Now that’s how you vamp it up on the red carpet. Model Natasha Poly, Cannes 2012. Photo courtesy of WireImage.
Top beauty look: Natasha Poly took the smoky eye and brought it to the next level—and then to the after-party, the hotel lobby and the level after that. We especially love how she paired it with a flawless face, nude lip and those AMAZING mismatched earrings. (Learn how to create the sultry, smoky eye at home.)
You HAVE to see the rest of Natasha’s dress.
Sweet treats with a fashionable twist: the Royal Jubilee-themed Prêt-à-Portea at The Berkeley in London.
England is known for many wonderful things – its designers, street style stars, museums – but its cuisine is not one of them (steak and kidney pie, anyone? Didn’t think so). But, without doubt, one of its most delicious traditions is afternoon tea: dainty sandwiches, fresh scones and delectable cakes all washed down with the world’s best teas. While this tasty ritual has been adopted in other parts of the world, no one does it quite like the Brits.
So, in my quest to find the ultimate afternoon tea, I’ve had the pleasure of sampling some of London’s finest offerings and present here a mini-guide to the capital’s best tea experiences, complete with recommended fashion looks for each one. The next time you’re in town – to, you know, shop, buy real estate, catch up with Will and Kate – set aside a few hours for this most enjoyable of customs.
1. The Berkeley ($63; Wilton Place, Knightsbridge)
Combining two of our favourite things – fashion and sweet treats – the Berkeley’s Prêt-à-Portea celebrates our sartorial heroes with cookies taking the form of fluoro-yellow Louboutin stilettos, a vanilla cake in the guise of a Fendi bag and other delicious offerings that change according to the season’s current collections. This year, in honour of the Queen’s jubilee, the Berkeley is offering a special royal-themed tea: Nibble on confections in the shape of the infamous Philip Treacy fascinator Princess Beatrice sported to last year’s royal wedding or the maple leaf hat that the Duchess of Cambridge wore on her visit to Canada last summer.
What to wear: Cutting edge spring fashion from the top designer labels (or your best approximations). We love the water theme that swept the Spring/Summer 2012 runways in the form of prints, scalloped textures and lovely variations on the colour blue.
Runway inspiration: Mary Katrantzou, Versace, Chanel
Photo courtesy of Denis Desro.
H&M has announced that “fashion maniac” Anna Dello Russo will create a special collection of accessories for the brand. In other ADR news, the eccentric editor-at-large revealed in an interview with the Financial Times that she once had to move houses to accommodate her 4,000 pairs of shoes. “When I moved…I had 4,000 pairs of shoes. I had to buy a bigger home to store all the clothes, because I need closets, not kitchens. I’m super tidy so every item is cataloged, stored in garment bags, with tissue paper, perfumed, and on hangers that are the same,” Question: if that’s how many shoes she had 10 years ago, what’s the footwear count now? [Financial Times]
Speaking of fashionable eccentrics, Linda Evangelista has asked for a record-breaking amount of child support from PPR’s chief executive (and Salma Hayek’s partner) Francois-Henri Pinault. The supe, who was once famously quoted as saying top models don’t “wake up for less that $10,000 a day,” has asked for $46,000 a month for her 5-year old son. “When I work, it can be a 16-hour day,” Evangelista told a judge in family court. “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.” So…yeah. There’s that. But before you start feeling too sorry for Pinault, just remember: He’s heir to an 11.5 billion dollar fortune and owns Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci. I’m inclined to think he can cough up the cash. [NY Daily News]
All 19 international editions of Vogue have pledged to use only healthy models in the pages of their magazine. “We will not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 who appear to have an eating disorder,” they said in a press release. They also vowed to create a healthier backstage working environment, and say they are going to “encourage designers to consider the consequences of unrealistically small sample sizes of their clothing.” What do you think of Vogue’s new manifesto? [Fashionista]
Cameron Diaz recently told Jay Leno that she cried after a miscommunication resulted in her hair getting cut super-short by a friend. “It was one of those moments, I couldn’t…I just started bursting into tears. I felt so vulnerable. For a woman to all of a sudden have no hair, oh my God! …[My friend] felt really bad. I felt really bad. She started crying. I started crying.” I think all of us can relate to the trauma of a bad haircut—there are certain photos of me floating around from elementary school that should be burned—but luckily for Cameron, she could go bald and still be a knockout. [The Tonight Show]
Paco Rabanne announced today that the house has cut ties with artistic director Manish Arora. The atelier, which launched a women’s ready-to-wear line last year, says it was a mutual agreement. Does anyone else feel like this designer’s musical chairs situation is like a real-life Project Runway? Every time I read about another dismissal, I think about the show’s depressingly true tagline: “In fashion, one day you’re in, and the next day you’re out…” [Channel News Asia]
An Audrey Hepburn-inspired look for Starkers! Corsetry runway show at |FAT| Arts and Fashion Week.
