Lady Gaga for FASHION MAG!

Lady Gaga for FASHION Mag wear a top and skirt by Irina Shaposhnikova, head sculptures and hair by Bob Recine, makeup by Billy B for Bridge Artists, manicure by Aya Fukada for Hair Room Service.

Photographed by Mariano Vivanco
Styled by Nicola Formichetti.

A day with Margherita Missoni - Video-interview by VOGUE Germany.

A focus on a Margherita Missoni's typical day, heir to the Missoni's empire, built over many years of great craftsmanship and research.

Take a look. Enjoy it!

Shopping tips: The new "IT SHOE". PRADA Rocks!

There's no doubt that Prada's spring 2011 espadrille wingtip oxford creeper is the current "IT shoe" this summer. From the Olsen twins to fashion bloggers like Pelayo Diaz everybody is rocking these shoes with the distinct leather, rubber, and robe combination sole. Selling out immediatly in almost every Prada boutique worldwide at one point there was an extensive waiting list.
Lauren Sherman, a fashion writer at Fashionista.com says this of the highly criticized shoe "It doesn't matter that they're ugly and not sexy because they're Prada, Prada is known for its subversive sexiness. It's geek chic. People are sick of wearing hooker heels."

Available in a multitude of colors do you think these are worth the hype AND the $795
price tag?

Louis Paul Pisano.

VALENTINO: State of Grace. Interview.

While we're waiting for photos of latest Valentino's Haute Couture collection, enjoy this article pubblished by Interview.

"If there is something most significant about Valentino, it’s that women feel beautiful when they’re wearing Valentino. Beauty is at the core of his work—it’s not just an element."

Pier Paolo Piccioli

Since taking the reins two and a halfyears ago as creative directors at VALENTINO,designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have faced numerous challenges—not the least of which has involved building upon the enormouslegacy of the legendary Valentino Garavani, who retired from the house that bears his name in January 2008. Mr. Valentino may have left his business, but he didn’t retreat from the fashion world and certainly not from his very active social life. Today Valentino’s imagecontinues to loom large, both figuratively and literally, over the fashion empire that he and his longtime business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, built together over the span of nearly five decades.

Chiuri and Piccioli, who had previously served as accessories designers under Valentino for more than a decade, were appointed in 2008 following the brief run of Alessandra Facchinetti, who took over after Valentino’s retirement and promptly moved to etch out a new, very different image for the Valentino woman, but lasted just two seasons at the helm. In stepping in after Facchinetti’s departure, Chiuri and Piccioli were thrust into the position of having to determine the future of a brand at acrossroads. The journey has not been without some bumps along the way: a debut collectionthat some deemed too reverently old-school Valentino; another, an Avatar-inspired collection thatothers deemed not Valentino enough; and their ongoing struggle to carve out their own path as a design team—and working to reconcile that vision with the history of Valentino—in a very public way. Recently, though, Chiuri and Piccioli have started to hit their stride. Their Fall 2011 collection, presented this past March in Paris, offered clear evidence of why they’ve quietly captured the hearts of Young Hollywood’s hippest girls (among them, this month’s cover girl, Michelle Williams, who wore Valentino to the Golden Globes), while creating a new language of grace and fragility in fashion—one that contains a delicate balance of romantic prettiness and edginess that has gently seduced women back into kitten heels, longer lengths, sheer layers, lace, ruffles, and bows—and a lightness of being that is quickly becoming the signature for the Valentino girl of the future.

The day after the show, Chiuri and Piccioli visited Giammetti at Valentino’s castle, Chateau de Wideville, in Davron, a half hour outside of Paris, to discuss the burdens of stepping into the shoes of their former boss, the Last Emperor, and how they think they’ve found a way to the future by looking into the past. Since taking the reins two and a half years ago as creative directors at Valentino, designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have faced numerous challenges—not the least of which has involved building upon the enormous legacy of the legendary Valentino Garavani, who retired from the house that bears his name in January 2008. Mr. Valentino may have left his business, but he didn’t retreat from the fashion world and certainly not from his very active social life. Today Valentino’s image continues to loom large, both figuratively and literally, over the fashion empire that he and his longtime business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, built together over the span of nearly five decades.

Read the Chiuri-Piccioli's interview by Giancarlo Giammetti on Interview Magazine.

Get the White!

