Daria Does “Gypset”



If you haven’t been living down under, you may not recognize the name Oroton, the Aussie label that’s been going strong since 1938. But that may change soon, thanks to a very recognizable face: Daria Werbowy. The brand has signed Daria to front its Spring ‘10 campaign, inspired by the jet-setting, boho lifestyle—a.k.a. the “gypset.” Personally, we’d say the glamorous Werbowy’s more jet than gyp, but we imagine the super’s diehard fans will be too smitten with her new shots to care.

Read more...

Daria Does “Gypset”



If you haven’t been living down under, you may not recognize the name Oroton, the Aussie label that’s been going strong since 1938. But that may change soon, thanks to a very recognizable face: Daria Werbowy. The brand has signed Daria to front its Spring ‘10 campaign, inspired by the jet-setting, boho lifestyle—a.k.a. the “gypset.” Personally, we’d say the glamorous Werbowy’s more jet than gyp, but we imagine the super’s diehard fans will be too smitten with her new shots to care.

Read more...

Jack And Lazaro, Live Now On SHOWstudio

Starting at 11:45 a.m. (EST), SHOWstudio is live-streaming its latest “In Fashion” interview, with Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler. Is your boss standing behind you? If not, head here to tune in. (The nice part about our job? We’re tuning in because our boss is standing behind us!)

Read more...

Fresh From The Feed

Style.com’s Fashion Feed brings you the best of the news around the Web and on Twitter, and ranks the most-discussed designers, labels, models, and celebrities. In our weekly series, we call out the top five designers of the previous week (with our handy gloss on the hows and whys).

1. Karl Lagerfeld (pictured; last week: N/A)
Couture week might as well be called Kouture week—K for Karl,klar. Lagerfeld showed a strong collection in its own right, but the Kaiser knows that a little showmanship never hurts: hence the giant golden lion and the timely release of Shopping Fever, a short film for pre-fall starring Abbey Lee, Dree Hemingway, and Baptiste Giabiconi.

2. Victoria Beckham (last week: 1)
The unofficial WAG-in-chief hasn’t slowed her roll during the World Cup. She’s hitting parties (like Net-a-Porter’s tenth anniversary fête in London) and making quotable pronouncements (like “I am a gay man in a woman’s body,” apropos of Lady Gaga fandom).

3. Elie Saab (last week: N/A)
Red-carpet favorite Saab showed a lovely collection at Couture, but his models did get a lot of the press attention—for falling on his slipper runway.

4. Alexander Wang (last week: 3)
From shoppers panting over covetable accessories to DIY-ing his trend-cementing styling touches like the side braid, Alexander Wang kept the blog buzz going strong again this week.

5. Giorgio Armani (last week: N/A)
It was a good week for Mr. Armani last week. In addition to his own Couture show, Armani boasted a high-profile bride—one Miss Megan Fox, heard of her?—who wore Armani Privé to her wedding, and double-digit growth in China for the first quarter of 2010.

Read more...

Jack And Lazaro, Live Now On SHOWstudio

Starting at 11:45 a.m. (EST), SHOWstudio is live-streaming its latest “In Fashion” interview, with Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler. Is your boss standing behind you? If not, head here to tune in. (The nice part about our job? We’re tuning in because our boss is standing behind us!)

Read more...

Fresh From The Feed

Style.com’s Fashion Feed brings you the best of the news around the Web and on Twitter, and ranks the most-discussed designers, labels, models, and celebrities. In our weekly series, we call out the top five designers of the previous week (with our handy gloss on the hows and whys).

1. Karl Lagerfeld (pictured; last week: N/A)
Couture week might as well be called Kouture week—K for Karl,klar. Lagerfeld showed a strong collection in its own right, but the Kaiser knows that a little showmanship never hurts: hence the giant golden lion and the timely release of Shopping Fever, a short film for pre-fall starring Abbey Lee, Dree Hemingway, and Baptiste Giabiconi.

