Sunday, December 11, 2011

20 Moments that Rocked the Fashion World in 2011


(By the way, i've been meaning to apologize upon the way the editing turned out on this blog post. It's a bit messy, my bad. But, either way, I hope you enjoy, and your feeback is as always, appreciated. Thank you! )
1. The John Galliano scandal:
When reports arose in February that John Galliano went on an anti-Semitic rant at a bar in Paris—and later, when video evidence of the designer saying “I love Hitler” surfaced on the Internet—we’re not sure that anyone knew how profound an effect his actions would have on the industry as a whole. Galliano was immediately suspended, and subsequently fired, from his 14-year post at Christian Dior, and was later let go from his eponymous label as well. This launched a vicious cycle of rumors regarding his replacement, and no big name has been left unconsidered, from Marc Jacobs to Riccardo Tisci to Alexander Wang. One of the most surprising aspects of this story is that over a dozen designers have reportedly been offered Galliano’s job, yet no one has accepted it. The fate of Dior still hangs in the balance, but hopefully this will be one of the first conundrums solved in 2012.

2. Emmanuelle Alt takes over Vogue Paris:
When Carine Roitfeld resigned her post at VogueParis late last year, to say that we were devastated would be a gross understatement. The woman is irreplaceable! Alas, someone had to take her place, and after months of speculation, Emmanuelle Alt was named her successor. The magazine’s former fashion director chose Gisele to cover the April issue—her first as editor-in-chief—and the result was, well, a little boring. From the beginning of her reign, Alt claimed that she had no plans to change French Vogue or take it in a more commercial direction, but that remains to be seen.

3. Christophe Decarnin leaving Balmain:
Fall 2011 Fashion Week in Paris was dramatic enough with the whole Galliano situation unfolding, but things got even darker when the creative mind behind Balmain was not present at his show in March, reportedly due to a nervous breakdown that landed him in a mental hospital. It wasn’t long before it was revealed that Decarnin had been absent from the label for months—likely due to creative differences with the brand’s management—and that the collection was taken over by his in-house team and stylist Melanie Ward. The young (and very hot) Balmain womenswear designer Olivier Rousteing was promptly promoted to fill Decarnin’s position, but news of his departure and his possible buckling under the pressure of his position came as a very sad shock.

4. The Stefano Pilati/YSL rumors: 
In the midst of an already tumultuous Fall 2011 Fashion Week in Paris, a single cryptic tweet from @KenzoPR ignited rumors that Stefano Pilati was out at YSL, and that Hedi Slimane might be in line to take his place. Pilati’s future at YSL had already been shaky for a couple of seasons, so the fashion flock wasted no time in calling out potential replacements for him—Olivier Theyskens, Haider Ackermann, and Raf Simons being the front-runners. Especially in conjunction with the vacancy John Galliano left at Dior, this news had the industry reeling for weeks, despite the fact that YSL PR assured the public that Pilati’s contract was in tact. Months later in September, Suzy Menkes suggested in the New York Times that Raf Simons might be replacing Pilati after all, but as far as we know, he’s safe—at least for now.
















5. Lady Gaga becomes fashion’s biggest muse:
It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that Mother Monster was the most influential figure in fashion this year. In March, she walked the runway for her BFF and stylist Nicola Formichetti’s first womenswear show for Thierry Mugler, and that was just the beginning. Since then, she’s covered Vogueand Harper’s Bazaar, penned a column in V, had free reign of the Versace archives for her “Edge of Glory” music video, got her own holiday workshop at Barneys New York, and published an intimate book of photos from her epic Monster Ball tour, shot by Terry Richardson. Lucky for you, little monsters, Lady Gaga shows no sign of slowing down in 2012.

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