Amazon India Fashion Week 2015 continues: Bodice, Péro and Gaurav Gupta

Ruchika Sachdev’s oeuvre with Bodice is, in the designer’s own words, “a refined and edited look”. And she doesn’t fail to bring the fine back into refined at her A/W 2016 AIFW collection.
Her clothes for the new season took an idea set into motion years ago to its logical evolution.
“When I started the brand, every time I would go out to shop for clothes, it was always too much, and I always wished something or the other wasn’t there. What I try to do (with Bodice) is to edit. To cut down what’s not required. When you can look at a garment and think you can’t take away anything, and have that belief you don’t have to add anything, that’s what I do. It’s a very pared-down aesthetic, but still noticeable. You don’t have to do too much, or try too hard,” the designer weighed in, post show.
Simplicity and acceptance remain, as her lookbook states, important for the Bodice woman. Photographer Prarthna Singh, a long-time patron and photographer for the brand, feels that Bodice is not just a label, it’s a journey.
“Her show is a result of her love for clothing for women who think differently today, and for women who know their mind, and are ready to experiment,” said Singh. “Every element, carefully thought out for months, came together beautifully on the runway.”
And in each square dress, oversized shirt or culottes, the audience felt that emphasis in the melee of otherwise loud Indian fashion shows.
Monochrome palettes of copper and rust reinvented Sachdev’s classic whites, blacks and greys, while patterns created texture, and the batik polka dot became a recurring motif, on old Bodice favourites. These “building blocks for the wardrobe”, or “updated essentials”, Sachdev explains, are staples that can be styled in a hundred ways. En Ende’s structured jewellery and Sachdev’s sister’s recently launched bag collection, accompanied the clothes.
Bodice’s own evolution happens from collecting items as she designs. “An indigo dyeing guy in Pondicherry, my own old fabric or my old products inspire me to keep evolving. Like an oversized shirt. I think, ‘okay this is boring, what can I do, maybe put a panel?’ That’s inspiration for me!” says the designer.
Aside from the impeccable tailoring and small piping and seam details that appeared on every ensemble, 80 per cent of the Bodice collection was quietly handloom. A fact they didn’t making a brouhaha about, so design was never compromised on.
Péro - War and Peace
Nostalgia proliferated at Aneeth Arora’s A/W 2016 show, which opened with the kilt-wearing Madras Regiment bagpiper band. The Péro show was an exploration of “the stories of real people, and their alter lives, the lives they breathe when they put on their uniforms”.
Attempting to initiate dialogue between two alter egos, Péro and Princess Pea (her mascot, muse and collaborator for the evening), Arora set forth with the belief that every alter ego needs a uniform. And so the dance of war and peace commenced as models in army like uniforms walked the ramp clutching Princess Pea dolls, large curls tucked into their military hats, knee-high socks and frills and flowers peeking out from under tartan dresses and khaki jackets. Arora explained that her use of uniforms – olive green army jackets, trousers, hats and boots, insignia inspired embroidery abounded – was to spread peace as a message, while the mix of lace with military jackets was a nod to the androgynous trend sweeping ramps.

