Aline Weber: One Mgmt: in ID Sept 08 PH Richard Bush via tfs

Lara Stone PH: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for Purple

Alexander Wang must stand the test of his times! NY needs that. Image via alexanderwang.com

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 trued 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. Its 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 goes on 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. Its 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!

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

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).

The anticipation is building for the Balenciaga FW 08

Well full disclosure...past a few hints and confusing clues ("leather and skins"..."ecclesiastic"..."triangulated" )the Paris chapter of the Hiss Squad cannot seem to penetrate Balenciaga's Paris atelier. But we do have an assurance that this collection with be "major, major, major". Three majors make a moment no? Will fill in more clues as they trickle in.

Shalom Harlow: PH: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin: Purple Magazine Vollume III, Issue 8

I've been trying to sort out the fate of "Pretty Much Everything, Volume One" the massive Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin monograph that covers 20 years of their photography. It was supposed to have been published in January of 2007 by 7L , but a year later...no sign. The infamous opening at the Matthew Marks Gallery (The Now People Part 2: Life on Earth.) certainly whetted a lot of appetites. My hissers tell me the Matthew Marks nation had never seen that much drama, status coats and statements handbags in years upon years. Other than that, hopes for a catching a comprehensive chronicle of the late 90's work of Inez and Vinoodh are scant, that is unless you visit the airdeparis.com page that hosts several brilliant examples of their images of 10 years ago. This is where the commercial machine of Inez and Vinoodh had first started revving via the work for the Balenciaga campaign, Visionaire and V. There are brilliant glimpses of how past exhibitions of the work has been staged at mmparis.com as well as 926 archival images at artandcommerce.com. In any case if you know the story on the glitch RE: Pretty Much Everything, hiss it here. An anoynmous poster had given us a wondeful update on the whereabouts of I+V's Art and Commerce agent. Might that well informed tipster know something?

Gianfranco Ferre's little store front

Prada, Calvin, Balenciaga ... Gianfranco Ferre? TI's been hearing the buzz, first in the form of the upcoming men's show in January that the Ferre label was about to be refashioned as the epitome of au courant hipness. The hippest male models on the face of the earth, as thin, young and androgynous as possible were being canvassed by a very blue chip casting director. Then today at lunch I picked up the buzz that Karl Templer and Fabien Baron have been harnessed to remake and remodel the branding of Ferre. That certainly explains Major's Egle as shot by David Sims for the SS08 campaign. Which means you should brace yourself for a rush of glossy mag raves about the cool new Ferre taste point. Wonder if it'll be a hit on the sales floor...Also Caroline Poznanski formerly of Next has just ascended to the throne of director of the editorial Women's board at Ford NY. Seems someone went shopping with their cash infusion...And model watchers posted outside the Meisel studios in NY and LA can stop spying now. Mr Meisel is done shooting for the year as of this weekend we hear. No more campaigns, no more editorials, no more Italian Vogue. Its a wrap as they say. Back on the agency front...are you done with your FW 08 show package yet? Women's Chris Gay has his locked. Paul Rowland was in Milk Studios for much of October and November lensing Supreme's . NY Model's has their vision worked out and TI's glimpsed them all. Can't wait to see them hit the desk in Jan! But there's a much needed vacation to savor first.

IMG=Inevitable Money Girl: A sleek and sexy Hilary Rhoda: Polaroid date 12-5-07