Credited for designing perhaps the mother of all It-bags, the Chloé Paddington, Philo started out as Stella McCartney's assistant at Chloé before McCartney left to design her own eponymous line. And like everything in fashion, Philo's appointment makes whatever happens at fashion week (which starts today in New York) feel like old news. She'll present her first collection for Celine in March 2009.
Thanks to the calculator-savvy fashion dept. over at Vanity Fair, we've got an estimated grand total for Cindy McCain's outfit from Tuesday evening's Republican National Convention festivities. The final cha-ching? $300,000. Highlights include her Oscar de la Renta fierce-collared shirtdress, a pair of $280,000 diamond sparklers and Chanel's J12 white ceramic watch. The shoes have yet to be identified -- any guesses readers? (I'm betting Manolo.)
At least in the realm of fashion, Cindy is the elitist in this race. Remember Michelle Obama's pick for her appearance on The View? A $148 number from mass chain White and Black.
For Vogue India's latest issue, editors decided to shoot some of the country's poorest citizens modeling such luxury goods as a Hermes Birkin bag and a Burberry umbrella. An older woman -- missing her upper teeth -- held a baby wearing a Fendi bib which cost as much as she might earn over a several month period. (Remember most of India still lives on little more than a dollar a day.) The juxtaposition has a number of Vogue readers (and non-readers) astir.
In a place polarized by caste and an exceptionally apparent disparity of wealth, one would think Vogue might have been a little more discreet. Perhaps most infuriating about the photo spread is that Vogue didn't even get the names of the men, women and children posing. They are simply referred to as "lady" or "man" while the cutline goes into great detail about the various objects they model -- people as props, handbags as the main story.
The real shame? That somehow poverty never quite goes out of fashion.
The latest collection from former Gucci mens design director and Prada Uomo designer, Neil Barrett, takes the unique name, Sartorial Gymnast. You won't find leotards and shiny Lycra here, instead Barrett interprets this theme through deconstructed apparel that is still somehow sharp and edgy. The fabrics are soft and allow for ease of movement but are also demanding for all but the slimmest of physiques. Perhaps the "gymnast" name come from the lean body you need to pull this look off. Barrett could give Hedi Slimane a run for his money with these unforgiving styles.
Well it looks like this rumors we heard at the end of July were true, minimalist fashion line JIl Sander has been sold again. Private-equity firm Change Capital Partners Monday sold the German label to Japan's Onward Holdings Company for a cool €167 million ($245 million). Not quite the 200 million euros Vogue UK had reported they wanted but not too shabby either considering Change Capital Partners paid €50 million two and a half years ago.Onward Holdings will also repay €45 million in debt. Onward owns Italian clothing manufacturer Gibo and has been looking to expand their fashion interests abroad.
Fashion favorite Miguel Adrover is returning to New York Fashion Week with a show that you don't have to beg for a ticket to get into. Adrover, who took a four-year hiatus from Fashon Week is back, now at the helm of hessnatur, an organic German fashion company making its U.S. debut this year. The 32-year-old company recently earned the 2008 Public Eye Award at the World Economic forum for improving the social conditions of workers.
Adrover's mixed format show will be at the Matthew Marks Gallery and will be opening to the public during the day on September 8 2008. It showcases organic and natural fabrics playing with textures and design in a comfortable yet innovative way.
As the fashion world eagerly awaits New York Fashion Week in a matter of days, the clothes we're seeing now in stores and tempting ad campaigns are focused on rich fabric and unique detailing -- in many cases, hand-crafted lace made by Parisian artisans or breathable lace from Japan. The goal goes beyond creating one-of-a-kind pieces: designers are hoping to make it impossible for mass brands like H&M or TopShop to copy their work when the materials themselves are out of reach. Designers made use of age-old, labor-intensive techniques to distinguish themselves from the knockoffs, many of which appear on shelves before the originals are even produced.
And shoppers are responding to the shift, favoring an investment in iconic brands that are easily recognizable (think Prada florals, Dries van Noten marbelized prints) instead of the cookie cutter clothes glutting the market. Because as fun as the cheap thrills are, there's nothing so demoralizing to a fashionista as walking down the street and seeing a bratty thirteen year old wearing the identical hippie tunic from Forevs 21.