The gown Sophie Hunter wore to wed Benedict Cumberbatch

They tied they knot in a very hush-hush ceremony last month, but now we've finally got our first glimpse of what Benedict Cumberbatch's wedding looked like.
The gown that Sophie Hunter wore to wed the actor has been revealed by Valentino - and it's a stunner.
The Italian design house shared a photo of the actress and theatre director during a pre-wedding fitting, though the image was later removed.
The pregnant bride-to-be looked resplendent surrounded by a throng of staffers from the atelier. (Chandeliers and table-top presentations should be required at all fittings.)
The image, which shows off the high-neck gown with its sheer long sleeves and lacy train, was shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz and will be featured in the April issue of fashion bible Vogue.
"Beautiful Sophie Hunter with Creative Directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli prepping her couture dress for her March wedding to Benedict Cumberbatch. #magicmoment #sophiehunter #benedictcumberbatch photographed by #AnnieLeibovitz for @voguemagazine," the Instagram post said.
Hunter told Vogue she worked with Valentino's creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli for three months to ensure the gown was perfect.
"It feels very much of nature, and it's so detailed and extraordinary that I'm still trying to get my head around how beautiful it is," she said.
In her first meeting with designers they spent hours discussing the design and process, which Hunter said she found "inspiring."
"From the directorial point of view, I see opera in it, I see art, I see theatre," she said. "There's a narrative of the individual and the occasion and the setting that is utterly unique."
Hunter's five bridesmaids and three pages were also dressed in Valentino.
Hunter and The Imitation Game and Sherlock actor actually wed on Valentines Day on the Isle of Wight, a rep confirmed last month. Celebrity guests included Cumberbatch's War Horse costar Tom Hiddleston and Sherlock costar Martin Freeman.
The couple announced their engagement in November with a traditional newspaper listing in the Times rather than posting the news on social media. In January, they confirmed they were expecting their first child.

Jessa Duggar Misses Out On The Fun During Bachelorette Party, Ben Seewald Has A Blast

Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald opted against having traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties full of strippers, alcohol, and penis-shaped party favors. Instead, the 19 Kids and Counting stars came together for some good, clean fun.
According to People, 19 Kids and Counting fans will get to see Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald’s pre-wedding celebration during tonight’s episode of the TLC show. The couple decided that it would be fun to get physical before their big day, so they asked their friends and family members to join them for a game of flag football. Sadly, the girls didn’t get to play the game — they were forced to sit on the sidelines, while the guys had a blast out on the field. They probably couldn’t join in because they would risk flashing a few knees and thighs while trying to run around in skirts. It’s also likely that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar didn’t want the girls and guys touching one another.
Jessa Duggar might not get to play flag football, but she does get to organize her family’s massive piles of possessions that cover couches, countertops, and carpets. You can check out the other Duggars talking about Jessa’s organizational skills in the video below, but first you have to watch Jim Bob Duggar “whoop up” on the young ‘uns during the flag football game.
Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald opted against having traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties full of strippers, alcohol, and penis-shaped party favors. Instead, the 19 Kids and Counting stars came together for some good, clean fun.
According to People, 19 Kids and Counting fans will get to see Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald’s pre-wedding celebration during tonight’s episode of the TLC show. The couple decided that it would be fun to get physical before their big day, so they asked their friends and family members to join them for a game of flag football. Sadly, the girls didn’t get to play the game — they were forced to sit on the sidelines, while the guys had a blast out on the field. They probably couldn’t join in because they would risk flashing a few knees and thighs while trying to run around in skirts. It’s also likely that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar didn’t want the girls and guys touching one another.
Jessa Duggar might not get to play flag football, but she does get to organize her family’s massive piles of possessions that cover couches, countertops, and carpets. You can check out the other Duggars talking about Jessa’s organizational skills in the video below, but first you have to watch Jim Bob Duggar “whoop up” on the young ‘uns during the flag football game.
Jessa and Ben Seewald didn’t just choose to have a nontraditional bachelor/bachelorette party — they also surprised their families with their unconventional wedding choices. According to People, the couple opted against kissing at the altar, choosing instead to smooch in private. Because it was their first kiss ever, it’s not surprising that they didn’t want everyone to see it. They also decided to serve ice cream sundaes in lieu of wedding cake, and Jessa walked down the altar in a blush-colored gown, instead of a virginal white frock.
Jessa Duggar and her husband might also build their family in their own unique way. Ben and Jessa have revealed that they’re very interested in adopting a child, but they learned that they’ll likely have to wait two years before beginning the adoption process. It would definitely be unusual for a Duggar to wait that long before expanding her family.
As the Inquistir previously reported, there’s a photo making rounds that has sparked rumors that Jessa is already pregnant with a biological child. However, it appears that the pregnant belly photo is simply a screenshot from an old behind-the-scenes People video. Because Jessa has already bucked a few Duggar family traditions, 19 Kids and Counting fans might have to wait a long time before she and Ben Seewald have any real baby news to share.
You can see more of Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald’s nontraditional bachelor/bachelorette party tonight on 19 Kids and Counting. The couple’s wedding episode will air next week.

