PRADA GETS MORE TIME TO PAY BACK CASH

italy - it's strangely comforting to know that in these tough economic times even luxury brands like prada feel the pinch. the house was due to pay up 450 million euros to lenders this summer but has now been given an extention to 2012. this means that muiccia and her partner patrizio bertelli now have extra time - and most importantly - cash to invest within the company including expansion to more stores.





photo:miuccia prada, tpagent.com

NOT THIS AGAIN: CAVALLI BUCKLES ON BUSINESS DEAL

italy - a few months back, roberto cavalli announced he was selling a 30% stake in his company, only to reneg on his announcement soon after. the problem has been in the value of the company. cavalli values it at a much higher price than what investment companies looking to buy a piece of his pie do. the cycle repeats itself with clessidra, a hedge fund company which signed an intent to buy deal with cavalli back in june. now comes word that talks have broken down. cavalli is adamant that his company is worth 3.1 billion, while clessidra maintains that the work is 1.2 billion. the back and forth on price has led to a stalemate. this may or may not be permanent, but either way cavalli's need for a white knight remains. stay tuned, till the next episode.


photo: roberto cavalli; bauer-griffin

VOGUE ITALIA GOES BACK TO BLACK....ARE YOU SURPRISED?

italy - i mean, after what i am guessing was an enourmous amount of buzz, publicity and most importantly - advertising dollars - the italian edition of vogue is relaunching it's iconic "all black issue." if you remember (but then again, how could you forget!) the issue featured black models, from front to back in addition to features that highlighted trends and personalities in the black community. a year later, a highly anticipated follow up is in the works. weeks before it launches, they've leaked the news of a special insert which will be included: barbie - and ofcourse, not just any barbie - black barbie! the insert looks back on the history of the dolls which first launched in 1967. the issue is currently out on newsstands, so run - don't walk - to pick it up.

OH SNAP! SHE'S STILL DOING THIS: LINDSAY LOHAN DEBUTS NEW FORNARINA ADS

italy - i mean, honestly this whole lindsay lohan for fornarina situation is just weird to me. when i look at her ads for the company the intended message (chic, trendy, party girl jeans) does not translate. instead, i just see a struggling actress who is doing whatever she can for coins in these tough economic times. the phrase, "i'm just doing this for the check," just leaps off the pages when i look at these pictures. besides this, there is the further tragedy of the art direction, styling and actual product. it's wrong on so many levels. the only thing that makes it right - i hope - is a fat paycheck for lohan. but i digres...the news of the day is: yes, lohan is still the face of this italian denim company (ofcourse it's italian - no offense to my amazing italian readers! i live for you!), and the photos are from the company's fall 2009 campaign.

DO YOU SHOP AT REPLAY? WELL WE'VE GOT NEWS FOR YOU!

www - replay is now available to purchase online!!! zerogrey has inked a deal with italian denim giant (yeah, i never knew they were italian either) to manage replay's new e-commerce site. now fan's of the jeans can view products, check availability and of course purchase them from www.shop.replay.it or log on directly to replay's homepage. in addition fun features like sharing with friends or posting on your facebook will be available on the site. zandile blay

ad campaign for replay; image via burnio.com

DID YOU KNOW THAT DOLCE & GABBANA AND MARIMEKKO WERE FEUDING?

italy - boy is that news to me. apparently, dolce & gabbana began using a red flower pattern in their merchandise similar to one trademarked by marimekko. the poppy pattern is called unikko. the finnish textile company clearly plays no games when it comes to their sought after patterns and promptly sued d&g. now the case has been settled out of court and d&g has agreed to pay the appropriate fees.


image via designfinland.com

CAVALLI COMPLETELY CALLS OF SALE OF HIS COMPANY

italy - so we sort of knew this already when earlier this year the italian designer called of talks with companies interested in buying his company. now he's cut off talks with the main company involved with selling his comopany - merrill lynch. the bottom line turned out to be money. merrill lynch valued the company at around 1 bllion euros, while cavalli and company firmly believe the company should have been valued around 2 billion. so what does this mean for the future sale of the company? i think i will be a very long time before this discussion is broached again, personally. at the end of the day - though i am sure that was not the intention - it seems cavalli got more publicity from this than anything else.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A DIE-HARD FASHIONISTA WHEN......MY THOUGHTS ON THE VOGUE ITALIA BLACK ISSUE

new york - so to finish my sentence, you know you are a die-hard fashionista when you spend your last - and i mean LAST - coins on two issues of a magazine. i don't know about you, but the stand i went to charged $16 per issue, and i found it critical to buy two (one to thumb through and one for my personal archives) so i spent $32 bucks on two magazines. not a lot of money, but when you don't have a lot of money.....anyway, i digress. so i finally got my hands on the vogue italia all black issue and after hopping up and down with glee and explaining to the two people online how important the issue is (to very dry responses and blank stares) i painstakingly examined the issue. what do i think.....?

what i loved

• just the fact that there is an all black issue. there is beauty in diversity for sure, but as blacks ( like many other minorities) are visually marginalized in fashion magazines, it was a feast for the eyes and mind to see model after model and story after story specifically on people of color.


