Second City Style Fashion Blog - Style, Luxury, Beauty & Shopping

Breaking News. Nina Garcia in at Marie Claire

Fashion Week Daily is reporting that Nina Garcia will join Marie Claire in September! She will replace Tracy Taylor, who recently left the magazine. Garcia will attend the upcoming round of fashion weeks with the Marie Claire team. An official announcement could come as soon as the end of the week.

As for the rumors that Marie Claire will replace Elle as a partner on Project Runway, they remain hearsay. "There has been no update," a spokesman for The Weinstein Company confirmed. At this point, Elle is confirmed for season five of Project Runway with season six undecided.

In case you still care: Read the whole story here.

Let's hope this chapter of the saga is finished.

Fashion News. CEO of Barneys to Resign

Howard Socol, CEO of Barney's New York, is expected to resign soon, about a year ahead of his scheduled retirement.  Reportedly Socol, who restored the company’s stature after it fell into bankruptcy in the 1990s, has disagreed sharply with the new owners of the chain over its strategy, especially plans to expand the Barneys name overseas. Socol's resignation is expected as early as next week by some sources. Finding a seasoned successor to guide the luxury retailer isn't expected to be easy, with no obvious inside candidate and a very shallow talent pool outside. Hopefully, the new CEO and the Istithmar ownership won't set Barneys back after Socol's progress.

Source: NYTimes, WWD
 

Breaking News. Bonnie Fuller Steps Down at AMI.

Bonnie Fuller, former editor of Flare, YM, Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and US Weekly magazines, has now stepped down as Executive Vice-President and Chief Editorial Director at American Media Incorporated. She will stay on as Editor-at-Large of AMI's publication, Star magazine, and also will act as a consultant to David Pecker, AMI's chairman and CEO. Fuller, who is rumored to be the inspiration for Courtney Cox's tabloid editor character on Dirt, has said about the development: “I am proud of the significant achievements of American Media’s celebrity and fitness brands over the past five years, and I am now ready for a new adventure.” We wish her luck! But as she's one of the most successful, driven publishing execs out there, we doubt she'll need it.

Nina Garcia. In Case You're Still Interested...

Nina News in bullet form... because the drama is getting old.

- Reports circulated late last week that Garcia may be headed to Marie Claire once her contributing editorship gig expires at Elle.

- Marie Claire has been campaigning actively to be the magazine for season six of Project Runway, when the show switches to Lifetime from Bravo, so it naturally was assumed that having Garcia on board as fashion director would seal the deal.

- However, spokespeople for The Weinstein Co., which produces the show, dissent. They say that contract negotiations between Project Runway and its primary judges are still continuing, and negotiations for sponsorships and magazine partners for season six have yet to begin.

- Because of the benefits to circulation Project Runway brings, In Style could be a likely candidate and is said to have shown interest in partnering with the show. In Style is also gearing up for an extensive redesign in August as its newsstand has shrunk, and a sales spike due to the show would be a welcome occurrence.

Where will the chips fall? Does anyone care? Will anyone watch Project Runway when it switches over to Lifetime, and maybe loses Nina Garcia, anyway? Our attention is waning...is yours? Nina should strike while the iron is still hot!

Source: WWD

Fraudulent Chicago Fashion Week Leaves Designers In The Lurch.

There is some bad fashion news in the Chicago Tribune business section today. If you can make it to Navy Pier near the grand ballroom today at 7 pm, you can support four fashion designers. Don't be confused! There is only one official City of Chicago annual fashion event: Fashion Focus Chicago.

Chicago Fashion Week Unravels
4 designers planning own impromptu show

By Sandra M. Jones

April 23, 2008

Breaking into the fashion industry is never easy. For a handful of up-and-coming designers, it just got more difficult.

Chicago Fashion Week, a privately run show aimed at promoting the local fashion industry, canceled its weeklong event, including its marquee Wednesday fashion show, leaving a flock of fledgling designers stuck with racks of clothing, models, makeup artists and photographers—and no place to show.

But rather than pack it in, several of the designers have scrambled and will mount their own impromptu event Wednesday at Navy Pier.

Fashion Week's unraveling comes at a time when Mayor Richard Daley is attempting to trumpet the city's advent as a fashion hub. Chicago Fashion Week, run by MW Productions, has nothing to do with the city's fashion week, which takes place in the fall as Fashion Focus Chicago. But the name has created confusion and led at least some outsiders to jump to the conclusion that the private production is the primary venue for the Chicago fashion industry, akin to New York Fashion Week.

"We normally show during New York Fashion Week," said Laurean Ossorio, a spokesman for Carlos Campos Studio, a New York-based designer eyeing Chicago. "We thought it would be great to conquer the Chicago market. It's sad it had to come to this. At this point, we're trying to do damage control."

