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CHRISTOPHER BAILEY Inspector Gadget

A Top Ten: John Galliano is RICCARDO TISCI riding high at Givenchy’s Self-Made Man Christian Dior. L’WREN SCOTT Fearlessly Chic

THE TRENDS PATCHWORK FUR NORDIC TRACK BLUSH HOUR PLAID TIMES VELVET CRUSH ARMY LIVES AND MORE

The Top Ten FALL ’10 Collections

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Photo by Steve eichner United States/D.C. and where prohibited. A.R.V. of prize $1,459.99: Sponsor: Condé Nast Publications. 10 CLASSIC MOVES Designers looked to beautiful essentials while feeding their cyber obsessions with live-streamed shows and online sales. By Bridget Foley

16 DEFINING MOMENTS Belle curves heated up runways while a giant iceberg cooled things down, the tents bid adieu to Bryant Park, Milan pushed the culture quotient and Pierre Cardin marked a milestone.

23 UP TO THE MINUTE High-level hair, from simple buns to elaborate updos, dominated the catwalks. By Julie Naughton

24 THE BAND PLAYED ON Runways roared back to life—musically speaking, that is. By Tara Bonet-Black, Scarlett Kilcooley-O’Halloran, Rachel Mascetta, Katya Foreman and Sara Miller

26 TRENDS Fall fl ew from the Fifties to military styles, velvets to plaids, nude looks to spare chic. Compiled by Antonia Sardone and Venessa Lau

40 IN THE FLASH A romp through fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Photos by Miles Ladin, Delphine Achard, Stéphane Feugère, Giovanni Giannoni, Dominique Maître and Dave Yoder

48 INSPECTOR GADGET Burberry’s Christopher Bailey successfully blends the storied house’s traditions with modern technology. By Samantha Conti

50 ROAD TO TRADITION Classic style and craftsmanship get a new spin. By Alessandra Ilari

51 GOT TWEET? From Twitter to Facebook to live-streams from the runway, designers saw the future, and they liked it. By Marc Karimzadeh and Nina Jones

52 FEARLESSLY CHIC L’Wren Scott is a DIY kind of woman. By Bridget Foley

54 THE SELF-MADE MAN Riccardo Tisci is coming into his own at the house of Givenchy. By Miles Socha

56 FREE SPIRIT Haider Ackermann does things his own way—and at his own pace. By Katya Foreman

59 THE TOP TEN Fall’s best collections oozed with sex appeal, sensational sportswear and savvy tailoring.

70 CLOSING NOTE The Onion: Viktor & Rolf peeled layers off Kristen McMenamy on the runway to stunning effect. By Joelle Diderich

ON THE COVER: Christian Dior’s chic trenchcoat by John Galliano. Photo by Giovanni A corseted dress

Giannoni from Marchesa. ANTONOV PASHA PHOTO BY

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shop online www.hugoboss.com Classic Moves Talk about contradictions. Designers looked to beautiful essentials while feeding their cyber obsessions with live-streamed shows and online sales. By Bridget Foley

GRASPING THE NEW, THE BOLD, THE UNKNOWN—AN ESSENTIAL, AT least when it comes to matters of the sartorial sort. Fashion is supposed to push ahead aggressively and unafraid, leading its devotees into uncharted lands the splendors of which we could not imagine until swept there on an adventurous stylistic wave. Or maybe that’s what we all like to think. Because from an overall design standpoint, the fall 2010 collections were less about intrepid exploration than celebrating the glories of that which we already know and love, a motif that held tremendous sway on runways from New York to Paris. At this particular moment, familiar felt not only comforting and lovely, but chic. It didn’t play as an apology for the absence of imagination, but rather, as the stuff of serious, essential fashion. As Marc Jacobs noted before his show, “sometimes beautiful is enough.” Showing as he does so early in the season, Jacobs established fall’s overarching motif of classics-plus, his runway an enticing lineup of neutral-toned greatest hits. Before the season drew to a close in Paris, he would be joined in his proclivities by numerous others, including Michael Kors, who went overtly luxe with pairings of fur and gray fl annel; Dries Van Noten, who cross-pollinated various retro references, and Stella McCartney, who worked the sparest side of winter chic. And by Miuccia Prada, even if characteristically she managed to pervert Fifties-ish themes with her girls’ stiffl y ruffl ed bosoms and slighted twisted secretarial air. ▲

10 WWD COLLECTIONS

0412.COL.010-14.Bridget.b;18.indd 1 4/6/10 8:22:06 PM Prada’s bourgeois brigade.

Photos by STEPHANE FEUGERE GIOVANNI GIANNONI THOMAS IANNACCONE DAVIDE MAESTRI ROBERT MITRA WWD COLLECTIONS 00

0412.COL.010-14.Bridget.b;18.indd 2 4/6/10 8:22:28 PM The audience for Burberry Prorsum’s 3-D live-stream in Paris. Marc Jacobs’ beautiful simplicity.

Sportswear chic at Jason Wu.

From beginning to end, numerous houses sang the song of self with undisguised delight. In Across fashion, numerous trends heralded comfort over edge. At the top of the list: a gorgeous 25th anniversary affair, Donna Karan celebrated the easy-pieces mantra on which ample knits that covered cozy from Nordic to Aran to homespun, the latter in the Mulleavy she founded her house. Ralph Lauren took inspiration for his beautifully realized boho lineup sisters’ artisanal crochets for Rodarte. Other charmers included John Galliano’s exquisite in one of his own ads from 1993. At Gucci, Frida Giannini fi nally stopped fi ghting the steamy beribboned chunkies for Dior, abundant pilings at Diane von Furstenberg and Richard Chai house history written a fashion lifetime ago by Tom Ford, and her acceptance resulted in a – Love and Adam Lippes’ cardigans, which, belted over long fl uid skirts, strutted toward the strong, sexy collection, while Donatella Versace went hot, colorful and fl ashy just like in the old Seventies. And at Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld’s icy ombrés were but a part of his chilly wonder. days. Meanwhile, on the topic of roots, Domenico Dolce declared Dolce & Gabbana an ode to Rugged plaids made for slick business fare at Jil Sander while tempering the undone pillowed “sartorialità, like my father used to make,” as well as Sicilianità and sensualità—not to mention excess at Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons. Military ranged from practical—Etro’s great style. Even relative babe Jason Wu did some backtracking of sorts, reimagining the meaty brass-buttoned jacket —to pretty—Oscar de la Renta’s full-skirted, frilled dress. sportswear of his tough-chic pre-fall lineup through the lens of prettiness for which he’s known. So much was beautiful, indeed, and, knock wood, fresh enough to—come fall—lure ▲

12 WWD COLLECTIONS

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Ralph Lauren Collection

t ViewVViieeww thett hhee FallFF aallll 201022 0011i00 RunwayRR uunnwwaayy ShowSS hhooww withww iitthh thethhee RRRaaa lphll pphh LaurenLL aauurreenn applicationaa pppplliiccaattiioonn ooonnn yyyouroouurr iPhoneiPPhhoonnee™™™ oroo rr vvvisitiissiitt RALPHLAURENCOLLECTION.COM Spare Alexander McQueen’s gilded moment. change at Stella McCartney.

John Galliano’s romantic romp at Christian Dior.

Ralph Lauren’s bohemian babe.

women from the dreaded inclination to shop their closets. Still, there was considerable Some items were ready for online sales, to be delivered within a few weeks. Earlier, in New irony to the collections’ prevailing stylistic classicism, because on other levels, this was a York, Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez offered a small range of moment of seismic change. The death of Alexander McQueen just as the New York shows handbags, the production of which had been completed early, for online sale for 24 hours, were getting under way resonated profoundly. While the timing was such that his loss could and they sold out immediately. not have impacted anyone’s design process, it was perhaps fi tting that the season proved Many other houses both large and small also live-streamed their shows directly to relatively sedate in homage to one of fashion’s genuine geniuses, a true and fearless renegade consumers well before completion of spring shipments to the stores. This raised the question whose passing left a tremendous creative void. of whether the fashion system as we know it, particularly, the timing of shows—many of Then there was the near manic cyber obsession, an arena in which McQueen led which already play to consumers a full season before hitting the stores—should or can the charge last spring with his elaborately staged and live-streamed show produced in continue in its current form. collaboration with Nick Knight. At the forefront this time: Burberry Prorsum, which not The dichotomy of fall 2010—clothes steeped in classicism and presentations in the only live-streamed Christopher Bailey’s fabulous show, but offered several venues around methods of new media—makes a sound metaphor for the state of fashion today. This the world where fashion types not in London for the live event could take in a mega 3-D industry is embracing rapid-fi re change, or trying to, with one foot still grounded fi rmly in presentation that well may change the way fashion is shown in the future. And—oh, yes! the familiar. Chances are that footing won’t stay sound much longer. ■

14 WWD COLLECTIONS

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NEW YORK 805 MADISON AVENUE (212) 879-1211 MILAN VIA DELLA SPIGA 23 ROME P.ZZA DI SPAGNA 87 PARIS 48 AVENUE MONTAIGNE LONDON 24-25 CONDUIT STREET Alessandra BELLE CURVES Ambrosio “Tits were obviously in the air!” In at Louis Vuitton. the words of Katie Grand, such was the simple reasoning behind one of the fall season’s more unusual runway trends: the prevalence of big-busted, big-name models more likely to appear plastered all over a teenage boy’s bedroom walls than a high-fashion runway. Grand, editor in chief of Love magazine, should know: She styled the Louis Vuitton, Giles and Loewe shows, all of which were stocked with stacked models—Alessandra Ambrosio, Izabel Goulart, Bar Refaeli, Laetitia Casta, Karolina Kurkova and Elle Macpherson among them. The voluptuous model moment originated at Prada, where seven women best known for their work with Victoria’s Secret, including a few of the elite Angels, such as Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr and Doutzen Kroes, were cast to fi ll out the clothes. Before the show, Miuccia Prada said it was Ka a “womanly collection with sexier Ku models,” which was interesting, at since much of collection, regardless of the recurrent focus on the bust, was made up of conservative, even matronly, silhouettes not typically suited to swimsuit-edition models. DEFINING The perversity of it all wasn’t lost on Ambrosio, who was vacationing in her native Brazil at the height of Carnivale when she got the call for Prada. “It was kind of surreal,” she says. “What would they want to do with me? They’re MOMENTS usually not interested in sexy models.” But if Prada sought to cover up the girls’ assets, Marc Jacobs wanted to show them off at Vuitton. “He wanted cleavage,” said Ambrosio, who wore a fi t-and-fl are skirt and fl oral bustier engineered for maximum push-up effect. Indeed, Jacobs’ collection was a Bardot-inspired celebration of womanly beauty, titled “And God Created Woman.” Which was to say the collection was geared toward and inspired by certifi able adults, a point he hammered home with his lineup. “We’re opening with Laetitia Casta and closing with Elle Macpherson,” he said a few days before his show, noting that, at Vuitton, “everything is bigger.” And older. Jacobs’ show opener and closer were 31 and 47, respectively, with the rest of his models in their mid-20s. It made for a major statement, though Jacobs has since insisted it was not intended as a political input into fashion’s ongoing conversation about healthy body image—or age, for that matter. “Katie Grand and I already decided way before the collection began that we were going to use [these models],” Jacobs told the audience at a recent lecture. “The criteria was that they had to be available the day of the show and they had to be gorgeous.” Giles Deacon was similarly apolitical. He simply wanted to show

his clothes on fi gures more relatable MITRA MAESTRI, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND ROBERT GIANNONI, DAVIDE GEORGE CHINSEE, STEPHANE FEUGERE, THOMAS IANNACCONE, GIOVANNI PHOTOS BY

