The Cut

Daul Kim Said to Have Left a Suicide Note

Amy Odell — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:10:00 GMT

Backstage at Erin Wasson's spring 2010 RVCA show.]]> Last week, 20-year-old model Daul Kim was found hanged in her Paris apartment. Police have said they believe she committed suicide, and new details in the case emerge each day. Paris Match reports that authorities working on the case say Kim left a suicide note. French gossip publication Le Parisien reports that Kim's father doesn't believe the model killed herself. An autopsy will be performed today, as is standard procedure for these types of deaths. Those results could be known by the end of this week. Kim's blog, which was viewable to the public last week, remains blocked from public view.

Police Say Daul Kim Left A Suicide Note [Jezebel]
Related: Daul Kim’s Friends Speak Out While Reporters Mine Her Blog for Signs of Depression
Police Believe Daul Kim Committed Suicide
20-Year-Old Model Daul Kim Is Dead
A Look Back at Daul Kim’s Career Highlights
Remembering Daul Kim

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: sad news, daul kim, model tracker, models

Natalia Vodianova Booked a Ton of Spring Campaigns; Prada Reportedly Booked an 18-Year-Old Newcomer

Sharon Clott — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:30:00 GMT

]]> • Natalia Vodianova's spring-campaign bookings include Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Guerlain, Etam lingerie, and Calvin Klein perfume. Busy lady! [WWD]

• Prada reportedly signed 18-year-old model Rasa Zukauskaite for its spring campaign. [Sassybella]

• Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Andrew Bolton says the Costume Institute's next exhibit, American Women, will showcase "archetypes such as the heiress, the flapper, and the suffragette that emerged between 1890 and 1940." [Style File/Style.com]

]]> • A nude photograph of Carla Bruni was pulled from an auction in Paris after bids failed to meet the asking price. It was eventually sold. [Daily Intel]

• Mayor Bloomberg's office has released renderings of the new Fashion Incubator. It looks high-tech. [Racked]

• Stella McCartney created a shirt for the Gap Red initiative. [Nitrolicious]

]]> Read more posts by Sharon Clott

Filed Under: loose threads, advertising, andrew bolton, calvin klein, carla bruni, designers, etam, fashion incubator, gap, givenchy, guerlain, models, natalia vodianova, prada, rasa zukauskaite, spring 2010, stella mccartney, yves saint laurent

Diddy Is Going On HSN!

Amy Odell — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:45:00 GMT

]]> On November 30, beginning at the ripe hour of 11 p.m., the Home Shopping Network will be forever changed when P. Diddy hits the airwaves. Diddy will shill his Unforgivable and I Am King fragrances with the reported goal of selling $400,000 worth of merchandise, and showing the world fragrances can be sold on TV — or, at least, that if anyone can convince the public to buy scents they can't smell, Diddy can.

“We should own Behind the Fragrance,” [HSN CEO Mindy Grossman] said, paraphrasing the title of the music-biography series.

]]>
Since Diddy's segment will be all about telling a story, he won't just go on the air and spray his fragrance on awkward models while talking about how fabulous it is. He'll be interviewed in a talk-show-like format on a specially built set, which you see rendered above (Diddy is our addition — to make it seem more real). Grossman hopes Diddy will bring in a whole new audience. Indeed, if we remember this come Monday after all the drinking we will have done in the past five days, we just might tune in — and we've never made an effort to watch HSN. Sean John executive vice-president Jeffrey Tweedy credits Grossman with “turning [HSN] into a hip TV channel.”

Sean "Diddy" Combs Set for HSN Debut [WWD]

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: home scary network, hsn, mindy grossman, p diddy, sean combs

Best Bet: Cuff Me

Doria Santlofer — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:00 GMT

]]> After months of seeing wrists stacked high with bangles, we finally found a bracelet that can stand nicely on its own. Leighelena, designed by Texas native Leigh Navarro, has just debuted a new collection of cuffs featuring geometric, interlocking metal clasps. The wide cuffs come in a range of rich colors and luxe materials, such as black stingray and gray lizard, with either gold or silver fastenings. While simple and classic enough to wear every day, Leighelena's latest pieces would look chic, and a little bit tough, worn in a pair, one on each wrist.

$90 at shopatmilk.com.

]]> Read more posts by Doria Santlofer

Filed Under: best bets, bracelets, jewelry, leighelena

Lady Gaga Doesn’t Like to Show Her Eyes, and Neither Does Perez Hilton

Amy Odell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:15:00 GMT

]]> The New Yorker has an interesting look into the very complicated world of Lady Gaga's clothing. Last week she performed in L.A. at a benefit for the financially troubled Museum of Contemporary Art, wearing a hat designed by Frank Gehry, at the behest of Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli. Ultimately, none other than Prada made Gehry's sketch a reality. Gehry explains:

"Since I’ve never designed a hat before, I was afraid she wouldn’t be able to walk,” he said. “I did have an idea that involved people with sticks holding it up, walking behind her. I didn’t know how far I could go with this thing.”