Credits of pic: Paolo Roldan photographed by Doug Inglish for "The Green Light", an editorial inspired by classic novel The Great Gatsby, Numéro Homme China. Styled/outfitted by Paul Mather.

Kate Moss & Terry Richardson for MANGO: The Great Escape.

Kate Moss and Terry Richardson team up for Mango’s fall 2011 campaign film entitled, The Great Escape.
Going on the run, the duo explores notable Parisian locations such as the Mini Palais, Place de la Concorde, Place de l’Alma, Champs Elysées and the Centre Pompidou.

Vesna Filipovic aka Fashionela

REDValentino's Pop up Greenhouse!

If you are a romantic woman, you will fall in love with the magical surrounding.
The collection was created solely for this fairytale space: each garment and accessory was especially designed and presented in this dreamy, light-hearted setting. Flirty garments and accessories are playfully paired up with garden elements. Work aprons and rubber galoshes becomes whimsical accessories for overalls, while flowers and butterflies embellish the fabrics of dresses, skirts, and accessories, all in a burst of colourful prints.
Even the colours are inspired by nature: rose, hyacinth, and thyme are used on natural materials that are traditional elements of the RED Valentino world.


Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Dolce & Gabbana: Spring/Summer 2012 Menswear.

The collection is built around one idea: "THE NET." It is presented in different sizes, colours and materials and used either in transparent or lined in washed cotton poplin for jackets, trousers, Bermuda shorts, T-shirts, bomber jackets, tracksuits and sweaters.

In addition to the "NET," the presence of silk/wool mohair tailored suits is still strong and characterised by new proportions for the lapels, the length and the construction.

Versace meets H&M - Another collaboration for the biggest swedish brand.

Riding the wave of success after the most recent collaboration with Lanvin, swedish fast fashion brand H&M announced today they would be doing collaboration with Versace this fall filled with studded leather, bold prints and vibrant colors with around 40 pieces for women and 20 for men as well as accessories and pieces for the home.
BUT WAIT!? Does anybody remember back in 2008 when Donatella Versace told people in NY she would never do a diffusion line? Seems the designer has had a change of heart. She once stated that a diffusion line would “confuse” the brand. But what will a mainstream brand like H&M do to the lofty and exclusive world of Versace? Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor at H&M said: 'Versace is one of the most important brands of recent times, and their collection for H&M will be glamorous and flamboyant – everything Versace stands for. As Italian fashion blogger Andrea Ravieli said on his blog of the recent Lanvin collaboration “Isn't it just a cheap copy in the end? “ What do you think?

Louis Paul Pisano

MAGGIE JEANS - Women will save the world!

Is there anyone who still thinks that feminism is dead? I don't think it.

The feminist, revised and updated, is now a real part of our society and sides with its opposite not to claim something, but rather to confirm that women-in-power have always worked and always will work good way, just look at Michelle Obama, Anna Wintour, Hillary Clinton and many others.
Fashilosophy is always on the women's side, especially women of fashion, therefore we wanna talk about a new brand that just raised, has already done so much to talk about itself, for quality of its fashion concept and the initiatives to which it has joined, immediately creating a brand-loyalty relationship with its followers through a cross-media promotion and communication strategy, which emphasizes the great care that the brand reserves to virtual reality and blogging, now a reference point for fashionsystem.
Maggie Jeans, this is its name, offers us a strong and determined woman, who is aware of who is and what she wants. Not just a matter of jeans, but a real philosophy. Women will save the world, the pay-off chosen by Maggie Jeans, clearly expresses the message by combining the finest collections in a strong social spirit. Could you get anymore? Sure! During the last edition of FashionCamp, the MJ's team has launched a fresh and fun contest, "Looking for Maggie" with the aim of finding the real Maggie, the blogger who truly reflects the spirit of the brand, in flesh and blood...and MJ's jeans. The name of the winner will be announced in September and the girl chosen will become the editor of brand's blog for a whole year. That's great. The initiative has a very simple format of participation and you will find all the information here.
What you waiting for?!

Maggie Jeans's Facebook fanpage.
Community web coordinator & digital PR - Egizia Mondini.

Tom Ford talks about fashion! CNN video-interview!

Fashion designer Tom Ford talks about starting his own label and his strained relationship with Yves Saint Laurent.

Vesna Filipovic aka Fashionela

Burberry's F/W Collection 2011 ADV video-campaign!

