The muses of Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton campaign.

For his last fashion campaign as creative director of Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs chose 6 woman who inspire him through the years. Catherine Deneuve, Sofia Coppola, Gisele Bündchen, Fan Bingbing, Caroline de Maigret and Edie Campbell posed for Steven Meisel wearing Jacobs last collection, which was presented in October in Paris. 

 Catherine Deneuve

Gisele Bündchen

Sofia Coppola

Caroline de Maigret

Fan Bingbing

Edie Campbell

Anthony Vaccarello for Versus Versace

It's confirmed!  The next Versus Versace collaborator is going to be the emerging Belgian talent  Anthony Vaccarello. 

 After the rumors spread in September, Versace announced today that the collection is set to debut in 2014. Vaccarello succeeds Christopher Kane, J.W. Anderson, and M.I.A., all of whom have collaborated with the brand.

Donatella Versace and Anthony Vaccarello

Rebecca Taylor PRE-FALL 2014

Rebecca Taylor described her collection as having an element of fragility with a dash of the decrepit, à la “Grey Gardens.” The result was a perfect blend of sweet and moody. The designer used patched-together panels of the floral and black silk chiffon for a mididress with pleating at its skirt for a little volume and texture, while her favored biker jacket was also done in the print, here rendered on a matelassé fabric.

Erdem PRE-FALL 2014

The Erdem pre-fall collection was a sharp distillation of what people love about Erdem: exquisite cocktail dresses, eerie florals, a sweet-turned-sour sophistication. He said he imagined "a schoolgirl in a kilt wearing her grandmother's coat." 

The sequined top and tuxedo pants were Erdem's alternate offering for evening. A little less formal maybe than the flower-embroidered column with the starchy white shirt collar ("glamorous governess" might once have been Erdem's classic default position), but then, de-formalized dressiness was actually the essence of the collection. The designer achieved this effect with a front-and-back proposition. A little black dress in macramé lace looked formal from the front, but in back, it sensuously molded to the spine with a neoprene-like jersey. A lace jumpsuit, backed in silk cady, sported a solid black T-shirt pocket. A little thing, you might think, but it undoubtedly defused the dressiness. Simple, elegant, lovely.

Chanel: The Return

Karl Lagerfeld has written and direct a new film about Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. Set in 1954, the 30 minute film captures the comeback of Mademoiselle Chanel to the fashion world again. The role of Coco was  played by Geraldine Chaplin.  Also starring  Rupert Everett, Anna Mouglalis, Lady Amanda Harlech, Arielle Dombasle and Kati Nescher.

"The Return" was presented in Dallas , on the occasion of the Métiers d'Art 2013/14 runway show.

The teaser

Coco Chanel in 1954

In the short film Once Upon a Time released in May this year, Lagerfeld has explored the life of Gabrielle Chanel at her debut in fashion.

Once Upon a Time

Chanel pre-fall 2014

In Texas, they don't do anything small. Neither does Chanel. 

Lagerfeld showcased clothes that trumpeted the American West—Cowboys and Indians clichés and all. Historically, Ralph Lauren has owned this fashion territory. Lagerfeld seized upon it with gusto but also with characteristic deftness.
The classic Chanel suit has become a bit boxier, the skirt longer and fuller, and it's worn with boots. For the Lone Star State: a cocktail dress and matching jacket embroidered with thousands of red and silver stars. Houndstooth coats with fur sleeves the size of, well, Texas. Blanket skirts and high-necked prairie blouses. And miles and miles of fringe, accenting everything from a knit poncho and skirt set to a silky dress to a swaggeringly gorgeous navy cape in suede and leather.

Narciso Rodriguez Pre-Fall 2014

The T-shirt, the cornerstone of casualwear, inspired Narciso Rodriguez’s pre-fall collection. Drawn to the “ease, purity and structure” of a classic T-shirt, Rodriguez evolved it into looks shown with slim cropped pants and dresses. They were all done with clean lines, controlled volume achieved by sleek bias cuts and mitering, and the finest fabrics: jacquard, silk twill, crepe and a heathered wool tweed for a subtle graphic that progressed into something bolder and more colorful.

