FASHION Magazine

Since Sarah Jessica Parker, Harvey Weinstein and Marios Schwab left Halston, rumours have been running rampant about who their successors will be. Now, WWD is reporting that although he initially denied rumours of heading to Halston, Ben Malka, the former president of BCBG Max Azria Group, has been crowned as chairman and chief executive officer of the company.

In his 16 years at BCBG, Malka established the company in womenswear and built relations for BCBG with retailers like Bloomingdale’s, which—coincidentally—is stocking Halston for the first time this fall. For now, we’ll have to wait to see if Malka can perform the same magic to revive what’s left of Halston.

The company is still missing a creative director, but there’s a chance that the former creative director of BCBG, Marie Mazelis, will be following Malka’s lead. If that’s the case, you can bet on a total transformation of Halston into something a little more…BCBG.

In dreadfully sad news, Amy Winehouse was found dead at her London home on Saturday. The “Rehab” singer was known for her drug abuse and alcoholism, and at times it outshone her exceptional talent. Despite her self-destructive behaviour, Winehouse’s death came as a shock to many. Though family, friends and fans may have known she was in trouble, no one expected her bad habits to catch up with her so quickly. Winehouse died at the age of 27 like fellow musicians Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison.

Winehouse will be remembered not only for her soulful music but also as a fashion icon. Her eclectic vintage-inspired style and signature beehive quickly transitioned to the runway and magazine pages. The singer was a muse to Karl Lagerfeld, who styled models for a Chanel fashion show with her signature thick eyeliner and beehives. Although Winehouse claimed to be clueless about fashion, her influence was felt throughout the industry.

In death, we hope the Grammy winner will be remembered more for her significant contributions to music, fashion and pop culture than for her troubles. Amy Winehouse will be missed but her legacy will live on.

“There’s only room in town for one Kim Kardashian” seems to be the message the socialite wants to send. On Tuesday, the reality television queen filed a lawsuit against Old Navy for using Toronto-born model Melissa Molinaro in a television commercial, dancing around and proclaiming she’s “super C-U-T-E.” Kardashian, who is in no way affiliated with the retailer, feels like the ad infringes on her oh-so-valuable persona.

What makes the whole issue that much more dramatic (and Kim is no stranger to drama) is the fact that Molinaro is currently dating Reggie Bush, one of the reality star’s ex-boyfriends. One can’t help but question the actual motives behind the suit: Is it a legitimate move to protect the star’s brand or is Kardashian feeling a bit jealous of the new sultry (albeit considerably less famous) brunette?

As far as we know, resemblance isn’t patented. Nor is it strong enough ground upon which to build a lawsuit. What we can say is that the scandal is definitely getting people talking and creating a lot of publicity for Old Navy as well as the previously unknown model.

Though it’s only been seven months since the all-powerful Carine Roitfeld left her post as the editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, we feel like we’ve been suffering from Roitfeld withdrawal for ages. On the upside, it looks like we’re going to get our fix in the near future. News officially broke that Roitfeld will be styling an Elizabeth Taylor–themed spread for V Magazine’s September Heroes Issue.

Between her freelance projects for Chanel, Barneys and W magazine, Roitfeld will be working with Mario Testino on the Taylor project. The feature, which is better described as a “fashion extravaganza,” will be a whopping 72 pages. Looks like she’s planning to make up for lost time.

The spread is sure to be a great precursor to Christie’s public exhibition of the Collection of Elizabeth Taylor in December. We can’t help but wonder if Roitfeld will manage to get her hands on some of Taylor’s prized possessions before they are put on display. What we do know is that, either way, these 72 pages are going to be Giant.

Anja Rubik has joined the ranks of Natasha Poly, Lily Aldridge and Kate Moss as the newest wedded supermodel. The face of Fendi married her fiancé and fellow model Sasha Knezevic this past Saturday (and to think we were busy watching TV!) at a church in Deià on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The couple was blessed with a picture-perfect day—in addition to their genetic superiority—which helped make the day look like a high-end campaign rather than a real-life wedding.

The only potential crimp in the picture? Rubik’s custom-made Peter Dundas dress, which struck some as mullet-esque. In somewhat of a shocking reveal, the hemline was (super) short in the front and drew out into a long, layered train. We’re guessing her thought process went something like, “Just look at these legs.” Belted at the waist and fuller in the bottom, the white silk was a perfect contrast to Rubik’s dark tan. The model’s upper back was covered with lace, which came together with a bow at her neck.

But back to that mullet. For some, wedding gowns are best as classic, simple pieces. But to be fair, Rubik was staying true to her own taste with a touch of bohemian and rock ‘n’ roll. The dress had both Rubik and Dundas written all over it, whether the critics liked it or not.

After seven years of marriage, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced on Friday that they were getting a divorce. The split came as a bit of a surprise: Lopez, Anthony and their three-year-old twins seemed to be the definition of a happy and meant-to-be family. For celeb fashion enthusiasts though, the end of the marriage brought up another concern: What would happen to the couple’s upcoming joint line for Kohl’s? After all, it isn’t everyday that a celebrity power couple collaborates on fashion for the masses.

Well, those who were anxiously awaiting the chance to make the cross-border trek can breathe a sigh of relief. The line will still go on despite the couple’s personal issues. In fact, Lopez and Anthony reportedly signed separate contracts with the retailer back in November when the project was announced (perhaps the relationship was on the rocks back then). All speculation aside, this means that when the lines hit Kohl’s stores, guys can pick up menswear by Anthony and ladies can get their hands on womenswear by Lopez. We’re just hoping she backs off of the python.

