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Australian Vogue has Kylie Minogue as its guest editor this month and French Vogue, not to be outdone, has John Galliano in the editor’s seat. The French magazine has multiple versions of its cover featuring Drew Barrymore and enough picture of Galliano himself to satisfy even his most ardent fans – some of which leave very little to the imagination. In his role as editor Galliano called in some favours from his Hollywood connections, which includes employing Penelope Cruz as a photographer.
Hollywood stars fronting the advertising campaigns of luxury fashion companies is nothing new – in many ways, they’ve become the new supermodels. But the hired faces getting involved in the running of the company is another matter altogether; and it’s exactly the predicament Burberry has found itself in recently.
The face of brand’s Burberry London fragrance for men, the welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), recently lobbied Burberry CEO, Angela Ahrendts, to reconsider her decision to close the company’s factory in Treorchy in south Wales, which employs 311 people. The Burberry factory has been operating since 1939 and the proposed closure , according to London’s The Sunday Times has even raised the ire of Prince Charles. And who says Ioan Gruffudd was just a pretty face?
The Luhrmann family were spotted by the Daily What outside the Warner Bros store where daughter Lillian appeared to be the recipient of a recent purchase. It was a rare sighting in Sydney of the filmmaker responsible for Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge who has spent most of the last two years working overseas.
But don't expect the in demand Luhrmann to become a regular on the Sydney social scene anytime soon. He starts rehearsals in December for his new film called Australia and starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. The film with a $US100 million budget will be filmed entirely in Australia and, all going well, should be in cinemas some time in 2008.
Not many fashion designers start in menswear and then branch into designing for women – it’s usually the other way around. Womenswear, after all, is where all the profits are because women simply spend more of their income on clothes than men.
So it’s surprising that menswear designer Arthur Galan – the man behind the label AG – has launched his womenswear collection with very little fanfare. After showing men that they need not be afraid of pastel colours, the Melbourne-based designer has turned his attention to women. The collection sexy and sophisticated collection is in store now.
A major fashion trends sprung from the beaches of Queensland’s Gold Coast? Back in 2000 the Sunland Group opened the world’s first Palazzo Versace and kicked off the phenomenon of the designer hotel. Since then labels such as Diesel, Bulgari, Armani, Missoni and Byblos have all announced plans to open boutique hotels with the designer touch.
Now Sunland has announced that it plans to roll out as many as 14 Palazzo Versace resorts around the world over the next 15 to 30 years. Construction will start on a Dubai property in January with an estimated cost of $1 billion, which will feature a neoclassical façade based on Versace’s Via Gesu headquarters in Milan.
Katie Holmes chose Giorgio Armani to design her gown for her marriage to Tom Cruise. And while Nicholas Ghesquiere was tight lipped about his dress design for Cruise’s ex to her public relations event – sorry wedding – to Keith Urban, Mr Armani has been less so when it comes to his dress for Holmes. He spilt the beans to Women’s Wear Daily about the whole thing. Apparently Holmes decided on Armani last year while visiting Cruise on location in Italy where he was filming Mission Impossible 3.
“We clicked immediately,” Armani told WWD. “Several fittings followed but the last few were in Los Angeles overseen by my niece Roberta and a team from my Giorgio Armani Privé and Giorgio Armani Hand Made to Measure ateliers."
“Katie wanted a simple, elegant dress that was rich in material with a slim silhouette. I couldn’t have been in more agreement. … I wanted to make it modern but at the same time, compliment that sweetness and energy she conveys.” Holmes donned an off-the-shoulder silk gown designed by Armani. The ivory dress with a train featured a crinoline frill around the shoulders and was adorned in Valenciennes lace and Swarovski beaded crystal embroidery. An ivory tulle floor length veil completed the look.. The groom also wore Armani.
Jessica Mauboy has hardly put a foot wrong when it comes to her singing in this year’s series of Australian Idol and she’s been pretty good in the fashion department as well. One of her favourite designers we’re told is the little known Australian label Monica, designed by Leisa French.
