10 posts tagged "Loewe"
Fall ’13′s Top New Model Runners-Up
Narrowing down the season’s top newcomers to just ten girls is never an easy task. After following their progress through New York, London, Milan, and Paris, we admittedly feel a bit like stage moms cheering on all the rookies. But, considering Fall ’13′s impressive crop of fresh faces, picking our favorites this season was even more gut-wrenching than usual.
At the end of the day, however, decisions have to be made. But the runners-up deserve a round of applause, too. At the top of our list of girls who almost made the cut is Elisabeth Erm (WILHELMINA), who shot to the front of the pack after walking Calvin Klein in New York, and then went on to kill it in Europe. She ended particularly strong in Paris, turning up at Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, and Miu Miu, among others. Another girl who boasted a very impressive show list was Nicole Pollard (ELITE), a favorite of Raf Simons, who closed the month with twenty-seven top-tier turns, including Dior, Alexander Wang, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Givenchy.
Some girls only walked a few shows, but that doesn’t mean they went unnoticed. Take Binx Walton (NEXT), for instance. The Tennessee native racked up exclusives at Marc Jacobs and Versace, and also appeared at Miu Miu in Paris, and Giles and Sister by Sibling in London (clearly, Katie Grand, who styles both collections, is a fan). Breathtaking brunettes Elise Smidt (WOMEN) and Lauren English (IMG) also went the selective but premium route. Smidt caught the eye of casting directors in Milan, at Prada and Jil Sander, then went on to hit the runway at Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Chloé, and Dior in Paris. English emerged as a favorite of Alexander Wang (who definitely has a sixth sense for models) in New York, then turned up again on his Balenciaga catwalk in Paris. She rounded out the season with Céline, Acne Studios, Loewe, and Maison Martin Margiela. Keep an eye out for these ladies during the next few months—we have a feeling you’ll be seeing more of them.
Mohawked Top to Toe
Ever since Fendi debuted its multicolored fur Mohawks in Milan, the punked-up coifs have been fanning out all over the Fall runways. But they’re not appearing as you might expect; rather, designers have appropriated the motif and completely turned it on its head. For starters, Fendi’s pastel quiffs got so much attention that one might have missed Lagerfeld’s punchy Mohawked boots and bags. Haider Ackermann put his own spin on the look, sending his models out with white matted hair fashioned into “death hawks” (a style favored by goths). Not surprisingly, the same rebellious tresses popped up in black at Vivienne Westwood, but the Dame of Punk placed her death dos on black platform booties rather than her catwalkers’ noggins. Jean Paul Gaultier experimented with aubergine and bubblegum-highlighted faux-hawk-mullet hybrids at his Fall show, and over at Loewe, Stuart Vevers garnished the heels of his single-soled sandals with exaggerated, razor-sharp black or blonde fringe. Loewe’s shoes were a particularly “uptown” take on the antiestablishment-rooted style (what would the punks of the seventies have said about that?) and reminded us of YSL’s much-snapped suede Mohawk pumps from Fall 2010. Now, don’t shave and dye your hair just yet (or, actually, maybe do), but we’d have to say that the Mohawk, in its many incarnations, is one of Fall’s most prominent (and playful) punk trends so far.
It’s A Zoo In London—And The Bears Are Better Dressed Than The Bidders
Sometimes the gap between London and New York seems infinitely wide. The charity auction scene in NYC, so firmly established and often the model of decorum—and can we say, often quite dull—would not have known what had hit it when confronted by the frequently hilarious and very drunken antics in London last night. Whoever thinks the British are civilized is sorely mistaken. It was like one of those Gossip Girl auction set pieces, taken over by a hard drinking and older version of the cast of Saved by the Bell.
Christie’s auction house in Mayfair was the site of the Children in Need auction. It featured numerous re-fashionings of that charity’s iconic figurehead, Pudsey Bear, by many of the top designers and houses in the fashion world. The stylist and editor in chief of Love magazine, Katie Grand, who curated the event, had ensured that the bears turned out in force. She is, as she would readily admit herself, quite bossy, which proves extremely useful in the mustering of such an event. “It’s really like doing a show!” she said backstage, perfecting the bear running order with their celebrity handlers, each of whom was attired according to the bear’s provenance. That is apart from Sibling’s showgirl, Cara Delevingne (above left) who decided to just dress as a bear herself.
The day before, Grand had mused, “I don’t really know rich people who do this sort of thing. I bloody hope they come.” She had nothing to worry about, they turned out in force. And were on the phones.
Backstage, the gaggle of models, actresses, fashion designers, WAGs (like Abbey Crouch, who did the honors for Norton & Sons, left), and the odd photographer and sports star wrangled with their bears. “It’s bigger than me, this thing!” the petite actress Jaime Winstone said of her Fendi bear. The statuesque Jodie Kidd struggled with the weight of her gigantic suede Smythson bear, made even more difficult by the folds of caftan she had been attired in. Liberty Ross, meanwhile, became so attached to her Loewe bear she started a bidding war for it when she got onstage.
Chloë Moretz (above, right) gave one of the best sells of the evening with her Versace bear: “He’s quite high maintenance. And Audrey, Donatella’s dog, has some issues with him. He had to go.” And Kristen McMenamy’s coruscating and brilliantly unhinged performance with her McQueen bear: supermodel sashaying, the screeching “There are children in need, you know!” and the accosting of one phone bidder who hung up on the model. “I actually thought it was a man when I got on that phone,” said McMenamy, left, afterward. “I said ‘I’ll go out on a date with you,’ but it was a woman and she got offended! That’s improv for you.” (John Waters, give this woman a part.) There was also Marc Jacobs in disbelief at how much his Louis Vuitton bear was selling for: £20,000. And the finale to the event was the footballer Peter Crouch’s robot dance, the voguing of designer Giles Deacon, and the disco turn of the auctioneer, Hugh Edmeades—the international director of auctioneering, no less—with the staff of Christie’s looking on agog.
The online auction, featuring Nicolas Ghesquière’s bear creations for Balenciaga, continues at www.designerpudsey.co.uk.
On Our Radar: The Pouch Bag
Designers spoke, and we all listened: Goodbye, big bags; hello, minis. I’ve been toting an envelope clutch around during the day—I even swapped my wallet for a Valextra card holder to save space. The clutch only has space for my barest essentials—cards, phone, sunglass case, and a lip gloss. I’m not ready to go back to big, but while I like the lean look, sometimes a clutch is just too small. That’s why I’ve got my eye on a drawstring leather pouch. I’ve been seeing great versions at my market appointments. When The Row introduces handbags to its collection for Fall (they’ll be at Barneys in July), it’ll include an amazing blush python sac. Balenciaga offers a version with its classic metal details. Loewe’s come in candy colors, and VBH’s is ultra-luxe, with studded python. They’re perfect for those days when less just isn’t more.
Above: Pouches by The Row (top left), VBH (top right), Balenciaga (center), and Loewe (bottom).