Victoria Beckham

Marco Zanini, formerly the designer of the revived Halston (which he left after two seasons of lukewarm reviews), has been named the creative director of Rochas and will show his first collection in Paris in March. [WWD] 

Agent Provocateur has unvelied a new ad campaign featuring Helena Christensen as a pirate. [PopSugar]  

Defying the rules of a recession, Zara has signed a lease on a 15,000-square-foot space at 1963 Broadway between 66th and 67th sts., where the company will open a store in the spring. [WWD]  read more »

Victoria Beckham has been announced as the face of Emporio Armani underwear collection for women; her husband, David Beckham, has been modeling for the men's collection. [Vogue UK]

Ms. Beckham is also reportedly running in the New York City marathon this Sunday. [NBC via Racked] 

Designer Tom Ford will make his much-awaited directorial debut with A Single Man, an adaptation of the Christopher Isherwood novel, starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Matthew Goode. [THR]   read more »

Victoria Beckham has landed the cover of Vogue India's November issue, wearing a pink sari and a fancy headress. [Vogue UK]

Sarah Palin's campaign spokesperson insisted that the entire $150,000 wardrobe the RNC purchased for the vice presidential nominee will be donated to charity after the campaign. [WWD]

Meanwhile, when Ms. Palin appeared on Saturday Night Live, she could not understand why she had to wear the same outfit as Tina Fey rather than one of her own new fancy outfits. [WWD]  read more »

Two housekeepers employeed by David and Victoria Beckham have been arrested for selling some of the couple's possessions on eBay. [US Weekly]

Some of the high-profile attendees of Prince's Gansevoort Hotel show refused to turn off their cellphones, even after the signals crashed the musician's high-tech sound system. [P6]

Merrill Lynch chief Stanley O'Neal got the cold shoulder from the bold-faced names dining at Michael's last week. [P6]

Grub Street has the first look inside BEast, a new "secret" lounge opening on Thursday and located underneath restaurant Broadway East. [Grub Street]  read more »

Gilles Bensimon, the longtime international creative director of Elle, is reportedly being wooed by Marie Claire, the new home of his former colleague Nina Garcia. [FWD] 

Narciso Rodriguez and Liz Clairborne Inc. have confirmed that they are ending their 18-month partnership. [Vogue UK] 

Marco Zanini, the designer who most recently helped revive Halston, will reportedly design a new collection for Rochas. [FWD]  

Actress Mischa Barton on Victoria Beckham's style: "Posh doesn't strike me as particularly stylish. I don't think she's a good example of British style at all. I don't dress for anybody else, and I think the reason people like my style is that I do my own thing." [Sun UK via The Cut]    read more »

Victoria Beckham is launching a collection of dresses featuring “comfortable and supportive” corsets and belts. [WWD] 

Italian designer Mila Schon has died at the age of 91. [Reuters]

Dominican model Arlenis Sosa, who is 19, will be the new face of Lancome. [WWD]  

The Observer’s own Simon Doonan thinks that Sarah Palin is more “LensCrafters Lady” than “Ms. Congeniality.” [The Cut]

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Betsey Johnson said she once made out with Anna Nicole Smith because she couldn't resist her post-Trim Spa slimmed-down bod and bullet bra covered in roses. [Vogue UK]

The shoppers of Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney, and Kohl's reportedly favor John McCain over Barack Obama. [WWD]

Victoria Beckham is deeply offended at the allegation that her sister is sneaking her diet pills from the U.K. [SF Gate via The Cut]

David Byrne has designed a shoe-shaped bike rack that has been placed outside Bergdorf Goodman. [NYP]  read more »

Victoria Beckham will not be showing her new "upscale" collection of dresses in a tradition runway show this fall during New York Fashion Week. Rather, she plans to have a "by appointment only" showing of the line that will extend over the several days. [FWD]

The British Fashion Council is slated to make an announcement today that the proposed ban of "size zero" models in London's Fashion Week will not work due to lacking international support. [Vogue UK]

Ella Moss is expanding into swimwear. [WWD]

Retail sales were considerably down during the month of July. [NY Times]

Cindy Crawford on the term "supermodel": "I would never refer to myself as a supermodel. It sounds silly," she insists. "It sounds like we change into our capes in a telephone booth." [Vogue UK]

J. Crew's Madewell brand has been enticing shoppers downtown with a snow cone cart. [FWD]

Ralph Lauren, who is 68, said that he will not be retiring anytime soon. [Vogue UK]

Phillips de Pury & Co. will auction off 50 pieces of jewelry worn by 50 Cent, Biz Markie, MC Lyte, Kanye West, Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur in an auction called "Hip Hop's Crown Jewels." [FWD]

Mr. Blackwell has regained consciousness; the 85-year-old fashion arbiter is still hospitalized and battling an infection. [Yahoo]  read more »

Model and actress Milla Jovovich is putting her clothing line Jovovich-Hawk to rest; it had been carried by high end stores like Fred Segal. [Racked]

There will no longer be a Sean John runway show this September. Instead, Sean "P.Diddy" Combs will host a private preview of the Spring/Summer 2009 collection at his Sean John homebase at 1710 Broadway. [FWD]

Madonna will wear designs by Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent, Roberto Cavalli, and Jeremy Scott, as well as custom-made Miu Miu shoes, for her Sticky Sweet tour. [WWD]  read more »

The Marc Jacobs ad showing Victoria Beckham peering out of a giant shopping bag and another in which she's swallowed up by the same, have been described as disquieting, daring, and modern.

