VALENTINO GARAVANIValentino is a master of elegance and opulence. In business since 1960, the Italian designer made his mark early on creating luxurious gowns with intricate detailing and tastefully body-conscious silhouettes. The fabrics tend to be both delicate and rich—laces, chiffons, and silk crepe, along with wool, leather, and suede. Valentino has long been popular among European royalty, American socialites, and celebrities. While his new creations get a great deal of attention—and requests, especially around red-carpet time—many also collect his vintage dresses, like the black gown with white piping Julia Roberts wore to accept her Oscar in 2001. The menswear collection is known for sharp, classic tailoring.
Distinctively sexy and beautiful. Valentino has been popular with famous, well-dressed women for more than four decades, including Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Naomi Watts, Claire Danes, Gwen Stefani, Lindsay Lohan, and Gwenyth Paltrow.
DONATELLA VERSACEFashion Designer Gianni Versace was born in 1946 in Reggio Calabria, Italy, he became victim of a cold-blooded murder on the 16th July, 1997. In the early days, his mother supported the family with her small tailor-shop. There, Versace learned everything about making clothes and soon he designed apparel himself, which was sold in his mother's shop. Then, Versace acquired additional skills working in fabric procurement positions. He got his first chance to show his skills when designing a collection for Fiori Fiorentini, a Lucca, Italy based company in 1972.In the following, Versace designed for the Italian fashion labels De Parisi, Genny (for whom he would later be working again), Callaghan, Alma, and then for Complice in 1974. The work for Complice, which he fully conceived himself marked the first occasion where his own name was included in the brand name.In 1978, Versace opened his first boutique in Milan's Via della Spiga, still selling other labels to complement his own collections. Soon, with the growing popularity of the Versace style, boutiques started to spread across the globe. In 1985, Versace added the Instante label to his fashion empire. Similar in style to Versace couture, but targeted at a less affluent and younger crowd. The Versace-style has become a trademark of its own. If one seeks to characterize Versace, you can always point to Giorgio Armani. Versace is everything Armani is not. He is known for striking colours, materials, and cuts. His collections for men and women are sexy to the point of vulgarity. On first sight his work seems to reflect the typical Italian grandezza. On second sight, he seemed to draw only from those images (like the neo-classicistic ornaments in his prints), pushing them to the limits, in order to question any prevailing common agreement on &qout;good taste".When designing new products, Versace gave only a vague sketch of his ideas. Then, his assistents were responsible for transforming them into wearable garments. Since his days as a fabric buyer, Versace enjoyed travelling. In his new creations, he incorporates the impressions he gains while travelling.In 1997, Versace was shot to death in front of his mansion in Miami, Florida. Gianni Versace's brother Santo Versace was announced the new CEO of the Versace holding. Gianni's sister Donatella Versace is the new head of design. Donatella was already in a creative position, designing for the Versus label. Sole heiress of Gianni Versace is Donatella's eleven year old daughter Allegra. Her son Daniel inherits Gianni's collection of paintings.
DOLCE & GABBANAFashion Designer Domenico Dolce was born September 13, 1958, in Polizzi Generosa a small village near Palermo, Sicily, and Stefano Gabbana was born November 14, 1962, in Venice, Italy (our picture shows Gabbana and Dolce). Dolce studied fashion design in Sicily and worked in his family's small clothing factory. But Gabbana had no fashion education; he had studied graphic design.Dolce and Gabbana met in 1980 when they were working as assistants in an atelier in Milan. When they started business together in 1982, they continued to do free-lance designing for others.Their first collection in 1986 won international acclaim, and their first boutique opened in 1989 in Japan. In 1990 they presented their first men's collection and opened their first women's boutique in Milan. That same year, the duo began designing the Complice line for the Genny Group in Milan (Complice had been designed by Versace from 1975 to 1981, and then by Claude Montana until 1987.) Scarves, ties, beachwear, perfume, and accessories were added in 1992.The company has just published a book called "10 Years of Dolce & Gabbana", illustrating the history of the designer duo through pictures of top fashion photographers. The duo also recently recorded a CD with dancefloor music under the D&G label. Selected Products* Dolce & Gabbana (men's and women's) * La Maglie di Dolce & Gabbana (knitwear), since 1986 * Dolce & Gabbana Beachwear, since 1989 * L'intimo di Dolce & Gabbana (lingerie), since 1989 * D&G (diffusion), since 1994, manufactured by Ittierra S.p.A. * Jeans, since 1995, manufactured by Ittierra S.p.A. * Basic (women's), until recently available only at Bergdorf's and in Milan * Dolce & Gabbana Occhiali, since 1996.
