FASHION Magazine

Amidst the mass hysteria (how else could one describe it?) that was the Dior succession saga of 2011/2012, you may have heard the name of a little-known French couturier, Maxime Simoëns, thrown around. And while those rumours may have been totally unfounded, today’s announcement that LVMH would be investing in his eponymous line has made it crystal clear that his is one name to remember.

In a surprising turn of events, LVMH head honcho Bernard Arnault has invested a significant but undisclosed amount in the 27-year-old’s two-years-young label. And while Arnault is famous for treating the global luxury market as one gigantic game of Hungry Hungry Hippos (hint: LVMH=the hippo, everyone else=the balls), the mogul almost never invests in new labels.

Despite his young age, Simoëns is no stranger to the fashion world. He studied fashion at the famed École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and then apprenticed at Elie Saab, Jean Paul Gaultier, Balenciaga and—get this—Dior under Galliano. Not to mention his Maxime Simoëns line that shows during Paris Couture Week and his bevy of celebrity clients (mostly French) including Canadian Rachel McAdams.

Arnault must think the wunderkind has got some serious talent—and with his track record, can you blame him? This has people wondering if Simoëns is being readied to take the reins at one of LVMH’s more established labels. Could we see Simoëns at Givenchy post-Tisci? Or at Fendi post-Karl? Given this year’s intense, never-ending game of fashion musical chairs (Jil! Raf! Stefano! Hedi!), we can’t help but applaud Arnault’s foresight.

Say it isn’t so! As we reported yesterday, the fashion world was hit with a major disappointment with the announcement that after 27 fabulous years on air, Fashion Television has stopped production. This end of an era certainly had us thinking “what happened?!” While FT had always been known for bringing insider access to the masses, it seems that the industry invasion of bloggers and runway live streaming has resulted in poor ratings as of late.

While Fashion Television certainly blazed the trail for leading fashion news and introduced many of us to the industry while giving us rare insights into the surreal worlds of Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld and the like, the show has suffered a viewership plunge in its last years. Scarce one-on-one interviews are a things of the past with greater access to designers (most fashion houses produce their own branded media content).

What does this all mean? The Globe and Mail writes “spending tens of thousands of dollars on travel is no longer considered a smart investment when access to designers and tastemakers […]”

The world may have changed since FT first aired in 1985, and the show’s end may seem inevitable, but we’re certainly going to miss seeing Beker’s trademark quirky charm and can’t wait to see what she what future endeavor she has up her stylish sleeve. And according to Bell Media, we do not have too long to wait: “Bell Media remains committed to the fashion genre & will continue to grow FTC to deliver a broader appeal for viewers & advertisers. Jeanne Beker remains with Bell Media & we look forward to new projects with her.

He said he was leaving Milan forever, but he never said anything about Paris. Yes, the longest-running game of Guess Who? the fashion world has ever seen is finally over. And cue the welcome party, because we couldn’t be happier.

Cathy Horyn broke the news today that Raf Simons will be taking over (effective immediately) as artistic director at Dior. His first collection with the house will be for the haute couture shows in July—somewhat fitting considering the colour-loving minimalist took a decidedly haute hand to his recent Jil Sander “Couture Trilogy” (before getting the boot, that is).

The news comes after over a year of headhunting on Dior’s part. The house famously went after Marc Jacobs last year (the two parties couldn’t agree on salary) and reportedly later Lanvin honcho Alber Elbaz (he turned down the offer). Simons’ name started popping up in late December and the rumour mill began churning like nobody’s business.

The juiciest part in all this? Yves Saint Laurent creative director Hedi Slimane has been a longtime menswear rival of Simons’. And now the two get to face off in the womenswear arena. Does this mean Dior versus YSL walk-offs are in our future?

Whether he was their first choice or not, he was most definitely ours. We’re still having dreams about his last Jil Sander collection. Those reds! Those pinks! This really couldn’t have turned out better.

Models generally don’t like to disclose their age. Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to be perceived as over the hill, other times it’s because they are working the runways sooner than they should be, given that some fashion councils have set a minimum age guideline of 16.