As if stepping right out of a scene from Corpse Bride, the corseted models with feminine, cupcake flares on Starkers! Corsetry runway exuded darkly classic Tim Burton grandeur. “It’s Audrey Hepburn meets The Munsters!” designer Dianna DiNoble tells me backstage after the parade of her underwordly bridal gowns at FAT Arts & Fashion Week.
The theme for day three of the city’s edgiest alternative fashion event is fittingly, Body Scapes. Early on in the evening Vanja Vasic, FAT executive director, warned us there would be corsets and DiNoble’s collection of silk, chiffon and satin gowns boldly lived up to Vasic’s claim.
“My inspiration this year was actually offbeat brides,” says DiNoble, the corsetiere behind the whimsical line of one-of-a-kind couture bridal gowns, made out of her Toronto-based studio since 1992. Her standout piece? The closing black chiffon gown with a giant headpiece, reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn’s My Fair Lady doppelgänger. “My fingers are still bleeding from the beadwork!” she adds, laughing.
Penelope Cruz, Paris, 2003.
Ellen von Unwerth, the rock star of fashion photography, is glancing around the Izzy Gallery in Yorkville, where life-sized photographs of her iconic shots cover the walls. She’s struggling to select her favourite snap. “They all have something I love in them,” she muses after a moment of hesitation. Then she points to a photograph of Italian actress Monica Bellucci, stripped down to a matching leopard-printed bra and panties. “This shot is from the first photo shoot I ever did with [Monica],” von Unwerth recalls with the sentimental attachment of a proud mother. “And she was actually just changing in the motor home. It was really its own moment. I’ve shot her so many times since but those pictures are still my favourite.”
That’s because von Unwerth— named one of TIME’s top 100 all-time fashion icons—prefers to capture “stolen moments” rather than posed portraits. For the first time since von Unwerth shot to fame in the ‘80s, the self-taught German photog is displaying a retrospective of her work in Toronto. A selection of the frisky, bombshell icons von Unwerth has snapped over the years, Caught! is a decadent visual walkthrough of old-school female glamour.
Rouilly le Bas, 2002.
A von Unwerth signature
The thing about a von Unwerth photo is that it’s instantly recognizable. Take the iconic Claudia Schiffer Guess campaign from 1989, a prime example of von Unwerth’s trademark moody, eroticized aesthetic—a gorgeous woman teasing the camera with a mix of innocence and cheeky come-hither sensuality. “I always go for glamorous,” says von Unwerth, a vision herself in a gold sequined blazer and side-swept, piecey blond bun. “I don’t like the girl-next-door look.”
Every Friday we round up the best style stories and fashion gossip on the web. Let’s get to it!
There’s been a major shake-up in the world of America’s Next Top Model: After 18 seasons, Tyra Banks has axed stars Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker and Miss Jay. Things aren’t looking good for the reality series: Not only are ratings way down, but rumours continue to swirl that appearing on a cycle is bad for contestants’ careers. Plus, ANTM’s fashion lexicon—pot ledom, smize, fiercely real, booty tooch—is painfully grating. Do you think it’s time for America’s Next Top Model to be put out of its misery? [Page Six]
Sad news for Toronto fashion fans: The Toronto Standard reports that the Fashion Collective—a creative production and management group that represents emerging Canadian design talent—have disbanded. The Collective was responsible for putting Juma, Chloé Comme Parris and Label on the runway, not to mention bringing Rad Hourani back to Canada. [Toronto Standard]
Betsey Johnson has landed a new gig: reality TV star! She’s set to appear in Betsey + Lulu, which will follow her day-to-day life in Manhattan. Johnson is famously eccentric: last year, her assistant Stephanie Wagenman dished to Daily Front Row that the designer drinks champagne out of coffee mugs, doesn’t know how to make a cell phone call, and calls her office “Pink Tank Think Tank.” We think it will make for compelling TV. [Racked]
Speaking of must-see TV: Karl Lagerfeld has been booked to give live commentary on French TV during Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. We can’t wait. Does anyone remember when he said the royal wedding was full of “short skirts on fat legs” and “ugly hats?” [Fashionista]
Donatella Versace is a fan of the Dowager Countess. “If I am on my own, I might watch some TV,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “…Recently I watched The Help, The Ides of March, and Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy. I’m also a big fan of Downton Abbey.” How amazing would it be to watch Downton with Donatella? [Harper's Bazaar]
Vancouver’s Fall/Winter 2012 Eco Fashion Week closed on a high note last night thanks to Jeff Garner’s Prophetik collection—which came complete with live operatic vocals from Tess and the enchantingly twangy drawl of special musical guest Katie Fox. His “Courtly Love” cocktail dresses and Princess Grace-inspired gowns made from hemp and silk blends glowed on the hemp carpet-lined runway. Many of the plant-dyed fabrics had a beautiful sheen and some even appeared iridescent. (The male models he sent out in patchwork kilts and nautical tailcoats looked pretty dapper too!)
