It was only a matter of time until the British Superstar Rita Ora started getting snapped up as the face of fashion brands. Not only does she rock her own cool style but she’s also BFFs with model of the moment, Cara Delevingne. You can’t constantly hang out with the UK’s answer to the next Kate Moss without getting noticed within the fashion scene.
Rita’s latest role is fronting Superga’s UK Spring/Summer 2013 advertising campaign, which is set to officially launch soon. Superga has also just announced that Rita picked out all of the shoe styles herself for both the campaign’s photo shoot and video, which are currently available to buy on their site here. Rita made some really cool choices that would genuinely fit in well with her own style where she usually combines hot bodycons, bold prints and trademark trainers. The pieces include several with an edgy metallic finishes which would be the perfect way to rock that smart casual look.
Rita has, of course, taken the place of British style icon Alexa Chung who’s stepped down from being the face of Superga to devote her full efforts to work commitments in the U.S. Rita was also recently papped at London and Paris Fashion Weeks, so maybe she’s also secretly looking to steal Alexa’s Style Icon award that’s been bestowed upon her for three years in a row by the British Fashion Council. Surely Alexa can’t walk away with it for yet another consecutive year?
One of Rita’s most memorable looks from LFW was at the Burberry Prorsum show where she rolled up in an über sharp blue suit, complete with a Queen Delevingne T-shirt underneath. Who’s to say whether it was a cry for publicity or a genuine display of support for her friend, but either way, the outfit definitely helped to seal her fashion credentials that bit more.
Abbey Lee Kershaw hasn’t been very visible in fashion over the last two seasons, but she’s a little too visible for YouTube’s liking in the new music video for her Brooklyn-based band Our Mountain.
The exceedingly NSFW video for the band’s new single “IV Horses” was taken down last week for breaching anti-nudity policies. Apparently YouTube was unconvinced that four people standing completely naked in front of a camera with a fully-functional zoom feature for two minutes and 52 seconds fit the description of artistic content. Facebook seemed to be on the same page, pulling down the accompanying picture and suspending the band's accounts.
Frontman Matthew Hutchinson wrote YouTube appealing the decision and the video is now back up for you to watch here — unless you are in the presence of colleagues or small children, in which case you should definitely not do any such thing (here is a nice picture of the unfathomably indie foursome hidden by horse heads and conveniently placed captions if that is indeed the case).
According to Hutchinson, “This work is the focus of human anatomy, the use of nudity contained in this piece is film art not pornography nor any other provocative medium. The following images are honest reflections of the material and physical structure of human organisms. We are all two types of human, male vs. female, these are our bodies.”
In the wise words of one Facebook commenter, “You had to know that was going to happen.” And considering the band’s initial response was to send out a thanks via Tweet for making their website more badass, it seems the words “art” and “publicity stunt” are often interchangeable.
Also, I know the point is to show the body in all its vulnerable glory, but can’t that first guy do something about his toenails?
Cara Delevigne has signed on to be the new face of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté's new Baby Doll mascara. I will buy ten tubes if they let her make funny faces. Actually no, I won't. But whatever. [BellaSugar]
Do you have a BAG CRUSH on Anne Hathaway due to her Stella McCartney bag collection? Omg, who are you and what have you done to your human soul? I only crush on cats and boys. [FabSugar]
Hey! Cos (the boutique-y European H&M offshoot) is coming to the U.S. which is good news for anyone that likes nice things but doesn't like financial insolvency. [Fashionologie]
Parisian brand American Retro (founded, hilariously, in 2002) is collaborating with Russian designer Alexander Terekhov on a capsule inspired by Oz: The Great and Powerful. [Refinery29]
Anna Wintour had her first meeting with the Condé Nast editors in her new role and it was weird and confusing and no one really understands what's happening which is, I'm guessing, exactly how Anna likes it. [WWD - subscription not required]
Here's the trailer for Sofia Coppola's upcoming film The Bling Ring, starring Emma Watson, Leslie Mann and Taissa Farmiga. Based on a true story, The Bling Ring follows a group of image- and fame-obsessed L.A. teenagers who (awesomely) spend their free time burglarizing celebrity homes.
It seems like it should be impossible to mess this movie up, but given how much of the trailer consists of bad dancing and close-up shots of Watson's tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth, this film seems less like a sharp, watchable satire about American materialism and preoccupation with celebrity, more like a CW show.
The Bling Ring's slated limited release date is June 14th.
It hasn’t even been a month since Bauer axed high-profile glossy Grazia, and already smaller magazines are evidently feeling the burn of print’s harsh climate.
This time the victim is Fallen, a magazine dedicated to discovering and supporting Australian creatives across the worlds of fashion, art and music. Yesterday, the publication announced via Facebook that Issue 12, which hit shelves that day, was to be their last. No reason was given, though wouldn’t that kinda just be rubbing salt in the wound anyway?
Though the magazine hardly boasted a Grazia-level readership, Fallen was a predominantly garbage-free publication that knew its target audience well — a vital ingredient, judging by the success of niche publications like Frankie. Fallen was distributed both nationally (6,000 copies) and internationally (2,000 copies) to an audience of fashion aware and design conscious youths spread across a 65% female and 35% male demographic.
Apart from small increases in readership at Russh, Frankie and Vogue Australia, all other Australian fashion titles experienced circulation declines in the 12 months to June 2012.
Hopefully Elle will inject a little print love back into the economy when it launches under Justine Cullen this September. As for the title at hand, you can leave your sentiments on the aesthetic digital graveyard that is the magazine’s Facebook page. RIP Fallen, we'll spare you the puns.
Known for flawless layering and equally flawless celebrity fans — Gwyneth Paltrow, Eva Mendes, and Blake Lively, to name a few — Canadian brand Mackage, the Toronto Fashion Week staple, will be trying its hand at a new venture this fall: handbags. And striking ones at that.
The Montreal-based outerwear brand's debut 12-piece collection will feature a mixture of totes and clutches, with styles like "Rubie," "Bookie," "Carrita" and "Pozi," which you can see above. Most of the designs utilize Mackage's trademark mix of hard and soft elements, with soft pebble-embossed napa leathers contrasted with fierce Cupid arrow closures and hardware. The palette is mostly neutral with the occasional pop of red or cobalt blue, but even better is their easily convertible design. Most of them include a handle and cross-body strap, however, one or two pieces are also able to transform into backpacks.
Founded by longtime friends Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan, Mackage was born out of grade school daydreams and procrastinating sketches. After attending LaSalle College, Eran and Elisa launched what would become one of the most iconic brands in North America for trenches and outerwear.
Now, as they branch out into purses, Dahan told WWD, "We strived to mirror the mixed-media elements that we have come to be known for in our coats." But keeping their aesthetic fresh and innovative, Elfassy and Dahan also called in Megs Mahoney Dusil, co-founder and chief executive officer of the popular PurseBlog, to help collaborate on a bag for the fall collection.
The new bags will retail for from $225 to $600 and are set to hit Mackage.com and Shopbop.com this July 15.
Abbey Lee Kershaw hasn’t been very visible in fashion over the last two seasons, but she’s a little too visible for YouTube’s liking in the new music video for her Brooklyn-based band Our Mountain.
Cara Delevigne has signed on to be the new face of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté's new Baby Doll mascara. I will buy ten tubes if they let her make funny faces. Actually no, I won't. But whatever. [
It hasn’t even been a month since Bauer axed high-profile glossy Grazia, and already smaller magazines are evidently feeling the burn of print’s harsh climate.
