Italian Fashion Watch

Donatella Versace will be doing the interior design of a Manhattan landmark known as The Clock Tower.

The agreement was announced Tuesday by the Italian design company and Africa Israel Investments Ltd., the property’s owner.

The building was constructed in 1909 as the headquarters for MetLife insurance.

The design will include 55 condominium apartments, common areas and a spa. Donatella Versace will personally design a luxury club on the first two floors of the tower.

The latest Armani Ambassador, big screen star Josh Hartnett, will be the face of the new Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men advertising campaign. Giorgio Armani set out to find someone who would reflect the bold allure of sexiness that would embody this new fragrance. The designer considers Hartnett to be one of the most talented actors of his generation. Josh Hartnett was the first male celebrity selected because of his on screen charisma, elegance and sensuality.

Passionate about film from a very early age, Hartnett has starred in a number of major Hollywood productions, such as “Pearl Harbor,” “Black Hawk Down,” “The Black Dahlia,” “30 Days of Night,” and “August” releasing next month. In the dramatic film, Josh Hartnett stars as internet start-up entrepreneur who attempts to keep his fledgling company afloat in August 2001 as the dot.com bubble bursts.

In front of the camera, Josh is the center of every angle in the advertising campaign. In both the print and TV ads, Josh is confident and playfully seductive as it looks like he is being photographed by paparazzi.

Monday, July 21st is Josh Hartnett’s 30th birthday and Giorgio Armani personally sent his well wishes with a one-of-a-kind Emporio Armani bike and letter at a recent luncheon hosted by Giorgio Armani Beauty at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City.

London’s Dover Street Market has firmly established itself as the epicentre of cool in the capitals’ West End. So no wonder Salvatore Ferragamo, hot on the couture heels of Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, have decided to launch an exclusive collection at the fashion market, arriving on 19 July.

The collection, Ferragamo Creations, is inspired by the Italian fashion house’s 80-year old archive – Salvatore himself was originally a shoe designer to Hollywood glitterati such as Ava Gardner in the 1920s before returning to Italy to launch his company. It’s no wonder then that the collection includes their “F” wedges (Ferragamo is credited with inventing the wedge) and designs re-worked from those originally created for his Hollywood clients.

This is a real opportunity to get collectables from a style visionary into your wardrobe, but practically ‘objets d’art’ you’ll more than likely want to hang them up as much as wear them.

Just when fashion in Rome needed a dash of inspiration, Gucci’s Frida Giannini comes along and throws a big party in a villa overlooking the Eternal City.

Tuesday night’s event marked the 70th anniversary of the famed Gucci boutique near the Spanish Steps, and began with the presentation of the designer’s 2009 cruise collection, usually shown in New York.

The five goddess gowns that closed the snappy jet-set show are in honor of Rome and will only be available in the Via Condotti boutique.

“Isn’t Rome fantastic?” said the 36-year-old designer as she greeted some of her 300 guests, many who had come from afar, at a sit-down dinner after the show.

The 17th-century villa and its sumptuous gardens are part of the American Academy complex atop the Janiculum hill. Later 700 hip Roman young people joined the party and danced into the night to the live music of Goldfrapp.

Giannini wanted to pay tribute not only to her birthplace, but to the Roman school where she got her fashion education, The Academy of Costume and Fashion, and to her first job at Fendi, founded by five Roman sisters.

“I owe a lot to this city,” she told The Associated Press.

The event was the buzz of the Rome couture “AltaRoma” week that ended Thursday.

Gala events are few and far between since the heydays of the 1960’s, when such stars as Liz Taylor, Rita Hayworth and Audrey Hepburn, in town for filming, made Rome the high point of Italian fashion.

During the 1990s Rome had a second fashion moment, with the “Women under the Stars” gala summer event on the Spanish Steps, a fashion show that included the top names in Italian couture and ready-to-wear as well as foreign designer guests. That was televised live to many countries.

But despite attempts to revive the mood, in the past decade Rome couture has become a very local event.