RALPH LAURENRalph Lauren was born Ralph Rueben Lifshitz in the south of New York City borough of The Bronx to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants Fraydl (Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter.[citation needed]
From a young age, he started working after school to earn money to buy suits. The four-year younger Calvin Klein, lived in the same Bronx neighborhood, but it is not known if they ever met while living there.
Lauren attended the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School followed by MTA (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy), before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957.[citation needed] In MTA Lauren was known by his classmates for selling ties to his fellow students. In his Clinton yearbook he stated under his picture that he wanted to be a millionaire.[citation needed] Other notables who attended this school include Burt Lancaster, Robert Klein, and Stan Lee. At age 16, Ralph's brother Jerry changed their last name from Lifshitz to Lauren (his brother Lenny retained the name Lifshitz for many years).
He went to the Baruch College (of the City University of New York) where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years. From 1962 to 1964, he served in the United States Army. After his discharge, in 1968, he married Ricky Low-Beer. He did not attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman. In 1967, with the financial backing of Norman Hilton, Lauren opened a necktie store where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label "Polo". He later purchased this name from Hilton. Lauren's fashion empire has since grown into a billion-dollar business.
In 1984 he transformed the Rhinelander Mansion, former home of the photographer Edgar de Evia and Robert Denning, into the flagship store for Polo Ralph Lauren. This same year de Evia photographed the cover feature story for House & Garden on the Lauren home Round Hill in Jamaica[1], which had formerly been the home of Babe and Bill Paley.[2]
In the middle of the 1990s, Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RL.
Ralph and his wife, Ricky, have two sons and a daughter: Andrew (b. 1969 in New York City, New York), David (b. 1971), and Dylan Lauren (b. May 1974 in New York City, New York. David is an executive at Polo Ralph Lauren and Dylan owns and operates an upscale candy store, Dylan's Candy Bar, at 59th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. Ricky appeared on the television show Martha on December 10th 2006 and stated that her son Andrew is in the "movie business".
Lauren is the subject of several biographies (written by Jeffrey Trachtenberg, Michael Gross and Colin MacDowell).
Stella McCartneyThe daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, Stella McCartney, born in 1972, hardly had a chance to be ordinary. At just 15, she was already working with fashion heavyweight Christian Lacroix on his first couture collection. She later went on to study fashion design in London, garnering plenty of attention at her graduation show for employing friends Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss as models. After launching her own line, McCartney signed on as chief designer at Chloe, the French couture house. Her collection of delicate, feminine clothing was positively received by the fashion world, boosting Chloe's sales and reputation and proving that McCartney wasn't just gliding by on her name. She left Chloe, however, in 2001 to develop her own label as part of the Gucci group, and opened her New York store in 2002. McCartney's line blends frilly elements like pastel silks and ribbons with street-worthy rocker accents, like slasher-tees and industrial zippers. All clothes are animal-free, inc.
Betsey JohnsonNot for the fashion faint of heart, the Betsey Johnson collection has the same whimsical, over-the-top exuberance as its spirited namesake designer—a woman who cartwheels down the end of her fashion show runways. Founded in 1978 with ex-model Chantal Bacon, in conjunction with their first Soho retail store, Johnson’s eponymous label remains true to its original vision, and now boasts a network of stores worldwide. In business nearly 30 years, the designer recently purchased a Mexican hotel and added an infant-to-young girls collection to the company. The “original wild child,” Johnson still owns the majority of her organic homegrown label and continues to pull the strings as dramatically as she wants. Colorful and capricious, a celebration of exuberance. Froth, embellishment, detail and sexiness describe the clothes, which can range from pink tulle ballerina skirts to silver micro-minis, floral-patterned stretch lace tanks and embroidered lace dresses. It’s a collection that’s embraced by both the prom-going set and long-time fans that are all grown-up. Now in her 60s, Johnson, seems unstoppable, and the awards continue to pile up: In 1999, the CFDA created the Timeless Talent Award just for her, and in 2002, she was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame on New York City’s Seventh Avenue.
