- Rachel Bilson, the new Sunglass Hut “style director,” posed for pictures in, you guessed it, sunglasses. “It’s fun to wear [aviators] with something a little more dressy because it adds a little edge to your outfit,” opines the actress. [People]
- Mary J. Blige and Catherine Malandrino are throwing a fashion show to benefit FFAWN, Blige’s charitable organization. [People]
- “The CFDA promotes diversity and health,” Council of Fashion Designers of America president Diane von Furstenberg told the assembled industry lights at the CFDA Awards. “I beg you to remember that when you’re planning your next show.” [NYObs]
- More CFDA Awards night gossip: “With all that’s going on in the world, if I can’t manage my train, I shouldn’t even be called human,” said Sarah Jessica Parker, in regards to the train of her magnificent Alexander McQueen gown. “This is one of those burdens I can’t complain about. Just lean over and pick up the train. Pick it up! You can’t be modest; there’s no delicate way to do it.” This was not an approach shared by Iman, who also wore a train — with feathers. “I am the icon. They can walk around.” In her acceptance speech for the Fashion Icon award, the supermodel further thanked those present, “for the right to finally say to my husband, ‘You’re not the only icon in the house.'” She told The Cut that David Bowie has started calling her “icon” and that when he exits a room he walks backwards, bowing and repeating, “Icon, Icon, Icon.” [The Cut]
- I guess I can now exclusively reveal that not only was I not among the bloggers asked to vote on the CFDA Awards, nobody at Jezebel even rated an invitation. But such is the epic struggle for meaning when you write for a little upstart blog with an audience bigger than Vogue‘s. [The Cut]
- Yesterday, the New York Times‘ fashion magazine T announced the appointment of Sally Singer as editor-in-chief. (Stefano Tonchi left T to head W several months ago.) Anna Wintour has already promoted two staffers to take over Singer’s duties — she was formerly the fashion news and features director at Vogue. They are Eve MacSweeney and Mark Holgate. Singer was a bit of a surprising choice; rumors about the appointment process had indicated that T‘s salary offer did not meet Singer’s expectations, and most recently, T was said to be about to announce the promotion of Anne Christensen to the editor-in-chief position. [WWD]
- Meanwhile, Tonchi has been cleaning house at W. The deputy editor, Anne Belcove, and senior fashion features editor Dana Wood were among those laid off. [DFR]
- Rihanna tells Elle: “I respect designers who aren’t afraid to go outside the box. I went to a Jean-Paul Gaultier show, and I saw girls who are thicker than me, beautiful and voluptuous and different ethnicities. That made me so excited. I thought, Okay, I can work that, for sure…It’s clear there are definitely fewer black women in the high-fashion industry.” We can’t actually imagine to which Jean-Paul Gaultier show she is referring. [E!]
- Here’s the rest of Fergie‘s horrifically Photoshopped campaign for her upcoming debut fragrance, Outspoken. [People]
- Chloë Sevigny‘s latest collection for Opening Ceremony includes t-shirts printed with Robert Mapplethorpe photos. [Style.com]
- U.K. Glamour gave its Woman of the Year award to Cheryl Cole. Fashion designer of the year went to Isabel Marant, and solo artist of the year went to Lily Allen. [Vogue UK]
- Don Chang, the founder of Forever 21, gets up each morning and asks himself, Who would Jesus knock off? [WSJ]
- “I keep it sexy classy. I won’t go to porn star sexy. I won’t go that far.” — Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, on her new clothing line, Filthy Couture. [People]
- Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard is launching his own line of “Superman-inspired” apparel. [WWD]
- Gucci says it has re-designed its packaging to be more eco-friendly. It will now use recycled paper for its shopping bags and other packaging, and the company is casting aside its polyester garment bags. It is also replacing all of its mannequins with new, “green” versions designed by creative director Frida Giannini. Replacing the mannequins in all 284 Gucci store worldwide sounds like a move that will create a lot of waste and generate a lot of emissions from shipping: wouldn’t it be more “eco-friendly” to use the old ones until they wear out? [Vogue UK]
- Tiffany & Co. is putting out an iPhone app dedicated to engagement rings. [WWD]
- Polo Ralph Lauren is dipping a tennis-shoe-clad foot into the waters of “merchantainment,” an online retail concept that needs a better name. This mainly involves building a website with some interviews with Boris Becker on it in time for Wimbledon to start, and calling it a “tennis clinic.” [Vogue UK]
- Men’s Wearhouse is getting into the women’s clothing business. It plans to use the name Women’s Wearhouse. Stick with what works, we suppose. [NYPost]
- Princess Diana‘s black ruffled taffeta dress, which she wore on one of her first public appearances with Prince Charles at the age of 19, sold at auction for £192,000 to a Chilean museum; the dress had been estimated to fetch £50,000. [Telegraph]
- Alvaro Gonzalez, the head of accessories design for Jimmy Choo, is leaving the company in July. [WWD]
- Jil Sander prefers for her style to be referred to as “pure,” and not “minimal.” The M-word “can be very empty,” says the German designer. [Hintmag]
- London-based designer Jenny Packham is going to show in New York this September. [Vogue UK]
- Sephora is opening a 4,500 square foot outpost in the Meatpacking District. [WWD]
- Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman reported an $18.5 million profit in the third quarter. Last year in the same period, the company lost $3.1 million. Same-store sales rose just over 9%. [NYPost]
- Online retailer ASOS‘ sales rose 44% in the 12 months to this past March. Profits rose to £20.3 million. [Daily Mail]
- Abercrombie‘s reserves of “cool” are dwindling to dangerous levels, according to troubling new reports. Without a “cool” infusion, or some kind of successful advertising campaign, the retailer may not even have enough “cool” to last it through the summer season. While we do not yet know what has caused this sudden diminution of Abercrombie & Fitch‘s “cool,” we do know that the problem was diagnosed during the Piper Jaffray Consumer Conference that took place in New York this week. The diagnosticians? A group of high school students impanelled to explain “cool” to elderly marketers. These experts almost unanimously rated Abercrombie & Fitch “uncool.” [TS]
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