Mauboy has worn at least six outfits by French throughout this year’s series including the vermilion, Lanvin-inspired number she wore for her first number on Sunday night just gone. The dress is part of Monica's forthcoming collection which will be in stores such as David Jones in February. The 17 year-old singer from Darwin is also a fan of Matthew Eager and even is she doesn’t win, for what it¹s worth, the Daily What thinks she should definitely win the best-dressed award for the series.
Who says Santa doesn't drop by in November? To announce the arrival of their summer styles OPSM are celebrating like it is Christmas already. Not only do visitors to their summer site, www.summerarrivals.com.au, have the opportunity to enter a competition to win a trip valued at $5000 or a pair of sunglasses, but simply by entering you will receive an OPSM voucher that you can present at your nearest store to get up to $50 off your sunglass purchase.
See the website for full terms and conditions, though it's important to note that the competition closes 24 December 2006. Plus, in order to redeem the voucher, the competition must be entered before 4 December 2006 and is valid until 8 December 2006.
What with the sun shining brighter than ever it's the perfect time to invest in some stylish summer shades.
As part of its 60th birthday Penguin books commissioned five of the world’s leading artists and designers to design a limited edition book cover for their favourite Penguin Classic. The shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, artist Sam Taylor-Wood, fashion designer Paul Smith, architect Ron Arad and the graphic designers Fuel (Stephen Sorrell and Damon Murray) were each invited to choose a favourite book from Penguin's backlist and to design it as they wished.
The results range from Fuel's constructivist-inspired version of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, to a Taylor-Wood’s moody photograph for the cover of F Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, to Paul Smith’s silk-covered Lady Chatterley’s Lover, To Arad’s bare bones The Idiot by Dostoyevsky. But perhaps the most shocking – and one that befits the title – is Manolo Blahnik’s elegant drawing of a near naked Madame Bovary, in heels of course.
Trends in sunglasses come and go, but certain styles endure. Perhaps the most iconic pair of sunglasses is the Ray-Ban Wayfarer and it's back with a vengeance. The Ray-Ban brand was acquired by the Italian firm Luxottica in1999 and since then the company has re-released many of it¹s classic styles in line with trends in the marketplace eg, the aviator two years ago, which now accounts for 20 per cent of the company¹s sales.
The relaunch of the Wayfarer, which first appeared in 1952, has involved substantial research in getting the right hinges, the right logo on the arm and the right slant on the lenses. As well as the traditional black and tortoise shell, new colours include red and while with more to come. To add a bit of cred to the re-launch of the Wayfarer, Ray-Ban will be trying to make the connection between the style and the contemporary music scene. After all, it was Deborah Harry, Elivs Costello, The Smiths, U2 and Madonna who were largely responsible for the 1980s fashion moment the frames enjoyed.
When you think of Hugo Boss you think of classic men¹s suiting and a refined elegance of the German variety, right? Not exactly the sort of attire you would expect to see on an opera stage. Opera costumes are often overblown and theatrical, and why not, it¹s the theatre after all. So it comes as something of a surprise to learn that Hugo Boss has created costumes as many as 70 in fact for Opera Bastille¹s production of the Hector Berlioz opera Les Troyen in Paris this month.
The set for the production was inspired by the late German director Herbert Wernicke, so it¹s only fitting that a German brand outfits the singers. Hugo Boss follows a long tradition of fashion designers collaborating with opera houses Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani and Christian Lacroix have all done it. Who knows, maybe there¹ll be an Opera Australia production in the near future with costumes by Ksubi just a thought.
It’s turning out to be a big end of year for pop princess Kylie Minogue. Not only has she recommenced her national tour, which was postponed due to her cancer treatment, but Minogue graces the December cover of Vogue Australia, which she guest edited and also December Marie Claire.
Then there’s the small issue of her first perfume, darling, by Coty Inc. The fragrance launches this month just in time for Christmas. The scent features top notes of passion fruit, freesia and lychee; heart notes of lily and boronia, while base notes include sandalwood, amber wood and vanilla. A men’s fragrance by Minogue is also on the cards.
If you are wanting to experience darling Kylie Minogue fragrance What's What are giving five lucky subscribers the opportunity to do just that.
