When is too much too much? Is it when you can no longer afford the weekly chow session at your favorite restaurant or when the increase in rent cuts into your wardrobe budget? Small change compared to the prices they will be charging to the Met Gala in 2014. According to Page Six of the New York Post, the ticket price to the Costume Institute’s Met Gala will increase from $15,000 to $25,000. “Increasing the ticket price will make the Met Gala even more high-fashion, even more exclusive and even more aspirational,” an inside source told Page Six. Maybe the high price will keep out reality television show fashion posers. (You know the crew I am talking about.) That said; Anna Wintour always approves the guest list, but maybe with the steep price the lists will be easier to manage. 
Another Factory Fire in Bangladesh Enough is enough!! Fire destroyed another Bangladeshi garment factory, killing 9 and seriously injuring 50 workers less than a week ago. This particular factory manufactured clothing from several western retailers, including Hudson Bay Co. The fire started in the Aswad Composite Mills factory knitting section. According to Hudson Bay’s spokeswoman Tiffany Bourre, Hudson Bays’s last order was placed in October 2012 for an April 2013 delivery. Bourre confirmed that Hudson Bay would no longer place orders with the Aswad Composite Mills factory. 
Lauren Conrad’s Engagement Reality television star, fashion editor and fashion designer Lauren Conrad can add another title to her many titles, fiancé. That’s right, over the weekend Conrad announced her engagement to rock musician, William Tell. Conrad, 27, on Sunday wrote on her blog, “I am very excited to share with you guys that William and I got engaged over the weekend.” On her blog Lauren Conrad also showed off a stunning diamond next to a perfectly placed Sydney Evan “Love” ring. The sweet and sentimental 14k gold and pave diamond ring has been a staple in Lauren’s fashionable wardrobe and added an extra sparkle to her magical moment. —William S. Gooch
Fashion News Alert: Lauren Conrad’s Big News, The Exclusivity of the Met Gala, and Another Factory Fire
New York International Bridal Week Fall 2014
Though everyone loves a spring bride, at any time of the year a beautiful wedding can be a fantasy come true. And the fall bride is no exception. Fashion Reverie always keeps its readers informed on the latest bridal styles and trends from bridal favorites Vera Wang, Amsale, and Monique Lhuillier to bridal mavericks Austin Scarlett and Angel Sanchez to the more traditional designs of Theia and Alfred Angelo.
Remember, with all the hustle and bustle, and stress of modern life, brides start planning their weddings sometimes over a year in advance. So, what you may currently be looking at in bridal magazines is already out of step with what you will find at the upcoming nuptials of friends and family.
Fashion Reverie always aims to keep its readers ahead of curve. So, luxuriate in the froth and fantasy of Bridal fall 2014.
—Staff
Fashion News Alert: Versace’s Knock Off, Kate Moss Reunites with Topshop, and Cavalli’s New Design Director
The Lifetime biopic House of Versace is not the only Versace knock off. Versus, the Versace lower-priced line, has partnered with hip-hop recording artist M.I.A for a capsule collection that is based on bootleg Versace, literally.
“I adore the energy of the street, so when M.I.A. proposed to expose the issue of counterfeit Versace pieces by creating a collaboration inspired by these items, I thought it was an incredible idea,” detailed Donatella Versace in a recent WWD article. And M.I.A. concurs, “Versace’s designs have always been copied, now it’s Versace that copies the copies, so those that copy must copy the copies.”
The capsule collection is expected to hit stores on October 16.
Reunited and it feels so good
After a three-year absence from Topshop, supermodel Kate Moss has decided to return to the British retailer. Since 2007, Kate Moss has co-designed more than 14 collections for Topshop with creative director Kate Phelan and in-house style Katy England.
“I have really missed being involved in the design process, and working with the team at Topshop,” Moss said. “Now more than ever, with London being at the forefront of fashion … it feels like I’m back home working with Topshop.”
The Kate Moss Collection was put on pause in 2010 some speculate due to sagging sales. However, the new collection from Kate Moss will be back in the stores and online in time for spring 2014.
Cavalli’s new appointment
Yvan Mispelaere has been named the new design director at the Italian fashion house of Roberto Cavalli. Mispelaere replaces Norwegian creative director Andreas Melbostad whose last collection for the iconic Italian fashion house is the spring 2014 collection.
Mispelaere was formally the artistic director for Diane von Furstenberg up until 2012. Mispelaere has held positions at Claude Montana, Lanvin, Chloe, Prada, and Valentino. Mispelaere will work alongside the label’s creative director Eva Cavalli.
