A typical Hollister image.

A couple of things have come to my attention this week, which has made me laugh. Maybe I am cruel, having laughs at others’ expense, but I thought I’d share them with you.

Bedbugs invade Hollister’s New York store. Ok, I know this isn’t funny if you brought bed bugs home, or you work there, but there is something ironic about a frat boy brand being invaded by bed bugs. The Cut posted this interesting interview with one of the bed bug experts who worked with Hollister to “get rid” of the problem. The suggestion that it may be a problem from the warehouse, rather than one particular store, is terrifying, well, not for me because I wouldn’t set foot in Hollister, but anyone who has gone into in a Hollister store in the past few weeks. Apparently they lost millions of dollars by being closed over the July 4th weekend. Oops…

Victoria Beckham is named Creative Director at Range Rover. At least now I know I will never buy a Range Rover. I am curious about the market research Range Rover did in order to come to the conclusion that Victoria Beckham would be an asset rather than a liability to their brand. I can’t see any respectable Range Rover customers identifying with her, she is the opposite of luxury and class. But perhaps they are trying to target a new customer, the one who admires Victoria Beckham: do you know any 18 year olds who wear fake Louis Vuitton and fake tan, who can afford a Range Rover? The worst part if that UK Vogue was involved in the launch.

Lady Gaga's crazy eyes in her Bad Romance video.

Lady Gaga started an “eye” trend. Apparently “circle” lenses, which make your eyes appear larger, are the latest trend thanks to Lady Gaga’s giant irises in her Bad Romance video. The problem, according to this article in the New York Times, is that the “circle” lenses are not legal in the US, so Gaga fans are buying contraband versions from dodgy websites. A representative from the Food and Drug Administration suggests that illegal contact lenses could make you go blind. Are you willing to risk blindness to look more doe-eyed?

Lindsay Lohan is going to jail! Am I mean to have laughed out loud when I watched this BBC video of a pathetic Lohan crying when she finds out she is going to prison for 90 days? I don’t think so. If you violate your probation, you go to prison. And I am so happy that the US courts aren’t making exceptions for her because she is a celebrity. I don’t feel sorry for her at all, this is the first time she can proudly be a role model for her fans: don’t drink and drive, and don’t do drugs, or you’ll go to jail like me. What do you all think? Is it good that Lindsay is going to jail?

Lady Gaga image from Youtube and Hollister image courtesy of their website.

Madonna for Dolce & Gabanna, Spring Summer 2010.

I wrote earlier this week about the fact that the fashion industry seems to be changing, and that was in reference to the new silhouette and the use of the curvy models on the Fall Winter 2010 catwalks. But I also read some very interesting articles this week about how models seems to be back “in fashion.”

Vogue Paris almost always puts models on their cover.

I have always been quite anti-celebrity when it comes to the fashion industry. Basically, they’ve ruined it, and made it super mainstream. One of the things I mention when I lecture on fashion promotion is the concept of celebrities within the industry, and an interesting example I use is that a fashion magazine now sells more copies with a celebrity on the cover, rather than a model. (The only exception here is Kate Moss, but she’s a model and a celebrity.) Well, it looks like those days may be coming to an end (Hallelujah!)

Victoria Beckham on the cover of Vogue UK, April 2008. Apparently they lost 40% of their subscribers after this cover, the readers were not impressed.

WWD posted an article on Wednesday about the fact that most designers are using models for their Fall Winter 2010 advertising campaigns, rather than celebrities. Hopefully the magazines will soon do the same. This list, complied by The Cut, shows that most brands will be working with models (aside from Dolce & Gabanna.)

• Yves St. Laurent: Daria Werbowy
• Gucci: Raquel Zimmermann
• Chanel: Freja Beha Erichsen, Abbey Lee Kershaw, and Brad Kroenig
• Fendi: Anja Rubik and Baptiste Giabiconi
• Louis Vuitton: Christy Turlington, Karen Elson, and Natalia Vodianova (though these names are rumored, not confirmed)
• Balenciaga: a cast of ten models, including Elson and Stella Tennant
• Roberto Cavalli: Gisele Bündchen
• Dior: Karlie Kloss
• Dolce & Gabanna: Madonna

Lindsay Lohan for Miu Miu, Spring Summer 2007.

To be honest, the ironic or interesting use of a celebrity in a fashion campaign doesn’t bother me too much, like Lindsay Lohan for Miu Miu (which looked nothing like her) or Madonna for Dolce & Gabanna. But in general, I am thrilled about this news.

Kate Moss has been shot for MANY Vogue UK covers.

