Suzy Menkes

International Herald Tribune Writer Suzy Menkes Reads Blogs Doesn't Have Time For Twitter
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Suzy Menkes Likes Fashion Blogs, Doesn't Have Time To Tweet

Our next Suzy Menkes series covers a topic very dear to our hearts — blogging.
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Our next Suzy Menkes series covers a topic very dear to our hearts — blogging. There we were, sitting anxiously in our seats waiting for Suzy's response when AAU's executive director of fashion, Gladys Perint Palmer, asked her if she read fashion blogs. Her response? "You should be asking me if I Twitter," said Menkes, bringing an uproar of laughter from the audience. Of course, she's joking because she doesn't have time to Twitter.

However, she does read blogs and likes their spontaneity and how it can attract an exponential amount of readers. Writing to a large audience is a big responsibility. That's why Suzy is very adamant about bloggers "keeping up the standards of journalism." I concur. Phew, glad we got the a-OK from Menkes!

International Herald Tribune Writer Suzy Menkes Comes to San Francisco and Reveals Her Disapproval For Revivals and Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs

Suzy Menkes Disapproves of Revivals and Marc Jacobs

When we heard International Herald Tribune fashion writer Suzy Menkes was going to speak at the Academy of Art University San Francisco, we decided we must get ourselves there, even though technically we're not students.
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When we heard International Herald Tribune fashion writer Suzy Menkes was going to speak at the Academy of Art University San Francisco, we decided we must get ourselves there, even though technically we're not students. But really — isn't one always a student of fashion? I think so . . . We really wanted to get to know Ms. 32,000-words-per-year Suzy in a more personal way. Not only did we make small talk (she reads Fab!), we discovered her sense of humor and grew more impressed with her every word. During the discussion, Suzy touched on the green movement, luxury, Karl Lagerfeld, and reminisced about the past. More to come on those, but first I want to share her thoughts about fashion revivals and Marc Jacobs.

On the subject of referencing other designers or the past, Suzy said she's "tired of revivals." For example, she has no aesthetic problem with big shoulders — a la Balmain — but to her they're forced because they don't stand for anything like they did in the past, when women donned big shoulders to let men know that they were shoulder to shoulder with them. To make matters juicier, Suzy was forthright about her disapproval of Marc Jacobs when he created an entire collection based on a 1991 Bruce Weber photograph. Ouch, but we all know Suzy and Marc are no strangers to quarrels. Do you agree with her that revivals are lame or is she being overly critical?

Highlights from Inside the 2009 Costume Institute Gala: Gisele Dumps Galliano for Versace, Carine Roitfeld Showed
Kate Moss

Highlights from Inside the 2009 Costume Institute Gala: Gisele Dumps Galliano for Versace, Carine Roitfeld Showed

>> Despite all the drama before and after, the Costume Institute Gala itself furnished plenty of notable and quotable moments; for those who were wondering, Carine Roitfeld did attend, even though it was reported that Julia Restoin-Roitfeld would not.Gisele Bundchen pulled out of John Galliano's table at the last minute, choosing to ride in with the Versace camp instead; it sounds like she might be returning as the label's Fall 2009 face — the New York Times reports that her custom Versace dress "was conceived while she was modeling for [Donatella’s] next ad campaign."
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>> Despite all the drama before and after, the Costume Institute Gala itself furnished plenty of notable and quotable moments; for those who were wondering, Carine Roitfeld did attend, even though it was reported that Julia Restoin-Roitfeld would not.

Gisele Bundchen pulled out of John Galliano's table at the last minute, choosing to ride in with the Versace camp instead; it sounds like she might be returning as the label's Fall 2009 face — the New York Times reports that her custom Versace dress "was conceived while she was modeling for [Donatella’s] next ad campaign." Helena Christensen, meanwhile, joked of her Zac Posen dress, which read "Vogue," the V formed by a plunging neckline: “It’s so I can remember whose party I’m at."

And while Kate Moss was on hostess duty (and presumably her best behavior) for Anna Wintour, she still managed to be herself, pulling a big wad of gum out of her mouth when asked about being a muse: “I’m amused.  I think it’s quite interesting for somebody to go outside of the box and think that a model actually has had some input into fashion. A lot of the time, the models don’t really get a say.”