—William S. Gooch
Breaking Fashion News Alert: Marc Jacobs Departs Louis Vuitton
After 16 years Marc Jacobs may be leaving Louis Vuitton. According to a high-level executive at Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), Jacobs is leaving Louis Vuitton to concentrate on his own fashion lines. Inside sources contend that Marc Jacobs confirmed his departure backstage at the Louis Vuitton spring 2014 in Paris.
Jacobs is contributed with invigorated the iconic French fashion house which is now accounts for 7 billion dollars in sales and more than half of LVMH’s operating budget. It had been reported that LVMH has had major difficulties with Jacobs in the past and that Jacobs has been in contract negotiations with Louis Vuitton since January.
Many contend that Jacob’s recent Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week was an indication of his departure from the iconic fashion house. Folies Bergere costumes paired with jeans, and one jumpsuit with “I Love Paris” graffiti may have been an indication of his goodbye.
“It was an ode to Paris and to all the people I have been involved and work with. This city has been so great,’’ said Jacobs of his Paris show in The New York Times.
—Staff
Fashion News Alert: ANTM’s Whitney Thompson’s New Campaign, Schiaparelli’s New Director, and LVMH’s Youth Obsession
Image courtesy of huffingtonpost.com
Where are the America Next Top Model winners? We often ask this question and with the exception of Yaya Dacosta, Fatima Said, Chantel Jones, Aminat Ayinde, Reina Heim, Brittany Kline, and Lisa Jackson, sightings of ANTM’s alums are few and far between.
Well, add Cycle 9 winner Whitney Thompson to the lists of ANTM former contestants who is back on the radar. Whitney Thompson recently landed a campaign with British plus-size lingerie brand Panache Lingerie’s new Sculptress line, a fun, flattering collection offered in cup sizes ranging from D to J and band sizes ranging from 36 to 46.
“I feel feminine and sexy when I wear the pieces, which is important for me and other curvy women. It’s about time we had a collection like this for the real woman,” says Thompson.
With this campaign, Thompson proves that there is life after ANTM.
LVMH Likes Them Young
Young designers rule; well, at least they do at some of LVMH’s luxury brands. In recent months, LVMH has acquired two young fledgling brand, Nicholas Kirkwood and J.W. Anderson. LVMH last week also appointed Anderson, known for his urban androgynous style, as creative director of its Spanish luxury handbag brand Loewe. And LVMH has recently invested in young French fashion label Maxime Simoens.
With LVMH grabbing up so many talented young designers and burgeoning brands, competition among fashion holding companies is getting very tight. “We also considered investing in them [Nicholas Kirkwood and J.W. Anderson] but we never expected LVMH to move so quickly,” Rosso told Reuters before the Margiela show at Paris Fashion Week. “What groups like LVMH are doing, is preventing young designers like Anderson from working for somebody else,” contends Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel.
Schiaparelli’s New Boss
There is a new boss in town and it is at the iconic House of Schiaparelli. Marco Zanini, formerly of Rochas, has been hired as the new creative director of Schiaparelli.
Schiaparelli has been on the hunt for a creative director since May 2012. Christian Lacroix presented a capsule collection for the iconic fashion house in July.
Zanini will present his first collection for the brand during Couture Week in Paris in January. “Schiaparelli symbolizes the capacity to think and create in a different way. My wish is to make this mythical house live again,” says Zanini.
—William S. Gooch
Fashion News Alert: Jay Z and Barneys Link Up, Victoria Beckham Lets it All Hang out on Skype, and Wal-Mart’s New Home Grown Initiative
Will it ever end, you know what I am talking about; fashion’s infatuation with celebrities and pop music icons? Well, if high-end retail store Barneys has any say, it will not end soon, evidenced in Barneys’ new partnership with hip-hop mogul Jay Z for a 2013 holiday fashion campaign.
According to Womens Wear Daily, Jay Z has teamed up with Barneys for or “A New York Holiday,” a Christmastime promotion that will include limited-edition products by designers such as Lanvin, Balenciaga, Balmain, Rick Owens, and Proenza Schouler. And 25 percent of the sales will go to Jay Z’s non-profit foundation the Shawn Carter Foundation Scholarship.
Jay Z also collaborated with all the brands in the limited-edition holiday collection. Products range from a leather backpack, an alligator-strap watch, to a cashmere blanket and a cotton t-shirt with products retailing from $70 to $33,900. Barneys will release the collection online and in store windows on November 20.
