marc jacobs

>> Last night in Manhattan, Marc Jacobs participated in the French Institute Alliance Française Fashion Talks Series, where he explained that he wasn't attempting to make a statement about age or body type with his womanly Fall 2010 Louis Vuitton cast.

“I believe that these iconic, larger-than-life women are very Vuitton-like . . . This season we talked about it and we decided the criteria was, they have to be available on the day of the show and they have to be gorgeous," he explained. "So we just kept throwing out names . . . I suggested Elle Macpherson and Laetitia Casta, and [my stylist Katie Grand] suggested Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima." Some models Jacobs wanted for the show didn't work out. "There were plenty of other girls who we wanted to work with who weren’t available. We wanted Daria [Werbowy], but she was booked for a shoot, and Isabeli [Fontana] but she was booked for a shoot." The ultimate goal of the cast, he said, was to have people who "don’t know anything about fashion" say "That was a gorgeous show."

As for the skirt »

Last night as part of the French Institute Alliance Française Fashion Talks series, Marc Jacobs spoke with the deputy director of the Museum at F.I.T., Patricia Mears. He revealed his early beginnings with Robert Duffy, who sat in the audience at Jacobs's Parsons graduate show; hiring Tom Ford, Tracey Reese, and then-event photographer Steven Meisel while working at Perry Ellis; casting bombshells at Louis Vuitton fashion shows; and his love of Paris. Below are some choice quotes from the discussion.

On being fired from Perry Ellis: "People love to attribute it to the grunge collection, but it was complicated. . . It was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. Although at the time I didn't think it was an opportunity. . . "

On starting his Marc Jacobs line with Robert Duffy soon after: "Some drunken night with no one around we decided to use our severance from Perry Ellis and buy a tiny studio at 113 Spring Street. . . We were back to doing everything ourselves, and Robert was mortgaging his house to support the company."

On the start of Juergen Teller-lensed ad campaigns: "We worked with Venetia Scott, Juergen's then girlfriend, and needed an ad for a friend's new magazine. I asked Juergen to take a photo of Kim Gordon, who was wearing one on my dresses on stage, and that became our ad."

On the Louis Vuitton woman: "She wants her friends to know she has the latest bag. She's wants to pop out of her corset, . .  she's more superficial, but I mean that in a good way."

On red carpet dressing: "It doesn't interest me much. If someone wants to borrow a dress and it's around, that's fine. I don't put my energy into the idea of dressing people for red carpet events."

On his love of Paris: "Going to Paris for the first time is like losing your virginity. Even if it's bad, it only happens once."

Source: Junenoire

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: pants are underutilized in this world. Hilary Duff wore the perfect flirty, yet polished getup to a Shipley & Halmos event at Confederacy in LA. Her Patterson J. Kincaid butterfly tank is whimsical, while her wide-leg pants are classic. Nature-inspired jewelry, a knockout black Hermes Birkin, and cool yellow nail polish complete the lusty love child.

Check out CelebStyle for lots more celebrity street style!

I rocked my votes and now the 2010 CFDA Fashion Award nominees are in. We have to wait until June 7 to learn the results, but without further ado, here they are: Donna Karan, Alexander Wang, and Marc Jacobs for Womenswear Designer of the Year. In the Menswear Designer of the Year category are Tom Ford, Michael Bastian, and David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone. Fab favorite Alexis Bittar will be competing against Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Accessory Designer of the Year.

To hear more nominees, read more

>> At the CFDA meeting earlier today, the board voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Diane von Furstenberg for a third, two-year term as president of the organization.  Von Furstenberg, whose term would have originally come to an end after this year, will now serve until Dec. 31, 2012: “[The board] unanimously asked me to stay another two years and I said yes. I am happy that they love me and I love them. There is so much more to do and we’re doing it.”

And this evening, von Furstenberg held a cocktail gathering for the 2010 CFDA Award nominations announcements at her studio.  She noted that the awards ceremony on June 7 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall will host a special tribute for Alexander McQueen, and the Popular Vote category, which is open to public voting and which Ralph Lauren won last year, will be back again this year, with voting starting April 1.

Without further ado, the nominees »

Spring suede might sound like an oxymoron at first read, but I dare you to reconsider. With the right cut and color, springy suede peep-toe booties can encompass the very essence of warm weather fun — think '70s bohemian glam. I can already think of million ways to wear these Joie Rock Steady Fringe Suede Booties ($345) come Summer. Silk tunics, cut-off shorties, floral frocks — you get the gist. Time to get groovy . . .

>> Lara Stone, who just recently got engaged to British comedian David Walliams, covers the March 2010 issue of Interview (photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott); inside, she chats with Marc Jacobs — who she recently worked with on the Spring 2010 Louis Vuitton campaign — about the upcoming wedding, her stint in rehab, and all the attention on her body.

She tells Jacobs of fiance Walliams: "He's wonderful. He's amazing. He makes me laugh. He's a proper gentleman. He's a bit mean but in a good way. I'm happy."  The engagement was just announced at the end of last month, and Stone says she hasn't really started to make wedding plans "because I haven't been home at all since we got engaged."  She does, however, know what she'll be wearing: "I asked Riccardo [Tisci] to make my dress."

"I used to love slapping people in the face when I was drunk" »