The New York Times' Cathy Horyn wrote about the ads, which were created by photographer Juergen Teller, back in April. But in today's Daily Mail, a couple of months late, Liz Jones came out with a fresh theory about the images: The ads are actually making fun of Posh and she has no idea! Aha!  read more »

To the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Gala on Monday, May 5, themed “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,” Gossip Girl star Blake Lively wore black gloves and a snug black Ralph Lauren gown involving feathers. She said that her favorite superhero was “Spider-Man. Cause he’s awesome! He gets to swing around, and, I don’t know....” Accompanied by her onscreen (and rumored offscreen) boyfriend, actor Penn Badgley, Ms. Lively had come straight from a photo shoot and had done her hair in the car. “I have no idea what I look like,” she said, adding: “I’ve always seen pictures growing up, being a teenager, and thought, ‘I’d love to go to that, a night just to dress up in ball gowns.’ And here I am!”

Here everyone was, at least in fashion and showbiz and society circles. Oh, to have the superpower of invisibility and be able to flit up the stairs and into the great halls beyond!

Vogue editor and hostess Anna Wintour was the first to arrive, at 6:33 p.m., wearing a Chanel gown adorned with what appeared to be seahorse tails and accompanied by daughter Bee Shaffer, who required two men, including the formidable Vogue editor at large André Leon Talley, to carry the train of her voluminous blue Nina Ricci dress up the stairs.  read more »

There are only 13 days till the Project Runway finale airs. And while we have a few ideas about who’s going to win—thanks to a certain little bird—the anticipation continues to build. Last night, Bravo aired one of those reality TV reunion episodes, in which almost everyone comes back to the show, where they are filmed fidgeting in a poorly designed set. It gives them a chance to rehash tired feuds, dish about “what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling” and howl at embarrassing outtakes. But this isn’t just any reality series.

In this clip from last night’s episode, host and mentor Tim Gunn straps on his best TV persona to reveal the show’s “fan favorite”—the PR designer that garnered the most viewer votes. The winner gets $10,000 and a bigger head. (This video also reveals a sense of how judge Heidi Klum’s mood—or looser editing—on the reunion episode made the whole thing utterly bizarre. For the first time, Ms. Klum makes three things crystal clear: 1) She really can’t stand eliminee Victorya Hong; 2) Mr. Gunn makes her nervous; 3) $10,000 doesn’t impress her.) So, back to the fan fave, who, Mr. Gunn reveals, won by a landslide. Turns out, viewers absolutely adore…MARION LEE!

No, not really…but those who don’t already know will have to watch the clip to find out. Hint he’s so Posh.

Victoria Beckham (a.k.a. Posh Spice) had chosen a clear winner by the time all five of Project Runway’s finalists—Chris March, Christian Siriano, Rami Kashou, Sweet P and Jillian Lewis—finished showing their collections in the Tent at Bryant Park this morning. But while speaking to the Daily Transom, the singer and Marc Jacobs muse revealed a bit too much.

Read through for, well, it's not really a spoiler so much; but if you're obsessed with the show and want everything to be a secret, don't read through.  read more »

Over at Milan Fashion Week, Bergdorf Goodman’s fashion director of men’s wear, Tommy Fazio, was “unceremoniously asked” to give up his front-row seat at Saturday’s Versace runway show. Why? Because of Beyoncé, of course!

According to a dispatch posted on T Magazine’s Web site today, Mr. Fazio was forced from his seat by a “clipboard Nazi,” who needed the chair for a member of the 26-year-old diva’s entourage. In apparent protest, the fashion director immediately refused to buy anything from the show and canceled his upcoming showroom appointment. (Considering Donatella Versace’s seemingly unconventional managerial methods, extensively profiled in a recent, riveting New Yorker profile, one can assume that heads will likely roll.) Then, after the show had ended, Beyoncé and her “boo,” Jay-Z, burned rubber out of a GQ party because there was no V.I.P. room at the affair.

In related news fresh out of the Italian city, the Spice Girls are expected to show up at the Roberto Cavalli runway show today. At a concert in London last week, Victoria Beckham reportedly sent up several shout-outs to the Italian designer. Because of Posh’s ability to fit into small boxes normally reserved for, say, a pair of shoes, she could pop up at any moment.

 

 

Last night, Barbara Walters’ much anticipated The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2007 aired on ABC. Before viewers got a chance to assess the lineup, Ms. Walters said that she was going to avoid any “tabloid stuff.” And she did…sort of. As promised, Bill Clinton, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Don Imus were all in fact honored. But so, too, were Victoria and David Beckham, who were asked to dish on their much-publicized friendship with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. (Even Bill O’Reilly asked Ms. Walters “Why? Why? Why?” after learning that Posh ‘n’ Becks would be featured on her program.) Then came Justin Timberlake. The former ‘N Sync pop singer told the television journalist, among other things, about his romance with Hollywood starlet Jessica Biel—also a topic touched upon a time or two in, well, the tabloids. Katherine Heigl, who called her recent hit film, Knocked Up, “sexist,” was also on Ms. Walters’ short list. From Heigl, the former 20/20 anchor learned that the actress is not happy that her Grey’s Anatomy co-star was fired after he slung homophobic slurs at T.R. Knight.

My friend Zoe got this Bill Blass silk dress at a vintage place in downtown New York, and they said it was still warm from Posh Spice trying it on.  read more »

Biological clock ticking? Scrambling to snag a bloke–any bloke–before Labor Day?  read more »