Picture the girl you know who can do everything. That's Madeleine Thompson, whose namesake knitwear and cashmere line is making its US debut in a few weeks. Of course, this comes after she earned a law degree from London's Durham University, worked as a buyer for Lane Crawford and successfully started her own jewellery brand. Kate Moss and Renee Zellweger are fans - and now the aforementioned clothing business, which Thompson launched in 2007, has Sienna Miller and Agyness Deyn looking even more stylish.
That's quite a fan list for age 28, but her chic pieces are perfect for busy women, and that deserves a reward. With Thompson's friend Poppy Delevigne modelling for her Fall '09 lookbook, we're sure there's even more buzz to come for this style queen.
But for right now, let's see what the designer has to say about Nicole Richie, Kanye West and her fabulous new digs.
Roland Mouret - the man who invented the 'it' dress after Dita von TeeseandScarlett Johansson complained they needed a designer frock that would allow for a bra - is no longer Roland Mouret. He's decided to reinvent himself as RM after a nasty split with Sharai Meyers, his business partner of five years. The designer had signed away most of his licensing rights, so that means, naturally, time for a new name.
"I have never spoken about it," he told the Guardian. "The only thing I said to her was I didn't recognise her any more. I understood then what a divorce was. I have been separated from people I loved, but there – the person I knew was not the person I had met. Not at all. It was shocking. We were both ruthless – I am quite ruthless, anyway – but it was still surprising. I was like: 'Did I love you? Really?' "
Since making his 2005 Galaxy dress for von Teese and Johansson - and having Victoria Beckham wear one of his dresses, and then having the high street copy it like none other - the designer isn't in such a bad place. He's done a dress collaboration with Gap, made a deal with Simon Fuller, won over a list of A-list fans for the RM collection, and now, come up with a new must-have: the tunic-top dress.
Zara shopping time, everyone! The brand has just released Fall '09 trend images (that doesn't happen), and we're loving the strong-shouldered frocks and Kate Lanphear-esque androgyny. The distressed denim, the simple skirts, the crisp white shirts? Want, want and want.
Despite Zara shops being, well, almost everywhere, don't think you can wait to check out the key pieces for the upcoming season. As Grazia points out, the Balmain-style shoes the brand came out with later went for £450 on eBay.
As we announced, Rachel Zoe's lifestyle newsletter, The Zoe Report, launches today. But that's not all the celebrity stylist has been up to, as you probably guessed. Zoe's finishing her filming for the second season of 'The Rachel Zoe Project', which you can see at 10 p.m. on Aug. 24 on Bravo.
Check here for the video trailer, and you'll get plenty of catchphrases ("die", "bananas"), footage from Paris and a Liv Tyler cameo. And ever wondered why Zoe usually wears loose or voluminous clothes at events? As addressed in the video, her husband and assistant have realised there's bad press over her weight when she's wears something more revealing.
London Fashion Week is officially moving on up in the fashion-week ranks. Gone are the days when people watching at the shows involved watching the likes of Chris Eubank and people from morning TV. This year, if recent reports are anything to go by, we can expect the likes of Olivia Palermo, the Olsens and Tayor Momsen to be gracing the front rows this side of the pond.
Don't thank me. Sir Phillip Green is the man responsible. After the success of Topshop's new flagship store in Manhattan, American stars have become so hooked by the store that they want to attend the Unique runway show in September.
Anne Hathaway, Whitney Port, Blake Lively and Kate Bosworth also have been rumoured to attend the upcoming show in September.
Elle Macpherson went seriously bod-con to last night's CBS, CW, CBS Television Studios & Showtime TCA party. Yes, we know that's a mouthful for an event.
Leonard Lauder, Estee Lauder's chairman of the board, came up with the term "lipstick index" during the early-2000s recession to describe increased sales of the product during hard financial times. (Granted, it hasn't held true for this recession, but moving on.) Now, do we need to talk about the BS index? Maybe. And that stands for "beauty school", of course.
Beauty schools are reporting increases in applications, according to the New York Daily News, and the "personal appearance field" is expected to expand by 14 percent between now and 2016. Perhaps that's because cosmetology schools tend to charge less than graduate schools, and top-level hairstylists can rake in about $100,000 annually.
Would you start a new career like this during the recession?
