Cassy Bhairo
Samantha Mariko
Izzy Bea
Luci Matheus
Weronika Kumanek
It should surprise no one that Lady Gaga will, in 2015, board a Virgin Galactic spaceship and become the first star to perform in outer space. No doubt stylist Brandon Maxwell has his work cut out for him, coming up with an ensemble that will look sufficiently outrageous in zero gravity. But somehow we think Gaga has been dreaming of intergalactic (or, at least, extraterrestrial) looks for quite some time.
The trailer for the upcoming Pierre Berge-approved Yves Saint Laurent biopic, starring Pierre Niney as the designer, has hit YouTube (below). Because the flick—aptly titled Yves Saint Laurent and hitting theaters next year—had Berge's blessing, its creators had full access to the house's enviable archives, and they swathed the cast in vintage looks. However, another non-Berge-approved film, dubbed Saint Laurent, will be released at the same time. And while it may not have an archive worth of YSL, it does have model (slash actress) of the moment Lea Seydoux playing Loulou de la Falaise. Which secret weapon will prove most riveting? Only time (and audiences) will tell.
Some unexpected news popped onto our radar today: WWD reports that Lenny Kravitz (remember him?) has teamed up with L.A.'s favorite retailer, Fred Segal, for a capsule collection. The unisex range, which will be produced with Kravitz Design, will comprise clothing, accessories, and a casual $100K motorcycle. Set to be released next year, this is reportedly the first "designer" collaboration that Fred Segal has done in fifty years. "I grew up shopping at Fred Segal and have always felt connected to the brand and what it stands for—a vibe of laid-back luxury that resonates far beyond Los Angeles," said Kravitz of the project. We're curious to see what the rocker comes up with for the American woman—and man.
Camouflage is oft associated with burly hunters or members of the armed forces, but after seeing the Fall '13 collections, it's become clear that the print is ripe for any occasion. Christopher Kane made our mouths water with his range of luxe camo wares, and thanks to designers like Michael Kors and Tabitha Simmons, the look has spiraled into a full-blown obsession. Don't blend into the crowd—stand out with our picks from Proenza Schouler, Prism, and more, below.
Considering our rampant year-round online shopping habits, doesn't Cyber Monday—a term that was coined in 2005—feel a bit dated? Despite the fact that the entire week, and even month, around December 2's Internet sales sees a rise in shopping, most experts are reluctant to deem the expression antiquated. Technology is not today what it was in 2005, and neither are our consumption patterns. With the world so digitally dazed, is it even necessary to designate a particular day for us to shop from our phones, tablets, and laptops? Social platforms sure seem to think so (with both Twitter and Instagram having launched advertising this year), but sale spikes reported by WWD proved that e-tail giants like eBay and Fancy make the most bank pre- or post-said-heavily-marketed Monday. If Cyber Monday was once the new Black Friday, is Cyber Week the new Cyber Monday? If you ask us, every day is Cyber Monday.
Does Nicola Formichetti ever miss Mugler? "No, I don't," he said from the back of a chauffeured car in his native Tokyo last week. And why would he? In his new job as Diesel's artistic director, Formichetti is not only allowed, but encouraged, to let his signature freak flag fly. "Before Diesel, people used to tell me to turn down the volume," he recalled. "But [Diesel CEO] Renzo [Rosso] always tells me to go crazier. No one's ever said that to me before."
Formichetti has scores of potentially crazy upcoming projects for the brand, like capsule denim and leather collections and his very first Diesel runway show, which will be held in a yet-to-be-determined city this March. But his latest efforts—a Japanese Shibari rope bondage-inspired accessories collection and a burlesque-style ad campaign staring rebel rapper Brooke Candy and model Tessa Kuragi—are easily his craziest to date. Featuring Kuragi and Candy, a former stripper, flexing round a silver pole while showing off Diesel's Spring '14 wares, the Inez & Vinoodh-lensed images and corresponding film are bound to raise some eyebrows. But on Friday night, Formichetti firmly asserted his role as fashion's primo provocateur with an X-rated launch party at Tokyo's Tabloid. Upon entering, guests were ushered through a bona fide sex shop stocked with handcuffs, pearl-studded ball gags, fringed whips, and various other erotic toys. Beyond the accessories installation, which included Diesel's leather-cage booties, harness-embellished bags, bullet-studded totes, and metallic brogues, were rooms peppered with exotic dancers in black lace lingerie. Meanwhile, in a red-lit space downstairs, nearly nude experts demonstrated the aforementioned art of Shibari to the sound of a harpsichord. Their colleagues, dressed in bottom-baring gowns, lace-up boots, or hot pants, watched on their hands and knees from locked cages.