• the broad range covered of topics in the magazine. as you will see - or already know - vogue italia didn't necessarily y limit themselves to black models, they talked about magazines like essence, actors like angela bassett and legends like grace jones. the subject matter was very well rounded


• the luxurious photo spreads. primarily i am talking about naomi campbell and tocarra as they were the only two to have real, full on, multiple pages, of spreads in the magazine. although there was a lot of t*ts and, a*s, it was done as tastefully as humanly possible. i truly loved the photos.


• the multiple covers. oh i loved it! it took me a second to notice that there are actually four cover girls. i thought it was an ingenious move and actually compels you to want to buy more than one. i scooped up the jourdan dunn and liya kebede ones.

what i didn't

• i don't speak italian (clearly, not vogue italia's fault or issue). the mag was definitely visually pleasing, but i felt like i missed a lot because i didn't necessarily understand the context of some of the spreads and articles.


• disproportionate pages. okay, as much as i love and live for tocarra, did anyone else find it strange that she got so many pages? in fact she was one of only two models of color who had a real photo spread. legends like iman, alek and tyra (above) really had just a few pages. it just seemed odd and lopsided. anyone else concur?

TOCARRA IS IN VOGUE ITALIA'S ALL BLACK ISSUE? PLEASE BELIEVE IT

italy - mean....woah....what were you thinking after you read that title? because after my friend told me via email, i gagged. toccara is absolutely fabulous. but i had no idea she was THAT fabulous. i mean she transcends reality television and translates in europe? woah and wow. congrats to her, and her fabulous press and marketing team. in my humble opinion, she's fared better post-america's next top model than most of the winners. perhaps second best really is best.

WAS IT ALL FOR ATTENTION? ROBERTO CAVALLI CALLS OFF THE SALE OF HIS COMPANY

italy - after much hemming, hawing and publicity drawing roberto cavalli,(left) the italian designer known for his ultra showy and sexy pieces (versace at its worst seems to be cavalli at its best) has decided to scrap the sale of his company. since last year insiders had been speculating the cavalli was ready to look invite a takeover of the successful label he's built. this year several viable candidates appeared and i even reported here that the sale was pending. now, the designer says he is ending it due to poor market climate. fair enough, but something in the milk aint clean with that excuse. what do you think? am i just cynical?

BACK TO BLACK: SNEAK PEAK AT NAOMI IN VOGUE ITALIA

italy - so i scooped this from bossip.com. these pics are from naomi campbell's spread in the new "all black" issue of vogue italia. it is the july issue and so may already be on stands in europe, but we are waiting for it here in the states. have any of you seen it? what do you think? so far, i am loving this little taste. i is hungry for more.

DO YOU THINK HE'S SEXY? GIORGIO ARMANI DOES

italy - taiwanese-japenese actor takeshi kaneshiro is having a very good moment. after landing plum advertising gigs for prada, hyundai and biotherm, he's just landed a plum gig as the new face of emporio armani. the designer hand picked kaneshiro as the star of emporio armani's ad campaign. in an interview with china daily, armani said "he has an inborn attractiveness and looks so charming on and off the screen. his personality as well as good looks perfectly match EA style and that's why he's the very best man for the collection."

DONATELLA SAID NO TO H&M

donatella at the new york times times talk series where she made that quote. (nymag.com)

worldwide - wow! a designer turned down h+m for a diffusion line!? we all remember the near riots that collections for h&m by stella mccartney, viktor and rolf and most recently roberto cavalli caused. apparently the mass retailer approached versace designer, donatella versace about similar collaborations and she said no. according to new york magazine, this is what she had to say about it: "I respect everyone who does it, but the reason I didn't do it is because I work very hard to put the Versace line in the luxury section. I think to put the Versace line in H&M would confuse the brand." you know what? i respect her gangsta.

THIS IS PURE AMAZINGNESS!!!!!!! VOGUE ITALIA WORKING ON AN ALL BLACK ISSUE AND LOOK WHO IS INVOLVED (NO, NOT ME) BUT OTHER FAB BLACK FOLKS

me and ....you know who they are. this was right after i interviewed them for vibe. shout out to janelle grimmond and memsor kamarake who were kind enough to offer me the opportunity. loves you both!

italy - so dangggg......clearly all the fab bloggers new this and i am just finding out: vogue italia (apparently THE vogue of all vogue's) is working on an all black issue. yep, you read right. 100% black. and we are not talking black makeup, black clothes, or the american express black card (though maybe we are) from my understanding, we are talking all-black-models. WOW! not just cause i'm black, but i imagine if i were asian, white, or any other lovely color from the rainbow i would still find this refreshing. fashion magazines usually give us one black model per issue if you are lucky. but generally it is an all white book (at least when it comes to models.) so this should be fun. according to frillr.com and fashionologie.com, the models who are confirmed to be part of this are: iman, chanel iman ( interviewed both by the way for vibe magazine's march 2005 issue), alek wek, arlenis pena, jourdan dunn, liya kebede, and veronica webb. i promise to buy this issue in bulk!

