NEWS: Dior Looks to the Future After Galliano's Firing

It appears that although the legendary house of Christian Dior sustained a massive PR torpedo by the hands of its creative director John Galliano when he was videotaped in the midst of a racist harangue towards Paris cafe patrons, they are excited with the new direction they are taking after his dismissal. Galliano is set to stand trial for his remarks which he later recanted in the midst of acknowledging his impropriety. Some would say that this is only a reflection of the blatant inelegance that is plaguing not only the fashion world and the spheres of the Page Six fixtures, but also a large number of public and private figures; the you're-only-sorry-because-you-got-caught phenomenon. For a company that embraced the avant-garde, envelope-pushing influence of John Galliano, it no longer remains to be seen how Dior feels about his leaving or his mark on the Dior brand. Dior wants to move in the direction of a return to the classical, youthful, and exuberant beauty that Christian Dior himself painstakingly created in each fashion show. A very different direction indeed from the somewhat outre and darker hold John Galliano had.

Design Muse: Tom Ford

I don't think that any designer has been as successful at breathing life back into fashion than Tom Ford has. His dedication to fashion that has a character, mind, and movement of its own has brought the attention back to what true design should possess and convey. His infusion of masculine sexuality into fashion has given him great strides in territory left untreaded. He's not afraid to be pictured in W magazine nude slapping a towel against the rears of two male models in a shower, or to massage a derriere with a car buffer. His insistence on male objectification has given more thought and appreciation of the allure and power of the male form stripped away from the oversexed connotations oft associated with it. In his interview with Interview magazine he stated on the male form, "I’m very comfortable with naked bodies. Full frontal male nudity challenges us. It makes men nervous. It makes women nervous. Other times in history, male nudes have been regarded in a different way. The Olympics were originally held nude."

Blake Lively Becomes The New Face of Chanel Mademoiselle

Blake Lively, the uber-stylish starlet who plays the equally glamorous Upper East Side-dweller Serena van der Woodsen on the CW show Gossip Girl is now reaching new heights as she begins to take her place as the new face of Chanel's Mademoiselle handbag collection. The 2011 collection began during Chanel's Cruise 2011 show and Karl Lagerfeld was the photographer who shot Blake Lively for the new campaign. Lagerfeld spoke highly of Lively and called her 'a kind of American dream girl'. It's no doubt that the blonde bombshell has definitely been garnering the eyes of the who's who in fashion as an American muse, with a double Vogue cover, and even snatching the cover of their Best Dressed Special Edition issue. Perhaps its her ethereal goddess appeal, those perfectly coiffed golden locks that even still manage to look smokin' hot all tousled and strewn aside, a look that her character Serena van der Woodsen has managed to be caught it numerous times. But even though she may not be the Park Avenue Princess that she plays on television, Lively's individualism and her willingness to embrace fashion garner her tons of praise for her canny dress smarts. And now she follows in the footsteps of other great actresses who have been the face of Chanel Mademoiselle such as Audrey Tautou, Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley, and Vanessa Paradis.

I Like My Honey On Top

If you’ve never taken a look at the uber-stylish and avant-garde artistic world of Japanese street fashion, then take primer in Japanese Style 101 at Honeyee. Created by the legendary godfather of Harajuku style and Japanese street style Hiroshi Fujiwara, with the subtitle ‘Intelligence Service for a High Style’, Honeyee boasts an impeccable and highly sleek design and layout. Its magazine style splash page is a design diamond among the bevy of Japanese fashion blogs swimming around the internet. It has an excellent manipulation of photos which fade on the page highlighting the newest in fashion events, creative productions, and Japanese popular culture.