In the end, Gaga wore the hat differently from its original incarnation — folded in on itself — because, as Gehry explains, "She has a thing about showing her eyes — she doesn’t like to — so she closed it up." It seems her self-proclaimed No. 1 fan, Perez Hilton — who often accompanies her to parties and events and isn't bashful about taking advantage of the free booze available, from what we've seen — takes after her in this regard.

]]> “The public persona of me is so different from who I really am,” he said, gesturing at his ensemble. “I wouldn’t wear this, Perez would wear this. I don’t wear sunglasses inside, Perez does. This is acting! It’s also good because if I see Rachel Zoe or someone I don’t want to look at I don’t have to make eye contact.” He paused, and took a swig of red wine. “She’s here.”

Later, he introduced Gaga to Pharrell Williams. Evidently, theirs is a two-way relationship.

Celebromatic [NYer]

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: just pants, designers, francesco vezzoli, frank gehry, perez hilton, prada

Christian Louboutin: ‘A Successful Shoe Accentuates Nudity’

Amy Odell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

]]> Christian Louboutin: “I prefer shoes that undress to shoes that dress. A successful shoe is a shoe that accentuates nudity. The woman remains entirely nude when she wears those shoes. The shoe becomes the privilege of nudity ... If you are very chic you might not need an extra drop of chicness, so you go for the sexy side and buy my shoes because they are ... tarty. We get very smart women coming in and buying a pair to feel a little more sluttish. And then, thank God, we also get the hookers coming in the store, who buy my shoes because they are superchic. You see, whatever you have, if you add a drop of the opposite, then it just becomes a little more sexy.” [Times UK]

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: quotables, christian louboutin, desingers, shoes

Tinsley Mortimer Doesn’t Want 11-Year-Olds to Wear Too Much Makeup

Meg Prossnitz — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:40:00 GMT

]]> On Saturday, a gaggle of 11-year-olds gathered in the Samantha Thavasa store on Madison Avenue for a tea party sponsored by Christian Dior Beauty to raise money for New Yorkers for Children. Host Tinsley Mortimer, Samantha Thavasa designer, socialite, and Dior beauty ambassador (she has her own shade of lip gloss), said every 11-year-old wants to wear makeup. Although Tinsley's effortless nighttime look takes fourteen products, including two kinds of mascara, and fifteen steps, she wanted the kids to ease into it. "We're showing them how not to overdo it. At that age you don't want to put on too much, you want to do a little mascara, [keep it] simple," she said. "The Tinsley look has a little more going on. There's no fake lashes on these girls today." She added she doesn't usually wear "that much" makeup, but was doing so Saturday because she had just been filming her reality show for the CW. "I like to do a little mascara on a regular basis, even with sweatpants," she explained.

]]> She can't get enough mascara. "I get some stuff and my sister and my mom come over to my house and they always take my stuff! I'm like, Where'd it go? And they say, 'Well Tinsley, you work at Dior.' And you I'm like, 'No, you don't understand! This is like gold! You may not take it!'" she continued. "That and then gloss in every color — well, like a pink, you know — I find those things missing all the time. But I'm also always throwing them in handbags to go out at night and can't find them again. I go through a lot of tubes, definitely."

We wondered what happened to Tinsley's signature blonde waves. "Well I changed my style with everything going through my personal life," the recent divorcée told us. "I needed a big change. So I cut bangs and when I cut the bangs, doing the curl didn't really look good with the bangs — it was too many things going on. So I'm growing them out and kind of getting back into doing some curls. It was just too much going on." Further complicating her getting-ready routine is the addition of a stylist, which she's never used until recently. "I did work with a guy named PJ, who's a friend of mine who doesn't normally do this, but he knows my style really well and knows exactly what I would want and not want," she said. "But we needed so many outfits that it was just impossible to do it on your own. You couldn't even — even if I had a lot of money to go to the store and buy outfits — it still was just impossible, our schedule was so grueling. But I've never, ever had a stylist."

]]> Read more posts by Meg Prossnitz

Filed Under: beauty marks, christian dior, samantha thavasa, tinsley mortimer

No, Hamish Bowles Is Not Taking a Time Machine to Forties Panama Dressed Like This

Amy Odell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:20:00 GMT

]]> The Vogue editor wore the beige suit and Panama hat to the 25th anniversary of Indochine Friday night.

