10.31.2008

From Cannes: Travel Retail Resolute in Face of Downturn

CANNES — Cosmetics executives and duty free operators faced the threat of an impending worldwide recession here this week with a combination of uncertainty and gritty resolve.

The five-day Tax Free World Association World Exhibition opened Monday with a warning from Erik Juul-Mortensen, president of TFWA.

“We have risen to the challenge in the past, but this current challenge will likely be more drawn out and difficult than any that we have met before.” Referring to the $34 billion total duty free business worldwide, he added that, “Our industry could stagnate or go into reverse in the short term. Our largest and most immediate challenge...

Not One, but Three India Fashion Weeks

NEW DELHI — Buyers, journalists and fashion-mad consumers crisscrossed India’s heavily congested capital, sometimes several times in a day, to attend two rival and clashing spring-summer fashion weeks.

India Fashion Week, organized by the Fashion Design Council of India, which has been held here since 2001, took place between Oct. 15 and 19. A day before it started, the newly formed Fashion Foundation of India kicked off the first Delhi Fashion Week. The fractured state of India’s fashion industry was underscored days later, when a third event began in Mumbai on Oct. 20. Lakme Fashion Week, named after the cosmetics company that is its biggest sponsor,...

BCBG Max Azria Fall/Winter 2008 Show at New York Fashion Week

The BCBG Max Azria Fall/Winter 2008 collection isn’t exactly what you might expect for fall/winter clothing: short sleeves, short skirts, sleeveless coats, even shorter skirts.

BCBG Max Azria Fall/Winter Collection 2008


Karla Martinez, women’s fashion market director, had this to say about the show, which took place at the tents in Bryant Park:

About the clothes: Muted colors — a lot of beige, pale gray and plums. All very wearable silhouettes in the first part of the show and the finale dresses are great for ladies with great legs! Standouts: Gray wool long pleated dress. Pretty, delicate layered collars.

BCBG Max Azria Fall/Winter Collection 2008The California-based designer’s collection was the first major women’s catwalk show of New York Fashion Week. The collection featured lots of subdued neutral hues, though there were a few brighter colors here and there - like cranberry, golden yellow and teal. Many of the looks featured pleated details. Lots of the designs were paired with belts. And, of course, there were very short hemlines.

As usual, the designs that stood out the most from the Fall/Winter 2008 Collection were the dresses.








BCBG Max Azria Fall/Winter Collection 2008The collection, as a whole, is being called a “fresh departure” for BCBG Max Azria.

As expected, many celebrities attended the show, notably Joss Stone, Ana Ortiz, Sophia Bush and Christina Milan.




Sources: NY Times: The Moment; NY Post: Fashion Week


Marc Jacobs and Porn Star?

Marc Jacobs kicked off Fashion Week with a documentary on the behind-the-scenes life of a designer - although many viewers would have likely been more interested in the secret tryst he’s been having with a porn star.

Jacobs has been quietly seeing adult film actor Erik Rhodes and whisking him away to secret locations, sources told Page Six. The new fling is likely the reason things have cooled again between Jacobs and former male escort Jason Preston, whom he’s dated on and off since 2005.

Sources said Jacobs’ affair with Rhodes - who describes himself as “Addictive. Wild. Open” on his ManNet.com profile - began last year when the designer invited Rhodes to join him and Preston for a three-way. Jacobs allegedly continued the fling with Rhodes one on one after that.

“Jason thought he and Marc were exclusive again,” said our insider. “But Marc is sleeping with this porn star behind his back, and sneaking him to Paris for hot sex.”

Rhodes seems an unlikely partner for the flamboyant fashionista, who counts Winona Ryder and Ashley Olsen as close friends. The guy-on-guy actor proudly wrote on his profile that he is “full-blown gay” and starred in adult movies such as “Flesh,” “Flex,” and “Beefcake.”

When we saw Preston Thursday night at the Cinema Society bash sponsored by W magazine for the documentary “Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton,” he was keeping his distance from the designer.

