Fashion photographer Massimo Gammacurta’s photos are clever and ingenious in their simplicity. His work is extraordinarily beautiful, and no matter what the subject, you can expect a level of sophistication that you rarely find anywhere else. His newest project is called “Sweet Fashion, Lick Your Way To Success,” where he’s borrowed some of the world’s most iconic luxury logos and made them into lolipops! Gammacurta released these during fashion week and made lollipops using the Chanel, Gucci, YSL and Louis Vuitton logos.  The lollipops come in flavors such as watermelon, pomegranate, caramel, lilac, wild cherry and green apple.   Talk about the ultimate luxury - these would be fleeting, yet utterly decadent treats!

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One of the most highly-regarded collections of American and European costume is to be transferred from the financially-struggling Brooklyn Museum to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The move will allow for garments to be properly cared for and exhibited after a lengthy period out of public view, as due to the cost of exhibiting such pieces the collection has been in storage for more than a decade.

Two pieces from Charles James.

The 23,500 piece collection is to be integrated into the Met’s Costume Institute. Amassing over more than a century of collecting, it includes a definitive collection of Charles James material, as well as signature pieces by both American and international designers including Elsa Schiaparelli.  It’s big win for both the museums and fashion enthusiasts - by combining the Brooklyn collection with the Met’s current pieces we’re given an extensive timeline of fashion history.

Largely assembled from the closets of grand ladies of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the newly-named Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection will be a definite must-see for anyone interested in how fashion has progressed over the years.  Click here for an in-depth read about the collection and acquisition.

Above Top: Pieces from the Met’s Costume Institute collection include from top left: Yves Saint Laurent, two dresses from Courreges, two outfits from Rudi Gernreich, platforms from Ferragamo.

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Last month, we reported on Sofia Coppola’s collection for Louis Vuitton and more images are finally hitting the web.

Sofia had this to say about the collection to WWD:

“To start, I wanted to make a bag for myself and then we talked about making a little capsule collection. My friends and I are always searching for the perfect day bag. It fits all your things but isn’t too big and isn’t too heavy.”

The SC Bag, comes in four versions: one in dark gray suede, two in calf leather in dark blue and burgundy and one in LV’s signature monogram canvas.

Two more images, after the jump!

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I was one of the many, many people glued to their TVs to see what the celebrities (and their stylists) decided they should wear to the Golden Globe Awards.  There were gorgeous gowns, dazzling jewels and coiffed coifs.  Dior seemed to score big with many leading ladies wearing gowns by John Galliano for Dior.  But the biggest trend of the night was in the hair category - so many bangs in face!  I didn’t mind it, more annoying was the constant moving of the hair from the face.  As usual, there were the people that looked great, and people who I just looked at and wondered:  “Really, you have THAT much money and THAT much access to couture and diamonds and THAT’S the best you could do?”  One of my favorite looks of the night was Susan Sarandan in a black tux paired with a corset and long diamond necklaces.  Here’s a brief breakdown of my favorites, trends, and WTFs?

2 Favorite Dresses (minus the silly expressions):

Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab & Kate Beckinsdale in J. Mendel

It comes as no surprise that 2 of my favorite dresses would be black and white.  Wood’s dress is evocative of Chanel to me and is glamorous and age appropriate and a good choice for an award’s show.  Beckinsdale’s dress was my favorite of the night for pure dramatic effect.  The neckline was gorgeous and she carried it beautifully.  I didn’t love her earrings but she was smart in skipping the necklace and going with big earrings.  I hate when people feel like they need to junk up their decolletage in a strapless dress with a necklace.

3 more favorites:

Kate Winslet in YSL, Eva Mendes in Dior, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Lanvin

