Isabella Blow dies

Isabella Blow, the eccentric fashion editor credited with discovering talents such as Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy, died suddenly today. Recently appointed fashion editor-at-large for British magazine Tatler, Blow was famous for wearing outrageous outfits, usually topped by an oversized hat.

Isabella Blow in a Philip Treacy hat, photographed by Mario Testino

Hilary Alexander at the Daily Telegraph writes an insightful piece about Blow, in which she describes the artistocrat as brash and fragile at the same time.

"Beautiful, but ultimately doomed, she was possessed of a remarkable sense of style with fiercely-held opinions and a braying laugh that could be heard from one end of the catwalk to the other, two traits which cleaved to the family motto “haud muto factum” – nothing happens by being mute.

But she was also a self-confessed depressive. She had a fragile sense of identity and her insecurities had been excacerbated by the breakdown of her marriage to the art dealer, Detmar Blow. Although the couple had reconciled, she continued to suffer terrible bouts of suicidal depression."

I once saw Blow arrive at a Dior fashion show in a peach chiffon burka - just one example of her extreme sense of style. Minutes later, she reappeared minus the burka. A storm of protest from French editors had forced her to go backstage and change. I'm sure she will be much missed.

Chloé for Chloé?

The Chloé makeover continues afoot. The French house has reportedly hired its namesake actress Chloé Sevigny as the face of a new scent, due out later this year.

Chloé Sevigny in an advertising campaign for Louis Vuitton

The edgy actress is best known for giving Vincent Gallo oral gratification in his film "The Brown Bunny," but that hasn't stopped fashion firms and magazines from queuing up for a piece of her elusive charisma. Women's Wear Daily reports that Sevigny recently shot the advertising campaign for the Chloé scent with leading photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin (who also do all the Vuitton campaigns).

K-day has come

Despite my self-confessed shopping addiction, I am tempted to say that people have too much time on their hands when the launch of Kate Moss's line for Topshop in London attracts a crowd worthy of a World Cup final.

Kate Moss poses in the window of Topshop's flagship in London on Mpnday night as the crowd looks on

I know I am in no position to judge - I get to see Kate Moss and her celebrity acolytes regularly at the fashion shows, whereas for most people, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this fashion icon in the flesh. But remember, this collection will be available year-round, so there is no need to fighting, pushing, shoving or any other unladylike behaviour in the changing rooms. Poise.

Pimp my phone

The proliferation of branded mobile phones in recent months means that soon, you will be able to pick your mobile the same way you choose a pair of designer sunglasses. The latest to join the fray is Giambattista Valli, the former Ungaro designer who has rapidly garnered a Hollywood following for his own label (fans include Victoria Beckham and Katie Holmes).

The Nokia 7373 Special Edition Designed by Giambattista Valli

The frou-frou design is very retro, though the little skull charm adds a contemporary edge. Not surprisingly, the Italians are at the forefront of the designer mobile trend (gotta look good when ringing mamma to put on the pasta). The most blingtastic offering comes from Dolce & Gabbana while Prada provides a sleekly minimalist option (while you wait for Apple's iPhone to hit the market).

Motorola MOTORAZR V3i Dolce & Gabbana


The Prada phone by LG with touchscreen display

Finally, if sanity is not an issue, there is Vertu's Cobra encrusted with diamonds, emeralds and rubies - courtesy of jeweler Boucheron. This will set you back in the region of $300,000.

The Vertu Signature Cobra

Marc Jacobs turns documentary star

A documentary aired on French television last night gave an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at U.S. designer Marc Jacobs as he prepared his own collection in New York and the Louis Vuitton runway show in Paris.


Some of the best bits:
* Jacobs, wearing a full-body pigeon outfit, hobbling into a truck to go to his costume party last fall because he was too large to fit into a car
* The designer continually calling for his assistant, Joseph. At one point, Joseph breaks into tears of exhaustion. "Are you crying?" says Jacobs, before blithely going on to spell out his next task
* Jacobs grinning ecstatically as an assistant brings in a bag that is a mash-up of all of Vuitton's most successful handbags. "That is sick in the head," he pronounces
* Interviews with fans including director Sofia Coppola and painter Elizabeth Peyton

I could go on, but you really have to see this for yourself. The film-maker, Loic Prigent, is the same guy who made the "Signé Chanel" documentary about Karl Lagerfeld. His humor comes through in every frame and is a welcome counterpoint to the seriousness of people in the fashion industry. Though Marc Jacobs has the last word on that point. Asked by a journalist: "What is important in fashion right now?", he answers: "I don't think the words 'important' and 'fashion' should be in the same sentence." A visionary, and a modest one at that!

PS: The documentary does not address the substance abuse problems that recently landed Jacobs in rehab. Prigent merely comments that the designer has quit drugs and alcohol, but that his compulsive nature is still evident in the vast amounts of cigarettes he smokes...