The two were on opposite ends of the room, and a fellow party guest noted the duo seemed to be avoiding each other.

Jacobs has done a couple of stints in rehab for drug abuse, and Preston made waves when he had Jacobs’ full name tattooed on his forearm. The boytoy told HX magazine last year they were “engaged.”

Despite the hot designer’s extracurricular activities, we hear Preston still plans to attend tomorrow’s Jacobs show with Aly Hilfiger as his date.

Asked about Rhodes, Jacobs told Page Six through a spokesperson, “He’s a really nice guy and we are just friends.”

Source: NY Post: PageSix

Paris Fashion Week Schedule: Pret-A-Porter Autumn/Winter 2008

Paris Fashion Week Schedule: Pret-A-Porter Autumn/Winter 2008


Saturday, February 2008, the 23rd
4:30 pm IMPASSE DE LA DÉFENSE Restaurant Le Train Bleu - Salle Dorée - Gare de Lyon
5:30 pm FATIMA LOPES Hôtel Westin - Salon Concorde - 3 rue de Castiglione - Paris 1er
6:30 pm DÉVASTÉE L’Académie - 14 rue Royale - Paris 8e
7:30 pm IVANAHELSINKI Hôtel Westin - Salon Concorde - 3 rue de Castiglione - Paris 1er

Sunday, February 2008, the 24th
10:00 am JEFEN Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Gabriel*
11:00 am LIE SANG BONG Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Soufflot*
12:00 pm CHER MICHEL KLEIN Intercontinental Paris Le Grand - 2 rue Scribe - Paris 9e
2:00 pm RAJESH PRATAP SINGH Espace Commines - 17 rue Commines - Paris 3e
3:00 pm BALMAIN Hôtel Westin - 3 rue de Castiglione - Paris 1er
4:00 pm BRUNO PIETERS Galerie Nikki Diana Marquardt - 9 place des Vosges - Paris 4e
5:00 pm MANISH ARORA BETC EURO RSCG - 85 rue du faubourg Saint-Martin - Paris 10e
6:00 pm RICK OWENS École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts - Salle Melpomène - 13 quai Malaquais - Paris 6e
7:00 pm BLESS 22 avenue Marx Dormoy - Paris 18e
8:00 pm AF VANDEVORST Maison des Métallos - 94 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud - Paris 11e

Monday, February 2008, the 25th
10:00 am ATSURO TAYAMA Salle Pleyel - 252 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré - Paris 8e
11:00 am VÉRONIQUE LEROY Espace Pierre Cardin - 1/3 avenue Gabriel - Paris 8e
12:00 pm GASPARD YURKIEVICH Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Soufflot*
1:00 pm ROBERT NORMAND Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Gabriel*
2:30 pm CHRISTIAN DIOR Espace Ephémère Tuileries - Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
3:30 pm ISABEL MARANT Espace Eiffel - Quai Branly - Paris 7e
4:30 pm SHARON WAUCHOB Palais de Tokyo - 13 avenue du Président Wilson - Paris 16e
5:30 pm UNDERCOVER La Cigale - 120 boulevard Rochechouart - Paris 18e
6:30 pm MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy - Salle Marcel Cerdan - Porte 28 - 8 boulevard de Bercy - Paris 12e
7:30 pm VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Hôtel Westin - 3 rue de Castiglione - Paris 1er
8:30 pm YOHJI YAMAMOTO Palais de la Bourse - Place de la bourse - Paris 2e

