Gisele spreads her wings
Perhaps you’ve seen Gisele Bundchen, the world’s top model, on the runway for Victoria’s Secret or in the chain’s catalogs.
Well, no more. The model has parted ways with Victoria’s Secret, according to The Daily, an online source for all things fashion and beauty.
Word is Victoria’s Secret was unable to meet Gisele’s financial terms.
Gisele signed a multi-year contract with Victoria’s Secret in 2000 and became the star for its lingerie, beauty and hosiery campaigns in print, TV and online. She also was featured prominently in the yearly televised runway shows.
In 2006, Forbes magazine named the Brazilian the highest-paid model in the industry.
Thin is not in for hair
Frederic Fekkai is taking aim at thin hair with a new four-step hair care system called Fekkai More.
The system, according to press information, fosters a healthy, more energized scalp and visibly improves hair density.
The lineup includes Scalp-Purifying Shampoo, Root-Nourishing Conditioner, All-Day Density Styling Whip and Nighttime Follicle-Boosting Treatment — all contain Fekkai’s exclusive Niaplex continuous release of niacin for fuller, thicker hair.
The two most common causes of hair thinning are heredity and DHT build-up on the scalp. The products claim to remove residue, pollutants and DHT build-up; increase oxygenation thereby energizing the hair follicles and the scalp; and build the scalp’s natural barrier for optimum hair health.
The products, available at Sephora, aren’t cheap. Shampoo and conditioner ar $24.50 each; the styling whip is $25 and the follicle-boosting treatment is $35. A four-piece kit is available for $100.
What’s a great-looking, full head of hair worth?
SJP’s new clothes
Who among us is surprised that actress and fashion leader Sarah Jessica Parker is introducing her own clothing line?
The collection, called Bitten, is expected to be high-quality, affordably priced sportswear for women of all ages and sizes.
According to online reports, the pieces will be sold exclusively at all Steve & Barry’s locations beginning June 7, with every item priced at $19.98 or less.
Why Bitten? Word is she became “bitten” with Steve & Barry’s after her first visit. Read more in my column in The Oklahoman on March 25.
FYI: There’s a Steve & Barry’s in Crossroads Mall.
Sarah Jessica Parker … her clothing line is in the works.
Fashion Week: Hats on
What do fashionistas wear when temperatures hover in the teens and a wicked wind sucks the fun out of almost everything … except a fashion show?
Hats — aviator fur hats, Russian trooper hats, knit caps, berets, fur head wraps. I saw so many one day that for a minute I thought I was in the Alaskan tundra.
We all know once you put on a hat you better not take it off until you’re safe and warm back home. Or at least at your hotel. Hat hair is never stylish.
Fashion Week Day 5
More from Fashion Week.
SIGNATURE COACH: No funds for a Coach bag? Maybe you’ll like the smell of this.
Reed Krakoff, president and creative director of Coach, opened his home (well, two of his five floors) to celebrate the launch of the company’s new fragrance. The scent is a special blend of soft florals.
“We wanted it to be pretty with a romantic feel. There’s a lightness to it but at the same time a richness,” he said.
Krakoff said he wanted it to be young, fun and a fragrance that women knew was worth investing in.
The signature fragrance will be available in Coach stores beginning March 5.
THE BEST FREEBIE: Free cab rides courtesy of Cotton Incorporated. Vouchers are being passed out in front of the tents, but they’re good for only one hour each day. Cabs are lined up across the street, ready for the masses when they leave the shows. With temperatures in teens much of this week, no one’s going to turn down a cab ride — free or not!
QUOTE OF THE DAY FROM ANOTHER FASHION WRITER AT THE BETSEY JOHNSON RUNWAY SHOW: “I’m tired of watching clothes in the coach section. It’s a little tight in here.”
SKINNY MESSAGE: The Council of Fashion Designers of America addressed the ultra-skinny model issue, but I wonder if they knew what was included in the official Fashion Week press bags — boxes of Relacore dietary supplements and NV rapid weight loss pills. Oops!
Fashion Week Day 4
Let me just say it’s really cold here. Blustery, brutal, nose-numbing cold. When I left my hotel at 7:45 Monday morning, the temperature was 9 degrees — 0 with the wind chill.
The fashion gods were smiling, though, because I walked out of the hotel and right into a toasty cab for the 7 blocks to the tents. Usually, I walk. Really. And I did walk back more than 12 hours later. I’m still waiting for my cheeks to thaw. Yes, those too!
Anyway, this morning I was in a hurry to get to a symposium organized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America to discuss health and beauty in the fashion industry.
The CFDA wanted to address the issue of ultra-skinny models, a subject that has been in the news for a year or two and most recently since last November when a Brazilian model died of causes linked to an eating disorder.
The CFDA has formed a health initiative to address concerns and propose a series of positive steps to promote wellness and a healthier working environment.
A panel of experts included a doctor specializing in eating disorders, a trainer, the director of a media relations company that specializes in fashion and a modeling agency agent. A Russian model shared her story of how she lost weight and jeopardized her health before becoming healthy again.
