FASHION Magazine

Does artistic genius run in the family? When your older sister is Lady Gaga, there has to be some crossover. Natali Germanotta, who is being labelled “Baby Gaga,” is setting out to prove that she too possesses creative talent. News has broken that the 19-year-old is creating costumes for Simon Says, the Off-Broadway show set to premiere this fall in New York.

Germanotta isn’t exactly a stranger to the world of fashion and music. Whether or not you noticed, she appeared in Lady Gaga’s video for “Telephone” and accompanied her to this year’s CFDA awards. Judging from what we’ve seen, the girl’s got style! Beyond that, she has interned for designer Allison Parris and currently studies fashion design at Parsons the New School for Design.

It’s likely that Germanotta will have a high-profile career in fashion, but the question is: Will she bear resemblance to her sister’s style or set her own trends? Will her work resemble Gaga’s designer favourites, like Mugler, McQueen, and Versace? Perhaps, when designing, Germanotta is inspired by the likes of Hermès and Céline… Actually, we  highly doubt that.

Forget about Christmas in July, Barneys recreated the holiday in August this morning with news that they will collaborate with Lady Gaga on an unprecedented, multifaceted holiday campaign entitled “Gaga’s Workshop.” The campaign is set to launch in mid-November and is described as a shopping environment based on Mother Monster’s idea of Santa’s Workshop. Not only will she kill it in the Madison Avenue windows—Gaga’s Workshop is taking over the entire fifth floor as well.

Gaga will be aided by installation artists Eli Sudbrack, Christophe Hamaide-Pierson of Assume Vivid Astro Focus, and, of course, her partner-in-fashion, Nicola Formichetti. Barneys boasts that they worked with Gaga and Formichetti to design exclusive gift items (think: jewellery made from candy, lip-shaped chocolate, Gaga-hued lipsticks, and a limited-edition Rubik’s Cube), while Gaga will also curate a collection of books and albums. In true holiday spirit, a quarter of the profits will be donated to a charity of her choice. Now, all we need is a bit of snow.

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.

Thought your red soles were the last thing that set your Loubs apart from the rest? Well, think again. Yesterday, Judge Victor Marrero denied shoe-design demigod Christian Louboutin from holding the claim on the shade from Yves Saint Laurent, who had manufactured similarly soled models. The brand battle started up earlier this year when Louboutin filed a lawsuit against YSL for producing the heels, which it felt infringed on an established signature.

Although Louboutin won a trademark in order to protect its precious red soles back in 2008, it wasn’t enough to anchor a victory this time around. Other companies, such as Tiffany & Co., do hold rights to colour; however, the context is a bit different. Tiffany’s signature blue box is limited to packaging and doesn’t affect the creative input or design of actual products. The judge’s decision is really only the beginning, as he ordered the parties to return to court next week. It seems that he would like to reconsider the issuing of Louboutin’s trademark altogether and possibly have it revoked.

What could this cancellation mean in the grand scheme of things? We can only imagine the flood of high-street knockoffs that would follow suit. Louboutins have become instantly recognizable and immensely popular among the masses—frequently photographed on celebs and featured in shows like Sex and the City. That being said, one brand having a monopoly over a colour just isn’t fair to the creative aspirations of other designers. The court even compared the case to an imaginary suit between Monet and Picasso. One artist claiming rights over the colour blue, despite distinct artistic visions, just seems a bit absurd.

Back in March, Carine Roitfeld was unveiled as Barneys New York guest editor and stylist for the Fall 2011 campaign. As could have been expected, shots of said campaign leaked this week. As was not expected, they featured Roitfeld as the model. What’s more? The images released by WWD yesterday show Roitfeld’s children, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld. Now, it makes sense that the campaign is titled “Carine’s World” (as if it wasn’t already).

Even the Queen knows she can’t rule without her subjects, so, naturally the campaign will also feature her stylish subjects: Marie-Amelié Sauvé in Balenciaga, Victoire de Castellane in Azzedine Alaïa, and Dasha Zhukova in Proenza Schouler. Everything was shot by Mario Sorrenti and the images will appear in Barneys’ windows as well as inside the stores and on the website as of September 2.

Yesterday there was also a campaign image released for an I.N.C project that Vogue Nippon editor-at-large, Anna Dello Russo is working on, and—surprise!—it features her as the model. Starting this fall, Dello Russso will act as editor-at-large for I.N.C, an in-house brand of Macy’s. We wonder which editor set the trend and who followed… Either way, it looks like Roitfeld and Dello Russo are on board for Operation Vogue Editors Dominating the World.

We’ve all spent time playing dress-up in our mothers’ best dresses and heels, but photos of 10-year-old model Thylane Loubry Blondeau dressed and made-up like a lady in Vogue Paris have got critics in an uproar.

Though the editorial was published months ago, it has only been getting negative attention on our side of the pond recently. Good Morning America aired a segment about the sexualization of young girls, using Loubry Blondeau as a prime example. Since then, the corresponding headlines have been dubbing the photos sexually inappropriate and shocking while blaming everyone, from the magazine to the fashion industry as a whole to Loubry Blondeau’s parents.

While famous models like Kate Moss and Gisele Bündchen started their careers by the time they were only 14, they were always portrayed as adults. Even 13-year-old Elle Fanning’s Marc Jacobs campaign and 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld’s Miu Miu campaign portray them as older and less sexual. What doesn’t sit well with critics is that Loubry Blondeau looks overly suggestive and—above all—undoubtedly like a child.

