Italian Fashion Watch

Claudia Schiffer In Dolce&Gabbana Ad

Claudia Schiffer, one of the most popular supermodels of the 90s, along with Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista, marks he return to the fashion world by signing a contract with Ferragamo and Dolce&Gabbana for 2009. She will appear both on the runway and on many of the ads promoting the two fashion houses.

She also collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld for the the Chanel winter campaigns.

At 38 and with two children, she is an importance presence in the fashion world and her return may mark a shift for major fashion brands who would go back to working with professional models instead of celebrities, how it’s been happening for the last few years.

We’ll see.

Moschino Hotel

Moschino is the latest fashion house to open its own hotel. It is called Maison Moschino and was unveiled recently in Rimini at the 45th TTG Incontri tourism trade show and will open for the public next year.

The design team was lead by Rosella Jardini who made sure to give the new hotel the same feel that the fashion house managed to create over the years with its incredible collections.

The hotel is located near the neoclassical Viale Monte Grappa rail station and the building consists of four floors, 54 rooms and 15 suites, along with a bar, restaurantm, gym, and spa.

A Missoni spokesperson explained that “the common thread connecting the rooms is a fairy tale theme because to sleep is perchance to dream, and dreams are fairy tales that we are allowed to experience first hand, the fables of a fantasy world that we have created. This is an alternate life in which we direct and stage the scripts of our very own play. The hotel interior reflects Moschino’s distinctive style, where the ordinary world is painted with a brush of surrealism.”

Gucci - Rihanna Ad

Gucci continues its collaboration with UNICEF in raising money for charity purposes for a consecutive fourth year. Sofar, the fashion group managed to contribute an impressive 5 million with its Tattoo Heart Collection.

This year, it looks like its getting ore serious, by getting Rihanna on its team as a fashion icon. Earlier this year, Frida Giannini, Gucci’s creative director argued that in order to show its dedication to unicef, they would need a young, popular musician to be the perfect image for the collection. Wel, Rihanna fits this description.

For this season, Gucci has unveiled a range of handbags, all featuring an illustrated hears thatincorporates the fashion firm’s signature symbols, the horse bit and the web.

When asked what the design represents, Frida Gannini said that the illustration ‘is a permanent mark that you can wear with pride that stays with you. I think that represents very well what we are doing here.’

So it is.

This ad campaign this year features Rihanna singing from a hoop, wearing a beautiful swimsuit, together with her Tattoo satchel bag.

The bags will be available worldwide starting on 19 November till 31 january 2009. @5 percent of the amount earned from them will go for charity

Victoria Beckham

Following he husband, David, Victoria Beckham will herself appear in her own Armani lingerie ads.

The fashion house will be releasing a new lingerie line soon and the ex-Spice Girl will promote it in a series of photo ads, just like the ones that made a big buzz when David Beckham appeared half naked on walls all over the owrld.

Giorgio Armani himself described Victoria Beckham as a „fashion icon”, a dynamic lady whose influence and recognition will add great excitement to the campaign. It was only natural for her to appear in his 2009 Emporio Armani women’s underwear line.

As part of the initiatives scheduled for 2009 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of its foundation, Bulgari has chosen to support the ‘Rewrite the Future’ campaign of the Save the Children organization.

Through the ‘Rewrite the Future’ campaign Save the Children is committed to providing within 2010 quality education to 8 million children living in conflict-affected areas.

Bulgari has decided to make its own contribution to Save the Children with the objective of raising US$13 million by the end of 2009, of which more than US$1 million will be donated by Bulgari to the organization in advance, while the remaining figure will be raised during the next year.

The symbol par excellence of Bulgari’s commitment alongside Save the Children - and a tribute to the silversmith origins of Sotirio Bulgari, the company’s founder - will be a silver ring specially created for the campaign and featuring the Save the Children logo engraved inside.

The ring will be on sale from 1 February to 31 December 2009 in all Bulgari stores throughout the world, in some selected department stores, and on Bulgari’s e-commerce website, active in the United States, at the price of US$290 (including VAT) of which US$60 will be donated to the campaign.

Besides the ring, to mark the occasion Bulgari will also develop a collection of 15 pieces of high jewelry and 8 high-end timepieces, of an estimated total value of nearly US$4 million. It will be officially presented on 4 June 2009 in Rome, on occasion of the retrospective exhibition ‘Between Eternity and History’, hosted at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, to celebrate the 125 years of the Bulgari brand.

This collection of jewels and watches will then be present at high-profile Bulgari events throughout the world - ultimately becoming the leading player of an auction that will be held on 7 December 2009 in New York and whose proceeds will be totally donated to Save the Children.

All the initiatives connected with the operation will be totally non-profit for the Bulgari Group.

The numerous celebrities of the world of films, show business, and music who, thus far, have decided to support the initiative include, among many others, Julianne Moore, Benicio Del Toro, Ben Stiller, Sally Field, Sting, Willem Dafoe, Rosario Fiorello, Gabriele Muccino, Jason Lewis, Andy Garcia, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Ferri.

“For Bulgari, being part of history and at the same time being able to help change it by giving less fortunate people the possibility of a new future is the best possible way of celebrating its 125 years. I am therefore really delighted that the company is actively working on the success of the “Rewrite the Future” campaign - a project consistent with the commitment Bulgari has decided to make to initiatives aiding youth education throughout the world. I am also convinced that, thanks to the help of our customers and Save the Children supporters, we will succeed in achieving - and hopefully in exceeding - the ambitious target we have set ourselves,” says Francesco Trapani, Chief Executive Officer of the Bulgari Group.

