>> Designers are well-represented at the Academy Awards when it comes to gowns, but a few made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles themselves to have their own Oscars red carpet moment. Georgina Chapman, Valentino Garavani, and Tara Subkoff made an awards appearance, while Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Jason Wu, Tom Ford and the like hobnobbed later at Vanity Fair's after party.
Fashion designers obviously have a sharp sense of style — or else they wouldn't be able to produce such beautiful pieces. But some put forth more effort than others. Like every time I see bag guru Rebecca Minkoff out at an event, she looks put-together and edgy. Or whenever Chloe's designer Hannah MacGibbon comes out at the end of her runway shows, she stuns us with her polished chic looks. There are plenty of other lady designers — Georgina Chapman, Cynthia Rowley, and Vanessa Bruno, to name a few — that dress as impeccably as they design. You've seen their designs; now get to know their personal style!
We can always expect show-stopping dresses at a Marchesa presentation, and its 2011 Spring collection didn't disappoint. At all. Upon entering its intimate space at the Chelsea Art Museum, we were first treated to an enormous ebony and pearl gown of endless tulle inspired by what Keren Craig and new mom Georgina Chapman called "an Orientalist journey."
Then they departed from that idea with a series of baggy lace jumpsuits and laser-cut floral minis. Georgina's supportive husband, Harvey Weinstein, held court while she hung back and did press with Keren. Other notables like Molly Sims, Petra Nemcova, and Olivia Palermo turned out — Kelly Osbourne put up her new long hair and told us she's so excited to see lots of camels, corals, and beiges this season since "they look really good on me when I have a fake tan!" Georgina and Keren stuck to a palette of ivory, mint, and rose, giving us their latest crop of dresses bound to be spotted on future red carpets. One more cool thing about this presentation — we spotted some kind assistants walking around and actually feeding the models peanut M&Ms and apple juice! Amazing.
To see all of the pics from the Marchesa show, read more
>> Georgina Chapman Had a Girl! —34-year-old Georgina Chapman gave birth to her first child, a girl named India Pearl Weinstein, with 58-year-old husband Harvey Weinstein on Sunday night, according to friends. "Mother and daughter are doing great," added one. Weinstein has three daughters from his first marriage. Although Marchesa's Fashion Week presentation is just over two weeks away on Sept. 15, Chapman said earlier this month that she planned to be present. [NY Post, @jimshi809]
>> Last night saw crowds on New York's West Side craning their necks in awe while Target's twenty-minute-long Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular took place. The mass retailer rented out 155 rooms — the entire south side of the Standard Hotel — and took advantage of the building's floor-to-ceiling glass, illuminating the windows to reveal 66 dancers performing a choreographed dance. The light show and dance sequences portrayed everything from a growing green vine, to lightning and rain, to a tie-dyed rainbow of colors before finally ending to applause in a red Target bullseye.
Among the audience were Prabal Gurung, Richard Chai, Georgina Chapman, who is due with her first child any day now (and still plans to be at Fashion Week), and reportedly Phoebe Philo. Target is clearly working on upping its image — and last night's display seemed a success, based on the enthusiastic audience reaction. It's also partnering with Gilt Groupe for the first time, allowing its collaboration with Mulberry (see images here), which doesn't hit Target stores until Oct. 12, to be sold on Gilt tomorrow, Aug. 20, in limited quantities.
A video of last night's light show, below.
Love's new girls.
New Accessories Bazaar will display Spring 2011 shoes, bags, and jewelry collections so you can actually see them during Fashion Week.
Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig will answer your red carpet glamour questions in InStyle.
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld's new gigs: face of Lancome, Mark Fast consultant.
September fashion mags earn praise for skewing older this year.
Georgina Chapman turned out her largest resort collection to date for Marchesa, having fun with tribal motifs mixed with her signature feminine details like feathers, fringe, beading, and hand embroidery. “Combining a tribal look with the kind of dresses we usually do made everything seem playful," said Chapman, who is seven months pregnant. In addition to the tribal theme there was a strong '60s moment in the graphic swing dresses worn with matching cropped leggings, black turbans, and armfuls of chunky bangles.
Georgian Chapman, who is 24 weeks pregnant, attended Diane von Furstenberg's Mother's Day event earlier in the week and dropped hints about designing a maternity collection for Marchesa. “I’ve been changing all my dresses, adding elastic and things like that. I wouldn’t mind doing maternity wear, having gone through this,” she told WWD.
Due this August, the designer also may have unintentionally revealed she is having a girl when she told People magazine, "We’re really excited. I’m just trying to get everything done before Fashion Week so that I’m prepared for when she comes."
Source: WireImage
>> A picture of Lady Gaga's Costume Institute Gala Prada tuxedo has finally surfaced today, but also making a pictorial debut this morning: Adriana Lima's daughter, 5-month-old Valentina Lima Jaric.
While pregnant, Adriana was diagnosed with preeclampsia and had to be put on two weeks of bed rest before delivering Valentina on November 15, 2009 — at only 34 weeks along. Valentina was the “smallest [baby] in the whole hospital,” Lima recalls, weighing in at just 4.4 lbs. They are currently living in Spain and Adriana recently started modeling again for Victoria's Secret.
>> Gisele Bundchen was snapped yesterday in Paris with four-month-old son Benjamin, who just came from his first visit to Bundchen's native Brazil. And today, news comes from New York that another fashion figure is pregnant — last night at the New Yorkers for Children gala, Georgina Chapman announced to friends that she and husband Harvey Weinstein are expecting this Summer. "We're so excited!" Chapman said. "I'm five months along, but this dress hides it pretty well!" Chapman wore a white swing minidress from Marchesa's Spring 2010 collection.
Weinstein and Chapman were married on December 15, 2007 at their home in Newport, Rhode Island. This will be the first child for Chapman, 33, and the third for Weinstein, 58, who has two daughters from a previous marriage.
