Wannabe Socialite

Adieu!

2011-08-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Dear readers/visitors of this blog,

I realize that I selfishly stopped blogging without notice. Well better late than never! The reason I stopped blogging is that while other bloggers very much intrigue me...I find myself to be quite boring. I simply feel that my voice isn't strong enough and my life isn't fascinating. I wont be deleting this blog though, although it is tempting. If you'd like you can browse through the archives. So, I humbly say farewell. You can always find a trace of me in other places such as here.

Bisou.

Carine Roitfeld bids adieu

2010-12-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Sacha Dumain

Vogue Paris directed by Carine Roitfeld from 01.04.2001. to 17.12.2010.

Elle Serbia January 2011

2010-12-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

Marina Abramović photographed by Dušan Reljin, Fashion Editor: Iva Stefanović, Makeup: James Kaliardos.

Just because...

2010-12-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

I don't usually post 'celebrity' pictures but I thought I'd post this picture...mainly because I love the nonchalance of Irina Lazareanu.

From London with Love

2010-11-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

"From London with Love" directed by Gia Coppola.

Green with envy

2010-09-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

Who is this girl?

Rodarte Spring / Summer 2011

2010-09-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

My favorite collection thus far...

Shades of grey

2010-09-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

Grey seems to be the color of the moment... tempting me to go in a new direction in terms of my hair. Any thoughts?

Kristen McMenamy

2010-08-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

Kirsten McMenamy, photography by Tierney Gearon, Dazed & Confused August 2010.

Sheer lace

2010-07-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm coveting this sheer lace blouse designed by Givenchy, absolute perfection!

Vogue China August 2010

2010-07-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

Abbey Lee Kershaw photographed by Hedi Slimane

Givenchy F/W 2010 Couture

2010-07-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

An ethereal collection with breathtaking craftsmanship!
(via Purple Diary)

Eva Fontanelli

2010-06-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

I am in love with Eva and her quirky sense of style!

Remember Now

2010-05-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Remember Now is a short film directed by Karl Lagerfeld, presenting his new collection for Chanel Resort 2011. Karl Lagerfeld is a true genius with a knack for being current. I find this film quite comical almost like a caricature of pop culture, while still remaining true to Chanel. Enjoy!

Pink

2010-04-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have to say this editorial, originally published in Another Magazine for Spring 2009, featuring Mariacarla Boscono and photographed by Lina Scheynius, makes me think of pink in a whole new way.

Natalia

2010-04-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Natalia Vodianova photographed by Paolo Roversi for Vogue China May 2010

I want, want, want

2010-04-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

Proenza Schouler PS1 extra-large suede satchel

Springtime wishes

2010-04-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

(Ann Demeulemeester open boots, Tsumori Chisato trench, Opening Ceremony floral silk dress, Proenza Schouler sunglasses, Martin Margiela envelope clutch, Aurélie Bidermann silver snake bracelet & ring)

"For me there were no rules, and that's still my belief."

2010-04-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Credit: top to bottom, Melanie Ward photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin; Styled by Melanie Ward, photo by David Sims; Styled by Melanie Ward, photo by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin; last two photos are by Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken.

The classic white shirt

2010-03-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

This spring I’m coveting the perfect white shirt. Ideally one that is sheer, softly tailored, and made out of pure silk. So, when I came upon this little article on style.com. It was fate. (Oh, and anything associated with Carine Roitfeld is a plus.)

Equipment sheer silk shirt, $174, exclusively at Saks, and will come to Barneys later this spring. Equipment was a niche label in the late seventies designed by Christian Restoin (Carine Roitfeld’s partner) a successful shirt manufacturer and retailer. Currently the label relaunches for Spring 2010.

Vogue Italia July 2009

2009-07-13T18:02:00.001-07:00

Kristen McMenamy by Steven Meisel

Vogue Paris November 2008

2008-10-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Vanessa Paradis by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott.

Vogue Italia October 2008

2008-10-07T16:53:00.001-07:00

Models: Iekeliene Stange, Eniko Mihalik, Alana Zimmer.
Photo: Greg Lotus.

Vogue Italia October 2008

2008-10-02T15:44:00.001-07:00

Anna Maria Jagodzinska by Steven Meisel.

Numéro #97 October 2008

2008-09-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Heidi Mount by Horst Diekgerdes.

Vogue Paris October 2008

2008-09-24T10:25:00.001-07:00

Magdalena Frackowiak, Photographed by Ben Hassett

Vogue Paris October 2008

2008-09-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

The cover featuring Christy Turlington by I&V.

i-D Magazine October 2008

2008-09-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Photography by David Vasiljevic.

Vogue Italia September 2008 Couture

2008-09-01T16:01:00.001-07:00

Guinevere van Seenus, photo by Paolo Roversi.

Vogue Italia September 2008 Couture

2008-08-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Photo: Steven Klein

Vogue Italia September 2008

2008-08-30T18:50:00.001-07:00

Photographer: Craig McDean

Interview September 2008

2008-08-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

The Non Conformists, photographer: Craig McDean

Vogue Paris September 2008

2008-08-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Anna Selezneva channeling Carine Roitfeld, styled by Carine herself, photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott.

