Hedi Slimane: King of Céline
Fashion’s multi-talented, controversial bad boy Hedi Slimane, the most disruptive designer of our time, just got the biggest job title you could ever imagine at Céline: “artistic, creative and image director.” Slimane is now basically the King of Céline, which is perfect for the 49-year-old designer/photographer who completely re-did Yves Saint Laurent in the three years he was there from shortening the ready-to-wear name to simply Saint Laurent to shooting the campaigns (starring rocker pals like Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson) to re-imaging the storied house into a Cali-infused haute punk rock fashion mosh pit that alienated some critics, but sold out faster than VIP passes to Coachella.
Slimane was hired by luxury powerhouse LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s chairman and chief executive, said of Slimane in a statement: “He is one of the most talented designers of our time. His arrival at Céline reinforces the great ambitions that LVMH has for this maison. He will leverage his global vision and unique aesthetic virtuosity in further building an iconic French maison.”
Chez Céline, Slimane will add menswear (fans of his old Dior Homme super-skinny suits, like Karl Lagerfeld, will rejoice), accessories and fragrance. He will also redesign the stores and undoubtedly put his rebellious stamp all over the brand. In the 10 years Phoebe Philo was at Céline, the brand won over women with simple and clean power-women silhouettes that were business-chic and rarely red-carpet ready or sexy starlet friendly. Slimane loves to shake things up, so expect a whole new world of Céline when he debuts his first collection this September in Paris.
Kardashian/Jenners Join Calvin Klein Family
Following in the footsteps of model sibs Kaia and Presley Gerber, all the Kardashian/Jenner girls (Kim, Kendall, Kylie, Khloe and Kourtney) pose and pout for Calvin Klein‘s “Our Family” #MyCalvins campaign, shot again by Willy Vanderperre. But look closely and you’ll notice that Kylie, who is reportedly pregnant with rapper Travis Scott’s baby, is strategically hiding her (alleged) baby bump in every photo, often with an Americana-style quilt.
NYT x Sacai
Sacai
Alexander Wang just collabed with “Page Six,” the New York Post‘s famed gossip column and now Japanese cult label Sacai showed pieces at their Paris menswear show that pays homage to the all-powerful New York Times. With the Times‘ recent investigative bombshell articles taking down photographers Bruce Weber and Mario Testino and the unstoppable #MeToo/#TimesUp movement, the country – save maybe for President Trump – is rallying in support of a free press. Sacai showed their love with a shirt that declared: “Truth. It’s more important now than ever.”
Ben Eskridge Leaves Ralph Lauren
Ben Eskridge, Bruce Weber
Gossip is swirling around Ben Eskridge who suddenly left Ralph Lauren after 27 years at the company. Eskridge was VP, creative director of men’s advertising, and was directly involved in styling ads for Ralph Lauren where he worked closely with Bruce Weber, who is now under-fire after being outed for the sexual exploitation of numerous male models in a bombshell cover article last week in The New York Times. No reason was given for Eskridge’s sudden departure but insiders are wondering if it has anything to do with the Weber scandal. “He is no longer with the company,” is all a Ralph Lauren spokesperson would confirm.
swipecast.wordpress.com 