Tuesday, February 2008, the 26th
09:30 am BALENCIAGA See invitation
10:30 am JUNYA WATANABE See invitation
11:30 am TSUMORI CHISATO Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Delorme*
12:30 pm MARITHÉ & FRANCOIS GIRBAUD Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Le Nôtre*
1:30 pm LUTZ Espace Pierre Cardin - 1/3 avenue Gabriel - Paris 8e
2:30 pm VIKTOR & ROLF See invitation
3:30 pm ISSEY MIYAKE Musée de l’homme - 17 place du Trocadéro - Paris 16e
4:30 pm ANN DEMEULEMEESTER Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine - Paris 6e
5:30 pm COMME DES GARCONS See invitation
7:00 pm JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 325 rue Saint-Martin - Paris 3e
8:00 pm VÉRONIQUE BRANQUINHO Maison des Métallos - 94 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud - Paris 11e
9:00 pm LOEWE Opéra Comique - place Boieldieu - Paris 2e

Wednesday, February 2008, the 27th
10:00 am KARL LAGERFELD Espace Eiffel - Quai Branly - Paris 7e
11:00 am ANDREW GN Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Gabriel*
12:00 pm AKRIS Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Delorme*
1:00 pm EMANUEL UNGARO Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Le Nôtre*
2:00 pm COSTUME NATIONAL Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Soufflot*
3:00 pm DRIES VAN NOTEN Manège du Grand Palais - entrée porte C - avenue Franklin Roosevelt - Paris 8e
4:00 pm CHRISTIAN LACROIX Espace Ephémère Tuileries - Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
5:00 pm REQUIEM Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Gabriel*
6:00 pm GIVENCHY Carreau du Temple - 3 rue Dupetit Thouars - Paris 3e
7:30 pm HUSSEIN CHALAYAN See invitation
8:30 pm BERNHARD WILLHELM Maison des Métallos - 94 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud - Paris 11e

Thursday, February 2008, the 28th
09:30 am STELLA MCCARTNEY Carreau du Temple - 3 rue Dupetit Thouars - Paris 3e
10:30 am VALENTINO Palais de Chaillot - 1 place du Trocadéro - Paris 16e
11:30 am LÉONARD Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Delorme*
12:30 pm BARBARA BUI Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Le Nôtre*
1:30 pm ANNE VALÉRIE HASH Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Soufflot*
2:30 pm GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Espace Eiffel - Quai Branly - Paris 7e
3:30 pm ZUCCA École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts - Salle Melpomène - 13 quai Malaquais - Paris 6e
4:30 pm CELINE Espace Ephémère Tuileries - Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
5:30 pm HAIDER ACKERMANN Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine - Paris 6e
6:30 pm SOPHIA KOKOSALAKI Palais de Tokyo - 13 avenue du Président Wilson - Paris 16e
8:00 pm YVES SAINT LAURENT Grand Palais - avenue Winston Churchill - Paris 8e

Friday, February 2008, the 29th
10:30 am CHANEL Grand Palais - avenue du Général Eisenhower - Paris 8e
11:30 am AGNÈS B. Palais de Tokyo - 13 avenue du Président Wilson - Paris 16e
12:30 pm JEAN-CHARLES DE CASTELBAJAC Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Delorme*
1:30 pm ALENA AKHMADULLINA Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Soufflot*
2:30 pm SONIA RYKIEL Espace Ephémère Tuileries – Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
3:30 pm JUNKO SHIMADA École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts - Salle Melpomène - 13 quai Malaquais - Paris 6e
4:30 pm RUE DU MAIL (by Martine Sitbon) Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine - Paris 6e
5:30 pm ES ORCHESTRES La Sorbonne - 47 rue des Ecoles - Paris 5e
7:00 pm JOSE CASTRO Parking du Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy - 8 boulevard de Bercy - Paris 12e
8:00 pm ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy - Salle Marcel Cerdan - Porte 28 - 8 boulevard de Bercy - Paris 12e

Saturday, March 2008, the 1st
10:30 am KENZO Carreau du Temple - 3 rue Dupetit Thouars - Paris 3e
11:30 am ELIE SAAB Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Delorme *
12:30 pm WUNDERKIND Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Soufflot*
1:30 pm PAUL & JOE Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Le Nôtre*
2:30 pm COMMUUN Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Gabriel*
3:30 pm CHLOÉ Espace Ephémère Tuileries - Jardin des Tuileries - Paris 1er
4:30 pm MARTIN GRANT École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts - Salle Melpomène - 13 quai Malaquais - Paris 6e
5:30 pm HERMÈS Espace Eiffel - Quai Branly - Paris 7e
6:30 pm LIMI FEU Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine - Paris 6e
8:00 pm JOHN GALLIANO Grande Halle de la Villette - 211 avenue Jean Jaurès - Paris 19e