I love Kate Winslet - she’s smart, funny, strong and a “Dame” in the making.  Her choice in dress reflected her personality - it was sleek, sophisticated and strong.  Eva Mendes was beautiful in Dior (though I was surprised she wasn’t in Calvin Klein - you know, the perfume deal . . .) and her necklace was pretty though I don’t know if I loved them together.  And Maggie Gyllenhaal looked fresh, young and independent in her Lanvin gown.  I thought all 3 ladies had nice hairstyles - I’m a big fan of up-dos for fancy occasions and their coiffs were modern and not stuffy at all.
All images
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Sofia Coppola’s small capsule collection of bags and shoes for Louis Vuitton debuted in Tokyo on Friday night.  The project was born when Coppola visited the custom orders department at Louis Vuitton’s factory in Asnieres, France.  She wanted to design the perfect bag that didn’t yet exist and wanted something that wasn’t too big or heavy.  The result is the SC bag - a slouchy duffle bag that comes in 4 leathers: dark gray suede,  navy blue calf leather, burgundy calf leather and LV’s signature monogram canvas. “I wanted a bag that I could use every day that was coming from the heritage of Louis Vuitton’s great leather goods, not connected to the fashion side of the brand.”  In addition to the SC bag, Sofia also designed a clutch and evening shoes that reminded her of her mom’s YSL shoes from the  1970s.  She opted for a style that had “a heel you can really wear all night and it’s comfortable but still looks chic.”  The clutch features hardware resembling the locks from classic Louis Vuitton’s trunks.  I’m excited to see these pieces in person because so many of the details are lost in photos.  I especially like the clutch with hardware reminiscent of that of the classic trunks.  The collection is set to drop in select Louis Vuitton shops in March.

Image & Info

Things seem to always get better with age.  Take Claudia Schiffer, for example.  As a young new model she became famous as the face of Guess.  Now, with a few more years under her belt she’s the face of the likes of Chanel, and now, YSL.  She made her way to LA and was shot in  YSL campaign in front of the “Y” of the “Hollywood” sign.  Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin shot the campaign with Stefano Pilati directing the shoot.  The images are scheduled for the next issue of YSL’s Manifesto that will release on Valentine’s Day and in February magazines.  I can’t wait to see this!!  It’s an amazing concept, and I love when companies push things forward without making things corny.  Bravo!

I recently attended the preview of the Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective at San Francisco’s de Young Museum, and was absolutely spellbound by the finesse of the exhibition and the vast collection of the 130 Maison Haute Couture Yves Saint Laurent ensembles never before seen in the U.S. outside of the French house’s private archives. The exhibition celebrates his life’s work as a French couturier, as sadly, he passed away in June of this year, leaving behind a fashion legacy spanning four decades, and whose designs were so influential, that he helped redefine feminism as we know it today by modernizing the pantsuit, establishing its importance as a chic and socially acceptable fashion staple.
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If you’ve ever dreamed of coming up with your own beauty campaign for a luxury goods company, now’s your chance!  YSL and Brickfish are hosting a competition where you submit an art piece - painting, sculpture, art deco, modern art, graphic art - inspired by the glamorous allure of the YSL Rouge Volupté Collection.  There are 17 days left for a chance to win a trip to NY and have your art featured on the YSL Beauté US site.  For more information click here.

Here’s the last installment of the lovely Ruby Slippers we saw at the Ruby Slipper Event at Saks last Thursday.  Each pair was lovelier than the other, I definitely have my favorites but they really are truly beautiful in their own way and you can really see each designer’s signatures and themes come through in their Ruby Slipper interpretations.  Today’s designer’s include:  Stewart Weitzman, Rupert Sanderson, Sergio Rossi, Tibi, Tuleh, Valentino, Vivier, YSL.  Check back for pics of the scene at the party, the O.G. shoes and the Saks Fifth Avenue windows.

Stewart Weitzman

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A while back we posted about some preview sketches of the Swarovski Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper Project.  On Thursday night, we had the pleasure of going to Saks and attending the unveiling of the Ruby Slippers designed by 19 designers including YSL, Betsey Johnson, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino and Christian Louboutin.  The event was beautifully put together and we have so much coverage (including photos of every single shoe) that we’ve decided to split it up into 5 posts - 1 for each day of the week - it’s that good. 

Sneak Peak of the Moschino shoe (my favorite!)

We’ll start off the way the event did, with the red carpet and the celebrity guests.  My only pet peeve was that the red carpet was not yellow, but we found out later that there was a “yellow brick road” leading you around to all the shoes so that made up for the lack of a yellow carpet at the entrance.  As you entered Saks, you were greeted by girls dressed as Dorothy and the air was filled with The Wizard of Oz songs as covered by other musical artists.

Betsey Johnson

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