Roberto Cavalli

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• Versace will show its Fall 2012 couture show at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on July 1, a month before the hotel is scheduled to close for a two-year renovation. The Ritz has a special place in Versace's history — it's where Gianni Versace presented his last collection for the house before he was killed in 1997. "The closing of the Ritz Paris for two years represents the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one," said Donatella Versace. "So to be able to show Atelier Versace there one last time will be a memorable milestone." [Vogue UK]
  

• Roberto Cavalli took to Twitter to air more grievances against Anna Wintour, writing, "I confide you a secret... Anna Wintur das nt come to see my show in Milano ....... Why ?? becouse I dont do publicity in American Vogue ??" Cavalli called Wintour's influence on American fashion "terrible" in an on-camera interview last week. [Daily Front Row]
  

• Teri Agins, author of The End of Fashion, is writing a new book billed as a "behind-the-scenes exposé" that will "focus on the rise of fast fashion and celebrity designers in the multibillion fashion industry." The book doesn't have a title yet, but publishing house Gotham is expected to release it sometime in 2014. [The Cut]
  

• A group of protesters dressed in classically tailored suits assembled outside of the new Abercrombie & Fitch store on London's Saville Row, waving signs that say "Tweed Not Greed" and "Give Three-Piece a Chance." One of the organizers of the protest said he wanted to stop the store from "selling crappy clothes to ghastly people." [Styleite]
  

• Candice Swanepoel shimmers on the May cover of Vogue Japan in a gold-fringed Gucci dress. The issue's biggest cover line reads, appropriately, "Glamour Game." [Fashion Gone Rogue]

Photo: Donatella Versace with models at the Versace Haute Couture Spring 2012 presentation in Paris.

>> Roberto Cavalli said Anna Wintour's personal style has influenced American fashion to a degree that makes it "terrible."

In an on-camera interview, La Repubblica asked Cavalli what advice he'd give to young people who want to work in fashion, and the 71-year-old designer said he wants to see less minimalism and monotony. Cavalli said that instead of following the advice of designers and influential editors, they should "try to create a new and different direction."

"Just look at American fashion, which is almost fashion — it's terrible and you almost can't even look at it," Cavalli said. "But it has been driven by a great journalist, Anna Wintour, who wants all women to be like her and dress the way she does. It's difficult, so I can only say, try to be different, and try to create artistic fashion styles."

To be fair, Wintour does her share to promote young talent — she helped establish the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund with the intent of getting young designers access to the resources and capital needed to grow their brands. Maybe the designs of the Fund's recipients, like Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, and Joseph Altuzarra, are still too minimalist for Cavalli's taste.

You may not know her by name yet, but Elisa Sednaoui is changing that. The face of the latest Roberto Cavalli fragrance, this multilingual model portrays one head-turning tigress in the spot above. She's something of a renaissance woman, too; this 24-year-old with Italian, Egyptian, and French heritage has used her modeling career to catapult her to other opportunities like acting and directing a music video. And on top of that, hello — she's gorgeous. She's sharing her best beauty advice (it's refreshingly down-to-earth!), so read more

Within 30 seconds of observing Roberto Cavalli, this much is clear: he doesn't just like women. He adores them. Whether making eye contact with his longtime wife, Eva, or greeting this reporter with a kiss on the hand, the Italian designer has an appreciation for all things feminine. And as he launches his new eponymous fragrance, it's no surprise that he has women on the mind. He's opened his showroom to talk about the scent, which is represented by model Elisa Sednaoui, a 24-year-old polyglot filmmaker who also happens to look stunning in a plunging Cavalli gown. (That's her above.)

Cavalli has already released a string of fragrances in the past decade, but this one, he says, is different. His first with Coty, it's a blend of pink peppercorn, orange flower, and roasted tonka beans. "It is a perfect perfume because it's not too much," he says, looking pleased with the result. "It's delicate, it's soft, it's very young." Young, but not too young — in the same way that Cavalli's animal-print gowns need to be worn with confidence, the fragrance has a certain sophistication that leans more womanly than girlish.

Cavalli has said that he designs clothes for women who want to be noticed, but he insists that attitude, not a "perfect" model physique, is the key to wearing one of his creations. "What does it mean to be a supermodel?" he asks. "To be tall and skinny? Absolutely not. Every woman is a supermodel. A supermodel is a woman who's feminine and strong. Many women are more beautiful than they think."

Roberto Cavalli, the fragrance, is available now.