Vogue Italia September 2008

2008-08-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

Viktoriya Sasonkina by Steven Meisel.

Purple Fashion Fall/Winter 2008.09

2008-08-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

Kate Moss & Mario Sorrenti by Mario Sorrenti

Vogue Russia September 2008

2008-08-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Anna Selezneva, scores the September Russian Vogue cover
shot by Mario Testino/styled by Carine Roitfeld.

SS09 Runway Ready

2008-08-21T00:45:00.000-07:00

Vanessa Traina, Show Package S/S 09: Elite+

Kate Moss Interviewed

2008-08-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

Kate Moss, interviewed by Glenn O'Brien for the new September 2008 Interview.

Glenn O'Brien: So, Kate, have you met everyone yet?

Kate: Almost. Well, not everyone!

GO: Who haven't you met?

KM: Well... I have met almost everyone I've wanted to meet. How about you?

GO: I haven't really met Bob Dylan.

KM: I've met Bob Dylan. We did one of those nonhandshake handshakes. I was with all
guys , and he shook hands with all of them, and then they said "And this is Kate," and I put my hand out, and he didn't put his hand out. It was one of those. We finally did shake. And then I fainted!

GO: From meeting Bob Dylan? What a fan!

KM: Well, I met Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan in the space of 15 minutes. Frank Sinatra kissed me on the lips.

GO: That's why they called him the Chairman of the Board.

KM: He kissed me on the lips. And then he gave me a filterless cigarette. And then I met
Bob Dylan. I came off all lightheaded and had to go sit on his dressing-room steps.

GO: I would faint if I smoked a Camel.

KM: Maybe it was the cigarette and nothing to do with the legends.

GO: So did Frank still have all his marbles?

KM: Oh, definitely. There was still a twinkle in his blue eyes. Yeah, major. I was with Johnny [Depp] at the time. And Frank came over to me and got all of his security to close in so Johnny couldn't get to me. I was sitting down having a cigarette, and he just walked in the room, and he spotted me and made a beeline to me. So we were encircled by security in this backstage area, and he's like, "How are we doing, little Lady?" And I said, "Happy Birthday, Frank!" and I want to shake his hand, and he just lunged at me.

GO: Wow.

KM: I know. And then I smoked the cigarette and went all light-headed. He was fabulous. It was his 80th-birthday party in LA.

GO: Did Frank sing for you? "Stranger in the Night"?

KM: No, he just did his concert. He was so great.

GO: Fainting was exactly the thing to do after you'd been kissed by Frank. You always know what to do, Kate. You must be this repository of wisdom.

Kate, on flying commercial, and shopping:

KM: It's all about the blanket. Blanket, pillow, and red wine. You should always be asleep on a plane.

GO: You're always traveling. You must be a genius at packing.

KM: No. It's awful. I had this amazing PA, and we used to pack together, and she got so used to what I wanted to pack that she got to point where she would just do it all--and perfectly. Now she's away having a baby, and I have completely forgotten how to do it. It's so weird. I just organize by bags of specific things. Bags of knickers, bags of bikinis, bags of dresses. So it is contained and organized, but my suitcase is a mess if I do it myself.

GO: But being a fashion freak, how do you contain you--

KM: I am not a fashion freak!

GO: Yes, you are.

KM: No, I'm not at all. I hardly ever--

GO: Okay, you're a clothes person--

KM: Yeah, I like clothes, but I hardly ever go shopping. Hardly ever!

GO: How do you get your clothes then?

KM: Well, I just come across them.

GO: [laughs] Yeah, my wife comes across them too.

KM: If I see a secondhand shop, I'll go in. but I don't, like traipse down Bond Street.

GO: I know, but I also know you have an incredible wardrobe. Don't you have a lot of stuff?

KM: I don't have as much as you probably think

GO: I just sort of assumed you're like my wife. She has great clothes that she wears, but she's also a collector. I am trying to buy another apartment in my building so there will be enough room for me. There are stacks of clothes.

KM: Well, I edit. I edit things down, and I've got a massive dressing room in the country, and so all the things I'm not going to wear but don't want to get rid of go there. And all the stuff I want to get rid of goes to Oxfam.

GO: So you'll wear it again in 10 years?

KM: Or my daughter will wear it. When she's 16. All those Pucci numbers and things that I wore when I was 17 that I won't really wear. But I'm saving them for her really. That's my blackmail. "Don't eat your dinner, and you won't get my clothes. You won't grow, and you won't get into my clothes." Now she's a fashion freak.

GO: How old is she?

KM: She's almost 6.

GO: She would probably like my kid. He's turning 8. He's a real ladies' man.

KM: She likes older boys. Have you got a picture? [kid pictures... oohing and aahing] He has olive skin!

GO: My son Oscar announced the other day that he was getting married to his girlfriend from school. He's wearing a ring now. I said, "So are you going to move in together?" And he said, "Why would we do that?" He's so smart.

