Editorial: Denisa Dvorakova for Vogue Russia

We've all seen it (or at least most of us!), Black Swan is a powerful drama that was bound to influence the fashion industry. The Rodarte sisters, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, did a fantastic job with the costumes they helped design for the film. And I have finally come upon an editoral I admire enough to share with you all!

What would you give to be in this portrait?!

Vogue Russia tackles the theme of Swan Lake as model Denia Dvorakova is shot by Jason Schmidt. And in my opinion, took only the most visually appealing aspects of the film and were able to make it their own for a beautiful editorial!


Enjoy!

The final shot, as beautiful as the first! 

Denisa Dvorakova by Jason Schmidt for Vogue Russia February 2011

Update: Barneys New York

Good looking CEO, if you ask me...

As we reported before, Mark Lee's new reign at Barney's New York has been a major story in the fashion retail world. In only 4 months Lee has shuffled some of the major roles of the company's executive panel. The moves are now being interpreted as a reinvention of Barneys itself. 


Since Lee took over as the company's CEO in September, Barneys which had been without a CEO for almost 2 years, has made some pretty controversial choices:

•  In November, the firing of Julie Gilhart, Senior Vice President and Women's Fashion Director,  and Judy Collinson, Executive Vice President overseeing all of womenswear and Barneys.com came as a shock to the retail industry. 
• They were succeeded by former Gucci colleagues Daniella Vitale, taking over as Executive Vice President, and Amanda Brooks, taking over as Vice President and Women's Fashion Director.
• A sign the Madison Avenue Flagship store will also receive a major face lift is the hiring of Dennis Freedman, former Creative Director of W Magazine, to be the new Creative Director of the Barneys store.  He succeeds Simon Doonan.

Simon Doonan (Left)  and Dennis Freedman (Right)

For years we have looked up to Barneys New York for its uniqueness, housing the collections of the latest and greatest talent in the fashion industry, now there seems to be some new priorities for the company.

In an attempt to regain it's profitability, Barneys new priorities now include:

• A reevaluation of it's stores for profitability.
• A reevaluation of it's merchandising mix, meaning we will probably be seeing less of the younger, fresher talent of the fashion industry and more of the commercial product. 
• An expansion of it's commercially successful Co-Op stores, along with more investment into it's e-commerce ability.

With all these changes one has to wonder, will Barneys still hold that specialness that attracts us there for the newest in fashion design talent?

Personally, I hope their gallery-esque atmosphere doesn't change too much!

No matter what though as participants in this fashion world we MUST remember, in the end , FASHION IS A BUSINESS! And though the reign of Mark Lee may seem harsh to some, to the owners of the company, he is hoped to be a savior. Lee will most likely be able to pull it all off with his incredible experiences in luxury fashion retail, we will just have to continue reading up on our WWD! 

WWD- Mark Lee Seen as Man to Bring New Era to Barneys

Weekend Update!

A lot can happen over the course of a weekend, and here are just some of the things everyone in fashion should know!

Interesting choice made by Mark Lee....

• Amanda Brooks has been named the new Fashion Director at Barney's New York. She succeeds Julie Gilhart who was let go in November, Brooks is more recently known as the former creative director and muse of Tuleh. 
• Miuccia Prada is slowly taking over Asia, having put on a fashion show in Bejing.
• H&M WILL LAUNCH ONLINE SHOPPING!  Though it won't launch until next year this is certainly some exciting news!

I'll always admire this dress decision!

• And the debate over Michelle Obama's McQueen dress for the State Dinner continues. Finally though the voice of Cathy Horyn brings a fresh perspective to it all! 

It's Official! ZOOLANDER WILL BE BACK!

Derek Zoolander and Hansel are coming back to battle Mugatu! Well that is the story plot I'm guessing will happen! And I am EXTREMELY excited about this all!

 I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is.

Research for the new film was conducted at Paris Fashion Week by Ben Stiller's partner, Justin Theroux. Of the new film Still has spoken little about, however, in an interview with Empire he is quoted as saying:

"It’s ten years later and most of it is set in Europe. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s basically Derek and Hansel ten years later – though the last movie ended on a happy note a lot of things have happened in the meantime. Their lives have changed and they’re not really relevant anymore. It’s a new world for them. Will Ferrell is written into the script and he’s expressed interest in doing it. I think Mugatu is an integral part of the Zoolander story, so yes, he features in a big way.”

