Jessica Biel at the L.A. premiere of 'Total Recall'
In a recent piece for the New York Times, Cathy Horyn spoke to Karl Lagerfeld about dressing celebrities in the couture collections. As you'll recall, he made the interesting point that couture 'is not a red-carpet opportunity' and in some cases results in 'clients cancel[ing] an order after seeing their dress on a celebrity.' So with that being said, it's interesting to watch which celebrities Dior have allowed to wear Raf Simons' couture debut on the red carpet.
The latest star to get the opportunity is Jessica Biel, who follows in the footsteps of Marion Cotillard and Rachel Weisz, and the choice is interesting. All three women are major A-listers, which was no doubt was a deliberate step by the brand to avoid the types of problem Lagerfeld noted in the article.
And it's exciting. After the whole John Galliano you were hard pressed to find an A-lister wearing the ready-to-wear collection let alone couture collection on the red carpet besides their spokeswomen like Charlize Theron and Mila Kunis, so it's good to see the brand dominate and absolutely nail it on the red carpet again. And something telling me that after seeing all three actresses wear pieces from the collection, those women with pockets deep enough to pay those heavy prices will be lining up to buy them.
The general feeling about Mila Kunis' August cover of ELLE UK wasn't a positive one. Considering that the magazine has been on such a winning streak with covers lately, Kunis' miserable expression and general lack of enthusiasm let them down in what has on the whole been a good month for covers.
Sadly the same is true of her August of Interview. Like her Miss Dior ads, the cover feels easily forgettable and that's despite the fact that it was shot by Craig McDean and styled by the always impressive Karl Templer. Kunis is extremely good at what she does and is undoubtedly beautiful but for some reason that doesn't seem to translate in photos.
Most of the Fall 2012 ad campaigns are out and have been for a while but it was only last week that Christian Dior decided to release the images of their Miss Dior handbags campaign starring Mila Kunis.
The campaign, which was styled by Carine Roitfeld and shot by Mario Sorrenti, plays off her star power by portraying her as 'the kind of woman accustomed to attention from throngs of paparaazzi.'
Regular readers will know that I have desperately tried to like the brand's partnership with Kunis but even now, I'm not convinced that the pairing makes sense. As a result, it will be interesting to see whether the actress is kept on board as the face of the line for another season now Raf Simons has taken the reigns at the house.
Are you a fan or do you want to see a new face too?
When Mila Kunis was announced as the new face of Dior, I didn't quite understand what all of the fuss was about. Don't get me wrong, I've never had anything against her but she had never been an actress that I followed or was particularly interested in. I'm pleased to say that that all changed when I saw her in 'Friends with Benefits' so when I heard she would cover Elle UK's August issue, I was interested to see what they would do with her.
Sadly, though, the cover doesn't live up to the winning streak that the magazine has had this year in the cover stakes. On the subscriber's cover (above), Kunis looks completely disinterested and like she would rather be anywhere but there and while the newsstand cover is better, the accompanying spread isn't memorable.
While Mila Kunis may be the new girl on the Dior campaign rooster, stars like Marion Cotillard and Charlize Theron aren't going anywhere. Need proof? Take a look at Cotillard's latest campaign for Lady Dior handbags.
According to WWD the Peter Lindbergh-lensed campaign, which is set to hit magazines in May, was shot in the Communist Party Headquarters in Paris because the ceiling resembles the texture of their new handbag but that isn't the first time fashion folk have taken the building over. Prada have hosted a party at the venue in the past and Dries Van Noten and Thom Browne have both showed their collections there.
As we count down to tonight's Oscars, we have compiled some images of some of the best red carpet moments we've had over the last few years.
Naturally Hilary Swank's Guy Laroche dress that she wore to accept the Best Female gong for 'Million Dollar Baby' is in the list, alongside Nicole Kidman in that red Balenciaga halter neck dress that she wore in 2007 and that breathtaking Atelier Versace gown that Penelope Cruz wore back in 2007.
Nicole Riche in Julien Macdonald; Diane Agron in Giles; Emma Stone in Lanvin; Reese Witherspoon in Zac Posen; Salma Hayek in Gucci; Lea Michele in Marchesa, Debra Messing in Monique Lhullier; Mila Kunis in Dior; Sofia Vegara in Vera Wang
Aside from being a great actress and receiving critical acclaim for her performance in 'Black Swan' last year, things are looking good for Mila Kunis. Today Dior announced that the Ukraine-born star is the new face of their Miss Dior handbag range and these are the first few images of the Mikael Jansson shot ads.
"Mila Kunis is a very talented young actress; she embodies the true modern woman," Delphine Arnault, Dior's deputy general manager, explained when asked about casting the actress. "Her performance in Black Swan was remarkable. She is very gifted."