Wal-Mart Brings it Home
Retail giant Wal-Mart has joined the economic movement around homegrown manufacturing. Wal-Mart pledged in January of this year to buy an additional $50 billion in U.S.–made goods over the next 10 years.
This decision has come on the back of some of Wal-Mart’s supplier’s decision to produce more products in the U.S. due to rising wages in China. Critics of Wal-Mart’s homegrown initiative have expressed concern over the mega brand sincere efforts to support U.S.–based manufacturing.
“This is not a public relations effort. This is an economic, financial, mathematical-driven effort. The economics are substantially different than they were in the 80s and 90s,” Bill Simon, chief executive of the Wal-Mart U.S. chain, told the Reuters Global Consumer and Retail Summit earlier this month
Though Wal-Mart’s $50 billion dollar commitment is just a drop in the bucket toward bringing more manufacturing stateside, some economists agree that it a step in the right direction. “A Wal-Mart decision, however minimal or cosmetic, is a powerful signal, “says Suzanne Berger, a professor and manufacturing expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Victoria Beckham’s Skype Affection
Reality television often provides TMI (too much information). But in an age where consumers thirst after more and more revealing fodder about everything and anything, too much is never enough.
Victoria Beckham has now joined the club of nothing to hide by providing Skype five years of total access to her design studio. “Most evenings, I’m curled up in front of Skype, in my dressing gown, speaking with my studio in London,” Beckham told UK’s Telegraph.
With that thought in mind, providing full studio access to Skype is no stretch for the former Spice Girl. Viewers will witness everything from meetings to fittings and may even have an opportunity to chat with Victoria Beckham.
Hmm, is nothing secret and/or sacred these days? In the Beckham’s world, maybe not!!
—William S. Gooch
MBFW Breaking News: Kelly Cutrone Shuts it Down!!
Remember when your parents told you that you are only as good as your word? Well, it seems that South African designer David Tlale did not heed that advice when he failed to pay People’s Revolution owner and maven Kelly Cutrone for services rendered.
As of yesterday Cutrone released a statement that her fashion PR firm, People’s Revolution would not be involved with Tlale’s spring 2014 presentation at the Box at Lincoln Center. “People’s Revolution is canceling our participation in the David Tlale show, Thursday, September 5, 9:30am in the Box at Lincoln Center because we have not been paid. Please note no one from production will be in attendance,” according to People’s Revolution.
David Tlale
David Tlale received much critical praise for NYC fashion pundits when he first showed during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week last February. The question now is will the show go on?
—Staff
Fashion News Alert: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Designer Sneak Peek
I’ve got a secret, I’ve got a secret. Well, maybe it’s not that much of secret. Still, everyone likes to get the one up on someone else. And true to form, Fashion Reverie gives its readers an early purview into some of the looks for spring/summer 2014.
Fashion Reverie has been fortunate this season to get a sneak peek at some of the sketches and inspirations for spring 2014 before models stomp and pose these great looks on the runway and in presentations. From Pamela Rolland to Rita Vinieris to Rebecca Minkoff to the well-deserving Josie Natori, Fashion Reverie is hot off the presses with a few sneak peeks before Lincoln Center is taken captive by clacking stilettoes and hurried editors.
Image courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff
For spring 2014, Rebecca Minkoff looked to style icon Bianca Jagger’s life prior to her well-documented exploits at Studio 54. “We looked at Bianca Jagger’s life prior to her Studio 54 days, and we were drawn to her Latin American upbringing. Other influential Latin American women across all decades started coming to mind with Frida Kahlo at one end of the spectrum and contemporaries such as Carolina Issa and Alice Dellal at the other. The result was American sportswear-inspired pieces with strong Latin American details: bursts of color, saturated prints, rich textures and intricate embroidery,” explains Rebecca Minkoff.
Image courtesy of Pamela Rolland
Inspired by her recent trip to the Cannes Film Festival, Pamela Rolland’s spring 2014 collection infuses the 60’s glamour and allure of the star-studded French Rivera. Think Brigitte Bardot, Claudia Cardinale, and Catherine Deneuve.
Rita Vinieris image courtesy of Atelier PR
Though she is known primarily for her elegant wedding gowns, Rita Vinieris also designs beautiful evening gowns. For spring 2014, Rita Vinieris looked to her favorite painter Tamara de Lempicka and photographer Bourdin and imagining a conversation between these two artists. This conversation has resulted in a collection that speaks to a woman’s powers of seduction.