The beautiful shades of pink, purple, navy and orange were derived from a Sean Scully exhibition at the Cheim & Read Gallery. Rodriguez used them in neat, linear paneling down the front of a crisp shell and a short-sleeve shirt, as well as the interiors of jackets, finished to perfection. “People always forget todesign the back and the inside,” said Rodriguez.

Gucci PRE-FALL 2014

The official line is that the collection represents the "Gucci essentials," the elements of which include sharp hues (fuchsia, brick, bumblebee, azure), controlled volume, amped-up outerwear, and a masculine-feminine mix. Giannini collided colors so close on the spectrum that they produced a new twist on monochromatic. At times, she emphasized layering. But then she showed a day-to-night dress with generous sleeves offset by a butterfly-shaped basque—as complete a look as it gets. Twice she hybridized the classic Perfecto: elongating it into a dress coat and covering it in extra-plush gray shearling. Bookmark both now. 

Zoom out to take the collection in full, and it's clear that Gucci's signature sex appeal has been outdone by sleek sportswear this season. It's as if Giannini is saying that luxe fabrications—a leather shirt as thin as rice paper and a chubby in goat and Mongolian lamb fur—should not be dismissed as impractical. Ditto the deerskin cap, which adds a finishing street-chic touch to the majority of looks. Notably, Giannini has also revived the embossed Diamante pattern, applying it to the entire range of bags. It dates back to the thirties, making it one of the brand's oldest codes. It is subtler than the GG monogram and, essentially, bridges past and future.

Proenza Schouler PRE-FALL 2014

For Pre-Fall Proenza Schouler is continuing to think along the "relaxed, organic" lines of their last runway show.

The high-waisted gauchos they introduced in September are back, this time around in buttery-soft plonge leather or suede. Some will see the 1970s glory days of Anjelica Huston in the cropped, wide-leg pants, but Jack and Lazaro were vibing on their streetwise board-short look. The designers also revisited Spring's sleeveless dress with an A-line skirt. Pointing out that "the pre-collections are about product and about filling our stores," they swapped metallic foil for more humble materials such as black and white cotton velvet flocked jacquards. The Mexican-blanket-inspired stripe of one such frock rewarded close inspection; its raised, 3-D pattern felt great in the hand. In the end, perhaps, it wasn't so humble at all, merely better suited for everyday wear.

Downtown yet deluxe is an apt description for their coats and jackets, too, which are made from sheared broadtail with generous, shoulder-covering shearling collars. A beaded black chiffon evening dress that jangled as the model did her showroom circuit—each embroidery is a stack of four separate 

Calvin Klein Collection PRE-FALL 2014

Cozy. That was the impression you got from Francisco Costa's Calvin Klein Collection show. The first model wore double-breasted coat, floor-skimmer of a knit dress, and pony-hair slippers—all in shades of icy gray. And the relaxed vibe didn't stop there. Slipdresses scraped the tops of Birkenstock-style shoes, pale knits were layered and lightly cinched above the waist with ribbon-thin strands of yarn, and a Kashmir-shearling coat in palest lilac looked positively downy. 

Safe to say, it felt like a departure for the designer, who sometimes tends to favor dense materials with a lot of innate structure. Recall, if you will, last Fall's felted wools, or Spring's deeply cuffed painter pants. Afterward, Costa said he was looking at the work of the artist Mike Kelley. "It's very homey, very innocent. I think it's nice." 

The mood continued into evening, where the propositions included a pair of crepe wool georgette sleeveless dresses with frayed, raw edges (the bordeaux was gorgeous) and a few degradé sequined numbers built on chiffon bases.

Altuzarra, Reed Krakoff and Rag & Bone Pre-Fall 2014

The designers are continuing to present their Pre-Fall collections in New York. Here are some of the looks from the collections of Altuzarra, Reed Krakoff and Rag & Bone

For his first pre-fall collection, Joseph Altuzarra wanted to pick up where he left off for spring: “That sentiment of ease,” he said during the small presentation in his showroom. “I was interested in comfort and how it can work with the idea of seduction.” While there were plenty of the designer’s signatures — i.e., strong-shouldered tailoring, body-skimming dresses, skirts with high side-slits — Altuzarra beautifully played up his proportions. A voluminous light gray double-faced coat with a creme lapel, for example, was worn with a sculpted cobalt blue skirt and gray top. The look was elegant and sophisticated.

