THE FASH PACK

With so many international designer brands showing their Spring/Summer 2010 offerings at the various fashion weeks this season, we would be hard pressed to decide who to award the title of 'hottest international designer brand'. Luckiliy, we didn't have to as The Senken newspaper has just published its findings of its seasonal survey of Japanese retailers. Alexander Wang, who only launched his first full womens collection in 2007 and is currently working on his first menswear range, pipped Givenchy to the top spot having secured twice as many votes as the luxury Parisienne label. In third place was Balmain, followed by Undercover. Prada scooped 5th place ahead of Dries Van Noten, whilst 3.1 Phillip Lim, Comme des Garcons and Yves Saint Laurent came 7th, 8th and 9th respectively.

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Always one to astound us with extravagant catwalk settings, Karl Lagerfeld transformed the Grand Palais into a hay-filled barn, complete with tongue in cheek Chanel emblem clog heels, chain garter transfers on bare legs, and lace embellished sunglasses. The traditional tweed Chanel skirt suit ran dominant, updated with a vastly shorter hemline, complete with cheeky thigh split, and checkered tweed fabrics. Lagerfeld played on the sheer trend with layered cream and black laces, opaque tights and diaphanous dresses and blouses.

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Earlier this week, Cipriani played host to the National Arts Awards, hosted by American for the Arts, which saw several big names in politics, fashion and art attend to see Robert Redford, founder of the 'Sundance FIlm Festival',  honoured with a Lifetime Acheivement Award.

Also in attendance was Vera Wang, who confessed that 'I love the arts- I just can't afford it'. In the same breath, Wang let slip that she hoped to soon be joining the ranks of reality TV stars by launching her very own TV show. She said at the awards, "You're getting a scoop, I'm doing a TV show. It's coming. I don't know when, or how, but it's coming."

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We come spreading good news. The wait is almost over, as H&M have finally annouced that they are to launch a website where visitors can actually shop online which, has previously been a luxury afforded to native Sweden only. The high street giant, who have brought us some of the best celebrity collaborations over the years including Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld, Comme des Garcons, Viktor &Rolf, Roberto Cavalli and Matthew Williamson. Despite this exciting news however, online shopping will not actually be available until next Autumn(2010).

Don't be too disheartened though because the H&M camp have promised to stock a homeware range too by then, and they have also recently announced more celebrity collaboarations to come from Sonia Rykiel, who will be doing lingerie too, and none other than Mr Jimmy Choo, whose collection hits the stores mid-November. We can't wait!

Being the first African-American fashion designer to reach international fame is a pretty big accomplishment, no? It's Stephen Burrows who holds that honour, and after he started designing in the '60s, he earned a commendable client list. Ever heard of Lauren Bacall, Jerry Hall, Cher or Diana Ross? Forty years later, with CFDA honours along the way, he's still in top form.

This week, Burrows chats with The Fash Pack about his real feelings on fashion week, his possible TV addiction and early-morning design inspiration.

Read Stephen Burrows' Q&A after the jump

Stella McCartney has always been a rare kind of celebrity designer. In spite of her rock royalty genes and affluent background, she has always been grounded- choosing to work during the holidays in her teenager years and work hard on her business.

However, in a recent interview with The Guardian she revealed that despite her hard work, she would not have been able to do it with out the support of her parents. She told the newspaper that "the greatest luxury of having the parents I had was that it enabled me not to have to compromise....In the back of my mind I always knew- if this all goes horribly wrong I'll be alright. That's an option that most people just don't have, financially."

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It seems that the evergrowing trend of designers leaving their eponymous line is continuing, this time with the ever so mysterious Martin Margiela. Always known for being evidently reclusive, Margiela rarely gave interviews, and never took a catwalk bow for the label that ran under his own name. His face had been relatively unseen by the public until a photograph of the camera shy Belgian designer was published in an article for the New York Times last year.

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Working at Vogue is a dream come true for most of the fashionistas out there, and you’d think that if you were lucky enough to get an interview, you’d know your stuff. Yet when Teen Vogue interviewed Anna Wintour recently and asked: When you're hiring someone for an entry-level position at Vogue, what do you look for? Her reply was shocking: “
I look for someone who has actually read the magazine. People will say, "Oh, I love Vogue," but when I ask them to tell me something specific they liked, or a photographer whose work they enjoy, they look at me as if I'm crazy.

“Do your homework, go online, visit every museum, and intern. I like having young assistants in my office; they have energy, and I spend time with them to make sure they understand what we're doing. By investing in them, I'm investing in the magazine. All over Vogue, Teen Vogue, and Men's Vogue, there are people who have been through not only my office but also many other offices at Vogue.” So there you have it, if you’re looking to get into fashion publishing – be prepared!