Prom dresses: Finding style that meets dress code

Mikaela Fontana,a junior at Salpointe Catholic High School, sits in a white chair in front of floor-to-ceiling mirrors, in a glamorous, fitted navy blue dress at Laura’s Bridal with her mother, Jane Butler.
“This isn’t ‘the one.’ There’s something about it,’” Mikaela says. “I’ve been wanting to go to prom since I was five. It’s every girl’s dream to look and feel like a princess.”
However, from plunging necklines and low backs to bare midriffs and barely-there hemlines, it can be tough to find a dress that gets both mom’s and school approval.
“It’s hard to find something I really love that also fits in the dress code,” Mikaela says.
Alie Hicks and Elyse Weber — both juniors at Sabino High School — have the same problem.
“It’s hard enough to find something you like, and then you have to worry about things hanging out,” Hicks said.
Long dresses are in style this year, but, with plunging backs and cutouts, they can also pose a challenge.
Mikaela immediately fell in love with the navy blue dress when she saw it on the mannequin in the window of Laura’s Bridal. It was long and elegant, but, plunged low in the back with sheer nude-colored fabric over it.
Salpointe has a strict dress code, and they didn’t think the dress would pass — students can’t wear dresses that go lower than the bra line. Specifics are outlined, with photo examples, in a downloadable pdf on the school’s website.
“Salpointe Catholic High School administration and staff believe that extremes are discouraged and class is encouraged,” it reads.
Staff at Laura’s Bridal said they could sew in a panel of matching fabric or sew in a second layer of mesh fabric to fix the problem, if Mikaela chose that dress.
“We’ve tried on so many that she looks stunning in with the low back,” Butler said. “But, she can’t wear them at Salpointe.”
School officials will send students home for dress code violations, Butler said. And students can’t fake it by covering with a shawl or shrug.
“They check us when we come in and will ask us to take the shawl off,” Mikaela said. “And if anything is wrong with the dress, they’ll send us home.”
Jane and Mikaela mainly agree on styles and don’t fight too much about what’s appropriate, but Jane does prefer a longer dress for her daughter.
“I’d rather her wear a longer dress than a short one. The short dresses get too short,” Jane says. “She looks elegant in longer dresses.”
Mikaela agrees.
“Long dress is prom,” Mikaela says. “Prom is more fancy, I think.”
Finding a dress that makes a girl feel beautiful while staying true to her style is the key to dressing for prom, said Yekatherina Bruner, fashion show producer and stylist.
“Not all dresses are made for every body type, so looking for the perfect fit will make them feel confident,” Bruner said.
After trying on a handful of dresses, Mikaela finds what she wanted. A long strapless red, taffeta gown. “This is the one,” she says.
Jane looks at the printout of Salpointe’s dress code and checks the dress against the examples. It turns out, the dress works with the dress code without having to be altered. And, mom approves, too.
“It’s been so difficult. I feel confident,” she says. “Mission complete.”
Tucson Unified School District students have a dress code to follow, as well, though not as strict.
Dresses have to go past the thumb while the student has her arms straight down, which is about upper-mid-thigh, Elyse Weber said during a recent shopping trip to Park Place mall. “And, you can’t show cleavage.”
However, Sabino school officials are pretty lenient at school dances, Elyse said.
“They won’t make you go home unless you’re wearing a bathing suit,” joked Kerry Weber, Elyse’s mother.
Elyse is tall, so finding a dress that’s long enough to pass her mother’s standards is a challenge.
“A lot are either too short or really low cut, so you’re either pulling it up or pulling it down,” Kerry said.
Elyse doesn’t have as much of a problem with the length as her mom does.
“I see them not as short as she does,” Elyse said.
“It’s hard in this society because they don’t make them (dresses) to be modest,” Kerry said. “It is a fight. You have to do a lot of shopping or be crafty.”
Elyse and Alie have found ways to appease their mothers when the dresses they love are too short or too low cut. For example, Elyse wears her volleyball shorts underneath short dresses, and Alie wears a shrug or shawl over strapless dresses that might fall a little low in the front.
Keeping the look balanced is a great approach, if dresses are short or have revealing tops, Bruner said.
“When a dress is too revealing on top, it’s always a safe idea to offset it with a longer style, and the other way around,” Bruner said.
Elyse tries on a black dress with an open back, and comes out of the dressing room stall to show her mom.
“This is a nice compromise,” Kerry says. “It’s a little open in the back, but, covers the front.”
Finding the perfect dress can be a challenge, Kerry says.
“But try and enjoy the experience and remember how it was to be a teen.”