KM: Lila says she's going to get married three times. She's going to have three husbands, and she knows exactly who they are. They say the funniest things. Never a dull moment!

GO: What do you do for jet lag?

KM: I stay up. Actually, I never used to have it. I get it a bit more now, but I just carry on. I just stay up.

GO: and how do you stay the same size?

KM: I don't know. That's genetic I think. It's handy going to the gym wouldn't be on my list of favorite things to do.

GO: Do you have gaydar, Kate?

KM: No.

GO: The last time I was with you, you were going on about your theory about a famous movie star.

KM: Yeah, I know. Then when I got home it texted all these men I know, asking if they thought he was gay. I got so many responses! Like, two-page responses!

GO: They wrote essays.

KM: They wrote elaborate papers. Some were, "Well, considering that he is so preened..." And others were like, "No, definitely not." There were two very different schools of thought. Well, apparently he isn't. but I've hears so many people say he definitely is. And so many people say he definitely isn't. I haven't got to the bottom of it. And when you and I saw him, he left before we had a chance to ask.

GO: Maybe next time. So anyway, just to go on historical record, considering the controversies of the past, were you ever too skinny?

KM: Yeah. When I was doing shows and flying economy and nobody ever fed me. Or I'd be staying in hotels so cheap that by the time I'd get in, there wasn't any room service. I didn't eat for a long time. Not on purpose. You'd be on shoots with bad food or get on a plane, and the food would be so disgusting you couldn't eat it. You go to a show, and there's no food at all, so if you're doing shows back to back, you can forget eating. I remember standing up in the bath one day, and there was a mirror in front of me, and I was so thin! I hated it. In ever liked being that skinny.

GO: but when you were criticized for being skinny, I didn't think you were all that skinny.

KM: I was never anorexic, so I was never that skinny. I was never bony-bony.
But I remember thinking, I don't want to be this skinny.

GO: I thought if there was something different about you, it was that you weren't gigantically tall.

KM: I wasn't the Amazonian girl that everyone in fashion was used to, with the big tits, all curvy and tall. I was small in comparison. It's funny, though, because I always thought I was as tall as, like, Christy, and then I'd be doing her makeup in the mirror and realize that I was 5 inches shorter.

GO: All those girls tower over me in high heels. They love towering. So who's more diabolical, men or women?

KM: Men, for sure!

GO: Why?

KM: 'Cause they're cunts!

GO: Men are cunts?

KM: Absolute bastards!

GO: So are women dicks?

KM: Actually, that's true. I never really thought about it, but for sure.

GO: But you like men, that's obvious. What do you notice first about a guy?

KM: Oh, his eyes? The lips? I don't know.

GO: And what do you notice first on a woman?

KM: Tits. I'm a tit man.

GO: So as a tit man, what do you think about breast implants?

KM: I think they are awful.

GO: Have you ever felt them?

KM: Yeah, I have. They are awful. So many of my friends have had them, and they've gone wrong. One of my friends' tits started growling like the giant peach, and blood started coming out the nipple.

GO: Ew!

KM: Then another friend of mine had one that sort of moved up to her shoulder. One tit was normal, and the other was up by her collarbone. I know only one girl who has good ones. And most of them are so hard you can knock on them like a door. I'm not into them. I mean, if I got all saggy, like the sacks some women have after they have children, I'd have them done. I'm not against them, but if you have normal ones, just to have them enlarged for the sake of having big ones... I don't really like big tits anyway.

GO: I've always been a B-cup guy.

KM: I wouldn't know what to do with a B cup.

GO: So what's the difference between a model and a supermodel?

KM: I have no idea. I suppose if you can analyze it, you have to have a couple of Vogue covers. In England they're all supermodels in the press. Supermodel so-and-so, and they've done the new sleazy lingerie campaign or something.

GO" It's the same in American almost. I kept reading about this girl I knew being a supermodel, so I wrote, "She never says what building she's the super of."

KM: Meee-ow! You are so bad.

GO: So does a good model have to think about it, or is it like some athletics, and you just act instinctively, just react? Do you have a plan before a shoot or...

KM: I think about it. When youre shooting you go to references in your mind. You think about how you should stand in these particular clothes, or how you should move. You think about the different characters you're playing, really.

GO: Are you a scholar of modeling history?

KM: I've been doing it for 20 years, and I've worked with people who are obsessed with the history of fashion, so I've really seen a lot.

GO: Have you been impressed by the work of other models?

KM: I think for me it's those '60s models, like Veruschka. I like a lot of those girls. You see those pictures of [Richard] Avedon's and [Irving] Penn's, and they're just so iconic. But you can't always tell if it's the photographer of the model. When it's great it's probably both. I really work. I like feeling that I've nailed it, and we've got the picture.

GO: So were you self-taught, or was it working with certain photographers that gave you a way to work?

