HUDSON JEANS is launching a high-end couture collection, designed by Benjamin Taverniti. The collection, named Resurrection, is constructed by hand from recycled denim and comes with a hefty $995 price tag, compared to the non-recycled main line which retails at between $215 and $325 a pair. "We keep archives of all of our past collections going back to the start of the company," head designer Taverniti, who created bespoke pieces for French Vogue aged 19, explained. "I wanted to find a way to breathe new life into them - they are a reinterpretation of Hudson history." The Hudson Jeans campaign is fronted by the British Fashion Awards Model of the Year Georgia May Jagger for the second season - and Taverniti insists she is a perfect fit. "Her genetic DNA and our brand DNA are one and the same," Taverniti told Luxist. "Her mother Jerry Hall is American and her father Mick Jagger [is British] - and Hudson is born in California, but rooted in London. [Georgia] is also the ultimate Hudson girl - the personification of rock 'n' roll meets glamour, who embodies California freedom and British cool. She is effortlessly stylish and isn't afraid to take risks or to be herself while creating her own destiny."Couture Denim
HUDSON JEANS is launching a high-end couture collection, designed by Benjamin Taverniti. The collection, named Resurrection, is constructed by hand from recycled denim and comes with a hefty $995 price tag, compared to the non-recycled main line which retails at between $215 and $325 a pair. "We keep archives of all of our past collections going back to the start of the company," head designer Taverniti, who created bespoke pieces for French Vogue aged 19, explained. "I wanted to find a way to breathe new life into them - they are a reinterpretation of Hudson history." The Hudson Jeans campaign is fronted by the British Fashion Awards Model of the Year Georgia May Jagger for the second season - and Taverniti insists she is a perfect fit. "Her genetic DNA and our brand DNA are one and the same," Taverniti told Luxist. "Her mother Jerry Hall is American and her father Mick Jagger [is British] - and Hudson is born in California, but rooted in London. [Georgia] is also the ultimate Hudson girl - the personification of rock 'n' roll meets glamour, who embodies California freedom and British cool. She is effortlessly stylish and isn't afraid to take risks or to be herself while creating her own destiny."Couture Denim
ACTRESS Thandie Newton has been dressed by British designers including Matthew Williamsonand Jenny Packham for a photoshoot where she emulates silent movie heroine Theda Bara as Cleopatra in 1917. The pictures, taken by celebrity portraitist Lorenzo Agius, are to celebrate the launch of the 2010 Virgin Media Shorts competition - of which Newton is a judge. "The history of the short film and its early stars isn't something that's well known or documented, so to kick off this year's Virgin Media Shorts we wanted to do something that would commemorate one of the early legends like Theda Bara - she was a true, avant-garde screen heroine," Newton explained. "Her spirit and passion is in essence what I'll be looking for as a judge in this year's Virgin Media Shorts entries." The shoot was styled by British film stylist Suzie Harman who worked on Rock'n'Rolla with Newton and sees the actress pictured in outfits by British designers.Thandie And Theda
A TRIP to Singapore this week proved to be quite the productive time for Frida Giannini. The Guccicreative director had an orchid named after her, as well as revealing plans for the label to expand into childrenswear later in the year. Gucci Kids
"It was very touching and I loved the thought that the orchid will still be there a few hundred years from now," said Giannini of the honour - in which the city state, whose national flower is the orchid, names special blooms for important guests. Previous recipients have included singer Rihanna and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. "I have never experienced such an honour before.''
Giannini was in Singapore to mark the opening of the revamped Gucci flagship at the Paragon mall on Orchard Road - a new concept store emphasising the brand's luxury kudos. Patrizio di Marco, Gucci's president and chief executive said there were plans to promote Gucci as a lifestyle brand - the label will unveil a children's line in June in Italy, before worldwide in around 40 stores, WWDreports.