0412.COL.016-17.DefiningOpener.a;18.indd 1 4/6/10 7:06:54 PM Versace Gucci

to his clients. “I like to cast women who have lived a little bit of life, not Laetitia Casta 15-year-old virgins,” said Deacon, at Louis adding that Linda Evangelista and Vuitton. Eva Herzigova have walked his runway in recent seasons. “I think they show up much better.” For her part, Grand boiled it down to even simpler aesthetics. “With Giles, it was clear we wanted an all-sexy cast, and we used a lot of blondes,” she said. “Stuart [Vevers] at Loewe wanted Doutzen women who looked handsome and with Kroes at dark hair. And at Vuitton, Marc said Prada. very early on, ‘I’ve been thinking about tits.’ And the necklines were cut very Stella Burberry low, accordingly.” McCartney Prorsum As for the models’ reactions, most were surprised to be considered. Oscar de Even if they have a designer runway GIRL, UNINTERRUPTED la Renta history, it’s been a while since Sigrid Agren burned up fall they were regulars. Macpherson runways, strutting in a staggering couldn’t even remember the last 70 shows. By comparison, walking 50 to 60 shows in a single season makes for a jam-packed schedule. Karolina Not only did Agren top that, but Kurkova at Giles. she opened six shows and closed seven, walking for the likes of Dior, Chanel, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Gucci and Prada. This Martinique native’s look blends golden features and dark eyes with a coolly intense gaze that projects a poise beyond her years— all 17 of them. After a strong fall Carolina 2009 season, Agren skipped spring Herrera 2010 to study for her high school time she walked a catwalk. “Perhaps graduation exams. Returning to Valentino, 20 years ago!” she said. Yves the runway caused Agren some Prada Saint anxiety about how she’d be “Marc called and asked me to do Laurent the show and, trusting his vision, received. “I missed doing shows in I immediately said yes. Since I’m September—you don’t know how producing a TV show at the moment, it’ll go after not doing one season. I couldn’t believe I actually had that That’s why I’m really glad it went so particular day free.” Meanwhile, well this season.” Kurkova and Adriana Lima, who also Indeed, while all four fashion walked in Vuitton, each had their capitals treated her well, Agren fi rst baby last fall, and as Refaeli admits she has a special fondness put it: “I don’t walk fashion weeks. for Paris, not only for walking the It is usually the really skinny girls runways of fabled houses, but and very, very tall girls who are doing because she got some old-fashioned them. I kind of feel like an alien TLC backstage there from Mom and among all those girls.” Still, the Dad. “They were helping me,” she prospect of being cast as a novelty says, “like bringing food for me at didn’t deter any of these women from the shows. They really like seeing me making an exception for the shows. on the runway.” —Cinnamon St. John Now, the question is whether this Elle Macpherson curvier fashion moment will stick. at Louis Christian Matthew “I don’t think it is just for one Vuitton. Dior Williamson season,” observed Grand, who was struck by Goulart and Ambrosio’s “overt sexiness” when she worked with them in October on Fashion Rocks in Rio de Janeiro. “I don’t know why, but I defi nitely feel more inspired to work Bar Refaeli with these kinds of women.” She’s at Louis Vuitton. already booked Ambrosio for several other fashion projects, including a short fi lm called The Love Thing. “Usually I’m on the beach, super tan, modeling bathing suits and lingerie,” said Ambrosio. “[Since the shows], I’ve actually been doing a lot of editorials—defi nitely with more

PHOTOS BY GEORGE CHINSEE, STEPHANE FEUGERE, THOMAS IANNACCONE, GIOVANNI GIANNONI, DAVIDE MAESTRI, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND ROBERT MITRA MAESTRI, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND ROBERT GIANNONI, DAVIDE GEORGE CHINSEE, STEPHANE FEUGERE, THOMAS IANNACCONE, GIOVANNI PHOTOS BY clothes on.” —Jessica Iredale

WWD COLLECTIONS 17 Calvin Klein

0412.COL.016-17.DefiningOpener.a;18.indd 2 4/6/10 7:07:13 PM LINDSAY’S PARISIAN ADVENTURE Lindsay Lohan at PICTURE US She was part of the team that put heart- Roberto Cavalli. Between the throngs of street style blogs, shaped pasties on models’ bosoms at Twitter feeds, fashion television programs Emanuel Ungaro, but there’s no love lost buzzing around the front row for a sound between Lindsay Lohan and the French bite and, lest anyone forget, the very fashion house. From Christian Dior, John magazines they publish, editors do not Galliano and Viktor & Rolf to Chanel and lack for media outlets through which Kenzo, Lohan made extensive rounds of to channel their points of view. Yet that shows and soirées during Paris Fashion didn’t stop a few publications from adding Week—except her own. A veritable victim to the barrage with more self-referential of fashion, the starlet was missing in action material this season. In fact, it was nearly at the Ungaro show, confi rming speculation impossible to trip to a fi fth-row seat that her creative consultancy at the Paris- without being clipped by an overstyled based maison was a one-season wonder. editor with a camera crew in tow. Not a big surprise, since former Ungaro Harper’s Bazaar launched “The Front president Mounir Moufarrige, who hired the Row,” a series of three-minute Web videos notorious starlet to jolt the house, exited documenting Glenda Bailey and her the company in December. Before the staff’s journey through New York, Milan show, Ungaro owner Asim Abdullah said and Paris. Some of the action-packed Lohan was “not involved in this collection,” footage captured Bailey admiring the with no elaboration on the terms of her newest belles du jour at a Roger Vivier contract, but word on the street was that appointment and executive editor Kristina Lohan didn’t even receive an invitation O’Neill sidelining Natasha Poly to discuss to attend the event. The fashion industry her personal style. Meanwhile, Marie certainly has a take-no-prisoners approach Claire added a meta layer to its ongoing to collection fl ops, save Karl Lagerfeld, “Fashion Diaries” Web series by arming its who lent a few words of support about her fashion staff with Flip cams to record their Ungaro fi asco. “It’s not doing her justice,” every move, from getting coffee before he declared, “because she’s the sweetest work to changing into comfortable shoes girl in the world.” —Emilie Marsh to complaining about the weather—a multiepisode story arch. —Jessica Iredale 18 WWD COLLECTIONS PHOTOS BY DELPHINE ACHARD, STEVE EICHNER, KYLE ERICKSEN, STEPHANE FEUGERE AND GIOVANNI GIANNONI ERICKSEN, STEPHANE FEUGERE AND GIOVANNI KYLE DELPHINE ACHARD, STEVE EICHNER, PHOTOS BY

0412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd 1 4/6/10 5:41:21 PM 04062010175459 Diane von Furstenberg

ICE, ICE, BABY Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to design the coolest set during one of the chilliest Paris Fashion Weeks in recent memory. Some 270 tons of “snice”—the term for frozen snow—was imported from northern Sweden on 14 trucks and brought into the Grand Palais, the magnifi cent Beaux-Arts, glass-topped exhibition hall where the Chanel show would be held. Some 35 ice sculptors, hailing from around the world, worked six days to create the Michael Kors Max Mara wind-swept effect of an iceberg, its highest point rising to 29 feet. To preserve their handiwork, the ice mound was hermetically sealed in a huge box—some 187,000 cubic feet huge—that was refrigerated to a few degrees below freezing. As the stirring Simple Minds instrumental “Theme for Great Cities” pumped through the speakers, the box was lifted, releasing a wall of cold air and a breathtaking sight. Snice work, Karl! —Miles Socha

John Galliano

SIGN LANGUAGE “Flirt! Have fun!” “Be smiling, sexy and de-gorgeous!” “Everyone wants to be you!” Hyperbole rarely fl owers quite like it does on the signs backstage at fashion shows. Heavy on the hearts, exclamation points and capital letters, and light on copyediting, the handwritten placards add a homespun touch to the sometimes austere, often frenetic prep zone. More importantly, they are there to offer the models a bit of motivational coaching or tough love (depending on the designer), as well as a sense of what mood to project on the runway. For example, this season, John Galliano’s posters read, “Nomadic girls, just coming from the mountains. Follow the rythms [sic] of the drums.” Cut to a parade of Amazons in piled-on ethnic attire. Diane von Furstenberg opted for an ultragirly slogan, complete with hearts dotting the I’s: “A man’s life in a woman’s body. SMILE, SEDUCE, be proud to be YOU.” “This collection is about a fantasy of masculine clothes done in a very feminine way,” the designer explained, “so I used a quote I always say, because it was my life’s dream to have a man’s life in a woman’s body.” One longtime fan of backstage signs, Michael Kors, likes to underscore the jet-set theme running through his work with references to geographic locations such as Saint-Tropez. This season, he reminded models, “You are sporty, sexy and very MICHAEL KORS! You rock the room from NY to Gstaadt [sic] and late nights in Paris.” (A rep for Kors confi rmed the designer handwrites all the signs for his shows.) Most signs strike a tone as effusive as a Montessori school report card (see the sequined banners at Sonia Rykiel reading “Be Happy” and “Smiiile,” or Betsey Johnson’s cheerful scribbles), but a few sound a more cautionary note. “NOT TOO FAST!” was the tag line backstage at MaxAzria, and Max Mara included a caution symbol above the instructions: “GIRLS REMEMBER — Walk Fast, Look Strong.” Model Kelli Lumi, who walked for von Furstenberg and Kors this season, said that, in her experience, the models actually do pay attention to the signs. “Knowing what is expected always makes me feel more confi dent,” she said, adding that sometimes the only instruction is “NO smile.” For the navigationally challenged, some designers even include diagrams of the runway with arrows directing the models where to walk. But perhaps the most helpful sign this season, at Topshop Unique, refl ected the more lo-fi nature of London Fashion Week. Bookended by exclamation points, the inscription read simply: !UNEVEN FLOOR. TAKE CARE! —Véronique Hyland

Topshop Unique

The camera crush at Hervé Léger.

0412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd 2 4/6/10 5:41:50 PM 04062010175424 CELEBRATING YVES Two years after his death, Yves Saint Laurent remains as popular as ever in France, which is celebrating his legacy with a fl urry of projects including several books, a concept album and a documentary about his relationship with longtime lover and business partner Pierre Bergé. Dozens of people queued in freezing weather on the opening night of a retrospective at the Petit Palais dedicated to the couturier. Architect Peter Marino, designer Olivier Theyskens and Roger Vivier brand ambassador Inès de la Fressange were among those who took in the more than 300 outfi ts on loan from the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, including an entire wall of his famous “le smoking.” The night before, Bergé held a star-studded dinner featuring a who’s who of French fashion, including Saint Laurent muse Catherine Deneuve, who has a room devoted to her at the exhibition. Noticeably Pierre Bergé at the absent was Stefano Pilati, the current creative Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the director of the Saint Laurent brand. So far, the Petit Palais. exhibition has been a success, with 19,000 visitors in the fi rst 15 days. —Joelle Diderich

GO, ROBERTO Amy Winehouse crooning “Rehab” would have been the perfect fi t for Roberto Cavalli’s front-row and postshow party trio of guests—Courtney Love, Ron Wood and Lindsay Lohan. The threesome sat front and center at the show, creating a paparazzi frenzy in a season low on celebrities. Wood arrived with his new girlfriend in tow, 26-year-old Brazilian polo instructor Ana Araujo, whom he met a few months earlier at the Covent Garden Opera House in London. “We’re doing very well,” he gushed as Araujo reciprocated by saying how they fell in love with “each other’s auras.” The rocker also chatted up Love, who pulled back the sleeve of her dress to show him a tattoo on her arm that read, “Let it Bleed,” after the 1969 Rolling Stones album. Cavalli, who is gearing up to celebrate his 40th anniversary, was in particularly good spirits, unleashing a strong collection fi lled with one-of-a-kind animal prints, many of his own invention. The designer and his wife, Eva, mismatched the zoo of prints with lush furs and pelted scarves, all served up to exude that rich, boho-chic Ferragamo’s Greta streak he does so well. Garbo exhibition. To end the day, the designer hosted a dinner party at his Just Café restaurant for about 80 guests. Dinner included cheese souffl é with tomato cream, a royal shrimp and ART SMART saffron pistil risotto concocted by Cavalli himself, followed by sea bass or veal. Milan was not only about hemlines this season, as fashion houses invested While the fl amboyant designer said “it took him a bit to unwind,” due to preshow in art exhibitions to help stimulate the city’s cultural appeal. Some say tension, once the stress eased off, Cavalli let loose and danced until the wee hours. it’s even more important now, given the controversy surrounding a shorter In general, though, Cavalli noted it’s not “trendy anymore” to lead a fast-paced fashion week and the city’s alleged waning appeal. Exhibits sponsored social life and confessed that he has slowed down, preferring time with his family or by Giorgio Armani and Salvatore Ferragamo helped raise the art quotient. organizing laid-back dinners with friends. “Many years ago, I invented a lifestyle with Armani hosted street artist Richard Hambleton’s fi rst European solo lots of big and wonderful parties, but now, for me, it’s about friendship, especially with exhibition since 1985, curated by Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld and Andy the [fi nancial] crisis.” —Alessandra Ilari Valmorbida. The opening at the Armani Teatro drew guests such as Clive Owen and Tatiana Santo Domingo. Courtney Love shows her Stones tattoo to Ferragamo unveiled “Greta Garbo: The Mystery of Style,” an exhibition at Ron Wood and Ana Araujo at Roberto Cavalli. the Triennale dedicated to the legendary actress, whom Salvatore Ferragamo fi rst met in 1927. Garbo was a loyal customer of the house and once bought 70 pairs of shoes in one go. Her personal pieces, clothes by Gucci and Givenchy, photos and original Ferragamo footwear, including the Greta shoe, were displayed alongside a selection of fi lm costumes, such as the dress worn in Queen Christina. “It’s an important sign—we want to spark interest in Milan and allow others to have access to unique artistic properties and heritage,” said Michele Norsa, chief executive offi cer of the Florence-based house. Images of Garbo also were projected on a screen at the Ferragamo show, which marked the well-received debut of Massimiliano Giornetti as the brand’s women’s designer. Across the Channel, Pringle unveiled a collaboration with London’s Serpentine Gallery during London Fashion Week. Marking their respective 195th and 40th anniversaries, Pringle and the Serpentine aimed at producing a collection of limited edition knits by fi gures including actress Tilda Swinton, Turner Prize–winning artist Richard Wright and Scottish writer and artist Alasdair Gray. The knitwear collection, known as 195 Collaborations, bowed in February during the capital’s show week. PHOTOS BY STEPHANE FEUGERE, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND DAVIDE MAESTRI STEPHANE FEUGERE, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND DAVIDE PHOTOS BY