But they do have a bathroom fascination »

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Quote Of The Day: Selfridges Turns 100

The upbeat brand color celebrates not only the centenary this week of Selfridges on Oxford Street in London, but also the fact that the store seems impervious to recession.
by coutorture The upbeat brand color celebrates not only the centenary this week of Selfridges on Oxford Street in London, but also the fact that the store seems impervious to recession. While other temples to commerce worldwide are facing declining sales, this British flagship is sailing ahead, with figures at a time of financial chaos showing increases over 2008 — which was already “our best year ever,” said Paul Kelly, the chief executive of Selfridges.
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Quote Of The Day: Suzy Menkes Analyzes Michelle Obama's Style

Although she exudes pride both in being the wife of the first African-American president and as a mother of two girls, the only fashion message she seems eager to convey is that she is her own woman.
by coutorture Although she exudes pride both in being the wife of the first African-American president and as a mother of two girls, the only fashion message she seems eager to convey is that she is her own woman. ..The first lady is making her own contribution to fashion history by dressing as a woman of strong character — rather than as a presidential wife.
Louis Vuitton

Quote Of The Day: Louis Vuitton Leads Africa Trends For Spring

When it appeared on the runway at the Louis Vuitton show in October, who could have believed that the fantastical footwear — selling at €1,250 to €2,250 (about $1,650 to $3,000) a pair — could be the hottest item for summer 2009?
by coutorture When it appeared on the runway at the Louis Vuitton show in October, who could have believed that the fantastical footwear — selling at €1,250 to €2,250 (about $1,650 to $3,000) a pair — could be the hottest item for summer 2009? No wonder that the designer Marc Jacobs baptized it the “Spicy,” giving a name to the shoe, as had previously been the custom with the now-fading It bags. To spice up this footwear, the designer added everything but the kitchen sink — as long as it was out of Africa.
Stella McCartney

Quote Of The Day: Stella McCartney On Sustainable Living

We [at Stella McCartney] don't believe that it's about all or nothing, but that something is better than nothing.
by coutorture We [at Stella McCartney] don't believe that it's about all or nothing, but that something is better than nothing. I think that when it comes to trying to look at the environment and trying to work responsibly with it in business, I think it's good to know that you can just do a little bit and it's better than nothing. It's very hard when you're looking at that kind of question to feel like you're doing everything perfectly. I can work with an organic fabric from Japan, but I still have to fly it around the world to get it into a store. You're always faced with problems.
Stella McCartney Doesn't Do Leather or Fur for a Reason
Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney Doesn't Do Leather or Fur for a Reason

>> Stella McCartney is synonymous with vegan fashion — she's a member of PETA and has been known to get upset when her pieces have been used in conjunction with fur.
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>> Stella McCartney is synonymous with vegan fashion — she's a member of PETA and has been known to get upset when her pieces have been used in conjunction with fur.  Next Monday, she's being honored in New York with an environmental award, because her commitment to ethical fashion goes beyond just a stance against animal cruelty, as she explained recently to Suzy Menkes:  

Well I don't do leather and I don't do fur and it's not just because I don't eat animals or that I think that half a billion animals a year shouldn't be killed for the sake of fashion. It's because I also believe very much in the connection between fur and leather and the environment. There's a huge connection. Now, I think more and more people will start to take notice of that — the use of water for tanneries, the chemicals that are used — there's a huge impact environmentally.

Which is why she's anti-disposable fashion »

Sustainable Luxury Conference: New Delhi 2009
sustainability

Sustainable Luxury Conference: New Delhi 2009

Beginning last night in New Delhi, the International Herald Tribune held its eighth annual luxury business conference focusing on sustainability.
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Sustainable Luxury Conference: New Delhi 2009

Beginning last night in New Delhi, the International Herald Tribune held its eighth annual luxury business conference focusing on sustainability. Today Suzy Menkes reported on the conference and the topics addressed by the fashion industry's key players. Notable speakers included Nicolas Ghesquière on "Sustaining Creativity From Past To Future", Dries Van Noten on "Working With India", and François-Henri Pinault on "Towards Responsible Luxury". Check out a few press photos from the conference and all of Menkes' articles from the conference right here. 

Suzy Menkes and Dries Van Noten Hermes International, Executive Vice-President, Christian Blanckaert Christian Blanckaert and Suzy Menkes Bandana Tewari, Fashion features director of Vogue India Chairman and CEO of PPR, Francois-Henri Pinault Creative Director of Balenciaga, Nicolas Ghesquiere
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Barneys

Quote Of The Day: Suzy Menkes Covers Fashion Weeks In India

Although the Wills week and its competing Indian fashion events may not yet have made a global impact, designers in this 21st century should be able to thrive on craft and creativity, which are increasingly prized in a fashion world saturated with cookie-cutter brands.
by coutorture Although the Wills week and its competing Indian fashion events may not yet have made a global impact, designers in this 21st century should be able to thrive on craft and creativity, which are increasingly prized in a fashion world saturated with cookie-cutter brands. "Craft in patchwork, craft in beading — whether I like it or not, all Indian designers are different and they don't do what everyone else has done," said Julie Gilhart, fashion director of Barneys New York. She was front-row-watching Indian fashion for the first time and fascinated by the individuality and verve. "I don't know if we will buy it — Barneys is so focused," Ms. Gilhart said. "But there is not one show where I didn't see a piece that I liked."