Italian Fashion Watch

Giorgio Armani and Samsung finally completed their collaboration with the release of the new “Giorgio Armani Samsung Phone”, or the SGH-P520.

Being seen the first time last November, it was finally released officially this week.

As a fashion phone, it does not have extraordinary technical features. True, it does have a 3 Mega pixel camera and a fantastic frontal touch screen with vibration feedback that lets you know that you’ve pressed the right button.

The casing is made out of metal, with just the right weight, giving the phone a solid feel and also a reassurance that it won’t break when it accidentally fells on the ground.

The pictures taken with the camera look good on the phone, but a little blurry when on a larger screen. It also has no 3G.

Being designed in collaboration with a highly reputed fashion brand, the phone itself looks fantastic. Much better than what we’ve seen coming from the other fashion firms.

For more information, take a look at http://www.armanisamsungphone.com/

Dolce & Gabbana’s ready to wear fashion line, D&G, is planning to open six stores in the Middle East, beginning with outlets in Kuwait and Jeddah, this spring.

Stores in Doha and Bahrain will follow in the second half of this. Dubai and Riyadh outlets will be opened early next year.

The Milan-based fashion designer has been enjoying booming sales for its creations in the Middle East. The region now accounts for 5% of global sales for D&G.

The designer’s annual turnover is $2.12 billion, for all of its lines including Dolce & Gabbana fashion, eyewear and fragrances. At 5%, the Middle East market could have been worth as much as $110 million for the company over the past 12 months.

Friday night saw the fashion pack flocked to see Amy Winehouse (pictured above on her way to Paris) perform at one of the hottest events on the Paris schedule – the Fendi party.

Press, buyers and fans alike were desperately trying, and failing, left right and centre to get their hands on a coveted ticket. It should come as no surprise, however, that the enterprising Elle team had no trouble getting their way in to rub shoulders with the A-listers, so we can exclusively bring you all the gossip:

‘Fendi had turned a huge space at the back of their store into a red-lined club with a stage. Amy came on at 11.15pm and played for 45mins. The party was absolutely mad to get into and super packed - only about 250 people actually got in to see her, though there were more in the venue.

We followed the Olsen’s and their entourage through the kitchens…! Rihanna was dancing and singing along, Kanye West was there, as well as Bernard Arnault, Salma Hayek’s fiancée who owns PPR, and Karl Lagerfeld (sunglasses on, obviously)… Amy was wearing a D&G dress with a Fendi belt and looked so much better than of late, though she did say she had mumps???!

She did highlights from Back To Black and was talking a bit; she asked if fashion week was still on and if it actually lasted for a week…! Amazing…’

Recently, it’s been rumored that L’Oreal is in talks with Giorgio Armani’s Firm to purchase about 25% of its stocks.

It’s debatable about the impact of such a deal on the fashion industry, but a spokesman from Giorgio Armani denied the rumor: “There has been ongoing speculation about L’Oreal and others and no talks are going on at the moment.”

L’Oreal is already of partner with Giorgio Armani dealing with the distribution of perfumes, cosmetics and beauty products.

Armani himself mentioned in a November interview last year that L’Oreal could become more implicated in the Armani business, but that no talks were yet in progress.

We’ll see what happens in the future, and I’m sure it will an important event for te fashion industry, with Armani being arguably the most important designer today and L’Oreal the biggest cosmetics firm. Time will tell.

Ilaria Venturini Fendi, sporting a necklace that jangles with a row of her old house keys, is camped out in a dim corner of the L’Eclaireur restaurant in Paris.

Resembling a jolly market vendor, 40-year-old Fendi — the younger sister of Sylvia, who heads up leather goods for the namesake Roman fashion house — sits surrounded by the latest offerings from her high-end eco-conscious bag line, Carmina Campus. Now into its fourth season, the collection will be presented for the first time during Milan Fashion Week.

Like a magpie’s nest, the collection’s vibrant bags, produced by artisans around Italy, are constructed using a patchwork of salvaged materials that Fendi picks up trawling markets and bargain basements around Florence and Rome. Kooky cushion covers collide with swatches of deck chair fabric on one model, while one tote started life as an oversize knitted African hat. Elsewhere, pushing the boundaries of utilitarian chic, Fendi transformed silver mesh pot-scrubbing pads into a twinkling evening purse.

Leveraging her industry contacts (the designer used to oversee shoes and the Fendissimo line for Fendi), many scraps are also donated by various mills, she said.

The line, ranging in price from $300 to around $2,000 at retail, is distributed in an exclusive crop of stores, including L’Eclaireur, 10 Corso Como and Dover Street Market.

A catfight has broken out between the designers Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino as the doyen of Italian fashion prepared today to present his final collection in Paris before retirement.

Valentino wave’s goodbye to his staggering career but not before stirring up design rivals Dolce & Gabbana

Valentino Garavani was reflecting on his 50-year career and on his rivals when he dismissed Dolce & Gabbana as “shy to begin with, but now rather arrogant”. The 76-year-old added: “The problem with young stylists is that they all want to be famous straight away and then they all do the same things.” Valentino’s comments appear to have touched a raw nerve, especially as he only had superlative praise for other Italian designers.