Lady Gaga à Gogo Goes To Paris

The minds behind the blog Paris Most Wanted, Andrea Bomo and Sandy Miller along with their amie Jocelyne, decided to take a trip to the Galerie Chappe to view one of the greatest art tributes to one of the greatest pop culture icons of all time, Lady Gaga. The exhbit, dubbed “Lady Gaga à Gogo”, features paintings and digital art of Lady Gaga created by her fans, or “little monsters” as she affectionately calls them. Media of the works created included canvas paintings of a Dunkin’ Donuts ad-turned-Gaga, a stylized airbrushing of the words ‘Lady Gaga’ with kittens drawn around the letters à la Hello Kitty, and a black marker-drawn poster of a picture of Lady Gaga in soda can hair rollers, a scene from her Telephone video. Famous fashion designers also contributed reproductions of the simultaneously glamorous and creatively avant-garde outfits Lady Gaga has been spotted in on stylish sleek black mannequins. Overall, the exhibit was an impressive one and any Lady Gaga aficionado would certainly be both impressed and proud with the artistic rendering of the inspiration that is Lady Gaga. Photos after the jump. below from Paris Most Wanted.

Dries Van Noten's New Paris Men's Boutique

The iconic menswear designer Dries Van Noten is finally opening his first boutique in Paris in the 6th arrondissment across from the Seine River giving admirers and patrons of the collection a chance to shop some of the finest in men's fashions in the world. The shop occupies a space previously used as an art gallery and after viewing photos of the boutique it's no surprise the new store's aesthetics almost mimic a museum of manliness. The store isn't too frilly that a man would be uncomfortable there, but it also isn't boring and uninspired either. I would definitely say that Dries Van Noten's store is certainly a living blueprint of what I want my dream walk-in closet to be. Items are cozily grouped with each other but they also effectively blend into the surrounding living-room style scene which moves the visual merchandising away from the overdone minimalist look of naked racks of clothes and clothes hanging alone in awkward corners. It's the quintessential man-cave, if you will, yet this cave doesn't house the traditional fare of beer-guzzling, misogynistic men who have no qualms about going to market in that shirt they just slept in and whose bodies haven't had the luxury of feeling a cashmere blazer. Check out more photos of the store after the jump.

Repost: Red Luxury’s 8 Most Influential Chinese Designers

China is booming and so is its high street. Chinese designers are vying for a place in China’s evolving fashion landscape. Some are winning international awards in the process. Here are eight of the most influential designers in China. Read more to see profiles of each.

Nuit Blanche

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, founders of the glamorous, classic, and now 25-year-old brand celebrated their quarter-decade with a fashion show in Milan centered around the color of new beginnings and paths untrod, white. The dynamic duo said "I do" with a showing of bridalwear-inspired ensembles. The collection appeared to be inspired by the post-nuptial events rather than the beautiful and romantic exchange of vows most would predict. Corseted knee-length dresses with lace detailing at the hems, virginal pleated dress bottoms and sheer blouses with bustiers,  and flowing raven-black nightgown-style dresses glided across the runway. Perhaps the wedding theme was representative of the devotion Dolce and Gabbana has to bringing the most cutting-edge, uber-stylish, and utterly classic fashion. It's hard to believe that the influence of Dolce and Gabbana has spread now across three generations of consumers and all will agree that the famous D and G spoke of luxury back then just as much as it does now. Read more for photos. Photos from Style.com

Quote of the Week

"Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped adolescence but of those who have already taken control of their future" - Coco Chanel

MBFW Collection Review: Band of Outsiders

MBFW Collection Review: ADAM

MBFW Collection Review: BCBGMAXAZRIA

MBFW Collection Review: Lacoste

Fashion Week Lineup 9.10.10

9AM STUDIO - GULI COLLECTIONS

9:30-10:30AM BOX - TADASHI SHOJI

10AM THEATRE - BCBGMAXAZRIA

11AM STAGE - DUCKIE BROWN

12PM STUDIO - MICHAEL ANGEL

1:30-2:30PM BOX - BUCKLER

2PM STAGE - EDITION GEORGES CHAKRA

3PM THEATRE - PORTS 1961

4PM STUDIO - ALEXANDER BERARDI

5PM 82 MERCER ST - NICOLE MILLER

6-10PM - FASHION'S NIGHT OUT

8 THEATRE - ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY

image from famousankles.com

Fashion Week Lineup 9.9.2010

9AM STUDIO - NICHOLAS K
10AM THEATRE - PROJECT RUNWAY
11AM STAGE - RICHARD CHAI
1PM STUDIO - RUFFIAN
2PM STAGE - CHRISTIAN SIRIANO
2:30-4PM BOX - BENSONI
6PM STUDIO - FARAH ANGSANA
6:30-7:30 BOX - VERRIER
7PM THEATRE - CONCEPT KOREA 
9PM STUDIO - RICHIE RICH

