FASHION Magazine

Diplo sprang to our collective consciousness as rap star M.I.A.’s DJ and collaborator (and, briefly, romantic partner). He’s gone on to record two albums as one half of Major Lazer and work with pop-dance artists such as La Roux, Santigold and Robyn, and he worked with Beyoncé on the beats for “Run the World (Girls).” Naturally, all of this led to a busy touring schedule. While he criss-crossed the globe, Diplo (a.k.a. Thomas Wesley Pentz) began to explore local music scenes in search of acts to sign to his Philadelphia-based Mad Decent label—notably baile funk from the favelas of Brazil, kuduro from Angola and “bounce” from New Orleans. Now, he’s released a book of the highlights from his journeys, 128 Beats Per Minute: Diplo’s Visual Guide to Music, Culture, and Everything in Between (Universe), with a foreword by the high priest of coolness, Alexander Wang.

Strategic cut-outs, thigh-high slits and body-con shapes: Sébastien Peigné and Nicola Formichetti of Mugler are bringing sexy back.

Reviving Mugler is a monster task. After designer Thierry Mugler took his final runway bow at his couture show in July 2000, this kinky house of cool (remember Demi Moore’s bondage-style dress in 1993’s Indecent Proposal?) started flatlining. Ten years later, the resuscitation began. In 2010, following months of speculation, Nicola Formichetti (Lady Gaga’s stylist) was tapped to lead the revival of the French house known for its over-the-top theatricality and sex appeal. Besides outfitting Mother Monster, this 34-year-old half-Italian, half-Japanese, techno-savvy superstar is also the fashion director for Vogue Hommes Japan and global retailer Uniqlo. His debut Mugler womenswear show during Fall 2011 Paris Fashion Week had the twitterverse buzzing about its latex-dipped leggings, body-stocking dresses and the catwalk pièce de résistance: Gaga, smoking in every sense of the word.

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Princess Diary
By Dennis Hensley

Lily Collins embarks on a thoroughly modern fairy tale with her first starring role,
as a sword-fighting, prince-saving Snow White.

When Lily Collins arrived for her first costume fitting as Snow White on the Montreal set of Mirror Mirror, she assumed the most fabulous getups would go to her co-star Julia Roberts, who plays the evil queen. “I saw all these dramatic, colourful, amazing outfits and I thought, ‘Wow, Julia’s so lucky,’” says the 23-year-old British-born actress who’s best known for playing Sandra Bullock’s daughter in The Blind Side. “And then they started bringing them in, and I said, ‘Is this for me?’ The first outfit took 25 minutes to get into, and when I looked in the mirror I got teary-eyed.” Then there were the elaborate sets; she describes a giant indoor forest and 40 tons of salt for snow. “I was sprinting through this huge room of trees, in my ball gown, sword-fighting, going up cliffs,” she marvels. “When the crew brought their kids onto set, they would see me and start crying. They were like, ‘Blanche Neige!’”

View Lily Collins’ wardrobe picks »
Read the interview with Lily Collins »

Word: Schizopolis

Meaning: A fractured, kaleidoscopic urban landscape.

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

Makeup artists and hairstylists drew inspiration from girls hitting the summer music festival circuit with dishevelled, centre-parted strands and slept-in smoky eyes. Dsquared threw its own concert, sending models down the muddy runway with hippie hair that was “Kate Moss at Glastonbury,” explained hairstylist Sam Mc-Knight, while at Alexis Mabille, tiny daisies were tucked into textured hair for a Lilith Fair feel. At Emilio Pucci, makeup artist Lisa Butler’s roughly smudged black liner with hits of copper and gold paid homage to an ’80s Madonna, with a side of gypsy-esque free spirit. And when eyes weren’t rimmed in black, blue was the new black: For Emanuel Ungaro, Charlotte Tilbury gave eyes a wet look by mixing teal and navy with noir and layering gloss on top. Likewise at Rodarte, models wore a smoky eye with a spin; makeup maven James Kaliardos gave lids a navy wash that winked at Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »

Our enthusiasm for The Hunger Games movie (42 days and counting!) grew even deeper with the announcement of their China Glaze nail polish collaboration, and then reached full fandom status when Taylor Swift became part of the soundtrack. Thankfully, this new Lana Del Rey–inspired spoof song allows us to dial down our tween-age adoration to a more appropriate (ironic?) adult level.

But, before we sound too blasé about The Hunger Games, there’s yet another reason to get excited! Joe Fresh just announced that they’ve partnered with the film and are running a contest to send one lucky winner to the red-carpet premiere in Toronto—with a $500 Joe Fresh gift card. Continue over to torontolife.com for full details, or check out Joe Fresh on Facebook.

Read on at Toronto Life »

Liv Tyler has worked with Givenchy since 2003, but late last year it was announced that her role as spokesperson was evolving: she would be the voice of a new perfume. And when we say voice, we really mean it: Tyler recorded a cover of the INXS hit “Need You Tonight” as the official song of Givenchy’s forthcoming fragrance Very Irrésistible Givenchy Electric Rose. While the scent isn’t scheduled to hit counters until April, the song is ready for your listening pleasure. However, consider this a sneak peek—there’s a music video in the works and it’s sure to be a sensory overload!

Bookmark this new online store: A.D.F.M. (theadfmstore.com). Based in Vancouver, the name stands for Art Design Fashion Music, and it sells a slick selection of exactly that. Curated by style-loving dj Michelle Wong, it stocks art prints, design tomes and music downloads (creative V-Day gifts, anyone?) alongside fashion lines such as Funktional, Mackage, Eryn Brinié and Dolce Vita. The website also offers 24-hour personalized advice from stylists for those wanting a little wardrobe 411.

Word: Paradisco

Meaning: A supranatural dance club? Music for the specially-abled? Nobody knows…

Usage: “In paradiscos, we get bored of breaking actors/Turning beggars and the heroes.” — Charlotte Gainsbourg, in “Paradisco”

By Dennis Hensley

On her new album, When the Sun Goes Down, Selena Gomez sings about self-acceptance (“Who Says”), infatuation (“Whiplash,” which Britney Spears co-wrote) and taming a misbehaving guy (“That’s More Like It,” co-written by Katy Perry). Yet when asked which track reveals the most about her, Gomez ditches the hearts and flowers and goes right for the jugular. “‘Bang Bang Bang’ is probably the most personal,” she says, referring to a snarky kiss-off anthem directed toward an ex, in which she coos put-downs like, “My new boy used to be a model…he looks way better than you” and “When I’m out having fun, you’re gonna be the one that’s broken.”

Our annual giveaway begins on Monday, September 12th! You’ll find lots of great prizes throughout our October issue, on newsstands September 6th.

Click here for a sneak peak at all the prizes now »

Click here to go to the contest »

By Laura deCarufel

See photos of Natalia’s style picks »

What’s your approach to modelling?
“It’s like acting for me. I always try to understand the inspiration behind the photo shoot—the woman, film or book that we’re translating into a photograph.”