DesignerSocial in Sept Vogue

Love that Blake Lively.. rockin her DesignerSocial Vintage CHANEL all over Paris fashion week!

-DS Staff

This will really drive a point home about who is in the digital game.. Vogue magazine has approximately 5,000 twitter followers, while ELLE has over 300,000, and InStyle has almost 2 MILLION!

Maybe that’s because Vogue doesn’t follow ANYONE!!! Duh- isn’t that the whole point? They must be horrified to even have to think about dabbling with the masses these days.

-DS Staff

Whawhawhaaa???? W Magazine Wants their 15 minutes too..

Apparently camera crews have been trolling the halls of Stefano Tonchi’s new W magazine offices in an effort to recreate the glorious, behind the scenes documentary of the decade, Vogue’s SEPTEMBER ISSUE. Nada people.. this will never fly. Plus, isn’t the first rule of journalism not to do what’s already been done?

[Via The Cut]

EVERYONE’S UP FOR SEPTEMBER

Vogue has the highest ad paging increase (but they usually crush it for this issue). And InStyle is still in the lead overall. Kinda funny.. Anna wishes her abs looked like that.

[Via New York Post 7-20-10]

Posted by: Francine Davis Ballard

Everyone must have gotten their mid-year bonuses, because there are too many moves to tweet about this week. Here’s the latest from the front lines of fashion publishing:

* Elle is finally staffing up with two big hires this week. Kevin Martinez comes as Publisher from Bazaar as AP. And Jennifer Peterson as Fashion Ad Director from InStyle.

* Dani Gorman goes to Marie Claire from Self as their senior beauty person.

* And we hear that Vogue will not replace Lottie Oakley (former AP who resigned last week). Her new whereabouts are still undetermined. We also hear there may be some internal restructuring of the staff there in the short term.

TGIF!

MEAN GIRL POST: WHY VOGUE IS SINKING

Actually, this is not meant to be mean at all. I love Vogue- for what it represents. I am a subscriber. And I want to like Vogue as a consumer. But layouts like this make that nearly impossible. I’m sure this sounded like a good idea whilst everyone sat around the conference room table throwing things out.. “Ooh- wouldn’t it be soo fabulous if we could get Hamish to put on a wetsuit??”.

But the reality is that (almost) no one outside of that room knows who Hamish Bowles is. And my guess is that an underwhelming minority will be excited to see him posing as a pseudo-surfer with a smoking jacket on. And that is at the core of why Vogue is becoming irrelevant. Arguably, they still get the best exclusives, and many of their layouts are certainly inspiring, but by and large they continue to talk- as they always have- to themselves. Which becomes a problem when half the editorial staff is comprised of an entirely different demographic than their target audience (women, 18-34).

Posted by: Francine Ballard

Photo: Vogue magazine, June 2010

MY LATEST GIRL-CRUSH IS A VOGUE COVER GIRL

Ok, so it’s TURKISH Vogue, but she’s a cover girl, nonetheless. Leigh Lezark, the female third of NY DJ trinity The Misshapes, cum Lagerfeld muse, is now officially a model. It was only a matter of time, Leigh.. congrats! Or should we say “Kutları”!!

Posted by: FDB

NATALIE MASSENET CUTS HER OWN HAIR

According to her editorial profile in Vogue this month, a narrow focus is the key to success. Here, one of my favorite quotes of all times from the article, borrowing from Coco Chanel’s famous quote- “Work, Love, What else is there?” (or something like that):

“Choose the right husband and nanny, and then don’t worry about a social life. Everything but family and work has to go.”

Words to live by. She goes on to say that she is very much like her own customer at Net-A-Porter and never has time for shopping, hairdressing etc., describing how almost everyone at the NAP office in London has cut their own hair at some point, “We figured out a way that you could flip your hair over.. and cut it straight across, or curved according to how layered you want it.”

That’s great Natalie, but what about the roots?? Up next in her “Outnet” profile: How to Color Your Own Hair.. yet another reason to worship this woman.

Photo: Elle Germany

Posted by: FDB

(SUPER) HAUTE GIRL, HAUTE BAG: BLAKE LIVELY AND HER CHANEL

Vogue’s June cover girl, Blake Lively, posed for DesignerSocial this week with her awesome bubble quilted flap bag. See her sans handbag above in the behind the scenes video shot by Mario Testino for Vogue near her hometown in California. Props for being a Cali girl Blake, props for being in New Orleans, and props for your exquisite taste in accessories!

Posted by: FDB

Video footage: Style.com, Photo: DesignerSocial

TEST DRIVE: VOGUE STYLIST I-PHONE APP

I downloaded this app for the i-Phone immediately when I heard about it on Vogue.com. I was excited to see what they had to offer, seeing as there have been many different shopping/styling apps that preceded it.  Right away I noticed this app is definitely not for those of us who are practicing the “recessionista” lifestyle.

What this app does offer are four major features including a “Stylist” allowing you to flip through a few of the latest trends for this season and find what various upscale designers have backing that trend.

There is also a “Wardrobe” function allowing you take photos of clothing in your closet to pair with items you may find on the app. I don’t know who really has the time to sit and take and upload photos of their wardrobe in hopes of matching it with a very limited selection of pieces. And even if you DO it still isn’t worth it: you aren’t able to put anything together or side-by-side to see if the look works.

On to the “Shopping” tab where you browse through the different items listed for the respective designer and find the closest place to make a purchase. In theory this is a great idea, but when it tells me that the only place that I can buy 7 For All Mankind jeans near my 10011 zip is online, and I have a Seven For All Mankind store a few blocks from me, it makes me wonder what else they’re missing? Another set back, each designer only provides you with roughly five items you are able to “shop” through.

The semi-helpful “Search” engine can guide you to a specific designer or piece. For example, I searched “lipstick” and it gave me five different brands but all in a similar color because lipstick is paired only with the “Bright Lips” trend, so again very limited.

Overall, I give this app (in App Store rating style) a 2 out of 5 stars. I like that you can flip through and catch the latest trends, but it is very difficult to navigate through and not very practical or user friendly. 

DS recommends- skipping this download, and sticking with tried-and-true apps like Trendtracker and ShopStyle.

posted by: Afshaun

CFDA Announces 2010 Awards

Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang and Donna Karan were nominated for Womenswear Designer of the Year; and Alexis Bittar, Marc Jacobs and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler will vie for Accessory Designer of the Year at the ceremony widely known as the fashion Oscars at Lincoln Center on June 7.

“[This] is pretty major,” Bittar told Vogue magazine. “After 19 years of work, I’m recognized by my peers, which is super great.”

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN will be honored with a posthumous CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute award in June.

From Vogue.com. photo: ontheinside.info

posted by: FDB

Mulberry makes a comeback with the “Alexa” Bag

A best seller in London- and major revenue boost for the fashion company who is touting a 100% increase in demand, and major bump in sales. Apparently “It Girl”- Alexa Chung has done more for the brand than even past poster girls, Kate Moss and Sienna Miller.

From MTV VJ to Style Zeitgeist- Mulberry has Vogue to thank for her white-hot appeal. Having been at the top of their style list in December, Alexa’s star has risen to super-nova status almost overnight.

Photo (Alexa and her Alexa): DesignerHandbagHookup

posted by: FDB