Designers & Brands

"We wanted to have beautiful pictures [of the shows]. After, when I saw the show and I saw how it makes them very mechanical, I understood sometimes the pain on the feet. There is a lot of emotion. I was like, back to toe ground. We wanted something easier. It's old to have those girls walking like that, so I tried to stop that craziness. The idea was to have this crazy casting with Gisele [Bündchen] and Amber Valletta and Carolyn [Murphy], and they said no for high heels. They were not used to walking with heels anymore. Gisele was worried; she would not walk with my heels."

-Nicolas Ghesquire tells Women's Wear Daily why he started designing flat shoes, even though Balenciaga is known for sky high heels. What Gisele wants, Gisele gets.

We've teamed up with Greta Larkins, genius behind the brilliant tumblr, Fashgif in a weekly series of animated fashion shots.

This week, FashGif takes on a striped dress from Missoni's new collection for Target, which is available September 13th. If only this animated mini was a reality...

Check out the full entire collection below:




Were you moved by this post? Check out previous FashGifs here:
Marchesa Resort 2012
Carven Resort 2012
Miu Miu Resort 2012
Giorgio Armani Privé Fall 2011
Chanel Couture Fall 2011
Balmain Resort 2012
Givenchy Resort 2012
Giambattista Valli Resort 2012

Is speculation the new black? Asking "Who will replace John Galliano at Dior" is the fashion question of the season. For a passing moment, wondering who might design Kate Middleton's wedding dress seemed to take center stage but with Fashion Week fast approaching, we are all wondering who will be named Galliano's successor. Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, will not be rushed into making an unwise decision and has been taking his sweet time choosing a creative director for the French house. More than twenty names have been suggested as potential replacements for the disgraced Galliano, including Riccardo Tisci, Stefano Pilati and Sarah Burton, who all work for different brands owned by LVMH and fashion stars like Alber Elbaz, Haider Ackermann and Hedi Slimane. Many, however, are misguided suggestions like Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa and Alexander Wang (come on, Mickey Boardman, was that for real?). Azzedine Alaia was apparently offered the position but turned it down. And who was the one who mentioned Christian Lacroix? His business has never been profitable, which is something LVMH requires of its designers.

Who do you think will take over? I suspect it will be a heavy hitter like Marc Jacobs, whose name has recently been thrown into the ring, while Brooke Bobb, our fashion assistant, suspects Alber Elbaz. What do we know? Many others have suggested that a less well known designer may be given the honorable title. Check out our list below and let us know who you are rooting for.

School uniforms were the bain of every fashion-loving girl's existence back in middle and high school. Itchy plaid skirts, navy or khaki pants and plain white button downs can be such limiting ensembles, leaving little to no room for one's personal style to shine day-to-day. But as the summer's winding down and we're getting nostalgic for those back-to-school shopping trips, we're starting to look at those plain jane uniforms in a whole new light.

In fact, we've noticed that some of the biggest players in fashion favor that neutral, uniform look when it comes to dressing up for their everyday (and incredibly busy) lives. Is the straight-edge rule of dressing making a comeback amongst trend-setting adults? Here's a list of the top ten most fashionable uniforms worn in the industry today.

1. Vera Wang - all black, everything (some gray)
2. Donna Karan - all black, everything
3. Alber Albaz - suit, bow tie, glasses
4. Michael Kors - jeans, black tee, black sport coat
5. Karl Lagerfeld - black jeans, white collar shirt, black blazer, Ray Bans, black gloves
6. Tonne Goodman - Black button down/turtleneck with white pants
7. Emannuelle Alt - Jeans, tee, leather jacket (usually Balmain)
8. Carolina Herrera - crisp white button down, full skirt

Usually around Christmas time, most department stores are happy to deck their windows and interiors out with the usual holiday decorations - a big tree, a questionable-looking Santa Clause, twinkly lights and maybe some holly and jingle bells. Barneys New York however, isn't most department stores. So when it came time for Creative Director Dennis Freedman and the rest of the new creative team to brainstorm a concept that would trump the average trip to see Santa at the mall, they decided to take the winter wonderland fantasy and turn it on its head.

This year, starting in mid-November, the entire fifth floor of Barney's Madison Avenue flagship store, as well as its windows, will be transformed into Gaga's Workshop - a space created in collaboration with Gaga, AVAF (Assume Vivid Astro Focus) and of course, Nicola Formichetti. Not only can you experience Lady Gaga's interpretation of what santa's workshop looks and feels like, there will also be limited-edition gift items for purchase, with 25% of all proceeds going to a charity of Momma Monster's choice.

Barneys has really been on a role lately, especially with Dennis Freedman's new creative direction and Carine Roitfeld's much-talked about styling (and modeling) job on the new campaign. Bringing Gaga, Formichetti and AVAF in to create a new and innovative holiday concept just seems like the perfect next step for the out-of-the-box department store.

So what can we expect from Gaga's Workshop? Our guesses are endless at the moment, but one thing's for sure upon hearing this news, that enthusiastic excitement we used to feel as a kid when our parents took us to the mall to see Santa is definitely back.