THE LEGENDARY JEAN PAUL GAULTIER TO LEAVE THE LEGENDARY HERMES?

Hermes won't confirm it, but rumours have leaked that Creative Director, Jean Paul Gaultier is resigning this year. True or false?

paris - sidebar: have you lot noticed that my use of the word legendary is well...legendary? but i digress....the web is whispering that iconic designer, jean paul gaultier is resigning from hermes. in fact, the spring 2010 show in paris this october is meant to be his last. gaultier is currently creative director of the luxury house, while simultaneously designing his own eponymous ready to wear and couture line. he's headed hermes for the past six - very successful years. under his direction, sales have skyrocketed, despite the rocky retail climate. to make matters messier, hermes actually owns a 35% stake in gaultier's brand. so even if he leaves, they will remain connected by the financial ties that bind. (how i wish i had a sponsor to buy and bind me financially. but i digress...) and yet...i almost don't believe this. a part of me almost believes that this could be a negotiating tactic. whats going on behind those crocodile berkin doors? is gaultier trying to angle for more money? in a few days, or weeks, we'll know.

[image via fashion magazine.com]

POST CARDS FROM KENT: DESIGNER NANA BOATENG

Historically, August has been the month for the fashion set to withdraw and vacation on their island or continent of choice in an attempt to re-charge for the brutal September grind (aka fashion weeks all over the place!) One of our favorite designers, Nana Boateng, followed suit and checked in with us while on vacay.


england - kent is a county in southeast england with a fine reputation. the abundance of orchards and gardens in the region have lent to it being called, "england's garden," and so it's no wonder menswear designer, nana boateng, opted to choose it for his summer holiday. the beverly hills based, ghanian born clothier has been staying in a country home there for the past seven weeks. as he tells the blay report though, it's certainly not a case of all play and no work. in fact he's been sneaking in business trips across the channel to france and to the london. expect lots of new developments come fall. but in the meantime, i beg, get into his athletic-chic get up. it makes me want to play a sport myself, or at least watch men do it. i'm sure my good friend laila would agree.

WAIT - DIDN'T THIS HAPPEN AGES AGO? ESTEBAN CORTAZAR OFFICIALLY LEAVES UNGARO

paris - gosh, i think i'm almost at the point where i don't even care about this story anymore. (but the key word here is almost.) fashion's open secret has finally been confirmed: esteban cortazar, the 23 year old fashion wiz, is officially leaving the house of ungaro. (still confused as to how he found his way there in the first place, but more on this later.) c.e.o of ungaro, mounir moufarrige, confirmed the rift to womens wear daily today. no word was given as to why, only that it was a very mutual decision. okay. the 23 year-old designer, and the decades old designer label need the same thing: guidance, direction, and a long hiatus before making the next move. good luck to them both.

BLAYREPORT VLOG: HOW TO BE AN ASSISTANT STYLIST, AN INTERVIEW WITH TERRENCE PHEARSE

new york - terrence phearse is not only my beloved # 2 at the blay report, but a seasoned assistant stylist who has worked on many runway show in his native texas. now in new york, he is branching out into all categories of the fashion industry, including working with me on my latest photo shoot as an assistant. as the shoot was winding down, i pulled him aside for a quick q&a on what he does, how he does it and ofcourse had to ask: does he love it!? it is a two part series ( i love grandiose terms, for minute realities!). check it out.

BLAYREPORT VLOG: INTERVIEWING BLOGGER & DESIGNER SAMANTHA SMIKLE

brooklyn, new york - i swear i'm such a journalist nerd. honestly, i'm a geek. you know why? because things like this make me happy: being one of the first to discover an amazing talent and interview them. i experienced that the other day with samantha smikle, the blogger behind one of my favorite ones - omowrites.blogspot.com - and an accessories designer. during a stroll through brooklyn the other weekend, i bumped into her and spotted an amazing pair of glasses she wore. smikle was kind enough - and smart enough - to give them to me. since then, i've worn them every single day and there isn't an hour that goes by when someone doesn't ask me where i got the glasses or where they can purchase them. well check out how to do both in my one on one interview with samantha below. and honestly, do you like the glasses? let me know!

