Christopher Bailey Makes The Fashion Hall Of Fame

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CHRISTOPHER BAILEYreceived the Hall of Fame accolade at the annual WGSNGlobal Fashion Awards last night. The event - which was yesterday staged at the Victoria and Albert Museum - celebrates fashion's most innovative talents from around the world.

The Hall of Fame honour is the ceremony's most prestigious award and is given to an individual who has "furthered the interests of the industry, broken new ground and inspired the world", a WGSN statement read this morning. Previous winners of the prize include photographer Rankin and Biba founder Barbara Hulanicki.

Earlier this month, Bailey was named Burberry CEO, replacing Angela Ahrendts - who has left to become senior vice president for retail and online stores at Apple. He still maintains his position as chief creative officer.

See the full winners list below:

Catrice Womenswear Designer: Erdem Moralioglu

Menswear Designer: Oliver Spencer

Footwear and Accessories Designer: Nicholas Kirkwood

Sustainable Design Team: Jeanologia

Best Multi-Channel Retailer: Topshop

Womenswear Design Team: & Other Stories

Menswear Design Team: Acne

Sports/Activewear Design Team: Sweaty Betty

Avery Dennison Emerging Fashion Brand: Emma J Shipley

Intimates and Swim Design Team: Princesse Tam Tam

Kidswear Design Team: Gap

Best New Store: Karl Lagerfeld, Paris

Best Store: Tsvetnoy Central Market in Moscow, Russia

E-store: Outnet.com

iSKO Denim Design Team: G-Star Raw

Preciosa Footwear and Accessories Design Team: Gandys

Lycra Future Designer: Lucy Gardner

Best Buying Team: Net-A-Porter.com

Inès De La Fressange Turns Designer For Uniqlo

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FRENCH model and muse Inès de la Fressange is teaming up with Uniqlo to design a collection, launching in November. The womenswear range will incorporate signatures of Parisian style.

"We talked regularly with Inès and exchanged views on a number of subjects including fabrics, design, and fitting," said Uniqlo design director Naoki Takizawa. "Inès's own lifestyle and approach to fashion closely mirror [Uniqlo's], and I am very pleased to be launching the new line that we have created together."

The Japanese high-street chain has also named hip hop producer and the founder of street label A Bathing Ape, Nigo, as the creative director of its UT T-shirts line. Other high-profile names to have worked with Uniqlo include Jil Sander, Celia Birtwell, Lulu Guinness and Orla Kiely.

Collette Dinnigan Closes Luxury Line

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COLLETTE DINNIGAN is closing her premium and bridal lines by the end of the year. She will continue with her Collette by Collette Dinnigan diffusion label and also with her children's range, Collette Dinnigan Enfant.

The Australian designer wants to spend more time with her family, having given birth to her second son, Hunter, in November last year. She also cited a lack of resources as a reason for the decision - in July this year she told us that she was looking for an investor to help expand the brand, although her search proved unproductive. 

Dinnigan will close her three standalone stores in London, Sydney and Melbourne in the New Year, and the brand will also cease to show during Paris Fashion Week. She was prompted to close her luxury line after writing a book, entitled Obsessive Creative, about her 24-year-long fashion career.

"The book is a retrospective of my life and it's made me stop and think about the amazing journey I have had thus far," Dinnigan told WWD. "It [crystalised] my thinking, that I have sacrificed a lot of family time in building and maintaining my business, now I want balance back in my life with my husband, nine-year-old daughter and baby boy."

Collette Dinnigan Closes Luxury Line

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COLLETTE DINNIGAN is closing her premium and bridal lines by the end of the year. She will continue with her Collette by Collette Dinnigan diffusion label and also with her children's range, Collette Dinnigan Enfant.

The Australian designer wants to spend more time with her family, having given birth to her second son, Hunter, in November last year. She also cited a lack of resources as a reason for the decision - in July this year she told us that she was looking for an investor to help expand the brand, although her search proved unproductive. 