Posted in: News Posted: March 17, 2015 Couple Used $132,000 In Government Benefits To Fund Dream Wedding In Cuba

Tracy Dougherty and her new husband, Stephen Turner, recently had their dream wedding on a beach in Cuba. According to Metro, the lovely couple also had the privilege of tying the knot with 20 of their close relatives they were also able to pay travel expenses for. Their enchanting, destination wedding was definitely a beautiful site to behold; one most people could only dream about. But, how they paid for their extravagant wedding has landed them both behind bars.
Several news outlets have reported that the couple fraudulently claimed more than $132,000 in government benefits from 2000 to 2013. A detailed breakdown of the couple’s fraudulent claims was reported by Manchester Evening News. Apparently, the 38-year-old woman claimed to be the single mother of four children, which enabled her to collect a supplemental income, housing benefits, and other tax benefits.
It has also been reported that her husband Stephen, 60, a self-employed truck driver also failed to report his income. He received unemployment benefits and falsely claimed to be his mother’s caregiver in order to use her as a dependent during that 13-year span. He also failed to report the funds in his checking and savings accounts.
Investigators reportedly found out about their false claims and conducted a full search of their home. That’s where invitations and other receipts from their wedding expenses were discovered. It has also been reported that the couple actually paid the travel expenses for their 20 guests. The travel accommodations alone reportedly cost nearly $30,000.
Counselor Paul Kenny recently weighed in with his opinion of the couple’s fraudulent actions in wake of the heightened number of controversial government benefit claims.
“This couple lived a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the local taxpayer. At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet, this kind of behavior will no doubt frustrate those footing the bill. Benefits are there for people who need them, not for those who want to subsidize their income and pay for expensive holidays.”
The couple was arrested from their home where they also denied living together, reports St. Helen The Reporter. On Feb. 27, Tracy Dougherty pleaded guilty to filing fraudulent claims for government benefits. and was reportedly sentenced to eight months in prison and her husband Stephen Turner has been ordered to repay an estimated $6,000.