BLAYREPORT VLOG: INTERVIEW WITH MAKE UP ARTIST, MARGINA DENNIS

new york - one of the joys of being in this industry is coming across truly dynamic people who are just as amazing personally as they are professionally. case in point: makeup artist margina dennis, of new york city. a look at her online portfolio, www.marginadennis.com, reveals a body of work that extends from advertising campaigns to editorial shoots. in fact, we met at one: a photo shoot for paper magazine. after a few times working together and observing her awesome talent, friendly personality and amazing smile, i approached her about a quick interview for the blay report. and here it is blaynistas! we chat about everything from her career to advice for folks who might be interested.

BEHOLD THE NEW FACE OF BALMAIN: POLISH MODEL ANJA RUBIK, 24

VIKTOR & ROLF'S NEW CEO IS VERY CHIC

paris - excuse me, is that totally unprofessional? but she is! don't you agree? her name is birgit adels (she is second from right and is wearing the cinched waist black dress with exposed shoulders) and she is a former top exec at both prada and e.m.i music. she is scheduled to start at the c.e.o of luxury house, viktor and rolf within the month. judging from her exemplary track record at previous companies, this is poised to be a new and prosperous era for v&r. zandile blay

photo via emi.com

BAILEY AND MASSENET ARE OFFICIALLY FASHION ROYALTY

london, england - i will always, always wonder how this feels: to be honored by your queen and country, not for your significant contribution, not in science, or politics - but fashion. that, my dear blaynistas, is the true epitome of fabulosity. but i digress (slightly.) christopher bailey, creative director at burberry and natalie massenet, founder of netaporter.com have been honored by the queen of england for their contribution to the u.k's fashion industry. the official title bequeathed upon them is an MBE or member of the order of the british empire. what's the equivilant in america? can uncle obama start giving out purple hearts for professionals in the fashion industry? lord knows it's a battle field. zandile blay

HOW DID I FORGET TO POST THIS? MARIOS SCHWAB HEADS TO HALSTON

new york - the news has been circulating online for a while now and i loved it the moment i read it: marios schwab is heading to halston to become it's new creative director. he will be the first creative director of the rejuvenated halston brand since marco zanini left roughly a year ago. the designer will be moving to new york from london for the gig, while still continue to produce and show his name sake line in london. so blaynistas, how do you feel abou this news? personally i think its legend. schwab is a brilliant designer, and halston is a brand i have a severe fondness of. it is to me, an epitome of a genuine american luxury label. will schwab sink or swim in this venture? i almost want to say 50/50. but i'm hopeful as to me, he is stronger equipped for this position (though not necessarily more talented for it) than zanini was. in a recent interview he said, "Of course I feel the pressure. It's a huge challenge but fashion at the moment needs innovation. . . I'm just trying to be humble and see a nice challenge. It's going to take time." time will tell. let's keep our eyes glued on this one. zandile blay

images marios courtesy of vogue.co.uk; vintage halston photo circa 1977 courtesy of mediabistro.com

ASDA POACHES TOP MARKS & SPENCER EXECS

london - so clearly, uk supermarket chain asda made a pass at two marks & spencer execs and scored. it's been announced that arman ajemil and steve jackson, both former execs at m&s will now have senior roles at george, a subsidiary of asda. marks and spencer management must be gagging - just a little!  zandile blay

photo: arsshopping.com

THIS IS KINDA CUTE: ANN SOFIE BACK TO BECOME HEAD DESIGNER AT CHEAP MONDAY

stockholm - i am actually beyond delighted with this post, because this is a perfect fit: ann sofie back ( a fellow csm graduate) is moving to stockholm after ten years in london to take over the head design role for cheap monday. as you may/may not know, cheap monday's are legend for being fashion forward, well made and umm...cheap (think an average of $80). back's mission is to create a stronger identity for cheap monday, which i'm assuming means she'll definitely be taking them further away from their denim roots. we'll see during the spring/summer 2011 collection, which is scheduled to be her first. in the interim, back will continue her name sake and diffusion lines and will still show during london fashion week. zandile blay

ann sofie back with a model in her own designs via thefashionspot.com

JUST HAD TO SHARE: VISUALS FROM NIGEL BARKER'S NEW BOOK

new york - so in two hours i will be interviewing nigel barker, one of the judges of america's next top model. of course i will ask questions about the show, but the primary purpose is his edgy new photo exhibit: moon warriors which was shot in the frigid cold on mannequins. i know...interesting. can't wait to question him. in meantime, feast your eyes on these photos. thoughts? 