—Luisa Zargani PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND FRANK MURA

20 WWD COLLECTIONS

0412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd 3 4/6/10 5:42:30 PM 04062010175145 Some of the fi nal looks from MISSING MCQUEEN Alexander The death of Lee Alexander McQueen—who took McQueen. his own life on February 11 at the age of 40, just as New York Fashion Week began—cast a long shadow over the international collections, prompting an array of tributes throughout the ensuing season, and a poignant moment in Paris as the last 16 dresses he cut paraded in a gilded salon. Reaction to the loss of a fashion great was immediate, and often spontaneous. Ordinary consumers, and designer peers including Diane von Furstenberg, laid fl owers in front of McQueen boutiques in London and New York, and rushed to stores such as Selfridges and Harvey Nichols to snap up his signature skull scarves. As the New York shows continued, the fi rst of many organized events paid homage. Naomi Campbell ended her Fashion for Relief show, which benefi ted earthquake-ravaged Haiti, with Daphne Guinness in a glittery, full-length bodysuit from the late designer’s spring collection, followed by a vignette of models including Helena Christensen and Karen Elson, who, like many in the audience, were overcome with emotion. In London, the British Fashion Council set up a board in the main fashion week tents on which visitors pinned some 1,200 messages to the late designer that will be compiled in a book. Sir Paul Smith, retailer Joan Burstein and British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman were among notables sharing their sentiments. At the On/Off location in nearby Bloomsbury, home to London’s off-schedule shows, a wall of 40 iPods was set up, all loaded with images of McQueen’s past collections. Around town, department stores mounted windows in the designer’s memory. Liberty’s was titled: “For McQueen and Country.” At a group show for master’s degree students at Central Saint Martins, a recording of the late designer was played in which he fondly recalled his student days at the acclaimed college. A charity evening in London dedicated to Haiti’s mothers and children also had a potent McQueen moment as Kate Moss, Campbell and Annabelle Neilson strode the catwalk clad in McQueen’s designs to the disco hit “Last Dance” by Donna Summer. Gestures during Paris Fashion Week were discreet and varied. Roland Mouret had “Goodbye Lee” tucked into the corner of his runway program, while Stella McCartney dedicated her show partly to him. “You’re missed!” she wrote. Hussein Chalayan began his show with a voice- over: “Really, when I think of Lee McQueen, I see someone who had complete honesty in the way he conveyed his ideas.” London-born designer’s last ideas, and all of it was met with an enthusiastic To be sure, his fi nal collection had haunting moments: religious imagery reception from retailers, according to McQueen chief executive offi cer Jonathan woven right into the clothes, and broken skulls and angels carved into the Akeroyd. “The pre-fall collection was well above our expectations, and the main shoes. His inspirations ranged from Byzantine art and old master paintings line was very much in line with that growth,” he noted, also citing a “lot more” to the carvings of Grinling Gibbons, yielding regal gowns, dresses and cloaks interest than expected in the 16 exceptional pieces, which retail, on average, for that were as dazzling as they were assured. Fabrics were ingeniously molded 30,000 euros, or about $40,250 at current exchange. Akeroyd’s read-across? An into jutting and swooping lines that were both organic and otherworldly, and endorsement of parent Gucci Group’s plans to continue the McQueen business digital patterns were painstakingly plotted so that angel wings aligned with the without the founding designer. “They obviously see here a good, solid future shoulder blades. A commercial collection spanning 160 pieces fl eshed out the ahead of us,” he said. —Miles Socha

exchanging cheek kisses with his admirers. SPACE RACE Pierre Who knew Pierre Cardin had such a hard-core fan Cardin The 87-year-old spent three hours signing club? When the designer made an appearance copies of Pierre Cardin, 60 Years of Innovation, at his restaurant, Maxim’s, during Paris Fashion an illustrated tome authored by his longtime Week, the scene was pure pandemonium. collaborator, Jean-Pascal Hesse, that charts As guests including socialite Bethy Lagardère, Cardin’s six decades in fashion, including gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac and Fifties-era model his Space Age creations of the Sixties. “The Bettina Graziani thronged the reception rooms event went beyond my expectations,” Cardin above the historic eatery, Cardin maintained a royal marveled afterward. “It’s comforting to see your PHOTOS BY STEPHANE FEUGERE, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND DAVIDE MAESTRI STEPHANE FEUGERE, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND DAVIDE PHOTOS BY

PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND FRANK MURA GIANNONI, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND FRANK GIOVANNI PHOTOS BY composure, gamely posing for photographs and career recognized.” —J.D.

WWD COLLECTIONS 21

0412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd 4 4/6/10 5:42:56 PM 04062010175218 DEAR JEAN In his second season at Vionnet, Italian designer Rodolfo Paglialunga chose a transporting venue: The former Paris apartment of Jean Cocteau, where a faded blackboard still bears a list of phone numbers handwritten by the poet and artist— including one for The Vionnet Pablo Picasso. presentation As guests in Jean wandered through Cocteau’s apartment. the warren of rooms overlooking the picturesque Palais Royal, they discovered a collection rich in eveningwear. In keeping with the period setting, prints The fi nal night in Bryant Park. were inspired by the Ballets Russes: The company’s costume designer, Léon Bakst, BYE-BYE, BRYANT provided the painterly harlequin motif on a The music wafting over the loudspeakers prior to Tommy Hilfi ger’s fall show—Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond—fi ttingly coat trimmed with black fox fur. In the spirit put the weary crowd, gathered for the last show of New York’s runway season, in a giddy, nostalgic mood (case in point: those of founder Madeleine Vionnet, Paglialunga’s in the photographers’ pit—typically a den of snarky jostlers—rocked back and forth, singing in unison to “Sweet Caroline”). fall gowns were made from squares of fabric Indeed, Hilfi ger’s collection was the last to be seen at Bryant Park. After 17 years at the intersection of 41st and Sixth, New that were draped, ruched and twisted around York Fashion Week—aka Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week—and the great big white tents that go with it, will move to Lincoln the body. —Joelle Diderich Center in September, ostensibly to create more space for the scores of shows that participate in the event (not to mention the myriad sponsors and advertisers who keep the venue stocked with water, Frappucinos, chocolates and broadband purveyors). LOVE IS IN THE AIR Despite editors’ gripes about the uptown location—Midtown cubicle-dwellers no longer have the luxury of dashing a “Be charming to Natalia few blocks to the park—the impending move was played as an improvement by Hilfi ger, who added fl ourish to his postshow Vodianova everyone—you never bow with a few impromptu remarks. “Onward and upward,” Hilfi ger said, after thanking the innovator behind the Bryant hosted know who they know,” Park shows, Fern Mallis (now senior vice president of IMG fashion), as well as her collaborator at the Council of Fashion the said Amber Le Bon, Love Designers of America, former president Stan Herman, both of whom sat in the front row. The irony was lost on few: In imparting her mother Ball. recent years, Hilfi ger had eschewed Bryant Park for locations including none other than Lincoln Center. —Sarah Haight Yasmin’s advice on how a fl edgling model POWER TO THE PEOPLE should navigate her way First came bloggers ruffl ing front-row feathers. Now the public through the London is crashing the action, too. Costume National’s diffusion shows. Le Bon was line, C’N’C, continued to reduce the distance between the a guest at the Love runway and the street, hooking up again with the Municipality Ball, a party Natalia of Milan’s “Milano Loves Fashion” initiative by inviting the Vodianova hosted during city to view its show via live-streaming on its site and iPhone London Fashion Week, app. “The fashion system is too self-referential, presenting along with British Harper’s Bazaar and De unwearable clothes to impress critics often detached from Beers, to raise money for her Naked Heart reality,” said designer Ennio Capasa, who has streamed his Foundation, which builds play facilities for shows since 2000. In sync with the industry’s open mood, children in deprived areas of Russia. Capasa turned the runway into a family affair with his son, The party, held at the sprawling Anton Capasa, taking a turn on the catwalk. Roundhouse theater in North London, drew Siblings also made an appearance at Missoni. Angela Kate Moss, Elizabeth Hurley, Stella McCartney, Missoni took her runway bow alongside the family’s younger Donna Karan, Jade Jagger, Diane von generation, including her kids, Margherita, Teresa and Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Joely Richardson, Francesco Maccapani Missoni, and Ottavio Jr., Marco and Evgeny Lebedev, Charlotte Casiraghi, Giacomo Missoni, Vittorio Missoni’s children. They paraded Matthew Williamson and Carolina Herrera. out in view of a thousand spectators who, from the archways Artist Dinos Chapman served as creative of Milan’s 15th-century university, watched models exit the director for the evening, and hung twinkling catwalk and stroll down the cloisters. “I’ve been thinking for fairy lights and models of unicorns from the a long time about how to develop shows for the public. Male ceiling. As guests sipped on Champagne models are less expensive, so it’s easier to adapt the men’s and shots of ice-cold vodka, they took in wear format,” said the designer, who had them parade past performances by Yusuf Islam, Paloma Faith, the Duomo cathedral in January for the house’s men’s show. Leona Lewis and Sharleen Spiteri. So by “I’d really like to open up fashion week to resemble the time the crowd came to bid, it was no Salone del Mobile, encouraging more students,” she added, a surprise it was in the mood to dig deep. A concept echoed by Dirk Bikkembergs. In January, the Belgian De Beers necklace designed by Vodianova designer offered the public tickets to his men’s wear show via fetched $270,000, while a piece by Jake & his brand’s Web site for $16 with profi ts going to charity. Dinos Chapman—a sinister sculpture version “When I was studying, I had the opportunity to go to a Jean of the McDonald’s character Hamburglar—was Paul Gaultier show. It was a dream, and I wanted to give this bought for $202,000, a price Tracey Emin

opportunity to other people, too,” said Bikkembergs. —Kerry Olsen Angela Missoni, proclaimed “an absolute bargain.” —Nina Jones MITRA DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND ROBERT GIANNONI, NICK HARVEY/WIREIMAGE, GIOVANNI PHOTOS BY YODER ERICKSEN AND DAVE DELPHINE ACHARD, KYLE PHOTOS BY with her family behind her, brought 22 WWD COLLECTIONS her show into public view.

00412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd 5 44/6/10/6/10 55:43:37:43:37 PPMM 04062010175336 Prada: Makeup by Pat McGrath; hair by Guido Palau.

