Costume Institute Gala: Rihanna in Dolce & Gabanna, Kate Moss in Marc Jacobs, Posh in Marc Jacobs
Last night was the most important night in fashion - the Metropolitan’s Costume Institute Gala. More important than the Oscars? Yes. We’re talking about all the fashion heavyweights - models, designers, and the celebrities who wear their clothes all come together to celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibit. This year, the Gala was hosted by Marc Jacobs and Kate Moss - appropriately enough, as the theme was “The Model As Muse.”
Movie stars, designers and their muses came dressed to impress and what follows below are highlights from the red carpet. Trends included lady tuxedos, big shoulders, gold and lame and lots of blue in an assortment of shades from midnight navy to 80’s teal. One of my favorites was Rihanna in a lady tuxedo by Dolce & Gabanna with gorgeous exaggerated shoulders and sleeves complete with bow tie. Another favorite was Stella McCartney’s lace jumpsuit - it’s something that I really need in my life - now (because I go to so many galas, haha).
Costume Institute Gala: Madonna in Louis Vuitton, Liv Tyler/Kate Hudson/Stella McCartney all in Stella McCartney, Kirsten Dunst in Chanel
Louis Vuitton had a strong showing with Madonna, Leighton Meester and Kerry Washington all sporting looks right off the runway. The Double C’s were also spotted on the red carpet with Kirsten Dunst, Diane Kruger and Anna Wintour all sparkling in Chanel Haute Couture. Model muse Sasha Pivovarova wore a gorgeous feather coat by Giambattista Valli that overshadowed the dress that she wore underneath - and that’s ok. She was a great example of picking one piece to shine and letting it be the focal point with understated accessories.
There were many gorgeous looks last night and I’ve chosen my favorites to show you. You can see them all on the Style website. Let us know your favorites! Take the survey below and/or leave a comment.
As the snow starts to melt and winter finally gives way into spring, most brands usher in pieces draped in bright pastels and colorful patterns. Not so with French favorite Longchamp. Widely known for their popular Le Pliage totes, Longchamp changed the beat up this spring to offer accessories that are, well, more mature. So if you’ve been feeling that it’s time to retire your sherbert-hued Le Pliage tote, stow it away for a rainy day (or younger relative) and feast your eyes on what Longchamp’s bringing to the table this spring.
Straying from the shape of Le Pliage, Longchamp instead is debuting more geometrically-inspired designs, which work perfectly for a night out to dinner and drinks or as a substitute for a traditional briefcase. The Cosmos tote is just one example. Shown here in a multitude of colors - two-tone brown/white and brown/orange, cobalt blue, white, olive green, brown, and cream - the colors are subdued yet the cut is stylish, perfect for a working woman on-the-go. Modeled after the traditional doctor’s bag, the boxy “Legende” tote is another easily convertible piece for day-to-night use.
Injecting a bit of humor into the S/S 2009 line, Longchamp is also debuting a linen and canvas tote with the words “Ceci Est Un It Bag” on it. Also printed on the canvas of this ‘It bag’ is the outline of a Legende tote… So it’s almost like getting two bags for one!
For more information about the 2009 Catalogue and to purchase Longchamp products online, visit the brand’s Web site. Also, be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes video of models Kate Moss and Sasha Pivovarova shooting Longchamp’s S/S 2009 campaign!
Calvin Klein is known for controversy. From it’s ads featuring a young teenage Brooke Shields, a young Kate Moss, and a scantily clad Eva Mendes, Calvin Klein has a history of being banned and censored. Their newest Calvin Klein jeans ad is sharing the same fate - it’s been banned from TV - even late night cable TV. It seems it’s too steamy for us but you can watch it here. The ad was shot by Steven Meisel and has a very grainy look to it and you can’t help but feel like a voyeur as you watch it. I’m beginning to think CK makes their ads with the intent of them being banned - I think they may get more hype and notoriety that way. Whatever it is, it definitely makes an impression.
Agent Provocateur always does a great job at bringing their collections to life through their ad campaigns and they recently made a Valentine’s Day “PSA.” I must say, this is not my favorite, their newer campaigns haven’t come close to last year’s White Wedding campaign starring Kate Moss, and shot by Nick Knight. Their newest video, Love Me Tender . . . Or Else, is definitely amusing, but unlike their other campaigns that highlight the lingerie in an artistic way, I felt this video was made by boys for boys. Nonetheless, the lingerie is sexy as ever and with Valentine’s Day so close, you may want to start saving your pennies for some new A.P.
Agent Provocateur, puts together some of the most innovative, beautifully made interactive experiences from White Wedding (created by Nick Knight) to their new collection, Pirate Provocateaur. Inspired by pirates plundering booty at sea, the Pirate Provocateur collection features lingerie pieces in black with splashes of red. The collection leather hot pants, to structured corsets and lacy slips. The website was updated, complete with mini interactive film where you get to choose your way throughout the story. It features naughty pirates clad in sexy Agent Provocateur lingerie. Kate Moss is not the face of this campaign, instead, Helena Christensen is playing her “wicked games” for AP this season. The collection is beautiful, and as always, I want it all. I also really admire the way they market each campaign - it’s more than just pretty pictures. They find great models and celebrities to be the face of their campaign, and AP always pushes the edge of technology. View the Pirate Provocateur story here and check out a preview of the film and my favorite pieces after the jump.