Sunday, March 2008, the 2nd
10:00 am VANESSA BRUNO 8 rue de la Pierre Levée - Paris 11e
11:00 am NINA RICCI Espace Ephémère Tuileries - Jardin des Tuileries - Paris 1er
12:00 pm CHAPURINLe Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Delorme*
1:00 pm YUKI TORII Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Gabriel*
2:00 pm COLLETTE DINNIGAN Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Soufflot*
3:00 pm LOUIS VUITTON See invitation
4:30 pm SAKINA M’SA Le Carrousel du Louvre - Salle Gabriel*
5:30 pm LANVIN Espace Eiffel - Quai Branly - Paris 7e
6:30 pm MOON YOUNG HEE École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts - Salle Melpomène - 13 quai Malaquais - Paris 6e
7:30 pm MIU MIU See invitation
8:30 pm CHADO RALPH RUCCI Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine - Paris 6e

* Le Carrousel du Louvre, 99, rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris

Designers Express Outrage During Milan Fashion Week

News, Milan Fashion Week

Trouble has been brewing at Milan’s 2008 Autumn/Winter Collection Fashion Week.

Milan Fashion Week has been branded a “circus without sense” by Dolce & Gabbana amid fears that it rapidly falling behind Paris and London as a vital destination on the haute couture circuit.

Long delays, chaotic organisation and unseemly catfights led to this year’s edition of Italy’s most prestigious fashion showcase, which finishes today, being roundly attacked.

Due to fears that important fashion editors would leave Milan before the end of Fashion Week, an exorbitant number of shows were crammed into the first few days of the fashion event. In all, there were 103 catwalk shows — supposed to run over the course of a week plus some — featuring 95 different designers and labels.

Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue, said she had requested Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana to shift their shows so that she could return to America before Paris Fashion Week begins next Tuesday. As a result, a logjam of catwalk shows at the beginning of the week caused havoc.

The resulting scheduling created near-chaos and a very awkward calendar of events and shows. Furthermore, the rescheduling request evoked criticism from designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, claiming that the presige of Milan Fashion Week was being put into jeopardy and that the event may be “neglected in [the] future.”

Giorgio Armani vocalized his concerns, claiming that Wintour’s request showed her preference for French (and American) designers to the detriment of Italian talent.

Source: Daily Telegraph

New Appel & Frank Event: “Spring into Style” San Francisco, San Diego

February 23, 2008
Filed Under Appel & Frank, Fashion Finds

Appel & Frank just announced their next shopping event — Spring into Style –, which will take place in both San Diego and San Francisco.

Appel & Frank brings together hip and trendy fashionistas with emerging designers for upscale shopping events filled with style and fashion.

Shop aisles filled with fabulous jewelry, clothing and accessories from 50 talented designers. Enjoy beauty treatments and coveted Appel & Frank goodie bags!

San Diego
Admission: $5 online or $10 at the door, and includes a goodie bag. 10% of the door proceeds will be donated to Dress for Success San Diego.
When: Sunday, March 9th. Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Where: The Abbey. 2825 Fifth Ave @ Olive (Near Balboa Park)

San Francisco
Admission: 2 for $15 online or $10 each at the door. A portion of the door proceed will be donated to Dress for Success.
When: Thursday, March 13th. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Where: The Regency Center, Sutter Room. 1270 Sutter Street @ Van Ness

1.14.2008

Designers: let's stop quickie fashion

MILAN, Italy - Fashion is on the move. While 2008 has just begun, the menswear preview collections currently showing on the Milan runway are all about how a guy should dress for the fall-winter 2008-2009.