2. Victoria Beckham (last week: 1)
The unofficial WAG-in-chief hasn’t slowed her roll during the World Cup. She’s hitting parties (like Net-a-Porter’s tenth anniversary fête in London) and making quotable pronouncements (like “I am a gay man in a woman’s body,” apropos of Lady Gaga fandom).

3. Elie Saab (last week: N/A)
Red-carpet favorite Saab showed a lovely collection at Couture, but his models did get a lot of the press attention—for falling on his slipper runway.

4. Alexander Wang (last week: 3)
From shoppers panting over covetable accessories to DIY-ing his trend-cementing styling touches like the side braid, Alexander Wang kept the blog buzz going strong again this week.

5. Giorgio Armani (last week: N/A)
It was a good week for Mr. Armani last week. In addition to his own Couture show, Armani boasted a high-profile bride—one Miss Megan Fox, heard of her?—who wore Armani Privé to her wedding, and double-digit growth in China for the first quarter of 2010.

Read more...

Eres Shuts Its Doors, Jason Adds Accessories, Inez Sounds Off, And More…

Lingerie lovers: Run, don’t walk, to Eres stores. The Chanel-owned brand has announced it will shut its standalone retail spaces in the U.S. by August. But don’t worry too much—the line (pictured, left, with Chanel in the Karl Lagerfeld-shot co-branded campaign) will still be available in the U.S. at forthcoming shop-in-shops. [WWD]

Meanwhile, Lacoste is going deeper into the U.S. market. Its new, younger-skewing Lacoste Live brand will bow first with a shop in Soho, before rolling out internationally. [WWD]

Tantalizing: Jason Wu is adding accessories to his eponymous collection. He’s already dipped a toe into the water with a range of sunglasses. [Vogue U.K.]

Inez van Lamsweerde on retouching: “We have all become avatars.” Someone alert James Cameron! [The Guardian viaFashionologie]

And the most adorable video you’ll see this week: Spanish goalie, team captain, and newly crowned World Cup winner Iker Casillas conducts an on-air interview of sorts with his broadcaster girlfriend, Sara Carbonero. Adrien Brody and Halle Berry have got nothing on these two. [Gawker]

Read more...

More Madge For Dolce & Gabbana


Now running in a magazine near you: More of the new Fall ‘10 ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana, starring that famous friend of the brand, Madonna. In these latest Steven Klein-shot images, a Dolce-clad Madonna squires around a handsome younger gentleman. She’s obviously called upon all the acting tools at her disposal to sell that one.

Read more...

Eres Shuts Its Doors, Jason Adds Accessories, Inez Sounds Off, And More…

Lingerie lovers: Run, don’t walk, to Eres stores. The Chanel-owned brand has announced it will shut its standalone retail spaces in the U.S. by August. But don’t worry too much—the line (pictured, left, with Chanel in the Karl Lagerfeld-shot co-branded campaign) will still be available in the U.S. at forthcoming shop-in-shops. [WWD]

Meanwhile, Lacoste is going deeper into the U.S. market. Its new, younger-skewing Lacoste Live brand will bow first with a shop in Soho, before rolling out internationally. [WWD]

Tantalizing: Jason Wu is adding accessories to his eponymous collection. He’s already dipped a toe into the water with a range of sunglasses. [Vogue U.K.]

Inez van Lamsweerde on retouching: “We have all become avatars.” Someone alert James Cameron! [The Guardian viaFashionologie]

And the most adorable video you’ll see this week: Spanish goalie, team captain, and newly crowned World Cup winner Iker Casillas conducts an on-air interview of sorts with his broadcaster girlfriend, Sara Carbonero. Adrien Brody and Halle Berry have got nothing on these two. [Gawker]

Read more...

More Madge For Dolce & Gabbana


Now running in a magazine near you: More of the new Fall ‘10 ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana, starring that famous friend of the brand, Madonna. In these latest Steven Klein-shot images, a Dolce-clad Madonna squires around a handsome younger gentleman. She’s obviously called upon all the acting tools at her disposal to sell that one.

Read more...

