NEW STAR: Has Donatella Versace, who loves American television and often has DVDs of shows shipped to her in Milan, gone mad for “Mad Men”? It appears so. Late last week, word started to spread that January Jones is the face of Versace’s spring campaign, and was shot by Mario Testino.
A Versace spokesman confirmed that Jones was in the campaign but wouldn’t comment further.
FROM ONLINE TO RUNWAY: Starting today, a collaboration between Rebecca Minkoff and Polyvore.com will allow users of the online fashion community to design work of their own. They will get the chance to redesign Minkoff’s Morning After Clutch on the site. The winning bag will be unveiled on Dec. 9 and will make its debut at Minkoff’s New York Fashion Week runway show in February. The handbag will be named after the user, and sold and produced through rebeccaminkoff.com.
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MIDDLETON’S STYLE AT A SNIP: After QVC announced last week that it’s selling a replica of Kate Middleton’s sapphire engagement ring, now British supermarket chain Tesco is getting in on the copycat act. From Monday, Tesco will carry a 16 pounds, or $26, short-sleeved version of the navy Issa dress Middleton wore when her engagement to Prince William was announced last week. Jan Marchant, buying director at Tesco Clothing, said on the retailer’s blog: “Kate Middleton looked extremely elegant in her choice of outfit and many women will want to find a high-street replica of this now iconic dress. It’s very versatile — a classic design and perfect for many special occasions. We expect it to sell out fast,” she said.
Meanwhile, Middleton and Prince William are proving just as popular with the British public as her fashion choices. According to a survey by The Sunday Times newspaper and YouGov published Sunday, 44 percent of those polled believe that when Queen Elizabeth II dies, Prince Charles should step aside and allow William to take up the throne.
HEY, DUDE: Passersby unaware of Waves, a series of limited edition images by surf photographer and film director Steven Lippman and apparel pieces by Lippman and Ron Herman, might have confused the Ron Herman store in Malibu Thursday night for a gallery during an opening. If they stepped into the store, though, the soulful guitarist playing and the male-dominated crowd, dressed mostly in jeans, T-shirts and baseball caps or beanies atypical for a gallery opening, would have provided hints that something a bit different was going on. One presumably single female guest definitely endorsed the scene. “There are really good pickings. It’s shocking,” she whispered to a girlfriend. Herman and Lippman cooked up the idea for the event, which combined art and fashion, to benefit Save the Waves Coalition, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve the coastline. “There are more and more people that care about the things that bind us together,” said Herman. “We want something more meaningful. We care about the environment.”
MOVIE MADNESS: “Tron: Legacy”-mania was in full effect Thursday night, when a six-week pop-up shop launched at Royal/T in Culver City, Calif., dedicated to a slew of limited edition merchandise associated with the movie from the likes of Oakley, Hurley, Adidas, TomTom and shoe designer Jerome Rousseau. James Frain had a long shopping list. “I want the ‘Tron’ mouse. I want the ski boots — not that I ski. They are just fantastic. I’ll put them on a shelf. I’ll probably get the backpack for my son,” said the actor, who plays henchman Jarvis in the film. Rousseau, who described himself as a massive “Tron” fan, had a little difficulty settling on a shoe design that melded the movie’s aesthetic with his own. At first, he said, “Everything I did looked like a sneaker. I felt my label needed something really sexy and not gimmicky.” Olivia Wilde approved of the final result: architectural seven-inch platform heels sculpted out of silver specchio leather, priced at $795 and named for her “Tron: Legacy” character, Quorra. Touching one of the heels, she said, “It is an accurate representation of Quorra, and I’m honored to have it named after her.” Upon hearing those words, Rousseau said he almost fainted.
MORE ABOUT THE OCEAN: Bloomingdale’s is doing its part to preserve the world’s oceans. After a successful collaboration that benefited the Surfrider Foundation earlier this year, the retailer is planning to expand its support in 2011. Kevin Harter, men’s fashion director, revealed that the retailer will open pop-up shops in 13 stores in April, with exclusive merchandise from its vendor partners and a portion of the sales earmarked to the preservation organization. “We partnered with Loomstate for our New York Nights spring event,” Harter said, “and we wanted to do something bigger next year. So we went to our resources and asked them to create exclusive merchandise for us.” Among the vendors who answered the call were Sea Bags, which created totes made from recycled sails; Bobble water bottles, which will produce a special model and packaging for the store; Engineered Garments, which produced a camp shirt from organic fabrics; organic Ts from Paul Smith; tank tops from Altru; sunglasses from Marc by Marc Jacobs; bow ties from Gitman; denim from Edun; swim trunks from Saturdays, and biodegradable espadrilles from Industry of All Nations. Polo Ralph Lauren’s RLX brand was a big proponent of the project, producing logoed sweatshirts, boardshorts and a barracuda jacket for the initiative. The RLX product will be sold in all stores, Harter said. An event is planned at the New York flagship for April 13, and the windows of the store will also be devoted to Surfrider product.