THE DRESS credited with turning a shy Diana Spencer in to a worldwide fashion phenomenon is set to go under the hammer. The black dress, by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, was worn by a 19-year-old Diana to her first official appearance after her engagement to Prince Charles - and earned her the tabloid nickname "Daring Di" for its low neckline and bare shoulders. "The transformation was incredible," Elizabeth Emanuel told the Daily Mail. "She arrived [to try it on] looking like the nursery school teacher she was, but now she looked like a movie star. We hadn't considered the fact that when Diana bent over - as she would have to when getting out of the car - she would show quite a lot of cleavage. We just thought she looked fabulous." Diana returned the dress to its creators to be altered after she lost weight but the Emanuels decided, due to the dramatic nature of the changes required, it would be easier to make her a new one in a smaller size and placed the original in storage. The sale will also include the oyster pink chiffon Emanuel blouse which she wore for her engagement portrait with Lord Snowdon, original designs and toiles for her bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses, the layered tulle petticoat she wore for fittings and wedding rehearsals at St Paul's Cathedral, a duplicate sequined veil and a photographic record of the making of the bridal gown. The collection ends with designs for Princess Diana's official tours to Venice 1984 and the Middle East in 1986."Daring Di"
ACTRESS Thandie Newton has been dressed by British designers including Matthew Williamsonand Jenny Packham for a photoshoot where she emulates silent movie heroine Theda Bara as Cleopatra in 1917. The pictures, taken by celebrity portraitist Lorenzo Agius, are to celebrate the launch of the 2010 Virgin Media Shorts competition - of which Newton is a judge. "The history of the short film and its early stars isn't something that's well known or documented, so to kick off this year's Virgin Media Shorts we wanted to do something that would commemorate one of the early legends like Theda Bara - she was a true, avant-garde screen heroine," Newton explained. "Her spirit and passion is in essence what I'll be looking for as a judge in this year's Virgin Media Shorts entries." The shoot was styled by British film stylist Suzie Harman who worked on Rock'n'Rolla with Newton and sees the actress pictured in outfits by British designers.Thandie And Theda
A TRIP to Singapore this week proved to be quite the productive time for Frida Giannini. The Guccicreative director had an orchid named after her, as well as revealing plans for the label to expand into childrenswear later in the year. Gucci Kids
"It was very touching and I loved the thought that the orchid will still be there a few hundred years from now," said Giannini of the honour - in which the city state, whose national flower is the orchid, names special blooms for important guests. Previous recipients have included singer Rihanna and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. "I have never experienced such an honour before.''
Giannini was in Singapore to mark the opening of the revamped Gucci flagship at the Paragon mall on Orchard Road - a new concept store emphasising the brand's luxury kudos. Patrizio di Marco, Gucci's president and chief executive said there were plans to promote Gucci as a lifestyle brand - the label will unveil a children's line in June in Italy, before worldwide in around 40 stores, WWDreports.
THE DRESS credited with turning a shy Diana Spencer in to a worldwide fashion phenomenon is set to go under the hammer. The black dress, by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, was worn by a 19-year-old Diana to her first official appearance after her engagement to Prince Charles - and earned her the tabloid nickname "Daring Di" for its low neckline and bare shoulders. "The transformation was incredible," Elizabeth Emanuel told the Daily Mail. "She arrived [to try it on] looking like the nursery school teacher she was, but now she looked like a movie star. We hadn't considered the fact that when Diana bent over - as she would have to when getting out of the car - she would show quite a lot of cleavage. We just thought she looked fabulous." Diana returned the dress to its creators to be altered after she lost weight but the Emanuels decided, due to the dramatic nature of the changes required, it would be easier to make her a new one in a smaller size and placed the original in storage. The sale will also include the oyster pink chiffon Emanuel blouse which she wore for her engagement portrait with Lord Snowdon, original designs and toiles for her bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses, the layered tulle petticoat she wore for fittings and wedding rehearsals at St Paul's Cathedral, a duplicate sequined veil and a photographic record of the making of the bridal gown. The collection ends with designs for Princess Diana's official tours to Venice 1984 and the Middle East in 1986."Daring Di"