This time more than 20 houses, including Gattinoni and Sarli, showed their latest collections in the halls of a former Medieval convent in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica, the same venue used last year by Valentino for his farewell to fashion.

The clothes were beautiful with sumptuous fabrics and grande soiree styles, and at times a little more affordable with the invention of `demi-couture’ — something between `haute couture’ and ‘ready to wear.’ Mainly, however, the shows were about dresses for mother’s garden party and her daughter’s wedding.

The crowds reflected the runway, including plenty of ladies from wealthy families as well as TV starlets.

“We have to rekindle Rome’s fashion fire,” said Rome’s new mayor Gianni Alemanno, a guest at the Gucci party.

The Finnish textile design company is fighting Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana to protect a trademark on its signature “Unikko” poppy print.

D&G has filed an application at the European Union’s agency for registered trademarks to declare Marimekko’s Unikko trademark invalid, the Finnish company said in a statement on Thursday, July 3.

“Marimekko currently estimates that there are no grounds for Dolce & Gabbana’s application for a declaration of invalidity and that the matter does not affect Marimekko’s operations or the company’s assessment of the outlook for the remainder of 2008,” Marimekko added in the statement.

German court granted injunction

Unikko is a protected trademark in the EU, Norway and the US. Marimekko claims Dolce & Gabbana has been using its floral pattern without permission, and said it had filed suit against the Italian firm in Hamburg earlier this year to block it from using the design.

The district court had granted an injunction on sales and marketing of certain D&G products in Germany.

“Marimekko is considering further measures in the matter,” the company said, adding that it planned to respond to the Dolce & Gabbana application before the deadline on Sept. 25.

The Unikko poppy pattern was designed by Maija Isola in 1964 for Marimekko, but experienced a resurgence recently when it was seen decorating a range of products from bags to shower curtains.

Marimekko designs also hit the high street this year when the Finnish company licensed several of its patterns to retailer H&M for a summer collection.

Italian designer team Dolce & Gabbana kicked off Milan’s fashion week in relaxed style on Saturday, taking inspiration from oriental kimonos to kit out men in silk evening pajamas for next summer.

Asian-style prints of dragons and butterflies decorated robes and shorts in black, white, grey, sepia and ivory for the duo’s signature line. Naomi Campbell modeled one of their designs as part of the spring/summer 2009 menswear collections.

Evening jackets teamed with black trousers also sported the prints, in a collection said to reflect “the relaxed lifestyle of the modern man”.

A variety of light and dark blues, and natural hues from beige to brown, were used for formal striped suits and casual wear, topped on the runway with dark-rimmed glasses.

Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce tucked tight-fitting shirts — often diagonally-striped, with small bow ties or chine jersey shirts with cotton collars and cuffs — into drawstring trousers with a loose leg, or paired suits with bow and skinny ties. Jackets had small shawl lapels, single- or double-breasted.

The designers used crocodile and suede for jackets and for limited edition sneakers that also came in mixed leathers.

Models, some of whom were sent out with double-handled bags, wore python, crocodile, eel or patent leather sandals, as well as slippers in various leathers and colors.

Paris once again became the epicentre of the fashion universe this week as the haute couture shows got underway. Oscar winner Helen Mirren, actress Eva Mendes and Janet Jackson were just some of the big names checking out the glorious creations destined for the wardrobes of an elite handful of extremely wealthy women. And they had chosen a good moment to go along, as this is shaping up to be the busiest haute couture week or several seasons.

An unusually high total of 23 designers are scheduled to take part, including the first Chinese courier to show in Paris.

Firmly in the spotlight on day one, however, was Giorgio Armani, who presented a collection which celebrates his 35 years in the industry.

A-list guests, including the youngest daughter of the Thai crown prince, Princess Siriwannawari Nariratana, watched as the Italian maestro presented a collection which revisited many of his signature silhouettes. The classic trouser suit, for instance, made a return, with elements incorporated into cocktail and eveningwear.

One standout piece reflected by the mirrored runway was of a pair of high-waisted black velvet tuxedo trousers teamed with a fitted cape affair made of strings of pearls. A daringly cut cocktail dress, slashed from bodice to hip, was another highlight.

