Christian Louboutin’s Tiny Custom-Designed Shoes

From today’s PageSix:

When your dad is Tom Cruise and mom is Katie Holmes, you’re guaranteed the finest footwear, even if you’re still younger than 2 years old. Christian Louboutin has custom-designed a pair of shoes for tiny Suri Cruise, OK! magazine reports. The company had made a mold of the tot’s feet and hand-crafted a pair of bespoke shoes for her. “She’ll be the youngest client,” said a source.

Stella McCartney Wins Top Honors at British Fashion Awards

Stella McCartney has been named Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in London.

She beat out Anya Hindmarch and Luella Bartley to claim the coveted award, which recognizes the leading British designer of couture, ready-to-wear, knitwear or accessories.

Organized by the British Fashion Council, the annual awards celebrate the best emerging and established fashion talents within the British fashion industry.

The prizes are decided by a panel of top fashion editors, retailers and influencers and their committee is chaired by British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman.

Other winners at this year’s awards included jewelery designer Tom Binns, Burberry menswear designer Christopher Bailey and Dame Vivienne Westwood, who was honoured for outstanding achievement in fashion design.

The inaugural Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, established in memory of the late stylist, was awarded to production and set designer Michael Howells, who has created backdrops for John Galliano and Christian Dior shows.

Designer Erdem Moralioglu won the £50,000 ($136,000) Swarovski-sponsored Fashion Enterprise Award to help develop his label Erdem.

Full list of award recipients:

Kate Moss in Donna Karan Spring-Summer 2008 Ad Campaign

Kate Moss will star in Donna Karan’s Spring-Summer 2008 ad campaign. Donna Karan says she is thrilled to be working with Kate Moss, Vogue UK reports.

“She’s wild and sexy and somebody who has the energy to hang out in the streets, to dance! A woman who would have lived in that rawness but with a polish at the same time,” the designer said.

“The clothes don’t wear her, she wears the clothes.” The campaign - which has a flamboyant “Nueva York” theme - has already been shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot in Los Angeles. “We went cinematographic,” Karan confided to WWD. “We wanted to tell a story and we wanted somebody who had energy, passion, sophistication and cool. You put it all together and it says ‘Kate’.”

Appel & Frank: ‘Stockings & Stilettos’ Shopping Event

Save the Date: Appel & Frank’s next shopping event will be held on Thursday, December 6th, 2007 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The shopping event will take place at The Regency Center, Sutter Room at 1270 Sutter Street @ Van Ness Ave. The first 300 guests to purchase tickets online are guaranteed a gift bag!

“Stockings & Stilettos”
Shop for all of your holiday gifts from over 70 talented designers. Indulge in complimentary cocktails and beauty treatments while finding fabulous and unique items for everyone on your list … including yourself!

Admission is 2 for $15 online and $10 each at the door, and includes a goodie bag.

www.appelandfrank.com

*A portion of the door proceeds will benefit Friends of the Urban Forest.

Kate Moss Tumbles Down Harper’s Bazaar’s Best Dressed Women in Britain 2007 List

Kate Moss got a triple slap in the face from Harper’s Bazaar fashion magazine, whose best dressed women in Britain 2007 list comes out Thursday.

Not only did the supermodel slide down the glossy monthly style bible’s rankings, but she was also beaten by two models linked to her ex-boyfriends and a starlet dubbed “the new Kate Moss”.

This year, Moss — who topped the 2004 list, came second in 2005 and third in 2006 — plunged to 10th.

She was deemed less fashionable than rocker Pete Doherty’s on-off lover, Romanian model Irina Lazareanu (ninth), and Belgian model Anouck Lepere (eighth) who is fiancee of Jefferson Hack, who himself is the father of Moss’s daughter.

Russian model Natalia Vodianova was ranked the best dressed woman of 2007, followed by British actress Thandie Newton and British model Agyness Deyn — who has been nicknamed “the new Kate Moss” by the British press.

Outside the top 10, Jemima Khan, ex-wife of Pakistani cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan was ranked 12th; US singer Madonna came 15th and singer Bob Geldof’s daughter Peaches was 17th.

British actresses Sienna Miller (18th), Keira Knightley (21st), Rachel Weisz (22nd), Kate Winslet (23rd) and Emma Watson (24th) came further down the list.

