Celebrity Women & Models

Romney Leader reports from Copenhagen fashion week.

You'd think that back-to-back shows from morning to night would leave little chance to do touristy things in a new city, but yesterday afternoon had me crisscrossing the Sortedams Sø to experience a number of landmarks (in the name of fashion, of course). Charlotte Eskildsen's Designers Remix Collection—so popular here that she has a boutique in the Copenhagen Airport—was held at the old elephant house in the city zoo. Attendees took in the sights (and smells) behind metal barriers while models Lisa Cant and Emma Karlsson took their first spins in Copenhagen down the well-worn cement catwalk.

On the other side of town, Bruuns Bazaar (Denmark's answer to Banana Republic) staged their show at the National Art Museum. It made for a beautiful setting but a logistical nightmare, as guests were trapped in a 45 minute queue to get to their seats. The clean silhouettes, hailed by the Dansk Daily as a return to Scandinavian minimalism, may have been better represented in a more modern venue.

A fitting end to the evening was Day Birger et Mikkelsen's massive tenth anniversary show in an outdoor arena erected in the heart of downtown. 1,500 of their closest fans paid respects to Keld Mikkelsen, who bowed to his screaming fans like a rock god. A massive thunderstorm did little to quell the post-show fever as guests poured onto the runway for an impromptu party. It's a good thing that the Champagne is always in full supply here.

There is much to like about Copenhagen, but one of its best features is how the shopping is all concentrated in the same pedestrian area. While walking around this morning I was drawn into jeweler Zarah Voight's boutique by an enticing window display that paired her candy-colored pieces with popsicles and cupcakes. Voight mostly works in laser-cuthard plastic that she juxtaposes with delicate gold chains. The designs are playful—I spotted a bracelet with a string of hot-pink Barbie stilettos, and earrings shaped like house keys. I may go back to buy the pendant necklace with a silhouetted black cocker spaniel. (I have a real one waiting for me at home).

A new addition to the retail scene here is the Swedish boutique Whyred, which opened this summer (it's the label's fourth location; the other three are in Stockholm). The brand was launched in 1999 as a denim label by three colleagues from H&M. Their collection has evolved into an enticing blend of basics with an edge. My favorite piece was a color-blocked body-con dress. The shoes are also strong; I had to tear myself away from a chunky leather heel with attached spat. Soon to be a big hit globally, you can check it out in New York City at Castor & Pollux.

Tags: catwalk, designers, fashion, fashion week, pink, rap, style

MELBOURNE’S Alice Burdeu is not the only Australian fashion plate starring in new season advertising campaigns for international labels.
Fellow Melburnian Abbey Lee Kershaw is featured alongside stunning Queenslander Catherine McNeil in the latest advertisement for Express Jeans (right) in US Vogue.
Kershaw is also featured in the new Gucci campaign.
Kershaw is rapidly rising through the international modelling ranks.
McNeil, meanwhile, is one of the queens of the international catwalk and has a host of luxury label advertising campaigns to her credit.
She is appearing in campaigns for Hugo Boss, DKNY and Seafolly as well as the advertisement for Express Jeans.
Burdeu is one of the faces of the new D&G advertising campaign.
source: news.com.au

Tags: catwalk, designers, dkny, fashion, rap

Jennifer Lopez seen going for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea near Portofino, Italy looking amazing. Lopez and husband, Marc Anthony welcomed their fraternal twins Max and Emme in late February 2008.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony vacationed with designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce over the Fourth of July weekend and took little Max and Emme along for the ride.

(image: newscom)

Cute pics of Marc, Jen and twins

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With one year left in her twenties, Ferebee Bishop Taube decided the best place to celebrate her birthday would be the Great Jones Cafe (which one guest labeled the "best place for comfort food when you're experiencing the world's worst hangover"). Joining her last night were friends Olivia Chantecaille, Maggie Betts, Barbara Bush, and Eleanor Ylvisaker, as well as a couple of the designers (Alexander Wang and Elise Øverland) the PR maven works with. A highlight was the attendance of the handsome husbands of Taube's fancy girlfriends, most of whom claim late meetings or last-minute projects when she invites them to what they tend to refer to as "those retail parties" (read: store parties and fashion events). Perhaps they had the right idea, as it did get a little sticky when the same-sex-oriented (the male sex, that is) fashion types tried their best pickup lines on the better halves: "Shall we go to the john, John?" and "I'll swim in your brook, Brooke." All was forgiven when the ribs came out, however—we even spotted some girls who look like they haven't had so much as an M&M this entire week chowing down on the pork products.

Tags: alexander, alexander wang, barbara bush, best pickup lines, comfort food, designers, eleanor, elise, fashion events, maggie, olivia chantecaille

Oskar Metsavaht, the designer behind Brazilian powerhouse brand Osklen, hasn't followed a conventional career path. A physician by training and an avid surfer, skateboarder, and snowboarder, he entered the design world in 1989, creating activewear for fellow fans of his favorite sports. A decade later, he began to evolve a high-end effort that introduced elements of luxe to his signature aesthetic. Now, nearly 20 years after he first began, he has seven flagship stores, including outposts in New York, Tokyo, Rome, and Geneva, and has become perhaps the most successful designer to expand beyond Brazil's borders. He took a break from São Paulo fashion week to share some insights about his journey so far.

