YSL Settles Ain't Laurent Lawsuit

YVES SAINT LAURENT has settled its lawsuit against parody T-shirt company What About Yves. The French house took exception to the production of merchandise bearing the words "Ain't Laurent Without Yves" in reaction to creative director Hedi Slimane's decision to rebrand the company without the founder's forename, asserting that the items were guilty of "trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false designation of origin, and unfair competition".


Actress Jaime King wears the Ain't Laurent sweatshirt


Jeanine Heller, the founder of What About Yves, has now removed the Ain't Laurent pieces from her website and The Fashion Law reports that court papers from the Southern District of New York reveal that the case was "voluntarily dismissed on January 12", but that there is "no word on what the monetary component of the settlement is".
Heller has had a busy year in litigation, after Chanel took issue with a double C-printed T-shirt that she was selling - a case that was also settled out of court. She currently still retails the double C print - along with parodies of the Dior, Hermès and LVMH logos - so it's unlikely that this is the last time we'll hear her name in connection with trademark-infringement accusations.

The settlement comes at a time when the fashion industry is debating the future of Yves Saint Laurent creative director Slimane, despite repeated assertions by the brand that he is going nowhere. The designer is said to have personally objected to the What About Yves pieces so strongly that he chose to withdraw the entire Saint Laurent collection from Parisian boutique Colette in 2013, simply because it also carried the parody sweaters.

Abbey Lee Kershaw For Superga

Abbey Lee Kershaw

HER latest role may be alongside Rosie Huntington-Whiteley inMad Max: Fury Road, but now Abbey Lee Kershaw has a new job to add to her CV: shoe designer.Following in the footsteps of fellow model Binx Walton, Kershaw is set to design a collection for Italian sneaker label Superga for autumn/winter 2016, and - like Walton before her - is building her association with the brand by fronting its campaign the preceding season; the fruits of which will be release in March.


Abbey Lee Kershaw with her Mad Max: Fury Road co-stars: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoe Kravitz, Courtney Eaton and Riley Keough


Although the collection's content is currently a closely guarded secret,Walton's collection owed a lot to her own laid-back boyish style - and it's safe to assume that Kershaw's offering will also draw on her personal taste. A big fan of eclectic vintage pieces and sumptuous textures, and adorned with multiple tattoos and piercings, Kershaw's style gives us high hopes that her Superga collection will be something far from the ordinary sneaker fare.

Abbey Lee Kershaw backstage at the Chanel

spring/summer 2012 show

Binx Walton models her collection for Superga

The Australian-born model made her catwalk debut in 2008, but by 2012 had all but stepped back from fashion week to focus on acting. Following Mad Max: Fury Road and Ruben Guthrie  last year, she has three scheduled for the coming year:  The Neon Demon, Gods of Egypt and  Caprice III  - and her new-found design career could dovetail nicely with her on-screen commitments if all goes well.

The Binx Walton for Superga collection launches in stores and online on February 8.

Student Wins Racial-Profiling Settlement

BARNEYS NEW YORK

THE student at the centre of the racial-profiling claims levelled at Barneys New York has been awarded $45,000 from the New York Police Department.
Trayon Christian - who was an engineering student at the New York City College of Technology at the time of the incident in April 2013 - filed a lawsuit against the department store and the city state department claiming that they detained him on suspicion of theft because he is black, reports the New York Daily News. He had, in fact, legitimately bought the item in question - a $349 Salvatore Ferragamo belt.


Trayon Christian

At the time, Jay Z ensured the incident hit international headlines by publically addressing the issue as he was involved in a collaboration with Barneys at the time.  In August 2014 Barneys was ordered to pay $525,000 in fees and penalties for its part in the  the racial profiling cases that were brought against it. The latest payout to Christian, nearly three years after the event, brings the case to a close.

VICTORIA'S SECRET MODEL BABY NEWS

Shannan Click

THERE'S already been a Victoria's Secret engagement this year(congratulations Shanina Shaik), and now the first of the brand's former models to become a mother in 2016 has been announced: Shannan Click. The American model welcomed her second child, a son named Cypress Night Huston, with partner Jack Huston.



Shannan Click with partner Jack Huston

The model and her actor boyfriend - best known for his role in Boardwalk Empire - have been together for five years, and already have a two-year-old daughter, Sage Lavinia. Click shared the latter stages of her pregnancy with friends and fans on Instagram, counting down to her son's birth - and yesterday the couple shared their excitement at the news via Huston's spokesperson, revealing that the newborn arrived "over the weekend", and adding: "Mum and baby are home and doing great!"

leiclick  1 month ago

Waiting for her baby brother, 6 weeks to go! 😁👍👌😜😊

538 likes 62 comments

Click's first major advertising campaign was for Guess in 2003, after which she was photographed by Steven Meisel for Prada and by Steven Klein for Dolce & Gabbana. Her catwalk career has seen her walk for international labels including Balenciaga, Céline, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent - and she took to the glittery Victoria's Secret runway four times, from 2008 until 2011. She returned to the catwalk following the birth of her daughter in 2013 for Alexander Wang, alongside fellow Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo. 