Dinnigan will close her three standalone stores in London, Sydney and Melbourne in the New Year, and the brand will also cease to show during Paris Fashion Week. She was prompted to close her luxury line after writing a book, entitled Obsessive Creative, about her 24-year-long fashion career.

"The book is a retrospective of my life and it's made me stop and think about the amazing journey I have had thus far," Dinnigan told WWD. "It [crystalised] my thinking, that I have sacrificed a lot of family time in building and maintaining my business, now I want balance back in my life with my husband, nine-year-old daughter and baby boy."

Collette Dinnigan Closes Luxury Line

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COLLETTE DINNIGAN is closing her premium and bridal lines by the end of the year. She will continue with her Collette by Collette Dinnigan diffusion label and also with her children's range, Collette Dinnigan Enfant.

The Australian designer wants to spend more time with her family, having given birth to her second son, Hunter, in November last year. She also cited a lack of resources as a reason for the decision - in July this year she told us that she was looking for an investor to help expand the brand, although her search proved unproductive. 

Dinnigan will close her three standalone stores in London, Sydney and Melbourne in the New Year, and the brand will also cease to show during Paris Fashion Week. She was prompted to close her luxury line after writing a book, entitled Obsessive Creative, about her 24-year-long fashion career.

"The book is a retrospective of my life and it's made me stop and think about the amazing journey I have had thus far," Dinnigan told WWD. "It [crystalised] my thinking, that I have sacrificed a lot of family time in building and maintaining my business, now I want balance back in my life with my husband, nine-year-old daughter and baby boy."

Collette Dinnigan Closes Luxury Line

MissMakDesigns designer handbags designer leather bags designer leather goods luxury handbags luxury leather bags

COLLETTE DINNIGAN is closing her premium and bridal lines by the end of the year. She will continue with her Collette by Collette Dinnigan diffusion label and also with her children's range, Collette Dinnigan Enfant.

The Australian designer wants to spend more time with her family, having given birth to her second son, Hunter, in November last year. She also cited a lack of resources as a reason for the decision - in July this year she told us that she was looking for an investor to help expand the brand, although her search proved unproductive. 

Dinnigan will close her three standalone stores in London, Sydney and Melbourne in the New Year, and the brand will also cease to show during Paris Fashion Week. She was prompted to close her luxury line after writing a book, entitled Obsessive Creative, about her 24-year-long fashion career.

"The book is a retrospective of my life and it's made me stop and think about the amazing journey I have had thus far," Dinnigan told WWD. "It [crystalised] my thinking, that I have sacrificed a lot of family time in building and maintaining my business, now I want balance back in my life with my husband, nine-year-old daughter and baby boy."

Why Modelling Makes Doutzen Feel "Guilty"

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VICTORIA'S SECRET model Doutzen Kroes has admitted that it worries her that airbrushing and other photography tricks can create a fashion image that makes women feel insecure.

"Sometimes it makes me feel guilty now that I am in this profession that makes certain girls insecure," Kroes told the New York Post. "I always say, I don't look like the picture. If you put me in bad light with no hair and make-up, it's not good... I wake up sometimes like, this is not what I see when I look at the magazine, who is this visitor in the bathroom?"

Kroes's words echo the sentiments of Vogue's recent school initiative and film, It's A Look - made to show schoolchildren what goes in to the making of a fashion image, highlighting both post- and pre-production image alteration - spearheaded by editor Alexandra Shulman. The initiative aims to protect young people from future feelings of inadequacy by arming them with the knowledge of how fashion images are made.

Kroes is not the first Angel to have her say on the airbrushing debate. Erin Heatherton said last year that she thought it was perfectly acceptable as long as children were aware from school age that the practice was happening: "Photoshop makes things look beautiful just as you have special effects in movies," she said. "It's just a part of life."

Karl Gives Us Our Own Choupette

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KARL LAGERFELD has launched an accessories line inspired by his famously pampered cat,Choupette. The collection will be available to buy from Lagerfeld stores from November 13.

