Elle magazine boutique now in Marbella
Elle magazine recently launched its first international store in Marbella. Like its fashion pages, Elle’s boutique is light, bright and fab, offering high-end clothing and accessories. Art director Nikki Hillier will provide overall direction, and Dutch design duo Oscar Süleyman will design the collection, mirroring Elle’s contemporary aesthetic spun with a whimsical touch. Iconic pieces are modernised, like the strapless mini and innovative trench coat, while the Elle Prêt-à-Porter collection references Parisian Rive Gauche elegance. Around 25 stores will open in 2007 in Spain, Sweden, France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland and Russia. www.ellepretaporter.eu
Sienna Miller designs with her sister
Model and actress Sienna Miller and her sister Savannah (a graduate of Central Saint Martins school of design in London) have joined forces to create a ready-to-wear line called Twenty8Twelve. The unusual moniker references Sienna’s birthday on December 28. It comes as no surprise that Pepe Jeans CEO Carlos Ortega will provide financial support, having signed Sienna to a two-year contract in April 2006 to be the face of Pepe Jeans. Inspired by Patti Smith and Beat poetry, the Twenty8Twelve collection will include knitwear, denim, jackets, dresses and outerwear.
Rainbow colour mini dresses
From high fashion to high street, get your mini dresses in ‘Technicolor’. From pomegranate red to lemon yellow and emerald green to cerulean blue, bright is definitely best. There’s an endless supply of dresses with hemlines above the knee and in every style. Short empire-line dresses, short dresses with long sleeves, new takes on the baby doll, smart frocks, boxy shifts and even drop-waist shifts are all on the scene. Wear them with opaque tights and go decently short or brazenly mini. Pictured here is an exquisite example from Lanvin’s spring collection. www.lanvin.com
Vionnet to hire Sophia Kokosalaki
Historic French fashion house Vionnet is embracing the 21st century with the appointment of Sophia Kokosalaki. Known for her signature draping and inventive pleats, the London-based Greek designer entered the limelight when she was selected to outfit the stars at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Madeleine Vionnet invented bias cutting methods in the 1920s, developing the cowl neck and halter top. Her ultra-elegant dresses adorned Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich. Initially the new Vionnet collection will go on sale exclusively in the US and Japan, but there are plans to do a ready-to-wear show and open a boutique in Paris in autumn. www.vionnet.fr
Italy launches model licence
Not only do you need a licence to drive in Italy, you need one to model. Italy’s fashion body Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana now requires all models hired for catwalk shows to have a licence. Following the death of a Brazilian model from anorexia in 2006 in Sao Paulo, the fashion committees in Madrid, New York and Milan have set new guidelines – at long last addressing the health issues of underweight models and their potent influence on the self-esteem of girls. The Italian model licence will be issued after assessments by various civil associations, plus a committee of doctors, nutritionists and psychologists. The main criterion is that models should have a body mass index above 18.5, a calculation of weight versus height that is utilised by the World Health Organisation. www.cameramoda.it
Splurge
This season’s sharp silhouette requires boys to belt up. So if you’ve got the urge to splurge, try Asprey – its soft calf-leather belt with a sterling silver buckle will set you back €400. www.asprey.com
Versus
But if you need to tighten your belt this March, you can still cut a dash. Filippa K’s sleek leather jeans belt looks great with tailored trousers as well – and is a snip at just €50. www.filippa-k.se
Museum of modern Minogue
Kylie Minogue’s inspiring wardrobe is celebrated in an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, showing her evolution from young soap and pop star to glamorous showgirl. Sponsored by Evian, it features her performance costumes and accessories, as well as album covers, photographs and music videos. Not to be missed are displays of her overalls from Australian soap Neighbours, the gold lamé shorts worn in ‘Spinning Around’ and the white hooded body-suit from the ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ video. www.vam.ac.uk
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