It's only a few months before Pitti W and Pitti Uomo take place, and organisers got us excited when they announced this year's guest designers yesterday. Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte will design for the former, and expect Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders for the latter.
“Rodarte and Band of Outsiders are two very different design talents,” Lapo Cianchi, the director of communication and events at Pitti Immagine, said. “But they both connect us to the mythology of Western America: Los Angeles, where all three designers live and work; film, which they are obviously interested in; and the expanses of the interstate highway that runs through California or heads into the desert of Nevada. The European curiosity about California culture and the landscape played an important role in Pitti’s decision to invite both designers to Florence at the same time.”
All three designers have released statements about the news. "Italy has always captured our imaginations and inspired us artistically," the Rodarte sister explained, "so we look forward to having the opportunity to share our vision there." Sternberg agreed: "Italy is a second home to me, where I've produced our collections for the last three years. Being invited by Pitti is such an honor."
Kirsten Dunst seems to be having a comeback. We've seen a lot of her lately, paricularly at the couture shows, and this week Band of Outsiders released their S/S11 lookbook featuring the actress. But that's not all.
Yesterday, news broke that Dunst has secured a deal with Bulgari, and from April, she'll front the campaign for their new fragrance, Mon Jasmin Noir. Thus far, no details have been released about what we can expect from the scent.
If you find you don't have the time to pour over the latest catwalk shows, spotting the biggest trends for Fall 2010 - don't panic. We've attended the fashion shows and designer presentations, spent hours obsessing over runway shots and videos to bring you our pick of the bunch, our Fall Favourites. Need to know this season's hottest colours, materials, looks? We have it covered. Look no further than our six chosen trends: grey, leather, military, neutrals, shearling and velvet.
As the Wall Street Journal quite rightly points out, Band of Outsiders - the label created by Scott Sternberg after he left his job as a talent agent at Creative Arts Agency - isn't that unusual in comparison with other men's collections available, but there is just something about it that makes it worthy of its somewhat pricey place in the market. Sternberg's women's range, Boy, which he launched in 2007 follows suit to Band of Outsiders, with a price to match - and so it could be asked what the key to the L.A. designer's success really is.
The answer, it seems, is right there in the description - Sternberg credits his residence in Los Angeles as opposed to New York for two successful collections, even for his CFDA award for Best Menswear Designer of the Year 2009, despite having little design experience under his belt. "If I was here in New York in this mix influenced by the same thing all these people are influenced by, the edge would be gone," he told the Wall Street Journal, "this L.A. bubble is vital to being able to do something that is not informed by fashion." Aiming to expand his L.A. influenced brand into a fashion empire, it seems Sternberg isn't doing too badly, with the menswear range currently sitting in Barney's, New York with labels like Gucci, Lanvin, Thom Browne and Bottega Veneta as its neighbours.
There is no doubt that since MAC burst onto the makeup scene back in 1984, they have made a dramatically credible impact on the fashion industry. Not only do they provide high quality makeup to the very best artists for shows and shoots, their professional advice can be accessed through their stand alone stores, along with their expert products. As if offering us the best cosmetics, industry secrets and the artists to teach us how to emulate the latest beauty trends is not enough, MAC produce striking limited edition collections - with collaborators ranging from Zandra Rhodes, to Hello Kitty, to Dame Edna Everage - and even feed further back into the industry with their proactive involvement in both London and New York Fashion Weeks, to name a few. Could we ask much more of a makeup brand? We think not, as we take a look back at their involvement in the Spring Summer 2010 collections...
He's known for creating look books with no hair, make-up or lights on nothing more than a simple Polaroid camera. Can't guess who I'm talking about? Only Scott Sternberg of Boy by Band of Outsiders, of course.
In previous lookbooks, he's shot everyone from Sarah Silverman to, more recently, Kirsten Dunst. For Fall, Marisa Tomei is the woman of choice and was shot last Thursday at the Chateau Marmont and Bar Marmont, according to Fashionologie.
