FASHION Magazine

After John Galliano’s infamous anti-Semitic rant in Paris last April, many wondered how his sudden departure from Dior would affect the French fashion house.

According to the Financial Times, not only did Galliano’s departure leave the company relatively unscathed, but they actually ended up with their highest earnings per annum ever, hitting $1 billion in 2011. “I never considered that,” Sidney Toledano, the president of Dior said. “I always thought we absolutely needed an artistic director.”

It makes you wonder: how important is a charismatic designer to a fashion house? Is it worth the potential risk that sometimes accompanies a more flamboyant style of creative genius?

Toledano seems to think so. Though he admitted that Dior still fared well financially without Galliano, he did stress how important he felt designers were for shaping a label’s identity, likening designers to “a shorthand to help consumers understand the brand, and to embody it.”

Does that mean someone like the more demure Raf Simons, who is taking over Galliano’s post for Dior, might not have the same capacity to “embody” the brand? According to Toledano, it all comes down to the individual.

“If [charisma] works for the designer, then fine . . . but if not, it can be counterproductive, and it is better to avoid it. In the end, luxury is judged not by whether a designer’s face is on X number of posters, but by their work.”

Our bet is that if Simons’ tenure at Jil Sander was anything to go by, his work will more than speak for itself.

While tales of six figure wedding costs can make any bride-to-be nervous, a little resourcefulness can go a long way to keep a budget under control. For instance: doing your own makeup on your wedding day! (And, as a way of getting in extra practice, for all the related events leading up to your big day!) Consider that even Kate Middleton DIY’d her bridal look—and who can argue that they’ll be more scrutinized than a Queen-to-be? After all, while we all dream of looking like a princess, there’s nothing better than looking like a super-pretty version of yourself. From bridal hair tips to wedding-ready looks that can go from day to night, this week’s Beauty Fix has all the answers.

Read on for all the answers! »

In need of a beauty fix? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.

Stylized ’50s femininity meets Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks: Extraterrestrial perfection was achieved with hyperreal skin and tall, immaculately twisted updos that looked like elongated beehives.

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THE LOOK | HAIR | SKIN | EYES | LIPS

We feel like beauty vandals swirling our fluffy brush into bronzers imprinted with designs as pretty and perfect as these.

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By Samantha Shephard

It’s a sunny Saturday morning in West Hollywood and Rita Ryack, the Oscar-nominated costume designer known for her work on Casino and A Beautiful Mind, is on a hunt for sequined dresses. Production on the film Rock of Ages is wrapping and she needs one more piece for Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character. Judging by the racks she’s browsing, which are filled with this season’s hottest labels and trends—Versace print T-shirts, heavily embellished Moschino jackets, sweeping red carpet–worthy gowns—you’d think she were shopping at an upscale department store. Think again. She’s at The Way We Wore, a vintage-clothing mecca that attracts A-list clients like Angelina Jolie, Dita Von Teese and Katy Perry. The shop is full of high-end designer pieces, like little black dresses from Chanel, elegant Christian Dior gowns, Pauline Trigère party dresses and Pucci pyjama pants, all dating from the 1930s to the early 1990s.

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.

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The party to be at on Friday night—if you’re an A-list celebrity in Los Angeles, that is—was one hosted by Stella McCartney for the music video premiere of Paul McCartney’s “My Valentine.” The video (which stars Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman) was watched by everyone from Gwen Stefani to Gwyneth Paltrow, making the exclusive screening quite the red carpet event. While the majority of guests wore Stella McCartney Spring 2012 pieces, bright shades of lipstick were just as popular a style statement. Kristen Stewart and Zooey Deschanel certainly stood out above the rest, with almost-identical makeup that was focused on raspberry-coloured lips and heavily lashed eyes.

It’s recently come to our attention that Chloë Sevigny loves Raf Simons (or rather, approves of his move to Dior). And if she thinks something is “cool,” it most definitely is. The tastemaker-come-actress told The Cut all about “out of touch” ‘90s fashion houses and Simons’ über-elegance: “I think it’s cool. I think some of […]

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What with Raf Simons now officially at Dior, Hedi Slimane officially at YSL and Jil Sander officially at…Jil Sander, it seemed the fashion-land rumour mill was as good as retired. But how silly of us. (Re)enter Stefano Pilati, who was replaced as creative director of Yves Saint Laurent in late February. Sources (namely Jim Shi) […]

The post Gossip that rhymes: Pilati for Armani? appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Much has been said of what Raf Simons will do for the house of Dior, now that he’s landed the big gig, but how does he feel about it? Whilst we were all taking dibs on which of his many modern approaches he may take with the house, he revealed quite the opposite to The […]

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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.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Colombian-born and Paris-based designer Haider Ackermann drops two very Dior-sounding hints. The first, in relation to potentially wanting to work for the house, he says: “There are two houses I would be interested in. Two where I feel there is shared sensibility, and I could bring something […]

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