This makes it difficult to tell you who the youngest person in this issue is. But we know for certain who the oldest is: Iris Apfel, at 90, followed by China Machado at 82.

The fact that both of these women have recently appeared in ad campaigns and fashion spreads is wonderfully ironic. Especially since they are modelling not in spite of their advanced age but because of it. The courage to wear their wrinkles with pride has paid off in both reverence and renown. And they cleverly use fashion to ensure they aren’t any less alluring for it.

Not that there is anything wrong with a little tweak here and there, especially if, as Lynn Crosbie writes in “Audio Visual” (page 140), there is a body part you’ve come to detest.

There are a few outfits that have had a lasting impact on society. Kate Middleton’s blue Issa engagement dress, for example. Marilyn Monroe’s white dress in The Seven Year Itch. Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl halftime show costume. Okay, maybe not that last one.

Amongst that iconic list, the pink bouclé suit Jackie Kennedy wore the day her husband, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated (she famously refused to take off the bloodstained jacket), stands out. In fact, it was so iconic that Carine Roitfeld told Tim Blanks it was the first Chanel piece she recognized: “The first Chanel jacket that I saw–that I knew was Chanel–was on TV. It was on Mrs. Kennedy–the pink one.”

Sorry, Carine, but it looks like you “knew” wrong. Karl Lagerfeld quickly countered, saying it was a line-by-line fake. Wait, Jackie Kennedy wore fake Chanel?!

Well… not exactly. While the Kaiser seems to think Oleg Cassini made the line-by-line copy, consensus is it was actually tailored at the Chez Ninon dress shop in New York. Apparently, the store had received the OK from Chanel to copy the dress and used Chanel fabrics, buttons and patterns to make it.

It appears Kennedy wore the “knockoff” (though with Chanel’s approval, it probably can’t be classified as one) suit to show patriotism and support American clothiers. And considering all the fuss that was made when Michelle Obama wore Alexander McQueen (not American) to the Chinese State Dinner, we think we can understand why she went in that direction.

Either way, the iconic suit will be locked away in a vault in Maryland until 2103. Chanel or not, this is one piece of fashion history we’d love to have seen.

It is no secret that childhood obesity is a growing issue with various solutions. Eating healthy and physical activity? Sure. Publicly humiliating a child and having them endure a rigorous calorie-counting diet? No go. The author of a controversial Vogue article has done just that and has now come under fire for chronicling her overweight […]

The post They said/We said: The Vogue editor who put her 7-year-old daughter on an extreme diet has now scored a book deal appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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The heavens certainly behaved themselves for the second day of Toronto Fashion Week, allowing attendees to show off their no doubt newly purchased (or borrowed) spring styles sans typically cumbersome March outerwear. There was Ainsley Kerr, in a mega-printed dress from the Chloé Comme Parris spring collection, Amanda Lew Kee in her printed T-shirt, and our very own Bernadette Morra, who debuted a look from Martin Lim‘s latest collection. And what about that dude in the neon? That’s our camera genius stepping out to play. Hi Lewis!

It’s a story worthy of the next Quentin Tarantino screenplay—a sick and twisted The Godfather meets Confessions of a Shopaholic hybrid. The Shopfather, perhaps? U.S. authorities have busted one of the largest counterfeit circles in American history, after more than $300 million worth of fake fashion has been smuggled stateside. That figure puts this clothing heist on the levels of some of the biggest counterfeit cigarette and crystal meth trades. Seriously.

The questionable fakes ticked all the usual boxes: Burberry scarves, Lacoste polos, and Louis Vuitton bags. But it’s the faux Uggs (since dubbed “fUggs” for obvious reasons) that display some mind-boggling creativity. After the names of honest shipping companies were used to bring the boots into the country, fake labels and soles were peeled off to reveal faux-Ugg branding. One would think that with such creative prowess, the 30 accused smugglers might do something a little more productive with their time.