Brand of the Week - Marchesa

Few other fashion brands have made quite the splash so quickly than the supremely elegant brand of Marchesa.Created by the ingenious duo Georgina and Keren, it's astounding that for a collection only started in 2004, Marchesa's beauty and attention to detail makes it right at home with collections almost 6 times older. The brand is determined to make every moment an experience, from the fashion shows, the sheer breathtaking designs, and even visiting the website. Taking a look at the founders, Georgina, a Wimbledon School of Art alumni, and Keren, a Brighton Art College grad, you might think that these young upstarts couldn't possibly grasp the eye for aesthetics that glam gods such as Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, and Karl Lagerfeld mastered but just reviewing the Egyptian-goddess inspired Resort 2011 showing  they aced in June makes you think twice. Young Hollywood certainly has no problem taking a shine to the brand with television shows like Gossip Girl using much of their apparel in tapings. But just who is the Marchesa girl? She is the beautiful girl who thrives in contemporary society but understands the unchanging power of the classic; her sensibilities do not lie in the transient fads but she remembers the swans who came before her.

Don't Get Mad Get In This Fashion Week

Among the anticipation shared by fashion aficionados, experts, leaders, and connoisseurs, Forbes Blog is reporting on the opportunity of a lifetime: to be an outsider in the fashion industry and live like an insider for a week. The blog reports that W Hotels in New York is once again advertising their annual Catwalk Packages for 15 lucky patrons. Some of the perks inside the package include two tickets to any show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, a suite a the W New York on Wall Street or Union Square, and a tote bag designed by Danny Roberts. The full posts has th details on what the exact costs and benefits for the Catwalk Packages but according to the post most of the people getting their hands on them are fashion industry insiders who have coveted knowledge of the goings-on inside the tents. However, you can't put a price on beautiful fashion and you most definitely can't put a price on attending a Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week fashion show, either. Check out the full post on Forbes Blog here.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2011 Schedule

It's that time of year that all the good little Armani-clad boys and all the girls in Chanel long for: New York Fashion Week. And here at Fashion Inc. we'll be making sure that you're up-close and personal with all of the goings-on, fashion shows, celebrity spottings, trends, and collections that this Spring has to offer. And so that you don't miss any of the action yourself, we're posting a pdf of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week schedule so you'll know what days to tune in to catch your favorite designers' collections. We'll also be posting some sets using looks from the shows and also we'll be reposting some links from our favorite fashion bloggers so that you can have a 360 view of what New York Fashion Week is all about: glamour, celebrities, who's in, who's out, glitterati, paparazzi, front rows, bright lights, and long nights. Download the full schedule from the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week site here.

D&G Gives A Taste of Italian Ice With 2010 Fall Campaign

The younger brother of the Dolce and Gabbana collection, D&G has chosen to take its newest Fall arrivals to the snowy heights of the mountains in a ski-themed ad campaign. Whereas the ads from Dolce and Gabbana tend to be more artistic, ambiguous, and feature wider landscapes, D&G ads tend to prefer an more up-close and personal point of view and usually play on the aesthetic effect of including large numbers of models in one small space. A collection that prefers to set the trends rather than display them, Dolce and Gabbana has chosen to include flowing pearl-white light apparel and patterned knits with lots of movement. The scene is reminiscent of a Milanese private high school ski trip and I doubt few can say their classmates have been this glamorous...

Trend or End? The Girl-About-Town

Give me them bright lights...long nights...party till the sun is rising...high-rise, overtime...working till the moon is shining...hot guys, fly girls, never thought I'd say I feel on top of the world...The Fall Women's collections this year are most certainly picking up on the trend of the urban female sophisticate. Perhaps the high amounts of exposure given to working girls with television shows like The Hills, The City, The Rachel Zoe Project, and Gossip Girl whose real-life as well as fictional portrayals of the driven, ambitious, achieving, and most importantly stylish girl have inspired designers such as Elie Tahari, Preen, and Chado Ralph Rucci to use her as their muse for this upcoming season...