INDIAN Vogue's latest issue is tackling colour prejudice within the country, with a cover promoting darker skinned models. Under the headline The Dawn Of Dusk five bikini-clad models, including Londoner Gia Johnson Singh, aim to dispel the prevailing belief in the sub-continent that pale skin equals beauty. "Every generation has its share of beauty myths. Perhaps it is time to bust this one," the editorial says. "Time to say that as a magazine we love, and always have loved, the gorgeous colour of Indian skin...dark, dusky, bronze, golden - whatever you call it, we love it." Fuelled by the appearance of light-skinned Bollywood stars and models, the demand for skin-whitening creams - from brands including L'Oreal and Unilever - grew 18 per cent last year and is set to increase by a predicted 25 per cent this year, theTimes reports. The Vogue cover has been praised by the country's fashion insiders for addressing the issue in a positive way. "Skin colour matters a lot for women in India," Nirupama Singh, an expert on the sociology of fashion told the Times. "Fairness is a very valuable thing here, looked on as desirable. The fashion world can be a big agent for change in this area."Dawn Of Dusk
INDIAN Vogue's latest issue is tackling colour prejudice within the country, with a cover promoting darker skinned models. Under the headline The Dawn Of Dusk five bikini-clad models, including Londoner Gia Johnson Singh, aim to dispel the prevailing belief in the sub-continent that pale skin equals beauty. "Every generation has its share of beauty myths. Perhaps it is time to bust this one," the editorial says. "Time to say that as a magazine we love, and always have loved, the gorgeous colour of Indian skin...dark, dusky, bronze, golden - whatever you call it, we love it." Fuelled by the appearance of light-skinned Bollywood stars and models, the demand for skin-whitening creams - from brands including L'Oreal and Unilever - grew 18 per cent last year and is set to increase by a predicted 25 per cent this year, theTimes reports. The Vogue cover has been praised by the country's fashion insiders for addressing the issue in a positive way. "Skin colour matters a lot for women in India," Nirupama Singh, an expert on the sociology of fashion told the Times. "Fairness is a very valuable thing here, looked on as desirable. The fashion world can be a big agent for change in this area."Dawn Of Dusk
IF a group of Seoul's best designers banded together and stormed London Fashion Week, it could prove a style moment to rival the one memorably staged by the Antwerp Six. Way back in 1988, this network of Belgian graduates from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts - which included Dries Van Noten and Anne Demeulemeester - drove to London in a rented truck and became "immediate darlings of the fashion world" upon displaying their collections at the British design Show. Meanwhile, Seoul Fashion Week - a week-long event of catwalk shows which was recently staged in the Republic of Korea's capital - revealed that there is ample talent for a second coming. In all, 76 designers - including General Idea, Lie Sang Bongand Nosungun - unveiled their work. This overwhelming number meant it was impossible to see everything, while the at-times amateur catwalk theatrics - such as models dramatically smoking cigarettes (Seoul's public places are not yet smoke free zones), and the somnambulant pace of some shows - made sartorial excellence instantly recognisable. The best clothes at Seoul Fashion Week reflected the feel of this emerging city. They were as luxuriant and meticulously tailored as the latest architecturally masterminded sky scrapers and mammoth luxury boutiques which line its bustling, traffic-clogged thoroughfares. And while the leaders of Seoul's fashion pack did not display startling originality, their work at once evoked an affinity to fashion-forward western dress modes and a distinct eastern flair, which should make it commercially viable on an international scale (see the shows here). Seoul, it seems, is forging its own fashion identity and witnessing the process proved exciting.Seoul Searching