I for one cannot wait for news to on this movie to continue to come out! Stay tuned and we will keep you updated on the latest Zoolander news!

They're *in* the computer? 

What's your favorite Zoolander quote? Comment below!

Ben Stiller - Mugatu returns for Zoolander 2!

M.S. Loves: Menswear

To go along with Brittany's great introduction to Men's Fashion Week we have one of my favorite suiting editorials! Though the Merchandising Society is largely made up of women, we cannot ignore the fact that the Menswear sector of the fashion industry is one of the fastest growing! (That and that the editor of The Society is a man himself...)

Pay attention ladies, THIS is how your man should dress (on business days that is....)

In a business where CENTIMETERS make a world of a difference (I know from experience), it takes sharp tailoring skills to be successful in the menswear industry. Brendan Ruck models for Argyle, and does a fantastic job at showcasing a few menswear looks from prominent designers in the business. Take a look for yourself, and hopefully in the coming season we can bring you an inside scoop into the menswear business!

Note to self: must buy amazing scarves to go with my blazers...

Brendan Ruck by Moo for Argyle

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year...

MEN'S FASHION WEEK!

And with that being said, I'd like to introduce my assistant blogger for the Merchandising Society, Brittany Demarco! And here goes with an update on the news in MFW!

                        Calling all beautiful ladies!! Looks like this single man needs a date!

If you are a man or know a man that wants to stay fabulous this fall, check out this article from WWD! It highlights all the upcoming menswear fashions for 2011, summarized through photographs captured at the most luxurious runway shows, including Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier. And trust me girls, it’s very easy on the eyes! 

                        Here’s a hint from Louis Vuitton and myself, keep it simple this fall!!

Stay tuned for a complete wrap up of the Men's Fall 2011 season and of course our coverage of the best of Women's Fall 2011! 

Xoxo, Brittany!

WWD Men's Fashion Week Looks!

M.S. Loves: Weddings!

A true bridal vision!

As my own personal way of congratulating one of our former members (it pains me to say that!), Amanda Shay, on her graduation and future wedding, I present one of my favorite editorials on bridal wear! 

If you marry in Versailles, YOU HAVE TO WEAR THIS!

Model Valerya is captured by Amber Gray for Brides Magazine and is stunning in some of the top bridal designer houses! See the preview and check out the full editorial yourself!

Good luck to you Amanda, the Merchandising Society will forever miss you, good luck planning the wedding and at Anthropologie!

Sure hope your first dance isn't this awkward! 

Brides Magazine Editorial!

M.S. Loves: Internships!

Hello MS members! I'd like to apologize for the delay, this winter is not so much a break for us all! However, I am back with a great article for you all on internships. We all know how critical they are for us to gain experience and land that dream job!

The CNN article entitled: Is an internship the new entry-level job? Follows college graduates and their journeys through the many internships necessary to land a job. Being in the fashion industry, one of the most competitive industries in the world, I would strongly recommend reading it for yourselves!

DID YOU KNOW:

"Full-time employment has dropped 9 percentage points among 18-to-29-year-olds since 2006, leaving only 41 percent of millennials with full-time jobs."

That figure is quite frightening.

Doin' it all for the dream job!

Do not fear though, MS is here! As members we will continue to give you updates on the latest internships available for you all.

If you are currently interning and know of an available position please e-mail me at Rony_Patzan@fitnyc.edu  so I can compile a list of options for those who have not yet secured a spring or summer internship!

Thanks and don't forget to check out the article! 

What's Happening?

• BABIES: Congratulations are in order for Victoria Beckham who announced she is pregnant with her 4th child, seems like a fairy tale marriage she has going with David. And Congrats to Miranda Kerr who delivered her baby! At a surprising size of 9.92 pounds! (WHOA GIRL!) 
• Rachel Zoe presented her collection in NYC, lucky for us Harper's Bazaar was able to get a quick phone snapshot! The latest scandal with her collection is that one of the dresses (a white with black flower pattern on it) appears VERY similar to a dress she styled in Teen Vogue a couple years ago...

Very nice Miss Zoe!

