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Giles Deacon Officially In At Ungaro

Filed under: Apparel

It's been a rough year for Ungaro but could brighter days be ahead? Designer Giles Deacon has confirmed that he is the new creative director of Emanuel Ungaro. Deacon, who was employed by the fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci before launching is own line, could bing new life to the brand which has faltered a bit since Emanuel Ungaro himself retired in 2004. Last year Lindsay Lohan took a critically derided turn as artistic adviser for the brand and head designer Estrella Archs recently moved on.

Deacon, however, is optimistic. In an interview with Vogue UK Deacon expressed enthusiasm about his new line saying that it will take on a new design perspective and "hopefully we'll make it really interesting and relevant for people." His first Ungaro collection will launch in Paris in October. He describes the Ungaro woman. as very sexy, very French, chic and playful. His own designs have been colorful and a little avant garde, playing with patterns and proportion in some very attention-getting ways.

Tags: couture, fashion, giles deacon, ungaro

Lindsay Lohan Out At Ungaro?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Design

Last fall saw Lindsay Lohan walking the runway as she unveiled her new fashion collaboration with Ungaro. But while Lohan was in Paris for the shows recently she was not at the Ungaro presentation. Black Book reports that Ungaro owner Asim Adullah told WWD that Lohan was not invovled with the latest collection. It's not known if she has been officially let go. Reviews of Lohan's 1980s-inspired line were less than kind. The fashions included sequined heart pasties used not just to cover nipples but as forehead adornment, neon colors, harem pants and shoulder-baring tops recalling the very worst of 1980s fashion. But perhaps the outrage was preferable to the distinct lack of excitement over Ungaro's latest offerings. Booth Moore of the LA Times says that while the collection was probably better for the being Lohanless, the print blouses, cropped pants and ruched cocktail dresses by Estrella Archs were inoffensive but not very exciting. Is it better to be crazy and derided or predictable and forgettable? We'll have to wait and see if Ungaro decides to let Lindsay back at the drawing board.

UPDATE: Lindsay Lohan confirmed that she is no longer with Ungaro and made a mysterious reference to "legal things" that are going on with the deal.

Tags: estrella archs, lindsay lohan, paris fashion week, ungaro

Lindsay Lohan Jumping Back Into Fashion Design

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Design

Lindsay Lohan Jumping Back Into Fashion Design

Despite (or maybe in spite of) being slammed in the fall for her Ungaro fashion collection, sometime actress and more often tabloid fodder Lindsay Lohan plans to get it together in 2010 and keep on designing. WWD reported that Lohan is set to expand her leggings label, 6126, to a full-fledged contemporary apparel line for fall 2010, with more lifestyle brand extensions planned for 2011. This will be in addition to her role as artistic adviser at Ungaro.

Kristi Kaylor, principal in 6126 LLC in Beverly Hills, and Henri Levy, chief executive officer of Los Angeles' DNAM Apparel, which will manufacture the line under license, spoke exclusively to WWD about the expansion: "We've had amazing success with the leggings line," said Kaylor. "We have a great business with Neiman Marcus and several hundred great specialty stores. [DNAM Apparel] was the perfect partner to work with 6126 and grow it as a lifestyle brand. We're launching the full clothing collection next year, and a cosmetics line, handbags, shoes, jewelry in spring 2011."

The fall 2010 apparel line will comprise 100 pieces (spring 2011 will be 150) wholesaling from $18 for basic leggings to $300 for a leather jacket. Average retail price points will fall between $100 and $150. The 6126 leggings currently retail from $68 to $120. Fabrics will include the same Modal and lace used in the leggings, plus cashmere and leather.

The line will retail where the leggings currently sell: Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom and specialty stores nationwide, plus Harrods, Lane Crawford, Kitson Japan and Isetan internationally.

Tags: 6126, celebrity design, celebrity fashion, CelebrityDesign, CelebrityFashion, fashion, leggings, lindsay lohan, LindsayLohan, Linsdsay Lohan, LinsdsayLohan, Ungaro

The Fashion Statement: Paris Celebrates Halloween Early?

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

Far be it from me to criticize designers when they get creative, try something new or push the envelope. That's fashion.

But, is it me, or are designers presenting collections in Paris this week getting downright costume-y? More than a few of them have gone from subtle references in their collections to frighteningly literal representations of sea creatures, Roman gladiators or whatever else inspires them.

Take Louis Vuitton's show yesterday. Marc Jacobs used giant Afro wigs-the kind you'd pick up on the Halloween aisle-in his presentation. Disappointingly, the Afros were the only things unifying the collection comprised of everything but the kitchen sink (Davy Crockett fur, American Indian accessories, military looks, hippie, club kid, etc.).

Alexander McQueen called his show Plato's Atlantis. With hair sculpted into reptilian fins, models walked by in oversize platformed shoes that looked like heads-scary in more ways than one (you could probably break an ankle in those things). Reptilian patterns, scales and otherworldly silhouettes brought home the idea that we all came from ancient creatures of the deep.

It was a chainsaw massacre at Viktor & Rolf. Paying homage to the economy, the duo took a chainsaw to tulle gowns, cocktail gowns and jackets. To be fair, you expect this sort of thing from these fashion pranksters. These guys have been poking fun at the industry for years (and laughing all the way to the bank).

Gallery: The Fashion Statement 10/08/09

Tags: Alexander McQueen, AlexanderMcqueen, Balenciaga, Lindsay Lohan, LindsayLohan, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, Marc Jacobs, MarcJacobs, nicolas ghesquiere, NicolasGhesquiere, Paris fashion week, ParisFashionWeek, Ungaro, Viktor Rolf, ViktorRolf

Continue reading “The Fashion Statement: Paris Celebrates Halloween Early?”

Lindsay Lohan's Ungaro Fashions Widely Panned

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Design

In recent years celebrities popped out fashion lines nearly every time you turned around. And every luxury brand seemed to have a movie star in its ad campaign. Then the recession came along and suddenly a lot of those lines folded and fashion campaign deals went to the models. But could the tide be changing yet again? It looks like some celebrities are turning back toward collaborations with high-end brands. At Paris Fashion Week Lindsay Lohan unveiled her new fashion collaboration with Ungaro. Lohan already has her own leggings line, 6126 and was announced as the new creative director of the fashion house three weeks ago. She has since been working with head designer Estrella Archs on the quickie collection and the two ended the show by strolling out onto the catwalk together. So far the reviews of the 1980s-inspired line have been less than kind. WWD called it "cheesy and dated" and others took issue with the lines use of sequined heart pasties used not just to cover nipples but as forehead adornment. Neon colors, harem pants and shoulder-baring tops recalled the very worst of 1980s fashion. Earlier this year, my colleague Kristin Taylor Young questioned whether or not celebrity designs made a mockery of fashion, clearly in this case many people think the answer is yes.

Lohan might not be the only one to step into high fashion. Today the Daily Mail reported that Sarah Jessica Parker may be the new face of Halston. Sarah Jessica Parker also had a clothing line "Bitten" which has shut down. She may front the Spring 2010 campaign for US fashion label Halston with the ads set to appear around the time "Sex and the City 2" opens. Parker's design chops are a little more advanced than Lohan's so if she decides to step back into the design studio hopefully the results will be a bit more promising.

Gallery: Lindsay Lohan's Ungaro Fashion Line