FASHION Magazine

Model Kate Upton, with her healthy proportions and self-made rise to fame (read: YouTube celebrity), has been making waves ever since being discovered by IMG Models. But now it’s her cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue (can that even be called a swimsuit?) that has people talking—especially Sophia Neophitou.

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of legendary fashion photographer Lillian Bassman who succumbed to natural causes yesterday at the age of 94.

Bassman got her start as a photographer for Harper’s Bazaar, working there from the late ‘40s until the mid-‘60s. Her goal was always “to present women in the way I felt about them… feminine, serene, and elegant.”

Call an exorcist, quick! Kate Moss looks like you’ve never seen her before in a hair-raising portrayal of “good and evil” on two covers of W magazine, and we’ve been in an endless loop of scared yet captivated since seeing them.

Shot by Steven Klein and styled by Edward Enniful, W’s Will Self describes “Evil Moss,” who dons black leather and devil horns (potential Halloween costume idea?) as having lips that are “no rosebud but a crushed carnation, her cheekbones somehow performing the alien accomplishment of curving down to below its petals.”  Uh, sexy?

Blue Ivy Carter was destined for greatness when she was a mere twinkle in Jay-Z’s eye, but no one expected she’d become a fashion mogul less than a month after her birth.

The couple has filed an application to trademark their offspring’s name (the real name, though we’d prefer Babeyoncé) to create a line of fancy baby gear including strollers, diaper bags, and cosmetics—because even babies need makeup nowadays.

Of course, there is the chance that the couple intends to protect the little one’s name. Already, the responsible, tabloid-reading workers at the trademark office have shut down two requests for the names “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” and “Blue Ivy Carter Glory IV”—not to mention the new strain of marijuana or countless martinis named after the not-yet-one-month-old hip-hop princess.

No wonder the newest generation of celebrities is turning into Lindsay Lohan act-a-likes! Maybe the couple has the purest of intentions, but considering that Hova already exploited his kid by including a snippet of her cry in his new track “Glory,” we’re inclined to believe some Swarovski-encrusted Blue Ivy strollers are in our future.

Ready or not, Kanye West’s PR agency, Karla Otto, has confirmed that his much-talked-about, self-titled collection will be returning to Paris Fashion Week on March 6.

On Sunday, the rapper-turned-designer tweeted, “Pardon me…do you have crepe chiffon?” Yeezy does red carpet? Might be a step in the right direction in comparison to his last production, which has been described as “being subjected to an hour long MRI scan—but not as much fun.”

So what do we know about the line so far? Well, West made clear in his now infamous Twitter rant that the name of his self-funded line is Kanye West and not DW. Also, he’s been working in London and getting some much-needed help from big-time designers but details of the show have been kept under wraps. Here’s hoping for another informative two-hour twitter post to fill in the rest of the blanks.

We have to give it to him for getting back on the horse, but if this collection is another flop we hope it will at least inspire a Taylor Swift–esque tell-all rap song?

If you were ever in doubt if Karl Lagerfeld had a verbal filter, his musings in Metro should clear things up. Acting as guest EIC, the designer took to the global newspaper to give his two cents (more like an entire change purse!) on various topics.

Amid the array of outrageous comments, the most shocking is calling Adele “a little too fat.” Lagerfeld has been known to weigh in on body size and has said before that those who criticized models for looking anorexic were fat “chip-eating, jealous mummies”—ironic coming from someone who’s no stranger to being heavy, having lost nearly 100 pounds in 2001.

Adele however, was not the only singer in his latest musings—Lana Del Rey also gets a mention. As well as the Greek economic crisis and Florence Welch, the designer had things to say regarding:

Jason Wu for Target hit the stores and the web yesterday at 12:01 a.m., and much to the chagrin (but perhaps not the surprise) of fashionistas everywhere, so did hawk-eyed resellers.

The reselling phenomenon is by no means a new one—need we remind you of the countless H&M collabs?—but a particularly aggressive couple in a Miami Target has managed to capture everyone’s attention.