The full list appears in the December issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

Harper’s Bazaar best dressed women of 2007:

  1. Natalia Vodianova (model)
  2. Thandie Newton (actress)
  3. Agyness Deyn (model)
  4. Helen Mirren (actress)
  5. Lily Allen (singer)
  6. Emily Blunt (actress)
  7. J. K. Rowling (authoress)
  8. Anouck Lepere (model)
  9. Irina Lazareanu (model)
  10. Kate Moss (model)

Marc Jacobs: Desginer of the Year at ACE Awards

The man whose own latest accessory is dyed blue hair, Marc Jacobs, took home the “Designer of the Year” award at the 11th Annual ACE Awards in New York on Nov. 5, one of many people honored by the Accessories Council this year for their achievements in the world of accessories.

Jacobs, whose shoes and handbags for both his signature collection and his younger Marc by Marc Jacobs brand are highly sought after items, also designs accessories for one of the most recognizable luxury brands in the world, Louis Vuitton, which he reinvents season after season. His latest collection, shown on the runways in Paris in October, featured a collaboration with artist Richard Prince.

Actress Mandy Moore was honored as “Fashion Innovator,” while supermodel and “Project Runway” producer Heidi Klum, who designed a jewelry line of her own that she will wear in upcoming episodes, received the “Fashion Influencer” award. Moore opted to wear a form-fitting black satin shirt dress, while Klum wore a black and gold brocade gown. Jessica Simpson, a presenter, wore a black and gold sheath.

Black dresses - perhaps better for highlighting one’s accessories - turned out to be the prevailing statement of the evening, as fellow honoree Tory Burch, whose new line garnered the “Accessory Brand Launch” award, wore an elegant black halter gown. Presenter Helena Christensen and Lucy Liu, who accepted Valentino’s lifetime achievement award on his behalf, also looked stunning in tiered dresses - Liu’s, from the Valentino couture collection, featured dramatic, full ruffles and Christensen’s was Grecian column-meets-flapper.

The other award winners included Macy’s, Inc. (Retailer of the Year), Harper’s Bazaar (Magazine of the Year), Scoop (Specialty Retailer of the Year), Bridget Foley (Marylou Luther Award for Fashion Journalism) and Nancy Gonzalez (Brand of the Year).

Karl Lagerfeld Biography

Born in Hamburg in 1938, Karl Lagerfeld emigrated to Paris at the age of 14. He was to go on to become one of the most celebrated designers this century has seen.

In 1955, at the age of just 17, Lagerfeld was awarded a position at Pierre Balmain, after winning a competition sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat (the coat he had designed for the contest was later put into production by Balmain). In 1958, he left to take up a job with Jean Patou, which gave him an invaluable knowledge of couture but apparently very little pleasure. After just one year, he quit to work as a freelance designer for such fashion houses as Krizia, Charles Jourdan and Valentino. By 1964, he had grown so disillusioned with the world of haute couture that he left Paris altogether to study art in Italy.

In 1967, Lagerfeld returned to fashion, joining Fendi as a design consultant. In the Seventies, however, his name was more closely associated with the house of Chloe, where he was given carte blanche to produce exquisite floaty and feminine ready-to-wear collections which claimed to rival contemporary couture. His 1972 Deco collection, which consisted of black and white prints and clever bias-cutting, brought him worldwide acclaim. He produced his last collection for Chloe - now designed by Phoebe Philo - in 1983 to move to Chanel (though he did return briefly in 1993, to replace outgoing designer Martine Sitbon).

At the same time as taking on the title of director of collections and ready-to-wear at Chanel, Lagerfeld launched his own-name label, now synonymous with strong tailoring, combining easy-to-wear cardigan jackets in his favourite bright colours and softly shaped knitwear to create what he describes as “intellectual sexiness”. Meanwhile his designs for the super-chic French fashion house, a fusion of pre-war Chanel and contemporary trends, carried the label to the pinnacle of high fashion in the Eighties and Nineties. Notable moments of his career at Chanel include teaming the traditional box jacket with denim mini skirts in 1991, combining club-influenced black fishnet bodystockings with the traditional Chanel camellia placed cheekily over the breasts and matching hefty lace-up boots with flowing georgette skirts and leather jackets. By 1997, Vogue had crowned him the “unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment”.