HEDI SLIMANE OFF UNEMPLOYMEN!? CROSS YOUR FINGERS!

is it just me or is there something really, really sexy about slimane. i don't usually go for the super skinny type, but he might be the exception to my rule. btw, aren't you surprised by him wearing baggy jeans in this pic? he's legendary for eating babyfood to fit into his skin tight jeans....(olivier.roller.free.fr)

italy - never you mind the cheeky title for this post. i just like to have fun. it's quiet possible slimane spends more in a month than i've ever made my whole life. that said, the former dior homme designer is allegedly in talks with diesel to head a new high-end line. there are scant few details about this label which will be called "red." stay tuned for more deets. that said though, is this an upgrade or a downgrade for slimane? methinks thumbs down....ouis?

BUT WOULD YOU BUY IT? DIESEL DIVES INTO LINENS

so can we expect ads for diesels furniture and bed sheets to ooze the same level of sex appeal that their clothing ads do? just asking....(thanks to adsoftheworld.com for this)

worldwide - first of all, let's pause and reflect on the fabulosity that is the milan furniture fair. (in future, i promise to travel to and cover this. but i digress...) diesel - the company we know and love for its denim - is now launching an "interiors collection," which will debut at the furniture fair. the line is to be called "successful living" and will include linens for bedroom, bathroom and living room. this is just the beginning. according to media reports, diesel will follow up with a furniture collection next year. in the meantime, look out for the linen product range in stores this september. to answer the question i asked in the title, i think it's fabulous. i am not necessarily a diesel aficionado, but i do love and respect how thorough and consistent they are in their image. looking forward to seeing this stuff on the market.

BRILLIANT: THE PRADA FOUNDATION DEBUTING THE PRADA MUSEUM

artists flank muiccia prada, who is seated. peep her husband, standing on the left. his name is patrizio bertelli. (newyorktimes.com)

prada on the cover of the times' magazine. artists francesco vezzoli stands on the left and john baldessari on the right. (newyortimes.com)

italy - muiccia prada's love affair with art is legendary. she's regarded as a patron of the arts and commonly commissions work from young, contemporary artists. her clothes themselves blur the line between art and fashion and for this reason the prada label is nothing less than a wardrobe for those in artistic circles. now, she's taking that love affair a step further by planning a full fledged museum in the south of italy. the new york times magazine reported this past weekend that the prada foundation has purchased a huge space which will be designed by rem koolhaas (he designs all the prada stores). the space will showcase an eclectic mix of commissioned art work, past prada collections and will be regarded as a "cultural center" for the area. look for it to be completed by 2012.

PRADA SPA ANNOUNCES A NEW EXEC

italy - well, it's looking like that much discussed ipo of prada will be happening. just for some background, prada, currently a privately/family owned company, is now planning to go public. this means shares of the company will be offered on the italian stock exchange. (imagine not just owning a bag, but a piece of the firm. how fab!) there's been lots of back and forth, but a new development points to this happening for real. carlo mazzi has been appointed as executive vid president of the milan-based luxury label. mazzi has been with prada for the past four years as a financial advisor and his new role will fit within the company quite nicely once they go corpoate.

GISELE DENIES IT, BUT I STILL BELIEVE!

bundchen posing at the premier of dolce and gabbana's new fragrance, the one, which she's the spokesmodel for. (contactmusic.com)

italy - i guess i am so used to celebs denying rumors , only for them to be proven later. that's why gisele bundchen's denial of her collaboration with dolce and gabbana rings hollow. according to widespread media reports bundchen, who is the face of dolce and gabbana's "the one" perfume, is set to debut a capsule collection of clothes and accessories for label. even more, parties in london, rome, new york and sao paolo are planned to celebrate the launch. but bundchen has squashed these rumors, saying via her modeling agency, ""I am surprised and flattered by the news that there was a party being planned in honour of a collaboration with Domenico and Stefano. [I am] surprised, certainly, as no such line is in development. They are two of the most talented designers in the world and are in no way in need of my help to complement their collections." i hear it, but i don't believe it. i can't wait to see these clothes!

CAVALLI TO SELL CLOTHING LABEL, BUT 2 BILLION IS NOT ENOUGH

the designer in all his botoxed glory, with his signature cigar in hand. (wikimedia.org)

a recent cavalli ad which shows the slick and sleep party spirit of his clothing. (punkypenny.com)

italy - roberto cavalli, whose bold, sheer, bias dresses are loved by celebs, is looking to sell part of his company. according to media reports, he has been looking looking for a majority buyer for is label since last year and has already hired american investment firm, merrill lync, to look for potential investors. some who have already expressed interest are blackstone capital partners, permira advisors and carlyle group. whoever wins the bid, they better bring the bucks. cavalli just told italian newspaper il sole that $2.15 billion (that's what merrill lynch says the company is worth) is not enough. "for that price," he told them, " i won't even sit down at the negotiation table." gangsta!

while researching this story i came across these cool phones - i'm not even being sarcastic! - which were designed by cavalli three years ago. i doubt they are still on the market, but just had to share. (textually.org)