wear?! Perhaps a YSL le smoking and a Louboutin strapless…you know, for kicks. [WWD]

[WWD]

Coats by Yves Saint Laurent
Boots at Torrid

Clockwise from top left:

Red Valentino Wool Socks, $185

Yves Saint Laurent  Cotton-Gabardine Trench Coat, $2,990

ModCloth Lightning Camera Action Earrings, $15.99

Beauty Without Cruelty Waterproof Mascara, $23.99

Stella McCartney Eco Python Falabella Chain Shoulder Bag, $1,128

Alexander McQueen Skull Umbrella, $565

Torrid Red Patent Rain Boots, $56.50

Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Royal, $22

- Anna Dello Russo changes, at most, five times a day. Sometimes in the car, sometimes under André Leon Talley‘s great capes… [NYT]

- A new exhibit at the Denver Art Museum pays tribute to the legendary career of Yves Saint Laurent. [Fashionologie]

- Beyoncé‘s bootylicious Dereon derrière is the inspiration behind a breed of housefly that has a “glamorous golden rear end.” [Refinery 29]

- Meanwhile, newborn scion/old school playa Blue Ivy is the inspiration behind a strain of weed. Hova must be so proud. [Prefix]

- Umit Benan‘s fall 2012 show included, among other things, a naked male model taking a shower. And suddenly I care about Milan men’s fashion week. [The Cut]

- Angelina Jolie reportedly told husband Brad Pitt upon arriving at the Golden Globes: “You’re prettier than me.” #angiejolieproblems [The Cut]

- “You think gay people love Gaga? You should hear when a Robyn song comes on at a gay bar. Then it is fucking over.” Truer words have never been spoken. I’ve burned down several dancefloors to “Dancing On My Own” and have been practicing my backwards roll for “Call Your Girlfriend.” These and other alleged truths, courtesy of “The Secrets Gay Men Don’t Want Straight People to Know.” [Gawker]

- Fellow Greendale fans, rejoice! Community is returning after all. However, a fourth season is still up in the air. Because god knows we need more Whitney in our lives. [E!]

- Justin Bieber got a tattoo of his lord and savior Jesus Christ on his calf. Shortly after getting inked, the Biebs downed a 40, smashed it on the sidewalk, hopped in his low-rider and got high in the parking lot of a Taco Bell with his other cholo buds. [Huff Po]

- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton may be having an 80s-themed 30th birthday party. Meaning Will can once again bust out his sweet dance moves to the delight of sassy black girls everywhere. [The Cut]

- Absolutely Fabulous finally returns this Sunday on the BBC. Get excited, Sweetie Dahling. [Vogue]

- Brad Goreski and Rachel Zoe still aren’t on great terms it seems, despite Brad’s olive branch to the Baby Skyler. Zoe made it perfectly clear, via a retweet that has since disappeared (so SUPER perfectly clear) that she wants It’s a Brad, Brad World to fall on its bespectacled face. [WWD]

- In addition to all things crotchless, American Apparel is now specializing in vintage scarves, including Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein and Kenzo. [Racked]

- And why not shouldn’t AA class it up a bit? According to CEO/repeat sex offender Dov Charney, American’s getting “its groove back.” thanks to a recent influx of  consumer dollars. [Fashionista]

- Bridesmaids is snatching up trophies and nominations left and right, and while it seem ripe for a sequel, star and writer Kristen Wiig is not interested. But a sequel might happen, nonetheless, focusing on breakout star Melissa McCarthy‘s brash and ballsy character. Two words of advice: Evan Almighty. [NYT]

- Queen Elizabeth will give the late Elizabeth Taylor a run for the bodacious bauble money when she puts some of her most important jewels on display in August as part of a celebration honoring the monarch’s 60 years on the throne. [WWD]

- Steven Tyler in a speedo. Proceed at your own risk. [Just Jared]

- Yves Saint Laurent has hired 11 law professors from across the country to lay the legal smackdown on Christian Louboutin and his trademark infringement case. [Telegraph]

- Nicki Minaj‘s line of nail polish for OPI includes such names as “Pink Friday,” “Metallic 4 Life,” “Superbass,” and my personal fave, “Did It on ‘Em.” I don’t know what layaway look like — Bitch, I can’t even spell welfare! [SheFinds]