The range - which is solely created in the designer's signature monochrome - features a knitted cap with cat's ears and leather whiskers, a leather cat-shaped tote bag, fingerless gloves, a key chain, a wool scarf, a cross-body bag and iPad and iPhone covers. Prices start at €45 for a knitted cap to €340 for a leather bag, WWDreports.

Indonesian designers defy stereotypes of Muslim fashion

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As the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia has high demand for clothing that adheres to religious rules emphasizing modesty for women.

But as the stylish, colorful and cool outfits at Jakarta Fashion Week showed, the Southeast Asian nation also aims to be the global leader in the Muslim fashion industry that is worth nearly $100 billion by some estimates.

Indonesia's government is championing young designers and the garment trade, which employs more than 3 million people and contributes about $15 billion to the economy.

"We can be the trend-setter," said Mari Pangestu, the tourism and creative economy minister. "We have the vision and mission that Indonesia can be the capital of Muslim fashion."

Often perceived as conservative and requiring women to be covered from head to toe, the rules range from strict interpretations of modesty in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan to more moderate versions in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Headdresses are compulsory in any case and outfits should not be tight or see-through, but the three young Indonesians who kicked off Jakarta Fashion Week were clearly challenging stereotypes with their ready-to-wear collections.

Nur Zahra showed folk designs in organic materials with natural colors, mainly indigo and khaki.

Jenahara Nasution's Eastern Opulence line was sleekly cut with linings of flowing organdy and chiffon silk, accented with traditional Tasikmalaya embroidery from West Java.

Dian Wahyu Utami's Dian Pelangi brand delved into the 1960s with bursts of bright colors in batik prints.

MODERN AND COOL

The three designers - all participants in the government's Indonesia Fashion Forward program to develop young talent for the international market - said they wanted to create clothes with broad appeal, including for women in Western countries.

"To make Muslim wear so the people look cool has always been my mission," said 27-year-old Nasution.

Her Jenahara brand is in talks with an agent from Milan to market the collection in Italy, Russia and Dubai. She said her production capacity has nearly doubled since last year.

"The agent had an initial order of 200 pieces per season," Nasution said. "But after they checked out my collection, they wanted me to sign a three-year contract."

Wahyu Utami, whose parents started the Dian Pelangi brand 22 years ago using her first name, went to her first show five years ago in Melbourne. She got a "wonderful response" and plenty of interest in her next collections, she said.

"I realized there is international potential for this Muslim fashion," she said.

Dian Pelangi now has a branch in Malaysia and is expanding into Singapore and Brunei. It has buyers in Australia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Kuwait. The collections were also sold at shows in France, Germany, Hungary and other European countries.

"We haven't reached the United States yet, so that is our next target. I also want to open my own stores in the Middle East, not just sell our collection in department stores," Wahyu Utami said.

"Korea is famous for its K-Pop culture and Indonesia is famous for its Muslim wear, so why don't we focus on that?"

(Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Handmade Handbags and Jewelry for Barbie Fashion Royalty Dolls -

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The influence of the Great War on fashion

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An ample cape with high collar was the latest fashion in 1914. Photograph: General Photographic Agency/Getty Images