In the WWD article, “Lagerfeld notes there are “not so many” celebrities around from which to choose. What’s more, their “overexposure in ‘people’ magazines also makes it that one may be a little tired of celebrities and the red carpet.”

I think “a little tired of celebrities” is an understatement. I am bored to death of celebrities meddling in the fashion industry, especially when they have no business being there. So for fun, I’ve compiled a list of most annoying celebrity/fashion situations. This is by no means exhaustive, and I’ve only spent a few minutes on it, so I am sure there are tons of juicy, ridiculous examples I’ve forgotten. Feel free to suggest more!

Lindsay Lohan for Ungaro Spring Summer 2010: calling it a disaster is an understatement.

1. Lindsay Lohan for Ungaro: painful, embarrassing, and nearly ruined the brand.
2. Sarah Jessica Parker for Halston Heritage: she herself said  ”they’d be bludgeoned for it” and I hope they are.
3. Kanye West for Louis Vuitton: Does Kanye actually make any music, or does he just go to fashion shows and pretend he knows stuff about fashion.
4. “Diavolo So Sexy” by Antonio Banderas: The name says it all.
5. Lauren Conrad’s clothing collection: Lauren, you suck.

Kanye West's trainers for Louis Vuitton. Boring.

Thanks Dal for helping me brainstorm on the above.

These Christian Louboutin images have been been circulating on the web. They are guessed to be his next advertising campaign, although nothing has been confirmed.

The photos have been shot by Khuong Nguyen, and the shoot has been named Winter Tales. If published, this would be the first Christian Louboutin advertising campaign.

I love the photos, and I am so torn about Christian Louboutin. I love his shoes, but I hate the way horrible celebrities have made him so “mainstream.” SATC almost ruined Manolo Blahnik, WAGs ruined Jimmy Choo, and Victoria Beckham ruins almost everything she wears. But Louboutins are so lovely, and that red sole really is beautiful. I think I am going to have to give them a chance.

Photos courtesy of Khuong Nguyen.

I didn’t like Alexander McQueen when I first heard of him. I remember when he was hired as head designer at Givenchy, in 1996. Here was a sacred brand, THE brand responsible for the Audrey Hepburn’s dresses in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to be taken over by a brash Englishman. Then he goes and makes matters worse, by calling Givenchy “irrelevant.” I was outraged, and decided I didn’t like Alexander McQueen.

Audrey Hepburn wearing Givenchy in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I felt similarly about John Galliano, although he is not really English, I hated this new school of young designers who were taking over the traditional Paris brands.

Naomi Campbell in Spring Summer 1997 Givenchy Haute Couture, Alexander McQueen's first collection for the brnad.

But Alexander McQueen (and John Galliano) eventually grew up and I believe it was around January 2007, when Dior presented their Spring Summer 2007 Haute Couture collection, that I realized this. I also noticed that Alexander McQueen had gone from being the “the enfant terrible of the fashion world” to being an influential, widely respected designer.

This Christian Dior Spring Summer 2007 Haute Couture collection made me start to love John Galliano.

My opinion of McQueen’s work changed in the past few years, rather than seeing it as “shock tactics”, I began to truly appreciate his talent. And I would say that the Spring Summer 2010 show was the pinnacle for Alexander McQueen, when he had finally reached the point where he could truly be described as a fashion genius.

Alexander McQueen's Spring Summer 2010 collection entitled Plato's Atlantis.

And how ironic that his suicide followed that stunning Plato’s Atlantis collection.

I was devastated to hear of his death, not only because the fashion industry lost one of its finest talents, but also the realization that being at the top of your game, and revered in your industry, does not in the least way guarantee any sort of happiness. I had just finished writing a post about some of the “real” fashion victims, the people who dedicate their lives to the industry, at the expense of their personal lives. I had just spent some time reflecting on how happy I was that I had made the decision to “choose life.”

I won’t go on too much more about his life or his death, as many journalists have done a great job.  Here are some good articles, from On the Runway, The Times, WWD, The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, and The Cut. BBC annoyed the hell out of me by writing an article which featured quotes about McQueen by Victoria Beckham and Tyra Banks in the introduction (which I also found very insulting.) I also understand why PPR and Gucci Group have decided to keep the Alexander McQueen label alive. Business is business, and there was a lot invested in that brand. I personally prefer that the brand gets a chance to survive, as it would be very sad to see it shut down. There must be someone out there who can take the reigns as creative director. (And that’s not Gareth Pugh.)