9 Ways To Dress During Transitional Months

We’ve made it, friends! The sun is starting to make its way back to us and the black snow that’s lining street curbs is starting to melt. Which means you can finally shed those puffer coats and Siberia-grade fur boots and trade them in for swinging dresses and floral prints. From here on out, it’s just going to be patio brunches and tights-less legs! Well, most days.
Some days still have a little bite to them, with the wind sneaking up behind you when you and your bare arms least expect it. We’ve moved on from running away from frost bite between bus transfers, to simultaneously sweating and shivering in our knit cardigans. There’s apparently no winning. Ever.
Which leads us to the next gripe we get to struggle with this season: What do we wear when winter is over, but still packing up its things? What do we wear when it looks like beach weather outside, but feels like Northern Canada on the outside. How can you find that balance between wearing light enough pieces to avoid looking like you just finished a workout with Jillian Michaels, but thick enough to not catch a cold on the way back home.
The answer, my friends, is a simple one: Use your layers! Below are nine tips for dressing when it’s not quite spring, but not quite winter, and you’ve found yourself at your wit’s ends:
1. Turtlenecks Are Your Best Friends
During a time when you don’t know if it’ll be cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon, and then back to January weather come 6 p.m., it’s a dicey move stepping out in a summer dress. But during those first few hours when the sun is out, it feels so good and right. So make a compromise: Wear your floral dress, but layer a thin turtleneck underneath for warmth. Not only will the extra sweater give you a nice pop of color, but it’ll keep you feeling toasty without overdoing it.
2. Light Jackets Are More Than Just Outerwear
Yes, winter coats are there to help you battle the elements, but spring jackets are a little more versatile. When picking one out, think of it as more of a cardigan than a coat. Keep an eye out for one that’s light and made out of a thin material, like cotton or linen. That way it won’t have such an “outerwear” feel to it and you can easily keep it on all day as a layer.
3. Invest In A Duster Vest
Want a warm layer over your dress, but don’t want to detract from it? Simple solution: Choose something without sleeves! Duster vests have been having a huge moment this season, and for good reason. Find a heavy, peacoat-style one to add simple and clean elegance to your look, or a thin cotton one for a light and interesting layer. Either one will help add a little warmth to a summer-ready outfit.
4. Add Sleeves To Your Sleeveless Dresses
A girl can get a little impatient when the sun is refusing to cooperate but new dresses are popping up all over display windows. To have the best of both worlds (meaning, wearing said dress without catching pneumonia an hour later) layer a long sleeve, collared blouse underneath to add some warmth. Not only does the blouse offer a chance to add color and/or pattern to the look, but a white sheer one can also add a touch of unexpected texture.
5. Speaking Of Sleeveless Dresses…
Get creative with your summer pieces and assign them new roles in order to help you stay warm but summer-ready. For example, don’t just look at your sleeveless dress and assume it’s a May-only piece. Instead, turn it into a layering piece and use it as a vest! It might sound intimidating, but all you have to do is pop it over a collared blouse, and then layer a skirt on top. And there you have it: Interesting color blocking and a wardrobe that just expanded with possibilities.
6. Use Your Winter Accessories
While most (see: all) of us would love to throw all of our winter pieces into the basement and never look back, some of those pieces could still come in handy. For example, take those blanket or infinity scarves and wrap them around the necks of your maxi dresses for a touch of coziness. It’ll help you wear those dresses you’re itching to bust out while also making it clear that you still get it’s March and, yeah, a snow storm could be around the corner.
7. Layer Your Sheer
If you’ve got a yen for wearing those airy, delicate pieces we were all over last summer, you don’t have to put it off til the temperatures hit higher! Instead, layer those sheer overlays over other pieces. For example, pop a sheer dress over a simple black maxi that would act as a slip. Then, add a plaid or chambray shirt on top for extra warmth and interest, and bundle on an infinity knit to tie the look together.
8. Utilize Blazers
Maybe you don’t feel comfortable experimenting with layers — and that’s okay! You can always go the traditional route and take advantage of transitional pieces like blazers and summer scarves. Pop on a colored or textured blazer over a shorter summer dress, and then bundle on a summer scarf in the same color family. That way you look covered up and warm, but the actual layers are light and breathable.
9. Tuck In Your Cardis
Sometimes adding a jacket or cardigan to a look can make it feel… off. That extra hem can break up the proportion of the look and make you move on to something easier, like a sweater with jeans. But don’t give up yet! You can remedy that extra hemline by treating your cardigan just like a blouse. Meaning, button it up and tuck it in with your skirt, just like you would with any other top. It makes for an interesting and light layer without breaking up the silhouette of the look. Win, win!