The highly anticipated arrival of the Topshop SoHo flagship is now expected to fall somewhere around mid-November—instead of mid-October as originally hoped—but just in time for Holiday shopping!
If you’re getting antsy, the U.K.-based chain will launch a U.S.-dollar version of its website tomorrow, September 9th. The site debut will also be the global launch of Topshop’s fall Kate Moss collection, her seventh for the store.
When I think of Coty, I think of the array of fragrances that the company produces: From Marc Jacobs and Chloe, to Exclamation! and Kate Moss, Coty is the world’s largest fragrance company and a recognized leader in global beauty. A month ago, we were invited to a media event at Coty’s Research & Development facility in New Jersey. Though flattered and extremely excited to get an inside peek into the beauty giant, none of the M.I.S.S. writers could attend. No fear! We arranged to have some photos sent to us so that you could at least get a sense of what’s it’s like on the inside of the beauty game.
It’s not all glamour, in fact, it’s all science based so think lab coats and test tubes! Chief Scientific Officer & SVP of Global R&D, Ralph Macchio (not the Karate Kid!), let the tour and explained business behind the beauty company. He explained the product development cycle of testing, smelling, comparing and evaluating all that goes into the development of Coty’s color, fragrance and skin care business. The guests even got to use machines that tested eye lash durability and skin hydration. Exciting!
Check out the rest of the pics after the jump . . .
If you read my Mirror, Mirror posts, then you know that one of my favorite bags is made by Longchamp. The leather is soft and the style is classic and functional. Whenever I use it I get complimented and it’s nice to have something a little different. Everyone is walking around with a “Never Full,” but only discerning women carry Longchamp. So, I was really excited to learn that the new Longchamp Fall collection has released. The bags look really good - there are so many that I want. New styles inclue the Cosmos, a bag inspired by early 20th century round travel bags, The LM, a vintage heritage line of bags from the 70s reissued for Longchamp’s 60th anniversary, and The Legend, new colors of their take on the physician bag. All are fabulous looking, but are functional and sturdy enough to handle the day-to-day hustle. The ad campaign, featuring Kate Moss again, is beautifully shot and features Moss looking Chic in Paris Cafés and is reminiscent of Post-WWII photos by French photographer Robert Doisneau. The bags can be purchased online or in fine Longchamp boutiques worldwide. Check out the video look book starring Moss below and many more pictures of my favorites from the collection after the jump . . .
Calvin Klein is used to causing a ruckus in media - whether it was a 16 year old Brooke Shields proclaiming that nothing came between her and her Calvins, or a very young, nude Kate Moss giving birth to heroin chic. The latest in his misadventures in advertising relate to his newest fragrance Secret Obsession featuring Eva Mendes (read the original post we did here). The controversy lies around the ad campaign and commercial which is apparently too risqué because of a glimpse of a bit of Ms. Mendes’ nipple - gasp!! I’ve always thought the “nipple controversy” was always a bit of a silly one. Men have nipples - they are shirtless all the time. If we just looked at each other as people, rather than making women into sex objects, this maybe wouldn’t be a big deal and we’d just see it as another part of anatomy. It’s a bit sad because the commercial is actually very tasteful and not at all in poor taste or pornographic. Perhaps we should be more concerned with what “we” (ahem, the Christian right) read into things - I believe that tells us more about ourselves than anything else.
Here’s the commercial - view it - share it - show the world:
(sorry about the ad at the end - it was the only video I could find)
P.S. - This controversy has gotten leagues of people in an uproar about our nation’s politics (finally!). While I don’t agree we need a PG version of this ad, it’s really disappointing that it takes something like this to critique the government while men and women serving our country are dying daily. There - I said it.
Last year, Kate Moss released her first fragrance with Coty simply called Kate. With the success of her first perfume now comes the launch of her second, Velvet Hour, named after Kate’s favorite time of day - dusk. The tag line for the fragrance is “Embrace the Night” - very fitting for the eternal party girl. The scent combines notes from “blue pepper, freesia and cashmere incense; heart notes of patchouli and nutmeg, and base notes of sandalwood, amber, ebony and wood.” Describing the inspiration for Velvet Hour, Kate Moss stated:
There’s that feeling — ‘Oh, nighttime’s coming again, thank goodness,’” Moss said in an interview at the event June 12. “It’s like a comfort. The whole feeling changes. The sun’s going away, you can go out. It just feels more comforting to me. And it is like velvet.
Velvet Hour is set to launch in September in Europe, the Far East, Middle East and Canada. No confirmed plans for a U.S. release yet but we’ll keep you posted.
I’m a fan of Kate Moss and think she’s a brilliant spokes model but my pet peeve about Velvet Hour is the bottle. For me, a huge part of falling in love with a new fragrance is the packaging. Perfume bottles historically have been beautiful and were pieces of art in their own right. When I look at this bottle though it reminds me of a cheap Britney Spears perfume. You can see a better picture of the bottle after the jump - what do you think??