To make matters worse, this round the Milan shows are crammed into four days to accommodate a busy Paris schedule which includes both menswear and couture the following week.

"Everybody is doing everything fast," Tomas Maier, creative director at Bottega Veneta, told The Associated Press after his much applauded show Sunday. "The consumer needs time to understand."

Maier's remarks did not refer specifically to the fashion calendar, but more broadly to a fashion philosophy that floods the market with notions and trends, at times sacrificing quality for quantity.

Maier's preview Bottega collection left much room for thought. Seemingly without effort he balances elegant with casual to create a contemporary country club look. Inspiration for the casual comes from the workman's wardrobe, from the chore coats to the driver's jackets and baggy painter pants. Fabrics range from canvas and denim to sturdy leather.

The more formal wear is as tailored as a made-to-order suit. Jackets are single or double-breasted and trousers are wide. Eveningwear is "elegantissimo," but free of the proverbial stiffness which can confine the wearer to an outgrown "Sunday best" look.

Accessories, a Bottega Veneta forte, include shoulder bags in signature basket-weave leather, woven belts and a rugged round-toed shoe.

Later Sunday, Giorgio Armani echoed Maier's laments, after his Emporio show dedicated to ski resort fashion.

"There is so much sloppiness out there," the designer said chatting with reporters backstage at his minimalist Milan headquarters.

The second-line collection opened with couples in ski outfits carrying skis, walking down a runway dotted with snowflakes.

For each male outfit, from the down coat to the velvet dinner jacket with incorporated silk shawl, Armani had a female counterpart in a look-a-like outfit. But while the men wore their trousers tucked into apres-ski lace-ups, the women except when on the slopes always wore a dress.

"It's time to put some order into fashion, starting with gender," Armani said.

Front row guest at his show was pop star Beyonce, Armani's ad gal for Diamonds, the designer's latest scent. Beyonce also showed up at Versace Saturday, causing quite a stir by keeping the fashion crowd waiting for almost an hour until she took her seat and the show could begin.

Dolce & Gabbana, one of the hottest labels in trendy menswear, also called for an end to fashion overdose at a pre-show chat with the media.

"What's happening in fashion is like inviting someone to dinner and stuffing them with double helpings. By the time desert comes around, they can't look at food anymore," Stefano Gabbana said.

As an antidote the duo's show on Saturday offered up rustic fashion for next winter. Going back to their roots, they outfitted a Sicilian shepherd from macho woolen cap to bulky knit sweater under a hefty sheepskin coat, to the all-purpose leather boots. When he goes to town on business, their shepherd wears a pinstriped suit complete with white shirt and tie and carries a crocodile briefcase.

Burberry designer Christopher Bailey, who also showed Saturday, was in the mood for romance. Silk shirts, vests, soft cardigan sweaters and legging-like trousers all combine to evoke a misty English countryside. A crocodile leather trench coat and pullovers fashioned with tufts of rooster feathers lent an extra dash of eccentricity to an already dandified collection.

Speaking of eccentrics, Russian designer Denis Simachev, stunned the Milan audience Saturday night with flamboyant styles that recalled Cossack fashion. To a rocked up version of "Kalinka," mustachioed models marched around the runway in embroidered shirts, and jackets with a businesslike pinstriped front and a colorful sweater back. Trousers were tucked into furry leather boots.

Earlier Saturday, Donatella Versace underlined the comeback of the top coat (seen in almost every show thus far) with an extra long double-breasted military version in deep purple. According to Donatella, the coat represents a male yearning for luxury.

"Luxury is a cure for the present market saturation, and a relatively unexplored route where men are concerned," the designer said after the show.

Prada: Schizophrenic Style

Milan - Sunday evening witnessed a most curiously schizophrenic collection by Prada in Milan's season of fall 2008 men's collections.