Hamilton legislator organizes 4th annual prom dress drive, free service for teenagers

Mercer County teenagers can turn to local legislators in the hope of saying yes to the dress without having to say no to the price tag.
The fourth annual Princess Prom Project organized by Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Mercer) is underway, with rooms in the 14th District legislative offices on Nottingham Way turned into temporary showing rooms for teenage girls.
"These dresses are an enormous cost to these families," DeAngelo said on Tuesday. "We know young girls don't want to wear the same dress twice, so we decided to set this up so girls who have worn a dress once or twice can donate it to someone who needs it."
Through the remainder of the season, the office is collecting gently worn formal and cocktail dresses, in any size, that will be passed on to girls getting ready for their high school proms, sweet 16 birthday parties or quinceanera. As long as the dresses are in good condition and clean, they will be accepted.
More than 200 dresses were already stockpiled at the offices on Tuesday and Elizabeth Meyers, DeAngelo's chief of staff, said there would easily be another 100 donated within the next few weeks.
"If you really add up the costs of a girl going to prom, you're easily at $500 — and that's without a limousine or flowers," Meyers said. "Even if you have a part-time job, that could be a month of working."
The dresses varied in color and style, from long gowns to casual dresses. Some were decorated with purses or jewelry and others still had the tags on them.
"There's an Armani dress in here that nobody wore," Meyers said. "We've been lucky that a lot of people brought in enough dresses so we can keep them year to year."
"A lot of the dresses involved aren't just someone's unwanted dress," DeAngelo said. "This is something that was extraordinarily nice, worn once or twice. Now, someone else has the chance to wear it again."
The Princess Prom Project is open to teenage girls living within the 14th District, including those who aren't able to get to the DeAngelo's offices in Hamilton.
Rise Community Services, a Hightstown nonprofit that provides referral and support services to individuals in eastern Mercer County, picks up and distributes the dresses each year to girls looking to attend middle school dances and quinceaneras, 15th birthday celebrations popular in Latin American communities.
Anna Vasquez, a senior case manager with Rise Community Services, was on hand Tuesday to pick out and take more than 20 dresses for students at Melvin H. Kreps Middle School in the East Windsor Regional School District.
"We'll lay them out and let them pick one or two," Vasquez said. "Usually, they'll get a hand-me-down from an older sister or borrow one from a friend."
"You never want to grow up and say, 'I couldn't go to the prom,'" Meyers said.
DeAngelo's office has scheduled three more "shopping days" for those interested in picking up a dress, set between 3 and 7 p.m. on March 25, April 9 and April 20.

Kendall Jenner V. Gigi Hadid: Who’s Your Fave Celeb Runway Model?

Kendall and Gigi are two of the hottest young models strutting their stuff at Fashion Weeks around the world. But who is the runway princess? Vote now!
Watch out, Gisele Bundchen and Alessandra Ambrosio! There are two new supermodels on the rise! Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are two models hitting the runways for the top designers in the industry. They’re BFFs in real life and so flawless and fierce on the catwalk!
Gigi Hadid & Kendall Jenner’s Modeling Pics — Who’s Hotter?
From New York to Milan to Paris, both Gigi and Kendall have been owning Fashion Week runways. They strutted their stuff for Balmain and H&M at Paris Fashion Week. Looking sexy and chic, ladies!
Kendall and Gigi are new to the modeling scene, but they’re both forces to be reckoned with. Kendall showed she was a supermodel in the making when she stunned on Diane von Furstenberg’s runway at NYFW in Sept. 2014. Gigi did the same when she walked three runways in one day at Milan Fashion Week!
Let’s face it, both of these ladies are super sexy. Kendall rocks the darker look with brown hair and eyes while Gigi is blonde-haired and blue eyed. It’s so hard to determine who’s the hottest. We choose both!
Thankfully, the runway competition doesn’t bring up any bad blood between Kendall and Gigi. Off the runway, these two are best friends! The pair rocked the Balmain party on March 5 in two verydifferent looks. Kendall donned a sultry black dress while Gigi looked fierce in blue two-piece outfit.
Kendall and Gigi are kicking butt and taking names on the runway. They will undoubtedly be two of the world’s hottest supermodels in the years to come!

