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.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are officially engaged, so move over Will and Kate, because it’s been dubbed the “true wedding of the century.” (Believe us, we wish we were lying.) Hyperbole aside, the news has spurred a million questions: What will she wear? Will Brad shave his god-awful beard? Will she Angeleg at the altar? Has Brad been practicing his lines to avoid pulling a Ross-says-Rachel at the wedding?

Some of the top Fall runway trends made their way deep into red carpet territory tonight, as the A-listers put on Hollywood’s biggest and best parade. From the rich reds on Emma Stone and Natalie Portman seen this season on the runway at Michael Kors, to the crisp whites on Gwyneth Paltrow, Rooney Mara, and Octavia Spencer seen at Raf Simons‘ last Jil Sander collection (not to mention everywhere at the Golden Globes), to the peplums spotted on Michelle Williams, Tina Fey, and just about every runway from New York to Milan, it seems that everyone is drinking the same Kool-Aid. But who did it best? We’re loving Gwyneth, Michelle, Jessica, Rooney, and Angelina (her right leg gets a special shout-out), but who makes your cut? Check out our top 12 picks and vote for your favourite after the jump!

See the red carpet photos »
Vote for your favourite »

The final city of FASHION’s spring preview, Paris! We round up the highlights from fashion week in the city of love.

View our editor’s picks »

Today, we’re taking a look back at the year that was by counting down the top 10 beauty moments, developments, trends, and more. From Topshop to Tom Ford, they’re all inside!

View our top 10 »

We’ve been scouring the internet for pictures of the girls and gowns from Saturday’s le Bal des Débutantes at the Hotel de Crillon, but international photo agencies are holding tight to their copyrights. However, that hasn’t stopped guests in attendance from sharing their own pictures, and we’ve rounded up some of the best.

See all the debutantes and gowns at the 2011 Crillon Ball »
Watch a video interview featuring the debutantes »

For young socialites and those of us interested in their seemingly magical lives, tomorrow is a big day in Paris: it’s le Bal des Debutantes at the Hotel de Crillon. The lavish event, unofficially known as the Crillon Ball, isn’t just about presenting eligible young ladies to society. (Er, whatever that means in the age of the Facebook, Twitter, and so on…) It’s also intended to showcase the work of haute couture and couture houses—by dressing the lucky teenage debutantes in stunning gowns.

Couldn’t you just hear Chris DeBurgh’s “Lady in red” watching the red carpet arrivals at last night’s Emmy Awards? From Lea Michele‘s embellish-sleeved Marchesa to Nina Dobrev‘s mermaid Donna Karan, the Emmy trend seemed pretty clear. So, who did it best? Vote after the jump!

View the photo gallery »

Elie Saab’s first scent, juicy blush made for sunkissed skin, lip tints that taste like beach cocktails, and more »

When we left Bon Temps last week, Sookie was having an awkward chat about her faerie body odor with a disoriented Eric. The Viking Vamp had just had a spell cast on him by Marnie, the witch he’d tried to drain to put a stop to her designs on dead-raising—not something the undead want people getting control over. Jason was tied to a bed in Hot Shot getting each of his 12 perfectly defined abs bitten by Crystal and Felton.

Dazed and Confused?
-Sookie, confused about Eric’s state, tries to talk sense into him and then drives off just to do the classic horror-movie pause and look back. Of course he’s right there at her window and pounces on her neck. Logic takes a vacation, and she runs into the forest.
-Sookie punches Eric to get his attention, and he calls her Snooki. What? Well, she does love to tan.
-He does know what he is (a vampire) just not who he is (a pompous babe).
-Sookie agrees to help him out of his oblivion and gives him ground rules for going back to her/his place—no touching, no biting. We seriously resent her for not including, “Never put a shirt on ever again.”
-She calls Pam, who is sucking on a grown up Val from our favourite tween movie, Brink!, while still wearing the one-shouldered disco ball from last week, and she rushes over faster than a speeding bullet (of lipstick).

The rumour mill, ever at work, has pushed out another high/low collaboration nugget: Tom Ford to design a capsule collection for H&M. [Elle UK]

Daphne Guinness is the latest fashion personality to join Twitter. [Daphne Guinness Twitter]

Harry Potter star and Burberry model Emma Watson doesn’t understand celebrity fragrances: “I can’t understand this fragrance thing. Why would you want to smell like somebody else? Don’t you want to smell like yourself?,” Watson said. [People Style Watch]

The 2010 CFDA Awards nominees were announced last night including heavy hitters such as Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang for women designer of the year and up-and-comer’s like Alexis Bittar in the accessory designer category. Check out the full list here. [Style.com via Racked]

André Leon Talley made his television debut last night on the premiere of America’s Next Top Model introducing viewers to the word “dreckitude.” [The Cut]