Is this media backlash refreshingly appropriate, or are critics just looking for a way to brutalize artistic liberties that they don’t understand? Everyone seems to be holding different opinions, but as the French would say, “C’est la vie!”

Congratulations to Michael Kors and Lance LePere. The American sportswear designer announced that he and his longtime beau will be getting married after the two were seen picking up a marriage license in New York on Wednesday, a little more than a month after the state legalized same-sex marriage. The couple met back in 1990, when LePere began interning for Kors.

What to expect of the nuptials? Well, if you’re hoping for a media-centered public production, keep on wishing. Kors and LePere are known to keep mum about their personal life, and that’s not about to change for their big day.  In fact, the only details disclosed by the designer indicate that it’ll be private.

Even though you may not get an inside look at the event, we’re betting it’ll be a classy affair. Kors is known for his understated, refined taste, and we’d expect no less of his wedding ceremony. All speculation aside, though, we wish the couple happiness and all the best on their wedding day and in the future.

As we eagerly await tonight’s premiere of Jersey Shore’s fourth season, reports are flying that Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino will be fronting a line of tuxedos. The reality star seems to be following the example of fellow cast members JWoww, Pauly D, and Snooki by expanding his brand to include clothing.

The deal, a line also called “The Situation,” (natch!) comes courtesy of a New York–based manufacturer called FLOW Formal, a company hoping to reach a younger demographic. What’s more is that Sitch is supposedly raking in a whopping six figures for a role that still seems sketchy. It’s still unclear whether he’ll only serve to promote the collection or actually have some design input.

The scheduled launch of February 2012 and the emphasis on a younger customer base bring one thing to mind: prom season. For the sake of 2012’s graduating classes, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that things are kept classic. Thinking about the product of a Jersey Shore star’s venture into formalwear is a bit terrifying: rhinestones on lapels, backs printed like tattoos, shirts purposefully left undone indecently low… We could go on, but we won’t.

Those of you who thought that Anna Wintour dubbing “geek” as “chic” at the Webbys was a one-time deal, think again: the cast of Glee will be featured during the third annual Fashion’s Night Out event on September 8.

Cast members including Canuck Cory Monteith, Lea Michele, Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, and Darren Criss will make appearances at retail locations in New York and Los Angeles.  Bee Shaffer—Wintour’s daughter and currently an associate managing producer in Los Angeles for Ryan Murphy’s production company, which produces Glee—supposedly set up the appearances.

Previously at FNO, Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler sang show tunes with Oscar de la Renta and Alexander Wang, and his supermodel clique danced in the windows of his store. Hopefully, the cast of Glee will prepare some original performances for FNO in lieu of repeating previously aired acts. Who wouldn’t love to see a little fashion-fuelled Gaga/Glee routine while shopping like an A-lister?

Can’t make it to New York City or Los Angeles in September? Fear not: American e-commerce sites including Net-a-Porter and Shopbop will participate in FNO for the first time this year. All you’ll need to get the full experience from home is a credit card and a Glee soundtrack.

L’Oréal ads featuring Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington have been pulled in the U.K. following pressure from politician Jo Swinson and the intervention of Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The cosmetics company was accused of digitally altering images of the women advertising Lancôme and Maybelline anti-aging products. Although Swinson is an advocate for realistic, healthy beauty in advertising, her complaint against L’Oréal was based on the ads’ failure to reflect what the products could actually achieve.

In regard to the Maybelline ad (featuring Turlington), L’Oréal admitted that it had “digitally retouched to lighten the skin, clean up makeup, reduce dark shadows and shading around the eyes, smooth the lips and darken the eyebrows,” but felt that the photograph was still representative of the product’s achievable results. The company even supplied the ASA with red-carpet photos of Roberts and Turlington in order to show that the women are naturally beautiful. However, the authority’s request for pre-production photos wasn’t granted due to legal restrictions.

Controversy over retouching is nothing new. Last year, retailer Jacob announced that it would no longer alter the bodies of its models in an effort to promote a healthy body image. The issue with the L’Oréal ads, however, seems to be more about false advertising than unattainable ideals of beauty.

Speculation surrounding a change in Proenza Schouler’s investors has been circulating for quite some time now. That change seems to have been confirmed yesterday by Cathy Horyn of The New York Times. According to the writer, the label’s current backer, the private equity firm Permira (also the primary owner of Valentino), will be selling its shares in the label as early as Friday.

The 45-per-cent stake will reportedly be transferred over to a group of New York investors including Andrew Rosen, CEO of Theory and Helmut Lang. Designers and founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will likely hold onto their control over the other 55 per cent of the company.

While we’re excited to see what Rosen’s plans are for the brand, we’re hoping that too much doesn’t change. New investors can often demand a lot of designers, but that won’t necessarily be the case with Proenza Schouler. McCollough and Hernadez’s It-girl aesthetic seems in keeping with Rosen’s previous ventures (think Olivier Theyskens at Theory). What we are hoping for is the production of more accessories, which seems inevitable with the success of the PS1 bag.

A year and five months after Alexander McQueen committed suicide, his last will and testament has been made public. The designer’s $26 million fortune is set to be divided mostly among family members and charities. The most buzz-worthy part of the document? McQueen left $82,000 to his dogs.