ShopDiary

Prada Auctions Fall/Winter 2007 Prototypes

It’s been interesting following the auction of Prada prototypes from the F/W 2007 season. Through July 25, these one-of-a-kind creations will be posted in increments every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for a seven day auction. There are currently six items up for grabs. My favorites are the yellow open toed mary janes on the left and the navy radzmire dress seen below. Bidding is out of the question for me though since they are not in my size or budget! Check more photos after the jump. And for fun check on the bidding wars, currently between bryanboy and Fashion Pig. How about reading these allegations of shill bidding?

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Fendi Fashion Show on Great Wall of China

Reuters reports that Italian luxury brand Fendi “will hold a fashion show on the Great Wall in China in October as parent company, LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, seeks to double its sales by 2008″ and push for a strong Italian brand in the conglomerate alongside French label Louis Vuitton. No word yet on whether this replaces Fendi’s show in Milan Fashion Week.

The Gap Hires Patrick Robinson

In what must be the answer to the struggling retailer’s attempts to rise from the doldrums, Gap Inc. today named Patrick Robinson executive vice president of design for Gap Adult and gapbody for North America. The designer’s collaboration with Target for its GO International campaign is still in stores. This looks like a good match to me. Will Patrick help revive the Gap from its stupor? Only time will tell.

[via FWD]
Photo Source: Target.com

Four Fashion Names Among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People

Among those named by TIME Magazine as the “Top 100 People Who Shape Our World” in 2007, four are from the fashion industry. Namely, models Kate Moss and Tyra Banks, Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault.

Kate Moss made the list for remaining hip and “a first responder in the advance guard of style” after almost two decades in the business. Indeed, a person without Kate’s influence would not be able to move merchandise the way she does.

Tyra Banks is a model of a different persuasion: she encourages women to have a healthy self image and “embrace their bodies in all sizes”. Perhaps this is why her TV show on models include women of various sizes and ethnicities.

Alber Elbaz is creative director of Lanvin, the oldest existing fashion house in the world. He brought Lanvin back to the consciousness of the fash pack. As Natalie Portman gushed “He designs according to what he learns from his clients and so accurately intuits what will make a woman feel good in her body—and even better when swathed in an awe-inspiring dress.”

There is no question about the influence that luxury goods giant Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A., aka LVMH, wields over the fashion industry. With a revenue of almost US$17 billion in 2005, LVMH’s brands include Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Berluti, Celine, Donna Karan, eLuxury, Emilio Pucci, Givenchy, Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Sephora, Guerlain, Acqua di Parma, BeneFit Cosmetics, Fresh, TAG Heuer, Fred Joaillier among many others. At the helm of this conglomerate is Bernard Arnault, whose successful integration of various famous aspirational brands has inspired other luxury companies to doing the same.

Who is at the top of YOUR list? TIME wants to know.

Edition 24 by Yves Saint Laurent

Luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent wants to be more accessible to a broader and younger clientele. Next month a lower priced collection of YSL essentials called Edition 24 will be launched at all YSL boutiques worldwide. The 50 piece seasonless line comprises all the elements needed to build a wardrobe and are priced to retail from $338. Careful not to call it a diffusion line, creative director Stefano Pilati describes it as “timeless” and “versatile” with patent trenchcoats, safari jackets and tuxedos among the pieces. The range will be sold in its boutiques without special signs or labeling. Edition 24 will also be available at Neiman Marcus in the U.S., Harrods and Browns in London, Colette in Paris and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.

[via WWD]

Fall/Winter 2007 Fashion Shows

It’s that time of the year again. The madness, for some of us at least, starts in two weeks. New York and London schedules are up. As always, I’ll be tuning in to New York Magazine, Coutorture, Style, and Elle. Several of my favorite fashion and beauty bloggers will be back at the tents again. Good for them!

Via FashionCalendar

Supermodels: Back with a Vengeance

Versace seems to be paying attention to our collective dislike for seeing celebrities instead of models in fashion magazines and ad campaigns. For its A/W 2006-2007 ads, supermodels are back with a vengeance.

From left: Angela Lindvall, Christy Turlington, Carolyn Murphy, Kate Moss and Daria Werbowy in the new Versace ads, shot by Mario Testino  

From left: Christy, Kate and Carolyn

What a refreshing change! Fahion magazines and fashion houses, take note!

[via vogue.co.uk]

Au Revoir, Rochas

WWD posted today a postmortem analysis on the demise of the French fashion house of Rochas. It quotes a fashion industry insider as saying, “In fashion you can have a lot of buzz, but it sells or it doesn’t. [Rochas] had no advertising, it had no accessories, no hit bag and the clothing was difficult. [Olivier] Theyskens has talent, but he wasn’t focused. [Balenciaga's] Nicolas Ghesquière has had commercial pressure put on him and that’s proved that it can create energy when done in the right way.”

I think Procter & Gamble was in it for the fragrance business when it puchased Rochas three years ago. They should have waited longer but, being a public company, had to answer to stockholders. Perhaps another luxury brand can pick it up?

The article also mentions Paco Rabanne as seeking “to close down its high-cost Paris operations”. I guess it’s just romanticism on our part to believe that famous couture houses can go on forever. But the reality is, it is a business and today’s market is very cut throat and it takes a lot more than talent and critical acclaim to keep a fashion house viable.

Let’s bid adieu to Rochas but be hopeful that we’ll be seeing its talented creative director, Olivier Theyskens, emerge from this unscathed. **crosses fingers**

60 Years and Getting Skimpier

Happy Birthday to the Bikini!

Micheline Bernardini models the world’s first bikini, in 1946.

(photo source)

Celia Birtwell for Topshop

Living in the U.S. west coast, it’s easy to see how I could have overlooked Celia Birtwell’s summer collection for U.K. based Topshop. How I wish I didn’t! I love her prints and styles - they are intesting to look at and are quite refreshing.

Little Rock Dress and Halter Top

Golden Slumbers Blouse and Lapis Lazuli Dress

Unfortunately, much of her collection has been snapped up in a frenzy back in April and nothing’s available online either unless you’re willing to pay up to thrice as much on ebay. The good news for us stateside gals is that the collection will be available at the opening ceremony of Topshop’s first U.S. store in New York City. Still not good enough news for L.A. gal like me! Ah, I may just have to content myself with her fun wallpaper (for my computer, that is).

(news source)
(photo source)