Female Drummer Named Face of Boy Chanel Campaign

Recent chatter in the fashion world has suggested that Thrush Metal drummer Alice Dellal may be the new face of Chanel's Boy Chanel handbag collection campaign. The House of Chanel has now confirmed that the half-shaved head model will be the face of the campaign. Dellal can be typically seen wearing ripped jeans, biker jackets, and fishnet tights. It seems that her grunge style has influenced creative director Karl Lagerfeld to create a handbag line that rebels against the traditional ideas of womanliness. It was said that Dellal represents the perfect incarnation of all that is unique about the Boy Chanel handbag collection.

The ad campaign will be released in early March. Expect to see the edgier side of Chanel drawing inspirations from heavy black eyeliner, braids, and the looks seen at the Metiers D'Art fashion show earlier this month.

Dellal is the sister of the fabulous shoemaker Charlotte Olympia and has previously been seen in ad campaigns for Mango and Agent Provocateur. 

Text Quinn McBee
Image and Source Yahoo 

Preview of Karl Lagerfeld's New Book

Two of the biggest mystical creatures of the fashion industry, Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld, are coming together for the ultimate fashion book. Lagerfeld's new book will feature the Chanel boucle jacket on countless celebrities and models. The looks, styled by Carine Roitfeld, show the versatility and timelessness of the jacket on any and all body types.

Check out more preview pictures, and be prepared to drool, after the jump...

Saskia de Brauw Creates Perfection in Vogue Italia

Saskia de Brauw teamed up with Paolo Roversi to perfect the incredibly cinematic editorial in Vogue Italia's October 2011 issue. She previously worked with fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel's 2012 Cruise collection, as well as with Lagerfeld and Stella Tennant for the September 2011 cover of Numero.

Ranked as number thirteen in the Top 50 of Models.com, it's evident that glamorous Dutch artist and model Saskia de Brauw has what it takes to create elegant perfection. De Brauw recently worked with agencies in New York, London, and Paris — including projects alongside Lanvin and Givenchy. She also graced the October 2011 cover of Dazed & Confused.

It's no wonder that the beauty has been nothing short of crazy busy, and we have a feeling that this will not come to a close anytime soon. We expect to see much more of this model in the near future.

Text Brittney Schering
Image courtesy of Fashion Gone Rogue

Macy's Expands High Fashion

Just last month, Macy's debuted collections from luxury designer Karl Lagerfeld and Vogue Editor-at-Large and fashion director Anna Dello Russo. Now, the company has added Paris-based designer Giambattista Valli to its list of high fashion.

The new collection offers a wardrobe for the trendy traveller at prices ranging from $50 to $150 — which leaves spending money for souvenirs from, say, France. For those who kept a careful eye on Paris Fashion Week, Valli introduced his inspirations for the Macy's line during his ready-to-wear show.

Valli girl pieces that may catch your eye the next time you find yourself in Macy's include safari-inspired animal prints and pink, feminine florals with that unique and exotic Valli touch. The tan, leopard print coat and trousers shown in the image above are expected to be best sellers at the end of this month. We'll see if such predictions deem true — for now, we'll see you at Macy's.

Text Brittney Schering
Image courtesy of Style.com

Sea Creatures Surface on Paris Fashion Week

One major recurring theme of Paris Fashion Week is the sea — more specifically, the creatures that live in it. For Chanel, Versace, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, and Louis Vuitton, everything from shark tooth jewelry to sea horse wedges were spotted on the runway.

Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld launched his spring/summer collection amidst a deep sea fantasy world. To set the mood, models wore pale green, white, and pink attire and graced a runway covered in seashells, fish, and enormous coral reefs.

Inspired by surfers and mermaids, Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci presented a refreshingly wearable collection for spring 2012. Wetsuit-inspired skintight pants and a stream of neutral colors were the highlights of his sea-driven show.

That being said, it seems that sea creatures are the new owls of fashion. Keep an eye out (or maybe a fin?) ... we'll do the same and be sure to let you know if this trend will be taken beyond the runway.

By Brittney Schering
Image courtesy of Style.com

Fendi SS'12: Fierce or Frazzled?

With LFW behind us, in comes a whole new onslaught of fashion to drool over in Milan; and the latest collection from Fendi definitely has us talking. The Milanese brand is known for being traditionally very Italian with special attention to tailoring, opulent use of furs, and that feminine touch. However, this year we are definitely seeing a side of Fendi that is, shall we say, a bit more "mad scientist-ish." 

Inspired by a Nobel Prize winning, Italian neurologist by the name of Rita Levi-Montalcini, Miss Silvia and Mr.Lagerfeld chose to create a collection with an academic and boyish flare to it. While some of the looks certainly convey the idea of this scientific woman with a taste for luxury, some looks in the show seem to say "I got dressed in the dark and threw on the first pair of shoes I could find." Also, the hair- while fun- represents what could only be the result of a fight with the blow dryer. But, we do need to give it to the fashion house for delivering beautiful, contemporary silhouettes and incredible patterns. Perhaps different styling would make a difference. What do you think? Is this collection fierce or frazzled? 

Text Lauryn Stone

Source: Fendi

Karl Lagerfeld Brings Fashion Royalty To 200 Macy's Stores This Fall

The King of Fashion Karl Lagerfeld, the gloved, silver-haired genius behind his eponymous line, Chanel, Fendi and Fall 2005 collaboraton with H&M that causes mobs of people and chaos across NYC, is bringing down the fashion house again with the debut of a line in Macy's. The blogosphere made announcements about this epic team-up as early as last November, but now we have pictures courtesy of Macy's.



