Fresh Funds and Faces

The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund fête was held in New York last night.

It made me smile to hear that Joseph Altuzarra won this year’s Fund, taking home $300,000 USD.

I met Joseph briefly at the FIT Symposium in New York a couple of weeks ago, where he spoke about both the creative and the business sides being equally important for him.

“It’s very difficult for me to design in a vacuum. I need to know how the company is doing,” he said.

Well Joseph, the company is doing a little better now – thanks to the influx of winning bucks. Couldn’t happen to a sweeter guy – I was so, so impressed by his talent – and by his humility.

Runners-up included jewellery designer Pamela Love and the design duo of Gabier and Peters, who will collect $100,000 USD each.

Anna Wintour with Joseph Altuzarra and Pamela Love.

All the proud CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners - Joseph Altuzarra, Pamela Love, Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters.

Images: Vogue.com

Universal Appeal

Sometimes a single photo of Ms. Wintour in dark glasses puts a multitude of things into perspective.

Anna, being Anna, during NYFW. Photo by Scott Schuman.

Image courtesy of The Sartorialist.

Booked!

Hold the presses. Kindly set down the Kindle. Transfer your eyes from your tablet.

These fab fashion mavens all have books brewing. Soonish.

Black, white and read. Grace Coddington photographed by Andreea Macri.

Ms. Coddington has just inked a $1.2 MM USD deal with Random House. Her memoirs will be co-written with ghost (and Vogue) writer, Michael Roberts. I cannot wait to hear the stories of her visual world of wizardry. Harry Potter who?

The new Mrs. Hince is being encouraged by her hubby to write her rockstar-life-story as well. However, given Kate’s passion for privacy (she doesn’t really do the interview thing, for one), this one is a juicy rumour. For now.

Even so, I had to include her on this list – because this picture was just too perfect – and spoke well beyond a thousand words.

(And yes, my darlings, I owe you Moss marriage snaps. Have them all saved for you!)

Kate Moss reading in Italian Vogue, 1995. Note the title of the book! Photo by Sante D'Orazio.

Ms. Guinness has been reborn after playing dead not once, but twice in recent months (not to mention the acting, the performance art, photography and numerous other projects). She is also busy working with Valerie Steele on her upcoming exhibition for the Museum at FIT. An accompanying book will be released in October. I’ll, of course, have more on all of the above because, well, she is my fairy goth-mother after all.

The cover of the book, due out in late October by Valerie Steele and Daphne Guinness as co-authors.

And of course, Carine’s book comes out in October aussi.

The glossy book that Mme Roitfeld has in the works.

(Now would be a good time to get a cup of soothing tea because I know you are panting with anticipation. Make sure the pants are at least FW11 crazy-wide. There’s more…)

I have some good news about one of our fave fashion journos. Hilary Alexander isn’t leaving the fashion industry. She announced earlier this year that she would be retiring from the Telegraph. (My heart sank. Did yours?) Although she has semi-retired from the paper, she will still be published there until next June. The fab news is that Ms. Alexander doesn’t feel she can ever truly retire from a world she loves so much. I, for one, am thankful because I’d have missed her point of view terribly.

Well, word on the runway is that she, too is working on an autobiography - due out next summer. And – she hasn’t ruled out a documentary or TV deal, as she told British Vogue recently. Hoorah!

Hilary, talking to her doppelgänger doll at her send-off, earlier this year.

When Hilary speaks...

...us dolls listen.

Another rumour (you saw it coming, didn’t you?) is that the other famous editor and newly minted web chic is supposedly working on her very own autobiography. It’s being denied by the Vogue camp, but I hope it’s true – I want to hear her stories in Ms. Wintour’s own words. That unauthorized bio a few years back was painful to get through, to say the least.

..and I told two friends, and they told two friends...and so on...and so on...and so on...

I know, I know – it all seems too long to wait. Well, I have a fashion snack for you until then. Re-releases of two books about the editor who started it all – Diana Vreeland - have recently hit virtual and actual bookshelves.

I found Diana Vreeland: An Illustrated Biography by Eleanor Dwight, in hardcover on a sale table a few years ago, but will have to pick up the paperback of DV – her autobiography.

Diana: double the fun.

Time to clean out your bookshelves and make room for the tasty tomes to come, my dears. The first of them will be ready and perfect for cozy reading this Fall. Better than cashmere, no?

Images: Grace Coddington photographed by Andreea Macri; Kate Moss photographed by Sante D’Orazio for Vogue Italia, 1995 via TFS; Daphne Guinness and Carine Roitfeld book covers courtesy of Amazon.ca; Hilary Alexander party pics courtesy of Vogue UK; Anna Wintour photo by Mario Testino courtesy of WSJ; Diana Vreeland book cover photo via Miss Omni Media.