Coolest shades

With temperatures in Paris hitting a summer-like 30 degrees, it's time to think of essentials like suncream, hats and a super cool pair of shades. I love the Chloe aviators in white with silver trim, but I'm not sure my obsession will survive into next season, so I bought a remarkably similar pair from Topshop in London.

The Chloe aviator shades


The Topshop version

Mary-Kate Olsen, eat your heart out!

What Not To Wear - Part One

So, the good news for all you curvy girls out there is that skinny jeans are no longer obligatory for summer. The bad news is, they are facing heavy competition from wide leg jeans. Being tall, I love wide-legged trousers, but the denim version just conjures up one word - flares. Yes people, these are bona fide 1970s flares masquerading as a hot new trend.
Exhibit A:

Eva Mendes is wondering where her feet went

Exhibit B:

Penelope Cruz on her way to audition for the Janis Joplin biopic

My advice? Don't do it!

Primark sends London shoppers crazy

I've just returned from a week in London, where the buzz is all about the recent opening of discount retailer Primark's big flagship on Oxford Street. The reason people go nuts about this store is that it offers copies of designer items at knock-down prices, like the Marc Jacobs inspired jacket below, which costs just £12 (at current exchange rates, that is $24 or 18 euros).

This Primark jacket was featured in Vogue, raising the company's profile among fashion-conscious consumers

But nothing can prepare you for the real experience...We arrived to find a queue stretching around the block just to get into the store. There were 10 security guards in the street corralling the crowds. The wait was only a couple of minutes, but once inside, I could hardly focus for the noise and people around me. Everything seemed to blur and all I could do was clutch price-tags and let out the occasional gasp of: "Four pounds!! Eight pounds??" The quality of the fabrics was pretty dysmal, except for the T-shirts which are really practical for summer, but the trick is in finding the hidden "IT" item among the tat.

Primark does the 60s look

Sadly, on the day I was there all I spotted was a multipack of black socks for £2, but when I saw the size of the queue at the till, I put them right back on the rack.

Kate Moss for Topshop - look book out!

European fashionistas holding their breath for the launch of the Kate Moss for Topshop line on May 1 can catch a glimpse of the goodies on the mass retailer's website - the look book, featuring Kate and her close pal Irina Lazareanu, is heavy on the waistcoats and skinny pants favored by the shrimp-sized supermodel, but there are also some vintage-style dresses.
Irina Lazareanu wearing a Kate Moss for Topshop dress

In related news, Gap has enlisted 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners Doo-Ri Chung of Doo.Ri, Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, and Thakoon's Thakoon Panichgul to design a limited-edition collection of specially designed pieces that will be sold at Gap stores. Rumor has it the collection is based on a white button down shirt.

Naomi's PR coup

Wondering why Naomi Campbell emerged from her stint of community service in a full-length evening gown?

Naomi Campbell after completing her last day of community service

Rumor has it the supermodel will turn her walk of shame into a megabucks photoshoot for fashion magazine W. Naomi was sentenced to mop floors and scrub toilets for five days after pleading guilty to reckless assault for throwing a mobile phone at her housekeeper during a dispute over a pair of jeans. Various reports say photographer Steven Klein, best known for his recent shoots with Madonna, snapped Naomi arriving at work every day in a different designer outfit as part of a spread for the June issue of W. Knowing that her daily rate is somewhere around $25,000, that makes her the best paid cleaner in town!

Samsonite ups the cool factor

Samsonite has been working hard to make its brand name cool. After tapping Alexander McQueen to design a skeleton-themed luggage collection, it has hired Christina Ricci as the face of its vintage-inspired Fashionaire line.

Christina Ricci wearing a Sophia Kokosalaki dress at the launch party for the Fashionaire line in New York City last week

Cameron Silver, the owner of vintage boutique Decades in Los Angeles, acted as consultant on the 13-piece collection of black-and-white flower patterned suitcases, handbags and small leather goods. Ricci won't appear in any advertising for the line, but will act as its global ambassador.

A few samples of the Alexander McQueen collection for Samsonite

Although the two lines could not be more different, I like them both. The idea of having coordinated luggage always makes me think of airport snapshots of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1960s. So what shall it be...romantic, or morbid? Morbid, or romantic? Can I have both?

The Perfect Paris Wake-up

This morning, I had the perfect Paris wake-up. I emerged from my sleep to hear a street organist and a singer belting out "Les Amants de Saint Jean" - a classic popular love song. Now, I don't live in a touristy area so this kind of thing is highly unusual. I peeked out the window and saw that the singer was wearing a purple beret. It doesn't really get any better than that!

Allegra Versace battling anorexia

Italian designer Donatella Versace has confirmed an open secret: that her daughter Allegra, the heir to 50 percent of the Versace empire, is battling anorexia. Donatella and her ex-husband Paul Beck took the unusual step of making a public statement in response to growing media speculation about their daughter's health.