KM: I would say I'm self-taught, but Corinne Day made me less conscious of myself. I was 15, and she'd make me take off my top, and I'd cry. After five years, you get used to it, and you're not self-conscious anymore. You're not conscious about your flaws. Bowlegs. Crooked teeth. That is what makes you different from everyone else. But when I was 15, I was like, " Oh no, I don't want to be different. I want to have big tits! I want to look like Cindy Crawford!"

GO: Yeah, Lauren Hutton wanted to have her teeth fixed, and then her gap became her big trademark.

KM: I lost a tooth, and I went to a dentist in New York, and I had to have a cap made. I came around, and he'd done all these temporary caps for my fangs. He thought this straight line of big white teeth looked good. Actually, Fabien [Baron-- Interview's editorial director] was on of the people who said, " No! Don't do it!"

GO: You have good teeth for an English person. Why do the English have such bad teeth?

KM: I don't know. I think it's genetic. My mum has really good teeth. My dad doesn't. Americans are really obsessed with their teeth being white and straight, aren't they? I saw this little girl the other day with one of those whole head braces. Elastic all the way around! How traumatizing for a child to have to wear one of those! You look like a monster.

GO: You become a mass murderer with perfect teeth. I hate orthodontists.

KM: I hate dentists. That's why my tooth fell out. I was in the middle of a root canal and wouldn't go back, so it just dropped out when I was in the middle of Fifth Avenue. I had to do the Calvin Klein show without the tooth.

GO: So you couldn't smile. Well, you wouldn't smile in a Calvin Klein show anyway.

KM: Exactly.

GO: I had a front tooth fall out before my second wedding, right before the ceremony. I kept sticking it back in, but it wouldn't stay.

KM: Is that who you're married to now?

GO: No.

KM: [laughs] Well, that was a bit of a bad omen, wasn't it? Losing a tooth.

GO: I know. I should have said, " Stop the wedding! Bad omen!" It's true, she did try to defang me.

KM: You seem better now.

GO: I am, thanks. So do you have career ambitions after modeling?

KM: Yeah. I'm already doing things. I'm doing Topshop. And I've got lots of friends in the music business who are always asking me to do things. Not that I want to be a singer, but I like doing things. Obviously, one day I'm going to stop modeling, but I think I will just move into something else.

GO: I think talented people just naturally move into other things.

KM: When I was modeling, I'd get bored.

GO: I know a lot of people who have had great second careers in the arts. Like John Waters. David Byrne makes interesting art. I saw this wonderful art exhibit in Basel by Malcolm McLaren, " Shallow (1-21)," a series of musical paintings and people tend to see Malcolm as an impresario or hustler, but what he's doing is really amazing.

KM: His son Joe is like that. He's a really good friend of mine. He does Agent Provocateur, and he started singing at parties. He's a crooner, and he'd just break into song at parties, and he would be amazing. I'd say, " Joe, you really missed your true vocation," and now he's making a record. He just played in Vienna to 40,000 people or something. He's very like his dad in that way. It's about confidence, I think. A lot of people don't dare to do things they dream about, but he just goes for it.

GO: So how did the Topshop thing happen?

KM: My friend Bella Freud has this charity for children in Palestine, and I said I'd auction a kiss. So I was at work, and a friend of mine called up and said, " I'm bidding on your kiss." And people were texting me, " It's at 10 grand, 20 grand, 30 grand." When I finally got there it was 60 grand. It was Philip Green [ Topshop's owner] betting against Jemima Khan, and in the end he gave it to Jemima. I'm thinking, "What am I going to do for 60 grand? It's going to have to be more than a peck on the cheek." So I started talking to him, and I said, "Well, I should do something for Topshop," and he said, " All right, come and have a meeting with me," and so I did, and that was that. We really get on because we're both from Croydon. It's really weird. My mum had a fruit and veg stall in Croydon's Surrey Street Market, and his mum had two shops just around the corner from the market. I didn't know he was from Croydon, until we signed the deal and had dinner and he told me.

GO: So it's stuff that you would wear?

KM: Yeah, it's taken from bits from my closet really. It's about just the right thing that you can't get. It's about just the right thing that you can't find in a second-hand shop anymore. I'll give them something and tell 'em how to do it, and it will come back, and I'm amazed. Sometimes you can't tell the new one from the original. It's so good. And it's cheap-- well, cheaper.

GO: Did you ever meet the queen?

KM: Yeah. I met her when I was 8, in Croydon, and I gave her a posy. Then I met her at Buckingham Palace. She was really nice and friendly. It was at a thing for women who have succeeded in the face of adversity.

GO: Gee, I had no idea.

KM: I know. It was so weird. All of these women-- Dame Judi Dench, Margaret Thatcher..

GO: They all had adversity? Maybe that's about that hats Thatcher wore.

KM: It was brilliant. All the bitchings that went on. Vivienne Westwood was there, and I introduced her to someone--we all had to wear these name tags-- and I didn't know who this woman was, and Vivienne said, " I think you're a disgrace! You're a disgrace to the fashion industry. How can you call yourself a professor?" It turned out this woman was the head of a university. I was just there in the middle. But it was funny, all these old dames.

GO: Do you think you'll get made a dame. That's the women's equivalent of sir, right?