UP TO THE MINUTE High-level hair—from simple buns to elaborate updos—ruled the runways from New York to Paris. By Julie Naughton

Vera Wang: Lela Rose: Makeup by Marni: Makeup by Tina Turnbow for Tarte; Makeup by Lucia Pieroni hair by Ted Gibson. Tom Pecheux; for Clé de Peau; hair by hair by Jimmy Paul Paul for Bumble Hanlon. and bumble.

Yves Saint Laurent: Makeup by Dick Page; hair by Guido Palau.

Valentino: BCBG: Makeup by Sarah Lucero for Stila; hair by Harry Josh for John Frieda. Makeup by Pat McGrath; hair by Luigi Murenu. PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI, NICK HARVEY/WIREIMAGE, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND ROBERT MITRA DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND ROBERT GIANNONI, NICK HARVEY/WIREIMAGE, GIOVANNI PHOTOS BY YODER ERICKSEN AND DAVE DELPHINE ACHARD, KYLE PHOTOS BY

WWD THE MAGAZINE 00

00412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd412.COL.018-23.DefiningMoments.a;28.indd 6 44/6/10/6/10 55:44:08:44:08 PPMM 04062010175534 THE BAND PLAYED ON FASHION ROARED BACK TO LIFE THIS season—musically speaking, that is. With few live performances for the spring 2010 runways, designers in all the fashion capitals returned to using musicians to set the mood for fall. At his William Rast show in New York, Justin Timberlake promoted Memphis progressive hip-hop/rock-soul band Free Sol (which happens to be signed to his Tennman Records label). The band performed over tracks by The Dead Weather, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Tom Waits, adding a live feel and a depth of sound. Vena Cava enlisted pop-rock California cuties The Like, who performed songs from their upcoming album, while Cynthia Rowley hired one of her favorite bands, Preacher and the Knife, to perform at her Gotham Hall show. Brooklyn duo Soft Circle complemented Tess Giberson’s collection with guitars and synthesized sounds. Elisa Palomino’s soundtrack merged classical music from the turn of the 20th century with Chinese jazz from the Twenties via three vocalists: Brett Umlauf, Amber Youell-Fingleton and Shien Lee. At Alice + Olivia, glam-rapper Mickey Avalon worked it between two Champagne-pouring dancers. Isaac Mizrahi chose jazz band The Bad Plus for a third straight season, and Zac Posen invited Israeli hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari to perform. London also got a dose of live music courtesy of Courtney Love’s impromptu performance at Alice Temperley’s party at Selfridges. In Milan, the ethereal voices of the pop-opera Musicians at Jean Paul Gaultier performed group Passionata performed stirring pieces during the a soundtrack by Goran Vejvoda. Luisa Beccaria show, where the acoustics of the 18th- century Braidense National Library were surprisingly good, despite the venue’s wall-to-wall books. On the Pixie Lott at the female pop-concert front, American Diane Birch Moschino Cheap and WWD’S TOP 10 RUNWAY MUSIC PICKS Chic after party. played at D&G’s headquarters, converted into a “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers (Vera Wang) pop-up club for the night, and Pixie Lott performed “Psychic City (Voodoo City)” by Yacht (Adam) after the Moschino Cheap and Chic show celebrating “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, covered by the opening of the Maison Moschino Hotel. C’N’C Karmina (Ralph Lauren) Costume National continued its “Milano Loves “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys (Wintle) Fashion” event, opening its runway show with “You Can Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward (Roksanda Ilincic) London party girl and aspiring singer Pixie Geldof “Sour Times” by Portishead (Gucci) and ending with a concert by electronic group “Your Song” by Elton John, covered by Ewan McGregor from Fischerspooner. And The Rodnik Band—the label the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (Dolce & Gabbana) that combines music, art and fashion—performed for “I Would Die 4 U” by Prince (Balmain) the launch of its capsule collection at OVS Industry in “They’re Not Waving” by Vyvienne Long (Christian Dior) the San Babila store window. “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson (Celine) In Paris, live acts included French power-pop band Pony Pony Run Run at Paul & Joe, dark cabaret- pop act Venus Gets Even at Martin Grant and Philip Colbert of Brett Umlauf, Shien Lee and Amber electro-rock group LCD Soundsystem at Yves Saint The Rodnik Band. Youell-Fingleton at Elisa Palomino. Laurent. At Jean Paul Gaultier, Serbian musician/ visual artist Goran Vejvoda conceived and mixed a soundtrack and live musicians performed over it. A few designers are always good for a movie soundtrack, like Purple Rain at Balmain; “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, done four ways at Marc Jacobs; And God Created Woman at Louis Vuitton, and Ve r t i g o playing at Dries Van Noten in Paris and at Iceberg in Milan. But if music on the runways is getting too predictable, there was the roar of motorcycles at Versace, stampeding hooves at Antonio Marras and the whir of a helicopter at Jil Sander. —Tara Bonet-Black, Scarlett Kilcooley-O’Halloran, Rachel Mascetta, Katya Foreman and Sara Miller

00 SEASON 2007 COLBERT PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA; ALL OTHERS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI GIOVANNI ALL OTHERS BY MITRA; ROBERT PHOTO BY COLBERT

0412.COL.024.Music.a;9.indd 1 4/6/10 3:27:27 PM © 2010 Vera Wang is a trademark of V.e.W. Ltd. for more information WWW.VeraWang.com CALLING ALL SNOW BUNNIES, POWER BABES AND MILITARY MADAMS. THE FALL COLLECTIONS OFFERED MYRIAD INTRIGUING TRENDS. HERE, WWD HIGHLIGHTS THE MAJOR THEMES, STARTING WITH FUR RENDERED PATCHWORK STYLE. —ANTONIA SARDONE AND VENESSA LAU

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00 SEASON 2007

0412.COL.026-27.TrendFur.a;17.indd 1 4/5/10 4:40:36 PM R

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P

28 WWD COLLECTIONS

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Karl Lagerfeld PHOTO CREDIT HERE

Stella McCartney Hermès

0412.COL.030-31.TRENDnordic.a;13.indd 2 4/5/10 4:50:17 PM PLAID TIMES FALL PATTERNS TOOK A TRADITIONAL TURN WITH HIGHLAND TARTANS AND LUMBERJACK FARE.

Comme des Garçons

Vivienne Westwood Yeohlee Bensoni Red Label

Jil Sander

3.1 Phillip Lim Tor y Burch

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0412.col.032-33.TrendPlaid.a;11.indd 1 4/5/10 4:53:51 PM Akris Carolina Herrera

Adam Adam Lippes

Tommy Isaac Mizrahi Hilfi ger

WWD COLLECTIONS 00

0412.col.032-33.TrendPlaid.a;11.indd 2 4/5/10 4:54:38 PM Marni Fendi

xxxxxxxxx

A

Lanvin

Louis Vuitton THE FIFTIES SHOW THE SEASON’S RETRO GLANCE FOCUSED ON LADIFIED LOOKS FEATURING PUFFY PEPLUMS AND FIT-AND-FLARE SHAPES.

Dsquared2 Jason Wu Dries Van Noten PHOTO CREDIT HERE

00 SEASON 2007

0412.COL.034-35.TREND50s.b;19.indd 1 4/5/10 5:16:02 PM PHOTO CREDIT HERE 0412.COL.034-35.TREND50s.b;19.indd 2 BLUSH HOUR BLUSH AND TEAROSE HUES. PALETTE OFDELICATE TINTS INCHAMPAGNES EVENINGWEAR WENTGENTLEWITHAFADED Mischka Badgley Badgley Ferretti Alberta Marchesa Valentino PRIM LANE SIMMERED WITHASEXY UNDERCURRENT. BUTTONED UPANDPROPER, FALL’S BOURGEOIS SIDE Ricci Nina Giles Erdem Laurent Yves Saint 4/5/10 5:16:54PM Richard Nicoll

Alexander Wang

Zac Posen

Ralph Lauren VELVET CRUSH THE COLLECTIONS PLAYED UP THE PLUSH LIFE IN BOTH SEXPOT AND ULTRAREFINED LOOKS.

Maison Andrew Martin Gn Margiela

Jill Rachel Stuart Roy

0412.COL.036-37.TRENDvelvet.a;23.indd 1 4/5/10 5:11:46 PM Sophie Diane von Theallet Furstenberg Altuzarra

Chloé Jean Paul Gaultier

Giorgio Armani

Rochas Halston

0412.COL.036-37.TRENDvelvet.a;23.indd 2 4/5/10 5:12:33 PM PHOTOS BY DELPHINE ACHARD, JOHN AQUINO, STEVE EICHNER, STEPHANE FEUGERE, STEVE EICHNER, DELPHINE ACHARD, JOHN AQUINO, PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI, DAVIDE MAESTRI, MAURICIO MIRANDA, ROBERT MITRA AND DAVE YODER

Prada Jean Paul Gaultier

COLORFUL LEATHERS, CHIC SHOES AND A WILD HAT OR TWO—FALL OFFERS LOVE FEST PLENTY OF ACCESSORIES TO ADORE. —ROXANNE ROBINSON-ESCRIOUT

Gucci DKNY Tommy Hilfi ger

Marc by Marc Jacobs

38 WWD COLLECTIONS

0412.COL.038-39.Accessories.a;13.indd 1 4/5/10 5:20:35 PM Devi Kroell PHOTOS BY DELPHINE ACHARD, JOHN AQUINO, STEVE EICHNER, STEPHANE FEUGERE, STEVE EICHNER, DELPHINE ACHARD, JOHN AQUINO, PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI, DAVIDE MAESTRI, MAURICIO MIRANDA, ROBERT MITRA AND DAVE YODER AND DAVE MITRA ROBERT MIRANDA, MAESTRI, MAURICIO GIANNONI, DAVIDE GIOVANNI

Gianfranco Ferré Louis Vuitton Fendi

Proenza Giles Tor y Schouler Burch

Miu Miu

Lanvin

Moschino Valentino Missoni

WWD COLLECTIONS 39

0412.COL.038-39.Accessories.a;13.indd 2 4/5/10 5:21:28 PM AnnaLynne McCord at Jill Stuart. Amber Heard at Diesel Black Gold.

KICKING IT UP IN NEW YORK.

Selma Blair at Proenza Schouler.

EDITED BY CARRIE PROVENZANO PHOTOS BY MILES LADIN

Fran Lebowitz, Renaldo Herrera and Lee Radziwill at Carolina Herrera.

00 SEASON 2007

0412.COL.040-43.FlashMilesLadin.a;10.indd 1 4/5/10 5:25:52 PM Kate Bosworth at the Calvin Klein after party. Kim Kardashian at Bebe.

Teresa Palmer at Jason Wu.

Jeff Beck and Sandra Cash Cheyenne Jackson at Narciso Rodriguez. and Laura Linney at Michael Kors.

WWD COLLECTIONS 00

0412.COL.040-43.FlashMilesLadin.a;10.indd 2 4/5/10 5:26:33 PM Chloë Sevigny at Proenza Schouler.

00 SEASON xxxx Jessica Biel at Oscar de la Renta.

0412.COL.040-43.FlashMilesLadin.a;10.indd 3 4/5/10 5:27:06 PM Kerry Washington and Amanda Peet at Jason Wu.

Brooke Shields at Donna Karan.

Ryan Phillippe at the Jenni “J-Woww” Farley at Bebe. Calvin Klein after party.

WWD THE MAGAZINE 00

0412.COL.040-43.FlashMilesLadin.a;10.indd 4 4/5/10 5:27:21 PM Vanessa Paradis at Chanel.

Elettra Wiedemann at Giambattista Valli.

Ashley Greene at Dolce & Gabbana.

A JAUNT ACROSS EUROPEAN FASHION WEEKS.

Charlize Theron at Dior.

EDITED BY CARRIE PROVENZANO PHOTOS BY DELPHINE ACHARD, STEPHANE FEUGERE, GIOVANNI GIANNONI, DOMINIQUE MAITRE AND DAVE YODER

Natalia Vodianova at Louis Vuitton.

00 SEASON 2007

Backstage at Marni.

0412.COL.044-47.FlashEurope.a;13.indd 1 4/5/10 5:35:03 PM Daria Werbowy at the Vogue party.

Sibley performs at Stella Kylie McCartney’s after party. Minogue at Yves Saint Laurent. Fan Cassie Bingbing at Gareth at Louis Pugh. Vuitton.

Backstage at Roberto Cavalli.