When we reported that Sarah Jessica Parker was exiting Halston earlier this week, we definitely didn’t expect two of the label’s other big names to follow suit in a matter of days. For what seems like the thousandth time in the past few years, Halston is about to undergo another round of drastic changes, as investor Harvey Weinstein and ready-to-wear designer Marios Schwab are also on their way out.

Reports began circulating yesterday that Weinstein, one of Halston’s main investors, would be withdrawing his support and ending his involvement with the company. The exits didn’t stop there, though, as today it was announced that designer Marios Schwab will not return for another season. In fact, the company’s only remaining investor, Hilco, may be pulling the plug on Halston’s ready-to-wear collection altogether, as the line will be put on hiatus for Spring 2012 and fall pieces may not ever hit stores. It seems their new strategy is to focus on the more affordable diffusion line and to abandon ship on the luxury market. Curious choice, since we all know that attempting to go mainstream marked the end of the original Halston’s success.

Although it’s clear that Schwab is a talented designer in his own right, we can’t exactly say we’re surprised about the failure of his designs at Halston. Perhaps it was due to pressure from the big bosses, but the three collections he showed were pretty safe and relied too much on the label’s history. Without innovation and a new perspective (think Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga), a heritage line runs the risk of feeling outdated and irrelevant.

Yesterday we reported that Sarah Jessica Parker is no longer working with Halston Heritage. Well, where one celebrity fashion venture ends another begins. For months now, rumours have been circulating that Kanye West is designing a high-end clothing line. Grazia is taking said rumours a step further, reporting that according to “excellent sources” the rapper is planning on showing his debut collection at New York Fashion Week. In keeping with West’s earlier statements about wanting to study at the prestigious Central Saint Martins, he is apparently getting some help from the big guns: knitwear designer and CSM grad Louise Goldin and the school’s master’s director Louise Wilson.

Sarah Jessica Parker is “out,” as Heidi Klum would say. Just a year and seven months after SJP signed on as the chief creative officer of Halston Heritage, the relationship has come to an end. Perhaps the recent departure has to do with Halston letting go its CEO, Bonnie Takhar, last November. According to British Vogue, upon hearing of the company’s sayonara to Takhar, Parker was in tears.

On a less dramatic note, it’s quite possible that the label needed a more practically experienced leader. Parker herself is more of a fashion enthusiast than an educated designer. Or maybe it was a question of commitment. In addition to working for Halston, Parker has been a busy woman: raising kids, producing reality shows, and filming and promoting movies. To quote her upcoming blockbuster, I Don’t Know How She Does It.

As the industry-wide game of musical chairs continues, we wonder who will take Parker’s place. Those are some pretty high heels to fill.

Hot on the heels of Roland Mouret’s appointment as creative director of Robert Clergerie, Kenzo announced today that Opening Ceremony founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim are taking over as the label’s creative directing duo. The LVMH-owned Japanese label bid adieu to former director Antonio Marras after his final show at Men’s Paris Fashion Week in June. (We wonder whose musical chair he will take next.) Pierre-Yves Roussel, CEO of LVMH’s fashion division, considered 25 candidates for the job of creative director, and though he couldn’t decide on just one, the lead duo are practically sure to re-establish the brand in the U.S. after an eight-year absence.

The two 36-year-olds have never been formally trained in design and plan to hire a team of skilled designers to make their creativity come to life. What they lack in pattern-making skills, they are bound to make up for in matters of retail, marketing, collaboration, and overall company expansion. With a flair for knowing how to make clothing with an air of cool and an indescribable allure, there’s no reason Leon and Lim’s fresh take on fashion won’t be successful at Kenzo. The pair will show their first collection in October for Spring 2012.

After 12 years of breeding the future stars of men’s soccer, Victoria and David Beckham finally have a little girl to call their own. Born Sunday at 7:55 a.m., Harper Seven had fans taking to Twitter to insta-congratulate as well as to comment on the bundle’s name. While the team at Harper’s Bazaar was all for the shared moniker, most poked fun at the name. Even British political journalist Yvonne Ridley chimed in, saying, “[It] sounds like a toilet detergent to me.”

We can only imagine what a life little Miss Beckham will grow up to have—with the genes of a superstar athlete and a fashion-designer/pop-star/all-around supermom, the possibilities are endless. Will she fall into her mom’s love of fashion? Take up pop music à la Spice Girls? Perhaps she’ll follow her namesake, To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee, into a writing career. All we can say is: Look out, Suri!

The media just can’t get enough of John Galliano. Last month Cathy Horyn speculated that he would be reappointed to his signature label, claims that were soon proven untrue after Bill Gaytten got the job as creative director (and let’s see how long that lasts). Today, new rumours have surfaced that the former Dior designer has a new gig.

After designing Kate Moss’s wedding dress and making an unexpected appearance at the nuptials last week, Vogue UK reported that Galliano was in talks with Topshop CEO Sir Philip Green regarding a possible collaboration with the high-street megastore. According to the magazine’s website, a collection similar to the one Moss did a few years back was possibly brought up in conversation between Green and Galliano at the supermodel’s wedding.

So, is there any truth to the rumours? All signs are pointing to no. Both Green and Topshop denied any negotiations, and even though Galliano fans would still jump at the chance to own his designs at an affordable price point, it seems an alignment with the designer now still feels too risky. So, what’s everyone saying?