Alexander McQueenWith his continually provocative shows and outrageous designs, Alexander McQueen has solidified his reputation as the bad boy of fashion. The designer's potent mix of controversy, creativity, and technical mastery has earned him three British Designer of the Year awards and a faithful celebrity following (fans include David Bowie and Prodigy's Keith Flint). Born to a taxi driver in London's East End, the self-described "pink sheep of the family" became an apprentice for Savile Row tailors Anderson & Sheppard at 16. After working for Romeo Gigli in Milan, McQueen returned to study at St. Martin's College in London. His exquisite tailoring and inventive designs caught the attention of fashion legend Isabella Blow who bought his entire student collection and became his patron. McQueen soon launched his own label and made instant headlines with a racy, theatrical collection entitled Highland Rape that included his infamous low-cut "bumster" pants. In 1996 he was named the role of chief designer at Givenchy. Feeling creatively stifled by the couture house, whose founder he dismissed as "irrelevant," McQueen left Givenchy in 2000 and has since joined the Gucci group.
Marc JacobsJacobs launched his namesake line in 1986 and then in 2001 debuted another critically acclaimed collection, Marc by Marc Jacobs, a collection of comparatively affordable edgy and retro mass-market pieces. His accompanying accessory lines—bags loaded with pockets or buckles, round-toed boots, pointed flats, metallic evening shoes—garner attention and in-store waiting lists every season.
Bright colors, oversize prints, layered looks, empire lines, rugby stripes, oversize bows and buttons, and pretty, prom-like party dresses. Luxury French house Louis Vuitton, taken with Jacob's strong self assurance, hired him to design their first ready-to-wear line in 1997.
Bright colors, oversize prints, layered looks, empire lines, rugby stripes, oversize bows and buttons, and pretty, prom-like party dresses. Luxury French house Louis Vuitton, taken with Jacob's strong self assurance, hired him to design their first ready-to-wear line in 1997.
John GallianoPart romantic, part maverick, Galliano is as revered for his fantastical imagination as for his deft design skills. His collections are stupendous mixes of nostalgia, a jumbling together of historic eras and references founded on expertly precise and technical tailoring; think ‘30s-style bias-cut gowns and impeccably tailored suits that manage to look as much a part of the future as the past. No longer plagued by the unstable financial backing of a decade ago, Galliano is now part of the stable of luxury designer firms held by French conglomerate LVMH. In 1995, LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault tapped Galliano as chief designer of Givenchy—controversial, as he was the first Brit to hold the post—then deposited him two years later as head of design at Christian Dior. Galliano now creates some dozen collections a year, including couture, ready-to-wear, accessories and eyewear for Dior, as well as directing his own eponymous label.
The Look
A clash of historical eras, a fantasy of theatrics and thoroughly modern technical skills. Infamous looks include the fragile 1930’s style bias-cut gowns based on Princess Lucretia and her escape from Russia, and the pristinely tailored suits from the Fall ’05 collection reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich. White pants cut on the bias slenderize the leg; jackets pin-tucked to the waist explode in a bloom of marabou-trimmed ruffles at a portrait neckline.
Born in Gibraltar in 1960, John Galliano attended the prestigious Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London. His 1984 graduate collection, the French Revolution-themed “Les Incroyables,” was bought in its entirety by Joan Burstein, owner of the Browns, London boutique—an unheard of endorsement for a newcomer; even more success came when the collection sold out. In 1988, Galliano was named British Designer of the Year, and in 2001 he was knighted, receiving a CBE on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The eclectic Galliano has dressed everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales (in a dark blue lace-edged evening gown) and Cate Blanchett (her 1999 Academy Awards dress featured embroidered flowers and a tattoo-like hummingbird) to burlesque diva Dita Von.
TOM FORD
Ford was born in Austin, TX and grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he graduated from Santa Fe Preparatory School in 1979. After studying at NYU and then Parsons School of Design in 1986, initially having studied architecture, he took design jobs with Cathy Hardwick and Perry Ellis.
Ford and his partner, journalist Richard Buckley, have been together for over 20 years. Buckley was the former Editor in Chief of Vogue Hommes International.
In 1990, Ford was hired by Gucci's then creative director Dawn Mello as chief women's ready-to-wear designer, and later appointed design director. When, in 1994, Gucci was acquired by a Bahrain-based investment firm called Investcorp, Ford was promoted to creative director and moved to Milan with his partner, journalist Richard Buckley. In his first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the glamour back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots. In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new, modern ad campaigns for the company. By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Ford joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion.
When Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint-Laurent, Ford was named the creative director of that label as well. During his time as Creative Director for YSL, Ford won numerous Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. Like his work at Gucci, Ford was able to catapult the classic fashion house back into the mainstream.
In April 2004, Ford parted company with the Gucci group after he and CEO Domenico de Sole, who is credited as Ford's partner in the success story that is Gucci, failed to agree with PPR bosses over creative control of the Group. His final show for YSL was a celebrity-studded affair as fans, including fellow designers Diane von Furstenberg, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney gathered to support and celebrate Ford's work.
