The CFDA Awards are less than a week away and now the confirmations of those involved are coming in thick and fast. While we already know who some of the awards are going to - Johnny Depp is receiving the style icon award and the media award is going to Garance Dore and Scott Schuman - this years presenters have remained under wraps until now.
According to WWD, Jessica Chastain will present the women's wear award to Marc Jacobs, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for The Row or Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler. The menswear award will be presented to either Billy Reid, Simon Spurr or Patrik Ervell by Matt Bomer and Jessica Paré will present for accessories.
On a different note, who else has a feeling that Kim Kardashian will attend this year's event to make a point after Met Gala-gate?
Topshop have been really busy. Last week they confirmed that they have partnered up with Louise Gray an a capsule collection and make-up range and recently they announced that they are teaming up with Richard Nicoll on a bridal collection. Buying your wedding dress from Topshop might seem strange on first thought but considering that the prices are accessible, it's undoubtedly going to do well and today, the first images of the collection dropped.
The range, which is priced from £75 to £350, features everything from simple slip dresses to a lace-bodiced gown. Unlike everything else in store though, these pieces will be limited edition with only 50 being produced in each colour way, which will go a long way in avoiding having just about everyone else having the same wedding dress as you.
Last month British Vogue had Kate Moss on the cover but for July they've opted for Rachel Weisz. While the actress isn't someone that I particularly follow, she does seem like the perfect choice to cover their annual 'Ageless Style' July issue. After all, the 42 year-old always looks chic and age appropriate without being boring and looks effortless while doing so.
On the cover she appears wearing a cashmere Celine knitand was photographed by long-time Vogue collaborator, Alasdair McLellan. If Weisz isn't of interest then Miranda Kerr's 'Surfer style in Sydney' piece might be of interest and if her latest magazine appearances are anything to go by, it should be good.
Will you buy the issue when it hits newsstands on June 4?
Yesterday I wrote about the PPR group working on an e-commerce venture with Yoox SpA and now it looks like other big luxury brands are also embracing innovative online platforms. Last week the New York Times noticed that within 24 hours of images of the Oscar de la Renta resort show being placed on TheFancy.com, a green and white sequin silk baseball-style sweater had 500 people endorse it. While that may not sound impressive, the fact that the site had received several advance orders for the sweater, which is priced at $2,490 might get your attention.
'Selling five of those baseball tees is not going to change our lives,' Alex Bolen, chief executive of Oscar de la Renta said, 'but I have got to say, I was surprised.' For me, the news doesn't come as a surprise. Recent research has unearthed the reality that these new social media platforms are having a serious impact on sales beyond simply redirecting traffic. Take Pinterest for example. Despite being the newbie on the scene, results released last week shows that people are 10% more likely to purchase something they see on the platform.
Recently all of the international editions of Vogue agreed to dedicate their June issues to health and aside from Vogue Germany, the results have been really good. Now all of the issues are out, one of the most interesting things that instantly stands out is the choice of models. Rather than opting for the ultra thin girls that are dominating at the moment, Vogue Paris chose Gisele for the cover and big editorial, Vogue Spain shot Hilary Rhoda and Vogue China booked Doutzen Kroes. While the girls are far from being representative of the average woman, their bodies are undoubtedly healthy and a better option from the types of girls these magazines typically shoot. Ironically, Kroes' editorial was aptly named, 'A Big Splash' too.
The majority of the editorials showcase summer swimwear, which instantly makes you think. Was the choice of models simply the result of trying to showcase the pieces in the best light or should we see it as a step in the right direction as far as the representation of a healthier body image goes. Even if is a positive step, there will be many that will argue that the commitment to health in the June issue is a one-off, rather than reflecting what we can expect to see in future. Since the July issues haven't all dropped on newsstands, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Recently I reported that Angelina Jolie is working on a jewellery collection with Robert Procop and now, the images of the small collection are out and feature emerald and citrine pieces mounted in gold. Like their 2010 partnership, the collection is completely for charity. 'We're designing things she would wear, that she really truly loves,' Procop told the New York Times, 'then we sell them and give 100 percent to charity.'
All of the prceeds will go to the actress' charitable foundation, which has already paid for a girls school to be built in Afghanistan and as of September, you'll be able to buy pieces from the collection and support the cause. Rather than being sold by private appointment, the Style by Jolie collection will be available for the first time in select boutiques in China, Turkey, Russia and the U.S. by September.
At the Vogue Festival Christopher Bailey kept quiet about the Burberry's upcoming Fall 2012 campaign line-up but this morning these images from the campaign hit my inbox.
For A/W12, Bailey's changed the line-up so gone are Cara Delevigne and Eddie Redmayne and instead, Gabriella Wilde and Roo Panes take their place. Just in case the names don't ring a bell, you might recognise Wilde for her acting roles in Doctor Who and St Trinians and anyone that follows Burberry music will recognise Panes as the man behind the song, 'I'll Move Mountains.'
The campaign is really different to what we've seen from them in the past. The usual polished studio backdrop was replaced with misty cinematic shots of the streets at the Greenwich University campus at night taking you back to a London of old of sorts. 'We wanted to play with everything that's at the heart of the Burberry world - celebrating our brand and London through imagery, film, music, weather and iconic outerwear, all in a very poetic and British way,' Bailey said in a statement.
The full campaign will be revealed online on June 1 but are you a fan of what you see so far?
I ended up scrapbooking with Karl [Lagerfeld]! We were discussing Art Deco painters, and suddenly he started ripping things out of books in his library and sticking things together with Pritt Stick glue.