KM: Yeah. I don't think so.

GO: Dame Kate Moss?

KM: Well, I've put in a request with a few friends. [laughs] But you can't be a dame when you're under 50, can you? I've got a few years to work on it. Anyway, dame sounds old.

GO: Do you ever find yourself driving around, and see yourself on a billboard and it strikes you as odd? Do you have surreal moments seeing your image?

KM: It was weird when I was doing those Calvin ads and people were spraying things on them like FEED ME. That was a bit weird. But other than that, I'm immune. But my daughter gets excited. " Mummy! I saw you on the telly!" Or, " We were driving, and I asw this picture of you. It was realyl big!" But I was on buses in New York when I was 17, so now it doesn't really do much to me.

GO: Speaking of when you were 17, I just saw the Calvin Klein underwear ad you and I did with Herb Ritts and Marky Mark.

KM: Oh, I was such a nervous wreck.

GO: It was strange. He was working so hard to be, uh, funky. He turned out to be such a good actor.

KM: But at the time he was such a dickhead. He wasn't very nice.

GO: As a writer, I had a hard time working with him. It was a struggle with the ebonics.

KM: They had to get Downtown Julie Brown to come in as a consultant to get him going. And David Geffen came down.

GO: Before the shoot Mark went to the Calvin Klein office, and Calvin had him try on every style of underwear. We were on the seventh floor, and the windows of the building across 39th Street were all filled with girls, waving and holding up signs: MARKY, WE LOVE YOU.

KM: He had a good body.

GO: He had a third nipple. That's supposed to mean you're a witch.

KM: Or be the sign of some kind of evilness.

GO: I don't know if he's really evil.

KM: No, he's not evil.

GO: Now, the Funky Bunch, maybe they were evil. Speaking of evil, how have you changed since you became a mum?

KM: I don't have house parties anymore. Everything's changed. It's all about her really.

GO: Does she take after you?

KM: Yeah. Everyone says so. I think she looks like her dad [Jefferson Hack], but her mannerisms are really me. Although when I was a kid I was so shy; I didn't say anything until I was, like, 13, when I started rebelling. I started kicking doors down and yelling, "I'm going out!" Up until then, I did not say boo to a goose. It must have been a real shock to my mother. Lila's now like I was then. She's really frightening. Well, not frightening, but much more outspoken than I was as a child. She hangs out with adults a lot.

GO: That's the best.

KM: So she's really confident around adults and can have a conversation with them. I didn't go to any parties as a child. I didn't know anything until I started living my own life. I used to sleep at the top of the stairs, watching my mom and dad as they watched TV. I thought, There must be something going on.

GO: So what's the secret of your longevity? You've never been out.

KM: Touch wood. I don't know. You never know when it could end. But I think I have a good rapport with the people I work with and that really helps. If you like working with people and you always have a good time and you always do good work, then they're going on to book you again. I like doing what I do. It's not, "Oh, God, not that again!" I get into it.

GO: I know you're friends with certain women who were girlfriends of the Rolling Stones. Have you ever heard any Brian Jones stories? I'm a big Brian Jones fan.

KM: Anita [ Pallenberg] told me he was so naughty. He was naughty, naughty, naughty. I went to Christie's with her, to a rock 'n' roll auction, and I bought his coat, this Ossie Clark pink- and- white tweed coat. Like the Withnail & I coat, double- breasted with a high collar. He was quite short, and it fits me. It's so fabulous. How long did Brian go with Anita?

GO: I think it was probably a year.

KM: And Marianne [Faithfull] only went out with Mick for a year and a half.

GO: That was a long time in those days. So much was happening.

KM: I suppose when you're young a lot happens. I only went out with Mario [ Sorrenti] for a year and a half, and so much happened, it felt like forever.

GO: I loved Brian Jones's style. I hated that movie [Stoned, 2005] about his death, but I watched it about four times just to look at the clothes.

KM: I got a call about playing Anita in that movie, and I phoned Marlon, her son, and I said, " Marlon, I've just been sent this script for the Brian Jones story. I'm meant to play Anita," and he said, " Oh, what's the line in it? 'Oops, he died." [laughs]

GO: What's your favorite vintage period?

KM: The '20s, the'60s, and some '70s.

GO: Do you have clothes from the '20s?

KM: I do. I've got Errol Flynn's first wife's flapper dress. It's gorge. I love that period. I like those amazing bias-cut dresses from the 30s, but it all went bad in the '40s, with the shoulder pads and all. I'm bidding in an auction on one of James Brown's suits. It's ivory with gold epaulets and gold buttons. I met James Brown! I danced with him on the runway at one of Thierry Mugler's shows. He was singing "Sex Machine" and I was dancing in a ball gown, and he turned around and danced with me. It took me a second to realize I was dancing with James Brown, I froze. His teeth were so white. He wasn't really singing. He was lip-synching. But he was incredible. And he was so nice. He said later, " You've got to come to my 50th-birthday party." I was thinking, Fifty? Right? I think he had lost count.

