>> For Pre-Fall 2011, Zac Posen shot his form-fitting collection on the “Zac-ettes”: Crystal Renn, Leigh Lezark, Hilary Rhoda, Ruby Aldridge, and Anna Cleveland. "They’re all women who have been significant for me this year,” said Posen. “All the young women I love working with and making an image of are all very ambitious and take great pride in being a woman. . . . That was really important [to me] to show how different types of personalities can wear different groups of the collection.”
>> Lauren Santo Domingo, along with Chloe Sevigny and Dasha Zhukova, hosted the launch party for Derek Blasberg's new book, Classy, at Barneys in New York last night — with the likes of Zac Posen, Jessica Stam, Jack McCollough, Terry Richardson, and Lazaro Hernandez — before bringing the scene back to her house for a celebratory private dinner. But before Classy, there was Sassy. A number of pictures of Santo Domingo in the '90s hit the web recently, and today, more popped up of her modeling in the March 1993 issue of Sassy.
>> After the New York Times article two weeks ago extensively covering Zac Posen's recent financial struggles, needless to say, eyes were peeled this morning bright and early at the Altman building for Posen's Fall 2010 plan of attack. Glenda Bailey, which the aforementioned article noted was not in attendance at Posen's show last season after they had a confrontation last April, was front row this time around, as were Posen's advertising photog Ellen von Unwerth, Patricia Field, Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, Joe Zee, and Robbie Myers.
As the lights dimmed and runway photographers scrambled for their places, Israeli "hip-hop violinist" Miri Ben-Ari stepped from backstage to the left side of the runway, where she played her electric violin throughout the show, backed by a thumping bass. Despite the fact that Posen is still going with a pared-down runway in general, the performance added the energy of his elaborate productions of yore. The models, too — including Alek Wek, Hana Soukupova, Anne Vyalitsyna, Posen's muse Anna Cleveland, and Coco Rocha, who closed — were clearly told to smile and work the runway; Sessilee Lopez, hands on her waist, swung her hips with satisfaction. Posen's boyfriend, Christopher Niquet, styled the show.
The clothes, however, were telltale that Posen is making an effort to resituate himself: there were none of his signature gowns whatsoever. In their place, short skirts with flounce, '40-style trousers, and plenty of fur. "I'm playing with clean fabrications and upping the luxury level," he said backstage after taking his bow with Rocha and Kinee Diouf.
>> Last night to close out couture, Kate Moss held a launch party for her first Longchamp handbag collection at the Ritz Club in Paris. With zebra print everywhere — on the carpet, on the walls — which has become somewhat a signature for the line, featured in both the lining and a scarf that can be tied around the handbag strap, Moss and her silver-streaked hair were joined by the likes of boyfriend (maybe fiance?) Jamie Hince, Maryna Linchuk, Frida Gustavsson, Lauren Santo Domingo, Hamish Bowles, Giovanna Battaglia, Giambattista Valli, and Carine Roitfeld, who coincidentally wore a zebra print coat the day before.
Moss said of the collaboration: "'I've been working with Longchamp for a while — we just get on. It was a fabulous opportunity for me." She named the bags, out Feb. 11, The Glastonbury, after her favorite music festival, The Soho, and The Glouchester — prices start at $155 for a small purse, clutches are $490 to $780, handbags are $780 to $1,700, and weekend bags are $1,290 to $2,500. Already, a video of her campaign shoot has popped up — the ads will run with taglines like "Don't You Wish Your Bag Was Hot As Kate's?," "An Absolute Moss-have," "Kate Is Not A Plastic Bag," and "My Moss Bag Brings All The Boys To The Yard."
>> Andre Leon Talley has been eliciting remarks for the rose-hued Prada coat and "raspberry velvet" custom-made Manolo Blahnik sandals he's been wearing around town to the resort shows — Diane von Furstenberg's and Oscar de la Renta's among them — but he had some remarks of his own on the 60 Minutes profile of Anna Wintour.
"I was really impressed with their research," Andre told Mediabistro yesterday, adding that he found reporter Morley Safer to be "a bit dismissive" of fashion and its players, particularly when he likened Karl Lagerfeld to Dracula — "He's had that look for eight years!" As for Anna's thoughts on the piece, Andre said that she was "thrilled. It's 60 Minutes — she was on the same show as Secretary Gates. It was fabulous."
>> Good news: that July 2008 Vogue Italia? It's still resounding — and not just on the covers of other magazines. Today, one of the Vogue Italia stars, Tyra Banks, taped an episode of The Tyra Banks Show on West 26th Street in New York celebrating black models of the past and present in honor of the Vogue Italia "Black Issue." Joining her and voicing first-hand accounts of their industry experience were Chanel Iman, Beverly Johnson, Noemie Lenoir, and Pat Cleveland. I'm not usually a big fan of the show, but this episode — which airs Sept. 11 — I will have to watch.
*image: source, source, source