Word that the event was in trouble began circulating among designers this month. By mid-April the show's sponsor, MasterCard Worldwide, pulled out; it would have been MasterCard's first participation in the show.

"The size and scope of the event changed since we entered into the agreement," said Jon Schwartz, spokesman for the Purchase, N.Y.-based credit card company, declining to elaborate.

On Thursday, Mackett Hidalgo, director of Chicago Fashion Week, notified the designers via e-mail that he was canceling the event, citing a lack of ticket sales.

By Monday, Jorge del Busto, one of the designers who had been scheduled to show, rallied three other designers to put together an event that is open to the public at 7 p.m. Wednesday near the grand ballroom at Navy Pier.

"It's ruining the reputation of the Chicago fashion industry," said del Busto. "I can't let that happen. I know how much the designers worked for this to happen."

Elysia Hang-Fu, a recent fashion design graduate from Cleveland, has been preparing for the show, her first, since December.

Breaking Beauty News. P&G Buys Frédéric Fekkai

Oh no! Procter & Gamble has just signed an agreement to purchase Frédéric Fekkai & Co., according to WWD. The terms of the deal are not available at this time.

“We weren’t playing in the prestige department store hair care portfolio —and this fits in well with our intentions to do so,” a P&G spokeswoman said.

“We are lucky to be in luxury products, and we are benefiting from the great growth that they have seen in the last two years,” Fekkai said in November to WWD. “We are growing double digits every year. Let’s not forget that we are a brand, the only luxury brand in hair today that is national.” At that time  his brand was on track to achieve revenues of about $100 million in 2007, including salon and product sales.

Fekkai’s hair products are sold in Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Sephora doors, among other prestige stores, in the U.S. Expect them now at a drugstore near you. On the flip side, maybe they will be more affordable!

Shop Frédéric Fekkai here!

Source: WWD

Breaking News. Botkier to Accessorize...Target!

Oh no. The Trigger bag in pleather? Add Botkier to the laundry list of top accessories brands doing lines for Target.

According to WWD, designer Monica Botkier is designing a line of bags for the mass merchant. Rafe, Devi Kroell, Loeffler Randall, Hollywould and Gryson most recently did lines for Target.

Botkier, a fashion photographer who launched her handbag brand five years ago — because she couldn’t find a handbag that suited her needs — sells her accessories at stores such as Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue and Harvey Nichols. She recently added shoes to her line.

Rachel Bilson Collaborating with DKNY Jeans

Actress Rachel Bilson is collaborating with DKNY Jeans to produce a line that will be called Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans. For the Liz Claiborne Inc.-owned brand, this partnership will give them a chance to address a more fashion- forward customer. The line will initially include 15 pieces of sportswear mix: button down tops, sweaters, jackets, t-shirts, dresses, and two jean styles— a straight leg and a skinny leg, both in a dark wash. Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans will launch in September and will whole sale between $19.50 and $49.50.

Bilson explained, "I want people to see these clothes for what they are, not just another line designed by another celebrity. I want the line to be taken seriously." President of DKNY Jeans, Kevin Monogue, stated, "It has potential to go long term. Stores are looking for something new to have on the floor, and we are confident that they will really like what they see."

—Emilie Furda

Source: WWD
Image: google

Breaking Fashion News. Chloé Names New Creative Director.

Chloé Spring '08 RTW

Is it just me or does Chloé go through designers like I go through Kleenex? According to WWD,  Chloé is parting ways with its creative director, Paulo Melim Andersson, and has named Hannah MacGibbon his successor. In case you didn't know or forgot, Andersson left Marni to replace Phoebe Philo about a year and a half ago and showed three collections to mixed reviews.

MacGibbon was a key member of the design team under former creative director Phoebe Philo, and helped define the hip femininity that catapulted Chloe to fashion’s big leagues.

Source: WWD

Celebutard News Flash! Kohl's Signs Avril Lavigne For New Juniors Line

According to WWD, Kohl’s Corp. has signed Avril Lavigne to hawk it's new junior lifestyle brand, Abbey Dawn. All I can say is, thank the lord we have outgrown juniors! Wait, isn't she like...married? What's with the junior line?

The brand will be introduced in July just in time for the back-to-school season, and  will feature new fashion collections every 60 days to keep up with other fast retailers.

As one would expect with Avril, the brand will blend a rock ’n’ roll attitude with a feminine edge. The line will retail from $24 to $48. Both apparel and jewelry will be available for the launch, with other categories to be added later.

Consider we don't care for the way she dresses, we don't hold out much hope for the tweens soon to be shopping Kohl's.

Source: WWD
Photo: mojoitv.com