All the fashion news of the week that’s fit to reprint.
Balenciaga
Decided to do a 30-minute live Q. & A. with its new face, Kristen Stewart. They were to discuss the new fragrance Florabotanica. It. Was. Awkward. (Plus: it was actually 15 minutes.) But who’s to blame?
“Cloud Atlas”
The book by David Mitchell gets cool illustrations for Nowness by Kimberly Salt and a film directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski. Our cover girl, Halle Berry, stars!
Debate
There just can’t be two pink ladies. So who wore it better? Michelle Obama or Ann Romney? Read more…
Carolyn Kaster/Associated PressThe Look: Check Mate. A smart summer dress with an upbeat grid print is poised to win when belted and paired with metallic python flats.
The Woman: The first lady, Michelle Obama, with her husband, President Obama, on the campaign trail in Iowa.
The Details: ASOS dress.
Jens Mortensen; Aaron Wojack; Lou Rocco/ABC“I kept asking myself, ‘Is that really my skirt?’ ” Mimi Plange recalls of the time she saw Michelle Obama wearing a periwinkle gabardine skirt from her spring collection during an appearance on “The View” in May. “And it was. And it looked great. And I felt really, really blessed.” In her fifth season, the 34-year-old Plange, who was born in Ghana and grew up in California, has joined the ranks of White House-approved designers, including Thakoon Panichgul, Jason Wu and Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs of Cushnie et Ochs, with clothes that have obvious first-lady appeal: they are romantic (corseted organza dresses in an hourglass silhouette, top left, $2,900; Esti’s, 718-645-2600), mature (Victorian silk blouses with velvet trim) and practical (lots of A-line skirts). “I am catering to every woman’s body from a female perspective,” Plange says. “It’s not about me or what I want to wear; it’s about wearable, real fantasy for real women.” And although Plange admits that she had never really watched “The View” — “I’m still not sure what the episode was all about because I couldn’t pay attention,” she says — she’s now a fan of the show and its star guest for life.
Micaela Loccisano/Getty Images for Digitas; Michael Buckner/Getty Images; Pool photo by Kristoffer TripplaarFrom left: Rashida Jones; Rihanna; Michelle ObamaSeasons change and so must accessories.
Big hoop earrings are a long-standing fashion favorite, probably because they offer a lot of drama without acting like a weight on one’s shoulders. Here, the actress Rashida Jones pairs skinny hoops with a crisp, white shirt buttoned all the way up; the singer and actress Rihanna is glowing in a gold pair; and the first lady, Michelle Obama, wears a bejeweled set that can stand alone.
Charley Gallay/Getty ImagesThe Look: Shimmer and Shine. On the first lady, an exaggerated houndstooth tunic over gunmetal jeans with pointy black pumps. On Swift, a dance-ready dress with a reflective halter and gold T-strap sandals. Together, it’s an A-list look that’s dazzling, quirky and cool.
The Women: Michelle Obama, the first lady of the United States, and the country singer Taylor Swift at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles.
The Details: Obama wears a Wes Gordon tunic with Helmut Lang jeans. Swift wears a Maria Lucia Hohan dress, Lorraine Schwartz jewelry and Nicholas Kirkwood shoes.
All the fashion news of the week that’s fit to reprint.
2012 CFDA Fashion Awards
The nominees are in! Women’s wear includes Marc Jacobs, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen for the Row, and Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. Men’s-wear nominees include Patrik Ervell, Billy Reid and Simon Spurr. And Tommy Hilfiger — did you catch “American Idol” last night? — will win the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award!
Clooney, George
Was arrested protesting outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. Our hero. Read more…
Lewis Whyld/Associated PressPinned Mower receives her Order of the British Empire medal from the queen.It was the 10th of May when a letter marked “On Her Majesty’s Service” dropped through our letter box. I wasn’t home, because, in one of life’s rare strokes of serendipity, I was presiding over the selection committee for London’s Newgen at the British Fashion Council, the panel that X-rays young designers for runway-worthiness. My husband thought he ought to call, anyway. “Listen to this,” he began, and as soon as I heard the words “Dear madam, the prime minister has asked me to inform you . . .” Jonathan Anderson’s paisley-print pantsuit melted before me into a psychedelic fudge, “. . . that Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed a Member of the British Empire (M.B.E.) in the 2011 Birthday Honors List.” Read more…
Alba, Jessica
Sues the weight-loss garment, Belly Bandit, for listing her under the “Celebrity Testimonials” section of its Web site. Heck, I’d be upset, too, if I’d dieted for months after giving birth and a silly slimming gimmick got all of the credit.
Barton, Mischa
Slabs meat on her face for the controversial photographer Tyler Shields. PETA gets angry and says the shoot is like “licking a toilet.” Hm.
Burberry
Is the No.1 fashion brand in the digital world. Which is the only world that matters now, right? Duh duh duh. Read more…
All the fashion news of the week that’s fit to reprint.Abercrombie & Fitch
Pays the “Jersey Shore” star Michael Sorrentino to stay away from its clothing brand. The aftermath — or the situation, if you will — is that its stock has now dropped by 8 percent!
Bebe
Introduces a work-wear line complete with lace tops and fingerless gloves. We can hear the lawsuits knockin’. Read more…
Chris GrangerA rising star in black letters, the Tulane prof Melissa V. Harris-Perry talks about her controversial new book, “Sister Citizen” (Yale, $28), which argues that deep-seated stereotypes dog both struggling and successful black women, including the first lady.
Q.
You write that black women in America are weighed down by a number of enduring negative personas: the licentious Jezebel, the servile Mammy. But you also attack “the strong black woman,” long a heroine of black America.
A.
The very first inkling I ever had of this project came from watching a United Way commercial. And in the commercial there was a young African-American girl, probably 9 or 10 years old. She was running through a stereotypical litter-strewn urban ghetto. And there was a voice-over saying something like, “Every day, Kianna has to run past drug dealers on her way to school. We salute girls like Kianna. Run, Kianna, run.” And my first thought was, Excuse me! Can we clean up Kianna’s neighborhood? Read more…