What do you think of his retro ensemble and bright-red socks (God bless)?

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: look of the day, hamish bowles, vogue

Tom Ford May Be a Control Freak, But He Does Not Throw Temper Tantrums

Mike Vilensky — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT

]]> Perhaps Tom Ford is a control freak, but he'd prefer not to be called one. "I hate that word," Ford admitted to us on the phone this morning from his hotel room in New York. Last night he screened A Single Man at the Lighthouse Screening Room, where pals like Zac Posen and Mike Nichols were visibly moved by Ford's film. "But, in my life, I've often been called a control freak. There needs to be a better word for it. 'Control freak' makes it sound like you're crazy. " As an iconic designer, a sex symbol, and now a filmmaker, the man's got a lot to control. "If your name is on a shoe, then the heel is the way you want it and the toe is the way you want it and the leather is exactly the quality you want it. A lot of the furniture [on the set of A Single Man] was from my own house. I painted the paintings that were hanging on Charlie's [Julianne Moore's character] wall. If it's not your movie, what's the point? When you're creating something that is expressive, that's the point — it represents your point of view. So, yes, I was an extremely hands-on director."

]]> Ford recently described his time at Yves Saint Laurent as "misery," since Yves and his partner, Pierre Bergé, were "so difficult and so evil." He pointed out, however, that Laurent and Bergé weren't actually his bosses: "We bought Yves's company, and Yves had nothing to do with it — he was totally gone and out of the company. I didn't work with Yves. I said that while I was working at Saint Laurent, they made my life difficult, because they did." So is he an easier man to work with? "Well, I don't think any place I've ever worked in has ever been difficult for the people who work there, because I don't throw temper tantrums. I'm a very rational, compassionate, organized guy. Working in a pleasant environment is very important to me."

Ford called writing and directing A Single Man "the most personal thing I've ever done in my life." He explained, "Fashion is a commercial endeavor for me. By its very nature, designing clothes is more of a surface industry. You're making clothes that make a woman's body look good and whether she looks good or not is what determines whether she buys your pair of pants. This [film] was the most purely artistic thing that I've ever done. I wasn't trying to design a film that would be commercial. If I was trying to do that, I would have put in a prom scene and made it Terminator 12. I wasn't trying to make something that competed with Twilight." Though, for the record, "I like Twilight," he added. "I liked the first one, and I'm dying to see the new one. But it's a different side of life."

]]> Read more posts by Mike Vilensky

Filed Under: party lines, a single man, designers, pierre berge, tom ford, yves saint laurent

Video: The Making of the Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Windows

Lauren Murrow — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:35:00 GMT

]]> Of all the elaborate holiday displays that light the city's main shopping drags this time of year, Bergdorf Goodman's windows are widely considered to be the pinnacle of the spectacle. Though the store’s windows span five streets, the main event is made up of the five Fifth Avenue–facing windows of the women’s department, at 58th Street. The meticulous mind behind the magic is that of David Hoey, Bergdorf’s director of visual presentation, who tackled the storied windows for the thirteenth time this year. The theme is "Compendium of Curiosities," loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, but Hoey admits he’s more concerned with "dazzling and spoiling people" than conveying a particular story (the windows are "deliberately overstuffed," as he puts it). The scenes are both over-the-top and obsessive in their construction: A library scene is made entirely of intricately cut pieces of paper; another display, of winding staircases, is made of antique wood; and a third contains murals made from shattered and reassembled Venetian mirrors. All serve as awe-inspiring backdrops for gowns by Pamella Roland, Alexander McQueen, Monique Lhuillier, Marc Jacobs, and more. The tarps are off today — watch the video for a behind-the-scenes look.

]]> ]]> Read more posts by Lauren Murrow

Filed Under: holiday windows, bergdorf goodman, tis the season, video

Guess How Much the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Cost?

Amy Odell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:05:00 GMT

]]> If this past Fashion Week didn't teach you that trying not to be extravagant out of respect for the economic climate and the hardships induced on much of the population is a thing of the past, the Victoria's Secret fashion show is here to remind you! The show, which taped last Thursday in New York, included 35 models along with host Heidi Klum, 1,034 guests, and one $3 million Harlequin Fantasy Bra worn on the runway by Miranda Kerr. Designed by Damiani, it includes more than 2,300 diamonds in various shades. The total cost for the whole affair? About $10 million (not including the bling bra, presumably). But to be fair, they do two tapings.