Diane von Furstenberg, president of the CFDA, said it’s good the issue has been raised, but she doesn’t believe it’s the responsibility of the group to weigh models or see that they receive yearly medical exams. Designer Donna Karan said the effort should start with the agency.
In September, Madrid’s Fashion Week banned models with a Body Mass Index of, or height-to-weight ratio, below 18. A 5-foot-9 model weighing 125 pounds would have a BMI of 18, according to the Associated Press. Milan also tightened restrictions on underweight models.
The CFDA health initiative recommendations include education, support systems, awareness programs and evaluation and treatment options.
“It’s all about prevention,” von Furstenberg said.
This is a story that’s not going away anytime soon.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE TRENDS:
1. Textured or opaque tights are on nearly every runway.
2. Sleeves get special treatment. (Look for gathers and fullness.)
3. Fuschia, purple and plum.
4. Short skirts and dresses.
5. Baby doll dresses and tops. Again.
6. Volume.
Fashion Week Day 3
Today I caught up with “Project Runway” mentor Tim Gunn, who was sitting front row at the Tracy Reese show. Of course, I had to ask him about Kayne Gillaspie, Oklahoma’s favorite “Project Runway” competitor.
“I love Kayne,” he said.
I told him about Kayne’s new eveningwear collection, introduced in August at the Atlanta apparel market, debuting on the runway in Oklahoma City Sunday night and he seemed genuinely excited and happy.
“He deserves it,” he said. “I think he can have as big a future as he wants.”
His talent for designing pageant gowns and prom dresses is something to celebrate, Gunn said. He does it with such delight, such great passion.
“He has a pure soul.”
Kayne probably would have loved Tadashi Shoji’s show Sunday morning. The evening and cocktail pieces were embellished and woven, draped and layered. Two of the best: a silver/gray metallic liquid jersey bustier evening gown and a gold and silver strapless gown with leather belted bodice and silk organza skirt.
The cocktail dresses were all worn with tights. Get ready, it’s a trend.
All shows hope to have celebs and any photographer worth his Nikon is waiting, ready to snap at the first sighting. They swarmed Carmen Electra, who stopped right in front of me. I’m not really a fan, but she did look good. Alicia Keys and Ashanti were getting their share of flashbulbs, too.
Everyone seemed to love Tracy Reese’s show. Lots of color and volume, big sleeves and a bit of the 1960s. Backstage, Reese said she loved the colors coral and magenta. She said she thought they looked good with black. She’s right.
It’s always fun to see her parents on the front row. They’re the ones Tracy goes to first when she comes out at the end of the show. They were backstage too, enjoying their daughter’s moment.
Tomorrow starts early in the big tents with an 8 a.m. symposium by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The topic: beauty and health in the fashion industry. More later on the skinny model discussion.
Fashion Week Day 2
You probably heard that First Lady Laura Bush was in town Friday morning for the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection fashion show that kicked off Fashion Week.
She was here, I wasn’t — at least not yet. But I saw the video that played on the big-screen televisions in the lobby area of the tents, where many of the shows are held.
More than a dozen female celebs were on the runway, including Kelly Ripa, “American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee, Mary Hart, Oklahoma’s own Kristin Chenoweth and tennis great Billie Jean King. All ages, all sizes and all in red. All wonderful.
Heart Truth is a campaign to educate women that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. And the red dress symbolizes the campaign.
Anyway, guess who stole the show? None other than Billie Jean. I’m serious. Who knew she was such a wild and crazy lady? She strutted and pranced and used her finger to draw a heart on her chest. And check out her sneakers in the picture. This was must-see TV.
And here’s a little bit of show trivia. Katharine McPhee wore a dress designed by Daniel Swarovski, the king of Austrian crystals. That cute little number (I’m talking about the dress) was covered in 78,000 Swarovski crystals and weighed about 10 pounds.
As far as the other shows goes, trends are still all over the place, but let me just toss out two words: hats and tights. More about that later.
Fashion Week Day 1
Fashion Week kicked off Friday, and I hit the sidewalk running. My plane landed at noon and by 1 p.m. I was walking into the Perry Ellis menswear show.
A few menswear designers show on Friday, but this week is mostly about women. The Perry Ellis collection included a fresh take on some old favorites, including varsity jackets, shooting jackets and cargo pants. Even leggings — though the designer called then long johns — showed up. Get ready, guys.
Then it was on to BCBG Max Azria where the dresses were floaty with lots of plenty of drapes, drop waists, metal mesh neckline detail and appliques. Charcoal tights were shown with everything.
Marc Bouwer showed some of the prettiest clothes, though some of them were a bit full. A woman could be 9-months pregnant and no one would know.
Backstage, Bouwer said he loves structure with volume. Well, I guess.
He also was committed to no fur, no leather, no wool in the show, but his faux furs looked great from my seat on the fifth row.
Actress Vivica A. Fox, who was on the front row, said the furs “looked real, very real.”
At Nicole Miller’s show, Howard Stern’s girlfriend Beth Ostrosky and Cindi Lauper got a good look at the metal crinkle satin dresses, smock tops, cropped jackets and tunics. The little details: wide belts and bowlers.