Prophetik muse Morgan Bradley closes the show. Photo by Jason Hargrove at Vancouver Eco Fashion Week, jasonhargrove.com
Myriam Laroche poses with models wearing her Value Village vintage collection. Photo by Damian O’Farrill, Illussion Ambar Films. Courtesy of ELLE Mexico
Could you create a runway collection with just $500 worth of clothes from Value Village? Three stylists did just that for the opening show of Vancouver’s Fall/Winter 2012 Eco Fashion Week. Sarah La Greca, Deanna Palkowski and Myrian Laroche (who is also the president and founder of Vancouver Eco Fashion Week) scoured the racks of donated clothing to find, and then combine, on-trend pieces for fall.
La Greca and Palkowski started the show off with a simple assortment of vintage separates (think knitted and lace tops in pastel hues paired with slip skirts and silky trousers) followed by shimmery gold and silver metallic pieces mixed with black. When a velvety, crystal-encrusted black coat came onto the runway, my seatmate leaned over to say “Wow, I’m going to have to make a trip to Value Village.” It was a sentiment heard many times throughout the evening.
Designer Jeff Garner and his muse Morgan Bradley board the chairlift.
There are 15 of us standing at the top of Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain who look a little out of place. “I’m guessing you guys are not going skiing,” a woman in a fuschia snowsuit calls out as she snowplows by us. We are not. Myriam Laroche, the founder and president of Eco Fashion Week, is wearing a sparkly beaded sweater. Designer Jeff Garner is sporting a silk neckerchief with a pale pink hemp shirt and a leather vest. Garner’s muse, Morgan Bradley, is dressed in a shiny black blazer with cream wide-leg trousers, chunky black pumps—and no socks. (But she does have a parka!)
We’re a well-dressed group on our way to dinner at Altitudes Bistro on the eve of Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week. But before we taste the Ocean Wise salmon, we’re going to tour the world’s first commercial wind turbine, the Eye of the Wind, which provides up to 25 percent of the power for the Grouse Mountain resort area.
To get there, it’s a bit of a hike—through the snow—plus a ride up a chairlift. “As you can see, there are lots of skiers,” says our guide Maddie, as she leads us up the mountain toward the Peak Chairlift. “Please stay to the left so we avoid them.”
Image from Zoologist by Charlotte Linton collection courtesy of Anthropologie.
Jason Wu did it for Target; same for Marni with H&M. Now eleven established and upcoming designers will roll out capsule collections created exclusively for Made in Kind, Anthropologie’s new online platform for seeking out one-of-a-kind talent.
The hybrid shopping/gallery one-stop site launches today (April 5) and includes upcoming as well as some well-known New York Fashion Week faves (yes, there’s a Gregory Parkinson capsule line in there).
Here’s an intimate look at the 11 curated new and vintagey collections culled by around-the-globe designers available only at this online gallery of the best kind of art: the kind you live in.
Drawings by Florence Balducci
An artisan of all trades creative—illustration, fabric design and acting—Parisian designer Florence Balducci is naturally an Anthropologie vet. Her hand-sketched printed scarves and silhouette-engraved chinaware have been available at the fashion-forward retailer for years. Now Balducci releases a collection of vintage-inspired military jackets (approx. $300)—the kind her dad wore—only embellished with ornate floral detailing and whimsical animal sketches.
Gregory by Gregory Parkinson
A British expat, Parkinson understands the colourful prints and air-light fabrics of his adopted L.A. homeland—in fact, he designed most of them. For his capsule collection created exclusively for Anthropologie (from approx. $214 to $464), he departed from the all-white, minimalist dresses that defined his Spring/Summer 2012 for a kaleidoscopic smattering of tie-dyed fabrics.
Image from O by Organic collection courtesy of Anthropologie.
Hi There! From Karen Walker
Rarely does a designer perfectly embody both of her polar style opposites: feminine and downtown edge, demure and eye-catchingly bold. Yet such is the trademark of New Zealand-based designer Karen Walker, whose collection, only available at Anthropologie, is a New York Fashion Week staple. Hi There! From Karen Walker (from approx. $140 to $160) is made up of six classic, paisley-patterned frocks with a distinct, vintage wallpapery twist. Read the rest of this entry
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