What made you want to go into design?

For me art means the creative process, not the purpose of what you're doing. To me medicine is an art, not a science. I was a successful physician, but the lifestyle didn't agree with me. I wanted to find a way to express my ideas.

How did Osklen come about?

In the beginning Osklen was a lifestyle brand. Jackets for snowboarding, bikinis, T-shirts for surfers. But then, in the nineties, when I looked at the kind of lifestyle my tribe had, it seemed cool and special, and Okslen began to be more involved with "fashion." I decided that I had a style, and I only had to channel that style into a fashion language. It was a very gradual evolution.

So what defines your tastes then?

I'm a surfer, I like to snowboard and skateboard. I like to wake up early and go surfing, but I also like to go out late at night. I like art exhibits, but I also like reading skateboarding magazines. I am an environmentalist—not eco-granola, but scientific and informed.

Who are some of your favorite fellow Brazilian designers?

Reinaldo Lourenço and Gloria Coelho. Reinaldo's work is feminine in the best way and modern. Gloria's work is very strong. For swimwear, Lenny. Her work has a sophisticated elegance but with a Brazilian feel.

How do you see Brazilian fashion evolving?

I think we're like Italy was 30 years ago. We're learning to work with the industrial process and to produce the best quality. We have good self-esteem, we see that we can do something original. The generation before mine would just copy.

What do you think needs to happen in order for Brazil to make a bigger impact globally?

If Japan is technology and France is high style and India is philosophy and spirituality, then Brazil has a chance to be the environmental and socially sustainable country. I'm sure everyone would love to buy products with a Made in Brazil label if they knew that these products were made to be sustainable. It might be more expensive, but I think this is the new luxury. We need to embrace these values.

Do you design with these values in mind?

Yes. It's funny—in my recent show I used a material that people didn't like, crocodile, and some people criticized this, saying, "Oh, it's not sustainable," etc., but they weren't informed. If there's one thing I hate, it's hypocrisy! There is actually an overabundance of crocodiles in some parts of Brazil , near the Amazon, and they have to control the population because they threaten the ecosystem and the people living close by. These indigenous people sell some of the skins, so purchasing them is actually sustaining these people as well as the environment.

Tags: bikini, designers, fashion, fashion week, Love, sports, style

Never underestimate the competitive energy of London's new generation of designers. Not content to be consigned to the sidelines as weightier labels get their teeth into Resort, a few canny Londoners have got their acts together and designed pre-collections for the first time. OK, it might be a tentative beginning (no one can afford shows), but Erdem, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Ilincic, and Aquascutum have all stepped up to mark with bright-looking ideas to lob into fashion's crucial new in-between season.

Erdem
After a couple of years taxi-ing on the runway, Erdem Moralioglu's collection is suddenly flying. The more he relaxes into his propensity for print and lace, the better he gets. Vivid, summery blue and pink dappled maxidresses; strapless white dresses smothered in black Chantilly; and little ivory damask shorts suits with silk print blouses all clinch the charm and freshness of a look that's already won over Keira Knightley, who wore a purple plissé Erdem number to the premiere of "The Edge of Love" last week.

Richard Nicoll
It's hardly surprising that Richard Nicoll is extending his summer offerings: He might live in London, but as an Australian, his understanding of warm-weather dressing is innate. "I guess it's effortlessness. I wanted to inject color, dynamism, and simplicity. Something laid-back, optimistic, and real," he says. For Resort, he's tweaked his double-hem silhouettes, reworked his high-waist carpenter pant, and added giant breezy silk T-shirts and tank dresses, turning up the color dial to orange and hot pink, blocked against navy.

Roksanda Illincic
"This is my first big pre-collection," says Roksanda Ilincic. "Fifteen looks, long or knee-length. I wanted to do more of what people liked last season—my draped dresses. And I tried to make them hard to resist!" The result: flowing silk satin cocktail numbers redolent of Ilincic's off-hand chic. "I've used yellows, navy, ivory; solid color but then with a crazy bright accent, like a bright red belt."

Aquascutum
"It's 40 shades of blue," declares Michael Herz of Aquascutum's first Resort collection. "It began with a shower-proof silk trenchcoat, and we've built it up from there, into all sorts of tailoring, shorts, and sweatshirts." Standouts are the navy and white color-blocked dresses, which, Herz promises, are the starting points for the more elaborate patchworked and embroidered pieces he and Graeme Fidler will show on the London runway in September.

Tags: designers, fashion, keira knightley, Love, photos, pink, premiere, rap, style

Mischa Barton has left the US once again (*pouts*) and has headed back to Europe. Before heading to her home in Paris, Mischa went to London. There, Mischa attended a private viewing of The House of Viktor & Rolf at the Barbican on June 17th. Viktor & Rolf are Dutch fashion designers, and Mischa attended the new exhibition that showcases their work.