]]> If you didn't attend either taping or the after-party and were not one of the 100 million people let backstage to fawn over the naked women getting their makeup done, don't worry, because you can still be part of this annual parade of winged bras: The voting hasn't closed in the Victoria's Secret Model Search. Finalists Kylie Bisutti and Jamie Lee Darley both walked in the show, but Victoria's Secret will cut the loser out when it airs on CBS on December 1. The people get to pick the winner, so vote here, because it's a slow week and you probably need things to do anyway. We're pulling for Kylie, only because she is still updating her MySpace page, which is a pretty special thing nowadays.

Victoria's Secret Show Heats Up NYC [WWD]
Related: What Do Models Talk About Backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show? Food, Mostly.
Video: Backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Show

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: panty parade, miranda kerr, models, victorias secret, victorias secret fashion show

Average Woman Uses 515 Synthetic Chemicals Daily; Eva Mendes Masters Updos

Sharon Clott — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Eva Mendes.]]> SKIN
• According to new research from the deodorant company Bionsen, a woman uses 515 different synthetic chemicals on her body each day just from her regular grooming, skin, and makeup routines. [Daily Mail UK]

• A new study says that skin color affects how healthy and attractive people appear. Researchers determined that a rosy, yellowish hue is the target color to appear healthiest. They suggest achieving this with a healthy diet. [Science Daily via Spoiled Pretty]

HAIR
• Eva Mendes is the master of the updo. Is she leading the pack in glamorous Hollywood hair? [In Style UK]

]]> • The Rahua nut is poised to become the most popular Amazonian beauty ingredient since the açai berry. While the berry is known for its antioxidant powers, the Rahua is known for restorative oils, especially for hair. [Beauty Counter/Style.com]

• Would you use a face cream that contains an ingredient "derived in a European lab using proteins from the skin of a human fetus that was aborted"? [Girls in the Beauty Department/Glamour]

NAILS
• Nubar is releasing a new collection in January named Prism, which promises to include holographic glitter in each of its eight new colors. An early test shows that they go on smooth, unlike many glitter nail polishes. [Beauty Xpose]

]]> Read more posts by Sharon Clott

Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty, eva mendes, hair, nails, nubar, rahua, skin

More Black Friday Sales

Lauren Murrow — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 GMT

]]> The decorations are up, the seasonal soundtracks are blaring, and the holiday shopping season kicks off in full force on Friday with a slew of post-Thanksgiving discounts. Check out our comprehensive shopping map to see which sales are worth rousing early for from your food coma. Some notable recent additions: 41 percent off all merchandise at Kenneth Cole for the first four hours, half-off handbags at MCM, 30 percent off Yigal Azrouël and Helmut Lang at Blue & Cream, and up to 70 percent off designer bridal gowns at Wedding Atelier.

Click here for 50 more deals.

]]> Read more posts by Lauren Murrow

Filed Under: black friday, fashion calendar, sales, shopping, thanksgiving

We Have a Theory About the Torture Device in Rihanna’s AMA Performance

Amy Odell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:30:00 GMT

]]> Last night, divas gathered together to sing, dance, and give and receive American Music Awards. Lady Gaga didn't win an award, but she won in terms of stage performance and wardrobe, if you ask us. Rihanna, perhaps feeling the Gaga pressure like Beyoncé, attempted to raise her fashion game by wearing a bodysuit consisting only of thin white pieces of fabric. We have a theory about this ensemble, which you can read in the slideshow, along with our thoughts on Jennifer Lopez, Adam Lambert, and some of the other divas in attendance.

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: fashion yearbook, adam lambert, alicia keys, bobby trendy, carrie underwood, fergie, janet jackson, jay z, jennifer lopez, kelly clarkson, lady gaga, nicole kidman, rihanna, shakira, slideshow

Project Runway’s Ratings Dipped on Lifetime

Amy Odell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:50:00 GMT

]]> Last week, Project Runway's season finale aired on Lifetime instead of Bravo for the first time in the show's six-season history. And the ratings were down. Thursday's episode drew 4.2 million viewers, down from the 4.8 million who watched the season-five finale on Bravo. Despite a strong season premiere, ratings for the show dwindled to an average of 3.2 million each week, while an average of 3.6 million watched the show on Bravo. We suspect the stellar season premiere on Lifetime was due to the curiosity of the show's longtime fans, especially after the program had been off the air for ages while the Weinstein Company worked out the mess of lawsuits related to the network move. Though Lifetime maintained the formula that had made the show successful for five seasons, the network shift alienated a small yet key demographic: straight men. Straight men sometimes watch Bravo thanks largely, we think, to Top Chef. They could justify catching a few minutes of Runway here and there. But Lifetime? That's too embarrassing, even for many women.

RUNWAY WALKS OFF [WWD]

]]> Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: obviousness, bravo, lifetime, project runway, tv