OHMYGAHNESS!! PHEOBE PHILO IS NOW AT CELINE

paris - damn! i've been wondering what the heck phoebe philo - former creative director at chloe - had been up to. last i heard she was focusing on mommyhood. now comes news that she's landed an equally spectacular focus: celine. lvmh president, barnard arnault, has tapped her as creative director of the brand. as fashionista.com says, for the last three years celine has languished in a very unspectacular place since michael kors left. i anticipate this will change with phoebe now on board.  

photo:fashiontribes.com

THE V&A DEBUTS A NEW BOOK ON BILL GIBB

london - are you familiar with bill gibb? in the 1970s just about everyone was. from biana jagger to twiggy to elizabeth taylor, a laundry list of celebs in america and europe were devoted to him. his legendary knitwear pieces were of such high standerd that they bordered on couture and his work has been honored with exhibits at the louvre in paris and london's victoria & albert museum. now a book, published by the v&a is set to debut titled bill gibb's moment in time and fashion. it is written by central saint martins professor ian r webb and includes a forward by twiggy. the debut of the book will coincide with a brand new exhibit of gibb's work which will debut at the v&a in october. i love that museum!

photos: above left, a picture of bill gibb dressed from the national galleries. above right, a dress by bill gibb from liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

OKAY, THIS IS WHY I BLOG ABOUT FASHION: CHRISTIAN SIRIANO OF PROJECT RUNWAY DEBUTS A MATERNITY COLLECTION CALLED "FIERCE"

worldwide - yep. fierce. that's what its called. let's just pause for a second and really give thought to this eclectic name choice................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... are you done? i'm still pondering, but the blog must go on! so according to news sources, siriano, who won the last season of project runway has teamed up with maternity wear label, moody mamas for a special capsule collection. it is all set to go on sale on moodymamas.com in spring of 2009. as much as i want to laugh at the name and the concept, you can't deny that these clothes (see the sketches) are actually....fierce. maybe the name choice isn't such an odd one.

WAIT, THERE'S A FEUD BETWEEN NINA GARCIA OF PROJECT RUNWAY AND ANN SLOWEY OF STYLISTA?

new york - many of my adored blaynistas are amazing magazine industry professionals and fashion writers, so I KNOW you will appreciate reading new york magazine's article on the inner workings of elle magazine. the writer did an absolutely brilliant job charting the feud between nina garcia, who is pretty much a bona fide celebrity at this point and ann slowey, current editor of elle and star of the upcoming reality show stylista. it is a very juicy read and chances are it will remeind you of your own office. check it out here.






photos: above ann slowey in promo pics for stylista. below nina garcia in promo pics for project runway.

OHMYGAH! DID YOU KNOW MR. BLACKWELL WAS IN A COMA!?

new york - first, do you know mr. blackwell!? i hope so! he's the mature fashionista who has been producing the famed mr. blackwell's worst dressed list for years. according to nymag.com he slipped and fell while at home and arrived at the hospital in a coma. luckily he responded well to antibiotics and is now doing better. he's also 85 years old. now that i didn't know...

photo: nymag.com

WANT TO KNOW ABOUT A JUICY FASHION INTERNSHIP? LOG ON TO BLAY BEAUTY REPORT

new york - so blaynistas, i am trying to capitalize on a mistake. i meant to post about an amazing new internship with halston on this blog, but wrote about it on blay beauty report instead. go there now to see the deets on this awesome experience. 

photo: halston with models in his designs. mediabistro.com

FACCONABLE WOOS LAVIA FROM KENZO

paris - alberto lavia, c.e.o of kenzo, now holds the same position at french label, facconable. the announcement was made on tuesday. he replaces mark brashear who held the same spot for six years and quit last year.


photosource: perfil.com