Despite the prevalence of e-commerce today, many of the leading fashion brands have still been reluctant to sell online but it looks like that's about to change. Today PPR reportedly signed a letter of intent with Italian online retailer, Yoox SpA, to set up a site to see their brands' collections.
The letter is non-binding but what it does show that the fashion conglomerate is seriously planning to commit to an e-commerce venture, which naturally includes their brands like Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga. 'PPR and Yoox intend to continue negotiations with the aim of closing a definitive agreement in the comings months,' a source from the company told Bloomberg in an email. The new venture is part of PPRs bigger plan to reach 1 billion euros worth of online sales by 2012.
Last week's amfAR Cinema Against Aids gala was a huge success raking in a record-breaking £7 million on the night and Carine Roitfeld definitely lent a helping hand in bringing the money in.
This year the former Vogue editor and long-time contributor to the event held a special fashion show at the gala where everyone from Cara Delevigne to Kate Upton walked the runway. The theme was 'the perfect black wardrobe' and everyone from Tom Ford to Christopher Kane donated their designs, which were all auctioned off as a single lot for £240,500.
Roitfeld wasn't the only industry figure lending a hand. Karl Lagerfeld put his services forward along with Harvey Weinsten to offer the opportunity for someone to star in a short film directed by the designer and produced by the Hollywood giant. Even Peter Lindbergh offered a private shoot up for auction, which raised £71,000.
The big reveal of the Team GB kit back in March isn't the only big collection launch that Stella McCartney and Adidas are working on. This week the sports brand announced the launch of the official British villagewear collection.
Unlike the main kit, the village wear range is geared at catering to the needs of the athletes when they are not competing so all of the pieces are relaxed and comfortable, whilst also playing with bright colours to keep things interesting. 'The inspiration for the villagewear collection was to create a more relaxed kit that remained stylish yet comfortable for the athletes,' McCartney said in a statement. 'It was also important to unify the team, as the one piece of information hat really stuc with me when I talked to the athletes aout this project, was how they want to feel as a team in the village, to feel like they are one voice and one nation.'
As celebrity covers go, Eva Mendes is a pretty good subject. Her covers are always good and her latest one for Marie Claire UK's July issue isn't an exception. On the cover she sports one of those embellished Dolce & Gabanna body suits that have been doing the rounds this season.
In the cover story, Mendes' boyfriend Ryan Gosling naturally pops up and so does body image. 'It doesn't matter what you have of what you look like. It's something everyone has to work at. I realize I have contributed to a certain happy, healthy, empowered image, but that's not all of me,' she said. 'I feel it's important to let women know that I have similar struggles. What I tell girls is what they don't like about themselves now, they will probably end up loving as an adult, because that's what happened to me.'
The only issue with the cover is that it's a reprint. While reprinting makes sense for the smaller editions of the big titles, it seems strange that such a big version of the title couldn't create an original cover.
As Paris Hilton's childish voice and Hollywood antics became too much to bare, former school friends like Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian's stars started to rise. From being the centre of attention, her star power and the commercial deals that come along with it seemed to decline but it looks like she's planning a comeback. Over the past week she's been all over Cannes perhaps as a way of drumming up publicity for the launch of her upcoming fragrance launch.
The scent, titled Dazzle, was inspired by Paris herself and will be sold in a pink diamond-like falcon to reflect her 'personality'. 'Creating a new fragrance or two each year has been a great way to express the changes I have gone through,' she told the title. 'Now I have a whole wardrobe of them to choose from, from light and beachy to mysterious and sexy.'
As I previously reported, Anja Rubik was in Cannes last week to celebrate the relaunch of her magazine, 25 and now the first look of the new issue is out, it's actually a lot more sexual than many had expected.
In a recent interview with Style.com, Rubik said that she drew on 70's issues of Playboy and erotica magazines and it shows. Throughout the issue the likes of Arizona Muse and Abbey Lee Kershaw appear nude and features include sex tips ranging from advising women to 'Leave your heels on during sex' to 'Let him watch you masterbate'. The magazine's theme also came through in Rubik's editor's letter where she wrote, 'We aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, just make it more lubricated for an easier rise.'
But the magazine isn't all about erotica. The model has always made it clear that she aims to portray women in a strong and confident way and to do so, she decided to only collaborate with female photographers like Annie Leibovitz and Inez van Lamsweerde on the issue.'I started thinking that there are so few female photographers,' she told Oyster magazine. 'The issue is about very strong women, very ambitious; she does what she wants and she is comfortable with her sexuality.
As far as nail lacquers go, it doesn't get much better than OPI. Aside from the great colours they offer with their collaborations like their most recent one with Nicki Minaj, their own staple colours are just as good. Take their new A/W12 collection for example. The range features everything from subtle rosy nudes to shimmery red-oranges, ruby reds and rich purples, which will be perfect pick me ups when the weather gets colder.
Each bottle is £11 and for nationwide stockists called: 01923 240 010
When 'America's Next Top Model' producers confirmed all of the big fires recently, we were also told that the show was planning to get bloggers on board to help engage with social media platforms. Bryanboy was the main name circulating but any idea about him joining the show were quashed when he told Fashionista that he hadn't spoken to anyone from the show and denied being involved.
Now we know that that wasn't true as WWD confirmed that he has been on board for cycle 19. Last wee he confirmed the news on his Twitter page writing: 'Exciting with my new role on cycle 19 of America's Next Top Model'. What is still a mystery, though, is what his role on the show will be. All we do know is that he's definitely relocated to L.A. and a deal has been closed.
