The first ever Stella McCartney boutique in Paris will open its doors next November. The shop will be located at Galerie de Valois, at the Palais Royal, following the footsteps of Marc Jacobs, Pierre Hardy, Robert Normand, Didier Ludot, Acne, Rick Owens or Serge Lutens.
Palais Royal is definitely a hot spot for the fashion conscious and style savy.

As well as the commercial directed by Sofia Coppola, we are also eagerly waiting to discover Miss Dior Cherie’s printed campaign that was shot by “photographe extraordinaire” Tim Walker last July in Paris streets. Once again Miss Dior Cherie is incarnated by Belarusian beauty Maryna Linchuk. The campaign should be hitting the glossies soon. At last!
In the meantime you can get your fix of phantasmagorical pictures with his book published by teNeues earlier this year.

A book signing by Patrick Demarchelier at Colette, Paris

Saturay 27 September, from 5-6pm - Colette, 213 rue Saint Honoré, 75001, Paris

Born outside Paris in 1943, Patrick Demarchelier relocated to New York in 1975, where he began his editorial career with Harper’s Bazaar/Hearst Publications. His photographs appear regularly on the covers and in the pages of publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, among many others. He was the 2007 recipient of the Eleanor Lambert Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He lives and works in New York.

To view the complete list, log on to the website www.steidlville.com

Following last year’s Gucci by Gucci commercial by David Lynch, Sofia Coppola has directed the new commercial for Dior’s Miss Dior Chérie fragrance. The television advertising campaign will roll out in September and features the model Maryna Linchuk.

First name in fashion
The glamorous life and work of Valentino Garavani

Think Valentino: think luxury. Think elegance. Think red carpet. Fashion’s most beloved upholder of refined decadence and the most exciting couturier in business is known around the globe simply by his first name. Only a few years after opening his fashion house in Rome in 1959, Valentino was already at the height of success, counting Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn among his devotees. Over forty years later, not much has changed—he’s still dressing the top celebrities, from Gwyneth Paltrow to J.Lo, though now his business is a major economic force in Italy and his fashion house is among the most famous in the world. Valentino has always designed clothes for glamorous and sophisticated women, never wavering from his signature style even when grunge, deconstruction, and other passing fads were all the rage. Though his couture division almost never makes a profit (his ready-to-wear lines are what fuel the business), his heart is most solidly devoted to the magnificent haute couture gowns that earned him his reputation as fashion’s most talented dressmaker.

This luxurious limited-edition publication renders homage to Valentino’s illustrious career via a copious selection of images from his archives, including drawings, magazine shoots, advertisements, portraits of Valentino, and documentary photographs; presented chronologically, the visual material is accompanied by a vast array of newspaper and magazine articles about Valentino throughout the years. Text also includes Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer’s interviews with twenty of Valentino’s closest collaborators and friends as well as an appreciation of Valentino by International Herald Tribune’s fashion writer Suzy Menkes. All of these elements add up to an in-depth look at the man, his lifestyle, and his genius—a book more comprehensive and stunning than one could hardly dare to dream of. After all, what could be a more fitting tribute to the work of Valentino than a book as beautiful and luxurious as one of his gowns?

Art Edition (No. 1–100)
• Limited to 100 numbered copies, signed by Valentino Garavani
• Accompanied by four prints of original drawings from the 1950s and 1960s, all signed by Valentino, and authenticated with a stamp on the back (frames not included)
• Features gilt-edged pages and is covered in an elegant book cloth with six-color silkscreen printing
• Comes in a clamshell box finished in silk cloth

Henry Holland’s Spring 09 collection “Sex, Lies, & Volleyball” is an homage to Beverly Hills 90210, according to the designer. As usual, print played a huge role in this latest collection where polka dot is king.

Undercurrent Magazine Very nice new publication, and beautiful cover shot by Babette Pauthier.

November sees the launch of the first offering of an ongoing collaboration between Acne and Lanvin. Juxtaposing the femininity of Lanvin’s couture legacy with the rough and masculine work wear aesthetic that has inspired Acne for a decade, this collection is set to appeal to girls and boys about town of all ages. Made entirely of denim, only the finest Italian and Japanese fabrics have been used in a collection that sets out to be classic yet sharp. To maintain their intense shade of indigo the fabrics have been given minimal treatment, resulting in dresses, pants, suits, coats, jewellery, shoes and bags in a multitude of blue hues.

The Acne/Lanvin collection will be available at Lanvin, Acne Studio and at www.acnestudios.com.

Dior just announced that they are releasing a Diorphone this June.  The Diorphone will be as “couture” as they come, and the pattern on the phone is the same pattern used on some of their handbags.  Dior created “its first technological product from scratch, including a miniature “twin” of the phone that a woman can clip to her purse or wear on a pendant, eliminating the need to dig through a handbag to answer a call.”  The mini-phone works as a bluetooth and also boasts a “mirrored display screen that can double as a compact.”  The phones also feature custom Dior icons for navigation on its high definition screen such as: “a Lady Dior handbag for tools; an oval-shaped mirror for images. All the software, built-in videos and imagery are exclusive to Dior.”  Dior expects to sell between 30,000 and 60,000 phones over the course of the next year.  With a $5000+ price tag, I’m really curious to know who’s going to buy those phones!  The Diorphone will be distributed in 225 Dior boutiques and 300 watch/jewelry specialty retailers around the world.  If the Diorphone is not “couture” enough for you, there’s also a “deluxe model studded with 640 diamonds, which comes with an alligator sheath, runs up to 18,000 euros, or $27,000.”

Image of Phone, Info & Quoted Text:  WWD

To celebrate its 20th birthday, Maison Martin Margiela is unveiling an exclusive retrospective at the Antwerp fashion museum MoMu (Mode Museum).
Conceived in close collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela, this exhibition takes place at the Antwerp Fashion Museum from 12 September 2008 through 8 February 2009.

‘MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA (20) The exhibition’ will offer a deep insight of the different themes and concepts that Maison Martin Margiela has explored during the 20 years of its various collections, fashion shows, presentations and events worldwide, as well as the design of its shops and offices, itsexceptional house style and communications policy.

The scenography of the exhibition is signed by the famed Belgian art director Bob Verhelst, once a long-time collaborator of Martin Margiela and therefore very familiar with the fashion house aesthetics and concept.

Exclusively for this exhibition, Maison Martin Margiela will propose limited-edition items that will be on sale during the entire exhibition at the Fashion Museum reception desk. A catalogue in English will accompany the exhibition.

“Martin Margiela (20) The Exhibition”
From September 12 2008 to February 8 2009
@ MoMu, Fashion Museum Province of Antwerp
Nationalestraat 28, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium
www.momu.be