The 45-piece collection will hit 235 stores and the intermarket on Macys.com. Mark your calendars for August 31. The edgy, rock'n'roll collection will be priced between $50 and $170--meaning we can breathe easy.
Text Joann Pan
Sources: Macy's

Blake Lively: The New Face of Chanel

Blake Lively is now promoting Chanel's new blood red handbag in the latest ad campaign. This seems to be an obvious choice with the way this actress has been almost everywhere lately. Now, I do not mean everywhere as in all over the tabloids. You will rarely see her there unless mentioned in a "Best Dressed" category. She is in almost every fashion and beauty magazine, if not for her makeup, hair, or the latest trend she's sporting by top designers. Designers are smitten over her. From Michael Kors to Lanvin to Karl Lagerfeld. How lucky is this young woman? Those are three designers any person interested in the fashion industry would kill to be oogled by. Who could blame them, though? She is around six foot, blonde, and has a great body. She is sexy but not provocative. Last summer she did a spread in Vogue where her curves were obvious, but covered up for a surf and beach shoot. She might be considered perfect. She has played the classiest but most controversial "It Girl" in the Upper East Side in Gossip Girl, as well as a sell out drug addict playing the ex of Ben Affleck in The Town. Lively is a young woman to be inspired by, in the acting industry, as well as in the fashion industry.

Text Alexandra Faye

Rumors of Retirement

I know by now most of you have heard the devasting rumors that Karl Lagerfeld is retiring from Chanel. Since June rumors have been flying around that Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz is being considered to take over from Karl Lagerfeld at the house of Chanel.

I think it's time to set the record straight and put everyones mind at ease. Karl Lagerfeld is NOT retiring! Over the weekend, Lagerfeld dismissed the rumors.

"Retirement is not one of the topics with which I deal. Why should I? I still have so many projects that I sometimes don't know where to begin. Chanel will still need some clothes when I'm 89," said Lagerfeld.

Lagerfeld has been creative director for Chanel for 27 years. He is a permanet fixure at the house of Chanel and has no plans of ever leaving.

Check out his Spring 2010 it's my favourite collection.

- Erin Jones

Down On The Farm

Who doesn't love a good old fashioned hoe down? There is that little piece of country in all of us, whether we choose to admit it or not.

Chanel's spring 2010 show in Paris was transformed into a barn yard extraganza. Under the glass ceiling of the historic Grand Palais was an unbelieveable sight. Chanel's double CC logo stood out front on a wood post and upon entering you felt like you just stepped onto a farm with a barn equipped with a hayloft as the backdrop.

"The rustic, romantic romp was a rip-roaring blast even before a platform popped out of the runway with Lily Allen and her band already singing anf stomping their feet," commented the LA Times.

Thigh-high slits added sexiness to city skirts and sparkly tunics. Tweed jackets with sidestraps had sleeves and collars coated in feathery ruffles and there was short hourglass shaped dresses in classic black and cream, some with flirty lace insets.

Chanel's romp in the hay was a huge success. It made the collection more desirable and romantic. The backdrop only added to the beautiful made clothing and soft colours of cream, oatmeal and white. It brought forth a playful side of Chanel that proved to be just what we needed.

-Erin Jones

Vogue Editor Attacks Fashion Houses

Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, sent a letter to major fashion houses last week denouncing their use of "substantially smaller" sample sizes. According to Shulman, by doing so they force the publication to hire often unhealthy models to fit the clothes. Not intended for publication, the leaked letter to Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Muiccia Prada, Dontalla Versace, and other major fashion players outlines that:

"We have now reached a point where many of the sample sizes don't comfortably fit even the established star models. Instead we are having to use girls with jutting hip bones and no breasts or hips, to fit them. Nowadays I will often ask the photographers to retouch to make the models appear larger. I am finding that the feedback from my readers and the general feeling in the UK is that people really don't want to see such thin girls in either editorial or advertising."

Shulman, who has edited the publication for over 20 years, also placed blamed on people inside the publishing world. She later told the Times that, "Quite often I hear the fashion editor say when talking about one model or another 'I don't think she will fit the clothes.' Some of the girls she was talking about were already very thin."

Only time will tell if Shulman's outrage will translate into more open-minded designers. However, while her attitude is welcome, I doubt Anna Wintour shares her sentiments. What do you think? Do you think models are too thin or has the industry already begun to change?

Karl Lagerfeld Denies Rumors About Leaving Chanel

After an uproar in the fashion world regarding Karl Lagerfeld rumored to be leaving Chanel soon, all rumors have finally been put to rest.

Diane Pernett, writer of www.ashadedviewonfashion.com, stated recently,“This is not a fact until you officially read it somewhere else but rumour has it that Karl Lagerfeld will not renew his contract at Chanel and that Alber Elbaz will take his place and Olivier Theyskens will take Alber’s place at Lanvin…Nothing is engraved in cement, these are still just rumours you will have to wait and see.”

While we have all wondered when the fire would burn out of Lagerfeld's creative direction for Chanel it seems as though it won't be anytime soon.

Pernett posted an apology on her website saying, "Today both Chanel and Lanvin denied the rumours that Karl Lagerfeld was leaving the house of Chanel and that Albert Elbaz would be taking his place and that Olivier Theyskens would take Albert's place at Lanvin. It came from a good source, obviously not good enough, but it was clearly stated on my site as a rumour, never as a fact. Frankly, I am happy that it was not true, and apologize if I caused anyone any discomfort."

Lesson to learn here: Maybe it's not such a good idea to post bombshell rumors regarding some of the biggest names in fashion if they, themselves, have not confirmed or released the information first. I doubt Pernett will be posting any outrageous claims in the near future.