SELF-PORTRAITBRIDAL COLLECTION IN FULL

SELF-PORTRAITBRIDAL COLLECTION IN FULl

HAVING cornered the ready-to-wear market with its pretty-meets-progressive aesthetic, Self-Portrait is branching out into the realms of bridal wear and, if its first collection is anything to go by, it will prove just as popular.

"I think it's about understanding what the modern woman today wants and creating that perfect balance," founder Han Chong told us of his brand ethos, which has already captured the attention of Kristen Stewart, Gigi Hadid, Miranda Kerr and Olivia Palermo to name only a few. "The versatility of our pieces has definitely been a key factor to our success. A mixture of intricate detailing combined with comfort makes our dresses perfect for wearing day or night, which I believe is a perfect formula for occasion dressing." Another element that has helped its success is the price point. A ready-to-wear dress rarely tips the £300 mark and the new bridal collection ranges from £650 to £1,000.






Since its inception in 2013, the brand has been a destination for wedding dressing but, apart from the occasional unconventional bride, has dressed everyone but the betrothed - something Chong felt needed addressing.

"I felt there was a gap in the market for cool, understated gowns that still had the ability to feel feminine and timeless," he explained of why the time is right. "I wanted to take the stress out of bridal-gown shopping and create a range where there is no need to visit specialist bridal boutiques."


Founder Han Chong

Chong - who studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins and founded Three Floor before starting Self-Portrait - has developed all of his own laces for the collection which is designed by his team of 10 in their Hoxton studio and made in his family's factory in the Far East. But, while he is targeting the modern bride, he looked to rule-breakers of the past to find his muses.


Chong's muse Bianca Jagger

"I drew my inspiration from icons of the Sixties and Seventies, particularly the rock'n'roll styles of Bianca Jagger and Pattie Boyd, who were challenging the norms of dress," he continued. "The pieces in my bridal debut are not your typical gowns - they were created for the untraditional bride."

It's a concept that Net-A-Porter and Selfridges were happy to get on board with. Both have bought the collection - the latter of which heralding it as a turning point for the celebratory category.

"We couldn't be more excited about the launch of the Self-Portrait bridal collection,"  Lydia King, buying manager at Selfridges where a Self-Portrait dress sells every six minutes, told us. "Chong is trail-blazing again, identifying a perennial category and treating it with imagination and innovation, underpinned by accessibility. This is the collection that bridal wear has been waiting for."

A part of the brand's success is its unfaltering high standard, which Chong won't compromise on in order to add an additional category.

"I would like to focus on clothing for now and nail every detail until it's perfect," he said. "I'm very aware that a bride's dress is one of the most important elements of her wedding day so perfection is key. My aim is to concentrate on this for now."

GUCCI CASTS FIRST TRANSGENDER MODEL,TRANSPARENT STAR HARI NEF

On Monday, transgender actress and model Hari Nef—best known for her role as Tante Gittel on Amazon's Transparent—was one of a handful of women to walk the runway at the Gucci menswear show in Milan. 


HARI NEF WALKING IN THE GUCCI FALL 2016 MENSWEAR SHOW IN MILAN, ITALY, ON JAN. 18.

Despite being the first transgender model to ever walk for Gucci and the only transgender model in the show, Nef's inclusion did not feel like a gimmick. At Gucci, blurring the line between the masculine and the feminine is something of a house signature, so casting Nef made perfect sense. As a transgender model with an androgynous look, she is the very embodiment of the brand's gender-fluid spirit. She also looked damn good in her outfit. 

KATE'S DIVIDED LOYALTIES

Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender

HER own Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress aside, this year's Academy Awards will present more than its fair share of apprehension for Kate Winslet as two of her leading men battle it out for the Best Actor accolade.

Winslet and Fassbender in Steve Jobs

Leonardo DiCaprio - her friend over 20 years and Titanicand Revolutionary Road co-star - is up for his role in The Revenant, while Michael Fassbender is up for his title role in Steve Jobs -  the film in which he co-starred with Winslet and which garnered them both their nominations - in the coveted category.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio

"It's slightly difficult for me because Michael Fassbender has been nominated and I was his right-hand woman for three months while we were making Steve Jobs and I saw how hard he worked," the actress told US Weekly. "I think his performance is so extraordinary. But I think yeah, you can sort of feel the temperature. It's probably going to be Leo's year."

Kate and Leo at the 1997 Golden Globes

While it is the second nod for Fassbender (he was previously up for 12 Years A Slave), it is the fifth time that DiCaprio's name has been mooted, which many feel makes him a more than deserved winner - something Winslet also acknowledged.

"I think you can sort of feel it and I think that everyone wants it for him. It would be amazing," she said.