FASHION Magazine

Word: Tannervention

Meaning: Tan + ervention. You do the math, guys.

Usage: “Hollywood needs a tannervention stop the madness it’s January folks #GoldenGlobes” — @Bevansburg

Word: Scuttlebutt

Meaning: Idle gossip, spilled rumours.

Last week it seemed that Marc Jacobs’ replacement of John Galliano at Dior would be announced any day. Now, it’s being rumoured that, wait for it, Alexander Wang is the newest frontrunner to take Galliano’s job. A source close to Louis Vuitton told Vogue UK that Vuitton wants Jacobs to stay put and Haider Ackermann and Riccardo Tisci, who were also being considered, are out because Ackermann is “too edgy” and Tisci is just not interested.

If Ackermann is too edgy for Dior, what does that make Wang? He’s surely been successful with his own collections, but his downtown wears are certainly not anything close to the frothy couture gowns that are Dior’s signature.  While the news about Wang is most likely just a rumour, one thing is for sure: we’re tired of all the hearsay and just want some factual details released!

The fashion team has a new boyfriend; his name is Haider Ackermann. He wraps us up in his luxurious long layers of twisted silk and toughens us up with bits of leather, cinched in just the right spots to hide all our little imperfections while achieving the ultimate cool girl vibe. This is one of the biggest trends we are itching to sport for fall, and with the flood of cropped sweaters, diagonal cut separates and floor-grazing maxi skirts arriving in stores, we’ll be strategically layering our way to it-girl status all season long.

Get Haider’d with our tips and tricks! » »

Rumours surrounding who would take charge at Dior began almost immediately following John Galliano’s dismissal back in February. While former Galliano aid Bill Gaytten had stepped into the role of creative director during Paris Couture Week back in April, we’d assume a megawatter is what LVMH is seeking for the permanent position (especially after Gaytten’s poorly received collection). To date, Ricardo Tisci, Alber Elbaz, and Haider Ackermann have been named as a few of the possible contenders, and now the latest rumours circulating are that LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault wants Marc Jacobs for the job.

By Sarah Casselman and Susie Sheffman

From swinging ’60s to cowgirl chic, the hot looks
and perfect pieces you need for fall.

View the runway report now »

View by trend: Colour | Strict Rules | Tux Luxe | Flash Mob | Mod Squad
True Grit | Geometry Class | Accessories

There’s something dangerous and sexy about Istanbul: the clash and dance between East and West, between hot new scene and ancient culture. It makes it the right place for culturati to collide and let loose in a way you’d never see at, say, a New York Fashion Week party. Hence: Istancool, which is a Liberatum Global festival (in association with Vakko, Istanbul ’74 and AnOther) in its second year, and how I spent my weekend.

Liberatum’s stated aim is “connecting Britain’s finest minds with the world”⎯in addition to Istanbul, they’ve done festivals in Rio, Moscow and Papua New Guinea. But it’s best understood as a travelling circus: the hyper-charming, 27-year-old Liberatum founder Pablo Ganguli plays ringleader, while fashion (and art, and culture) freaks tag along.

After a long and exhausting month of shows (it’s a hard life… we know), we’ve finally had a few minutes to digest the thrills and frills that we saw on the runways in New York, London, Milan and Paris. So, here they are. Our top ten hits, in no particular order. (Ordering them would be like choosing favourite children, and we simply CANNOT go that far… )

As is the case with virtually any news story these days, the developments in the John Galliano story⎯the designer being accused of hurling anti-Semitic insults at an (incidentally non-Jewish) couple while drinking at the Paris café, Le Perle⎯can be measured in tweets, quotes and snippets. Given the proliferated speed at which these bits are published and publicized, it’s amazing to witness how quickly the industry’s reaction has gone from appalled to forgiving to looking forward to the designer’s imminent replacement at Dior. Given the industry’s propensity for forgetfulness⎯history has made fools of those who once condemned Coco Chanel for her involvement with the Nazis or Kate Moss for being caught with cocaine⎯we have no doubt that Galliano will be back at the top in no time. All references to the frankly horrifying severity of his remarks will vanish and whereas Chanel’s and Moss’s actions took years to do the same, Galliano’s have almost done so in a matter of 14 days. Meanwhile, as rumours swirl for a possible replacement by Riccardo Tisci, Alber Elbaz and Marc Jacobs, we take a look back at the quickest judgment turnarounds in fashion history.

It is always about five days into a fashion week that the trends become crystal clear. And lo and behold, there I was this morning at Akris, the 5^th day of the Paris fall 2011 shows and here is what was scribbled in my notebook:

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act yesterday. The bill would allow designers to copyright patterns and designs–currently protection only applies to trademarks–in an effort to keep knock-offs at bay. If the bill becomes law, it would be up to the courts to decide what’s original and therefore would be protected. [Fashionista]

Haider Ackermann will stop producing his men’s label after the first season in what the company is calling a deliberate creative move. Says the owner of BVBA 32, the Belgian company that operates Ackermann’s line: “Haider wanted to underline the image he made for his women’s line with the man at her side. The men’s collection will be added again at the time Haider wants to and it will not be linked to a season. [Vogue UK] Read our interview with Haider Ackermann

Some lunchtime viewing: Karl Lagerfeld sat down with Imran Amed of the blog the Business of Fashion and talked luxury, exclusivity and technology. “I think they are very beautiful objects,” said Lagerfeld. “There is no touch of what is considered bad taste or bad design is bad taste today. They are flawless in a way. Facebook is a flawless object, it’s for me like a Brancusi.” [BoF]

In other Karl Lagerfeld news, the Kaiser said he would like to see Haider Ackermann replace him at Chanel. When Ackermann heard the news he said, “What can one possibly say to such a phrase?! Such a compliment! Honored I feel, how can one not be?! In all honesty tremendously, immensely touched especially coming from Monsieur Lagerfeld.”[WWD] Read our Q&A with Haider Ackermann»

Hermès has released a new video campaign that features a disembodied hand (à la cousin Thing from the Addams Family) skateboarding through the French luxury brand’s Fall 2010 collection. [Huffington Post via Styleite]