The Latest Designer Craze: Find Your Models Online
If you’re a budding designer these days, you can go one of two ways. One: go old-school and pick a supermodel from the 90s heyday to front your shoot. (Joseph Altazurra’s first campaign nabbed Stella Tennant.)
Or two: crowdsource using online fashion stars.
Nicola Formichetti, the Gaga-collaborator who’s now helming jeans brand Diesel, went for the latter, with spectacular results.
He trawled Tumblr for his latest stars, and came up with a collection of hugely diverse shapes, sides and styles to fit the Diesel range.
So who’s made the list? Two models – one standard drop-dead type, Loulou Robert, and one slightly more unusual one. 6 ft 2 Casey Legley is the first woman ever to be signed by a major male division at a modelling agency.
Elsewhere there’s there’s an awesome plus-sized, pink-haired graffiti artist, a blue-haired teenage fashion student and a male musician.
The ads will debut in Vogue – a bit of a step up from the remote corners of Tumblr.
What do you think – brave new move or too non-traditional?
Image: Diesel’s latest campaign.
Donatella Versace Biopic To Hit Screens
She’s the woman who took the Versace empire from an uncertain future to unmitigated success, and now a biopic of Donatella Versace is coming to TV.
Entitled ‘House of Versace’, the movie will follow Donatella’s surprise inheritance of the label after her brother Gianni’s murder in Miami in 1997.
She’ll be played by Gina Gershon, with famous sexpot Raquel Welch supporting as the family’s Aunt Lucia and Enrico Colantoni playing Gianni.
So what’s so fascinating about the whole saga for audiences?
For a start, Donatella inherited a house in turmoil. Gianni’s murder removed the brains of the operation, even though Donatella had been designing her own line, Versus, for years.
And then once she stepped into his shoes, she earned ire for trying to live up to her brother’s legend. Princess Diana even attended his funeral.
Donatella’s years as head of Versace have had great highs – it’s expanded into a homewares empire and has its own hotels – and lows, as when her daughter Allegra had to be hospitalised with anorexia.
Will you be watching if it hits Australian screens?
Image: Donatella Versace.
Trend Watch: Androgyny
It first burst onto the scene in the 20s, with women embracing tuxedos and short-cropped hair, but androgyny has returned 90s-style with a very 2013 twist.
Looking for inspiration? Go for Alexa Chung, J.Crew’s head designer Jenna Lyons (who once famously turned up in a ballgown with a sweater on top to a formal gala, and is rarely out of trousers), and glorious male Vogue peacocks like Andre Leon Talley and Hamish Bowles.
The key to working modern androgyny is perfect tailoring. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that boyish necessarily means boxy or shapeless. Find pieces that work to your body – a long-sleeved button-up with darting emphasises any waist while also adding a masculine edge.
We’re loving Australian brand Trenery‘s range of collared shirts, particularly their linen double-pocketed white number. Marni‘s two-toned collar shirt is a close runner-up, while T by Alexander Wang‘s shirt-dress takes it to a more relaxed place.
Get into the world of masculine shoes. Brogues and velvet smoking slippers, both traditionally the domain of the lord of the manor, are very in for women this season. Classic beat-up Converses can’t go wrong, but cult favourite Rag + Bone have divine two-leather brogues to add a boyish edge.
Or, if you’re more feeling the Hugh Hefner side of shoes, go for the classic slipper shape of Nicholas Kirkwood‘s kooky pink metallic slippers. For softer materials, grab French ballet label Repetto‘s black velvet slip-ons for easy chic.
A bow tie is a cute way to pop androgyny into any outfit. Pattern-class with your shirt to make it as 2013 as possible. Pair a polka-dot or floral number from ASOS or Zara with a big-print shirt from Uniqlo and you’re all set.
Look for accessories with a harder edge and bigger, less delicate shapes. The Olsen twins are famous for wearing mens’ cologne instead of women’s parfum, which has deeper, muskier tones. Get into the look with big men’s watches from Cartier or Fossil, McQueen cufflinks or sizeable Armani sunnies.
Trousers aren’t the key to an androgynous look, but they can certainly help. Boyfriend-style jeans are all the rage at Marni, while tailored dramatic evening trousers from Missoni or Stella will get you through every gala.
And, of course, there’s the jacket. Every woman should have a tuxedo jacket in her wardrobe: YSL‘s the aim, but Country Road and Topshop have cheaper versions. Pair with a pocket square (a small square of fabric roughly arranged in a pocket) or a boutonniere for some off-the-wall androgynous flair.
Are you ready to get dandy?
Image: Androgynous fashion.