Having made no secret of the fact that he didn't expect to be designing forever, Ford was rumoured to be making a beeline for Hollywood when his Gucci reign came to an end.
Following his departure from Gucci (and YSL), Ford opened the fashion house, Tom Ford.[1] Beginning with accessories, Ford laid the groundwork for his swiftly-growing fashion empire. While all facets of his label have been received incredibly well, his line of eyewear were the first of his collection to really take-off, with virtually every celebrity from Brad Pitt, Lindsay Lohan, and Madonna to Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Aniston and Sally Field being huge fans of his eyewear collections.
On multiple occasions, George Clooney has stated his fondness for Ford's menswear designs. While the Council of Fashion Designers of America has yet to recognize Ford's new fashion house, the likes of a nomination will be possible when the Tom Ford label broadens its designs to cover womenswear, a direction Ford has already mapped out.
The Tom Ford line now covers Menswear, Beauty, Eyewear, and both Men and Women's Accessories.
Ford's first 'Tom Ford' flagship store opened on April 12, 2007 at 845 Madison Avenue in New York City. The store carries his new, high level luxury menswear, including suits, ties, shirts, knitwear, outerwear, accessories, luggage and small leather goods. The clothing is exclusive to the Madison store and additional Tom Ford stores are planned to open worldwide including London, Milan, Tokyo and Los Angeles.[1] Launched in Fall 2006, Tom Ford Beauty is a luxury brand of fragrances comprising Tom Ford Black Orchid; Private Blend, a twelve-piece unisex fragrance collection; and a new men's scent, Tom Ford for Men. Each scent was designed and developed by the designer himself. In early 2006, Ford was asked to be the guest editor and creative director for the February 2006 Hollywood edition of Vanity Fair.
Ford and his partner, journalist Richard Buckley, have been together for over 20 years. Buckley was the former Editor in Chief of Vogue Hommes International.
In 1990, Ford was hired by Gucci's then creative director Dawn Mello as chief women's ready-to-wear designer, and later appointed design director. When, in 1994, Gucci was acquired by a Bahrain-based investment firm called Investcorp, Ford was promoted to creative director and moved to Milan with his partner, journalist Richard Buckley. In his first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the glamour back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots. In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new, modern ad campaigns for the company. By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Ford joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion.
When Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint-Laurent, Ford was named the creative director of that label as well. During his time as Creative Director for YSL, Ford won numerous Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards. Like his work at Gucci, Ford was able to catapult the classic fashion house back into the mainstream.
In April 2004, Ford parted company with the Gucci group after he and CEO Domenico de Sole, who is credited as Ford's partner in the success story that is Gucci, failed to agree with PPR bosses over creative control of the Group. His final show for YSL was a celebrity-studded affair as fans, including fellow designers Diane von Furstenberg, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney gathered to support and celebrate Ford's work.
Having made no secret of the fact that he didn't expect to be designing forever, Ford was rumoured to be making a beeline for Hollywood when his Gucci reign came to an end.
Following his departure from Gucci (and YSL), Ford opened the fashion house, Tom Ford.[1] Beginning with accessories, Ford laid the groundwork for his swiftly-growing fashion empire. While all facets of his label have been received incredibly well, his line of eyewear were the first of his collection to really take-off, with virtually every celebrity from Brad Pitt, Lindsay Lohan, and Madonna to Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Aniston and Sally Field being huge fans of his eyewear collections.
On multiple occasions, George Clooney has stated his fondness for Ford's menswear designs. While the Council of Fashion Designers of America has yet to recognize Ford's new fashion house, the likes of a nomination will be possible when the Tom Ford label broadens its designs to cover womenswear, a direction Ford has already mapped out.
The Tom Ford line now covers Menswear, Beauty, Eyewear, and both Men and Women's Accessories.
Ford's first 'Tom Ford' flagship store opened on April 12, 2007 at 845 Madison Avenue in New York City. The store carries his new, high level luxury menswear, including suits, ties, shirts, knitwear, outerwear, accessories, luggage and small leather goods. The clothing is exclusive to the Madison store and additional Tom Ford stores are planned to open worldwide including London, Milan, Tokyo and Los Angeles.[1] Launched in Fall 2006, Tom Ford Beauty is a luxury brand of fragrances comprising Tom Ford Black Orchid; Private Blend, a twelve-piece unisex fragrance collection; and a new men's scent, Tom Ford for Men. Each scent was designed and developed by the designer himself. In early 2006, Ford was asked to be the guest editor and creative director for the February 2006 Hollywood edition of Vanity Fair.