It was a night that we won't soon be able to forget, but considering the controversial reputation that Candy has built since commencing her career two years ago, the explicit event felt apropos.
Christy Turlington is having quite a year. After nabbing a Harper's Bazaar cover and starring in campaigns for Prada, Jason Wu, and Calvin Klein Underwear, the 44-year-old super is now featured in H&M's holiday ads. Turlington (who, in all her spare time, ran the New York Marathon yesterday), poses alongside Doutzen Kroes, Liu Wen, and Cora Emmanuel in the snaps. Needless to say, trimming the tree has never looked so good.
Believe it or not, it's already time to start talking about Fall '14. This morning, the British Fashion Council announced the upcoming season's NewGen Men recipients: Ten (the largest number since the platform was launched in 2009) emerging labels will receive Topman-underwritten funding to present at the London Collections: Men shows in January. Alongside such returning names as Shaun Samson—who made strides during Spring '14 with his reflective BMX-inspired shapes (left)—and Astrid Andersen, NewGen Men welcomes three freshman brands to its roster: ready-to-wear label Common, former Fashion East star Kit Neale, and innovative footwear designer Diego Vanassibara. For a full list of this season's NewGen Men recipients, visit the initiative's Web site.
Many of fashion's great performers have benefited from great showrunners—those unsung partners who protect and guide from offstage. The line you hear about Giancarlo Giammetti, then, is that he allows Valentino to be Valentino. What that means exactly can be hard to explain. Suffice it to say that what began as a mutual attraction turned into one of the most fruitful collaborations the fashion world has ever seen. In helping to build up the legendary label, Giammetti also laid the groundwork for the industry as it is today. His relationship with his partner is as moving as it is complicated—or so it appears in Valentino: The Last Emperor, the acclaimed documentary that ushered Valentino vividly back into the spotlight in 2008, at a time when the pair behind the famous name might have retreated into relative (but impossibly opulent) obscurity. Now, with Private: Giancarlo Giammetti, Giammetti offers another peek into the Valentino world. Published by Assouline, the twelve-pound tome is a compendium of reflections and photos, nearly all of them snapped by Giammetti himself, of the long, enviable life he's led—one that has contained so many royals, Hollywood idols, and pharaonic fashion types that it more or less functions as an illustrated social history of the latter half of the twentieth century. Giammetti spoke with Style.com about fashion then and now, the glamorous "tribe" with which he's always traveled, and the "diva fits" he's come to take in stride.
While the red-carpet circuit began with a slow start over the weekend, the premieres and parties kicked into overdrive as the week continued. Thor: The Dark World‘s leading lady, Natalie Portman, was a vision in white at the film's Berlin premiere on Sunday, walking the red carpet in a strapless Christian Dior haute couture gown with a full skirt accented with a black ribbon around the waist. On Tuesday evening, Diane Kruger also opted for a haute couture number, choosing a black sequined cocktail dress embroidered with florals from Chanel's Haute Couture Spring '13 runway at the brand's Little Black Jacket event in Brazil.
As the premiere circuit continued into the week, Hailee Steinfeld donned a Saint Laurent ensemble straight from the Spring '14 runway, pairing a white one-shoulder top covered in sequined red lips with tailored black pants at the Hollywood premiere of her film, Ender's Game. The same evening, Kate Bosworth chose a black Christopher Kane gown accented with crystal flowers at the neckline and waist from the Spring '14 collection for the New York premiere of her flick Big Sur. And Naomi Watts took to the red carpet at the New York premiere of Diana, in which she plays the title role, in a blue-and-white floor-grazing dress that was ruched at the waist below a keyhole cutout from Michael Kors' Spring '14 runway.
