MADONNA DOES DISHES TO STAY IN VOGUE

DOLCE & GABBANA - SPRING 2010

This is really a "Campaign Watch" article, but I couldn't resist the temptation..   Madonna doing dishes is just too good of an opportunity to pass up.   The queen of re-invention is once again the star of a major fashion campaign for Spring 2010 as she works the kitchen for Dolce & Gabbana.  DOLCE & GABANNA - SPRING 2010

Madonna was just the face of Louis Vuitton, not for one, but two consecutive seasons.   Marc Jacobs was over the moon to have Madonna star in the campaigns back to back.   They were photographed together at parties, Madonna attended Marc's Spring fashion show, - clearly fashion friends.  THEN, Madonna posed for Dolce.  Friendship over.   Marc was quoted as saying that he doesn't want Madonna at his Fall 2010 fashion show - and that she was never invited to the last show.  The designer said she called and said she was coming - so what could he do?   What could he do?  How about not have her star in the campaign of the French fashion house you have creative control over?  Anyway, back to the Dolce Ads.

Madonna looks beautiful as she channels Sophia Loren in an homage to Sicilian cinema in Dolce & Gabbana's Spring campaign.   There is a sensuality and passion in the pictures that capture the era of the great Italian cinema of the 50's.  Cleavage and Pasta -now THATS Italian!  Like Cher, Madonna has continued to "Turn Back Time" year after year.   The latest images give her an other - worldly glow of youth and vitality.       

DOLCE & GABBANA - SPRING 2010Bravo D&G, you obviously got the attention of the fashion crowd - or at least of one fashion designer!  Bravo too to Madonna.  In a year when Lady GaGa has stolen her thunder from even the most die-hard fans, Madonna remains current in fashion mags around the world with this main line campaign.

ULTIMATE HAMPTONS TAG SALE!

**UPDATE**  Due to expected rain, sale moved to Sunday Aug. 23rd.. ** 

I'm in the South of France for my summer escape, but my ear is still to the ground for happenings in NYC.   The Ultimate Fashion Tag sale is happening this Saturday in the Hamptons.    Uber stylist and fashion diva Rebecca Weinberg is cleaning house and she decided to have her friends join in.  The result is the coolest bunch of merchandise you will see at a sale this year!  

Keep in mind, these are not designer sample discards, but the coolest pieces chosen by the hottest fashion stylist around.REBECCA WEINBERG

If you don't know, Rebecca was responsible for several seasons of the fab looks on Sex & The City.   Rebecca, with then partner Pat Fields shaped the characters into the fashion icons they became!  (Knowing Rebecca I must say her personal style ended up on screen - especially on SJP episode after episode).  You have also seen her in front of the camera as a judge on America's Next Top Model.  A natural on-camera, behind the scenes is where she flourishes, shaping the looks of commercials, campaigns, etc.

If you are in the Hamptons next weekend, start your Saturday with a coffee and then shop the sale.

WHAT: Ultimate Tag Sale / Clothing, Cavalli, Fretti, Dolce, etc. Tons of Shoes, Accessories....

WHEN: Saturday Aug 22

WHERE: 307 Butter lane in Bridgehampton
Behind (west) railroad station

Clothes include hi fashion dead stock
Cavalli, frette, Dolce, Chanel, etc.
Tons of shoes clothing accessories... 

only the cool kids will know about it!  Happy Hamptons!

Reporting from St. Raphael, France.. Au Revoir

** UPDATE**  -Due to expected rain on Saturday.. sale now happening SUNDAY AUG. 23..same time, same place.. now with even more great stuff!!!

ARMANI vs. D&G - ITALIAN DESIGNER GRUDGE MATCH

With all the urgent matters on the minds of everyone with a pulse - what are Italian designers Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana worried about?   Global Warming? No.  Economic Recession?   Try Again.   Ooh, I know - the insane sanitation problem plaguing Southern Italy - you know the one you would expect to see in a developing country like India - not Italy?  Not even close.   No, the issue that has the two houses slinging snarky comments back and forth ladies and gentlemen.... Quilted Pants.   Yes.. Quilted pants , for men no less.   DOLCE & GABBANA FALL 2009

Giorgio Armani threw the first punch (more like the first bitch slap) when he accused designers -Domenico Dolce and Steffano Gabbana of copying the quilted pants Armani showed in his previous collection on their runway for Fall 2009.   I know what your thinking...  I don't know if I should yawn or laugh as I type this story!  D&G shot back by saying that they are inspired by the spirit of Sicily when they design and that Armani has never been an inspiration to them.   They duo were actually much ruder with their retort and made it clear they don't like the Armani esthetic.     We shouldn't be surprised to see Mr. Armani assert himself.   Anyone who saw those recent pics of him beach side in St. Barth's knows this man has a nerve!  (think white speedo).

Say what you will about either house - they are both hugely successful.   Both have iconic collections known around the world.   However, lets pay respect where it is due.   Giorgio Armani is a legend.   He changed the way men all over the world dress.   He has inspired a generation of Men and Women with a sophisticated and sexy approach.    Armani designed the costumes for the movie American Gigilo which starred Richard Gere in 1980.   Men would never dress the same.   RICHARD GERE IN AMERICAN GIGILO The movie redefined how men could think about their own vanity and image.    American Gigilo liberated straight American men to think about fashion without a sense of embarrassment.    

Dolce & Gabbana have always been known for their forward thinking and boundary pushing ideas in the realm of menswear and advertising.   Out and Proud - the two have made sexuality part of the image from the start.   While their designs are edgy and sexy for sure - there is a clear difference between the two collections.   Armani is all about class and D&G are just more crass.     Giorgio is a gentleman.   His legions of celebrity fans look to him for classic beauty season after season.   Dolce & Gabbana behave more like the contestants on a reality show.    They travel with body guards as if they were Madonna on tour.   As I've reported here before - the two even kept their storm troopers in force in the showroom in NYC the last two times they visited.   The goons menaced the staff who were working the sales market - and everyone was told not to look at the designers.   Are you kidding me???   The company actually closed the showroom at the end of 2008, opting to open a much smaller press office in NYC and sell the collection in Milan going forward.    Oddly,  just as the duo closed the showroom - they purchased a penthouse apartment near chelsea piers that won't be ready until the middle 0f 2009!

 So what is a fashionable guy to do - decisions, decisions.   Which pair of quilted pants do you buy?   This is an easy one - neither of course!  Ciao Bello!!