FASHION Magazine

Fashion week power-mom Victoria Beckham has been seen on the streets of New York City with a new, enviable accessory: her eight-week-old daughter Harper Seven.  Beckham, whose own show debuts on Sunday, dressed little Harper in a gingham onesie, a chic and baby-approps choice for the chilly fall weather. Just kidding. No we’re not.

Vicky B. tweeted a few days ago, “Mummy and baby Harper are very excited for fashion week!!!” which we hope doesn’t mean that she will bring Harper to the actual shows, but just show off her cuteness to the cameras. We love babies, but nothing can ruin ambiance more than a crying munchkin.

Harper seems destined to be stylish, and this makes us want to see some of the other world’s most fashionable babies. Now we’re officially kidding.

John Galliano was convicted on racism charges earlier today, months after making racist and anti-Semitic remarks to patrons of a Paris café. Galliano was given a guilty sentence but will serve no jail time, a clear relief to him after facing a maximum sentence of six months incarcerated. The maximum fines he faced were €22,500 but the fines being reported are still all over the map—WWD reporting them at the highest of €17,500. Confirmed is the €1 to each of the two plaintiffs in the case, a symbolic compensation, alongside an apology.

An important factor in the case was the admission by Galliano of a serious substance-abuse problem—stemming from the stress caused by over-working—and the failure to even remember making such discriminating remarks. After his arrest, Galliano underwent treatment for his drinking and drug problem, and spoke out several times of his embarrassment and regret in making his prejudiced outbursts.

The sentence, along with the trial itself, has polarized the fashion world, who anxiously wait to hear what will happen to the future prospects of one of the most famous designers in the world.

The British Fashion Council just released the nominations for this year’s awards and surprise, surprise Kate Middleton favourites Sarah Burton and Erdem (yay!) are up for the Designer of the Year award alongside the always-thrilling Christopher Kane.

Other big nominations include Victoria Beckham for Designer Brand of the Year, even after last year’s controversy started by industry veterans over her nomination in the same category. (But, hey, she can sing, dance, and be pregnant in heels, so that’s got to count for something, right?) This time around, she’s up against Burberry, Stella McCartney, and Tom Ford. (In the case of Ford, apparently living part-time in London makes you a British designer?)

In the Model of the Year category, rockstar and supermodel offspring Georgia May Jagger will battle it out with Chanel muses Stella Tennant and Kristen McMenamy. Meanwhile, we’ve got a soft spot for all nominees in the Emerging Talent category. How can you choose between Mary Katrantzou, J.W. Anderson, and Peter Pilotto? The winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 28.

By Bianca Teixeira

When Madonna frolicked about in a hot-pink dress singing about being a “Material Girl” back in 1985, we doubt she imagined being sued for ownership of the phrase 26 years later.

L.A. Triumph, a brand that has been selling their own line of junior girls’ clothing under the name since 1997, is taking the singer to court, claiming that her use of the phrase in reference to her Material Girl collection creates confusion for buyers.

The label is demanding that Madonna’s line—for which Kelly Osbourne is the face—turn over all profits made since its launch last summer. Both sides will see the inside of a courtroom in mid-October. A judge has already denied the request by the superstar to have the case thrown out, with Madonna’s reps insisting that she is the “senior user” of the phrase.

Will the real Material Girl please stand up?

By Bianca Teixeira

Ahem, pre-teens and teens, there’s one more place where you’re going to have to worry about getting carded: the runway. Fifteen and younger need not apply.

CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg has sent letters to her fellow designers asking them to demand a valid ID from every model walking in their shows to verify their age. Von Furstenberg was embarrassed last season after making a stink about only employing healthy 16-year-olds and then sending a 15-year-old Hailey Clauson down her own runway.

Two years ago, Michael Kors announced that he was not going to be hiring any models under 16. In a recent interview for the new issue of Interview Magazine, though, he mentions that a few models might have deceived him by lying about their age. Might not be much of a stretch, as agents have been known to fib about a model’s stats when it comes to their age, height, or weight.

With weigh-ins and measurement-taking at shows gaining in popularity to help prevent eating disorders, Von Furstenberg is hoping to set a new precedent with carding models as well.

An ad campaign that an Edmonton salon released last year is under fire after a New York blogger accused its creators of promoting domestic violence only a few days ago. Soon to be known locally as the cause of the Fluid Hair Fiasco for weeks to come (at least), the image in question shows a gorgeous albeit battered woman with a black eye sitting below her presumed lover with a highly stylized coif, beside the tagline, “Look good in all you do…”

It looks a little Mad Men–ish, perhaps a commentary on the way things were. The only problem is that domestic violence is still, unfortunately, the way things are: the Canadian Women’s Foundation states that on any given day in Canada, more than 3,000 women, along with their 2,500 children, are living in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence. A massive online backlash from those who believe the ad sends a horrific message (like, you may be getting beaten, but at least you have good hair), has been prodding Fluid Hair owner Sarah Cameron and campaign producer Tiffany Jackson for answers.