In many respects London has never presented a more interesting array of fashions than at this season. The crowds of smart women from the Continent, and the prevailing quiet, good taste in dress is both restful and becoming at a time when everyone is feeling the depression of the war. After all, it is clearly a woman's duty to keep herself well dressed, though it may be on a slightly more economical scale than usual.
One is decidedly struck with the tendency to adopt - or rather adapt - several military styles of coats and capes. The cavalier cape of the summer has become more ample and closely fitting round the throat, while the loose military coat, slightly double-breasted and buttoning close to the neck, with a band collar or edging of narrow fur, is both extremely becoming and useful. These are usually made of a heavy face-cloth or velour, and must, of course, be lined with a silk of contrasting colour. An adaptation of the Russian soldier coat is another favourite. This is cut on somewhat straighter lines than the former and has a sash or girdle of heavy cord and tassel round the waist, tied loosely to the front or side.
House and Evening Gowns.
Here richness of tone and combinations of colour are very striking at the moment. With the sadly too necessary introduction of black - of which one sees more and more as the weeks go by - there is something particularly soothing in the rich shades which can be blended harmoniously with black, or at any rate which do not strike a discordant note. There is a sense of quiet sympathy, not of flaunting contrast. Warm browns and greens are perhaps most in evidence, blended with striped silk of many colours.
A very economical and becoming item for home wear is a simple blouse and tunic of black taffeta; the edge of the neck and front may be loosely button-holed with heavy black silk, and the long-ended sash round the waist edged in the same manner. This coarse button-holing is one of the latest ideas for edging. The advantage of such a tunic is that it can be worn over several skirts, such as velvet, soft silk, or a wool material, or even satin.
It is certainly wise to include black amongst one's gowns at this time, as occasions arise where it is more courteous to wear this colour for the sake of the feelings of others. A particularly charming evening gown for "all occasions" may be fashioned with black Chantilly lace, having the outer edge stitched on to a wide border of black silk net, this again being outlined with a narrow bordering of fur or a ruche of the net. For this one would suggest that the tunic should cross at the front and fall into long points on either side, nearly, if not quite, to the edge of the under-skirt; and then shaped or cut to come considerably higher on either side of the back, whence it falls again into a pointed train. Such an over bodice and tunic, if made by itself, can be worn over a white satin under-dress or one of whatever colour may be desired. These opportunities for sudden transformations are well to keep in mind at present.

Jason Bell Confirmed As The Royal Christening Photographer

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JASON BELL has been confirmed as the photographer who will capture the royal christening tomorrow. The young London-born fashion and portrait photographer has worked for Vogue capturing personalities from Florence Welch and Tom Ford to the stars of Downton Abbey for the magazine - although he has never been enlisted to capture the royals before now.
"Jason is a terrific choice," Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said today. "His portraits are memorable and have a real substance, but he is also a delightful person and makes all his sitters feel at ease."
Bell has worked on many film posters, including About a Boy, Bridget Jones's Diary, Billy Elliot, Love Actually  and The Golden Compass - and many of his photographs are in the National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection.

The Big College Debate: Fashion Vs Style

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EVERY Monday morning, the students of  Condé Nast's Greek Street-based fashion college are tasked with fighting out a debate on Twitter - and everybody's invited. Watch the action play out by following the @CNCollege account and join in - we'd love to hear your views.
This morning's debate, which will run between the hours of 9am and 10am, will explore the question: "Fashion vs style: what's the difference?"
Don't forget to use the hashtag #cncollege with your Tweets.
Where do you stand on the issue? Join the debate here.