Lee Alexander McQueen (1969 – 2010)

The Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 2010 show was apparently 80% his own work, which is why, I’m guessing, it was so small. I’m not going to do a Love and Loathe on the looks, the whole thing was beautiful. We don’t know if he knew this was going to be the last collection he designed, but if he did, it was a fitting farewell. I think Cathy Horyn summed it up very well in saying

“Someday there will be a retrospective of the fashion of Alexander McQueen, and if it ends with the 15 pieces shown here in a small salon the survey will indeed feel complete.”

The entire show photos are below, courtesy of WWD.

R.I.P. Lee Alexander McQueen

Other image credits:

Alexander McQueen at Givenchy
Breakfast at Tiffanys
Lee Alexander McQueen
Christian Dior’s Haute Couture Spring Summer 2007
Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2010

Fall Winter 2010: A very thin model at Hervé Léger.

A few days into New York fashion week, and the models are looking scarily thin. I always felt that this was something we saw more of in New York, and so I really hope there will be some meatier flesh in London, Milan, and Paris. Model’s weight has been a major discussion point recently, and I am pretty torn on the subject. Although I feel that the whole size zero debate is blown out of proportion, and that the media should focus more on obesity, there are clearly some very scarily thin girls on the catwalks.

There’s been some really interesting points made in the press recently, starting with this quote featured in a VERY interesting The Daily Beast article about models and size. A former successful model was quoted as saying:

“Sure, we had to be skinny. I lived on Diet Coke and apples for two years. For the couture, we had to get up at 4 am to be sewn into the clothes and there was huge pressure to be thin. But I made a million dollars by the time I was 20, I bought a town house in Manhattan and put myself through Columbia. Does that make me a victim?”

This was a really interesting quote, putting a totally new perspective on starving models.

According to Fashionologie, Australian model Abbie Lee Kershaw “seems to feel similarly when asked what she thinks about the pressure to be ultra-thin: ‘That’s like asking a bodybuilder how they feel about the pressures to be incredibly muscly. An elite performer is always put under some sort of extreme pressure that the rest of society can argue, might not quite understand.’”

Fall Winter 2010: another very thin model at Victoria Beckham.

So after considering these two interesting quotes, how important do you think the size zero issue is? Are models to blame, or is Hollywood worse? I feel that celebrities have much more of an impact on young people than models do, as they tend to be much more in the public eye. Later on in the Daily Beast article, they explain that according to “Clinical Knowledge Summaries 2009, the statistics department of the British National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, says that 19 out of one million women are diagnosed as anorexic, as opposed to 240,000 per million for obesity.” That statistic really confirmed my thoughts that under-eating is much smaller a problem than over-eating.

On the other hand, there was a really upsetting article in Page Six Magazine about Gemma Ward, another Australian model, who has recently put on 30 pounds and has been shunned by the industry. Apparently there are many teenage models, who are discarded once they experience the natural weight gain women go through when they grow breasts and hips.

Gemma Ward at the height of her fame.

I really don’t know where I stand on this subject. I do know that when I worked in Paris, samples sizes were in 4 and 6, never size 0. But I also worked with a lot of the Brazilian models, who were very curvy. I always thought a curvy size 4 model looks better than a stick thin size zero. I feel it is sad that some models feel such a pressure to stay thin, but at the same time, I believe it is part of the job. I was watching a program about skiers competing in moguls this weekend, and apparently their quads are four times the size of a normal person, and the damage they do to their knees is irreversible. They are guaranteed serious problems later in life, so how is that any different from starving yourself for a few years to make some money?

A more recent photo of Gemma Ward.

Forbes has a list of the top fifteen highest earning models, and many of them are curvy lingerie models (Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio are all Victoria’s Secret models, and they make up the top five with Kate Moss and Heidi Klum.) It goes to show that a hot, healthy body is going to earn you more millions than protruding hip bones.

One thing I would like to see is more models and celebrities endorsing fitness, which is beneficial for both the underweights and the overweights. I’d also like to see less deathly thin models on the catwalk, and more Gisele types. And, how about the media reduces their attacks on famous women for being too thin or too fat. That would be a good start.

Gemma Ward images source. Catwalk images from Style.com.

Hervé Léger and Max Azria deserve each other. Hervé Léger trained with Azzedine Alaïa, then started his own brand, which was basically a copy of everything Alaïa did. Can I just clarify that Azzedine Alaïa, NOT Hervé Léger, was considered the “King of Cling” and it is Alaïa who pretty much invented the body con dress. Alaïa also did the bandage dress first! Now, the Hervé Léger brand is living off the bandage dress, probably because Max Azria is a fast fashion designer (see BCBG) not luxury. Maybe Victoria Beckham and Hervé Léger can merge into one brand, make a tight dress, and sell that one same dress every season, over and over again.