Ah-na Does Geek Chic?

I’ve just fallen over in my stilts.

Ms. Wintour attended the Webby Awards in New York last night.

Even as I type that, I cannot believe she was there in person.

Anna, hanging with the other geeks at the Webbys - seen here with Daniel Radcliffe who introduced her on stage.

Have our worlds – and words – collided, Ms. Wintour? For the unworldly, un-nerdy few who may not know, the Webbys are a night honouring the Internet’s best citizens – showcasing excellence in websites, interactive advertising and online film and video.

Green with envy that I - a veteran web chick - wasn't there to see the web chic in person.

She was in attendance to accept the “People’s Voice” award for Vogue.com.

She may have come to the online party fashionably late, but the Vogue voice is heard by the digital herds, the world over.

Here’s her infamous and petite acceptance speech.

That may have just made my week.

Images: Top two photos by Michael Loccisano; last photo by Jamie McCarthy, both from Getty Images North America.

HRH Wintour in UnMcQueen

I am feverishly following the steady stream of style that is the Met Gala red carpet. God bless the internet for that.

Much to my dismay, the story thus far seems to be not who is wearing McQueen, but who isn’t.

Even HRH Ah-na opted for another designer.

Ms. Wintour in Chanel Couture. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/FilmMagic.

It’s no secret that she is quite loyal to Karl, but her choice not to wear McQueen really surprised me tonight.

I am guessing she didn’t wear classic Alexander McQueen so as not to offend Ms. Burton and she opted not to wear Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, out of respect for Lee McQueen’s legacy.

Or, she decided to wear Chanel all along, for royal sport.

I am making a list and taking names of non-McQueen dreamers.

Holding my hands up to the fashion gods, I ask: Is anyone wearing an actual, take-your-breath-away-fall-to-the-ground-by-Lee-McQueen dress?

Oh, the humanity.

More later…

See all posts on the Met Ball 2011.

Compare it to last year’s red carpet:

I Knew It When We MET

METaphors and Similes

METa Data

Déjà Vu: Have we MET before?

Game Changing Anna

Anna Wintour is the latest Game Changer to be profiled by Bloomberg TV, as part of their ongoing video series.

Ms. Wintour didn’t offer up an interview to Bloomberg, but I am curious to see what the likes of RJ Cutler, Tom Florio, Vera Wang and Chuck Townsend have to say about our favourite editor.

Perfect Sunday night viewing, no?

Game Changing Anna, posted with vodpod

The Power of You

We, women.

Warriors.

Ms. Adu: an eternal solider - and messenger of love.

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in the TV series - one of my first female role models. Since then, I don't take any crap. Still wish I had her bracelets, though.

Vixens.

The stare you wouldn't dare mess with. The one and only Zeenat.

Catherine Deneuve photographed by Helmut Newton: a woman in control of her sensuality.

Beauties.

One of my favourite models graces a favourite cover for the first issue of a magazine, edited by Liz Tilberis, another favourite and role model, 1992.

Laxmi Menon, a fave model in recent years. Photographed by Prabuddha Dasgupta.

Seekers of Truth.

"If I die today, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation." Indira Gandhi 1917-1984.

Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur - Her Grace to the very end.

Famous for her beauty, she fights for the beauty of maternal rights, the world over. Christy Turlington Burns exemplifies modern grace.

Equals.

The woman who showed the male-dominated fashion industry who wore the pants! Coco Chanel, you are as relevant today as you were in your time.

Ms. Wintour. The most powerful woman in the fashion industry. Period.

Believers.

The woman who fights for what she believes in, helps us more easily embrace and dress our assets and liabilities, and makes us believe in the importance of history - whether it's fine art or political rebellion. Dear Auntie Viv.

Dreamers.

Amrita Sher-Gil, painter, 1913-1941. She helped us to see the dream of ourselves.

"I have a face laid waste." - Marguerite Duras, whose arrangement of words inspired me to write.

Creators.

International woman of mystery, a former princess, business tycoon, mentor: Diane von Furstenberg.

The perfect balance of Donna Karan: an empire, New York, a family, a sense of self and the power of Zen.

Angela Ahrendts, the woman who made Burberry a brand to be reckoned with.

Happy International Women’s Day.

The power is within. The power is yours. The world is yours.

Are you dressed for it?

 

Who are some of the women that you admire? Leave a comment and let me know.

Image sources (in order): Sade album cover, Wikipedia, Obvious Mag, Harper’s Bazaar, Prabuddha Dasgupta, International Museum of Women, NDTV, Women on the Fence, Wikimedia, Industrie Magazine, Vivienne Westwood, Ask.com, Expatsanon.com, DVF ad, Harper’s Bazaar, Life mag.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Preview

Six mannequins at The Ritz Hotel in London were dressed in McQueen yesterday morning.