He went on to describe Giorgio Armani as “revolutionary”, Miuccia Prada as “stupefying” and Donatella Versace as “gritty and determined”. In return, Mr Armani sent a vibrant red dress down his recent catwalk show in tribute to “the genius of Valentino”, who made red dresses his trademark.

Stefano Gabbana, 46, one half of the label that now has an annual turnover of over £700 million, said: “Valentino has been having goodbye parties since last July. I’ve been working.” He added: “To be quite honest, I don’t care what Valentino says about us.”

Valentino has held a lavish series of events to mark his retirement, including a party in Rome’s Imperial Forum which rebuilt an ancient temple out of plastic resin and an exhibition at the Ara Pacis museum.

Mr Gabbana also dismissed rumours that Naomi Campbell, the supermodel, is having an affair with Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Ms Campbell recently interviewed Mr Chavez, and the Venezuelan press was quick to announce that the pair had got engaged. “I do not think he is her type, or vice versa,” said Mr Gabbana. “They have different tastes.”

“Couture needs a bit of a shake-up, no?” asked Giorgio Armani as he prepared to showcase his latest collection in Paris. And for two designers sending their creations down the catwalk on Monday it seems the answer was a resounding “yes”.

John Galliano served up an electrifying mix of bold colous and daringly experimental silhouettes for Dior, including a striking, bulb-shaped affair whose contrasting hues were as statement-making as its unusual puffball lines.

Highlights of the show included a Belle Epoque-inspired gown in leopard print and a bejeweled, cinch-waisted affair with fishtail skirt, with the British design maestro’s extravagant creations glowed jewel-like against the runway’s Gothic backdrop. Saucer-shaped, metallic hats, skyscraper platform shoes and larger-than-life hair and make-up complemented the innovative outfits.

Giorgio Armani also had his eye on this season’s silhouette. The Italian designer flirted with out sized collars, bubble skirts and short puffed sleeves to create new outlines explored through a surrealist-inspired use of fabric and color.

Parading in front of VIP guests including burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese and Hollywood star Hilary Swank, models presented eye-catching jackets teamed with a floaty, bow-detail skirts in a color palette of beige and silvers.

It looks like most publications have gone wild after David Beckham has appeared in one of Giorgio Armani’s new jeans ads. Well, a lot has been written about how that’s so unappropriate and so on.

Well, see for yourself.

THE world’s elite are cutting short their Queensland holidays because their chartered super yachts cannot access beaches and reef touted on tourism websites.

The Crown Prince of Dubai and Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who paid more than $100,000 a week to charter the yachts, were among those prematurely cancelling visits.

One yacht owner has threatened to move his boat to Europe to avoid being regulated like a cruise ship.

Boats over 35m have limited mooring on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Whitsundays. Other countries regulate mooring according to weight, allowing greater flexibility for vessels under 500 tonnes.

Three weeks ago, Mr Armani told the captain of the 41m Seafaris he wanted to visit Tongue Point in the Whitsundays after seeing it on the Queensland Tourism website.

But the Seafaris could not get a state landing permit and Mr Armani abandoned his eight-day holiday after three days. He told the crew he was going to the Maldives where he could walk on a beach.

“It is embarrassing. These are the sort of people I thought we were trying to attract,” Seafaris captain Duncan Smith said.

“For someone to leave early on a charter is really unheard of unless there are mechanical problems.

“There really should be greater customising of access.”

The same thing happened when the Prince of Dubai was visiting the reef on the Seafaris and learned of all the places he was restricted from seeing.

Seafaris owner Jeff McCloy, who is considering shifting the boat to Europe, said millions of dollars were at risk because of regulations that “don’t have common sense”.

“We are just the kind of business that tourism agencies should be promoting – high yield and low impact – but we are being treated like we’re a nuisance,” he said.

Mr McCloy said neither the Seafaris, which weighs under 300 tonnes and anchors in 20m, nor its passengers created an environmental threat to the reef.

The super yacht industry was booming and the boats had easier access in the US and Europe, which were clamouring for their business, Mr McCloy said.

A Government spokesman said proposals to give super yachts greater access to the reef were being considered, but larger boats shouldn’t get preferential treatment.

Roberto Cavalli, Italy’s ‘king of bling”, swung his style barometer from strident and sexy to soft and subtle at Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday.

In line with the current mood for fantasy and romanticism that is emerging at these designer previews for next spring/summer, Cavalli turned down the volume on his formally over-the-top fashion formula.

“I used to design for a woman who wanted to flaunt,” he said. “Now, it’s time for a new woman who is more pure, simple and innocent.”

This proclamation, of course, did not stop the flamboyant Florentine from recreating the gilded Hall of Mirrors at Versailles as a video backdrop to his show.

But there was a sweet simplicity in the white broderie anglaise and floral chiffon petticoat dresses, even if some were unbuttoned as if in a boudoir. Fringed suede skirts, vests and trousers were mixed with Marie Antoinette-inspired peasant girl looks in pastels and patchwork florals.

Pale, sequined shifts, generally devoid of jewellery, offered a delicate suggestion of razzle-dazzle. But there was not an animal print to be seen, no splits to the thigh and no plunging cleavage.

Instead, for evening, Cavalli offered long, fluid dresses in watercolour prints of lilies, orchids and peonies, softened with a flounce at the hem.