A painfully thin Allegra Versace arriving at her 18th birthday party in 2004

"Our daughter, Allegra has been battling anorexia, a very serious disease, for many years," they said in the statement. Allegra was only 11 when her uncle Gianni, the designer whose friends included Princess Diana, was gunned down outside his Miami Beach mansion by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. "She is receiving the best medical care possible to help overcome this illness and is responding well," said the statement by Donatella, who owns 20 percent of the firm and took over as Versace designer after her brother's death. Donatella went into rehab two years ago for a self-confessed cocaine addiction. Let's hope her daughter also manages a recovery.

Update: Hedi Slimane leaving Dior Homme

Following yesterday's "news" that talks between Hedi Slimane and his employer Dior Homme were at an impasse, industry paper Women's Wear Daily finally confirms that Slimane will be leaving the label that he transformed into the epitome of cool since taking it over in 2000.

A typically minimalist Dior Homme advertising campaign image

The paper says Slimane will be replaced by his former assistant Kris Van Assche, as had been widely rumored last summer when the talks first hit trouble. It's the end of an era, and also a powerful signal to designers that no matter how famous they are, the suits remain in charge. WWD is already drawing comparisons with Tom Ford's exit from Gucci. In a year, will Slimane's black-and-white photographs of Pete Doherty look just as dated as Ford's porno chic advertising campaigns for Gucci? Backstage is certainly going to be a lot more fun - Van Assche is friendly and chatty, as opposed to the painfully shy Slimane.

The rather good-looking Kris Van Assche (left) and some of his creations

Slimane & Dior - the saga continues...

After nine months of negotiations, I have almost lost the will to care if Hedi Slimane is going to stay on as menswear designer for Dior Homme. Industry bible Women's Wear Daily reports that executives at Dior have also reached breaking point and are ready to part with their star designer.

Dior menswear designer Hedi Slimane

"The French fashion house and the designer have been in protracted talks to renew Slimane's Dior Homme contract — and to establish a signature fashion house — with majority ownership of the Slimane brand said to be among the most contentious clauses," WWD reports in Wednesday's edition. "Christian Dior is said to be keen to move on, 'fed up' with Slimane's demands, which have made talks drag on for almost a year and dented morale among the rank and file, according to one source."
Indeed, the last Dior menswear show in January lacked the sizzle of previous seasons. There were the celebrity guests (Karl Lagerfeld, Neil Tennant), the minimalist set (neon lights and rows of black speakers), the trendy soundtrack (I forget which hot new indie band was featured this season), but after the show everyone just got up and left. It was as if the fashion pack were just going through the motions, and when that happens, you either need a change of direction from the designer himself, or just a change of designers full stop.

Jelly mouse

These Marc Jacobs mouse flats in see-through plastic are cute enough to eat.

The jelly "Mouse" shoe, available in seven colors

Not recommended for city wear...if you don't want to have smelly feet! But they make a great option for the beach, at a relatively reasonable 110 euros per pair.

La Labo nose its scents

The fashion world is all abuzz with the perfume creations of Le Labo, not least because each bottle features a label printed with your own name.


It's all part of the craze for customization, but does packaging really qualify? A real custom-made fragrance can cost several thousand dollars. La Labo, which is based in New York, claims to formulate each of its fragrances "by hand, on demand." Does this mean they are mixed fresh in front on your eyes, or simply bottled? I don't know. The line is carried at Colette in Paris now, so I will check it out. La Labo is said to be developing a special fragrance for Colette that will go on sale in September, as part of the ongoing celebrations of the multi-brand store's 10th anniversary.

Tila March

One of the hottest handbag brands this spring is Tila March, creator of the Zelig, and instant classic made from leather-trimmed canvas that opens up at the sides to carry all your summer essentials.

The small version of the Zelig

Created last year by French fashion editor Tamara Taichman, the bags have been snapped up by Bergdorf Goodman in the United States. In France, they are carried at department stores Printemps and Le Bon Marché as well as trendy store Colette.

Vogue sails with Petit Bateau

Among the essentials for the summer holidays is a striped sailor top. French Vogue and cult brand Petit Bateau have teamed up to produce the cutest little striped T-shirt dress for summer. The mini, which features four gold buttons on one shoulder, retails for 50 euros on www.vogue.fr and www.petit-bateau.fr until April 24. I can only provide a tiny snapshot of it here, so go check it out for yourselves! Warning: toned thighs required.

The Vogue-Petit Bateau sailor dress

L for love

Gwen Stefani joins the ranks of celebrity fragrance launches with her scent L, slated to go on sale in September. But Gwen is slightly different from the Britneys and Christinas of this world - she has a full clothing and handbag range, L.A.M.B., to which she will soon add shoes and watches.

Gwen Stefani (Photo: Lorenzo Agius/Getty Images)

The print campaign was shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, the duo behind the Vuitton ads. I have met Gwen a couple of times at the fashion shows in Paris, and she is unfailingly sweet, cheerful and polite. I wish her the best of luck with her new venture!