Lady Gaga in vintage Gianni Versace dress @ Europride!

Lady Gaga performed at Gay Europride, dressing a beautiful vintage Gianni Versace's dress, a piece of his last collection.

MIRYAKI on our mind - Fashion new concept!

Milan is a hotbed of young new talent. No matter where you go in the city you’re sure to discover a new artist, freelance photographer or emerging designer trying to make it and in the process using every opportunity they can to showcase themselves.
One of my new favorite emerging lines in Milan is Miryaki. The brainchild of designers Riccardo Polidoro and Mia Vilardo, this label, which won the prestigious Clam Award at Mittelmoda last July, meshes together the designers’ distinctly different backgrounds together effortlessly ,resulting in stunning wearable art.
The strange beautiful geometry coupled with the combination of textures and color palette creates a multi dimensional look. It’s haute couture made street smart, wearable on and off the runway.
The Spring/ Summer 2011 collection is simple and chic as spring summer collections should be. The dresses in the gorgeous palette of white, black, and varying shades of blue are cool, elegant and serene, perfect for an evening spent perhaps enjoying a cocktail by the sea in Portofino or a rooftop dinner party in Milan.

For Fall/Winter 11/12 you’ll find more combinations of fabric layering, asymmetry, hard edges, and a more avant garde vibe. The use of pleating sheer fabrics create give it depth. In shades of black, white and gray the frocks paired with perhaps a pair of leggings and a winter coat would be perfect whether you are stepping into Dolce Gabbana Gold for a quick coffee with friends or an après-ski in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Every aspect of this brand is well thought out, from the incredibly sleek website with the fun little video that welcomes you, to the ad campaigns, my favorite being the spring/summer 2011 shot by Giuseppe La Rosa in the iconic Centrale Stazione. It oozes the gritty glamour the city is known for. Ricardo Polidoro and Mia Vilardo are definitely names you should be keeping an eye out for and judging from what they’ve already produced they are on the fast track to international stardom.



Louis Paul Pisano

Malaan for FAINT's cover by Alexandre Dobois.

Malaan for Faint Magazine, 4th issue, phothograped by Alexandre Dubois. Make up art by Victoria Komis.
Get ready for another pack of stunning avant-garde photography with the 4th issue of Faint magazine ready to come out on the 10th of June as the The Colours & The Kids issue, this impressive cover is work of Alexandre Dubois.

New and the previous issue are available on magazine's in digital form for free.

The best of RTW-Resort 2012. Part III: Marc by Marc Jacobs.

The whole season of Resort, in theory at least, is about the young and the cute making like snowbirds—that is, skipping town and hitting the beach. Plenty of houses disregard the vacation impulse. Not Marc by Marc Jacobs. The idea of a chic city slicker heading for Miami provided the inspiration. But December (resort time, naturally) is also when Art Basel turns the town into a sophisticated urban playground. That allowed the MMJ team to whip up a collection that was frothy but also urbane. You had to smile at hothouse florals three ways—"day floral," "beach floral," and "evening floral." Like a heliotropic bloom, this label's girl changes color and shape by the hour. And why not? At this price point, she can afford an outfit change.

Unlike seasons past, full looks were emphasized, rather than separates: lipstick red shorts with matching zippered tops in Clark twill, pajama suits (an emerging must-have), romper dresses, and for the chilly evenings, a knit dress paneled in black leather. (Black leather? Well, you can take the girl out of New York…) The old Marc codes were all in effect, including polka dots (in print and paillettes on a single dress) and bows. And as with many other collections we've seen so far for Resort, the team here emphasized the waist. Dainty bows and thin chartreuse belts offered a welcome squeeze of sweet and sour.

Powered by Matthew Schneier.

2011 CFDA Fashion Awards - behind-the-scenes.

Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, the Olsens, and more at Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin's CFDA Fashion Awards shoot.

Gaga by Gaultier - Inedit preview.

Gaga by Gaultier - INEDIT Vidéo tf6 sélectionnée dans Musique

The best of RTW-Resort 2012. Part II: Missoni.