To register to win a bottle of darling Kylie Minogue 75ml ETD, valued at $85, simply go to the What's Yours page and register. You will need to include the code word darling and answer the following question in 25 words or less: Kylie is the darling of the music industry, in your view which Australian designer is the darling of the fashion world and why? Entries close 5pm Wednesday 22nd November. >> Enter now
The battle of the TV morning shows has been fierce this year, to say the least. After a rumoured threat of an imminent “boning” by Nine executives, Today Show's Jessica Rowe looked like winning the race when she announced that she was expecting a child. Now news comes that Sarah Murdoch will be filling in for her when she goes on maternity leave at the beginning of next month.
Given her fashion credentials Murdoch is sure to add some much needed glamour to the show, and one that will be hard for the rival Sunrise program on Channel Seven to match. Our spies within Channel Nine tell us that Rowe has very strong opinions about what she should and shouldn’t wear on air, so we can only guess that Murdoch, being a former supermodel and all, will have as strong – if not stronger – ideas about wardrobe.
The Myer Fashions on the Field competition at Flemington this Spring racing season was cutthroat to say the least. And considering that the prize pool for the women’s category is $350,000 and for the men’s category it’s too shabby either – two tickets to Dubai on Emirates, the use of a convertible for 12 months, plus shopping vouchers worth $10,000 – it’s understandable that fashionable males will do anything to win.
This year the judges of the men’s category found themselves accused of race fixing. Apparently one of the runners up (and we won’t mention which one) claimed that several of the judges were clients of the winner, Heath Meldrum, who is a model/personal trainer. The disgruntled lad wasted no time in contacting the media and informing them of his conspiracy theory. The complaints, however, fell on deaf ears. And who said men don’t take fashion seriously?
This is perhaps what has to be the last word in celebrity scents. Eighties rock group Kiss is about to take the cosmetics world by storm and launch a fragrance and beauty line. So now if you wanna rock and roll all night and party every day then you can smell like Gene Simmons while you do it.
The products were launched in the US last week and as well as KISS Him cologne and KISS Her perfume, there’s also products such as "Party Shower Gel," "Lovin' Body Lotion," "All Night Deodorant Stick" and "Rockin' After-Bath Splash". There’s no news on when the Kiss beauty line will be available in Australia and the Daily What has yet to sample the scent, but can only imagine what a rock group might smell like.
What is it about horses that brings out the fashion set? Spring racing, as everybody knows, is really just a big excuse to get dressed up and have a good time. And now another horsey event is attracting some very stylish attention. The inaugural Bombardier Learjet Polo in Centennial Park in Sydney will take place on December 9 and will be one of the few times a major polo event has been held in central Sydney.
Lisa Ho, Bunda Fine Jewels and Herringbone are just some of the fashion companies that will be hosting marquees on the day. It might have something to do with the fact that the organisers of the event have made the decision to only have young – in other words good-looking – players compete on the day. Australia's most successful contemporary polo player, Ruki Baillieu will be one such player taking part in the competition. Westfield Bondi Junction will be hosting the main marquee on the day. For more information see www.poloenterprises.com.au
It wasn’t just Melbourne that had all the fashion action last week. Sydneysiders in search of some stylish entertainment headed to Darling Harbour to take a peek at the Australian International Motor Show. This year the organisers matched up five Australian fashion designers with five car marquees to stage fashion parades at the event throughout the week.
Herringbone teamed up with Audi, Nicola Finetti with Saab, Zimmermann with Volkswagen, Roberto Pierucci with Alfa Romeo and Carla Zampatti with Lexus. Of course this is not the first time that car makers have enlisted the help of fashion designers to lend their cars a chic air. And it’s not the first time Carla Zampatti has done it either – who can forget the 1985 Carla Zampatti Ford Laser? Certainly not the Daily What who drove one for a brief period, but that’s a whole other story.
Last week the Daily What’s inbox was jammed with emails from male friends and colleagues asking me to sponsor them in their efforts to grow a moustache or even join them in growing one myself. And no, it’s some weird cult either. Movember is a global initiative to raise money and awareness for men’s health issues. Participants start the month clean shaven. They then have the rest of the month to grow the best mo they can and raise as much money as possible.