Standing at attention for Mr. McQueen. AP photo.

They, and a smattering of images offer a glimpse into what will be Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty – an exhibition of the designer’s work to be held at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in May.

Vogue’s Anna Wintour, Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute at the Met, and Samantha Cameron, wife of  Britain’s PM, announced details of the exhibition and annual gala, which will be co-chaired by Stella McCartney, close friend of Lee.

Alexander McQueen SS01 kimono coat and flower box hat.

Alexander McQueen FW09 dark angel.

Shalom's infamous robot-painted dress. Alexander McQueen SS 1999.

Always ahead of his time - the strong shoulder according to McQueen, FW 1997.

Alexander McQueen SS01 printed gown.

Tiers of joy - and sorrow, for SS03.

I saw this FW10 dress inside the store on New Bond Street in London, back in October and my eyes welled up at the sight of it.

The jacket worn by Honor Fraser, one of McQueen's favourite models, during the SS 1996 show.

Alexander McQueen SS01 feathered gown.

Veiled for FW06.

The pretty side of McQueen, SS07.

SS10 dress and armadillo shoes from Plato's Atlantis.

Gilded angels and demons from his final collection, FW10.

The jacket we will never forget - from Lee's final collection.

The exhibition runs May 4th – July 31, 2011 and the gala kicks things off, May 2nd.

I am not a gala girl, nor a social scenester, but this night is particularly poignant for me.

I wish I could be there to celebrate Lee, in the dress of my dreams.

It never hurts to put a wish out into that sweet universe, does it?

All photos by Sølve Sundsbø courtesy of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Brit Fashion Queens Talk London and McQueen

Two of my favourite fashion editors had a recent chat about London Fashion Week, McQueen and the coveted style of Covent Garden.

CG is one of my fave places on Earth, discovered on my first visit to the city many years ago. I never miss it on a return trip to Londontown.

Here’s Ah-na, interviewed by Hil’ry for Telegraph TV.

There’s a Twitter rumour making the social media scene, about Hilary retiring. I’ll believe it when I read the story from the Fashion Director of the Daily Telegraph, herself. And we haven’t heard a tweet from her directly, have we?

As #8 on the UK’s Twitter elite list, I can’t imagine my daily fashion feed without her – or the front row sans that sunburst, bike-spoke necklace or that fur topper.

Ms. Alexander in her trademark accessories and an Indian embroidered coat.

Mag Rack: Covered and Coveted

Some interesting magazine covers have crossed my desk in recent weeks.

The biggest is Queen Anna on the cover of freshly launched Industrie mag.

As the name suggests, the publication looks under the covers of the fash industry – so who better to crown their primo issue but HRH, herself!

Who better exemplifies the culture of fashion than Ms. Wintour?

Image courtesy of frillr.com.

METaphors and Similes

Red carpet fashion at the Met’s Costume Institute Gala last night included everything from the sleek to the oblique, the shine to the divine, the delightful to the frightful.

In addition to Diane Kruger’s reign of the red carpet, there was a woman who can be compared to no other. She rules her own kingdom.

Queen Anna, in Chanel Haute Couture

The silver was a perfect choice and the ruched gown and glitzy Chanel jacket just reminded us that we are not worthy. You just bow down to her choices. They are impeccable. Her daughter, Bee also looked lovely and age-appropriate in printed Balenciaga.

Mother and daughter mode - Anna with Bee Shaffer in Balenciaga Edition

Don’t you love it when people wear something suited to their personalities and their body type? These two were a dream.

Like the top of a delicious wedding cake - Diane K + Josh J

Francisco Costa and his lovely ladies of the night

Francisco Costa must have had a great night. He dressed two of the best dressed women at the soirée.

Zoe Saldana's sleek one-shoulder Calvin Klein Collection sparkler

I am liking the return to simplicity and curated accessories. Amber’s blonde locks and fair skin were well-matched with this chalk blue Mouret. The necklace complements the neckline so well and I like her choice of shoe – a strappy sandal would have been predictable and boring.

Amber Valletta in RM by Roland Mouret

And there’s this woman – who could arrive in burlap and we would all still be envious. That dress would have been so much less without that hair…and you know I am a sucker for burgundy lipstick!

Iman in Prada, looking divine.

The column was the way to go – Jessica Stam opted for an indigo Rachel Roy, accented by golden tresses and jewels.

Jessica Stam in Rachel Roy

Ms. Roy was a popular choix and she of course, wore her own design – preferring a dash of frou.

Rachel Roy and Fabiola Bercasa

Also loved this black, white and red ensemble on Dree Hemingway. Is anyone keeping a scorecard? Another tick for Mr. Costa.