IF a group of Seoul's best designers banded together and stormed London Fashion Week, it could prove a style moment to rival the one memorably staged by the Antwerp Six. Way back in 1988, this network of Belgian graduates from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts - which included Dries Van Noten and Anne Demeulemeester - drove to London in a rented truck and became "immediate darlings of the fashion world" upon displaying their collections at the British design Show. Meanwhile, Seoul Fashion Week - a week-long event of catwalk shows which was recently staged in the Republic of Korea's capital - revealed that there is ample talent for a second coming. In all, 76 designers - including General Idea, Lie Sang Bongand Nosungun - unveiled their work. This overwhelming number meant it was impossible to see everything, while the at-times amateur catwalk theatrics - such as models dramatically smoking cigarettes (Seoul's public places are not yet smoke free zones), and the somnambulant pace of some shows - made sartorial excellence instantly recognisable. The best clothes at Seoul Fashion Week reflected the feel of this emerging city. They were as luxuriant and meticulously tailored as the latest architecturally masterminded sky scrapers and mammoth luxury boutiques which line its bustling, traffic-clogged thoroughfares. And while the leaders of Seoul's fashion pack did not display startling originality, their work at once evoked an affinity to fashion-forward western dress modes and a distinct eastern flair, which should make it commercially viable on an international scale (see the shows here). Seoul, it seems, is forging its own fashion identity and witnessing the process proved exciting.Seoul Searching
PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND are sticking with last season's cover girl Tilda Swinton for autumn/winter. The actress was photographed alongside fellow Scot, and Turner prize winner, Douglas Gordon, both wearing pieces from the Pringle menswear collection. The campaign was again shot by photographer Ryan McGinley, in an abandoned oyster bay in Loch Fyne, and art directed by Neville Wakefield. "There were really two moods that I felt strongly about for this campaign," Pringle creative director Clare Waight Keller told VOGUE.COM "The first was to use the Scottish landscape in quite a surreal way, where Ryan's spectacular lighting, especially in the night photography, really captured the haunting beauty of Tilda and her surroundings and the uniqueness of Douglas Gordon in a truly stunning combination." "The second was a slightly more boyish, 'bovver boy' feel, a bit more casual, hanging out at the back of a bike shed," Waight Keller explained. "One of my favourite images is of Tilda in a beautiful mohair menswear suit, very Bowie-esque with a shock of red hair. The combined photographic talent of Ryan's dramatic composition and light and Tilda's luminous beauty have really distilled the blend of modern Scotland and the iconic elements of the autumn/winter collection in perfect harmony."Swinton Returns
PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND are sticking with last season's cover girl Tilda Swinton for autumn/winter. The actress was photographed alongside fellow Scot, and Turner prize winner, Douglas Gordon, both wearing pieces from the Pringle menswear collection. The campaign was again shot by photographer Ryan McGinley, in an abandoned oyster bay in Loch Fyne, and art directed by Neville Wakefield. "There were really two moods that I felt strongly about for this campaign," Pringle creative director Clare Waight Keller told VOGUE.COM "The first was to use the Scottish landscape in quite a surreal way, where Ryan's spectacular lighting, especially in the night photography, really captured the haunting beauty of Tilda and her surroundings and the uniqueness of Douglas Gordon in a truly stunning combination." "The second was a slightly more boyish, 'bovver boy' feel, a bit more casual, hanging out at the back of a bike shed," Waight Keller explained. "One of my favourite images is of Tilda in a beautiful mohair menswear suit, very Bowie-esque with a shock of red hair. The combined photographic talent of Ryan's dramatic composition and light and Tilda's luminous beauty have really distilled the blend of modern Scotland and the iconic elements of the autumn/winter collection in perfect harmony."Swinton Returns
LEONA LEWIS is set to play a part in the new Sex And The City film but, unlike fellow songstress Jennifer Hudson, it is only her voice that will be making an appearance. Lewis has recorded a duet with Hudson, who played Carrie's assistant Louise in the first film - and the song is reportedly set to become the sequel's main theme. "They each have incredible voices and will appeal to both the UK and the US," a source told the Sun. "It's perfect for the next SATC film." Lewis also recorded the Avatar theme song I See You and her single Happy appeared on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film Precious.Brit In The City
LEONA LEWIS is set to play a part in the new Sex And The City film but, unlike fellow songstress Jennifer Hudson, it is only her voice that will be making an appearance. Lewis has recorded a duet with Hudson, who played Carrie's assistant Louise in the first film - and the song is reportedly set to become the sequel's main theme. "They each have incredible voices and will appeal to both the UK and the US," a source told the Sun. "It's perfect for the next SATC film." Lewis also recorded the Avatar theme song I See You and her single Happy appeared on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film Precious.Brit In The City