Will Alessandro Michele’s Gucci Sell? Retailers Weigh In

While the critical response toAlessandro Michele’s debut at Gucci was varied, the thing that Kering, the company that owns Gucci, is likely more concerned with is sales. With the goal of breaking last year’s €3.49 billion in revenue, Kering placed a lot of weight behind Michele’s estate-sale swans and gender-neutral waifs. The burning question is still: Will it pay off?
After speaking with top retail buyers, we can report that the signs are good for Gucci. “I think it was absolutely what needed to be done,” began Net-a-Porter’s newly appointed VP of global buying, Sarah Rutson. “Fashion needs energy. Fashion needs sometimes to scratch at a sore—rip off a scab, rip off a plaster. And, you know, no one’s talked about Gucci in a long time. They’ve got to re-engage a new dialogue, so I’m wholly supporting it.”
Linda Fargo, Bergdorf Goodman’s senior vice president, echoed Rutson’s sentiment, telling Style.com, “The welcome new girl in town in Milan was definitely named Gucci. If nothing else remains a constant in fashion, it’s change. We’re rather beguiled by the new dishabille mood here, the luxe take on cool. We anticipate a new audience and client will follow her.”
Buyers especially took to the blouses that echoed the ones shown at Gucci’s Fall 2015 men’s show. “I loved the colored blouses in pink and blue and the feminine floral prints in the dresses. I’m also really into the tie-neck blouse for Fall ’15,” explained Brooke Jaffe, Bloomingdale’s fashion director for women’s ready-to-wear. Rutson also highlighted the blouses as a hit, along with the floral and ruffled dresses and the pleated leather skirts.
Erica Russo, Bloomingdale’s fashion director for accessories and beauty, saw promise in the accessories offering, too, explaining, “The classic horse-bit loafer updated with fur lining was definitely notable. It was traditional Gucci but with renewed, cheeky detail.” Fargo agreed, adding, “My personal shopping list is the surrealist soft leather fur-lined bit slide shoe...like walking around with Marcel Duchamp.” For Ruston, who doesn’t buy fur as part of Net-a-Porter’s mandate, the new GG logo belts and boxy bag shape Michele introduced were of great interest.
Some industry insiders wondered if the new youthful slant of the show would isolate Gucci from an important demographic: women with disposable incomes who, generally, are past the age of Royal Tenenbaums references. Buyers certainly don’t think so. “It’s about styling,” Rutson explained, citing Hedi Slimane’s unstoppable retail success with the youth-obsessed runway shows he creates at Saint Laurent. “Saint Laurent would not be doing the business it is doing—and in ready-to-wear—if that was not being sold to a large segment of women of many ages, young included,” Rutson continued. “Our average-aged customer is not going to have a problem with [Gucci’s] collection when we break it down and restyle it. But I do know we’ll open up a new customer base with it, and that is what’s important.”

