>> Azzedine Alaia can be press-shy about both himself and his collection, but his Spring 2011 offering, which includes sheer micro-dot lace dresses can be seen here. The accompanying trellis-like heels can be seen up close here. And he had Olivier Zahm, Laetitia Casta, and Terry Richardson to his Paris studio for a steak dinner last night, which means there's sure to be plenty of photographic evidence of the event. That includes a couple of portraits of Alaia's beloved dog, Dine Dine.
>> Roberto Cavalli celebrated his 40th anniversary show today in Milan with a spectacular venue — the 19th-century marble Arco Della Pace — and an equally stellar cast: Erin Wasson, Laetitia Casta, who closed, and Natalia Vodianova, who opened.
Cavalli is reportedly paying Vodianova between 50,000 and 70,000 euros ($67,000 to $94,000) for both her runway appearance and her attendance at his gala dinner and bash on Sept. 29 at L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, a party which is said to be costing the designer over $2 million.
Cavalli, who turns 70 on Nov. 15, has seen his become a family business over the years: his 51-year-old wife, Eva, serves as creative director and drives the brand's image, selecting models, overseeing the ad campaigns, styling and staging the catwalk. And of their three children, Rachele, 28, collaborates with her parents on the brand's accessories, and Daniele, 24, works with Roberto and Eva on the men's collections.
Although there have been rumors of strife between Roberto and Eva in recent years, they are still apparently close and dependent on one another. As Roberto puts it, when you work together all day every day, "you bring your work-related problems and troubles into the bedroom."
From left: Louis Vuitton, Giles Deacon, Prada, Louis Vuitton fall 2010
If Miuccia Prada started things off in Milan with her collection celebrating the curvaceous, full-hipped woman, then Marc Jacobs' And God Created Woman show yesterday for Louis Vuitton cemented the movement—boobs are back.
Both designers used fuller-than-the-average-runway-model women this season (as did Giles Deacon), looking to Victoria's Secret girls like Laetitia Casta and Bar Rafaeli, recent mothers Adriana Lim and Karolina Kurkova, and supermodel Elle Macpherson to fill out skirted sundresses, low-cut scoopnecks, and halter top bustiers.
“Designers are always saying they’re going to do a collection for women, but then every girl on the runway is under twenty,” Marc Jacobs said of his decision to cast a variety of ages and sizes for his fall 2010 Louis Vuitton show. “It’s a bit old-fashioned, I know, but I think it’s nice for a change.”
>> Natalia Vodianova was front row yesterday at Louis Vuitton, but it was the cast on the runway for the And God Created Woman-themed show — after the Brigitte Bardot film — who demanded all the attention. After Miuccia Prada started the "womanly" casting trend this season, Giles and now Vuitton (both styled by Katie Grand) continued the idea.
Marc Jacobs's below-the-knee full skirts and bosom-baring scoopnecks were donned by opener Laetitia Casta, as well as Bar Refaeli, Noemie Lenoir, Lara Stone, and Catherine McNeil. Karolina Kurkova and Adriana Lima — both fresh off pregnancies — also walked, as did Lily Donaldson in her only show of the season. But the major closer: Elle Macpherson, who reportedly turned down Marc before rethinking and saying yes.
“Designers are always saying they’re going to do a collection for women, but then every girl on the runway (catwalk) is under twenty,” Jacobs said backstage. “I wanted a variety of ages and sizes. We set out to cast gorgeous women, women who feel happy to put their make-up on, get dressed up, get all their accessories.” “It’s a bit old-fashioned, I know, but I think it’s nice for a change.”
>> Vogue Paris's December/January 2010 issue just popped up, and Laetitia Casta is this year's anointed guest editor — in addition being featured on the cover and in an editorial, as photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, she has two further editorials inside by Cedric Buchet and Alasdair McLellan. But the real attraction is the magazine's annual calendar, which comes as a supplement. Mario Sorrenti did the honors this time around at the Lido in Paris, and instead of 14 girls going pinup like last year, only three made the cut: Iselin Steiro on the cover, plus Natasha Poly and Raquel Zimmermann who join her inside.
Gallery is NSFW.
>> THE MODELIZER —Lily Cole wasn't the only model who had a film debut at Cannes — Laetitia Casta, who is currently pregnant with her third child, her second by boyfriend Stefano Accorsi, had a movie in competition — Face (trailer here) — which screened Saturday. She wore Givenchy. The film apparently flopped, with half the audience walking out, but Casta already has her next role, playing Brigitte Bardot, carved out — she dyed her hair blonde for it. [AFP]
>> While fashion types are currently migrating to Venice for tomorrow's Chanel Cruise 2010 show — Karl Lagerfeld arrived Monday with Baptiste Giabiconi and his runway favorites Siri Tollerod, Heidi Mount, Liu Wen, Charlotte di Calypso, and Denisa Dvorakova are all already in town for fittings and the dinner Karl's hosting tonight — many are continuing on to the Cannes Film Festival, which opened today.
In fact, the Chanel theme carries over in Cannes — Jan Kounen’s Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, starring Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen, screens May 24, the closing day. In between now and then, Carine Roitfeld — as well as Donatella Versace and Kenneth Cole — will make her annual appearance at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS benefit on May 21 at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, which also features an exhibition by photographer Bruce Weber.
>> Although sources are saying that Puig already has a new designer lined up to take Oliver Theyskens's spot at Nina Ricci, he looked right at home at the Ricci table last night during the annual Sidaction AIDS benefit gala, right down the way from Nina Ricci president Manuel Puig. Maybe he's going to ride out his contract until October, after all? But it another fashion fixture who was on everyone's minds last night — Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, making her first appearance at a fashion event and breaking her usual ties with Dior by wearing Yves Saint Laurent as the guest of Pierre Berge.
*image: source, source
>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Those who were hoping Kate Bosworth might snag the Spring 2009 Miu Miu campaign will have to hope for another season. Not since Fall 2007, when Laetitia Casta was cast, has Miuccia Prada used a model for the label — since it's been Vanessa Paradis, Kirsten Dunst, Lindsay Lohan — but for Spring 2009, she "looks set to conscript some models." [TI]
*image: source
>> Back in June, Laetitia Casta shot a mysterious campaign with Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton, and now we get to see the product. She follows in an illustrious line of Leibovitz-lensed Louis ads — Catherine Denueve, Sofia Coppola, and Mikhail Gorbachev have all come before her, and Sean Connery is said to be next.
*images: source