The clothes-snatching Bonnie and Clyde managed to buy out the store’s Jason Wu stock, scooping up $7,000 worth of clothing into two huge Costco-sized shopping carts (all very handily caught on video by a fellow shopper). It’s pretty obvious the couple was going to resell (we mean, we love Jason Wu too, but who really needs 20 of the exact same baby-blue blouse?).

It seems that diffusion lines are destined to an eBay fate. As it stands, over 12,000 Jason Wu for Target items are already being sold on the online bidding site. What can really be done, though? Should stores produce more? Some are pushing for a reselling boycott, which we are all for. But at the end of the day, if you really want a Jason Wu striped skirt, you’re going to buy the striped skirt—whether it’s from Target or eBay or Bonnie and Clyde.

Conservative group One Million Moms has a bone to pick with JC Penney and its decision to hire Ellen DeGeneres as the department store’s spokesperson.

The disapproving anti-gay group writes on their website, “Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families” and goes on to claim “DeGeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store.”

However not everyone on the group’s Facebook page seems as troubled by JC Penney’s decision. Comments in support of DeGeneres include: “Being gay is only a part of who she is […] she is modest in her dress and behaviour.”

First Phoebe Philo, now Ralph Rucci. Luxury line Chado Ralph Rucci announced today that it is cancelling its upcoming Fall 2012 runway show, and opting for more intimate showroom appointments instead.

The designer (who you may remember from his diva-esque cameo on Kell on Earth) was set to show on February 12, during the same time slot as Tommy Hilfiger (an undeniable NYFW staple). Of course, this has people questioning whether the Rucci camp moved the show to avoid press and buyer competition with Hilfiger.

Of course Rucci’s sister, Rosina Rucci, shot down all those rumours, telling WWD, “Tommy’s audience is decidedly not ours.”

Others are speculating that this is all about finances, citing Ungaro’s recent decision to cancel its Pre-Fall and Fall shows. But given that Ungaro also sent models with heart-shaped nipple pasties down the runway at the behest of Lindsay Lohan, we find it hard to compare the two.

We hope this isn’t a sign of difficulties (monetary or otherwise) in the Rucci camp. Whatever the reason may be, we just hope we can see snaps of the collection online. We love us some American couture.

Victoria Beckham’s newest line with the very James Bond-esque name, Victoria, Victoria Beckham has caused a major fashion ruckus, selling out of Harvey Nichols on its first day in stores.

Inspired by cartoon character Emily the Strange, the line is decidedly mod with ‘60s shifts and Mondrian-worthy colour blocking. The “affordable” collection starts at £395 (which according to our rough calculations is upwards of $600). That’s Carven worthy, people! Yet somehow the steep pricing hasn’t deterred the masses, as there are already waitlists for three dresses, priced at almost $1,000. Canadians have no fear though, the collection is going to be available at Holt Renfrew very soon, and there’s no wait list to report as of today!

What has got talk shows queens Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey duking it out in a $500,000 bidding war? A much-sought-after interview with none other than Pippa Middleton! Who else?

The royal maid-of-honour, who’s currently on a promotional tour for her new party planning book , is no stranger to media attention, and is reportedly being offered as much as $500,000 for an hour-long special with one fortunate interviewer. Quite the deal.

CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg is not going to let anything slide when it comes to health regulations for models. After last year’s fiasco—an underage 15-year-old (16 being legal age for models), Hailey Clauson, walked in Furstenberg’s Fall 2011 show without her knowledge—the designer is determined to ensure all shows follow the CFDA’s endorsed health guidelines. The guidelines were updated on Thursday.

Furstenberg, scandalized by the incident, pledged, “any model walking in the Diane von Furstenberg runway will have shown I.D. prior to the show,” and is asking other designers to do the same.

To further reinforce this regulation and promote awareness, the CFDA sent a guide to help recognize eating disorders. The lengthy guidelines suggest the industry do things like “Encourage models who may have an eating disorder to seek professional help in order to continue modeling,” and “Develop workshops for the industry on the nature of eating disorders” Extensive list? Yes, but definitely necessary.

DVF has been blazing this trail for a while now, but we fear there’s more work to be done. In the meantime, let’s hope other designers follow in her footsteps for the Fall 2012 shows.