The central new garment was a minimalist harness/strait jacket that wrapped around torsos in half the looks; collars and bowties came in pairs; and young men wore mini skirts, ruffled, five inch deep over pants. We even got a series of jock straps in patent leather that reached up way above pant waists.

One could argue that these were all accessories, and styling tricks. But the garments themselves had a mournful air: while Prada's slickly cut suits looked cut for horror movie henchmen.

There were lots of great items - steel threaded double colored stripe shirts; black silk plenipotentiary pants; faded mad scientist two tone shoes, dandified mohair Rude Boy suits, yet they caused little cheer.

Models ascended a brilliant De Chirico like ramp and circled around a twisting walkway, as oblique lighting turned the set into a mimimalist Gothic cathedral. One has to doff one's hat and say that one way in which Prada simply blows away its major Milan rivals is in staging: Where Dolce, Armani, Versace, Gucci and Ferre all largely follow classic catwalks in their own personal theatres, Miuccia summons up every season an evocative cinema set experience, where you feel in new territory each time.

The music was also troubling, the imitation soundtracks of Daniel Motion, mixed by Frederic Sanchez with Julian Dore's "Aux Trois Lolita."

Adding to the somber mood, the door scene was tense. Prada, the target of Peta attacks, has probably the strictest door policy of any fashion house, anywhere. It's an incredibly hot show. But while a concern to protect guests from attacks is legitimate, forcing everyone to scan their invites, marked with a tribal digital thumbnail, as they are jostled through a phalanx of surely heavies, was pretty authoritarian. And definitely not chic.

Spice Girls gaze at gowns in Cavalli men's show


MILAN (Reuters) - Britain's Spice Girls turned out to watch Roberto Cavalli's winter 2009 menswear show on Monday and he didn't disappoint them, including in his show a gorgeous green evening shift and a black satin Cinderella gown for women.

The quintet -- better known by their nicknames Posh, Baby, Sporty, Ginger and Scary -- had front-row seats for the show, which Cavalli told Reuters was aimed at "a sophisticated man ... even a rock star type."

Geri "Ginger" Halliwell, wearing a beige ruched mini dress, was open-mouthed at a voluminous black satin long gown and pointed out to Victoria "Posh" Beckham -- wearing a black trouser suit and headband -- the green version.

Cavalli, smoking his trademark cigar, said his show was "for a man who doesn't need to find himself in eccentricities."

Models wore suits in shiny midnight blue and black jacquards. Cavalli brought back turn-ups to straight-leg trousers and threw roomy sheepskins or leopard print coats over the top of outfits.

He used shiny black for a hooded oilskin coat or plumped up duvet style gilets over thick rib jumpers.

Accessories featured alligator-look black briefcases and big scarves, while one model sported a sparkling black brooch on an evening suit lapel.

For the women, Cavalli offered feathered evening bags in pink or black to match dresses.

His glamorous womenswear was a big hit with retailer Hennes & Mauritz, where eager shoppers queued up when they went on sale on November 8.

Cavalli said he had no plans for any further collaborations and was keen to know who might be the next designer for H&M -- which has already used collections by Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney.

"I enjoyed myself, it was great," he said. "I'd like to see who does the next collection ... I don't think other designers want to put themselves up against my success."

(Additional reporting by Ilaria Polleschi, editing by Tim Pearce)

Spice Girls attend Cavalli show in Milan

By DANIELA PETROFF, AP

MILAN, Italy - The Spice Girls pepped up the Milan fashion scene Monday when they turned up at Roberto Cavalli's menswear show to thank him for designing their tour wardrobe.

The tour, which began in December, brings all the Spice Girls together for the first time in nearly 10 years.

"His clothes make you feel sexy," said Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell, 35, speaking for the pop stars as they sat backstage chatting with reporters before the show began.

Their glam Cavalli-designed tour outfits are in bright Swarovski-beaded silk and remain true to the playful styles the Spice Girls favored the first time around: miniskirts, cropped tops and body-clinging jumpsuits.