Image courtesy of Josie Natori
Known initially as a lingerie designer, over the past few decades Josie Natori has turned her company into a lifestyle brand that incorporates ready to wear, accessories, fragrances and eyewear. For spring 2014, Natori looks to Hollywood’s iconic beauties and exotic rebels for inspiration.
—William S. Gooch
Styled to Rock: There Are Some New Designers in Town
Image courtesy of NBC Universal
Is Styled to Rock another Project Runway? Not. Though the new reality-based designer competition may have similarities to its design competition predecessor, Styled to Rock contestants compete weekly to dress noted entertainers and be America’s next trendsetting designer. Music and fashion mogul Pharrell Williams, model/designer Erin Wasson and Rihanna’s stylist Mel Ottenberg serve as weekly style mentors.
Erin Wasson
Based on the UK version of the same name which aired on August 12, 2012, like Project Runway, Styled to Rock has some twists and obstacles throughout the competition. Each week contestants will have a small amount of time to create an innovative garment and style the appointed entertainer from head to toe based on the celebrities’ detailed profile. Throughout each weekly challenge, the mentors will whittle down the created looks and those designers whose garments are unsatisfactory will be up for elimination. Prizes for the winner include $100,000, a fashion spread in Glamour magazine, and chance to be a member of Rihanna’s design team— oops, no trip to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Rihanna’s design or Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show, which is the better prize? You decide.
Pharrell Williams
Styled to Rock premieres on the Style Network on November 5, 8pm, EST. Mega pop star and style icon Rihanna is the executive producer.
“Styled to Rock” contestants. Image courtesy of NBC Universal
The competing designers are:
Cecilia Aragon (Age: 30) ‒ San Francisco, Calif.‒ Art and design instructor Cecilia Aragon is finally taking her own advice and following her dreams of solely working on her own clothing line. A consummate perfectionist, Aragon even has a different pair of scissors for each kind of material she uses. She credits Madonna and designer Jean Paul Gaultier as inspirations for her design aesthetic.
Adam Christoffel (Age: 30) ‒ Brooklyn, N.Y.‒ Minneapolis native Adam Christoffel discovered his love for styling at a young age. Since then, Christoffel has immersed himself in all things fashion. He graduated from the International Academy of Design & Technology and currently works as a freelance pattern maker. Christoffel is looking forward to the day when he can quit his day job and focus on his own line.
Jordan Crowson (Age: 32) ‒ Conway, Ark.‒ Women’s wear designer Jordan Crowson undoubtedly has an intense love for both music and fashion. He believes his couture designs could stand up to any of the designs at Fashion Week in New York, but he hasn’t had the financial means to break into the industry. Crowson credits his traditional Christian family for keeping him grounded and counts his father as his biggest supporter and best friend.
Adriana Diaz (Age: 22) ‒ Riverside, Calif. ‒ High-fashion street wear designer Adriana Diaz always has had a penchant for style, teaching herself how to sew at age eight. Diaz credits her daughter Adalie, whom she had when she was 17 years old, as her biggest inspiration and the driving force behind her determination to accomplish her dreams. Her design influences come from the Jamaican culture and street graffiti, and she longs to create universal high-fashion street wear.
Autumn Kietponglert (Age: 33) ‒ Philadelphia, Pa. ‒ Unapologetic designer Autumn Kietponglert has never concerned herself with what others think of her and cares more about following her artistic vision with her avant-garde designs than getting along with her fellow designers. Kietponglert says that her best design inspirations come from her dreams, which are detailed visions of the unseen world. Adept to more complex designs, her talents were recognized when she received the RAW Artist of the Year for Fashion Design in 2012.
Laura Petrielli-Pulice (Age: 35) ‒ Chicago, Ill. ‒ When she’s not spending time with her family, baking and making crafts, seemingly typical housewife and mother Laura Petrielli-Pulice designs latex fetish wear for her brand, Vex Clothing, Inc. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Lingerie from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she went on to create looks that have been featured in W Magazine and Italian Vogue. Despite her success in the world of latex, Petrielli-Pulice is ready to break out into mainstream fashion markets to prove that she can do more than custom fetish wear.
Kristie Metcalf (Age: 33) ‒ Seattle, Wash ‒ Kristie Metcalf, a women’s wear designer, has the unique challenge of sewing and designing with only one arm, but she doesn’t allow her disability to limit her potential. A graduate of Western Washington University, Metcalf is currently finishing a certificate program in Fashion Design at the New York Fashion Academy. Her fashion philosophy is“Form and function. Clothes should be beautiful, wearable and well-made.”