Red-carpet revolt? Get real, the Oscars will always be about the dress

Oh my God, Caroline, how could you have missed it? It was veritable bloodshed at the Oscars, I tell you – bloodshed! Julianne Moore decapitated E!’s Giuliana Rancic for asking “Who are you wearing?”; Reese Witherspoon stabbed Ryan Seacrest when he tried to put her hand in the mani-cam, and Patricia Arquette turned up in a burlap sack, flummoxing fashion editors who weren’t sure if she was making a statement or was this made-to-order Balenciaga? Behind all the carnage, the rest of the female celebrities marched down waving banners and chanting slogans: “No, no, we won’t go, the red carpet is a load of bull!”
I jest. Nothing of the sort happened. There has been talk for some time of an imminent red-carpet revolution, including, I’m proud to say, in this very column, which last year promised a full-on massacre of entertainment journalists. The New York Times, which always takes its editorial direction from this column, followed a year later (try to keep up, New York Times!), promising that “On the red carpet, a revolt builds over pageantry.”
Read moreAnd did this revolt happen? In all honesty, it did not. There were some half-hearted changes from the Oscars red-carpet coverage this year – E! ditched the mani-cam and there was a vague attempt on the part of some entertainment journalists to ask female celebrities about something other than their dresses. #askhermore, urged the social media hashtag (and you just knew there’d be a hashtag behind this, didn’t you? It’s a wonder how the suffragettes got off the ground without one). Unfortunately, no one remembered until it was too late that the only subjects most US actresses like to talk to journalists about, when notshilling clothes, are their amazing charitable contributions, how wonderful and amazing everyone they work with is and what an incredible calling the acting profession truly is. Great TV this does not make, and while watching women being commanded to flaunt their manicures wasn’t much fun either, I don’t think anyone watching the Oscars was convinced we’d arrived at a long-term solution.
It is, clearly, ridiculous that actors are expected to gussy themselves up like My Little Ponies to go to what is essentially an industry event, and that careers can be made and broken by the choosing of a dress. But that is the nature of the beast that has been built by the media, fashion designers and, yes, female celebrities working in cahoots, and not one of them is willing to break this bond. After all, celebrities have long since crossed over into being fashion models, as a glance at the covers of fashion magazines, which are now dominated by actors, not models, proves.
'Let's hear their stories!' said Reese Witherspoon, then posed in her Oscarsoutfit and tweeted what she was wearing
Reese Witherspoon was especially outspoken this year about the need for actresses to be asked about more than their clothes: “Let’s hear their stories!” she battlecried before the Oscars. As she finished battlecrying, she put down her megaphone and posed for a photo in her Oscars outfit, which she tweeted,detailing the source of everything she was wearing, from her dress to her jewels to something she referred to as her “glow”. The other female celebrities were similarly keen to give shout-outs to their designers. Perhaps those are their stories?
And just to prove that nothing’s really changed, E!’s indefatigable Rancic was so characteristically tenacious in her fashion criticism about the Oscars that one particular opinion verged on racist when she snarked that US actor Zendaya’s dreadlocks looked like they smelled of marijuana. Rancic later apologised, although in today’s social media climate I’m not sure if she felt bad about the racism or the failure to #askhermore.
FacebookTwitterPinterestTo the barricades? Reese Witherspoon at the Oscars.
No one looks to the Oscars for guidance about movies. If your innocence wasn’t destroyed when Crash won best film, then it must have been when Boyhood didn’t. For heaven’s sake, have you seen the people of the academy who vote for this? They make the Republican party look demographically diverse. No, the Oscars has become completely about the clothes, and this is because the media cover the event, female celebrities know they can get extra publicity by looking good and designers will take any free advertising they can get. The morning after, I turned on the TV in Los Angeles and, while reading analysis of the dresses in the New York Times, the LA Times and the British press, I was able to flick between – no exaggeration – five TV programmes debating the merits of the dresses. No one, it seemed, was too interested in the actors’ “stories”, but they were all fascinated by Julianne Moore’s gown: some of them liked it and – waddyaknow! – some of them didn’t, suggesting fashion analysis is not the objective scientific study it is sometimes portrayed as being.
I recently interviewed the wonderful Angela Lansbury. She recalled that, the first time she went to the Oscars, in 1945, there was no press on the red carpet. She wore a simple dress she’d bought, took her mother as her date and got on with her night. No matter how many social media hashtags are coined, the media still values female celebrities by their looks, and so do the vast majority of people who consume the media (not you. You’re far more intellectual). So, until the media stop covering the red carpet, it will always about the dress. And when will the media stop covering the red carpet, obsessing over actress’s looks and reducing them to show ponies? I can exclusively reveal that it will be at 10 past never.