Talking like a gaggle of schoolgirls, they sang the praises of Italian men as "very passionate" and "more stylish" than their British counterparts.

"Italians are stallions," said 32-year-old Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown, summing it up, and quickly adding, "or so I've heard."

The Spice Girls, who also include Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton and Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm, said they were enjoying the tour.

"We appreciate everything much more this time around," Halliwell said.

Another Milan favorite, Giorgio Armani, captured "Spice Girls" husband David Beckham for his underwear campaign. Asked what she thought of her husband's supertoned body being displayed in Armani briefs on billboards throughout Milan, 33-year-old Victoria Beckham said: "If I looked like that I'd walk down the street in my panties, too."

___

On the Net:

Spice Girls:

http://www.thespicegirls.com

http://www.thespicegirlsgreatesthits.com/

Roberto Cavalli:

http://www.robertocavalli.com/en/home.do

Giorgio Armani:

http://www.giorgioarmani.com/ga_menu/EN/home.html

1.09.2008

Jessica Alba in Purple Clothes (including prices)

Jessica Alba Purple Clothes
jessica-alba-purple-clothes-2.jpg
Jessica Alba in Purple Clothes (including prices)

On with the Show: At the Critics' Choice Awards

Santa Monica - What happens when America's movie critics throw an awards party? Everyone comes, of course!

That's what happened Monday night in Santa Monica at the 13th Annual Critics' Choice Awards, as the Broadcast Film Critics Association honored the best films and performances of 2007. Unlike the Golden Globes, the Critics' Choice Awards show has never been written by members of the currently striking Writers Guild, which meant that actors, directors, and other Hollywood types did not have to cross a picket line to attend the gala event held at the Santa Monica Civic Center.

Which meant that Brad Pitt and best actress nominee Angelina Jolie sat front and center in the packed ballroom, where champagne flowed freely and light bites were served as the glittering night unfolded.

Best actor nominee George Clooney waxed eloquently on the strike as he awarded Don Cheadle the organization's first annual Joel Siegel Humanitarian Award in memory of the late critic, saying "When the strike happens, it's not just writers [who suffer]. Our hope is that all the players will lock themselves in a room and not come out until they finish. We want this to be done. That's the most important thing."

And while best screenplay scribe Diablo Cody (who won for "Juno") didn't make the show, just about everyone who is anyone did. In addition to Pitt, Jolie, and Clooney, the place was just teeming with gorgeously dressed stars, from presenter Katie Holmes in a cream off-the-shoulder, asymmetrical Lanvin sheath to best ensemble Winner (for "Hairspray") Queen Latifah, resplendent in a chic winter white pantsuit.

Daniel Day-Lewis sported shoulder length locks and stammered as he accepted his best actor trophy that "I wish that George Clooney was my speechwriter – he always knows how to say the right thing," while Nikki Blonsky shrieked with delight as she accepted her best young actress award.

A-listers were everywhere, from the "Into the Wild" group, that included Sean Penn, Eddie Vedder, Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, Hal Holbrook, and Catherine Keener, to presenters including Kyra Sedgwick, Snoop Dogg, Leslie Mann, and Marisa Tomei, as well as the stars of the best picture winner, "No Country for Old Men," including Javier Bardem, who also won for best supporting actor.

Later, at the rollicking after party held in a large tent next door to the ballroom, best actor nominee Emile Hirsch gave "Hairspray" best ensemble winner Brittany Snow all his attention, and presenter Eddie Izzard chatted with "There Will Be Blood" star Paul Dano. Izzard cracked up the house earlier with his goofily disjointed speech, a riff on the need for writers, and commented later that "we need them to make a deal and get back to work."

The Critics' Choice Awards also honored Julie Christie for best actress in "Away From Her" and Amy Ryan as best supporting actress in "Gone Baby Gone," but neither actress made the party, which could just be one of the only awards shows that actually happens this season. The Golden Globes have been canceled due to the WGA threat to picket the show, and the actors' unwillingness to cross those picket lines to attend.