Fashion

A legendary Jil Sander print by Craig McDean

There has been a lively discussion around the recent Inez and Vinoodh post that raised very smart questions about the chances a new generation of photographers have in breaking into the campaign market. That discussion has led to a flurry of calls to TI and let's just say if there IS indeed a recession looming, brands are bracing themselves for it by taking no chances. And when we say brands, its almost as if you have to start thinking of the current photography establishment as brands in and of themselves.
Think Meisel Inc. Testino Unlimited. Sims Corp. One Hiss Squader actually mused to me yesterday over lunch that , "If I were a blue chip photographer and I saw trouble coming, I would totally be locking down jobs with those mass market companies. I mean when the money runs out people might be buying fewer alligator handbags but I don't think Target or The Gap is going to be bouncing checks anytime soon"
Will that conventional wisdom hold up? You'd be surprised as to what some of the bigger names in the biz are lensing...on the down low.

In the meantime Testino Unlimited is shooting an All-Testino issue of German Vogue right this minute, including a Top 10 New Models edit with a short-list so spot-on I almost want to leak it. Almost lol.

Natasha Poly adds sexy to her repitoire of editorial looks in the new Self Service

You know this by now. Not much will change in the ranks of the girls clients consider directional and marketable enough to front their brands. Natasa, Anja, Malgosia, Kate...The tried and the true will find their bread well buttered. A girl like Snejana for instance, long past the status of being a fad already has found herself on set for one of those high profile brands that everyone kills to book.

The real suspense lies in the challenge of which of the 25 or so 'runway breakthroughs' that I'm currently tracking at MDC will actually convert into girls with an editorial and campaign career. I can't tip my hand too much but Paris for me was the story of Aline W of One in NY (& Elite Paris) and Amanda Laine at Supreme (& Women Paris). They are two very different kind of girls but with an obvious hardcore insider fashion appeal. It is great that Aline, the same Brazilian 15 year old who spoke no English and was very unhappy in NY three years ago is the toast of all Paris right now. And Amanda, a girl NY didn't get , proceeds to open both McQueen and Miu-Miu in Paris. I'm fascinated by her face. Her make-up at the Balenciaga converted her into this severe, almost intimidating power-woman. It is a clear sign that she'll be a great girl for the blue chippers to play with in upcoming months in the glossies. I can only imagine those options!

SY: Boss: Post makeover

My friend Florian, recently landed at Boss Models and has been calling earnestly about setting up a tete a tete with David Bosman for MDC. Lots of people have strong opinions about David Bosman but I think he has one of the great creative minds in the modeling industry. For that reason I feel compelled to sit down with him and let him tell the story of his travel through the fashion industry. I'm sure it would make for a very dramatic and glamorous film.

On The Road Again: back to NY and all its ruthless modernity

Seconds after touching down in NY I realized that it would be very dangerous to live permanently in Paris. I would turn into an alcoholic spendthrift, an overdressed dandy and a relentless nightcrawler! Maybe it was the wealth (pun intended) of all those big money status labels. Perhaps it was because the collision of all those international degenerates looking to blow off steam after a month of trudging through the trenches of NY and Milan . Whatever the case, Paris partied like there was no tomorrow this past fashion week and our Hiss Squad had 5 banging bashes to choose from for the title of "Best Paris Fashion Week Party"

Angela Lindvall: PH: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for Purple Spring/Summer 2008

It was the McQueen after-party. The trade in hiss was heavy. My jaw was dropping every three lines or so as my brain stored the details for later use. The thing about trading hiss is you have to give some to get some. So I put forth the news posted here on TI that Inez and Vinoodh had flown Art and Commerce to take up with the new agency, The Collective Shift. My fellow trader-as they say in NY-gagged, choked, sputtered and coughed. "WHAT!!!!", he exclaimed. I had won the duel. Thank you my sweet anonymous poster for that particular grenade. It's war in the trenches of Paris gossip you know.

Self Service: Malgosia Bela:The Beautiful Solipsicism Of It All PH: Katja Rahlwes

All this parisienne extravagance certainly puts you in the mood for some decadence which is where lovely Joe Lally comes in. He lensed this edit exclusively for TI and pulled in a brilliant team of collaborators, plus some fun jewelry to create this very special moment.

DECADENCE
Images JOE LALLY
Editor KITHE BREWSTER

Hair TUAN ANH TRAN @ l'atelier

Model ZAC TAYLOR @ PUBLIC IMAGE WORLDWIDE

JEWELS PROVIDED BY SUSAN LOWRY

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the wickedly witty Ms Poppy Delevingne

One day last Fall, photog Michael Schwartz rang me up to come hang out at a shoot . "Are you insane?" I replied. "Its a SATURDAY!" " Its with Natasa V," he explained. I dropped the phone and called a car service. I love Natasa V and I love watching her work. Which is what she did at this shoot. What she gave to the camera was so epic I had to pull out the Flip and record. It was like watching a rock star put it down. She also told me the funniest story about a Helmut Newton casting experience she once had. Let's just say Newton's conduct was all the things you would expect of Newton but that told me what a smart model NV really is to understand the historic ramification of a booking like that . NV's new crop via Guido is killer. I'm absolutely in awe of Natasa's current edits in V and W which to my mind proves that she is one of the best models of the Zeroes and well on her way to legendary. IMHO lol. I can't wait to see all the other stunning work she has in store for us this season.

The name alone must sell

Is it me or has this been happening to you too? You absorb so much information daily, you start to forget where you read/saw/heard what. For instance, I know this week I read that sales at Gucci have been exploding,and that the company moved product past the 2 billion dollar mark. I remember reading that the new store on 5th Ave at Trump Tower was a sumptuous extravaganza of unmatched awe and spectacle with a stunning view of the avenue from all of it's floors. Most of all we were assured Frida Giannini knew what she was doing. She had feminized the brand. Made it warmer and more spontaneous and accessible. The message of the PR spin was, (and it was written this bluntly in the article)... “Tom who? “.
Now weigh all that information against the reviews the last Gucci show has garnered. The general temperature? Lukewarm, much of it on the order of “This Will Sell Well. Especially In Russia” In her diplomatic review of the show , Cathy Horyn in the NY Times made reference to Gildo Zegna, the chief executive of Zegna, as saying this week that 20 percent of his company’s sales now come from new markets such as Russia, India and Brazil with profit margins said to be higher than those of the “ established markets."
This then leads me to a thought that has been bugging me as a dedicated consumer of designer fashion. What is it that drives me to buy? The reviews of fashion critics? (In my case, no) . The packaging and PR done in the glossy fashion magazines (Somewhat, especially if the magazine is “renegade/independent” like Fantastic Man).