Styling Lessons From Jenna Lyons

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JENNA LYONS doesn't want to talk about her enviable style - the easy, perfectly mismatched, layered look that she cultivated and that is now copied all over the world. She prefers not to think for too long about what she wears ("The overthinking doesn't go well, the quicker out the door the better"), but her style is reflected in the aesthetic of American fashion giant J Crew, of which we could all learn a few lessons from.
"I'm not prescribed to rules," she said. "I like the tweaking the idea of how something should be; wearing sparkles during the day, or a sweatshirt during the evening, or pairing a man's trouser with a feminine blouse. I like to twist the rules and to allow for that unexpected touch. I like things to feel a touch unfinished; sweatpants with heels, or tennis shoes with a trouser. Those things are important."
J Crew makes its big British store debut next month when it will open its first European flagship premises on Regent Street - for which Shona Heath has designed a temporary shop front, different coloured taxis cast from vintage London cabs that line the store's façade. The brand quietly opened a small menswear boutique in Bloomsbury last week, and it also occupies a small space in Brompton Cross. Lyons still has a few collaborations in the pipeline that will be exclusive to Britain, and she'll also be bringing the brand's newly launched baby line to London.
"We'd been talking about it for a long time," she said. "There were a lot of things we wanted to think about before we went international, shipping was important, but also customer service - when you have to export those things it's not as simple as just opening your doors. The last time I was in London, I was at the airport and someone came up to me and said, 'Are you Jenna Lyons?' I couldn't believe someone in London knew who I was. That meant a lot to me. I want everyone to look beautiful, I want normal people who have normal jobs to be able to wear our clothes - and they can with J Crew."
Although Lyons doesn't think there is a huge disparity on how New Yorkers and Londoners dress, she does admire the style of some of Britain's best known names - from Samantha Cameron to Caroline Issa.
"Samantha Cameron is beautiful and she seems effortless," she said. "She isn't fussy and never overdresses. She's elegant in herself. Especially here, being in that world, where you're thrust in a very formalised way of dressing, she's found a nice niche for herself which must be challenging to do."
Before next month's big celebrations, Lyons has another reason to think about London. She is currently working with Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design on a student project, for which MA students, nominated by MA Fashion course director Louise Wilson, have created a piece of knitwear with the J Crew aesthetic in mind. Yesterday, Lyons flew from New York to London for an 11-hour round trip to offer the students her guidance as they reach the final stages of the brief. The winning designs will be sold in J Crew stores.
"There have been some unbelievably interesting designs," she said. "It's interesting hearing how passionate they get and it's so nice to see really raw work. Getting on the plane, I thought, 'This is going to hurt'. But now I'm here...it's just so inspiring."
But the experience hasn't made her nostalgic about her own student days - for her, the best was still to come.
"I remember when I was at college, I was exhausted and so poor, and I had no idea if I was going to be ok, if I was going to make it. That's a scary place. Things have changed slightly now, but I remember thinking, 'Am I going to be able to do this? Will I be an assistant designer forever?' I'm less scared now. I worked it out in the end."

Opening Ceremony’s Hollywood Collaboration

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OPENING CEREMONY is broadening its collaborative portfolio with a capsule collection based on the protagonist in Spike Jonze's new film, Her.
The film follows the fate of Theodore Twombly as he falls in love with the voice of his computer-operating system - provided by Scarlett Johansson.  Portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, Twombly's high-waisted pants, panelled sweatshirts, patch-pocket jackets and shearling coats clearly proved the perfect inspiration for the New-York based brand's latest line. It marks the second time they have collaborated with Jonze - a line was also launched back in 2009 based on his film, Where The Wild Things Are.
Launching on December 1, the collection will be available exclusively at the brand's boutiques and online stores in New York and Los Angeles.

Meet Isabel Marant As The Designer Talks H&M

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ISABEL MARANT has spoken - something we always love, thanks to her easy French manner and stylish embodiment of her own laid-back label - about the forthcoming launch of her new collaboration with H&M, and you can watch the film here.
"It's an opportunity to do what I love in my collections and share it with a wider public," she explains in the video, adding that the collection also facilitated a design first for her: "There were a lot of men asking me, 'Why don't you do men's?' But I never actually did a total outfit for men before, so this is the first time - for H&M."

Bowie Crowned Most Stylish Briton In History

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DAVID BOWIE has been crowned the best-dressed Briton in history. The musician came top of the BBC History Magazine's shortlist, which is chosen by various historians, fashion experts and curators.
Bowie - whose recent V&A retrospective was the fastest-selling exhibition in the museum's history - won 48.5 per cent of public votes. He was followed by Queen Elizabeth I in second place.
"David Bowie has received many accolades in his glittering career, but surely none of them compare to being voted the best-dressed Briton of all time," said BBC History Magazine editor Rob Attar. "Bowie had to overcome a king, two queens and a political heavyweight to triumph in our poll, and in doing so has struck a blow for 20th and 21st-century fashions."
Other names to make the top 10 include Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire in third position and British dandy George 'Beau' Brummell at number four, who was said to have spent six hours a day getting ready. Unexpected names to feature on the chart also include diarist Samuel Pepys and Henry III.

Liverpool Fashion Week models banned from sunbeds

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Models who use sunbeds will not be welcome at Liverpool Fashion Week

Liverpool Fashion Week has banned sunbed-using models in an effort to halt the trend for tanning.

