In celebration of fashion powerhouse Versace’s collaborative collection with fashion retailer H&M, the brand pulled out all the stops and recently hosted a star studded runway show in Manhattan’s meatpacking district.

A-list style setters Blake Lively, Kanye West, Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts, Coco Rocha, Linda Evangelista, Jennifer Hudson and Christopher Kane (just to name a few), filled the front rows at “Versace Hall” aka Pier 57 to take in the Miami themed fashion show. While models strutted down the catwalk, guests were treated to musical performances by superstars Prince and Nick Minaj. In collaborating with H&M, Donatella Versace joins the ranks of Stella McCartney, Lanvin and other high-end designers who have successfully created affordable collections that have made their brand accessible to a wider audience.

The buzz over the launch has fashion insiders proclaiming that Versace may be the best H&M collaboration to date. Pulling together different styles from the Versace archives, the long awaited collection epitomizes the brand’s signature style of sexy, flashy glamour. It features a mix of draped metal mesh dresses, silk crepe dresses with gold buttons (reminiscent of actress Elizabeth Hurley’s famous 1994 ‘safety pin’ dress), vibrant multi-colored frocks covered in tropical prints and sequins, fringed minis and last but not least the ultra classic studded leather jacket. In an homage to late brother Gianni, Donatella revived the iconic Versace pattern (Gianni’s trademark motif throughout the 80’s and 90’s), as seen on many of the garments. Not to be outdone, the men’s line features sharp suits, printed sweaters and shirts, studded leather jackets and trousers. Fabulous accessories (bags, shoes, necklaces, rings, belts, scarves, etc.) are also included.

The Versace for H&M collection, launched November 19, is now available in stores.

The UK bans Marc Jacobs’ Oh Lola ad

Put together a fresh faced teenage ingénue and a quirky cutting edge designer and what do you get? You get designer Marc Jacobs’ controversial print ad (starring actress Dakota Fanning) for his latest fragrance Oh Lola. Photographed by Juergen Teller, the campaign is causing a stir and as a result, been banned in the UK. The Advertising Standards Authority deemed the scandalous Oh Lola ads as being too racy. In the ad, Fanning is posing on the ground and giving the camera a sultry gaze with a phallic shaped perfume bottle nestled in her crotch. The ASA saw the placement of the bottle as being blatantly sexually provocative. Adding fuel to the fire is Fanning’s age and youthful appearance, both of which make her look even younger than her actual seventeen years. In response to the ban, fragrance company Coty defends the ad saying, “There is nothing about the styling that suggests Fanning is underage. Furthermore, the ad wasn’t inappropriately sexualized because it did not show any private body parts or sexual activity.” Currently, no official complaints have been reported.

Tasteless child pornography or another clever PR trick? You decide

Harper’s Bazaar UK reunites model legends

Expectations were high as five of the original 90s supermodels came together to shoot Harper’s Bazaar UK’s December Supermodel cover. Photographed by Jonas Akerlund, the epic shoot reunited Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova and Yasmin Le Bon. Although the cover failed to live up to all the hype and buzz surrounding the much-talked about reunion, the supermodel heavyweights more than made up for the slight disappointment. The famous five appear in Duran Duran’s music video for their latest single “Girl Panic”, proving they can rock and roll with the best while still looking fabulous. The fun and sexy video, which includes behind the scenes footage of the Harper’s Bazaar UK cover and editorial shoots (with cameos by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana), features the 90s Supers as members of Duran Duran, with Naomi Campbell leading the group as Simon Le Bon (Yasmin Le Bon’s real-life husband).

Grace Kelly

When Grace Kelly first embarked on her acting career in 1950 at the age of 20, she took Hollywood by storm making her film debut as the affluential leading lady in MGM’s production of Mogambo in the role as Linda Nordley, earning her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and her first of many Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
This would mark the beginning of a legacy of praise-worthy feature roles, working closely with major headliners such as Bing Crosby, William Holden, and her dear friend and confident, not to mention director extrordinaire, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock. She would go on to star in eleven films and win a Golden Globe and an Oscar before going on to marry Prince Rainier Grimaldi III and becoming Princess Grace of Monaco.

This golden haired, blue eyed beauty from Philadelphia was always the epitome of grace with her star studded looks, natural charm on screen, and princess worthy poise. She is perhaps most noted today however, for her impeccable style that has inspired designers ever since she first emerged on the major stage to as a style icon. From her days as an actress to her swap as a royal, Grace’s iconic styles were classic, easy, and an extension of her traditional upbringing. She has become known for coveting horn-rimmed glasses, white gloves, Hermès bag fittingly renamed the “Kelly Bag,” and her classic sea foam green dress that has been become the most knocked off Oscar dress reproduced for the red carpet.

