When I posted this image of the new Saint Laurent Paris logo on Twitter a week or so ago, the response wasn't good and the same is true of the commnts the brand received after posting the image on Facebook. 'Where's the iconography? This is not iconic,' one fan said, while another criticised the new look for looking like high street store Zara's.
All of them, Dior and Hedi at Saint Laurent, are friends of mine, so I think it’s a very good thing... Paris needs some new things, some stimulation... It’s good for everybody. Competition is a healthy thing in life, especially in this business. I love the idea. I think it’s interesting and it’s important. Something fresh was needed.
Whether you're a fan of their collections or not, there's no disputing that G-Star deliver as far as their campaigns are concerned. Last season was the first time that I really sat up and noticed them after Clémence Poésy nailed it in their S/S12 ads. If you liked that one, you'll be happy to see their A/W12 campaign.
This season the brand opted for Arizona Muse, who was unveiled as their new face yesterday at the Butter tradeshow in Berlin. In the campaign, Muse appears alongside American actor Caleb Landry Jones shot by Anton Corbijn, who is the man behind Poésy's campaign too.
Over the last few seasons Muse has been everywhere. Much like Lara Stone, the continued interest in her has, at times, reached overkill proportions. The fact, then, that she's had a fairly quiet campaign season for A/W12 makes this one feel special.
Last night the CFDA Awards, the Oscars of the fashion world, took place and in New York at Alice Tully Hall and the winners are in. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen took away the big womenswear designer of the year award for The Row, Joseph Altuzarra won the Swarovski Award for womenswear and Phillip Lim for menswear and Tommy Hilfiger was awarded the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.
Simon Spurr didn't end up winning the menswear designer of the year award, which was just as well considering all of the controversy surrounding his departure from his namesake line.
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.
Just about every major designer and model has descended on New York last night ahead of the Met Gala on Monday but ahead of the event, Balmain's Olivier Rousteing threw a big party last night at Chelsea's Hotel Americano. At the event the designer spoke about the launch of the brand's new Twitter and Facebook accounts that became live this week, revealing that he plans to get in on the Twitter action himself. 'It's a good way to understand what [customers[ feel about the collection, about the clothes and they can see the details, and they can be more a part of my soul,' he told The Cut at the event. 'I hope they will 'like us' and enjoy what we enjoyed to create.'
Aside from that, what was more interesting was his revelation that Joan Smalls is his guest at Monday's event. The partnership definitely works. Smalls looks good in everything but it will be interesting to see how she looks in a piece that showcases the new direction that the young designer is taking the brand.
That wasn't the only Met Gala confirmation from last night. Karlie Kloss will accompany Jason Wu, Anja Rubik is going with Anthony Vaccarello and Constance Jablonski will attend with Haider Ackermann. New in today is that Arizona Muse is teaming up with Erdem, Thakoon with Christina Ricci and Doutzen Kroes with Roland Mouret. The most interesting confirmation is that Karolina Kurkova will attend with Rachel Zoe, cementing her as a designer to be reckoned with.
See images from the Balmain party in the slideshow.
Yesterday was a busy night in New York. As well as the Time 100 party, the city also played host to the Chanel Artist Dinner during the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival at the Odeon. All of the names you would expect were there like Camilla Belle, Leigh Lezark and models Arizona Muse and Karlie Kloss. Even Julia Restoin-Roitfeld made an appearance showing her ever growing baby bump
US Vogue's May cover starring Scarlett Johansson was a bit of a disappointment considering the strong run they have been on with their covers recently. Aside from the beautiful Grace Coddington-styled shoot with Natalia Vodinaova, the inside of the magazine follows in the same vein as the cover.
Following on from the industry's current penchant with cats (even SHOWstudio's recent Instagram shoot had them) Arizona Muse appears in the magazine with a black and white cat in the editorial called 'Cat's Meow'. The shoot, styled by the magazine's contributing editor Elissa Santisi, isn't the strongest they've released recently and the addition of the cat doesn't seem to add anything. More importantly, though, what do you make of Muse's hair?
Walking in the show and appearing in campaigns is good but you know a model has made it when them bag that big beauty deal. Last month we confirmed that Natasha Poly finally bagged hers with L'Oreal and now Arizona Muse is getting in on the action too and has just been named the new spokesperson at Estée Lauder.
Since Anna Wintour tipped the 23 year-old as 'the breakout star at the Spring 2011 shows' in her February 2011 editor's letter, her career has gone from strength to strength. Along with the likes of Karlie Kloss and Joan Smalls, Muse is dominating the modelling scene. 'Arizona is a true beauty and a great complement to our other spokespeople,” Aerin Lauder, style and image director for the Estée Lauder brand, told the WWD. “She is perfect for the brand — she is warm, elegant and personable. She can represent skin care, fragrance and makeup equally well. She is truly a modern Estée Lauder woman.”
Last year was definitely the year of Arizona Muse. It's hard to think of a magazine that did not have the 23 year-old model's face in one issue or another and for the S/S12 campaign season, she seriously swept up. 2012 is already starting off strong for the model as British Vogue has just released this image of her on the cover of their Patrick Demarchelier-shot February 2012 issue.
While it's refreshing to see a smiley face, the cover doesn't strike a chord with me. The magazine has been so strong with coves in the past from their beautiful close-up shot of Adele to their most recent Charlie's Angels-style Florence Welchcover so in comparison, this feels slightly disappointing.The Prada dress, which has been doing the rounds recently, fails to detract from the earrings that have an uncanny resemblance to something Pat Butcher would have worn in Eastenders.
Gruner on left, Kampman on right. Image via The Cut
It's officially that time of year where all of our attention turns to which model will appear in each brand's S/S12 campaign. We already know that Freja Beha Erichsen has been replaced at Chanel by Joan Smalls and Saskia de Brauw; Arizona Muse will front the Fendi campaign and will also front Chloé ad along with Freja and this week more confirmations have been released.
This week Bryan Boy released the first image of Prada's S/S12 campaign starring Belgian model Elise Crombez shot by Steven Meisel and Balenciaga confirmined that unknown Dutch model Laura Kampmanwill join their current face, Juliane Gruner, this season.
Take a look at all of the S/S12 campaigns that have already dropped in our gallery. Which is your favourite?