- Mariah Carey tweeted a picture of her and house-husband Nick Cannon in the hospital after he suffered ”mild kidney failure.”  [ABC]

- The Kardashians are starting a magazine about their favorite subject: the Kardashians. As if keeping up with them wasn’t pointless enough. However, their lawsuit against Star magazine might get in the way. American Media, the company Kim and co. are working with on this egregious  use of perfectly good trees, owns Star, which accused the First Family of Public Whoring of using slave labor in sweatshops. [Styleite]

- Whatever you’re doing, stop it right now and go here to birth your very own My Little Pony. Mine’s the baddest pony on the block. [via Refinery 29]

- Multimedia artist Colette Maison Lumiere thinks Lady Gaga, specifically Mother Monster’s Barneys Workshop, copied her work and made a little video to elaborate on it. [The Cut]

- “I think one of the most flattering things I’ve ever heard—you know, I almost fell out of my chair when someone called to tell me about it—Alexis Bittar’s PR girl has a tattoo of me on her wrist. It’s a very good portrait! I haven’t seen it in person, but apparently it looks just like me.” —  90-year-old sasstronaut Iris Apfel on the kids thinking she’s cool, or hot or “whatever the expression is.” [Fashionista]

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]

Graciously Yours,

Lady Jessica, Indie of Fashion.

Photo: Another Mag

Simons has been with Jil Sander since 2005 and his contract was recently extended for an unknown duration, meaning Dior will most likely have to buy him out of it. Should that prove easily said and done, Simons still won’t be able to produce a ready-to-wear collection by March, let alone a couture collection by January; therefore Bill Gaytten and the Dior atelier would continue to handle design duties in the mean time.

There might be an even bigger hurdle on the horizon, however, as Yves Saint Laurent reportedly has their eye on Simons as well. Stefano Pilati, if rumors are to be believed, is always on the verge of being fired and his contract expires in March. YSL hasn’t indicated whether they will extend Pilati’s deal or not, but considering that his role is a constant source of speculation, it’s hard to put much weight behind this.

Meanwhile, there’s no time frame for Simons’ appointment, and Dior — of course — has neither confirmed or denied these reports. But of all the names bandied about since John Galliano‘s dismissal earlier this year, Raf Simons is one of the strongest and most viable, don’t you think? [WWD]

Joan Juliet Buck wears a unique blend of Yves Saint Laurent men’s perfume and Gerlain Shalimar together. And she always wears her father’s old watch.

Dripping in Bulgari earrings and necklace, Leviev ring, Graff diamond on the wrist, and a Louis Vuitton leather top, there are most likely 8 guards flanking her every corner, and have been photoshopped out.

For more deets on the ladies, see the WSJ.

Photos: Models.com

Look for the official Yves Saint Laurent Opium commercial starring Emily Blunt when it premieres on December 4.

Photos: Out Magazine

Through the concrete and brick columned hall of the CFDA Incubator, past glass doors with names like Bibhu Mohapatra, House of Waris and Prabal Gurung etched upon them, sits a room on the end that houses the studio of a French expat with a beautiful concept. Alice Ritter works seemingly solitary in a tidy, brightly lit room with a towering cubic bookshelf, a sewing machine and inspiration all around. Her style rings from the authenticity of growing up in the late 70s in France, where Yves Saint Laurent was god and high power glossies were sacred. Having studied economics, she created a fashion lab within her home with her Brooklynite husband to pursue her true art of design. Poring over books and dissecting vintage clothing lead to her creating an aesthetic that is uniquely hers. 

What are your three fashion books you recommend to an aspiring fashion designer?

Oh! This Madeleine Vionnet book I’ve had for a long time, I know it by heart.  Madeleine Vionnet is such an inspiration. It was just so modern what she did, and she invented a new way to drape fabric and to drape the woman’s body. She not as famous as Gabrielle Chanel or Christian Dior. I mean she’s famous amongst fashion people and she’s more influential for me.