When questioned on the ethics of his business tactics, one of the crime leaders reportedly said that if you had a problem with his business you should “go be a monk.” Because only monks have morals. While we can definitely understand the appeal of a bargain, counterfeit fashion is continually being linked to horrible crimes. It’s just not worth it. Especially not for a pair of Uggs.

When I was a newspaper reporter, the water-cooler chat often turned to “how we got the story.”

Investigative reporters would describe months spent wooing reluctant sources. Photographers would detail how they wound up in the right place at the right time. And foreign correspondents told tales of bribery and squalor.

Things aren’t quite so dramatic on the fashion beat, but we have our moments.

Runway photographer Peter Stigter, whose images you see throughout every issue of FASHION, often finds himself crammed onto a riser in show venues that are so stifling, the sweat from other shooters rains down on his head.

We’ve been longing for some spectacular—as in, spectacle-laden—fashion since the days of Alexander McQueen’s Widows of Culloden hologram and Galliano’s snow tunnel. And then came McQ’s Fall 2012 finale starring model and actress Kristen McMenamy (all masterfully caught on video).

The grey-haired fashion doyenne (with her tresses in what we can only describe as a cross between a ‘50s pin-up ‘do and a Twister bagel) closed the show in a white tulle wedding gown. But in true McQueen style, McMenamy does so much more than just strut down the runway; she discovers a rope hidden in the floor and artfully prances around follows it.

As she reaches the end of the catwalk, the brick wall disappears only to be replaced by 60 real-life trees straight out of Harry Potter’s Forbidden Forest (we literally gasped) and a little cottage with pulsing lights and techno music. Now that’s our kind of rave.

We think this is a brilliant PR move for the lesser-known brand, which has been trying to realign itself with its eponymous big sister since the two recoupled in 2010. Both Sarah Burton and François Pinault (chief executive of McQueen’s parent company PPR and, more famously, Salma Hayek’s husband) have acknowledged that they are trying to elevate McQ to new sartorial heights. And wow, have they ever succeeded.

First Phoebe Philo, now Ralph Rucci. Luxury line Chado Ralph Rucci announced today that it is cancelling its upcoming Fall 2012 runway show, and opting for more intimate showroom appointments instead.

The designer (who you may remember from his diva-esque cameo on Kell on Earth) was set to show on February 12, during the same time slot as Tommy Hilfiger (an undeniable NYFW staple). Of course, this has people questioning whether the Rucci camp moved the show to avoid press and buyer competition with Hilfiger.

Of course Rucci’s sister, Rosina Rucci, shot down all those rumours, telling WWD, “Tommy’s audience is decidedly not ours.”

Others are speculating that this is all about finances, citing Ungaro’s recent decision to cancel its Pre-Fall and Fall shows. But given that Ungaro also sent models with heart-shaped nipple pasties down the runway at the behest of Lindsay Lohan, we find it hard to compare the two.

We hope this isn’t a sign of difficulties (monetary or otherwise) in the Rucci camp. Whatever the reason may be, we just hope we can see snaps of the collection online. We love us some American couture.

Prior to the recent reports that Jil Sander creative director Raf Simons is the latest frontrunner to replace John Galliano at Dior, it was almost certain that Marc Jacobs would be the designer to succeed Galliano. However, after reports that money issues brought talks to an end, those rumours bit the dust. Throughout this whole ordeal, Jacobs has been quiet, leaving us all wondering if there was ever any truth to these reports.

Which brings us to today: Jacobs is finally setting the record straight about whether or not he was as serious about moving to Dior as we were all led to believe. In an interview with Vogue, he says that while he did talk about Dior, he didn’t have serious intentions of moving to the iconic French house. But not because of money: he’s just not that into… couture? “The idea of couture doesn’t hold that thing for me. It’s archaic—in my opinion. I mean, I am really interested in the craftsmanship behind couture. But I can explore all that in ready-to-wear.”

While Jacobs’ statement about couture is debatable (with good reason) at least the Dior rumour can finally be put to rest and we can all move on.