Paco Rabanne

Those stories and more here in our daily news roundup.

• Thakoon Panichgul opened the doors of his art-filled New York studio for a tour, where he revealed that while it's important for him to be surrounded by books and lots of inspiring fabrics, he often doesn't want to look at his own archives. "The past is the past—I don't want to look at it, I want to move forward," he said. [Vogue]
  

• Paco Rabanne today announced that it has appointed Lydia Maurer as its new creative director. Maurer, 29, will fill the position Manish Arora had until he and the brand decided to part ways in May. [The Cut]
  

• Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have had an incredible journey from their days on Full House to winning one of the most prestigious trophies in American fashion from the CFDA. How did they do it? Part of it was building their brand slowly. "They took time to become part of the industry and didn't expect any special favors," says CFDA executive director Steven Kolb. [Fashionista]
  

• Georgia May Jagger is the new face of The Sunglass Hut, but she may well help create visuals for the chain one day. Jagger is a budding photographer, and Sunglass Hut's CEO Fabio D'Angelantonio said the company is "investigating how [Jagger's] passion for photography can come alive." [WWD]
  

• Harley Viera-Newton has been selected as one of Target Style's guest editors for June. "I've always loved Target," she says. "They allow people to have fun and dress up and express themselves without going completely broke." [Target Style]

Photo: Courtesy of Vogue

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Hermès doesn't sell its Birkin handbags online, but flash sale sites like Gilt, Rue La La, and MyHabit do. Here's a look at how they ensure authenticity. [BuzzFeed]
  

• A new deal with Sandow Media will expand Fred Segal beyond its Southern California roots. The retailer is expected to set up shops in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, as well as in Europe and Asia, with the first of the new stores opening some time next year. [Racked]
  

• Karl Lagerfeld has signed on to give the exterior of Monaco's Hotel Métropole a redesign. The first part of the project, which involves refreshing the hotel's pool, terrace, gardens, and a new restaurant, will be unveiled in July. [The Daily Telegraph]
  

• Paco Rabanne's artistic director Manish Arora is leaving the brand after designing just two season's worth of clothing and despite the fact that Arora's designs had gotten favorable press coverage. Lady Gaga even wore one of his dresses to the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards. [The Cut]
  

• Iris Apfel will debut her own handbags in collaboration with HSN, which also sells her jewelry line. The bags are made from Mongolian lamb's wool, snakeskin, and calf hair, and will retail for $228 to $398. [WWD]
  

• Greg Kessler's latest installment of Model-Morphosis shows off Chanel's most popular lacquers. Nails go from unadorned to coated with the flick of a mouse. [T Magazine]
  

• Nicola Formichetti will debut an eponymous fashion label next year. The clothes will be "digitally oriented and high-tech . . . Why do you have to have a zipper when you can have a jacket that's molded to your body?" Formichetti explained. [Styleite]

  Photo: A Birkin snapped on the streets during Milan Menswear Week in January 2012.

Perfume commercials are always trying to be provocative and sexy to attract consumers, but the new ads for Paco Rabane Black XS seem to be reaching out in a very different way: specifically, to glam rock fans in the early punk era. What else could possibly explain this frenetic new ad, which has everything a young David Bowie could want: Iggy Pop sensuously wrapping himself in an American flag, models licking a Damien Hirst-y jewel-encrusted skull, a couple writhing in money like a pair of proto-punk Scrooge McDucks, etc. It's as if someone turned Velvet Goldmine into a perfume.

As big fans of Mr. Stardust and his spiders from Mars, the campy elements of the ad are pretty appealing to us. But given the otherwise small overlap between perfumistas and '70s-rock aficionados, this spot seems pretty niche indeed. Still, it's always nice to see Iggy, and maybe now, with a perfume campaign under his belt, he can finally fulfill his beauty destiny by starting a hair care line.

Here's a small perfume store I spotted in Valladolid, a colonial city in Mexico's Yucatán peninsula. Though it wasn't open during my visit, I still loved looking at the painting details on the outside. The depictions of Lancôme Trésor, Ralph by Ralph Lauren, and Paco Rabanne are pretty spot-on. If you're looking for even more south-of-the-States beauty spots, check out these salons and barber shops in Belize.