Models will have to sign a pledge not to use sunbeds during or after the show, organisers say.
The decision was made following a survey suggested half of 15 to 17-year-olds in the city had used sunbeds, compared to 11% nationally.
The Sunbed Association said it was an "outrageous publicity stunt".
Liverpool Fashion Week organiser Amanda Moss said the health and wellbeing of models was "of paramount importance".
'Constant pressure' Ms Moss said Liverpool Fashion Week, which takes place from 14 to 19 October, was the first fashion week to impose a complete ban on sunbed-using models.
"We hope that by showing how gorgeous our models look at this year's Liverpool Fashion Week, we will help sunbed users in the city realise they don't need to get on the beds to look great," she said.
Last year Ms Moss hit out at fake tan and eyelashes, saying the "beauty pageant" look detracted from the "seriousness of what Liverpool fashion is".
Gary Lipman, chairman of the Sunbed Association, said he welcomed "all efforts to ensure responsible tanning" but accused Ms Moss of courting publicity.
"The decision by the organisers of Liverpool Fashion Week to deny models the opportunity to work in these difficult economic times because of their freedom of choice to use sunbeds, is really quite outrageous as a publicity stunt, which London Fashion Week also tried a couple of years ago," he said.
"In my opinion, for a publicity stunt it would actually have been more appropriate to ban models from wearing high heels, which poses more of a health hazard than responsible sunbed use."
Model Victoria Jane Davies, 31, from Liverpool, said there was a "constant pressure to be tanned" in the city.
"I started using the sunbeds from a young age, once or twice a week to ensure I looked and felt good," she said.
"It's only as I've got older that my skin started to show the damaging effects."

Home Girls: The Models To Know

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THIS was a wonderful season for British models. The lasting image of the shows was surely Edie Campbell striding through the Cour Carrée of the Louvre, naked but for a lick of Stephen Sprouse graffiti. As the face with which Marc Jacobs chose to open his final show for Louis Vuitton, Edie proved a provocative choice, not just because she was naked and shackled but because, in a show themed around showgirls, Jacobs chose not to open with a voluptuous blonde but with the androgynous model with a mullet. The message is clear: Brit girls rule. And while the runway belonged to Campbell - who took opening slots at McQueen, Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton, as well as making appearances for Burberry, Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein - an army of British-based models followed in her wake.
Doncaster-born Sam Rollinson racked up 34 runway appearances, making her the heir apparent to Edie's crown. A true favourite among stylists, her bold looks are only matched by an even bigger personality.
See this season's model names to know here.

Gwyneth Paltrow And Michael Kors Become Design Partners

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GWYNETH PALTROW is teaming up with Michael Kors to create a one-off Christmas collection for her website, Goop.com. The range was inspired by the actress's personal wardrobe and her favourite pieces from Kors's collections.
"Michael's clothes are gorgeous, staple, American classics that never go out of style," Paltrow said. "I thought it would be wonderful to reinvent some of my favourite vintage Michael Kors looks that I have kept for years, that I wear over and over."
The collection will include ready-to-wear, such as capes and peacoats, as well as accessories from Kors's mainline, selected by Paltrow. The actress and designer have known each other for nearly 20 years, and have long been discussing the possibility of a collaboration. Other labels to have teamed up with Paltrow for Goop include Matthew Williamson and Stella McCartney.
"I have always been intrigued by the idea of someone who can juggle all the balls in the air and do it with great style, make it look easy, be smart and have a sense of humour," Kors told WWD of Paltrow. "We always said, 'Wouldn't it be great if some time we could do something together, in whatever way.' We started talking about the idea that when you buy something, you often don't know that it's going to turn out to be your favourite piece. Inevitably designers don't make it again and, she said, 'It could drive you crazy.'"

