Fashion Fix

Delayed Fashion Fix due to Easter. Well, all that chocolate won’t eat itself, will it?! Hope you all had a calorific Easter 😉

Gucci Girls

Frida Giannini has enamoured with my favourite city since the reopening of the Gucci store on Sloane Street, so much so that she has bought Jacquette Wheeler in for the Fall 09 campaign alongside Gucci regulars Natasha Poly, Freja Beha and Raquel Zimmermann. The campaign will be shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in North London.

Extracts from an interview with Ms Giannini at the end of Fashion Fix.

Zandra Rhodes for M&S!

Ok, slight confession. I love a bit of Marks & Sparks action. The iconic retailer has come a long way over the last few years. Last year’s collection by Patricia Field was fairly successful, but I think the collection by Zandra will kick ass! The collection, which launches online and in stores on May 7th, will feature her signature bright prints on swimsuits, silk dresses, kaftans and jumpsuits plus lingerie and accessories.

Twitter breaks the news.

If your not already a Twitterholic, why?! And if you are, make sure you’re following me 😉 Plug over, now let’s play detective. Apparently an epic shoot has taken place in London, with both Chanel Iman and Sessilee Lopez tweeting about it. First, Chanel early in the morning: “IN London Shooting a MAJOR SURPRISE COVER!!!!Its top secret can’t give it away!!” followed by Sessilee in the evening: “Leaving London now!!! My God when you guys see the photos from this shoot you will die, all i can say is ITS A MAJOR MOMENT IN FASHION!!!!!”. Interesting!!

Blonde is the new er…black?

Ikeline Stange went blond earlier in the year, now my Model of the Month Daul Kim has followed suit. It could have all gone horribly wrong, but I think she looks really good! What do you think?

Frida Giannini fights back.

Frida has recently been under a lot of criticism, firstly for her Spring 09 collection supposedly resembling Zara and her Fall 09 collection looking a bit Bebe.

“I’m not criticised by all the world — it is a very small niche of people. And I will never change for them. I want to stay close to my thoughts. When someone wants to offend me by saying I’m copied by the high street — well, for me, it’s a huge compliment.”

Despite the allegations that she’s taken the brand too commercial, Freida vows that she’s not caught up in all the celebrity-obsessed hubbub; she’s more focused on keeping the $2.2 billion turnover she’s cultivated for the brand.

She cares so little about celebrities, there were no red carpet gowns in the runway show.

“I didn’t want to show long evening dresses this time because it’s not about the Oscars any more. I don’t want to waste our time designing something that at the last minute might not get worn. Anyway, celebrities just aren’t my obsession. Some are really damaged by their stylists as well — and there’s no loyalty to a brand. Audrey Hepburn’s style was really defined by Givenchy, but now actresses wear anything and everything, and that can damage a brand too. I’m more interested in talking to real women.”

Her employees agree — the designs are more than just Zara.

“I wish people that could see the clothes close up,” said one staffer, guiding me past the rails of crystal-smothered tunics that were in the show. “People think it’s all about disco but . . .” she strokes one leather jacket with the consistency of clotted cream, “the workmanship is unbelievable.” She shrugs.

She loves that her job allows her to “play.”

“I wake up in the morning, listen to the news which says the world’s coming to an end. Then I come to work and play with fur and crocodile. Sometimes I think that I’m living on the moon.”

And she’s entirely devoted to it.

“I’ve always seen myself as a mother one day, but not in this moment. I have other priorities, other things to do.”

In brief:

Whit Quits: Whitney Port has quite DVF! She’s returning to People’s Revolution.

Mad about Madonna: Marc Jacobs is still a big Madonna fan, she’s returning to front the Louis Vuitton fall 09 campaign.

Where’s Theyskens?: Halson or Schiaparelli? Only time will tell….

* source google images, Marie Claire Italia, I Models,