Big Sexy, a new three-part reality series based around the burgeoning careers of five plus-size models in New York City, premieres tonight on TLC. With the tagline “Once you go big, you don’t go twig,” the show is getting all kinds of positive attention as well as negative vibes. While supporters hail it as the perfect vehicle to give big women their due, others have accused the show of encouraging obesity. Either way, the plus-size topic is again making waves. To boot, American Apparel just launched a plus-size model search, The Next Big Thing, to find models for their newly expanded size range (the brand is only now offering its clothes in XL). Ironically, as most would attest, the brand’s notoriously teeny sizes favour a slender figure so therefore a XL hardly qualify as plus-size.

Ever since the Met Costume Institute’s record-breaking Alexander McQueen exhibit closed, we’ve been itching to know what its successor would be. Well hear ye, ladies of quirk: Miuccia Prada and the legendary Elsa Schiaparelli are the next in line to be celebrated. While an official release from the museum has yet to be released, we’re thinking that WWD is a pretty credible source.

Both women brought Italian fashion into the spotlight but are known for very different styles. Schiaparelli was a close friend and collaborator of Salvador Dalí and repeatedly plucked from his surrealist inspirations. In fact, she is most known for her lobster dress of 1937, which was created in collaboration with Dalí (and once worn by Wallis Simpson). Prada, on the other hand, might need less of an introduction. Her titanic influence on the industry has been solidly felt across the world (as if spring’s infamous stripes didn’t say it on their own).

Curators Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton no doubt have some surprises up their sleeves, and we are dying to see what they have in store. Are they as excited as we are?

By Louise Coleman

Recently, we talked about the rumours speculating Marc Jacobs’ move from Louis Vuitton to Dior; but today the issue has gained further momentum. Dun dun dun!

Sources claim that Bernard Arnault has officially named Jacobs as Galliano’s replacement at Dior, and an announcement is forthcoming. Moving down the fashion industry ladder, our next question inevitably is: Who will be replacing Jacobs at Vuitton?

Surprisingly, or not, all fingers point to Phoebe Philo, the woman credited for turning around the now-coveted Céline. Don’t fret, Céline lovers—it appears that Philo will simultaneously act as Céline’s creative director, meanwhile taking on Jacobs’ job at Vuitton. Pressure much?

By Louise Coleman

More than 150 years after the American Civil War and 50 years after the civil rights movement, we’re pretty sure that using the term “slave” to denote a style of dress still ain’t kosher. Apparently Vogue Italia didn’t get the message. An article for the magazine’s website headlined “slave earrings” has caused a major outcry, resulting in editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani apologizing and citing “really bad translation.”

The article stated, “Jewellery has always flirted with circular shapes, especially for use in making earrings. The most classic models are the slave and creole styles in gold hoops.” The piece then goes on to explain that the word “slave” should inspire thoughts of “women of colour” during the slave trade—an image of “pure freedom.” Umm, what?

After twenty pages of (mostly) furious comments and a barrage of negative tweets, the article has since been removed from the website.

By Louise Coleman

Any bride-to-be can sympathize with Kate Middleton wanting to look her best before her big day. But while the Duchess has always been slender, it’s rumoured that Kate’s continuous weight loss has taken her from a healthy US size 6 or 8 to a size 0.

With pictures of Kate Middleton’s new figure appearing worldwide, the impact of her weight loss has taken a frightening turn. She has become “thinspiration” or “thinspo” in pro-ana vernacular—imagery inspiring those suffering from eating disorders to lose weight.

On one pro-ana website, visitors leave comments on the discussion forum about how excited they are to shed weight through the “Kate Middleton diet” or “Dukan diet” in order to be as thin as the Middleton women. Other blogs have a collection of pictures of the Duchess with comments like: “She is very pretty and skinny. Great post.”

While it has been said that she’s had to alter her clothes to fit her new frame, friends of Kate say she does not have an eating disorder and she would be “horrified” to learn that she’s being idolized on these sites.

By Louise Coleman

Forget the Vera Wang wedding dress: Kim should’ve been wearing dollar bills down the aisle! While everybody has been ooohing and ahhhing at the images surfacing from the Kardashian wedding on Saturday, it appears that Kim and her basketball star husband, Kris, may have actually been paid to say “I do.” And a hefty $17.9 million at that! How silly we were to think that even a Kardashian wedding was supposed to cost money, not make money….

From back in July, the reality star is said to have been paid $50,000 by Las Vegas nightclub Tao to host his-and-hers bachelor and bachelorette parties. Even her stepdad, Bruce Jenner, was roped in to raise money for the Kardashian clan, by negotiating a $2.5-million deal with People magazine for exclusive rights to her wedding pictures. But the lovebirds’ biggest paycheck will come from turning their special day into a four-hour E! special to air in October, which will earn them a whopping $15 million!

That doesn’t even cover the free stuff they received—from the wedding cake to Kim’s dress—worth an estimated $650,000. Looks like her mom/manager, Kris, has been very busy.