• Pre-fall collections continue to come out! Check them out at my favorite resource, www.Style.com 

• Topshop news: Today, Wednesday, Topshop will have camera crews invading the store for the filming of Sir Philip Green's documentary. CNN will also be doing a story on him and the chain, and prepare for many more Topshop/Topman stores in the future, the plan to expand is set in stone and executives are currently scouting Manhattan for an uptown location and will be opening a Chicago store later this year.

Sir Philip with his bestie Kate Moss, I'm sure we remember THAT store opening!



• In an interesting twist for Ann Taylor,  Katie Holmes will be the face for their spring/summer campaign! Good luck! 

K. Holes for Ann Taylor.

Emmanuelle Alt New Head of Vogue Paris

Vogue Paris, otherwise known as French Vogue, finally announced their new Editor-In-Chief to be Emmanuelle Alt over the weekend. After Carine Roitfeld announced she was leaving the magazine, Emmanuelle was the front-runner for the editor position being with the magazine since 2001 as the Fashion Director.

Congrats Emmanuelle!

Officially she holds the head position as of February 1st, but Carine has reported she is already taking charge and working on the March issue for the magazine. We can only hope to see further innovation as this is the second stylist in a row to take over the editor position. Carine Roitfeld has been the editor-in-chief for 10 years now and lifted the magazine from it's dull state. It is now up to Emmanuelle to transform the title into something for the digital age, we hope that technology only improves one of our favorite fashion titles!

Back From Vacation & Ready To Hit The Shore!!

Huge apologies readers for the time off for the holidays. I realize it is now January 6th and greeting people by saying "Happy New Year" is no longer appropriate! So it is now back to work in NYC and back to The Society!! 

Awww looks just like your group of friends right?!

And what better way to start off than to update us all on the hugely popular Jersey Shore business to prepare us for tonight's premiere. I do mean business as well, the cast members and the brand itself is now responsible for millions of dollars in sales each year!

TOTALLY recognizable.

Just to mention a few of the many projects that have gone on for the Guidos and Guidettes from the "Shore," you can see the influence they had over Halloween costumes alone! How many Snooki's did we see running around Manhattan? COUNTLESS! In fact MTV MADE SURE that Mike "The Situation" could not be confused with anyone else and that the Snooki costume was so represented of her style the dress was barley longer than a tee shirt! 

Though when it comes to the cast of the Jersey Shore the first people that come into our heads are The Situation and Snooki they are not the only two profiting off their big hit of a TV show. We all know Pauly D is a DJ, but did you know he also went on tour? That is correct! For only $35 you could have gone to see DJ Pauly D do a set at Terminal 5 on December 10th. That was only his NYC show from his tour and what will continue to be "celebrity" DJ sets from Pauly D at clubs across the country. (And by clubs across the country we mean NYC, LA, and Miami duh.)

Props to her though, she is absolutely GORGEOUS with natural makeup! 

JWOWW has also enjoy the success of the show and benefited with the coming of her clothing line Filthy Couture, which has now closed because it "is moving to retail stores." She is now however working on a book entitled "The Rules: According to Jwoww" dedicated on giving advice to young girls... Next up though The Situation will be releasing a clothing line named DILLAGAF, short for "Does it Look Like I Give a F*ck."

Get your copy signed on Monday by Snooki herself!

And speaking of writing books I think by far the most successful cast member, Snooki obviously, has written a book largely anticipated by her Guidette following. A Shore Thing, now available in stores, follows "a girl looking for love on the boardwalk." and was actually written by Valerie Frankel, with major theme ideas and contribution from Snooki. Fortunately I can tell you at least one line was written by Snooki herself, "A fart slipped out. A loud one. And stinky." Obviously it will be a masterpiece. If you want to SEE HER IN PERSON check her out when she is at Borders Columbus Circle on Monday, January 10th. 
Next up, expect the Snooki name to be placed on home goods, fashion, and many miscellaneous products as announced by SRG Ventures today.

Hello Deena! Bye Angelina! Sounds almost the same?

Lastly the poor girl who has been replaced. Yes poor Angelina is being replaced with a newcomer Deena, snooki's friend from home. Yet we should all support the poor soul and take a listen to her single, which Pauly has said he will "never" play on the dance floor. I wonder why?


Stay tuned for updates as the season premieres tonight!