Few have matched her lasting impact on the fashion world, and as part of TIFF’s (The Toronto International Film Festival’s,) exhibit on the life and legacy of Grace Kelly, was a presentation entitled “Grace Kelly: Style Icon,” in which a panel of experts hosted by Fashion Televisions Jeanne Beker explored the life of Grace from Movie Star to Princess, and her profound iconicity in style and design. Sitting on the panel were Cameron Silver, founder of the Decades boutique in Los Angeles and global luxury brand consultant, Kristina Haugland LE Vine Associated Curator of Costume and Textile and author of Grace Kelly: Icon of Style to Royal Bride, and Grace Kelly Style, and Bronwyn Cosgrave, the author of extensive features on Princess grace for London’s Guardian and Telegraph newspapers.

As the panel made their way to their seats and the discussion began, it became immediately clear that this would be a truly candid discussion and examination that warranted no script or or multimedia presentation. After a 20 second slide show showcasing Grace at the height of elegance, each panel member brought intuitive perceptions as to what inspired Grace’s fashion sensibilities, speculating on it’s long-term effects on the fashion scene.

Jeanne brilliantly headed the conversation, asking pertinent questions regarding the life and style of Grace. Witty as always she evoked intelligence and good humour, saying at one point in regards to a modern day Grace, “do you think that she would have had her own reality show?”

This was the focus of Cameron Silver’s speculations on Grace, or how her style would have translated as a modern Grace Kelly. Not comparing her elegance and grace to any modern day beauty, Silver made it known that Grace’s style could not be compared to a starlet’s disposable fashion ideals. He is memorably quoted as saying in regards to his view on what is considered to be a true statement of style sense:

“I have always felt that a truly chic woman wears something over and over….Even a truly chic guy, I wore this jacket a week ago in New York! And I just think thats whats trendy, to re-style it and be able to look at it in a different way, and I think that was truly the ability that Grace Kelly had. Casual, functional elegance. I wonder what she would have worn today. I often think she would have been the type of woman who could wear jeans and a white t shirt and just look so chic; so put together.”

Fluent in Grace Kelly’s history, author Bronwyn Cosgrave explained the overall interest in Grace Kelly which has made her a subject of recent exhibitions at Toronto’s International Film Festival, and in London, as well as the style inspiration for the classic 50’s inspired 2012 looks that are emerging on couture design house runways. She interpreted the recent interest in the vintage starlet as being first a given based on the impeccable condition of the clothing, and the expansive archive of her wardrobe. Grace Kelly kept everything that she wore, and in impeccable condition. It can also be attested to it’s first huge resurgence about seven years ago when Frida Giannini took over Gucci as creative director, and resurrected a print that had been designed for Grace Kelly in the 60’s called Flora. It was a huge hit and she acknowledged Grace as being the source of her success and it really launched their continued success. Both influences from the past and contemporary have created an entire style trend that seeks to embody Kelly’s effortless elegance.

Grace Kelly’s enduring impact was eloquently told by Kristina Haugland, a Grace Kelly fashion guru who said that “when you think of elegance and grace, you think of Grace Kelly.” As oppose to other starlets at the time who were being very flashy and vulgar, Haugland explained that Grace really set the tone and was seen as being very different, even for the time. It was a well bred elegance ingrained in her from her upbringing in outer Philadelphia, which inspired styles like her trademark white gloves. Bronwyn would add to this insight, saying that this seemingly effortless style was also a product of legendary costume designer and friend Edith Head, whom Kelly referred to as “Dear Edith.” A great deal of trust was placed on her, and this MGM costume designer doted on her style charge, making styling for Grace an effortless action.

The panel discussion on Grace’s style ended on an interesting note, as Jeanne asked the panel to briefly touch on the circumstances of her immediate and sudden death, at the young age of 54. She died on September 14, 1982, losing control of her vehicle causing fatal head injuries for her, and putting her daughter Princess Stephanie in hospital. However Grace Kelly, who we know and remember as the brilliant actress and wonderful mother and Princess of Monaco, lives on for us, sustaining relevance through her ability to convey a style both heart warming, classic, and eternal. Grace Kelly: Style Icon was a discerning presentation that not only gave a historical textbook look at the celebrity royal, but spoke candidly of Grace as the free spirited classic woman who will forever be remembered as a true style icon.