Erkan Coruh Is Who Is On Next

Three new names to know: Erkan Coruh, Jerome C. Rousseau, and Claudio Montias. The trio of designers—Coruh for ready-to-wear and Rousseau and Montias for accessories—were just named winners ofVogue Italia’s annual Who Is On Next awards. The victors were announced at Rome’s AltaRomaAltaModa haute couture week, which just kicked off in the Italian capital.

Coruh’s Spring collection, Radical Beauty, took the top prize. Inspired by the work of Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, it charts, in the Turkish designer’s words, the “dramatic journey from the rigid world of Islam to a vision of feminine beauty.” (In practice, that means everything from head-covering tops paired with mini bustle skirts to a patchwork dress fashioned from raw-edged chamois suede—all made in Italy, one of the contest’s prerequisites. A look from his Fall collection, The Women of Allah, is pictured, left.)

The Canadian footwear designer Jerome C. Rousseau and the Argentine footwear designer Claudio Montias shared the second prize. Rousseau said he was inspired by “glam and disco” for his winning collection; he honed his shoe skills working for Matthew Williamson (who knows a thing or two about both), before launching his own brand in London in 2008. (He now sells to Barneys, Dover Street Market, and Harvey Nichols.)

Winning comes with a plum reward—a slot on September’s show calendar at Milan fashion week and a shoot with one of Vogue Italia’s star photographers. Last year’s winner, ready-to-wear designer Marco de Vincenzo, says the prize made “all the difference” for his fledgling business. His namesake collection now sells to 26 stores worldwide, and in September, his slinky dresses will be available at Paris’ Colette.


Read more...

Erkan Coruh Is Who Is On Next

Three new names to know: Erkan Coruh, Jerome C. Rousseau, and Claudio Montias. The trio of designers—Coruh for ready-to-wear and Rousseau and Montias for accessories—were just named winners ofVogue Italia’s annual Who Is On Next awards. The victors were announced at Rome’s AltaRomaAltaModa haute couture week, which just kicked off in the Italian capital.

Coruh’s Spring collection, Radical Beauty, took the top prize. Inspired by the work of Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, it charts, in the Turkish designer’s words, the “dramatic journey from the rigid world of Islam to a vision of feminine beauty.” (In practice, that means everything from head-covering tops paired with mini bustle skirts to a patchwork dress fashioned from raw-edged chamois suede—all made in Italy, one of the contest’s prerequisites. A look from his Fall collection, The Women of Allah, is pictured, left.)

The Canadian footwear designer Jerome C. Rousseau and the Argentine footwear designer Claudio Montias shared the second prize. Rousseau said he was inspired by “glam and disco” for his winning collection; he honed his shoe skills working for Matthew Williamson (who knows a thing or two about both), before launching his own brand in London in 2008. (He now sells to Barneys, Dover Street Market, and Harvey Nichols.)

Winning comes with a plum reward—a slot on September’s show calendar at Milan fashion week and a shoot with one of Vogue Italia’s star photographers. Last year’s winner, ready-to-wear designer Marco de Vincenzo, says the prize made “all the difference” for his fledgling business. His namesake collection now sells to 26 stores worldwide, and in September, his slinky dresses will be available at Paris’ Colette.


Read more...

Can Tomas Maier Bring A Dose Of Bottega Calm To The Hectic World Wide Web?


For the relaunch of Bottega Veneta’s Web site and online shop, creative director Tomas Maier wanted to establish more than a URL; he wanted to bring a dose of Bottega’s understated calm and rich luxury online. Those are two qualities not always associated with the World Wide Web, but Maier has brought good company to help: The new site launches alongside the new Fall 2010 ad campaign shot by Robert Longo. The American photographer is the latest art-world heavy to work with BV, following Sam Taylor-Wood, Stephen Shore, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, and, most recently, Nan Goldin; one of the aims of the label’s site is to archive its collaborations (and, with exclusive video content like the Longo video below, to give viewers a peek behind the scenes of those collabs’ creation). Here, Maier tells Style.com about loving Longo and the tricky business of taking intrecciatoonline.