This Balenciaga book is beautiful not just because I’m fascinated with Balenciaga, but the book its self is just a beautiful object, the way its printed, paper. Its really good. He was very forward thinking  He was like a sculptor almost.

Fashion Design 1850-1895 is a good one. It’s a classic. It’s a very well curated collection of clothes, and their details. It’s an endless source of inspiration. And a really good way to learn about costume and this sort of fashion.

To read the rest of the interview, click on over to LOOKBOOKS.com!

On Coco Chanel:

“No one wanted to be told by an old lady that miniskirts and jeans weren’t chic. The result was that she lost her power and in the end no one cared about what she did.”

On Yves Saint Laurent:

“He is very middle-of-the-road French-very pied-noir, very provincial.”

On Anna Wintour:

“People I’m really friendly with have faxes. Anna Wintour has one. We speak via fax.”

On Emmanuelle Alt:

“Her style is her big shoulders, long legs, tight jeans, sleeves up to the elbow, one hip out. I personally like her.”

On Carine Roitfeld:

“It would have been difficult to have an ugly daughter.”

On Andy Warhol:

“I shouldn’t say this, but physically he was quite repulsive.”

On Heidi Klum:

“I don’t know Heidi Klum. She was never known in France. Claudia Schiffer also doesn’t know who she is.”

On Kate Moss:

Kate Moss has a lot of courage in the way she throws her life away in a very dangerous way, but that makes her so touching.”

On Jessica Simpson:

“Ecch. I’m not that impressed. I’m not that interested. I’m not that impressed.”

On ex-muse Inès de la Fressange:

“I wish her all the luck in the world, just so long as I don’t have to see her anymore or hear her spoken about.”

On Carla Bruni:

“She was one of the ten supermodels… She has a great education and speaks many languages. She’s perfect for the job of first lady. I even photographed her naked… but they were elegant and she had nothing against it. She couldn’t care less. She’s very cool like that. The photo is beautiful. I can show you the nude of her. I did it for Visionaire in 1998. ”

On Kate Middleton:

“For the royals, apparently the royal blood is not in demand any longer.”

On the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen:

‘”They don’t have a strong enough image. They still have to make the movie that everybody remembers.”

On himself:

“I have no human feelings.” – Uncle Karl, will you adopt me?

On children:

“If I were interested in children, I would be a godfather.” – Well-played, sir. Well-played.

Link Love: Vogue UK / Oh No They Didn’t!  / Photo: Vogue UK

Loulou de la Falaiase was born in 1948 and rose to prominence as an editor of London’s Queen magazine in the Sixties. Her signature style got her noticed by Saint Laurent who hired her in 1972 in a rather vague capacity. de la Falaise ended up designing jewelry for the YSL house, and also had her hand in the brand’s ready-to-wear and couture lines.

“I have known Loulou since we were 20.” Diane von Furstenberg told WWD. “We had a lot of laughs together. She had a powerful spirit, an amazing chic and style. She could turn anything into something. I recall that she was staying in our house in Sardinia with Egon and I the summer Yves offered her to come and work for him. I remember that all she had with her was a tiny cardboard suitcase with a few scarves…but she would transform these scarves into beach covers, dramatic evening outfits and glorious turbans. Loulou really had the touch.”

“Loulou was poetry,” said Betty Catroux, another of Saint Laurnet’s iconic ladies. “We were the opposite. She saw everything in pink and I saw everything in black. We shared a life together with such complicity. If I could choose a dream sister, it would be Loulou.”

“She was just so unbelievably stylish. She had a way of putting together things — no matter which designer made them — that made them her own,” said Oscar de la Renta, who praised de la Falaise’s “refined eye” and always felt reassured if the late designer said “I love that.”

de la Falaise is to be buried this Thursday November 10th at Eglise Saint-Roch, 296 Rue Saint Honoré in Paris, the same place Yves Saint Laurent’s funeral was held in 2008. [WWD]

Photos: Fucking Young!