Lily Cole at the Dazed & Confused party.

Shaun White at Dsquared2.

WWD COLLECTIONS 00 Delphine Chanéac at Karl Lagerfeld.

0412.COL.044-47.FlashEurope.b;15.indd 2 4/6/10 12:52:35 PM Amira Casar at Balenciaga.

Roxane Mesquida at Maison Martin Margiela. Backstage at Dolce & Gabbana.

Backstage at Lanvin.

Andy Valmorbida and Tatiana Santo Domingo at the Armani exhibition.

Grace Jones performs at the Viktor & Rolf after party.

00 SEASON xxxx

0412.COL.044-47.FlashEurope.a;13.indd 3 4/5/10 5:37:04 PM Alexa Chung and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel.

Zoe Saldana at the Vogue party.

Stephen Baldwin at Jean Paul Gaultier.

Clémence Poésy at Balenciaga.

Backstage at Moschino. Backstage at Jil Sander.

Micky Green at Chanel.

Natasha Poly the Vogue party.

0412.COL.044-47.FlashEurope.a;13.indd 4 4/5/10 5:37:38 PM Inspector Gadget Burberry’s Christopher Bailey successfully blends the storied house’s traditions with modern technology. By Samantha Conti

BURBERRY MAY BE LEADING THE FASHION CHARGE IN SOCIAL MEDIA, lightbulb went off in my head. I thought, It’s just like the trench—it’s great for guys and with one million–plus Facebook fans, 3-D live-streaming of the autumn Prorsum for girls, it’s protective and it’s got a lot of attitude,” he says, adding the fall collection was collection and a slick Web site where brand lovers can talk trenchcoats 24/7, but it’s when an exploration of “the structure and ceremony of uniforms,” which can be decorative Christopher Bailey heads home to Yorkshire, England, that he realizes Burberry’s future but also austere. To wit, there were sharply tailored frock coats, peacoats, peplum riding customers are a step ahead: “My 13-year-old nephew, Matthew, is gaming live with people jackets—and gold buttons and zippers galore. Bailey tempered his masculine silhouettes around the world, people he knows by name and refers to as ‘my mates’—it’s normal for with soft edges in the form of sheepskin patchwork coats, dresses in stonewashed satin or him,” he says. velvet and sensual knits that looked as if they were fashioned from fl uttery bandages. “That generation is global—it’s a generation that lives online,” continues the 38-year-old Bailey, chief creative offi cer at Burberry and a driving force—along with chief executive offi cer Angela Ahrendts—behind Burberry’s digital crusade. “I didn’t grow up like that, but I am interested in that world, and excited by it.” The designer is a self-confessed gadget fanatic whose stash of iPhone apps includes a British Airways automatic check-in, cooking tips from Jamie Oliver, Sky News alerts and a direct line to Christie’s, where he can bid for his favorite 17th-century furniture, which is “rustic—not posh,” he laughs. It’s a drizzly spring morning, and Bailey is sitting at the glass conference table in his corner office at Burberry’s London headquarters overlooking the Thames. Over a tall glass of Berocca —the orange fi zzy vitamin drink—he’s energetically discussing the Web; his latest runway show, which was inspired by the aviator jacket and fi lled with soft-edged military looks, and the sometimes-scary sensation of designing for a company listed in the FTSE 100, the index of most highly valued fi rms on London’s stock exchange. Bailey says live-streaming the collections is changing his approach to work—not just from a technical point of view, but from a creative one. “Our shows were never crazy fl amboyant—that’s not who we are—but I do have to be conscious of how a nonfashion person will be perceiving the company,” he says. “You can’t let it affect your vision or point of view, but it’s good to be conscious of it. The shows are no longer just for a very savvy, sophisticated audience. It blows my mind to think that kids in the middle of a far-fl ung village in India are watching it—which means we have to be incredibly Mary-Kate Olsen, consistent, specifi c and focused.” Kate Hudson, Kristen Stewart, The frantic online networking that goes on before and after the Claire Danes and live-streaming also is having an impact, says the designer. Much has Mia Wasikowska in been made in the media of the potential perils of social networking Burberry’s front row. sites for hyper-controlled, image-conscious luxury brands. Burberry is having none of it: “People think we are editing the live comments on our Facebook Marigay McKee, fashion and beauty director at Harrods, which carries the Burberry page, but we’re not, and about 99 percent of the response [to the show] was positive. men’s and women’s collections, said the store is expanding its Prorsum space for fall. Viewers don’t have a cynical reaction, and they’re not jaded. They want to be there. It “Christopher has an eye for detail that’s second to none, and the Burberry trench is brings us back to the reality of what we are doing—we want people to enjoy wearing the still a dream investment for our customers, a classic that doesn’t date. He’s keeping the clothes,” says Bailey, adding that the trade remains his core audience. “But we would be collection and the brand relevant,” she says. naïve and blind to talk only to them.” And while Bailey’s collections may receive their fair share of accolades, the designer The moment the fall show ended, Burberry offered viewers the option to click and knows he’s sitting in one of the hottest seats in fashion right now. In September, Burberry buy all the bags and about 90 percent of the outerwear. “People don’t care what season was drafted into the FTSE 100 and, with a market capitalization of 3.22 billion pounds, it is, and they don’t want to wait four months to buy it. They want it now,” says Bailey, or $4.82 billion at current exchange, and revenue upward of 1.2 billion pounds, or $1.8 declining to specify how much Burberry took in sales, postshow. billion, it remains the only fashion and luxury goods brand in Britain’s ultraexclusive club. The Prorsum presentation was a blissful blend of hard and soft: Shearling aviator “Sometimes Angela and I look at each other and say we never imagined all of this would jackets came in classic chocolate leather—and some were even worn inside out to reveal happen,” he says. “It can spook you, but you just try to remain focused on your work.” an expanse of creamy fur. Even the classic Burberry trench took fl ight with aviator details But he concedes he’s more proud than spooked. “I love this company. It’s a little worked onto the top half. jewel. It’s been around for 154 years, and at the moment, I’m holding the key—and I’m Bailey recalls discovering a stash of aviator jackets in the Burberry archive, “and a privileged to be doing so.” ■

00 SEASON 2007

0412.COL.048-49.Bailey.a;17.indd 1 4/6/10 6:57:25 PM Looks from Burberry Prorsum’s fall runway.

“THE SHOWS ARE NO LONGER JUST FOR A VERY SAVVY, SOPHISTICATED AUDIENCE. IT BLOWS MY MIND TO THINK THAT KIDS IN THE MIDDLE OF A FAR-FLUNG VILLAGE IN INDIA ARE WATCHING IT.” —Christopher Bailey

WWD COLLECTIONS 00 FRONT ROW PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES; RUNWAY BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI GIOVANNI BY M. BENETT/GETTY DAVE IMAGES; RUNWAY FRONT ROW PHOTO BY

0412.COL.048-49.Bailey.a;17.indd 2 4/6/10 6:57:54 PM Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana pay tribute to their atelier workers on the runway.

- Road to Tradition Classic style and craftsmanship get a new spin. By Alessandra Ilari

C THE LIGHTS GO DOWN. THE AUDIENCE’S Adds Dolce: “Tailoring and craftsmanship are assets “I have spent the last several seasons looking back to attention rivets to the huge screen at the back of the Dolce that belong to us and to Italy. From this point of view, we Gucci’s strongest icons—reintroducing styles like the New & Gabbana catwalk, which crackles back to life with black- are very patriotic.” Jackie bag and the New Bamboo bag, and resurrecting Flora and-white images of fi rst one, then two, then dozens of Anchored on great jackets and outerwear to better fl aunt for my first accessories collection,” she says. “The initial apron-clad workers who fi ll the video, their proud gazes the cuts, proportions and details, the primarily black fall exploration into Gucci’s heritage was very stimulating, I steady into the camera. lineup seethed with Sicilian tradition, a theme near and dear realized how much potential it held and that paved the road The show ended against this backdrop as a legion of about to the duo. The alternative to the jackets was widow dresses for this collection.” 70 models marched out, each wearing a different, precisely in macramé lace, fl ourishes of sexy lingerie and animal- In an about-face from her typically high-gloss sexiness, tailored jacket. printed sheaths. for fall—one of her strongest collections to date—Giannini It was Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s way A few hours later, a similar scene unreeled at Salvatore worked the hallmark sophistication and sensuality that of saying grazie to a team of people who, stitch after stitch, Ferragamo. Seconds before the fi rst exit, a video montage permeated Gucci in the Sixties and Seventies, when the cobbled a collection steeped in sartorialità, or “top-quality brand became an international favorite of icons such as Jackie craftsmanship.” “AUTHENTICITY Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and This season, in fact, a manic attention to tailoring, heritage Anita Ekberg. The focus on heritage, she says, “gives a certain and quality surfaced on numerous runways as fashion houses ELEVATES THE ENTIRE amount of legitimacy to the creation of clothes. Authenticity vied to regain market shares and rekindle clients’ desire to PROCESS OF FASHION.” elevates the entire process of fashion.” shop. Designers chose to shine the spotlight on the more Certainly, the global recession upended the luxury market. enduring and consummate values of fashion, preferring a less- —Frida Giannini, Gucci Just 18 months ago, it was considered cool to splurge freely is-more approach to better enhance the quality of the fabrics, on showy products, and light-hearted novels about dizzy the textures, the cuts and hand-fi nishes. fl ashed black-and-white images of the legendary shoemaker in shopping addicts sprouted like mushrooms. Today, it’s a whole Epitomizing the fall mood was the army of outerwear that all his glory, both at work and surrounded by fans the caliber different story. Although there are timid signals of recovery in paraded down the runways, led by a die-hard classic—the of Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn. this arena, what pushes consumers to whip out their credit camel coat. The video set the pace for the fi rst women’s effort by cards is a value-for-money purchase—a behavior that has led In the case of Dolce and Gabbana, who spiked any creative director Massimiliano Giornetti, who showed that many brands to tap into their heritage while maintaining a degree of extreme or artsy experimentations, the tribute gimmicky antics or in-your-face sexy just aren’t up his alley. certain fashion authority. to the workers and to fashion’s human side proved to be “I wanted to defi ne the values of Ferragamo and show “In this new era of reduced spending, luxury consumers an emotional moment. The show actually kicked off with that I was moving into a different direction, with tradition are becoming smarter and more discerning, preferring a video of the designers twirling around fi t models, armed and craftsmanship as core values,” says Giornetti, adding authentically conceived and crafted products over anything with sketch pads, scissors and pincushions as they fashioned that many journalists and retailers from emerging markets that appears ostentatious,” says Mauro Capriata, senior the garments. who attend the show aren’t necessarily familiar with partner and practice leader of European luxury and apparel “We wanted to show people what we do in the atelier and Ferragamo’s story. at Spencer Stuart, a global executive search consulting how we spend our days working with the seamstresses and At Gucci, creative director Frida Giannini has never shied firm. “Luxury is the unique mix of creativity, tradition, pattern cutters. It’s this team of about 50 people that makes from citing Gucci’s past when forging her template for the craftsmanship, design and a sense of lasting permanence.”

our dreams come true,” says Gabbana. storied luxury goods label in the post–Tom Ford era. But beware: It’s not something you achieve overnight, STEVE EICHNER MAESTRI; PRESS ROOM BY DAVIDE DOLCE & GABBANA PHOTO BY