What was the concept behind the relaunched Bottega Veneta Web site? Did you have specific goals in terms of telling the brand story?
The brand has grown significantly in the past few years, and we want our digital presence to keep up with that growth. An important part of Bottega Veneta’s identity is contemporary functionality. To me, that means we need to reach and service our customers where they are most comfortable. For many people, that’s online.

The strengths of e-commerce are pretty obvious, at this point—convenience, in particular, and anonymity and breadth of selection, for example. But these aren’t necessarily the values I associate with a “luxury” experience. Did you struggle with that?
It was important to me that we showcase the visual impact of the product, highlight the amazing and intricate craftsmanship that makes a Bottega Veneta bag or necklace or dress so unique. So, every product can be viewed fullscreen in multiple views. I was also concerned with evoking a sense of luxury and calm—two qualities you rarely find on the Web. The design of the site achieves this through a rich, organic-looking palette that is very Bottega Veneta, as well as in tools that appear and disappear unobtrusively. Finally, there is the ease of the site. When you come to a Bottega Veneta store, you feel cared for. When you visit our Web site, we do everything in our power to make you feel welcome, comfortable, and looked after. You know, one thing we have always tried to do when designing our stores is convey the brand sensibility while respecting the environment in which we operate. If we open in a historic building, we design a store that respects the architecture of the building. The same is true of the Web site. We worked to understand how our brand could best work on the Web.

One aspect of shopping online, and it’s an insurmountable issue, is that you can’t actually touch the merchandise. How are you getting around that? Are there e-ways to encourage a visceral connection between consumer and product?
In addition to the product itself, which is the heart of Bottega Veneta’s brand identity, there is content that tells the stories behind our products. We have a series called “Hand of the Artisan,” which has video and pictures detailing the making of each type of product, for example. And there’s also the “Art of Collaboration” series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the ad campaigns we create with an incredible roster of art photographers, as well as videos about other interesting partnerships in which we are involved. Creative collaboration is central to Bottega Veneta’s mission, and this section of the Web site functions like an art gallery of our most compelling projects.

Speaking of collaborating… As you say, you’ve sought out a number of fine art photographers to shoot the Bottega Veneta campaigns. Why? What does Nan Goldin bring to the Spring ‘10 campaign, for instance, that you wouldn’t have gotten out of Respected Fashion Photographer X?
Well, Nan’s work is intensely personal, with a sincere and unusual focus on the individual. I also admire the formal beauty of her work, the distinctive sense of color and composition she brings to a photograph without ever seeming to impose her aesthetic on her subject.

The Fall ‘10 campaign was shot by Robert Longo. What made him the right photographer this time?
This collection, with its dark palette and emphasis on line and movement, seemed well suited to his graphic approach. Also, this is the first time we are doing separate advertising for the men’s and women’s collections, and I thought Robert would be the ideal artist to bring the two sides of the brand together. I’m very pleased with the campaign—the images are quite extraordinary. They convey the theme of the season in a very dynamic and precise way.

Do you imagine there’s a different Bottega Veneta customer online? Are you reaching people who wouldn’t feel like they could walk into the brick-and-mortar store?
Bottega Veneta is a niche brand offering a very special kind of product with limited availability. Yet we are known around the world, and by people who have never set foot in a Bottega Veneta store, even though we don’t advertise as much as many of the other luxury brands. That is mostly thanks to the Web. I love that people who might not be near a store, or who are young and just starting to discover their own style, can learn about Bottega Veneta on the Web.

Read more...