Ahni Radvanyi (Age: 27) ‒ Venice, Calif. ‒ Ahni Radvanyi is a free spirit. Outside of her design work, she enjoys centering herself through yoga and can often be found meditating or stretching in her workspace. In an effort to rebel against her strict conservative upbringing, Radvanyi joined counter-culture movements and became a performer doing circus acrobatics, hoop dancing and fire dancing. She believes that celebrities will embrace her adaptable designs because the clothes will allow them to transform throughout the day.
Dexter Simmons (Age: 29) ‒ Oakland, Calif. ‒ A designer, stylist and make-up artist, Bay area native Dexter Simmons hopes to be fashion’s next triple threat. A self-professed “oddball,” Simmons loves fashion because it’s the only place where he feels his quirky personality really translates. With this experience, he is looking to break out of the San Francisco art scene and find mainstream success with his over-the-top designs.
Andre Soriano (Age: 42) ‒ San Diego, Calif‒ Born in the Philippines, Andre Soriano gravitated toward fashion as a way of expressing himself after moving to America as a child. Although he had difficulty adjusting to a new culture at such a young age, he has embraced the idea that “fashion is freedom.” A couturier, his designs have been featured in multiple publications, including Italian Vogue. Andre’s fashion mantra is “Peace, love, glamour and fashion!”
Ebony White (Age: 36) ‒ New York, N.Y. ‒ Women’s wear designer Ebony White is eager to bring her fashion prowess to the forefront. White has been a ghost designer for several household labels. While she appreciates the opportunities given to her by working for those labels, her ultimate goal is to create a name for herself – “I’ve been designing with no voice for so long. For me, it’s just important to be able to have that opportunity to have a voice.”
Keenan Zeno (Age: 27) ‒ Atlanta, Ga‒ After losing everything to Hurricane Katrina, Keenan Zeno moved to Atlanta with only one suitcase. Through perseverance and a drive to succeed, Zeno graduated with two bachelor’s degrees in Apparel Textiles and Business Management from Southern Polytechnic State University, and he recently received his MBA in finance. While continuing to design in his personal time, Zeno makes a living as an accountant, where most of his co-workers are unaware of his designer ambitions.
—William S. Gooch
Fashion News Alert: Rachel Zoe Calls it Quits, Cara Delevingne’s Screen Debut, and Swarovski Announces its Spring 2014 Designers
After five seasons, The Rachel Zoe Project is over!! With ratings dropping 40% this past season, Bravo has decided to pull the plug on the once highly rated show which debuted in 2008.
After stylists Brad Goreski and Taylor Jacobsen left the show for ‘greener pastures,’ viewers felt that the reality show was not as interesting and that Zoe was surrounding mostly by sycophants. Even Zoe had tired of show stating in Capital Fire magazine that the show was more about her personal life and less about her abilities as a celebrity stylist.
Zoe and husband Roger Berman are currently in talks with NBC about a sitcom about her life. Hmm, Zoe is a character, but funny? Stay tuned!!
Cara Delevingne in “Kids in Love”
Delevingne Plays Herself
Through much of August rumors circulated that top model Cara Delevingne would soon be adding Tinseltown to her lists of accomplishments. Last Thursday, Delevingne confirmed on Instagram that “Kids in Love,” which will be her screen debut, is a go.
“Kids in Love,” described as rich kids who live a wild lifestyle filled with parties and drugs,” does not appear to be too far from Delvingne’s real life. Quite the partier herself, Cara comes from a well-heeled British family.
Art does sometimes imitate life, so stay tuned to see if Delevingne can bring the same intensity to “Kids in Love” that she brings to the catwalk.
Fashion Week Designers Shimmer with Swarovski
With MBFW less than two weeks away, the Swarovksi Collective has announced its cadre of spring 2014 designers. For New York Fashion Week the crop of designers this season consists of several carryovers from seasons past, including Prabal Gurung, Wes Gordon, Band of Outsiders, Rodarte, and Creatures of the Wind.
London Fashion Week has its consistent cast of designers with Mary Katranzou, Giles, and Huishan Zhang coming back for more crystallized glamour. However, London and Paris Fashion Week have added some newbies to the Swarovski cabine with Alexis Mabille for his spring 2014 collection in Paris and Michael van der Ham for his spring 2014 outing in London. Let the sparkle and shine continue!!
—William S. Gooch