“Fluidity against structure” is how Reed Krakoff described this collection. The designer has played with and evolved the concept for several seasons and here he contrasted strong mannish shoulders on jacquard tweed coats with ruching and python taping on dresses, often with asymmetric hems. One dress came in an abstract feather print with side-pleating for movement, while lightweight sweatshirts, some with surface elements like a hand-painted ponyskin front panel, added to the men’s wear feel.

Sachin + Babi Pre-Fall 2014

Looking to the Industrial Revolution for inspiration, Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia interpreted the era subtly with predominantly steel and coal hues, mannish pinstripes and a fanciful confetti print that was a nod to papermanufacturing and looked particularly fetching on a lantern-shape miniskirt. Leather continued to play a key role, here used for a woven latticelike skirt and the strapless top of a tea-length party dress, while lush floral prints were appliquéd onto sweatshirts to cool and crafty effect.

British Fashion Awards 2013

The 2013 British Fashion Awards were held on Monday 2nd December at The London Coliseum. Hosted by Jack Whitehall, the ceremony saw the best of the British and international fashion industries joined by a glamorous line-up of guests and presenters, including Kate Moss, Donatella Versace, Sienna Miller, Miuccia Prada & Harry Styles. 

The prestigious Womenswear Designer of the Year accolade was awarded to Christopher Kane. He has developed a reputation as one of the most talented and innovative British designers.

British brand Burberry enjoyed a double celebration on the evening, winning both the Designer Brand of the Year and the Menswear Designer of the Year award, which was given to Christopher Bailey for Burberry. 

To recognise the ever-increasing globalisation of the fashion industry, the International Designer of the Year award was introduced this year to celebrate an influential international designer making waves on the global fashion scene. The inaugural award was won by Miuccia Prada for Prada. 

Christopher Kane - winner of the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award

Christopher Bailey MBE - winner of the Menswear Designer of the Year Award and Brand of the Year Award for Burberry

Fendi Pre-Fall 2014

For his Fendi pre-fall collection, creative director Karl Lagerfeld explored the concept of dualism via asymmetric graphics and silhouettes. A loose dress in burgundy silk with a white diagonal band was cut with one short sleeve and the other at elbow length. A constructed wool jacket, its collar in bicolored black and white fur, and matching skirt were embellished with polyurethane stripes to create a geometric pattern.

There was an artsy touch throughout, especially demonstrated with a degradé pattern on a dyed mink coat and the brushstrokelike pigment prints worked on a roomy wool biker jacket with sheepskin inserts.

Vika Gazinskaya fall-winter 2013-14

Here is another designer who's fall-winter collection I would steall totaly. Vika Gazinskaya is without a doubt a whimsical designer. But her whimsy sometimes betrays a subversive streak, as it did this season. The most impression-making pieces in Gazinskaya's new collection were her "fur" stoles, stuffed-animal-like scarves that looked like fox, raccoon, etc. They were witty, and a little silly, those stoles, and you could say much the same of Gazinskaya's mannish overcoat in curly Steiff-teddy-bear fur, and herFlintstones-worthy orange faux-fur vest, with its little detachable fox tail in back. 

The faux-fur elements in this collection were prominent but hardly defining. Gazinskaya continued to elaborate her interest in exaggerated silhouettes, notably in stiff skirts with zigzag hems that were almost cartoonishly A-line. Elsewhere, she magnified details, extending the length of sleeves, or placing a spine of emphatic bows on the back of a blouse. Cleverly, she also embroidered rather naive-looking oversize jewelry onto her collars. All told, there was a feeling of things being just ever-so-slightly out of proportion here, in an interesting fun-house-mirror way. But Gazinskaya's strongest pieces had the tang of normality. To wit, the standout item in this collection may have been her not-quite-culottes, voluminous cropped pants that sat high on the waist. Bicolored trousers with a similar cut were nearly as good, and among Gazinskaya's coats, a simple single-button model, in white faux fur or fuzzy gray wool, was the definite best. All told, this collection suggested that although it may sometimes seem that Vika Gazinskaya has her head in the stars, the plain fact is that she's got her eyes wide open and her feet on the ground.