Link Love: Vogue.com

Photo: StyleBistro

A third generation nose, Cavallier-Belletrud has lent his award-winning nostrils to Issey Miyake‘s L’Eau d’Issey, Dior‘s Addict, Stella McCartney‘s Stella, Lancôme‘s Poeme and YSL‘s Cinema. Work on the new LV scent is slated to being in January 2012 so enjoy your rare, nearly extinct, flowers while you can. [Telegraph]

“We are enormously pleased that Tiffany has weighed in,” Louboutin’s lawyer told WWD. “Tiffany has not only agreed with our arguments, but it also put forth arguments that strengthened the case and made the point that the [earlier] decision should be reversed.”

But wait, Tiffany hasn’t officially chosen a team, they just want to make sure all those color copy cats know where they stand.

“Tiffany is not taking sides in this dispute,” Tiffany’s lawyer added. “We are only trying to assure that this area of the law is not disturbed by an overbroad decision in the lower court.”

What do you think of these trademark color wars?

LINK LOVE: Vogue UK

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]

Lauren Hutton (Nov. 17, 1943) That signature gap has been captivating audiences for four decades. both on and off the runway. Hutton easily transitioned from model to actress with roles in American Gigolo and The Gambler, but never forgot where her roots lay. Lest we forget, our senior citizens can still turn it.

Photo: Life

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 granddaughter of one of the pillars of Italian couture, Elsa Schiaparelli, Marisa was “invented” by legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland at the age of sixteen, and became one of the most prolific models of the 60s and 70s. She graced every cover from Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar to Newsweek and Time and worked with the greatest photographers of the 20th century including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. Then in the 70s, she embarked on a successful film career, along the way becoming, as Yves Saint Laurent dubbed her, “the girl of the seventies.” Featuring an introduction by aspiring popstar Hamish Bowles and a conversation with BFF for the last four decades or so, Diane von Furstenberg, Marisa Berenson: A Life in Pictures, gives insight into one of the most fabulous women to step in front of a camera lens.

What owning this book says about you: “I like my ‘It’ girls the way I like my drugs: pure, uncut and from the 70s.” Marisa Berenson’s rise to “It” status was pre-destined — glamour is literally in her blood — and she did it so effortlessly and so well that any girls aspiring to “It” today are but pale imitations. I’m looking at you, every socialite/DJ with a fashion fixation.

What will people say?!: “Someone loves them some artistic nudes and/or just loves a good boob shot.” True, Marisa Berenson had no problem flaunting what her mother, The Countess Maria Luisa Yvonne Radha de Wendt de Kerlor — a.k.a. Gogo — gave her, though her grandmother certainly did. After seeing a nipple-bearing photo by Arnaud de Rosnay, Schiap, according to Berenson, “was so furious that she practically threw me out of the house and disowned me.” But as DVF so astutely pointed out, “to show your tits was not a big deal at the time. To be young in the seventies was quite different.” Different i.e. awesome.

How this book will make your fashion brain grow: Berenson’s dynamic and daring photos offer a master class in brilliant fashion photography and moreover, in brilliant fashion photographers.

If you like this, you’ll love: Death in Venice (1971), Cabaret (1972), Barry Lyndon (1975) and I Am Love (2009) – Marisa’s work as an actress is almost as impressive as her modeling, particularly her first few films from the 70s. And 2009′s I Am Love proved that, even well into her 60s, she’s still an electrifying and stunning presence.

Wolter’s Ford agent Gary Dakin says she’s “absolutely thrilled about the move.” I would be too if I could eat again… or would I?

LINK LOVE: The Cut

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]

- And that info was previously unheard because it probably never got spoken. YSL came out with a statement disclaiming Menkes’ rumor milling. [Styleite]

- Daphne Guinness will eat when she’s dead. I hope she waits a few days after she’s dead to indulge since no one likes a fat corpse and I’m assuming there will be an open casket. Or at least a translucent block and a lace veil. [The Cut]

Photo: Styleite

- Lindsay Lohan agreed to star in German designer Philipp Plein‘s ad campaign, sight unseen — but then again a bitch got bills and not enough time to care how they’re getting paid. Of the collaboration, Lilo said that she thinks “maybe people’s perceptions of me have been kind of taken out of context just from what you see and read.” Yeah, you’d think from seeing and reading things that Lindsay Lohan is an unemployable mass of blond extensions, temper tantrums and comped alcohol who’s next acting role is more likely in a straight-to-DVD frat film than a legitimate movie…but that can’t be right. [NY Post]