50 WWD COLLECTIONS

0412.COL.050-51.SocialCraft.a;13.indd 1 4/6/10 6:15:02 PM warns Tod’s Group chief Diego Della Valle. “Heritage and craftsmanship aren’t a fashion or marketing phenomenon that comes and goes, but a condition a brand builds over Got Tweet? the course of a lifetime, together with the consumers who understand and respect that,” says Della Valle. “Consumers From tweets to Facebook to live- must trust the brand’s quality, exclusivity and function.” streams from the runway, designers Marco Bizzarri, chief executive offi cer of Bottega Veneta, saw the future, and they liked it. concurs that, while sales of luxury goods are starting to revive, By Marc Karimzadeh and Nina Jones the consumer approach has changed drastically. “They’re faithful to the DNA of a brand, but they ask for details, they THE LATE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN MAY HAVE ponder and eventually come back. It’s not about compulsive been responsible for a lot of fashion trends, but one of his last purchases anymore,” he stresses. also could be his most lasting. In October, McQueen broke Ferragamo’s Giornetti agrees. “By defi nition, fashion isn’t fashion barriers by live-streaming his spring collection via a form of investment because it’s constantly moving forward, Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio.com site, allowing hundreds of yet there are fashion houses whose products represent a longer thousands of fashion fanatics to view the collection in real time. life span to many consumers,” he says. “Customers today need Fast-forward some fi ve months, and live-stream becomes to be reassured—especially when the price is high, because the buzzword of the fall collections, with a long list of they are less compulsive.” designers offering hundreds of thousands of devotees the ability to see next season’s clothes the second each model As examples of intense workmanship, he cited double makes her exit. Prada, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Gucci, fabrics, where two layers of the same fabric are bonded Alexander Wang and Calvin Klein were just a few that together by special machines, or the napa piping on both the offered a feed. Dolce & Gabbana live-streamed its main exterior and the interior of coats and capes. line and D&G runways on the Apple iPhone, and Burberry In fact, Italy boasts a centuries-old tradition of broke fashion ground when it took a cue from Avatar and manufacturing. Top fashion houses go to great lengths live-streamed its show from London in 3-D, with viewing and face onerous labor costs to preserve this tradition parties in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Dubai and Los Angeles. and guarantee specialized craftsmanship. And, given the The phenomenon is one of many ways designers are hefty quantities they churn out, they need to stay on top of reaching their end customers faster and more directly via The press room at workshops and labs to ensure the production isn’t outsourced Internet technology. They’re immersing themselves in New York Fashion Week. to sloppy or unethical subcontractors. social media to reach a wider audience and export fashion fever with a few clicks of the mouse. Some used Facebook to To avoid diluting the brand and to maintain its forum, which allowed fans of the brand to communicate talk about their show preparations, while others, like Marc exclusivity, Della Valle doesn’t consider how much he can with each other in real time during the shows. Jacobs’ business partner, Robert Duffy, tweeted up a storm sell, but how much he can produce. “At the base of the “I don’t think customers necessarily need to buy what in the run-up to their presentation, revealing a behind-the- they see in the show immediately after,” Malcolm Carfrae, process is a strong control on the whole production process scenes look into the collections. “Any ideas for a stage set for executive vice president at Calvin Klein Inc., says. “It’s more because the final product mirrors the workmanship. our fashion show?” Duffy tweeted before the show. “It’s at about feeding a need for information and immediacy. They Outsourcing a brand like Tod’s or Roger Vivier would never the armory on 27th Street. I’m stuck. No idea. Something enjoy being informed about what designer brands are doing. It work for us,” says Della Valle. minimal please? I have one week!” gives them a perspective and a relationship with the brand.” To safeguard an increasingly dying profession, four At the other end of the social media spectrum, bloggers Alexander Wang points out that live-streaming goes with years ago, Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier set up a three- such as Bryanboy and Tavi were more visible than ever, perched the overall evolution of fashion and technology. “We are a year schooling program in Vicenza, Italy, the company’s front row, the darlings of photographers capturing the scene. brand that has really developed with the new age of social headquarters, where young people train to become skilled All this cyber commotion is bringing the fashion show— media,” Wang says. “I would say much of our growth has been once a private, trade affair—to a much wider audience. artisans. Of the 100 applicants (all ages 18 to 25), Bottega supported by online outlets, so when the opportunity came to According to Burberry chief creative offi cer Christopher Bailey, chose 15, nearly all of whom later found a job in the factory. extend our show live on the Internet, it was obvious to take almost 100,000 people watched the show live—a sharp contrast Bizzarri says it takes between 10 and 12 years to become hold of it, but at the same time, to do something very personal to the 1,200 to 1,500 guests who saw it at the actual venue. with it, like play it in Times Square. Our audience expects this a specialized artisan. “If, on top of that, you have a creative “Our decision to stream the show in 3-D came from our information now. In this day and age, you are either ahead of director who does everything to stimulate and fuel their desire to offer a live experience to people who couldn’t be in the pack or left behind.” whim, then the creativity explodes,” he says. the room—to bring the show to the people,” Bailey says. “We The interest in fashion is certainly growing. According to For two days, two workers hunch over a workbench to wanted them to feel the fabric, the energy, and we did events Caroline Rush, joint ceo of the British Fashion Council, which cobble the house’s iconic Cabat bag featuring the intrecciato around the world. We did it in a nightclub and the kids loved it.” live-streamed the shows on its offi cial schedule via its Web site, (interlaced) basket weave. For consistency, each strip is hand- Besides the fun, the initiative also had quite a ripple the shows that were streamed were seen by a total of 22,000 cut and handwoven by the same person, making each bag effect. Not long after the fall ready-to-wear show, Burberry people online. Visits to the BFC’s Web site rose 63 percent this unique and costly —a crocodile Cabat rings in for 58,000 broke through the one million mark of Facebook fans. season compared with fall 2009, with 120,000 unique visitors As technology rapidly evolves, social media is becoming euros, or about $77,500 at current exchange. recorded on the London Fashion Week site during the season. a sophisticated marketing tool. Proenza Schouler’s Jack Gucci, meanwhile, launched the Artisan Corner project, Visitor numbers also spiked when LFW posted updates on McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez live-streamed their for which its most skilled artisans travel around the world to Twitter or Facebook. And online journalists and bloggers made show on proenzaschouler.com, and, for 24 hours after the up a third of the press who were accredited for fall, a number select stores where they hand-assemble and fi nish some of the show, allowed online shoppers to preorder handbags straight that’s been growing steadily over the past three years. brand’s most iconic bags at makeshift workstations so clients from the runway through the site’s e-commerce function. “I think it’s all part of the democratization of fashion,” can see the work in progress. “You can be part of the world of the brand from your says Rush. “Now, you choose where you want to get your The house’s production units and supply chain, one of home,” says Shirley Cook, chief executive offi cer of Proenza information [on fashion] from, whether it’s the most informal the biggest in Italy, are all certifi ed for their commitment to Schouler. “It’s our camera angle, it’s the way we wanted to or the most entertaining, from print media or from a blog.” corporate social responsibility show it to everybody. It’s not through another camera feed.” Rush adds most viewers who watched the shows online were Even the ever-evolving Miuccia Prada fussed over Where some, notably Donna Karan, have expressed from the U.S. and the U.K., and thinks the majority are involved construction in the fall collection to cobble what she concern about showing clothes months before they’re in in the industry. In the future, the BFC plans to promote similar stores, Cook says the Internet is here to stay and should be described as a “classic but fun reinterpretation of [traditional initiatives to consumers “to help develop designers’ profi les,” embraced. “Pictures are up on Web sites 10 minutes after looks].” A more conservative mood prevailed, courtesy of a and doesn’t see a confl ict in promoting next season’s looks the show, so that idea of preserving it doesn’t really exist plethora of hourglass dresses that emphasized the bust. “It before they hit stores. “I think fashion consumers are pretty anymore,” she says. “This way, at least, brands can control the well educated [about fashion cycles],” says Rush. “But I think took us two months of work to fi gure out how to insert demi way it’s seen and present it in the best possible manner, rather there’s probably an opportunity going forward for designers to bras inside the construction of the dresses,” the designer than through someone’s iPhone photo, or Flip video.” put some classic, key pieces in the show for consumers to buy

DOLCE & GABBANA PHOTO BY DAVIDE MAESTRI; PRESS ROOM BY STEVE EICHNER MAESTRI; PRESS ROOM BY DAVIDE DOLCE & GABBANA PHOTO BY ■ notes, “but we succeeded.” Calvin Klein Collection provided a live online chat directly.” —With contributions from Samantha Conti

WWD COLLECTIONS 51

0412.COL.050-51.SocialCraft.a;13.indd 2 4/6/10 6:15:20 PM FEATURE L’Wren Scott: Fearlessly Chic She’s a DIY kind of woman, whether stitching up a dress overnight or readying her brand for growth. By Bridget Foley

ON A RECENT SATURDAY AT THE she went the DIY route, making a dress in a herself in the elements of high culture. She Mugler. While she admired him greatly and Chicago outpost of Barneys New York, a day and a half from “barely 2 meters of the expected to work as a fit model, but found learned much about fit and construction rolling rack near the front of the second- most beautiful black crepe.” herself squarely, often uncomfortably, in from his atelier, he proved unrelenting in floor designer area holds the store’s current That can-do spirit runs deep, sprung from front of the camera. “I don’t think I’m very his expectations of his models, sometimes L’Wren Scott offerings. Among the items are a Mormon upbringing as rich in pragmatism good at being objectified,” she offers, while insisting that Scott wear a big, waist-cinching two cashmere cardigans, their genre’s discreet as it was lean on the pursuits of high culture. stressing that she “liked the opportunities elastic band. “You could leave there feeling familiarity confounded by large blocks of tiny, “I was raised to be very self-sufficient,” notes [modeling] afforded me very much. I’m not very deformed and very depressed,” she says. vibrant sequins, one berry-on-berry, the other, Scott, whose given name is Luann Bambrough. an unappreciative person.” “I’m sure I have a lot of insecurities based on chartreuse-on-ivory, completely covering “I did those survival treks. You go camping To a girl from the heartland, life as an editorial that experience, which I try in my work to their fronts. This embellished riff makes not with me, you don’t have to worry. I can make model in Paris was about as familiar as sipping never, never make anyone feel.” for the gaudy glitz one might expect, but high fires, get it myself, shoot it myself, cook it tea on Mars. Not yet able to speak French, she Yet not all of Scott’s working studies elegance with a dash of flash. myself.” As noted, she can also sew it herself, likened it to “watching a silent movie—you’re were of the psychological sort. “On a photo Which is an aura the designer knows a skill that early on fueled a fascination with just waiting to see whatever would happen. shoot, I wasn’t smoking cigarettes and going all about. Scott is visually stunning, a full fashion, a novel condition in Roy, Utah, yet Because something always happened.” through fashion magazines,” she says. “I was 75 inches of high-impact glamour defined by long, raven locks and lithe, impossibly L’Wren Scott’s fall runway. endless limbs. Those towering assets are typically clad in one of her impeccable, now- signature sheaths and enhanced further (as if such were necessary) by gorgeous displays of diamonds: Victorian, Deco and a maybe- engagement ring of unspecified era. Scott launched her business in October 2006, after years spent as a model and stylist. She introduced the fledgling enterprise first in Paris, and again a few weeks later with a chic dinner-cum-show at New York’s then- hot, now-closed restaurant Bette, padding the requisite editorial guest list with famous women (Ellen Barkin; Christy Turlington) known at least in part for their ability to work a look, and beyond-famous men (Bill Clinton; her longtime love Mick Jagger), whose attendance left the merely fashion-employed awestruck. But a funny thing happened as cocktails were served: Scott’s models stole the show, amazing in their nascent renderings of her “silhouette.” The message, a deft combination of womanly sensuality and let-the-person-shine discretion, struck a nerve. Now, the clothes continue to hold the spotlight at Scott’s small but star-studded luncheon shows, considered one of the hottest tickets of New York Fashion Week. “I think that people were becoming slightly disenchanted with seeing everything everywhere,” the designer says of the rapid interest in her tony offerings (typically from one aided by her mother’s attention to style. One of her first jobs was with Guy reading the paper. I wasn’t going to school $1,500 to $3,000 for a dress) available in at 75 Scott spent hours at the pattern store perusing Bourdin. At the casting at his studio, he looked at that point. I had to feel like I was learning doors worldwide as well as on Net-a-porter the Butterick and Vogue tomes, and also mining at her “from under these glasses with these something every day. And I would be very and Couturelab.com, the latter, her first retail thrift stores for finds. “I could rip a seam apart mad eyebrows,” asked her sign and when she into the stylist, very into the clothes. I would account. “I was always a fan of silhouette, and have this massive piece of stunning silk replied Taurus, instructed someone to book look at the construction. I became very something with a waistline that gave you jacquard that you would never in your life find her. “He was really superstitious,” she says, obsessed with how clothes hung on a hanger, a fabulous silhouette,” she continues, where I grew up,” she says. recalling that he once canceled a shoot when how they were made.” appearing well suited to the darkly grand Eventually, she headed to Paris, possessed the makeup artist wore green to the set. And After nine years, Scott felt that “everything surroundings of The Carlyle hotel suite where of a pair of traits that served her well. he was difficult. Every Bourdin shoot was “a was shifting from Paris,” and thought it time to she stays while in New York. “Naïveté and fearlessness are two great long, drawn-out process of pain” that didn’t leave. She bypassed New York for Hollywood, Plenty of sound anecdotal research things you have when you’re young. And I get going until the photographer had reduced where her career as a stylist took off. Once factored into the project. As a stylist, had both,” she says. “The only fear was telling a model to tears. “The second the model there, Helena Christensen introduced her Scott “supplemented people’s wardrobes my parents.” (The teenager informed them of started crying, we’d take the picture,” she to Herb Ritts, who booked her immediately constantly.” But the notion of designing a full her Parisian plans only after purchasing her recalls. “After a particular shoot, I remember for a Rolling Stone cover—it would feature collection only crystallized when she herself one-way ticket.) thinking it wouldn’t happen to me. I wouldn’t Jim Carrey in a spoof on the Coppertone ads couldn’t find a simple, knee-length black Modeling was always a means to an end. be the one who cried.” She never was. in which a dog tugs at a child’s swim panties.

