FASHION Magazine

Let’s be clear about one thing: The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is not really about fashion. But we knew that, and anyway, it doesn’t really matter. Not to the hordes of young women that appear out of nowhere, pink shopping bags in hand, within a 500-metre radius of any of the lingerie titan’s locations. (There are eleven stores in Canada–four Victoria’s Secret and seven for their younger Pink line.) Not to the crowd that piled into the Armory on Lexington Avenue on November 10 to see the show–a group that included Gerard Butler, Adrien Grenier, Russell Simmons, Malin Akerman and Paris Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld. Not to every person who we’ve spoken to in the two weeks since who want to know how the Angels look up close (gorgeous, obviously), how much they have to exercise (Adriana Lima trains six days a week leading up to the show) and whether the wings are heavy (Candice Swanepoel‘s trainer give her extra shoulder exercises to prepare).

You know you’re at a Victoria’s Secret party when you have flower petals stuck in your teeth–pink flower petals garnishing your pink cocktail, no less. In honour of Toronto’s first Victoria’s Secret, at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, some angels flew over to help us celebrate at a private in-store event, which felt like a salute to bras, panties and the colour pink. Naturally, the few male attendees looked slightly out of place until, of course, the angels descended, at which point  their eyes grew to be the size of dinner plates.

Alexander Wang has confirmed he will be opening his first New York flagship in Yohji Yamamoto‘s old space. [The Cut]

Look how excited Abbey Lee, Chanel Iman et al are about Fashion’s Night Out. It’s practically all anyone ever talks about. [Vimeo]

Victoria’s Secret is being sued by shoe company Valley Lane Industries for US$48 million. The company claims that VS forced a Chinese supplier, who had worked with the smaller company for 25 years, to end their partnership so that the lingerie brand could work with the supplier exclusively. Says a lawyer for Valley Lane: “Victoria’s Secret has done everything they could to put them out of business.” Trouble in diamond-studded paradise? [NYDN]

But things aren’t all bad for VS. They’ve recently launched a new bra, the Incredible, and to celebrate, Chanel Iman, Candice Swanepoel and Erin Heatherton appeared on Fox & Friends, where they had the arduous task of explaining the new brassiere to two male anchors. See the exchange above. [Huffington Post]

We asked the industry’s top hair and makeup artists—from Oribe to François Nars–to name their favourite models from the past and present. Click the images below to see who made an indelible beauty mark.

The post Idol worship: Top hair and makeup artists name their favourite models appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Now that fashion week, the Globes and the Oscars are all done, we’ve been starved for serious red carpet action for the past couple of months. Last night’s Metropolitan Museum of Art Gala in New York at least promised to give us fodder for red carpet punditry. The theme was American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity–the exhibit currently on at the Met’s Costume Institute and the most awaited guest of the evening was the American fashion force Lady Gaga. She didn’t show up on the red carpet and the result was a mostly-expected line-up of dresses. (Though even Gaga wore an Armani bodysuit that was near-identical to the one she wore at the Oscars, so yawn.) Diane Kruger’s blazingly white Calvin Klein was the clear winner of the evening, but Gap’s “collaborations” with Rodarte, Sophie Theallet, Thakoon and Alexander Wang were an almost universal disappointment.

After the jump, features director Leah Rumack, fashion market editor Sarah Casselman and I dish on the best, the worst and the most, um, interesting ensembles of the night.

Few things leave us at a loss for words, but this Michael Bay-shot action movie Victoria’s Secret commercial really and truly does. But let’s try: Helicopters. Explosions. Heavy metal. Circus. Knife throwing. Mansion filled with wind. Classic cars. Spiral staircase in the desert.

Wow.

[Via Yahoo Canada Lifestyle] Video after the jump.

Alexander McQueen’s collection for Puma is casual, cute and totally wearable. And we mean even outside of the gym. [The Cut]

The newest Victoria’s Secret angels to get their wings are Chanel Iman, Emanuela de Paula, Lindsay Ellingson, Candice Swanepoel, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
[Fashionologie]

President Obama has appointed Anna Wintour to the Committee on the Arts and Humanities, whose members also include Sarah Jessica Parker, Edward Norton and Yo-Yo Ma to name a few. [The Cut]

Russian model Sasha Pivovarova, who studied art before she stalked the runways, created drawings in honour of Chanel’s Paris-Moscow pre-fall show. Pivovarova also stars in the campaign. [Chanel, via Fashionologie]

Esteban Cortazar is apparently not defecting from the house of Ungaro. He’s currently working on pre-spring and tells WWD, “For now I am here.” [The Cut]

Scuttlebutt is that Geri Halliwell is doing a range for Topshop. Meh. [Refinery 29]

An interchangeable cast of clean-cut dirty-blonde boys (Zac Efron, Chase Crawford, Chris Pine, et al.) are doing away with rugged masculinity. [Guardian]

Picture it: Los Angeles, 2009. Bonhams is auctioning off the estate of Estelle “Sophia Petrillo” Getty on June 14. Choice item’s include Sophia’s glasses and straw handbag. [W]

Video from the Matthew Williamson for H&M party, complete with a clip of Grace Jones’ performance. It feels just like we were there. Except we weren’t. [My Fashion Life]

Fantasy hair: Don’t try it at home. Or ever. [The Frisky]

“It’s emotionally activated? What happens when you put it on your lips at the wrong time of the month or when you’re pregnant? Will your lips explode?” and other things overheard at Sephora. [Allure]

Yay! Chanel Iman confirmed for the new House of Style. [Fashionista]

DIY Balmain from our favourite auntie. [Auntie Fashion]

Depending on how you feel about SJP, the Harper’s Bazaar editorial with her posing as Diana Vreeland will either be amazing or a travesty. [Cyana Trend Land]

For our money, Natasha Poly has the best legs going. Don’t believe us? Check out these shots from the Jil Sander spring campaign. [Fashiononlogie]

On the opposite end: Jane Birkin progeny and girl-about-Paris, Lou Doillon, looks dreamy for Vanessa Bruno. [Refinery 29]

Want to see Michelle Obama on the cover of Vogue? Of course you do. [WSJ]