FASHION Magazine

Katy Perry stood out on the American Music Awards red carpet on Sunday for her bright makeup and matching pink hair adorned with crystals. Now she’s also getting attention for the four prominent Chinese characters on her floral Vivienne Westwood SS12 dress. The characters, when translated into English, say “green economy,” which is a phrase that’s often ridiculed by the Chinese public as an example of the Soviet-style ideological euphemisms that are in their political leaders’ speeches.

Westwood’s SS12 collection was inspired by China’s traditional wisdom, and Chinese official Wang Xijia wrote the phrase and her name, both of which she used on the dress. Whether or not Westwood intentionally chose these particular characters for Xijia to write, commenters on Chinese message boards are revelling in the irony of the former punk designer become a vehicle for political propaganda.

The coveted Versace for H&M collection hit stores last week, and if you’re going through Donatella withdrawals fear not. As we reported when news of the first collection broke, there will be a second Versace for H&M collaboration. The smaller Cruise collection will be available exclusively online January 19, 2012.  Before you get too excited, this means that technically the collection wont be available in Canada, since H&M Canada site doesn’t have ecommerce. We’re expecting the overseas H&M sites to crash again, only this time it’s sure to be of Missoni for Target proportions.

Even though she wasn’t the one getting married, Pippa Middleton’s bridesmaid’s dress, also designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, received just as much attention as Kate’s wedding dress, and was loved by fashion critics and Royal fans alike. Now, finally after many replicas have been made, you can buy a “less detailed” version of the dress—meaning there’s a zipper back closure instead of buttons, and no lace inserts. Online luxury retailer  net-a-porter.com is selling the Pippa-inspired dress for US$3,100.

We don’t have to tell you that Tom Ford has special powers in the world of fashion, and that everything he’s touched—since making his name at Gucci in the mid-nineties to starting his own eponymous line a few years back—has turned to literal and figurative gold. For the past four seasons he has done a semi-private runway show during fashion week, invitation going to select press only, making his adoring fans wait at least two months to see the coveted wears. His collections usually garner great reviews, but for Spring 2012, and the first time probably ever, his grand plan might not have gone as well as planned.

Today, Vogue.com released photos of the collection, but based on reviews from editors and critics back in September, it already had a tainted reputation to contend with. Criticisms of the line were that the clothes drew too much on what Ford, and other designers, had already shown, but Vogue argues that these criticisms can be quieted on seeing the collection up close: “most revealing in this exclusive, first close-up look at Tom Ford’s new collection is the detail lost to the original viewers who saw the clothes momentarily swish by in the runway presentation.”

In news that is not totally surprising but sad nonetheless, Vena Cava is reported to be in extreme financial trouble, and on the brink of collapse. After the design duo of Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock didn’t show in Spring 2012 fashion week, except to a small gathering of friends and family, rumours swirled of financial difficulties and the effect of the ambiguous and negative reviews by the likes of the New York Times that their past collection received.

Reports are saying that negotiations with a major investor broke down earlier this month, leaving their financial state “drastic” and in need of saving. At this point, the company needs an angel investor (who would need a halo, for sure) or partner to bail them out.

United Colors of Benetton, the Italian retailer known more for its controversial ads throughout the ‘80s and ’90s than its multicoloured knits, is trying to get back on the radar by doing what they know best—shock advertising.

Their newest ads, part of their new Unhate campaign, features famous political figures making out, including Barack Obama kissing Chinese leader Hu Jinato and the Pope locking lips with Egyptian imam Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb. It’s rumoured that Oliviero Toscani, the brainchild behind their past controversial campaigns—some of which include a photo of a baby with its umbilical cord still attached (incidentally the most complained about ad in history) and a priest kissing a nun—is behind the new ads.

It’s being reported that the ads are part of a three-fold plan to relaunch the Benetton brand, in hopes that the retailer will become relevant again. Sure, the ads are creating buzz, but will they work to boost Benetton’s sales in a market that includes fast-fashion giants H&M and Zara? The odds are against them if their clothes continue to be lackluster.