dress to wear to an event. At the last minute, In Paris, Scott was determined to immerse Scott worked frequently as well for Thierry Photographer and stylist clicked immediately, THOMAS IANNACCONE SCOTT MITRA; BY ROBERT PHOTO BY RUNWAY

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0412.COL.052-53.L'Wren.a;19.indd 1 4/6/10 8:40:27 PM and the relationship lasted from about 1996 until Ritts died in 2002. Scott continued with editorial while developing an impressive roster of private clients, and costumed several films, as well. All along the way, she banked information that would prove essential in developing her fashion collection, including insight into how women view themselves. “I’ve never met anyone, no matter how beautiful, who hasn’t had their own special set of [body-image] issues,” she says, noting that the pressure on celebrities is fierce due to “an intense expectation to be perfect.” Scott recalls the angst of her own first red- carpet appearance, the occasion for which she couldn’t find that perfect black dress. It was the 2004 Golden Globes, and Jagger was nominated for (and won) best song. “Of course I wanted to go to be with him and support him, but at the same time, I was completely terrified,” she says. “I got to the end and stood there for two seconds. I thought, Oh, my god, this is so scary—thousands of flashbulbs, people screaming his name and then some people are screaming your name. It’s a weird feeling. I said, ‘I’ll meet you inside.’ I just ran.” “NAIVETE AND FEARLESSNESS ARE TWO GREAT THINGS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU’RE YOUNG.” Yet the incident wasn’t without humor. Asked if Jagger had given her any advice in preparation for the red carpet, she instead recalls his request, deadpanning: “Can you wear flat shoes?” Scott neither hides nor flaunts her relationship with Jagger. But nearly a decade spent with so recognizable a superstar has provided insight into the tribulations of celebrities who long unsuccessfully to live beyond the incessant glare of the media. As she sees it, such woes are largely self-inflicted. “There are people who make calls, who get dressed up to go through the airports to have their picture taken. Some people court that. They need it. I go to great lengths to protect my private life. I think we do a pretty good job of keeping private.” Scott is similarly discreet about her clients, even if by now it’s no secret that Nicole Kidman and Barkin are on the list. “I was working with people who trusted me to help them do something that I had time to do that they didn’t,” she insists. “I would never betray that.” Rather, she builds upon the knowledge gleaned from those relationships for the L’Wren Scott collection, and is now positioning her brand for growth. Though it’s too early to talk specifics, a project with Lancôme is in the works, as is a Web site that will eventually include e-commerce. She fancies opening stores—“bricks and mortar are very important in getting your vision across”—as well as a foray into the contemporary market. And—oh, yes—should the right suitor come calling, she would consider investment in the house of which she now owns 100 percent. All of which are good bets to be realized. “I was raised to be an achiever and a worker,” Scott declares. “If you’re L’Wren Scott and you decide to do something, you do everything you ■

RUNWAY PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA; SCOTT BY THOMAS IANNACCONE SCOTT MITRA; BY ROBERT PHOTO BY RUNWAY can to succeed.”

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0412.COL.052-53.L'Wren.a;19.indd 2 4/6/10 8:40:49 PM FEATURE The Self-Made Man Riccardo Tisci is coming into his own at the house of Givenchy. By Miles Socha

PLENTY HAS CHANGED IN THE FIVE YEARS SINCE RICCARDO TISCI, THEN a virtually unknown Italian designer, took up the design helm of the venerable French house of Givenchy—save for his streetwise personal style. Forever dressed in a baggy black T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, the 35-year-old Tisci still exudes youthful verve, excitedly discussing his penchant for traveling, scuba diving, kickboxing, DJing and watching movies on DVD. Just back from a two-week vacation in St. Barth’s and Puerto Rico, Tisci is tanned, rested and still in an exuberant mood after staging one of the most widely praised and commercially successful collections of Paris Fashion Week, one the designer deems a linchpin moment in his brief fashion career. It was the culmination of a steep learning curve from his on-a-shoestring signature label in Milan to a couture house in dire need of rejuvenation, a process he likens to studying for an exam. It was also the broadest expression yet of his vision for the brand—clean and severe, with a touch of romance—given that his purview now spans men’s wear as well as women’s wear. Next year will be his fi rst foray into fragrance. “I’m starting to feel confi dent,” Tisci says in Italian-accented English as he puffs on American Spirit cigarettes in Givenchy’s airy couture salon on the Avenue George V in Paris. “I wanted to show the colors, the shapes, the details I’ve been working on for fi ve years.” As the bone-shuddering bass of a Millie & Andrea dubstep track rumbled through the Lycée Carnot, Tisci’s hot-blooded fashion vision came to life: His girls and boys marching purposefully through the chilly gymnasium in a chic and spare collection that worked a nice tension between sex appeal and sleek sportif. While it exhibited the hallmarks of Givenchy— Riccardo Tisci aristocracy, chic elegance and a French spirit—it was worlds away from the prim, cliché Breakfast at Tiffany’s image of yore. “I’M STARTING TO FEEL CONFIDENT.” Jeffrey Kalinsky, executive vice president of designer merchandising at Nordstrom, was captivated from look number one—a boxy beige coat, cropped black pants and a high-neck white lace and chiffon blouse set off with red lips, red gloves and a red jeweled bag. “It was dazzling,” recalls Kalinsky. “Everything has come together perfectly. It’s very much his moment.” Kalinsky describes Givenchy as a “growth vendor” for the Seattle-based retailer, and lauds the brand’s newfound energy, which it has radiated practically since the moment Tisci arrived in 2005, making Givenchy’s clothes and handbags instantly modern—and desirable. “It’s defi nitely appealing to a young, fashion-forward customer, but at the same time, it appeals to someone who’s been buying luxury for a long time,” Kalinsky says. “There’s a refi nement to the whole vision that makes it Givenchy, even when clothes have a more aggressive feeling or a Goth edge.” “We at Lane Crawford knew at the beginning Riccardo Tisci was going to develop into a really great designer,” enthuses Sarah Rutson, fashion director at the Hong Kong–based fashion retailer, which today ranks Givenchy in its top 10 overall women’s designer brands. “The lace pieces in particular—along with the fl ashes of red tailoring and the ski-inspired knits—were extremely strong. Givenchy has a perfect blend of strong tailoring, soft blouses, dresses, great jerseys and knits—and, of course, the incredible shoes and accessories. It is a very comprehensive collection.” “Our customers adore Givenchy. It is unique and minimal while still very feminine,” adds Marigay McKee, fashion and beauty director at Harrods in London. “[Tisci’s] dramatic, glamorous collections are powerful and eye catching.” She notes that Givenchy has been consistently posting double-digit gains and a “personalize” boutique in Harrods “has helped consolidate the business as a platform for growth and lifestyle.” with revenues approaching 100 million euros, or about $135 million at current exchange, In a wide-ranging conversation, the frank and effusive Tisci notes that, unlike many according to market sources—it is logging strong momentum, powered by Tisci’s design young designers who enjoy press acclaim years before they gain any commercial traction, prowess and formidable merchandising and product teams in the background. he was saddled with lukewarm—even harsh—reviews in his fi rst years at Givenchy, even as Fabrizio Malverdi, Givenchy’s chief executive offi cer, says the house registered a 30 some of the world’s top specialty stores lined up to carry the brand—and went on to build percent bump in sales for the overall fall 2010 season across all product categories, led by substantial businesses. women’s ready-to-wear and accessories. “The company is healthy. We are profi table,” he While Givenchy remains among the smaller fashion houses in the LVMH Moët Hennessy says, while declining to give fi gures. “There has been incredible work here with the teams Louis Vuitton luxury universe—dwarfed by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Fendi or Loewe, and on the product.”

54 WWD COLLECTIONS

0412.COL.054-55.Tisci.a;10.indd 1 4/2/10 5:53:26 PM Looks from Givenchy’s runway.

partners, and continues to expand its network of franchise locations. This summer will see new units open in Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. According to Malverdi, Tisci has been able to galvanize and unify the image of the house by developing clear codes, such as sharp tailoring and the innovative use of lace. Some of these have fl ourished into successful capsule collections of romantic blouses, studded clothes and accessories, plus narrow and sexy pants, which anchor his silhouettes. Men’s wear is the latest category to come under Tisci’s wing 18 months ago, when he renewed his contract for an undisclosed period. In terms of product, men’s remains a strategic category this year. Plans for 2011 include a new company-owned men’s wear boutique in Paris, adding to its network of three stores, and two concessions, in the French fashion capital, Malverdi says. Asked to describe his working methods—whether he sketches or drapes, for example— Tisci instead describes “strong emotions” as the starting point for his collections, which can be evoked by anything: the color of a Parisian pastry, a stained Peruvian sweater unearthed at a fl ea market, the sight of underprivileged boys playing soccer in hand-me-downs from their sisters or a postcard from a friend. “For my team, it’s very diffi cult to follow me because I don’t have a formula,” he explains in his off-the-cuff manner. “To do this job is a lot of work, and takes a lot of time. You have to be dedicated, like religion. You have to give yourself completely. It’s basically about emotions.” To be sure, Tisci harbored some feelings of inadequacy when he arrived at Givenchy as an unproven 29-year-old at a stalled house and at a time when pundits were declaring couture all but dead. In meeting loyal Givenchy client Queen Rania of Jordan, the dire mood that hung around high fashion, and his own doubts, evaporated in an instant. “To see a queen that modern, beautiful and chic—it inspired me so much,” he enthuses. “I didn’t want to do a shocking couture. I wanted to do a chic couture.” While he is clearly capable of chic, more often than not, Tisci is hailed a Goth fashion hero. It’s a description at which he doesn’t bristle, but he prefers to label himself as part of a group of designers that mine the edgier, less sunny side of things. “I’ve got a darkness inside of me,” he says, describing a strict Catholic upbringing in Italy and vivid memories of funeral processions and lighting candles in somber churches. Moreover, he is fascinated by contrasts. “I’m that kind of person: I love black and white. I usually never like gray,” he muses. “Masculine-feminine, what is light and heavy, dark and romantic— it’s part of my personality.” The emotional springboard for Tisci’s hit fall collection was a Forties ski sweater, which he found in a vintage shop in America. Its optical red and green patterns and masculinity fascinated him, leading him into his signature play of opposites—up to and including scuba references, the deep sea being the opposite of mountain sports. Several critics cited a distinct Nineties vibe to the collection, and nods to Helmut Lang in the coed staging and sport infl uences, which Tisci readily acknowledges. After all, the Vienna-born minimalist is one of his favorite designers of all time, along with Gianni Versace and Azzedine Alaïa. Tisci also harbors great admiration for the man whose name is on the door, especially after delving into the archive and discovering some of the lesser-known, more severe and modern styles from Hubert de Givenchy. During their initial meeting, shortly after Tisci’s arrival, the retired couturier spoke little about the fashion business. “He gave me just one piece of advice in the end. He said, ‘Just be yourself. That is the only thing that is going to make you successful.’” A self-made man, Tisci was born in Taranto, Italy, and raised in Como, where he scrabbled his way out of a family rich in love, but with meager fi nancial means. His mother, widowed when he was six, had eight daughters before him. As an adolescent, Tisci worked as a delivery boy, store clerk and carpenter to save money for art school abroad, scoring a job designing fabrics at a textile fi rm at 16 and fueling his fashion ambitions. After attending London fashion school at Central Saint Martins, he did stints at Puma, Antonio Berardi, Coccapani and Ruffo Research while nurturing a signature label he

TISCI PHOTO BY STEPHANE FEUGERE; RUNWAY BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI GIOVANNI BY STEPHANE FEUGERE; RUNWAY TISCI PHOTO BY designed and crafted himself. When he arrived at Givenchy, he was the fourth designer to helm the brand since the founder’s retirement in 1995. Before him were Julien Macdonald, Givenchy women’s wear is wholesaled to about 300 doors, with accessories found in close the late Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. to 500 doors and men’s wear in 350. The handbag business continues to be fueled by its “My dream has always been to really be a designer, to express myself and to arrive at the iconic Nightingale bag, unveiled on the runway in 2006 on the arm of Naomi Campbell, point where people see things and think, Riccardo Tisci,” he says. “For a designer, the biggest and the year-old, slouchy Pandora model. Before Tisci, Givenchy’s women’s accessories were compliment is when you are selling well. And the second thing is when people recognize your centered on entry-level, mostly logo-driven bags. style by color, by shape, by detail. Malverdi cites “important growth” in markets such as the U.S. and Asia, while Europe “For me, this [fall] collection was very Givenchy, but it was very Riccardo Tisci, as well,” and the Middle East remain key territories for the brand. he adds. “I think there comes a moment where you really still have your style, because it Givenchy has 14 directly operated stores in China, plus 45 men’s wear corners with comes from inside.” ■

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0412.COL.054-55.Tisci.a;10.indd 2 4/2/10 5:54:26 PM Haider Ackermann, and the fall runway.