I Love…

the sleeve details on this jacket.

the fins on this skirt, the bodice seams and the sleeve. If you are going to make a tight dress over and over again, may as well do something with it.

I Loathe…

that this knit detail is signature Alaia, yet Herve Leger is still blatantly copying him on the catwalk.

the bandage dress. SO over. Can we please move on?

All images from Style.com.

I’ll be blunt. I have no respect for Victoria Beckham and her pathetic attempts at being a fashion designer. She makes the same dresses every season: extremely tight, knee length, short sleeve or sleeveless, cocktail dresses. She has no formal design training, and it shows, quite blatantly. Her collections are filled with copies of Roland Mouret dresses, but at least he had some skill in design. It really depresses me that people buy this stuff, as it means she is being encouraged. The only good thing about Victoria Beckham is her husband’s body. And that’s not about her, its about him. Which means she is basically…a waste of space. Go away!

I Love…

this dress. Even thought it is another knee length, tight dress, at least the neckline and sleeve length look considered. And you might just be able to get away with this if you are larger than a size 2, which is more than I can say for the rest of her collection.

I Loathe…

the fact that I have seen her show this dress MANY times. Its boring, get a new idea!

desperately boring evening wear.

this dress shape. Again. And again. And Again.

the same dress shape. Again. But this time in a disgusting fabric.

All images from Style.com.

Let’s face it, nowadays, the only reason why you watch an awards ceremony is to see what people wear on the red carpet, and who markes an arse of themselves during their acceptance speech. Thanks to the internet, we don’t have to sit through four hour awards ceremonies anymore, we can just look at the outfits online the next day. And that is what I did for the Golden Globes. I must say, I was very unimpressed with the red carpet dresses this year.

Cameron Diaz looks amazing here in Alexander McQueen. I haven’t seen a photo of the dress from the front, but from this angle, she gets my best dressed award.

Chloe Sevigny is supposed to have such great style, so how come she is wearing this fluffy Valentino dress?

I don’t like Courtney Cox, I hate Friends, and I DETEST Victoria Beckham, but Courtney actually looks pretty good here in one of Victoria Beckham’s dresses. It’s not much of a design, but it looks good on the red carpet.

Drew Barrymore is another Golden Globe disappointment. What are those puffy cushions on her shoulder and hip? A silly Atelier Versace creation.

I can’t bring myself to say anything bad about Glenn Close because I loved her so much as Patti Hewes in Damages. So I am relieved that she looks great in this Oscar de la Renta dress.

Heather Graham is supposed to be cool…isn’t she? So why is she wearing this boring Elie Saab evening gown that makes her boobs look pointy?

January Jones in Lanvin. Fabulous.

Julia Roberts in vintage Yves Saint Laurent. She looks effortless, relaxed and comfortable, three qualities you rarely find in a formal outfit, so well done to her.

Marion Cotillard has a very tight relationship with Dior, and they always dress her, and they usually dress her very well. Except last night, when she wore this dress.

I hate to say bad things about Bottega Veneta, as they are one of my favourite brands, but this iridescent, cheap prom dress that Sandra Bullock is wearing is just not working.

When I first saw this photo, I couldn’t belie that Sophia Loren had so many tattoos on her arms. Then I realised, its those nude, embellished sleeves that figure skaters wear. She does look great in this Armani Prive dress, but the sleeves are naff.

These images came from Women’s Wear Daily.

Here is Part 3 of my summary of the last decade. Click for Part 1 and Part 2.

Building BRIC Countries. Brazil, Russia, India, and China have become new industry superpowers. Luxury brands are opening shop in these newly wealthy countries. China is reveling in its manufacturing powers and looking to bank in on creativity as well. Russian oligarchs own…almost everything. High street brands are opening all over India, with an estimated 700 million Indians living in cities by 2050 (Goldman Sachs.) And Brazil has the world’s 5th biggest population and a huge amount of natural resources.

Louis Vuitton’s Shanghai store under construction.

Too Fat and Too Thin are the words used at some point to describe almost all of the celebrities in the past ten years. With obesity rates rising globally, the blame shifted to the thin people, in particular the fashion industry.

Another distorted fashion image.

Socialising Change. How has society shifted in the past ten years?

A new language is born.

The Axis of Evil. Image source.

Twitter, tweets, tweeting, retweet, etc…

Swine Flu, Bird Flu, H1N1, the flu had many new names.

