What's not to love about Beth Ditto. As Katie Grand put it, she has become the 'accidental size hero for the size zero' and 'a generational icon, confounding the tedious stereotypes of what it is to be a wonderful 21st-century woman.' It's this, and her confidence to experiment with make-up, that makes her partnership with MAC so exciting.
The first image from the campaign dropped back in January and now the images from the polka-dot themed collection are finally being revealed ahead of the big launch on June 7.
'I am a child of the 80s. When I was about five years old MTV was made illegal in my hometown, so it felt like I was stuck on a deserted island with both Cyndi Lauper and Boy George's music,' she revealed in a statement. 'They didn't want you to pay attention only to their music or make-up - they wanted you to pay attention to both!' Naturally, then, make-up has always been something that Ditto's been interested in and the short video she cites the likes of Peggy Moffitt and Grace Jones for inspiring her.
Carine Roitfeld has been a long time collaborator and supporter of amfAR and this year she's working on a special project with me. Despite having several different ventures on the go like her upcoming MAC make-up line, new magazine and of course, being a new grand mother, Roitfeld will stage the gala's first fashion show.
The event, which takes place each year during the Cannes Film Festival to benefit the fight against AIDS, has always been known for delivering great red carpet looks so it makes sense that fashion will take such a prominent role. The idea behind the show is the 'perfect black wardrobe' and according to WWD, everyone from Christopher Kane and Alexander Wang to Givenchy and Louis Vuitton are involved.
Gwen Stefani will be returning to Milk Studios for her A/W10 L.A.M.B. show (she's also hosting a cocktail party), and she's not the only designer who's skipping the tents at Bryant Park for a new atmosphere. The MAC & Milkscheme was launched just last season to provide designers with a free show space, compared to the $25,000 minimum at New York Fashion Week's main location, and has since become the cool spot for labels both new and established.
This season, MAC & Milk will host 32 shows and presentations, compared to 25 last year, and has nabbed a few of the fashion-week calendar's big steals: McQ by Alexander McQueen, Richard Chaimenswear and Patrik Ervell, for example. Jeremy Scott, who previously showed in Paris and London, is moving his show to the 15th Street location, and Jeremy Laing will also show there.
Besides having a strong roster, there are the perks to think about. Ryan Gosling's band, Dead Man's Bones, will perform at a party for newcomer LnA, and Surf Lodge chef Sam Talbot is debuting a new menu from Thursday to Sunday. And for those not lucky enough to see shows for Vena Cava, Band of Outsiders or Threeasfour next month, there's always a chance to the backstage products used at the shows on the MAC site from Feb. 2 to 22.