Julia Roberts has created a new T-shirt for (Product) Red that is pricier than the Gap versions. Roberts has teamed up with Giorgio Armani to produce a new T-shirt for men and women. The tree of life design mimics the design of the bracelet Roberts created for the December launch of the Emporio Armani (Product) Red leather bracelet. The T-shirts are made in Africa and 40 percent of the gross profit margin goes to The Global Fund for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs in Africa. The Emporio Armani online-store sells the T-shirt in red, black and gray for $125 each. The bracelet is $175 for the women's version and $195 for the men's version.
This is without a doubt the most extravagant men's item we've come across for fall (or any other season, for that matter): a $150,000 peacoat from Hermès made entirely of crocodile skin. The ultra-luxe interpretation of a menswear classic, which originated with European navies some 250 years ago, was produced by Hermès men's designer Véronique Nichanian for the famed fashion house's Fall / Winter 2008-09 collection. The Hermès flagship store on Manhattan's Upper East Side just received two of them, in navy blue; other colors may be special ordered for delivery in 3-4 months.
Earlier in the year, rumors swirled about a potential Prada IPO, divesting the company of a third of its shares and forcing the Prada family to reduce drastically its 95% stake. It's not news that the design house needs cash -- experts have criticized the house for neglecting to stake a claim in burgeoning Asian markets, and the house is in debt after a 1999 shopping spree that included Jil Sander and Helmut Lang. Enterprising CEO Patrizio Bertelli (husband to design brainiac Miuccia Prada) noted after the New Year that Prada might hit the chopping block in Milan by year's end.
On the heels of Kate Moss' already impressive fall ad campaign successes comes news of more coups scored by the eternally gorgeous supermodel: two more major contracts and some serious magazine exposure. On the ad campaign front, her latest big bucks gigs come courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent's beauty line (above) and renowned jeweler Bulgari, both shot in classic black-and-white.
In addition, she appears on the covers of the latest issues of both Vogue and Interview; in the latter she poses totally nude, and she also appears topless (yet again) in a stunning spread for the September issue of W magazine. All this comes as she launches her new clothing line for British retailer Topshop, to great fanfare. We predict the Kate Moss brand will develop into an extremely profitable luxury goods enterprise, with many more product lines to come.
On Oct. 30, Christie's in London will auction off the world's finest collection of 20th Century fashion in private hands. The Resurrection: Avant-Garde Fashion sale features seminal designs from the past 50 years, from "Pop Art and the Space Age of the 1960s through the iconoclasm of the 1970s and the revival of architectural couture of the 1980s and 1990s."
The 250 lots include a carefully curated assemblage of garments, headwear and jewelry from designers including Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne, Vivienne Westwood, Azzedine Alaia, Gianni Versace and Issey Miyake, among others. The top-priced lot is this full length wedding dress made from plates of white leather linked by metal rings by Paco Rabanne in 1967, est. about $12,000 - $16,000.
The limited-edition, vintage-esque pieces, inspired by old Hollywood glamour with a touch of Bettie Page, come in three lines dubbed Multi-Teese, Spot-Teese and Satin-Teese, and also include panties and garter belts. Some of the bras feature an innovation of Dita's own devising: quick-release clasps so they're easier to remove than conventional models.
"Lingerie shouldn't be something you just put on for your lover; you should do it for you," Dita said in a statement announcing the collection. "It's not about seducing men, it's about embracing womanhood."
Philip Treacy's latest creation -- a bright pink abstraction of the breast cancer ribbon -- will be sold exclusively at Selfridges with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Care. Of course Treacy is the milliner behind the boldest fashion statements from the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Moss. He was also the genius who designed Camilla Parker Bowles's matrimonial millinery. Each one of the special "Pink Knot Hats" will be made to order. Contact Selfridges for more information and see philiptreacy.co.uk for his latest ready-to-wear collection.
Following early speculation about what exactly Commes des Garcons would come up with for its collaboration with H&M, a couple of photos have surfaced of the new line, which will hit stores for, oh, about 30 seconds in early November. The collection draws on designer Rei Kawakubo's trademark deconstructed jackets and cropped pants, mostly in black with the occasional polka dot. You can see for yourself in the September issue of W (on newsstands today).
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It's been two long years since famed Chloé resuscitator Phoebe Philo left the studio to focus on her family. But come October, Philo will take over as Creative Director at Celine, in a move that parent co. LVMH hopes will again breathe new life into a flagging luxury brand. 
This is without a doubt the most extravagant men's item we've come across for fall (or any other season, for that matter): a $150,000 peacoat from .jpg)
On Oct. 30, 
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