GO: Do you have any nicknames?

KM: Yes. [long pause, laughs]

GO: Who's your favorite monster?

KM: The giant marshmallow from Ghostbusters.

GO: And your favorite superhero?

KM: Wonder Woman. The outfit was so good. I once went to a stag party when my friend was getting married, and I went with all the boys because I was one of them. There were all these strippers dressed up in costumes like nuns and sailors and all that, and so all the guys had lap dances, and they said, "You've got to have one!" I said, " I don't want one," and they said, " Well, you've got to have one!" So I said, "Okay, I'll have Wonder Woman." And she got fresh with me. How rude. I went ballistic. I said, "Okay, that's it! We're leaving." But secretly I thought it was kind of great that Wonder Woman would do that.

GO: Speaking of bad behavior, you've been everywhere and seen everything, so I wanted to ask you what you thought about the seven capital sins.

KM: Okay.

GO: Pride.

KM: Pride is a sin? Pride shouldn't be a sin!

GO: I agree completely. How about lust?

KM: Lust isn't a sin either.

GO: Envy?

KM: Oh yeah, that's a sin. Definitely. I mean, I've never committed it, but it's bad.

GO: Gluttony?

KM: Sometimes. Not one of my major sins.

GO: Sloth?

KM: That's a sin, but I don't really suffer from it. I like a nice break now and then

GO: How about greed? Well, that's a sin, but I'm not greedy. I would like a house in Ibiza. That would make three. That's not greedy, is it?

KM: It sounds reasonable to me.

GO: Wrath. I don't think that's a sin, either, do you?

KM: No, it's important to get angry at times, don't you think?

GO: I do. So in all your experiences, what have you learned about men?

KM: They are not to be trusted.

GO: What have you learned about women?

KM: They are fabulous. I love my girlfriends.

GO: What have you learned about rock stars?

KM: They like to stay up late.

GO: And artists?

KM: They're twisted.

GO: What have you learned about the English?

KM: They like to drink.

GO: Americans?

KM: They're a bit square.

GO: The French?

KM: They're rude.

GO: The Russians?

KM: They're sexy.

GO: Italians?

KM: Bisexual.

GO: What have you learned about money?

KM: I like it.

GO: Do blondes have more fun?

KM: Definitely.

GO: And why are all the hot chicks over 30?

KM: Oh, you're sweet. Well, really, I think it's because we know. We have experience.

GO: Older women can talk.

KM: I could talk when I was 20. I'm a lot better in the sack now.

Credit: Fashionista

Alexander Wang part deux

2008-08-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

A pictoral tour of Alex's New York workspace, and sneak peak at his spring 2009 collection.

Numéro September 2008

2008-08-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Le Péché, Model: Edita Vilkevičiūtė.

Vogue Paris August 2008

2008-08-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

L'homme en Noir, Ph: Terry Richardson, Juergen Teller, Guy Bourdin, Mario Testino & Frank Horvat.

Interview September 2008

2008-08-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

The cover of September Interview featuring feline-esque Kate Moss.

Ph: Mert and Marcus for Interview Sept 08.

Ph: Craig McDean for Interview Sept 08.

Alexander Wang ups the ante

2008-08-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

In an exclusive preview with WWD, Wang revealed two new product launches for the season. His first shoe collection and T by Alexander Wang, a lower-priced diffusion line all about cotton basics. The reason being, “I’m not taking away from what I’m selling, and confusing the customer. I realized there were no T-shirts that spoke to my aesthetic,” he says. “You have those L.A. brands and then you have the $200, $300 shirts from The Row and Rick Owens.” Expect Wang’s footwear on the other hand, to be fetishisticly sexy. The collection will range from a perforated leather bootie to a heel topped with fringe. “Everyone’s been doing an open-toe,” says Wang. “I added the thong to give a fresh perspective and make it more provocative. The thong between your toes, it draws your attention to that area.” His inspiration? The shoes were designed as a contrast to his upcoming spring lineup, which he promises will be a marked departure from past collections. Instead of a grungy attitude and a focus on separates, you can expect lots of color and dresses with an athletic-meets-“Miami Vice” vibe. Another sign of change: a new stylist. Which means Erin Wasson's shoes will be filled by hired stylist Alastair McKimm.

T by Alexander Wang.

Preview of Wang's new shoe collection.

Wang and his muse, Kate Moss.

The designer's new TriBeCa showroom and studio.

Vogue Italia August 08

2008-08-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

A Glam Runway editorial for Vogue Italia, features model Aline Weber in the middle of nowhere clad in mostly Versace...

styled by: David Vandewal, photographer: Nathaniel Goldberg.

Vogue Italia August 08

2008-07-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

The August issue of Vogue Italia dedicated to the to the late designer Yves Saint Laurent, features Karen Elson, Linda Evangelista, Guinevere van Seenus, and Iris Strubegger in a funereal Steven Meisel cover story, "Silent."

Numero Tokyo September 08

2008-07-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Anna Maria Jagodzinska clad in Gucci on Numero's new fall cover.

