Victoria’s Secret has been sued – and the lingerie giant is fighting back. Read on to find out why…
It’s a bad week to be a lingerie giant.
Victoria’s Secret, the multi-million-dollar lingerie company, has been sued by a stocking company who accuse it of playing dirty tricks with stock.
According to Zephyr Hosiery, the brand used the Zephyr brand – high-end, Italian-made, luxury stockings – in their ads.
Which is fine – but Zephyr allege Victoria’s Secret pulled a switch and actually sold much cheaper, inferior products in stores.
If it’s true, it’s a problem – misleading customers by pretending you’re selling a better product than you are is a crime in America, and Zephyr is after $15 million in damages.
A few bloggers did investigations, and found that their prized – and pricey- Victoria’s Secret stockings were indeed not quite what was pictured in the ads.
Zephyr’s also alleging that Victoria’s Secret is trying to hold them to ransom until they sign a new contract which would bar them from making stockings from anybody else, and hand over all their designs to Victoria’s Secret headquarters.
Have you bought Victoria’s Secret hosiery? What were your experiences?
Image: Victoria’s Secret stockings.
John Galliano’s redemption, if it ever happens, is still a long way off.
Hedi Slimane’s collection for Dior was a smash hit, which put paid to all the whispers that if it failed the heads would ask the troubled designer back to the fold.
And now he’s been stripped of one of France’s top honours.
Galliano was given the Legion d’Honneur in 2009, to recognise his ‘contributions to French couture’ – but when he was caught making anti-Semitic statements in a bar and prosecuted, the government showed less enthusiasm.
The Legion D’Honneur award has now been quietly taken away by France’s president.
Apparently Galliano was judged ‘unworthy’ to hold the honour, which is highly prized in France and only rarely awarded with great fanfare.
There’s also gossip in the fashion world today that Galliano has filed a 15-million euro lawsuit against Dior for “wrongfully dismissing” him.
It’s still a rumour – but we’re not sure it would be a wise move.
Image: John Galliano
The centre of our attention at the moment? Swarovski.
How can it not be? With a range of spectacular cocktail rings and a new collaboration with Yoko Ono, the crystal jeweller is going into haute couture territory.
The cocktail rings are big, bold and 60s-inspired, but the age of big stones appears to have been superseded.
Instead, we’re all going to be wearing statement rings with delicate detail – layers and strata of different colours, sizes and shapes of stone.
It’s all virtually geological – and very intriguing. Detail in rings is the new big trend for the season, so put those over-stated plain pieces to the side for the next few months and delve in.
The collaboration with Yoko Ono is full-on art-as-fashion heaven.
Ono’s collection elaborates on the theme of keys, which show up frequently in her artistic work.
Delicately rendered in crystal, keys and keyholes take the form of bangles and pendants – and it may well be the new jewellery shape of the moment.
Not able to stretch to a Swarovski budget? Collecting keys for a pendant isn’t difficult – scour vintage markets for interesting shapes and string them on contrastingly delicate chains.
Are you loving the trends of the season?
Image: Swarovski.
Leather is the new dress-up material of the season, and it’s gone beyond catsuits and leggings.
The new way to wear it? Whimsical, feminine A-line dresses.
Leather in the upcoming Aussie heat might seem like a daft idea – the sweat alone is off-putting – but many designers are releasing light, summery dresses in hides of all colours.
As is so often the case, British designers took the lead – McQ by Alexander McQueen released a really lovely leather minidress, and Burberry’s leather-sleeved trench coat has been a hit for at least a year.
This is leather with a softer edge – not hard and gothic, but playful and textured.
Look for pieces with detail: perforation, belts, surface patterns. It’s the new look to have leather which is so intensely tooled it looks like another material altogether – lace or velvet.
Wearing it as a loose, 60s shift is one way to let your fashion flag fly without overheating.
Or, if you’re feeling like showing some leg, invest in sass & bide’s leather miniskirt – with a rocker T-shirt it’s easy chic.
Not prepared to go all the way? Look for leather detailing. Leather sleeves, cuffs and collars are a huge hit this season – they’re chic, minimal and don’t involve you committing to a full-body look.
The good news? The new leather dresses are fresh and formal enough to wear out on the town without looking too dominatrix-lite.
Partner with suedes and other interesting textures for a clean, spring-summer fashion-forward look.
Image: Leather skirt by McQ.