Image source.

There has been many goodbyes in the past ten years,including the Yellow Pages and the fax machine.

Green is the New Black, certainly when it comes to lifestyle. The words fairtrade, ethical, sustainable, and organic have become a part of our everyday vocabulary. How green are you?

Eating Locally

The Electric Car. Image source.

We all understand what this sign means now.

How many of you grow your own? with the help of your compost…of course.

And the garbage gets smaller as our waste gets redirected to compost and recycling. Image source.

Of course we all carry around reusable bags for our groceries… Image source.

And lets not forget, no trend is a real trend unless a giant American company manages to profit in some way. Here’s to the king of organic food.

When Fame Meant Talent. Our obsession with celebrities intensified in the past ten years, and fame became more achievable. Celebrities don’t just sing songs for us and act in our movies, they design our clothes, the model clothes in our magazines, they make perfumes, yoga clothes, hotels, and nightclubs. And anyone can be famous, land yourself a gig on a reality TV show, and you too can be the next big thing.

Big Brother: the source of way too many useless celebrities.

Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. One of the few celebrity collections that has a teeny bit of credibility. But not much.

According to UK Vogue, putting a celebrity on your cover guarantees way more sales than using a model, The only exception being Kate Moss, who seems to be an exception to a lot of things.

Poor Paris. She is just…so uncool.

The Hills: I can proudly say I have never watch a whole episode of these ditzes and their boring life. Would it be possible to do a reality show about some people who are interesting, intelligent, AND talented? Or does that defeat the purpose?

The i-Generation. Remember when a blackberry was a fruit? Phones were used for calling people? Maps were used for finding your way? And you used a CD player to listen to music?

And… A few more people to sum up the decade.

Politicians these days have to ride bikes. Image source.

Celebrity chefs: some were cool, some made good good, and other were *?@*&%€ !!!! Above, Jamie Oliver.

“shoes, sex! cocktails, shoes, men, Manolo, shoes, sex! dildo, New York, shoes, Manhattan, shoes, sex! orgasm, shoes, shopping, dress, shoes, New York. And sex!” The Sex and the City girls (or should I say ladies?) certainly liberated the plus forty single woman.

No many artists can go mainstream and still be cool. Banksy = an exception.

Remember when Karl Lagerfeld was fat and carried a fan? Photo from Vogue France.

Not many celebrities can be filmed doing cocaine, not make any statements to the media, and then double their fees.

Three really annoying guys who were generally a nuisance to everyone.

Sex Wizards sells. Image source.

Best Looking Couple. Oops! That award goes to Brangelina. The Beckhams get the Most Annoying Couple.

Let’s also take a moment to think of the many tragedies suffered in the past ten years, particularly the tsunami victims, Hurricane Katrina victims, and everyone else killed in wars, terrorist attack, or from starvation. There was FAR too much of that in the past ten years.

Happy New Year everyone and here’s to a prosperous 2010!

All images from the brand’s or person’s website, except all catwalk images from style.com, unless otherwise noted.

Thanks to the Grahams for their help on this list!

I had a really interesting conversation with my friends on Saturday night, about fashion and brands. The subject turned to Hermes, which I believe is an untouchable brand, despite the fact that it has become a lot more mainstream in recent years. We then disucssed the fact that many brands have been “ruined” when they hit the mainstream. As far as I am concerned, when Victoria Beckham wears it, or when it is mentioned in a rap song, the brand is over. Hermes is an exception.

Even Victoria Beckham can't ruin Hermes (images from www.pursepage.com)

Why is this? How has Hermes managed to maintain this powerful brand position? They have superior quality, longevity, classic pieces, and waiting lists, but so do many other brands. On the other hand, Balmain (ruined by the “Russians” apparently), Jimmy Choo, Herve Leger, and Christian Louboutin have been tainted by over exposure on celebrities.

Another thing we discussed is the power of the handbag. For some ridiculous, unexplainable reason I always feel I need to buy a handbag from a well-known luxury brand, however, I am happy to spend fortunes on clothing or shoes from smaller luxury brands that are not very mainstream at all (Finsk being my main example.) I don’t understand why I feel that way… Maybe because I use a handbag everyday for two years, whereas I don’t wear the same shoes more than once a week. Maybe because a great luxury handbag can make a 20 dollar outfit look like a 2000 dollar outfit.

I don’t have the answers, but here are some of the Hermes pieces I wouldn’t mind finding underneath my Christmas tree (hint hint husband.)

Images from www.hermes.com