- The truth about Fashion Week involves cocaine, misogyny, hand jobs, rough sex and absurd diva antics: just what I dreamed it would be as a young gay paging through my September issue of Vogue. [Fashionista]

- Lara Stone claims to have lost her memory from smoking too much pot in her hometown of Bongsville, The Netherlands. BUt I can tell from personal experience that that’s a load of…wait, what was I talking about?[Telegraph]

In a new biography about the clothing company, Hugo Boss 1924-1945, economic historian Roman Koester reveals that founder Hugo Ferdinand Boss was pretty chummy with old Chaplin-stache. Boss was Hitler’s favored tailor and also provided uniforms for the Nazi army.

To outfit the Third Reich, Boss used 140 slave laborers from Poland who had been kidnapped by the Gestapo and 40 French prisoners of war at the company’s factory in Boss’ hometown of Metzingen, Germany.

This makes Yves Saint Laurent hurling a glass at an incompetent assistant look like kid’s stuff.

Although from April 1940 on he used forced workers — primarily women — Boss did make attempts, albeit belated attempts, to improve the often harsh conditions in which his slaves employees slaves had to live. For instance, in 1944, he tried to alleviate them of the camp built on the grounds of the factory by asking to house them himself.

As Koester explains: ”We can only repeat that the behaviour towards the forced labourers was at times harsh and involved coercion, but that concern for their welfare was also displayed, rendering simplistic characterisations impossible.”

After the war, Boss claimed that he had only taken the uniform contract to save his company, but he had actually joined the Nazi party in 1931, some two years before Hitler came to power. Boss was eventually tried and fined for his Nazi sympathizing only to die of a tooth abscess in 1948.

With the publication of Hugo Boss 1924-1945, all of these unsavory tidbits about the Hugo Boss brand have come to the harsh light of day, prompting the company to issue a statement in which it expresses ” its profound regret to those who suffered harm or hardship at the factory run by Hugo Ferdinand Boss under National Socialist rule”.

An apology is nice and all, but IKEA‘s Nazi founder doubled his company’s charitable spending to almost £100 million/year after his past as a Nazi recruiter was revealed. Maybe it’s time for Hugo Boss to put its euros where its swastika is/was. #justsayin [Telegraph, BBC, Wikipedia]

- More fashion shows featured models of color this season than in seasons past. Yay dwindling racism! [Styleite]

- i-D‘s “Dreams and Aspirations” issue features a very-Twiggy Abbey Lee Kershaw, Lara Stone, Fei Fei Sun and of course, Carine on its covers. [Models.com]

- Raquel Zimmermann goes through 14 YSL looks in under a minute, as shot by Inez and Vinoodh. [Modelinia]

- Gisele got out of a speeding ticket — with the kids in the back — basically for being Gisele. [Boston Herald]

- West Hollywood is this close to banning fur — a sigh of relief to the city’s massive bear community. [Refinery29]

- Speaking of the gays, queens from coast to coast can now serve openly in the armed forces. Finally! I can find a few good men. [HuffPo]

Izabel Goulart, a Brazilian model whom Carine discovered at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, turns it in a Mugler top.

For a cut-out zig, zag into this ribboned and mesh-topped tunic from Topshop for $66.

For the zag on a long sleeve shirt, check out what Karl Lagerfeld did for Macy’s for $99. Pair it with Tom Ford sunglasses for a killer downtown look.

There’s nothing better than an unauthorized biography for all the most salacious gossip. Saint Laurent: Bad Boy by French journalist Marie-Dominique Lelièvre claims Saint Laurent was “frightfully unhappy” and “devoured by anxiety.” He would consume amphetamines and tranquilizers, sniff cocaine, take Valium and drink whiskey straight out of the bottle in an effort to deal with his success, something a friend alluded to as the “Judy Garland Syndrome.”

Some say Judy Garland Syndrome, I say “It’s called being a star.” And part of that star package is abusing those around you. “Several times, witnesses saw him lose his head and throw objects at people. His physical power was as great as his inner strength. Yves was an athlete as far as ashtraythrowing is concerned,”claims the bio.