After a star studded-launch party and months of waiting, the Versace for H&M collection will finally be available to the fashion-hungry masses this weekend. We’ve seen the collection on campaign star Abbey Lee Kershaw and celebs like Blake Lively and Jessica Alba, but to see the clothes in print and on real women, the fast-fashion retailer’s target buyers, would have been refreshing.

New York Daily News planned to do a feature on real New Yorkers wearing pieces from the collection but it’s reported that the shoot was cancelled at the last minute. An H&M publicist explained to the Daily News that Donatella has to approve anyone who wears the collection for press and that she probably won’t approve of real women wearing the clothes. Apparently, the publicist was right. When the writer sent the publicist pictures of the three women to be approved, only one was deemed acceptable while the other two “didn’t fit Versace’s branding.”

The “normal” women were being considered for a feature on real people, not for a high-fashion editorial—H&M designer collaborations are meant to bring high-fashion to the masses. Lets thank god Donatella doesn’t approve our Facebook photos…

News broke over the weekend that Tamara Mellon, co-founder and creative director of the world-renowned Jimmy Choo, would be leaving the company—and information about the split is still being released to the curious public.

Mellon, who was going to finish out the month as a creative consultant for the design team, is now being reported to have made her resignation immediate, and we can’t help but suspect some kind of bad blood. Jimmy Choo was bought by luxury firm Labelux last May, and Mellon gained over £85 million from the sale, a good reason not to stay with a job that is no longer completely enjoyable.

Jay-Z’s not getting much love today, after his clothing line Rocawear came out with a T-shirt using the ubiquitous Occupy Wall Street slogan for another message: Occupy All Streets. While the message of the T-shirt is similar to the original—and we’re thinking that he had good intentions in wanting to give the Occupy movement more attention—the T-shirt is rubbing people the wrong way.

Rocawear using OWS, a worldwide protest with many supporters and even more onlookers, is not necessarily the issue—and we’re not totally surprised that Jay (the businessman that he is) would try to profit from the protests. But the company has no plans to give any of the money made from the T-shirt to support the movement that it’s riffing. No matter what his intentions were, pocketing the profits without giving back is a controversial decision for the brand to make.

While not-yet-released Versace for H&M wares showed up on Chinese e-tail sites a few days ago, a more trustworthy option has now surfaced for the fast-fashion fans who just can’t wait to get their hands on the collection. With over a week to go until the Donatella-designed pieces are officially available, select styles and sizes of the coveted wares have been popping up on eBay—and with the majority of sellers living in New York City, the main culprits are Tuesday night’s party goers who are selling off their swag-bag items.

The launch party was the only time clothing and accessories from the collection have been available so far, and the gift bags and purchasable items from the party quickly appeared online, marked up by almost 50 percent. While there hasn’t been much bidding action yet, there are still a few days remaining. We can’t wait to see how much the already-popular floral pleated dress is going to sell for—but with the current bid at US$159 we’re sure it will skyrocket.

Marc Jacobs’ new fragrance Oh, Lola!, described by the designer as the more sensual sister to Lola, his previous bestselling scent, is proving to live up to its Lolita namesake.

The ad for the fragrance, which features teenage It girl Dakota Fanning and was photographed by Juergen Teller, has been banned in the UK. The British Advertising Standards Authority claims they received complaints that the ad is sexualizing children since Fanning is seen holding the bottle between her legs while wearing a short skirt. Coty, the company that produces the fragrance disagrees with the BSA’s rulings, arguing that the ad isn’t indecent since it doesn’t show “any private body parts or sexual activity.” They also point out that the fragrance’s target audience (people age 25 and over) wouldn’t find the image offensive since it appears alongside similar images in “highly stylized fashion magazines.”

On the other hand, Jacobs may possibly consider the ad a success, since he picked Fanning to star in the campaign because he thought she could be a contemporary Lolita—seductive, yet sweet.

Attention J.Crew diehards: if you have US$3.75 million lying around, you have the chance to buy Jenna Lyons’ Brooklyn townhouse. Imagine, being able to sleep and eat where Jenna did the same? The house, which has been featured in an endless list of design magazines, is just as crush-worthy as Lyons herself, with multiple wood-burning fireplaces, an entirely-done-in-marble bathroom, and a perfectly manicured backyard.