Fug Girls: The Biannual Fashion Week AwardsNow that it’s all said and done (and we’ve had some serious naps), we can take a look back at the highlights of a Very Special Week.
ByThe Fug Girls
three is a trend
Suit Up! The One-Piece Jumper Is BackThe one-piece jumpsuit’s hit the runways in droves. Droves! From sequins to satin, see what spring has in store.
Model Stumbles at BCBG?! [Updated]We’re hearing that the wobbles have already hit the runways. Day one, at a 10 a.m. show? Someone say this isn’t true.
ByJessica Coen
cult of personality
Max Azria Launched Three Collections. Now He Dances!Max Azria, the design world’s most adorable happy little man, just completed the très impressive feat of launching three different collections (BCBG, Hervé Léger, and Max Azria) in the span of four days. How was he holding up at the end?
reviews
The First Reviews Are In! BCBG, Wang, and MoreThree days down, five to go, and the critics are starting to weigh in on fall 2008’s first runways: BCBG is finally outgrowing its prom-queen reputation, while Rag & Bone is living up to its CFDA-friendly one. Yigal Azrouël’s tougher look went over well, and it seems that Alexander Wang is still one to watch. Let’s check out the critical warm fuzzies, shall we?
show & tell
Max Azria Solves Your Economic WoesIn yesterday’s Reuters article about Fashion Week trend forecasts, Max Azria suggested designing for a crappy economy was important:
company town
Have You Heard? There’s a New Economic Freak-out Happening!FINANCE
• William A. Ackman of Pershing Hedge Funds got everyone freaking out about bond insurers by issuing a report yesterday afternoon predicting that MBIA and the Ambac Financial Group might just lose $24 billion on mortgage investments. “Here comes Ackman at the 11th hour upsetting the apple cart,” Douglas M. Peta, chief market strategist at J.& W. Seligman & Company, told the Times. “I don’t think anybody has really thought it all through, but we all understand the implications of real trouble in the bond insurers could be far reaching.” [NYT] Related! MBIA announced a $3.5 billion write-down this morning. [CNN]
• Wharton is still the number-one place in the universe to pick up an MBA.
[FT]
• Following in the steps of other CEOs with giant mortgage-related losses, Merrill won’t give its top brass any bonuses. But they will give them stock options “to promote the continuity of the management team as they continue to navigate through challenging market conditions in 2008.” That’s one way to hang on to staff. [Reuters]
company town
The Return of Aleksey VaynerFINANCE
• Aleksey Vayner, everyone’s favorite bizarre self-promoting video maker, is back with a new Website and perhaps a book! Impossible may be nothing after all. [Gawker]
• Goldman Sachs set new records with their $20.2 billion bonus pool, including $67.9 million for Lloyd Blankfein, but rumor has it the bank decided to stiff their back-office employees. [NYP]
• Blankfein’s salary still pales in comparison to hedge-fund kings like John Paulson and Paolo Pellegrini, who raked in more than $1 billion each in 2007 betting against the housing market. [NYT]
model tracker
Raquel Zimmermann Is Friday’s Top Model
It’s day three of the model walk-off and things are getting heated. Missy Rayder gets an honorable mention for one helluva comeback, popping up in the amazing Proenza show. Let’s hear it for the Americans! But top honors go to Brazilian stunner Raquel Zimmerman, whose first opening show this season was also at Proenza. Jack and Lazaro know how to pick them. We can’t argue with that.
backstage video
Video: Get Sexy Backstage at Max Azria
Fashion correspondent Fabiola Beracasa was backstage at BCBG Max Azria with a camera. See what the designer himself considers to be “relatively romantic” and find out what celebrity Arden Wohl saw at her first fashion show. And which pieces of the “sexy, sensual lingerie” will Molly Sims order?
three is a trend
Fruit LipsStylists ditched the traditional red and peachy pink makeup this season, instead opting for more vibrant colors. Lips went the way of tangerines, creating a shocking — yet wholly intriguing — look that was fresh and fun.