Vogue Italia speculation

2008-07-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

The Imagist:

The fashion kids have just about sussed out the next VI cover (which is highly unlikely to be Linda btw) but can they imagine how chiiiiiiiiic the images are said to be? Think a reference to a recent fashion world event and the most haute of the haute models looking suitably emotional...In other VI news the waves from the"Black Issue" continues to resonate with girls both recent and legendary booking a "Mohagany" story for a certain blue chip publication. Then there's this talk of another cover for Naomi in September. That too might very well be a multiple girl/single covers each must-buy extravaganza. Phew. The mags are fighting for their place in the cultural spotlight no?

Vogue Paris August 08 part deux

2008-07-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Raquel,Photographed by: Mario Testino
Styled by: Carine Roitfeld

Sasha,Photographed by: Craig McDean
Styled by: Marie-Amélie Sauvé

Daria for Vogue Paris August 08

2008-07-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Daria/IMG, photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin;
styled by Carine Roitfeld.

Naomi Like No Other

2008-07-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ph: Naomi Campbell on the August iD cover with Stefano Pilati,
shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for Aug08 iD magazine.

Vogue Italia

2008-06-19T10:11:00.001-07:00

For the July issue of Italian Vogue, Steven Meisel, one of the most influential photographers in fashion, has photographed only black models. In a reverse of the general pattern of fashion magazines, all the faces are black, and all the feature topics are related to black women in the arts and entertainment. The issue of Italian Vogue will be on European newsstands next Thursday and in the United States soon after.

Photos: Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue.

Vogue Paris

2008-06-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Aline Weber's edit styled by Carine Roitfeld in this months June/July Paris Vogue.

Photos: Patrick Demarchelier

Vlada

2008-06-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

Vlada Roslyakova reveals her sultry side in Greg Kadel’s editorial for Numero.

Balenciaga

2008-06-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga, Resort 2009 collection.

Karl Lagerfeld's Homage

2008-06-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Reportedly, Karl Lagerfeld didn’t attend Yves’ funeral, which I have to say surprised me nonetheless. Albeit he was apparently away on business, he did manage to show his homage for the legendary designer’s passing. Its only appropriate, after all Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent share history together, having first met in the 1950s when they won Wool Secretariat prizes and having been foes at one point in time due to rivalry between their esteemed fashion houses, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.

Adieu, Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent

2008-06-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

The world of fashion bid adieu to Yves Saint Laurent, during his funeral ceremony this Thursday at the Eglise Saint-Roch in Paris. The guest list included but was not limited to; Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Christian Lacroix, John Galliano, Alber Elbaz, Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Stefano Pilati, Kenzo Takada, Hubert de Givenchy, Vivienne Westwood and Ricardo Tisci. Yves Saint Laurent memorial mass is more than likely to be remembered as one of the most important and biggest French fashion funerals since the death of Christian Dior in 1957.

Yves Saint Laurent's coffin as it leaves the Eglise Saint-Roch.

Pierre Berge, President Sarkozy and Carla Bruni's wreaths.

Yves Saint Laurent's coffin as it enters the Eglise Saint-Roch.

Stefano Pilati

Yves' mother and Pierre Berge.

Catharine Deneuve

Claudia Schiffer

Questions à Yves Saint Laurent

2008-06-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Questionnaire de Proust

What is your main character trait?
The desire.

Your greatest failure?
The shyness.

Your favorite quality in humans?
The indulgence.

And in women?
The same thing.

Your favorite historical figure?
Mademoiselle Chanel.

Your favorite heroes in real life?
The people I admire.

Who would you like to be?
A beatnik.

What is your ideal of earthly happiness?
Sleeping with people that I love.

The height of misery?
Loneliness.

Where do you live?
In the sun, the sea.

What gift would you have?
The physical force.

For what fault do you more indulgence?
The treason.

What is your favorite painter?
Picasso.

What musician?
Bach and the musicians of the nineteenth century opera.

What is your favorite color?
The black.

What do you hate over everything?
The snobbery of money.

Do you have a motto?
Allow me to take that of Noailles: "More singular honor that honors the plural."

In life, what would you like to do now?
What I want to do, I leave, leave for a very long time without doing anything, forget everything and go see if I still want to make dresses.

AU REVOIR,YVES

2008-06-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

One of the legendary fashion designers of his time, and an icon nevertheless, Yves Saint Laurent aged 71, died this Sunday evening after suffering from a long-term illness, in his home in Paris, France.

Source: AP

“J’ai toujours voulu me mettre au service des femmes. J’ai voulu les accompagner dans ce grand mouvement de libération que connut le siècle dernier.”

sneak peek

2008-05-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

First look at Noemie Lenoir’s Vogue Paris cover, photo Mario Testino for Paris Vogue, June/July 08.