“We are very pleased to announce this global partnership with Bulgari. Their commitment and support for education is one of the most valuable ways to make a difference to children’s lives in war afflicted countries,” adds Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Secretary General of the International Save the Children Alliance.

Shoes are contemporary jewelry, designer Donatella Versace once said, and in recent years they have become an integral part of a designer’s fashion statement.

Dolce&Gabbana Sandals

Armani one season ennobled the running shoe by pairing it with chiffon evening wear. In the 1990s the stiletto became a symbol for racy chic. More recently, prewar platforms and wedges thought to have been relegated to the back of grandma’s closet became super hot again, especially with teenagers.

The heels have become taller with each season, and the inches are apparently taking their toll. Models at last month’s preview shows in Milan tripped, slipped and — in the case of one model wearing ankle-strapped high-heels at Prada — toppled over.

On the fourth day of Milan Fashion Week, there were shoe troubles for both Pucci and Dolce & Gabbana. The sensible footwear from Fendi, however, kept those models firm on the ground.

DOLCE & GABBANA

They might have chosen slippers to go with their pajama party, but the Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana duo accessorized their luxurious silk outfits with sparkling and soaring platform sandals. The super-high platforms were also used for their dreamy ball gowns in tulle and embroidered roses. Dolce defended the towering look, saying that every girl has the right to dream.

But if several of the trained models stumbled on the slippery runway during the show, how can one expect a debutante to negotiate the ballroom floor?

Fendi Shoes

FENDI

The Fendi show featured models wearing wild pinned-up hairstyles and futuristic lace dresses cinched at the waist by a cummerbund. The look may have been offbeat, but the overall effect was still the elegant and easygoing look preferred by Italian designers for the summer 2009.

The footwear at Fendi was strangely calm, though, especially for the house that made metal ankle straps a fashion fetish. The high heels were never towering, and favored was an open-toed saddle shoe fitted with a comfortable wedge.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren has been named as the most powerful person in men’s fashion and retail, for the second year running.

Giorgio Armani also landed the number two spot on DNR.COM’s rankings of the 100 most powerful people in men’s fashion and retail.

Both men undoubtedly have a lifetimes experience in the business and this is reflected in this years rankings.

After their 40th anniversary celebrations in 2007, Polo Ralph Lauren’s sponsorship of the US Olympic team in Beijing has proven a wise move, as this is primarily credited with keeping him at the top of the list.

Meanwhile, Armani’s empire continues to grow and flourish, having already launched his first men’s skin care line, Skin Minerals for Men this year. He’s also opened two stores in India and two Emporio Armani flagships in Moscow and Beijing.

Moschino

A front row filled with stuffed animals, an invitation made from a napkin tied around a set of silverware, and an open delivery truck with runway models flowing out of the back are just a few examples of how the Moschino brand continues to harness humor in the name of fashion.

For the past 25 years, the company has prospered with a foundation of irreverence, fun and a surrealist frivolity that runs counter to the way slick, big-business fashion functions today. And its creative director, Rossella Jardini, wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The glossy, glamorous and cool world of fashion have never particularly fascinated me: I adore fashion and many of its representatives not for those aspects but for the creativity, the research and the effort that remains behind every collection,” said the designer.

Jardini - who started working alongside the company’s founder, Franco Moschino, in 1981 and took over designing the brand after his death in 1994 - has long kept a low profile, letting the sunny brand image and the colorful clothing speak for themselves. But in the new fashion world order, where designers are almost as famous as the brands they work for, Jardini has started to step into the spotlight in hopes of giving a face to a brand.

A slim woman who often dresses in large sweaters and easy trousers worn with big jewelry and thick dark-framed glasses, she offered frank responses to questions about her approach.

“I don’t design the collection in my head,” she said in a recent interview, speaking in a mix of Italian, French and broken English. “I have a team that helps with that. For me it is all about the choice of fabrics and the mixing of textiles. That is always my starting point when I put together a collection.”

Donatella Versace with Patrick Dempsey

On Monday, New Yorkers hit the Whitney Gala, which this year was injected with some va-va-voom, courtesy of co-chair Donatella Versace. First of all, there was celebrity eye candy like Patrick Dempsey, Christina Ricci and Mariah Carey. Secondly, the top-floor gallery was made over to more resemble a nightclub than a formal dinner, complete with mirrored walls and flashing light installations.

“My 17-year-old daughter will be like, ‘You are kidding me,’ when she hears I met Patrick Dempsey,” said Whitney head Adam Weinberg. “I will rise considerably in her estimation.”

The museum’s monied board members did at least have one leg up on the stars. “I wish I had the luxury of collecting art — I don’t earn enough yet,” said Ricci.

Later, Sting’s three-song set had Leonard Lauder clapping along enthusiastically while others, such as Lauder’s table mate, oil baron John Hess, didn’t want the party to end. He and his wife, Susan, headed downstairs to the Studio Party, where they boogied on the dance floor to hip-hop beats alongside Rose Byrne, Emma Roberts, Jane Krakowski, Juliette Lewis, Brian Reyes, Gilles Mendel, Thakoon Panichgul and Patti Hansen.

Carey also made her way downstairs to support her husband, Nick Cannon, who spun tunes (including her own “Fantasy,” which had the songstress blushing). She admitted she wasn’t exactly an art collector. “All those billionaires outbid me.”

Not so for Dempsey, who took a break from dancing with Versace’s daughter, Allegra Beck, to exhibit a bit of buyer’s remorse. “I don’t know what happened up there,” he grinned. “I think I just bought a Julian Schnabel apartment for $5,000 and he’s going to paint it for me.”