Grunge be gone. Missoni loved the nineties for Fall, but they're throwing it back further for Resort, embracing a softer silhouette that evokes the 1920's. This season's girl is spending her vacation seaside, naturally enough, and apparently the ocean breeze was blowing strong in the design studio. The beach motif played out quite literally on a dramatic violet gown that had a sheer skirt loaded with conch shells, sequins, and puckered chiffon resembling coral reef. (The house's own Margherita Missoni said it was her favorite piece in the collection.) Another striking dress had a tie-dye effect and was trimmed with padded strips of braided silk. Other looks here were more straightforward. The signature space-dyed raschel knit technique showed up everywhere, but was coolest this time around on a pair of psychedelic trousers and paper bag-waisted walking shorts—both of which will blend seamlessly into the Missoni archives.

Powered by Brittany Adams.

The best of RTW-Resort 2012. Part I: Burberry Prorsum.

For all the lip service paid to it of late, heritage can be a heavy load to bear. Vaunted traditions can quickly send their standard bearers into staleness. At Burberry, though, Christopher Bailey continues his neat balancing act of being both conservative and bold. The brand will always stand behind the trench (the company invented it, after all), the car coat, and the parka. But how to keep them fresh, season in and season out?

Here's where the boldness comes into play. Bailey keeps the bones of the Burberry coat and blasts away the rest, bringing in studs one season, colors the next. For Resort, he gave outerwear an artisanal spin. "This collection started with our iconic heritage as the foundation," he said. "We really wanted to emphasize this feeling of artisanal and decorative pieces that had been touched by hand, celebrating craftsmanship but always with this playful element." The result was a series that looked homespun—if, that is, you could spin your own two-tone, bonded leather trenches at home. Stitchwork became a major design element, whether tonal or in contrast colors of jewel-toned raffia. Wooden beads decorated shoulders and plackets for a crafters' corner kind of fun.

The dusty rose palette was brightened up with shots of chrome yellow, malachite, azure, and emerald. And a new, vaguely protoplasmic print of geometric shapes floating in a sea of scrambled color appeared on everything from silk blouses to mid-length skirts and dresses to full-length coats. They looked like a trip. Not what one would expect from good old Burberry, perhaps. Which means, in effect, Bailey has done it again.

Powered by Matthew Schneier.

Get the Denim!

Credits of pic: Siri Tollerød in "I Cykelverkstan" (The Bicycle Workshop) by Andreas Sjodin, ELLE Sweden, February issue 2010. Outfits by Calvin Klein, Wrangler, Levi's and Cheap Monday.

COLORBLOCKING for Numéro #124 by Greg Kedal.

Behind The Scenes Numero # 124 Daphne Groeneveld from Greg Kadel Studios on Vimeo.

COLORBLOCKING. Behind The Scenes Numéro #124 Daphne Groeneveld, photograpehd by Greg Kadel. Styled by Bill Mullen, with hairstyle and make up Duffy & Mariel Barrera.

Click images to enlarge

Numéro and Vogue Japan summer issue covers.

Abbey Lee Kershaw in Christian Dior Couture for Vogue Japan's cover, july issue 2011.


Daphne Groeneveld with a racoon eyes-make up for Numéro's cover, june-july issue 2011.

The magic of Milan: behind the scenes could be fun!

Milan, a place as gritty as it is glamorous, a place where dreams are made and lost. Each year thousands of hopeful designers, stylists, models, and wannabe street style stars flock to the city in hopes of making it big. Fortunately for 24 year old Benedetta Borioni her dreams came true. In January 2010 Borioni was just your average student in Milan with fashion aspirations. Right before Men’s Fashion Week a friend asked her if she wanted to take her place as a model dresser at the Costume National show. Borioni jumped at this opportunity as most of us would have in hopes of meeting her favorite model. After it was all said and done she realized that she actually had enjoyed the work. I asked her what she loved about it. “I like being a model dresser because I’ve met a lot of great people, stylists, models and I’ve got a lot of new friends!” says Borioni. Her favorite part of the whole experience? “You can live the backstage with all the things like panic, photographers, people screaming, people smiling, hair and makeup, the collection before models doing the catwalk and the designers face at the end of the show. What a gratification!” The experience she describes is every fashionistas dream. The backstage is a world rarely seen by people not directly involved in the show and seeing the work that goes into what you see coming down the runway in its perfect presentation, makes you appreciate it even more.

In November 2010 Benedetta found an agency and was an official model dresser for fashion week. Since then she has worked everything from Moschino to Salvatore Ferragamo dressing the likes of Abbey Lee Kershaw, Arizona Muse, Alex Dunstan Alex DunstanAlex Dunstanand Aiden Andrews.