Saint Laurent’s demons were allegedly rooted in his homosexuality and his insecurities surrounding it. “He had relationships with Arab boys in Algeria. People laughed at him at school, he was called a poof,” said Lelièvre. But wait, it gets better.  Yves would also prowl nightclubs in search of “savage and hazardous” sexcapades that would often land him in the hospital.

I’m assuming that means injuries suffered at the gruff hands of rough trade and not from the plethora of venereal diseases contracted in his practice.

Through it all, Pierre Bergé, his lifelong companion — who refused to support “a jumble of poorly verified gossip” and therefore did not take part in the bio — stood by his side. Bergé, however, is described as “a remedy and a poison” to YSL, who “chose as his partner a man who compensated for his weaknesses. In making himself indispensable, Bergé robbed Saint Laurent of his autonomy. He turned him into an assisted diva.”

Well, sometimes a diva needs  a little assistance getting out of her bed in the morning, or pouring her cocktail or smuggling her illegal amphetamines into the country. Is anything wrong with that? [Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph]

Bianca Jagger, 1979

The garment: Yves Saint Laurent “Mondrian” day dress from the autumn 1965 collection

The inspiration: Piet Mondrian‘s famous grid and primary color paintings, like Composition with Yellow, Red, and Blue, 1927 shown above

The history: As the sack dress evolved into the more figure-flattering shift in the 1960s, YSL saw this new shape as the perfect canvas for color blocking. Looking to contemporary artists who fit in with the 1960′s mod vibe, Mondrian’s colorfully linear work was a perfect match for the silhouette.

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.

Carolina Herrera, owning the world

Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell’s Studio 54 was one of the greatest moments in New York City nightlife when everybody who was anybody would don their glittery best and dance the night away to the toot-toot-beep-beep of the thumping disco beat. Now, doorman Marc Benecke and Rubell’s former executive assistant Myra Scheer take us back in time with their talk show premiering this Sunday at 10 pm on Sirius XM Channel 15.

“Because in the fashion industry color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin is unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection, even if it has gained enough public recognition in the market to have acquired secondary meaning,” declared Judge Marrero in his ruling.

Call of the wild

 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/11-sexy-summer-lip-glosses-to-perfect-your-pout/ http://fashionindie.com/11-sexy-summer-lip-glosses-to-perfect-your-pout/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:00:48 +0000 Amanda Gabriele http://fashionindie.com/?p=203003 Bright lipstick has been so happening this summer, we almost forgot about our good friend lip gloss. Perfect for bold, smokey eyes, chilling by the pool or a low-maintenance work look, we still love this sexy, sheer makeup bag staple. As not to shun our loved ones, here are 11 sexy summer lip glosses you need to get your hands on now.

Dolce & Gabbana Ultra-Shine Lip Gloss $29 – Pat McGrath, Creative Advisor for Dolce&Gabbana The Make Up, offers her wise words about this ultra-luxurious gloss:  “The golden pearl and iridescent shades can be used to highlight the centre of lips for a fuller looking pout.”

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals All-Over Face Color in Clear Radiance $18 – Sweep this sheer illuminating powder on cheeks, forehead and chin for an instant glow.

Check out page two for the perfect outfit to splurge on for a food frenzy weekend in Brooklyn.

Photos: Vogue.it

On hand to toast Wintour — who never met a Chanel bouclé tweed she didn’t drape over her frail back — were Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace with bff Riccardo Tisci — fresh off his glorious fall 2011 haute couture collection for Givenchy – Lanvin‘s Alber Elbaz, Anna’s Italian counterpart Franca Sozzani, Mario Testino, LVMH head honcho Bernard Arnault, YSL‘s Stefano Pilati, Burberry‘s Christopher Bailey,  Tommy Hilfiger, professional dandy and Vogue‘s editor-at-large Hamish Bowles and the Rhoda to Anna’s Mary, Grace Coddington.

According to the Kaiser, “We had this very nice cocktail, where Anna made a very funny speech.” I have a hard time believing at least one of those facts. [WWD]

Click through for more picture from Vogue Italia that were apparently taken by a drunk intern with an iPhone.