• Behati Prinsloo and Chanel Iman talk Spring Break essentials — Racked
• Nicole Miller, Neiman Marcus, and Kate Spade debut new media makeovers — InStyle
• Fab UK's favorite Paris Fashion Week shows — FabSugarUK
• Despite rumors of John Galliano's successor, it's still an official "no comment" from LVMH — Vogue UK Daily
• Celebrity trend: pastel dresses — Teen Vogue
• One-on-one with model/actress Liya Kebede — Lucky
• Is the fashion industry going on substance-abuse watch? — The Cut
• Alexander Wang's new backpack is perfect for a city girl — Purse Blog
• Gwen Stefani's wedding dress finds a new home at a museum — People StyleWatch
• Vive le punk: Judy Blame rocks Paco Rabanne — Vogue Daily

>> The rumor has been confirmed: Manish Arora is the new creative director of Paco Rabanne, and will show his first collection for the label in October during Paris Fashion Week — for Spring 2012. He will also continue his colorful signature collection, which is also shown in Paris but sells mostly in his native India.

The founding designer Rabanne has been consulting on the relaunch, which was kickstarted last month with the reissuing of the brand's iconic 1969 chain-mail bag, done in collaboration with Comme des Garcons's Rei Kawakubo. Those collaborations are expected to continue — next up is Judy Blame, who in March will unveil a collection of jewelry and his take on the chain-mail bag for the brand.

Vincent Thilloy, Puig VP overseeing Rabanne, said that the founder is looking to “transmit this brand to a new generation,” adding: “I think people are looking for brands with great heritage — and stories to tell. It’s a perfect time to come back.” And Arora, who is charged with bringing fashion back to the brand that shuttered ready-to-wear in 2006, says he is committed to Rabanne's heritage: "It’s very easy to use unorthodox materials, but not to do it with this kind of workmanship."

• Italian Vogue’s latest all-black spread: "The Black Allure" — The Cut
• 10 great retro fashion pieces on a budget — The Budget Fashionista
• Zadig & Voltaire keeps the youth looking sonic — W Editors' Blog
• Paco Rabanne has named Manish Arora as its new creative director — Vogue Daily
• Heidi Klum's secret shopping weapon? Her "gay husband"! — People
• Tom Ford to show at London Fashion Week — Fashionologie
• The Weekender: what to wear during New York Fashion Week — Stylelist
• Check out Kate Moss's dazzling engagement ring — InStyle
• A sneak peek at River Island's Summer 2011 collection — Red Carpet Fashion Awards
• Brazil's got talent: the latest on São Paulo Fashion Week — Vogue Daily
• Calling all Charlottes: Derek Lam's new shoulder bag — Bag Snob

>> Paco Rabanne has slowly been edging back into the fashion game — first with handbags that hit stores next month, and then with clothing, which is promised soon after. The namesake designer, who has been consulting on the relaunch of Rabanne, recently said: "The Paco Rabanne brand is and must remain what it has always been: audacious." And now, it's rumored that Manish Arora may be tapped as the new creative director; though it's not confirmed, Aurora does have a knack for color and print. And speaking of designer rumors, there's also one going around that Haider Ackermann is being scouted to replace Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent — apparently YSL CEO Valerie Hermann attended Ackermann's Spring 2011 show in October incognito, without an offical ticket request or RSVP. [Racked, Racked]

>> Paco Rabanne shuttered its clothing line in 2006, after a failed revival attempt by Patrick Robinson, but it's coming back onto the scene now, slowly but surely, with the brand's 76-year-old namesake designer consulting.

The first prong of reemergence? The relaunch of the brand's iconic 1969 chain-mail bag in new materials like stingray, horn, metal, glitter leather, and suede. The bag, which retails for $1,400 to $2,200, was shown during the most recent Paris Fashion Week, and will launch at London's Dover Street Market in January for one month before going to select retailers. Rei Kawakubo picked out materials for three interpretations of the reissued bag, and those will be sold exclusively in nine Comme des Garçons stores; Comme des Garçons is also handling the distribution of all the bags to retailers.

According to Rabanne, who was involved in the bag's relaunch: "I immediately got on board with the plan to relaunch the bag, but in my view it was necessary to make it in more comfortable materials. So we did this, using fine materials (shagreen, vegetable leather…) and/or materials in line with the Rabanne universe (rubber, plastic, aluminum . . . )."

The plan, according to Vincent Thilloy, Rabanne's VP, is to "come back and enrich the image of the brand," which means accessories first, and then clothing in the near future. Rabanne, who the executives are closely consulting, already knows what he wants to see: "The Paco Rabanne brand is and must remain what it has always been: audacious."