La fin de Paris fashion week 2008

2008-03-02T18:01:00.001-08:00

So as you all know, Paris fashion week officially came to an end. (Sigh) But hey, it was good while it lasted. So, so far Karl Lagerfeld makes a statement with a carousel at Chanel, sticking with a color theme of black and white. Stefano Pilate marched YSL into the future with tough chic looks not for the faint-hearted. The Sonia Rykiel show turned into a leaping, jumping dance party, with deep dolman sleeves and splotchy patterns; short, bright purple coats; and details like multicolored buttons running down the side of pants. Alexander McQueen's Victorian and Gothic influenced collection was inspired by a fairy tale about a girl living in an elm tree. At Nina Ricci, Olivier Theyskens said backstage: "I wasn't thinking so much about nature but finding things in the attic." Proven the collection hinted the autumnal melancholy of golden leaves turning from saffron to yellowish-brown. A palette of black, grey and white for big knits positioned against the set of an oversize ball of red rose's center stage, formed the shows silhouette at Kenzo. Designer Anna Karenina strode out in tough chic outfits, short sharp dresses and with ribbons folded flat like military honors at Igor Chapurin. At ElieSaab albeit the new take on geometry was inspiring- both the black-and-white set and the graphic patterns on dresses brought a modernist feeling to the collection- that same spirit did not last as the collection steered near familiar territory. Ann Valerie Hash bestowed the feeling into her collection of trying too hard to be original, with cacophonous color combinations (teal and salmon), the unforgiving all-in-one jumper outfits, and the use of those 3D geometric shapes in unflattering bumps on hips or a waist. Paulo Melim chose chiffon for winter at Chloé, albeit odd, yet you can see the logic- it's what made Chloé hot, the label was famous for its printy chiffon blouses and dresses back in the latter heyday. The luxurious French classics at Hermès didn't set fashion types' hearts soaring, though lavish it couldn't quite compete with the high-fashion news being made elsewhere in Paris. A crazed actress was a muse for John Galliano's collection, signaling bias cutting, retro coats, and overblown headgear in a palette of dusty salmon pinks, pale blues, teals and burgundies. There was the insistent "NO!" at Victor & Rolf. At Sophia KoKosalaki, cocooning coats brought freshness to a show that was otherwise a rather familiar. The Celine show was mainly all about sportswear but with a feminine silhouette. The Haider Ackerman show flowed peace and quiet comparing to the dissonance of the collections showing around it. Newly crowned designer Alessandra Facchinetti was wise enough to lower the bar at Valentino. The Givenchy show was a meld of the romantic and the carnal of rigid with soft and of classic with contemporary. There were fine sculpted coats that had a hint of 1980's at Stella McCartney. The Giambattista Valli show was a pretty collection of dress-up clothes. The Akris show was a study in the long and lean silhouette. At Andrew Gn the absence of color gave the clothes an air of elegant austerity. Ennio Capasa's strict suiting and high-collared coats looked ready for battle with the cold cruel old world that awaits them. Christian Lacroix's toned down opulence and excess produced one of his focused ready- to-wear collections yet. Dries Van Noten was inspired by marble to make prints as sophisticated and artistic as bookends. Rei Kawakubo's show was dedicated to "Comme des Garçons does bad taste." At Jean Paul Gaultier the theme is nature at period when saving Planet Earth, is a passion and preoccupation. Precise tailoring was shown throughout the collection at Karl Lagerfeld. Ann Demeulemeester showed her artistic expression in her collection toward color and her interpretation of faded flowers as soft prints or as lilac used for shiny, hairy and fluffy surfaces. At Issye Miyake by Dai Fujiwara there was a deep sense of Japanese culture and a love of nature. Emanuel Ungaro's new creative director, Esteban Cortazar's palette was subdued yet zoomed in on the goddess in every girl. Véronique Branquinho's tailored suiting in gray or camel flannel, a tunic top paired with box-pleated skirt and dresses in bands of black and gray all seemed prepared for the world. At Balenciaga the collection was in many ways calmer and more classic, even austere albeit the latex added a sexual element. Junya Watanabe's sense of the show was of living sculptures, in which classical drapery was set a modernist purpose. The Yohji Yamamoto show was incredibly delicate, so delicate that nothing- from the asymmetrically cut leathers to the mannish tailoring in check tweeds- seemed out of sync with the designers aesthetic. At Maison Martin Margiela there were colossal neck braces that ringed sweaters and jackets, being even covered with appliquéd daises. Jun Takahashi's of Undercover collection portrayed energy and imagination with a touch of magical realism in its artful simplicity. At Tao the collection was sweet but not sweet enough to miss the cool vibe that gives a fresh interpretation to fashions girlish dreams. Channeling the power of men's suiting into strong, yet still feminine, women's wear skirts and simple shirt dresses were constructed from slices of classic men's shirting at A F Vandevorst. John Galliano at Christian Dior embraced Dior in a more crafty way by putting color, print and indeed optimism into the collection. Christophe Decarnin's geometric inserts of crystals and glittering serpents snaking down a dress in his collection put the shine back in Balmain. At Rick Owens, the designer used outerwear to sculpt intriguing shapes, from an A-line coat sliced with a zipper to more complex garments, clearly he withdrew the couture cool he had been cultivating and went back to his gothic roots.