One of her favorite moments she fondly remembers was at FW '11, checking the runway and walking down the catwalk with the music as if she herself was modeling. She says she was so happy she felt like crying. To some people that would seem silly but to fashionistas everywhere that would be a dream come true.
I asked Benedetta what her favorite things about working in the fashion industry are. “I guess the beauty of the things, the creativity of the people and learning a lot as a person and for your work” Her least favorite? “People feel like they’ve got all the power in the world” No explanation for what she means there. We’ve all heard the stories of the taskmaster designer or the pumped up PR.
Milan is a very fickle city in all aspects from fashion, to weather, to nightlife. Most people have a love/hate relationship with the city and Benedetta is no exception. “In order to find something beautiful of Milan you have to know it slowly. You can find everything you want, amazing parties, gigs, and art” she explains. The downside of life in the fashion capitol of the world is the lack of the sea that she loves, the (unbearably hot and crowded) summer, and the difficulty of meeting good people.

To many on the outside the world that Benedetta Borioni now lives in seems like a fashion fairytale, with its fun, glamour and crazy model filled after parties, it seems so out of reach but she insists it’s not. To people aspiring to make their way into the fashion world she says all it takes is “passion, patience, strength, and to be in the right place at the right time”. I can say from experience, she’s got it right. Passion is what drives the kids here to spend their free time sewing and creating outfits to wear, patience to wait outside the venues in the rain during fashion week to glimpse the latest runway creations, strength to wait for hours in tragically chic and avant garde creations outside The House of Bordello on a Saturday night in hopes of seeing their favorite designers and to be immortalized in the weekly party pictures. Milan is a truly unique city filled with some of the most creative people in the world. It’s a place where dreams do come true, just ask Benedetta Borioni.

Louis Paul Pisano

Get The Edge of Summer: Shopping Tips by Louis Paul Pisano.

It's that time of year again, SUMMER. Tank tops, colorful pants, flip flops, neon sunglasses are all the rage but you're not like everyone else. While they run to the nearest Jil Sander, Prada, and Dsquared you head the opposite direction. You say to yourself summer is no reason to look like a box of Crayola crayons. Yet you can't exactly run into your closet and wear those black leather Rad Hourani pants you've been rocking all winter. So how does one do summer on a edgy, monocromatic scale? Watch.
Let's start with the foundation. It's hot outside so you want to wear a tank top, but not a boring old basic body hugging piece of fabric. You want classic with a twist. I propose a Claude Maus tank. It's your classic tank top with a draped scarf neck.

But it's BLACK! And it's SUMMER! you think, well this tank top is made of a superfine jersey that gives maximum breatheabilty. PROBLEM SOLVED. And remember black is very slimming.
Moving on. You've established you want to wear black. Great for you. But menswear below the waist has gone to both extremes of the spectrum. You're still not sure about this new trend of leggings and "skirts" so you stick with a pair of shorts. Now what kind? Leather? Yeah NO. So you decide on cotton. Lanvin has this classic and casual pair.

Cuffed at the bottom and falling just above the knee, these beauties are versatile enough for the transition to evening should you opt out on trousers.
Now on to footwear. So many options, so little time! You wore boots all winter, so how about sandals? These dual style Dior Homme detachable canvas lined calfskin sandals will take you easily from the street to the shore

But you can’t forget the accessories! Your jewelry should be as minimal as possible in the summer so forget about all that stacking and choose one statement piece. My pick is this beautiful Ann Demeulemeester silver feather necklace. Simple yet stunning it will leave you soaring high above the rest of the fashion crowd.

And THE BAG. Your classic black leather bag gets a summery update with a woven texture in this version from Officine Creative. Big enough to hold a small laptop, the latest copy of L'Uomo Vogue, your camera to capture those summer moments, etc.

With sunglasses you can never go wrong a pair of black Ray Ban Wayfarers

So that’s how to do simple summer dressing if color is not exactly your "thing". Remember look for modified versions of classic summer apparel to stay ahead of the curve but while keeping the season in mind. Remember no matter what anybody says nothing will ever be the new black. All pieces featured above can be found on the always essential Luisaviaroma.com.

Happy Shopping!

Louis Paul Pisano