Beneficiaries of the initiative are the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and Beyond Blue. So if you see someone trying desperately walking down the street looking like a Tom Selleck wannabe, remind yourself that more men die of prostate cancer in Australia each year then women die of breast cancer. In fact 2700 men died of the disease in Australia last year.
Check out www.movember.com.au for more details.
Motorola flew in the Superman Returns actress Kate Bosworth to hold court in its marquee and she looked beautiful in her white lace dress by Collette Dinnigan – one of two Dinnigan dresses she wore that day.
However the Daily What is not so sure about the Richard Nylon headpiece she wore. But at least she looked at damn sight more elegant than the woman in green seen being sick behind the Motorola marquee – our spy in the marquee informs us that after she regained herself she adjusted her fascinator and headed straight back in.
Meanwhile inside the Myer marquee the department store’s spokesmodel Jennifer Hawkins, in a Toni Maticevski silk organza mini dress, showed that you don’t have to dress like you’re going to a school formal to look good at the races.
There’s no denying that Hilary Duff is a marketing phenomenon. She sings, she acts and she designs clothes for tweens with her own label. Now, thanks to a deal with Mattel Inc she’s really entering the designer big league. Duff has designed a range of clothes for Mattel’s jewel in its crown: Barbie.
The range, which will be in stores before Christmas, features head to toe looks designed by Duff to “reflect her individual style and fashion picks for fall,” according to a press release from Mattel. Duff is entering rarefied territory with her designs for Barbie – designers including Christian Dior, Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs have all previously designed clothes for the doll.
There can’t be too many products that the Disney merchandising team has yet to come up with. Nevertheless, the company announced last week that it will start production of two luxury infant clothing collections. The two labels, called Classic Disney: Magical Beginnings and Walt Disney Signature Infant, will be sold in high end department stores and boutiques.
The range, which features scenes from Disney’s rich back list of story’s and characters, includes cashmere blankets, hooded robes, mittens, bibs, organic cotton t-shirts and cardigans and, according to the press release, “burp cloths”. The Daily What can honestly say that he’s never seen such a cloth – by and brand – but one assumes they won’t be made from cashmere.
David Lawrence recently approached the acclaimed Australian director to produce a series of photographs of its autumn/winter 2007 collection, which would be used as the brand’s advertising campaign. In the shoot Lang used back projections of archival images of Sydney and put the models in front of them, which had the effect of giving the shoot a 1960s feel.
Winter is shaping up to be a turning point for the David Lawrence label. Not only will it unveil its innovative advertising campaign by Lang, but the brand will also launch a menswear collection. The men’s collection will initially only be available in existing David Lawrence flagships stores and David Jones and Myer, but there are plans to open stand alone David Lawrence Menswear stores the following winter.
Simon Fuller, who manages both David and Victoria Beckham, is said to be developing a sitcom for both Victoria and another of the Spice Girls, Emma Bunton, aka Baby Spice. Music, it seems, is a distant memory for Victoria Beckham as she now concentrates her professional efforts on her various fashion lines with a line of sunglasses and now jeans.
Handbags are said to be next off the drawing board and it’s a good thing too as she may soon find herself the bread winner in the family. According to the UK’s Telegraph David Beckham’s marketing power may be nearing its expiry date. Beckham has been dropped as the face of Police sunglasses and replaced by none other than Antonio Banderas.
Working as a Stylist and Fashion Director for over 8 years, Sophie Hart is constantly immersed in the latest Australian and international trends and has a knack for finding - and flaunting - the best buys in fashion and beauty.
Sophie has worked as a stylist with some of Australia's most glamorous celebrities, including Jennifer Hawkins, Rose Byrne and Erika Heynatz, plus has recently appeared on the hit TV series, Australia's Next Top Model and The Biggest Loser. She has also worked as the resident Stylist for The Sun Herald's 'S' Magazine for the past 5 years, styling and writing their SHOP column which high lights fashion and beauty stories, and has now joined the Westfield fashion editorial team to bring you the latest up-to-the-second news and inspirational trends.
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