Free Spirit Haider Ackermann does things his own way— and at his own pace. By Katya Foreman

TWITTER IS A DIRTY WORD FOR DESIGNER HAIDER ACKERMANN, WHO “It’s so sad that we’re just looking to what’s new,” he says, recalling a party he attended where is of the philosophy that “being totally open doesn’t bring anything.” So, he has neither a live the crowd fl uttered around some young starlet. Loulou de la Falaise, who was by his side, was Web site nor a Facebook page. among the onlookers. “For me, it was the world upside down, because [de la Falaise] brought us The Antwerp, Belgium–based designer has never been one for bending to hype or trends, so much. There’s this emptiness toward things, which is kind of disturbing for me.” but it hasn’t worked against him. Eight years after establishing his signature label, Ackermann, It’s been a slow, measured rise for the designer, but he prefers it this way. A free spirit, until recently regarded as one of fashion’s under-the-radar gems, is steadily edging out into the Ackermann’s approach to his fashion course at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, which open. He’s been tapped to headline the Pitti W trade show in Florence in June, where he will he never completed, remains the same to this day. As his fellow students scrambled to complete present a special collection conceived for the event. Another recent rumor certainly upped full collections, he would focus on perfecting a handful of looks. visibility for the designer: speculation of a courtship by Diesel bigwigs for one of the industry’s Ackermann feels the sobriety of the Belgian city added a lot to his work, being in stark harder-to-cast designer jobs, Martin Margiela, in the wake of the founder’s exit. “You can’t contrast to the colorful cities in which he grew up. Born in Sante Fe de Bogota, Colombia, and replace a soul,” demurs Ackermann, though he does dream of one day—when the elements adopted by French parents, Ackermann enjoyed a peripatetic childhood, living in cities across and timing are right—designing for an established house. Europe and Africa. Carrying a nomadic vibe, Ackermann’s collections, which he sees as an His sensual clothes are characterized by elongated and nomadic silhouettes, urbanized ongoing narrative, refl ect this dichotomy. “It was quite shocking to come out of the sunshine, by zippers snaking around the body or suggestive lines and drapes. For Ackermann, clothes where everything was bright, to come to this discreet sobriety. It was very intriguing,” he recalls should add to a woman’s personality, not impose one. The designer’s palette mixes melancholic of his arrival in Antwerp. dark and mineral shades with intense jewel tone accents. Exposed to a variety of traditional dress during his childhood, he recalls being entranced From his latest collection for fall, which included contoured leather and suede jackets by the jangle of jewelry from under a chador in Africa, or by meters of fabric blowing in the with undulating collars, long cocoon coats, satin pantsuits and sinuous, fl oor-sweeping frocks, wind. Today he designs in Paris, where he lives, in a tiny, crumbling studio he describes as “very retailers have bought into the boots with industrial zippers running up the back of the leg. Visconti, very lost beauty,” and once a week travels to Antwerp to his production site, which The balance of force and fragility formed one of the main themes of the collection, perhaps is based in a cold, Le Corbusier–style building. Ackermann notes his creative starting point is best embodied in one long laser-cut leather dress that looked as if it were made from lace. always music. This season, he was listening to Tchaikovsky. Says Ackermann: “Leather is a very strong animal material. To [make it look like] lace, with Ackermann controls every element of his collections, spanning clothes, shoes and belts, this feeling that it might break, suddenly makes it seem rather fragile. That’s how life can be which he develops with the close support of his “backbone,” Anne Chapelle, chief executive sometimes.” Ackermann’s short leather jackets remain the bestseller, though, fi tted this season offi cer and owner of Bvba 32, which owns the Haider Ackermann brand. with optional peplums and collars. Under Chapelle’s guidance, the brand’s strategy, he says, is to grow with its existing Nibbling on a spring roll at the Café Marly shortly after his Paris show, the designer acknowledges distributors. He is sold in around 60 stores, including Maria Luisa in Paris, Lane Crawford in that a recent brush with celebrity has catapulted his name. Last year, Oscar-winning actress—and Hong Kong and Dover Street Market in London. “Time is everything, and overgrowing is not much-scrutinized alternative clotheshorse—Tilda Swinton slinked up the red steps at the Cannes right for Haider’s hand, which is beautiful,” says Chapelle. Film Festival in a ruby red gown of his. Magazines around the world published the image. As demand grows, Ackermann is aware he needs to loosen the reins. To wit: The designer is “Sometimes you don’t understand why suddenly [things take off]. Perhaps it’s better not looking to embark on his fi rst collaboration, for a jewelry line, likely for next season. to understand it, just to accept it,” says the designer, who fi rst dressed Swinton for Cannes six He describes the fi rst years of mounting his label as challenging, but the labors are fi nally years ago. A recent issue of hip French music and culture weekly Les Inrockuptibles features the starting to pay off. “To get that kind of support from press and sales is a huge encouragement— pair on its cover, with Ackermann affectionately resting his head on her shoulder. it gives you energy,” says the designer. “It’s like being in love and wanting to show the other ■ The actress, who is nearing 50, fi ts with the designer’s love of laughter-lined, worldly women. person how desirable you can be. You just want to blossom.” STEPHANE FEUGERE PHOTOS BY

56 WWD COLLECTIONS

0412.COL.056.Ackerman.a;13.indd 1 4/2/10 6:42:21 PM NEW YORK • BEVERLY HILLS • SOUTH COAST PLAZA • MIAMI • AVENTURA • CHICAGO • ST LOUIS • BOSTON • SAN FRANCISCO

www.agjeans.com

BALENCIAGA BURBERRY PRORSUM CELINE CHANEL CHRISTIAN DIOR DOLCE & GABBANA DONNA KARAN MARC JACOBS MICHAEL KORS PRADA THE TOP

COLLECTIONS OF FALL 2010 Sensational sportswear, sex appeal and savvy tailoring—the TENseason’s best collections had it all. Here, WWD’s top 10 picks. FOR FULL RUNS OF COLLECTIONS, SEE WWD.COM

00412.COL.059.TopTenOpener.a;9.indd412.COL.059.TopTenOpener.a;9.indd 1 44/2/10/2/10 66:43:27:43:27 PPMM BALENCIAGA NICOLAS GHESQUIERE DELIVERED ANOTHER NIMBLE NEGOTIATION BETWEEN HIS FUTURISTIC PURSUITS AND REVERENCE FOR THE BALENCIAGA LEGACY.

PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI

00 SEASON xxxx

0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 1 4/2/10 6:35:57 PM BURBERRY PRORSUM CHRISTOPHER BAILEY SHOWED EXACTLY WHO’S IN COMMAND WITH A POWERFUL AND SEXY MILITARY-THEMED COLLECTION.

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0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 2 4/2/10 6:36:17 PM CELINE PHOEBE PHILO SERVED UP STREAMLINED SPORTSWEAR GROUNDED IN BOURGEOIS STAPLES AND DETAILED WITH EQUESTRIAN PANACHE.

PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI

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0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 3 4/2/10 6:36:42 PM CHANEL KARL LAGERFELD CREATED A WINTER WONDERLAND WITH LUSCIOUS FAUX FUR, TEXTURED TWEEDS, GORGEOUS DRESSES—AND A 270-TON ICEBERG.

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0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 4 4/2/10 6:37:03 PM CHRISTIAN DIOR JOHN GALLIANO EXPLORED ENGLISH RIDING COUNTRY WITH A SAVVY DOSE OF LONDON STREET IRREVERENCE AND UNENCUMBERED SENSUALITY.

PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI

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0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 5 4/2/10 6:37:27 PM DOLCE & GABBANA DOMENICO DOLCE AND STEFANO GABBANA SALUTED SARTORIALITA— TAILORING, ITALIAN- STYLE, ALL GORGEOUSLY CRAFTED AND REFINED.

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0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 6 4/2/10 6:37:54 PM DONNA KARAN MARKING HER 25TH ANNIVERSARY, DONNA KARAN WORKED THE ROMANTIC END OF HER RANGE AS WELL AS STANDOUT TAILORING IN HANDSOME COATS AND SUITS.

PHOTO BY THOMAS IANNACCONE

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0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 7 4/2/10 6:38:15 PM MARC JACOBS BEAUTIFUL WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH AS MARC JACOBS CELEBRATED THE GREAT AMERICAN CLASSICS, INCLUDING HIS OWN.

PHOTO BY JOHN AQUINO WWD THE MAGAZINE 00

0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 8 4/2/10 6:38:52 PM MICHAEL KORS MICHAEL KORS SENT OUT A DISSERTATION ON PRAGMATIC CHIC, UNDERSCORED BY RELAXED LUXURY AND WOMANLY SENSUALITY.

PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER

00 SEASON xxxx

0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 9 4/2/10 6:39:17 PM PRADA MIUCCIA PRADA WENT SLIGHTLY RETRO WITH HER UNCONVENTIONAL, CONSERVATIVE TAKE ON SUGGESTIVE SEX APPEAL.

PHOTO BY DAVIDE MAESTRI

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0412.COL.060-69.TopTen.a;18.indd 10 4/2/10 6:39:49 PM Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren peeled layers off Kristen McMenamy.

The Onion DUTCH DESIGNERS VIKTOR HORSTING AND Rolf Snoeren returned to their roots as consummate showmen with a spellbinding fashion performance that had them using Kristen McMenamy as a living doll. In a reprise of their famed Russian Doll collection from 1999, Viktor and Rolf peeled dozens of layers off the model, who stood on a revolving platform in the center of the catwalk. Each successive piece of clothing was then adjusted and fi tted on another model as an individual outfi t. When McMenamy had been stripped to just her fl esh-colored corset, the Dutch duo reversed the process and piled on dresses, coats and jackets until she could barely stand. The 43-year-old valiantly posed for pictures, but nearly toppled as she headed backstage. After being scooped up and quickly undressed by an army of helpers, she breathed a sigh of relief. “We had half a rehearsal,” McMenamy revealed. She added that she was not afraid of collapsing during the show, but didn’t ask how many pounds she would be carrying. “I didn’t want to think about it. But the shoes were quite comfortable, so that was OK, and it wasn’t all at once,” she said with a good- natured smile. Spoken like a real doll.

2010 PHOTOS BY STEPHANE FEUGERE; 1999 FROM WWD ARCHIVE 2010 PHOTOS BY —Joelle Diderich

▲ Viktor & Rolf’s 1999 Russian Doll collection with Maggie Rizer inspired fall 2010.

70 WWD COLLECTIONS

0412.COL.070.ClosingNote.a;12.indd 1 4/2/10 7:43:07 PM