If you want a "private" viewing of The House of Viktor & Rolf, they have an interactive online tour you can see here.

Image: used with permission by Newscom

More after the jump…

Image: used with permission by Newscom Tags: mischa barton, mischa barton photos, mischa barton pictures, house of viktor & rolf

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Cosmetics ads promise to turn faces into works of art. In a related move, the seven artists, designers, and fashion photographers in the "Lip-gloss and Lacquer" show at London's Spring Projects gallery pay homage to the seductive allure of beauty products with works that emulate the flawless finish and high sheen of a lip lacquered with lip gloss (in the case of Lawrence Weiner's sculpture made from lipstick, this is literally true). Though the works all radiate a shiny aesthetic, not all the participants in the show are wholeheartedly supportive of high-fashion spin and the high hopes it generates. In other words, the magic is leavened with reality.

Tags: beauty products, cosmetics, designers, fashion photographers, high fashion, lawrence weiner, lip gloss, lipstick, projects gallery, spring projects

Incredible as it seems, Federico Fellini and Ronald Reagan actually had something in common. Both, it turns out, were devoted readers of FMR, the exclusive Italian art magazine. And though it's not clear whether the Gipper had his own nickname for the keepsake glossy, Fellini liked to call it "the Black Pearl of the publishing world"—fitting praise, given that FMR's pages are pretty enough to frame and its writers have included the likes of Borges and Calvino. In March, the Black Pearl had a glitzy relaunch at the Met, with focus on its new columns and expansive companion Web site, www.fmronline.com. And now the pearl comes in another color, too: This month, the magazine debuts its first issue devoted to contemporary art, and to mark the occasion, the publishers are switching out FMR's iconic black cover for one in white. "It's not that the magazine will be covering what art is now, this minute," notes Marco Trevisan, FMR's point person in the U.S. "We aren't racing to report on the newest new thing. For us, the idea is to look at art from a contemporary point of view." Henceforth, subscribers will find the FMR White Edition trading places with the black one on a month-to-month basis. In the meantime, Trevisan tells Style.com about bridging the old and new, bringing back patronage, and books made out of marble.

FMR White Edition is not, as you say, a periodical about the contemporary art scene. It's not ARTnews. So what makes a magazine whose first article is about Artemisia Gentileschi contemporary at all?

Each of the issues will have a theme. For example, the monograph portion of the first issue is themed around the idea of "the Feminine Genius." The goal, for us, is to explore the development of that idea through time, from all the way back to Artemisia Gentileschi, through artists like Sonia Delaunay and Louise Nevelson, and all the way up to Gazira Babeli, who is the preeminent artist in Second Life. Also, I think it's nice to start the very first issue with this piece on Artemisia; it makes a nice connection to the black FMR.

So, for people who aren't necessarily familiar with FMR Black, the essential difference between that edition and the white one is that FMR White extends its purview up to the present moment in art.

Essentially, yes. There are other differences—the columns in the back are not the same, for example—but the strategy is always the FMR strategy of shaping pieces that are timeless. We want readers to be able to come back to an article in FMR months or years later, and still find it compelling and relevant.

It seems as though FMR has been a hotbed of activity lately—there was the relaunch of the Black edition, and the expansion of the Web site, and, as I understand it, you're inaugurating some kind of book project, too?

Yes, a book project—but not just any book. This week in Bologna we will be presenting the "Book Wonderful," as we call it. This will be a book about Michelangelo's sculptures, very limited copies, and each one will cost something like $150,000.

Um…why so much?

Well, for example, the cover of the book will be made out of the same marble, from the same quarry that Michelangelo used. The paper is very special, every one is signed by hand by the artists who worked on the books. We are selecting the buyers—the idea is to get back to this idea of patronage, as it existed in the Renaissance, and also the idea of the book as objet d'art, which was very important then as well.

A lot has changed since the Renaissance. There's the Internet, for example.

Yes, but there are also ideas that should not fade away. For the "Book Wonderful," we have been working with the very best of Italian craftsmen, and to do this is still quite meaningful in Italy. You look at the great Italian fashion houses, Valentino, Armani, for example—these are designers who came of age at a time when people understood the importance of craft, as distinct from art. That's a beautiful tradition, the bringing together of the man of ideas with the man of action. It's an old idea, but we believe its time has come again.

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Sweet! Former Destiny Child member and close friend of Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, will be reportedly appearing on the Australian version of the hit television series, Project Runway. She’ll be arriving in Sydney, Australia on May 30th to commence a series of promotional tours.

While there, Kelly, a big fan of the series, will appear as a celebrity guest on the show. The contestants have been assigned the task of designing an outfit suitable enough for her to wear next week at the Foxtel set.  A source from Project Runway says, “It wont be your obvious red carpet garb - Kelly has something far more interesting in mind and will really put the designers’ talents to the test.” 

It should be interesting to see what the contestants come up with and what Kelly’s reaction will be!

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