Scott In The Suds, Lacroix At The Mint, DVF At Claridges, And More…

Are soap operas the new side project? Following James Franco’s star turn on General Hospital—part of an elaborate art piece we still don’t entirely understand—designer Jeremy Scott is making his daytime debut today on The Young and the Restless(pictured). He plays (no great stretch) a designer. [Hint Mag]

Christian Lacroix’s new gig: artistic adviser to the French Mint?! Strange but true—and his first project is designing medals celebrating marriage and PACs (the French equivalent of civil unions). We can’t help but hope that while he’s kicking around the Mint, he can pocket a few extra euros to get his line going again. [WWD]

DVF’s rooms at London’s Claridge’s hotel, revealed! We were hoping for wrap-dress curtains, but we’ll take bold, graphic-print headboards. [T]

And happy 100th birthday, Women’s Wear Daily. You don’t look a day over 65. [Fashionista]

Read more...

Couture Jewelry’s Birds Of A Feather

Couture week closed out in a blaze of multicolored carats that had editors scurrying from the Place Vendôme to Avenue Montaigne and back again. Not only does the new haute joaillerie day extend the ever-shrinking week by a day, it provided the big houses with a forum to preview their lavish creations for the 25th Biennale des Antiquaires, opening in Paris mid-September. This season, flora and fauna ran rampant.

Chanel dove into its archives and surfaced with a feather theme, anchored by the articulated brooch Diane Kruger wore in her hair at Cannes (pictured); it’s an exact replica of one created by Mlle. Chanel in 1932. An articulated cuff of pavé diamond feathers was trimmed in black diamonds and set with a hidden closure. The feathery wisps were echoed elsewhere, too, as with the Comet necklace, which drapes diamonds around the nape of the neck.

Boucheron took the feather theme literally for one of its unique suites, called Pretty Puff, in which multicolored diamonds were sprinkled over a puffball of white swan feathers. And since versatility is a coveted attribute in haute jewelry (necklace, with or without heavily jeweled brooch, for example), the house pushed the concept to the extreme with the Curlicue five-in-one concept that by turns could be a necklace, two bracelets, a diamond hair clip, or a brooch.

At Dior, a panorama of jewels spanned the classically beautiful—significant Les Précieuses engagement rings and the new Rose Dior Bagatelle rings covered with rubies or pink sapphires—to the more far-out, with one-of-a-kind items from Victoire de Castellane’s wild Coffret de Victoire. One cuff sets a pink tourmaline rabbit in a garden of fire-opal pumpkins; on another, a burnished silver monkey can be lifted from his bejeweled perch. Bollywood earrings, twined with serpents, hang over the ear, as they’re worn in India.

Van Cleef & Arpels drew inspiration from Jules Verne for its Les Voyages Extraordinaires collection, shown at a presentation staged by Argentinean theater director Alfredo Arias. The travels spanned oceans and terra firma. Over here, diamond-encrusted polar bears and penguins swanned on hefty tourmaline glaciers; there, an elephant head paved in gray and white diamonds, dangling a 41-carat topaz, stood in for the African leg of the jaunt. Several pieces were customizable: A whale brooch could spout a jet of diamonds, thanks to integrated springs—now you see it, now you don’t. And if, after all the creatures, you didn’t care for the menagerie, well, there were always the classical constellations—Calliope and Andromeda, re-created to scale.

Click here for a slideshow of haute joaillerie’s key pieces.

Read more...

Can Tomas Maier Bring A Dose Of Bottega Calm To The Hectic World Wide Web?


For the relaunch of Bottega Veneta’s Web site and online shop, creative director Tomas Maier wanted to establish more than a URL; he wanted to bring a dose of Bottega’s understated calm and rich luxury online. Those are two qualities not always associated with the World Wide Web, but Maier has brought good company to help: The new site launches alongside the new Fall 2010 ad campaign shot by Robert Longo. The American photographer is the latest art-world heavy to work with BV, following Sam Taylor-Wood, Stephen Shore, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, and, most recently, Nan Goldin; one of the aims of the label’s site is to archive its collaborations (and, with exclusive video content like the Longo video below, to give viewers a peek behind the scenes of those collabs’ creation). Here, Maier tells Style.com about loving Longo and the tricky business of taking intrecciatoonline.