Dree Hemingway in graphic Calvin Klein

It seems the classic labels are back with a vengeance. Look at Donna in this lust-worthy gown. I’m going to need this.

No one does drape like Donna - Ms. Karan in her own design (with Russell Simmons)

Grace, personified.

Karan is one of the best examples of women who dress age-appropriately. She works her curves and stays true to her organic style.

Tina Fey – one of our modern-day heroes is still trying to find her way when it comes to style. She tried to rock the jumpsuit trend last night, but her stylist should look for other work. It didn’t fit her well and she looked uncomfortable and awkward. It’s all wrong – the suit, the bag, the shoes. There are so many things I could have put her in that would have accentuated her brilliant personality and poise.

No way, Tina Fey. No way.

It’s all about being comfortable in your own skin – whatever the age. Look at Brooke Shields – solid style in Michael Kors.

Liquid assets on Brooke Shields, in and with Michael Kors.

I also liked the slightly different story told by the Chanel Haute Couture gown that Elisa Sednaoui wore. It also helps to have Uncle Karl as your date for the night – gives you a je ne sais quoi factor. Love that dress.

Elisa Sednaoui in Chanel Haute Couture with Uncle Karl

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Why are the young Hollywood starlets dressing like old ladies?

Couture doesn't always work - Kristen Stewart also in Chanel HC

Why is Kristen Stewart letting couture wear her instead of looking like Emma Roberts?

Emma Roberts dons Marni

Why does Anne Hathaway insist on nude-coloured sparkly princess dresses?

Fairy princess Hathaway in Valentino

She would look so fantastic in a short, jewel-toned dress like the one Blake Lively rocked.

Blake Lively in Marchesa

Work what your mamma gave you, girls. You can’t dress like a 25-year old at 45 so why do it the other way around? Live a little!

Gisele Bundchen in Alexander Wang

Be yourselves. Look at Miuccia’s look. It’s elegance, elevated.

Ms. Miuccia

Look for my final thoughts on the Met’s red carpet soonish.

Photos courtesy of WWD, Style.com and JustJared.com. Fabiola and RR image courtesy of Rachel Roy.

Anna Enters Hall of Fame

Ahh-na is going to be joining the likes of Helen Gurley Brown, Hugh Hefner, Tina Brown and Martha Stewart. Ms. Wintour is the latest honoree for the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame.

She’ll be honoured in April, at the annual gala put on by the American Society of Magazine Editors, for her legendary work at Vogue, and at British Vogue and House & Garden before that.

I am guessing this is an additional feather in her cap before her next move?

But what will the hall of famer wear to the event? Oscar? Chanel HC? McQueen, as a tribute?

My bets are that Karl is already working on a gown.

Anna Wintour during NYFW FW10 as perfectly captured by Tommy Ton.

With files from AP.

Photo by Tommy Ton of JakandJil.

Bloggers are indeed in Vogue

The rumours we told you about in December were absolutely true. Fashion stars of the online variety – otherwise known as the blogging brigade – will indeed be featured in the March issue of Vogue.

Here’s a vid of the shoot.

Congrats to my fellow fash geeks.

Bloggers in Vogue?

Rumours have been frolicking around the wonderful wide web that a few famous fashion bloggers will be featured in the March issue of Vogue.

Word is that the likes of Tommy Ton, Bryanboy, Sart, Garance and Face Hunter have been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement so they don’t blab/blog about it before Anna gets her printed 2 cents in.

Writing about fashion - old school no more.

Guess Ms. Wintour has Googled the word “blog” and is over her fear of the digital realm?

She still doesn’t think our editorial is worthy of her standards, however.

Us bloggers see things with different eyes. Manish Arora, SS07 photo.

The web is an intricate place for many patterns, colours and voices. Manish Arora, SS07 photo

I don’t know, Your Editor-ness, I did have couture dreams the other night. Our paths may cross yet…

See you around, Anna. Manish Arora, SS07 photo.

Images courtesy of Manish Arora.

Anna: Glamour Goddess, Government Employee?

Ms. Wintour for President? Not quite…but she has been selected amongst other “entertainers” as an appointee to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, as announced last week by the White House.

Anna and Mich are like this [imagine intertwined fingers here], so this is as nach as a classic Burberry trench with a killer, pointy stiletto boot. Not expected, but oh, so gorge together.

I have a feeling that the committee’s role is going to extend beyond the expansion of arts in society. Fashion is an art, right?

Anna Wintour, White House Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers, her daughter, Victoria Rogers, and Anna's offspring, Bee Shaffer at New York Fashion Week Fall 09 shows: a sign of things to come?

Barack: I got Anna for the Committee. Michelle: Oh, B, that's the best thing you've ever gotten me!

And no, she is not leaving Vogue….yet.

Images sources: one, two.