Across town John Galliano unveiled a fresh collection for Dior. The range, which he describes as “couture in a contemporary way”, featured strong, elegant shapes which placed emphasis firmly on aesthetics.

Gucci will broadcast live on its Web site its 2009 cruise runway show at Villa Aurelia in Rome next week, as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of its store in the Italian capital. Unlike a previous live Webcast of Gucci’s cruise show in 2006 – which could only be accessed by password by select fashion editors, journalists and retailers in Europe and Asia – members of the public also will be able to view the July 8 show in real time on gucci.com from 8 p.m. local time.

Gucci spokesmodels Claire Danes and James Franco, and Danes’ actor boyfriend Hugh Dancy are among those penciled in to attend the event, which is rumored to include a performance by British electronic group Goldfrapp.

An heiress without attitude or an energy drink to promote? How refreshing. In fact, Margherita Missoni — scion to the iconic knitwear empire — doesn’t even name check the family brand when gushing about her favorite designers. Missoni, 25, hit Cannes on its first weekend to co-host a yacht party to benefit OrphanAid Africa; she helped design a rose gold and diamond bracelet selling on Yoox.com that supports the cause. She also acted in a short film showing at the festival.

Barefoot aboard a big boat, wearing floor-length, flowing white silk with a floral motif, Missoni sat down and gave us the lowdown on her own look.

Describe your personal style.

Very irrational and distinctive. I start from a piece that I want to wear and then I build on that. I am never matchy — ugh. It’s hard to dissect my style but it is definitely bohemian.

Name your Cannes essentials.

It’s quite easy because you only have to pack gowns. I wish I had brought a trench coat because of the rain, but I didn’t think that far ahead. The most important thing is flats because you have to be ready for boats. I brought one pair of Vuitton patent-leather flats in white with all these gorgeous beads on them and a pair of Prada sandals.

Where do you stay here?

I am staying at the Majestic, and then next week, I come back and stay at the Martinez for amfAR [the annual fashion gala to support AIDS research]. I would rather stay at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes. It’s much more quiet there.

Where do you perch to watch the scenery?

Nowhere. I keep it tight, in the sense of timing, and go to events. I don’t hang out here that much. I love the South of France, but it is too intense and crazy for me.

Tell us about the movie you’re in.

It’s called “I Am an Island,” and I play the patient of a psychiatric unit. There is a screening and a party for it on Sunday. There are so many directors here I would love to work with, like Woody Allen.

As the face of Missoni, do you feel like you must always wear the brand?

No! I think it is more believable if I don’t wear Missoni all the time. If I wear other designers, people know that when I do wear Missoni, I actually like it. Right now, I am wearing my grandmother’s vintage nightgown. She gave it to me the other day, and I thought it was so beautiful.

OK. Pajamas and Missoni aside, which designers do you love?

I love Louis Vuitton and Givenchy. Giambattista Valli, Proenza Schouler and Lanvin too. Oh, so many. For jeans, I wear Seven and J Brand.

Do you have a life motto?

Judge for yourself. The only person whose judgment counts is your own. I try to live by that.

Read the interview in the LA Times.

Fashion duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have thrown their annual Cannes bash and it was the hottest ticket in town.

This year’s theme was ‘La Dolce Vita’ and was inspired by birthday girl Naomi Campbell.

D G sunglasses were laid out on a tray to be given to a thousand excited guests as they walked the red carpet.

‘I’m enjoying so much Cannes, yes it’s beautiful, I went to see a film and I love the atmosphere and all the people that are hear and I love to be on my boat, to enjoy my boat and that’s it, altogether it’s fantastic,’ said designer Valentino.

The glamorous guests sported the top styles in fashion, from body-conscious dresses that hugged the body to tiers of layers inspired by the gypsy look, both styles representing some of Dolce Gabbana’s former collections.

White skinny trousers or jeans were popular among the men, a big trend on both the Italian and Paris catwalks this season.