Despite moving from label to label, Lagerfeld has managed to retain a sense of his own style throughout his career. His success lies in an ability to make a bold statement and he is never afraid to try something new. He has also maintained a sense of humour throughout his designing that has produced such legendary pieces as a shower-dress, with beaded water streaming down the front; a car-dress with a radiator grille and fender, and a multitude of outstandingly eccentric hats, from armchairs to cream cakes, translating Chanel trademarks such as the quilted handbag into a range of seasonal must-haves, including the handbag earring, the handbag hat, the doll-sized shoulder bag, the quilted hip bag, the quilted Alice band and the outsize baguette bag.

He also enjoys a range of outside interests, including languages (he speaks fluent German, English, French and Italian and has expressed a desire to learn Spanish), illustration, antiques and photography (he was responsible for producing Visionaire 23: The Emperor’s New Clothes, a series of nude portraits, starring South African model David Miller) and describes himself as an “intelligent opportunistic” and “professional dilettante”. As he told US Vogue in 1988: “What I enjoy about the job is the job.”

Chanel, 29-31 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris, France
Tel: + 33 (0)1 42 86 28 00

Karl Lagerfeld Takes a Stand on Size Zero Models at Paris Fashion Week

Here is an article from the Telegraph about Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris Fashion Week Show and his refusal to allow overly skinny models to showcase his collection.

Paris Fashion Week: Lagerfeld takes a stand on size zero, by Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director at Paris Fashion Week

Karl Lagerfeld revealed in Paris he had taken a dramatic stand on the size zero issue by rejecting three models for his Chanel catwalk show yesterday (Friday) because they were ‘too skinny’.

“It is the first time I have ever done something like this,” he said.

“I have nothing against skinny girls. But these were terrible. They looked as if they had grown up in a Third World country with no food to eat.

“I sent them back to the agency. I did not think they should be modeling,” said the designer.

He described the three models – who he did not identify – as being so thin as to look ‘almost deformed’ and agreed his stance may persuade other designers to follow suit.

The 45 girls who were accepted to model the Chanel spring/summer 2008 collection ranged in size from lean to luscious. Gemma Ward, the blonde “surfer-babe” from Australia, in particular, looked positively curvaceous in a skimpy bikini.

The show was staged in the Grand Palais, on a dark blue and silver star-print stage, surmounted with a 30ft high bow – stars and bows being two of the themes of the collection – before one of the largest celebrity front rows seen this week in Paris.

Among those sitting ringside were Victoria Beckham, in a bright green, 1950’s vintage dress; the actress, Kirsten Dunst; the rock, rap and pop singers, Courtney Love, Kanye West, Lily Allen and Alison Mosshart from The Kills; the supermodel, Claudia Schiffer; and the burlesque queen, Dita Von Teese.

The collection was a “BoomBox” club mix of goth, biker, disco, rock ‘n’ roll, futuristic, surfer and sports looks, which even included tennis wear, complete with leg-warmer socks and Double C-logo rackets.

A classic cardigan jacket occasionally materialized amongst the cacophony, more often than not teamed with a denim leotard or a pair of baggy jeans equipped with the latest Chanel “must-have” – jeweled bicycle clips.

The show opened with a salute to America’s favourite fabric - denim. Woven with silk, technically distressed and faded, it came as sexy-sporty swimwear, with biker jackets and sparkling silver, wedge-sole, “disco boots” or shoes with no laces.

There was more Americana in a stars-and-stripes sequence, which featured flag-meets-nautical looks in raw-edge jackets, dresses and skirts with “pinking shear” hems, in a mix of red-and-white stripes and navy-and-white star prints, accessorized with patent high heels with a miniature quilted bag attached to one ankle, in the manner of the US ‘Alcohol Detecting Ankle-Strap’, as recently sported by Lindsay Lohan.

Party wear included everything from Little Black Dresses, stamped with rivets and festooned with dangling silver chains, to skintight slinks patchworked with metallic circles, embroidered lace trousers and demure, star-print long gowns with matching hair-bows.

“It’s all about proposals for life,” said Lagerfeld of his Chanel fashion ‘casserole’.

“There’s no room for just one way; people need clothes for different lifestyles”.

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/main.jhtml?xml=/fashion/2007/10/06/efchanel106.xml

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