What was the concept behind the relaunched Bottega Veneta Web site? Did you have specific goals in terms of telling the brand story?
The brand has grown significantly in the past few years, and we want our digital presence to keep up with that growth. An important part of Bottega Veneta’s identity is contemporary functionality. To me, that means we need to reach and service our customers where they are most comfortable. For many people, that’s online.

The strengths of e-commerce are pretty obvious, at this point—convenience, in particular, and anonymity and breadth of selection, for example. But these aren’t necessarily the values I associate with a “luxury” experience. Did you struggle with that?
It was important to me that we showcase the visual impact of the product, highlight the amazing and intricate craftsmanship that makes a Bottega Veneta bag or necklace or dress so unique. So, every product can be viewed fullscreen in multiple views. I was also concerned with evoking a sense of luxury and calm—two qualities you rarely find on the Web. The design of the site achieves this through a rich, organic-looking palette that is very Bottega Veneta, as well as in tools that appear and disappear unobtrusively. Finally, there is the ease of the site. When you come to a Bottega Veneta store, you feel cared for. When you visit our Web site, we do everything in our power to make you feel welcome, comfortable, and looked after. You know, one thing we have always tried to do when designing our stores is convey the brand sensibility while respecting the environment in which we operate. If we open in a historic building, we design a store that respects the architecture of the building. The same is true of the Web site. We worked to understand how our brand could best work on the Web.

One aspect of shopping online, and it’s an insurmountable issue, is that you can’t actually touch the merchandise. How are you getting around that? Are there e-ways to encourage a visceral connection between consumer and product?
In addition to the product itself, which is the heart of Bottega Veneta’s brand identity, there is content that tells the stories behind our products. We have a series called “Hand of the Artisan,” which has video and pictures detailing the making of each type of product, for example. And there’s also the “Art of Collaboration” series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the ad campaigns we create with an incredible roster of art photographers, as well as videos about other interesting partnerships in which we are involved. Creative collaboration is central to Bottega Veneta’s mission, and this section of the Web site functions like an art gallery of our most compelling projects.

Speaking of collaborating… As you say, you’ve sought out a number of fine art photographers to shoot the Bottega Veneta campaigns. Why? What does Nan Goldin bring to the Spring ‘10 campaign, for instance, that you wouldn’t have gotten out of Respected Fashion Photographer X?
Well, Nan’s work is intensely personal, with a sincere and unusual focus on the individual. I also admire the formal beauty of her work, the distinctive sense of color and composition she brings to a photograph without ever seeming to impose her aesthetic on her subject.

The Fall ‘10 campaign was shot by Robert Longo. What made him the right photographer this time?
This collection, with its dark palette and emphasis on line and movement, seemed well suited to his graphic approach. Also, this is the first time we are doing separate advertising for the men’s and women’s collections, and I thought Robert would be the ideal artist to bring the two sides of the brand together. I’m very pleased with the campaign—the images are quite extraordinary. They convey the theme of the season in a very dynamic and precise way.

Do you imagine there’s a different Bottega Veneta customer online? Are you reaching people who wouldn’t feel like they could walk into the brick-and-mortar store?
Bottega Veneta is a niche brand offering a very special kind of product with limited availability. Yet we are known around the world, and by people who have never set foot in a Bottega Veneta store, even though we don’t advertise as much as many of the other luxury brands. That is mostly thanks to the Web. I love that people who might not be near a store, or who are young and just starting to discover their own style, can learn about Bottega Veneta on the Web.

Read more...

Scott In The Suds, Lacroix At The Mint, DVF At Claridges, And More…

Are soap operas the new side project? Following James Franco’s star turn on General Hospital—part of an elaborate art piece we still don’t entirely understand—designer Jeremy Scott is making his daytime debut today on The Young and the Restless(pictured). He plays (no great stretch) a designer. [Hint Mag]

Christian Lacroix’s new gig: artistic adviser to the French Mint?! Strange but true—and his first project is designing medals celebrating marriage and PACs (the French equivalent of civil unions). We can’t help but hope that while he’s kicking around the Mint, he can pocket a few extra euros to get his line going again. [WWD]

DVF’s rooms at London’s Claridge’s hotel, revealed! We were hoping for wrap-dress curtains, but we’ll take bold, graphic-print headboards. [T]

And happy 100th birthday, Women’s Wear Daily. You don’t look a day over 65. [Fashionista]

Read more...

Couture Jewelry’s Birds Of A Feather

Couture week closed out in a blaze of multicolored carats that had editors scurrying from the Place Vendôme to Avenue Montaigne and back again. Not only does the new haute joaillerie day extend the ever-shrinking week by a day, it provided the big houses with a forum to preview their lavish creations for the 25th Biennale des Antiquaires, opening in Paris mid-September. This season, flora and fauna ran rampant.

Chanel dove into its archives and surfaced with a feather theme, anchored by the articulated brooch Diane Kruger wore in her hair at Cannes (pictured); it’s an exact replica of one created by Mlle. Chanel in 1932. An articulated cuff of pavé diamond feathers was trimmed in black diamonds and set with a hidden closure. The feathery wisps were echoed elsewhere, too, as with the Comet necklace, which drapes diamonds around the nape of the neck.

Boucheron took the feather theme literally for one of its unique suites, called Pretty Puff, in which multicolored diamonds were sprinkled over a puffball of white swan feathers. And since versatility is a coveted attribute in haute jewelry (necklace, with or without heavily jeweled brooch, for example), the house pushed the concept to the extreme with the Curlicue five-in-one concept that by turns could be a necklace, two bracelets, a diamond hair clip, or a brooch.

At Dior, a panorama of jewels spanned the classically beautiful—significant Les Précieuses engagement rings and the new Rose Dior Bagatelle rings covered with rubies or pink sapphires—to the more far-out, with one-of-a-kind items from Victoire de Castellane’s wild Coffret de Victoire. One cuff sets a pink tourmaline rabbit in a garden of fire-opal pumpkins; on another, a burnished silver monkey can be lifted from his bejeweled perch. Bollywood earrings, twined with serpents, hang over the ear, as they’re worn in India.

Van Cleef & Arpels drew inspiration from Jules Verne for its Les Voyages Extraordinaires collection, shown at a presentation staged by Argentinean theater director Alfredo Arias. The travels spanned oceans and terra firma. Over here, diamond-encrusted polar bears and penguins swanned on hefty tourmaline glaciers; there, an elephant head paved in gray and white diamonds, dangling a 41-carat topaz, stood in for the African leg of the jaunt. Several pieces were customizable: A whale brooch could spout a jet of diamonds, thanks to integrated springs—now you see it, now you don’t. And if, after all the creatures, you didn’t care for the menagerie, well, there were always the classical constellations—Calliope and Andromeda, re-created to scale.

Click here for a slideshow of haute joaillerie’s key pieces.

Read more...

Just The Essentials, Please



The stylist Julia Freitag—a veteran of Germany’s short-lived Vanity Fair and a contributor to German Vogue—runs Styleproofed.com, where she tests and reviews appealing products. For Berlin fashion week, she called upon some famous friends—like Wolfgang Joop, Dirk Schönberger, and Michael Michalsky—for their own favorite products and items. The result, the mini-exhibition Objects of Desire From Ten Fashion Designers, is on view in the gallery space of Berlin Weekly, where it’ll remain for another week after fashion week wraps. (It’s also online at www.berlin-weekly.com.)

Their picks range from the spartan to the luxurious. Joop—not usually renowned for austerity—selected a pair of organic black socks from his own label. Schönberger spotlighted his favorite KingSize tumbler glasses (above)—design objects compelling enough that he changed his signature drink from straight vodka to vodka tonics to give himself an occasion for them. Michalsky offered his giant Birkin bag (not usually a men’s item, but when filled, heavy enough that it might take a man to lift it; top). And the former Helmut Lang designer Kostas Murkudis used the opportunity for a little wishful shopping. He picked a black and red “Motorradhelm von Aspesi” moto helmet. He doesn’t own a Vespa—yet.

Read more...

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