Gwyneth Paltrow And Michael Kors Become Design Partners

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GWYNETH PALTROW is teaming up with Michael Kors to create a one-off Christmas collection for her website, Goop.com. The range was inspired by the actress's personal wardrobe and her favourite pieces from Kors's collections.
"Michael's clothes are gorgeous, staple, American classics that never go out of style," Paltrow said. "I thought it would be wonderful to reinvent some of my favourite vintage Michael Kors looks that I have kept for years, that I wear over and over."
The collection will include ready-to-wear, such as capes and peacoats, as well as accessories from Kors's mainline, selected by Paltrow. The actress and designer have known each other for nearly 20 years, and have long been discussing the possibility of a collaboration. Other labels to have teamed up with Paltrow for Goop include Matthew Williamson and Stella McCartney.
"I have always been intrigued by the idea of someone who can juggle all the balls in the air and do it with great style, make it look easy, be smart and have a sense of humour," Kors told WWD of Paltrow. "We always said, 'Wouldn't it be great if some time we could do something together, in whatever way.' We started talking about the idea that when you buy something, you often don't know that it's going to turn out to be your favourite piece. Inevitably designers don't make it again and, she said, 'It could drive you crazy.'"

Zadig & Voltaire Spring/Summer 2014 Show | Paris Fashion

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Ralph Lauren's Evening in Paris

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PARIS — What does Ralph Lauren have in common with John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas and Henri Matisse?

Besides an artistic bent, the American designer now also shares a connection to the famous Paris school those painters attended, the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

On Tuesday night, Lauren hosted a black-tie event at the sprawling site on the Left Bank to kick off a two-year commitment to help restore and modernize the Beaux-Arts’ historic amphitheater. The evening included his first runway outing in the French capital, reprising his fall show for 250 journalists, clients and VIP guests, who were mostly from the ’hood. Charlotte Gainsbourg performed “Heaven Can Wait” and “The Songs That We Sing” after dinner.

Ralph Lauren

“It’s more than 30 years I’ve been living here,” said Catherine Deneuve who, like Charlene, Princess of Monaco, wore an off-the-shoulder dress.

Asked her favorite thing about the area, actress Alice Taglioni purred, “Just the name is enough — Rive Gauche.” She said she’s writing her first screenplay, a romantic comedy.

Other VIPs in attendance included Arielle Dombasle and Lambert Wilson.

After watching models including Daria Strokous and Anna Selezneva parade in Lauren’s jaunty peacoats, Cossack pants and velvet dresses in a collection that nodded to Russia and Parisian chic, Wilson said, “It’s nice to see when it’s consumable; so realistic.” The actor was alluding to the fact that the clothes are actually in stores, and not just runway razzle-dazzle.


Princess Charlene of Monaco

Dombasle seconded the notion, confessing that she had already tried on some of the runway looks at the boutique (though she wore Lanvin to the party).

“This is another exciting moment for me, and a first,” Lauren said in an interview Monday, seated on a wooden bench in the semicircular lecture theater he’s restoring. The central feature of the soaring space is a 90-foot Raphael-esque mural by Paul Delaroche representing 75 great artists across the ages. “It’s very impressive,” he sighed, craning his neck to take in the panoramic painting.

Thanks to Lauren’s largesse, the room is to be equipped with modern stadium seating and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, while restoring its cupola and other period features. Construction work should start in early 2014.

Ralph Lauren Corp. has also earmarked funds to modernize the school’s Web site with digital content, along with online classes, workshops and symposiums.

The designer’s appetite for restoring the architectural splendor of Paris — and deepening affection for the school’s Left Bank environs — was ignited during construction on his European flagship on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, which involved a painstaking restoration of a 17th-century town house.

Catherine Deneuve

“When we did that store, it was quite an amazing thing because there were so many things buried below,” the designer said of the 23,000-square-foot unit, which opened in 2010, complete with a 128-seat Ralph’s eatery in its leafy courtyard.

While Ralph Lauren Corp. has not disclosed financial details, it is understood the improvements to Beaux-Arts will represent a financial commitment of several million dollars.

“This place really needed work so I feel really good about what I have done,” Lauren enthused, lauding the institution’s “amazing history.”

The origins of the school stretch back to 1648, when King Louis XIV was said to have recruited architecture graduates to decorate the royal apartments at Versailles. Its mission has long been to educate the most talented students in drawing, painting, sculpture, engraving and other media.

“And it’s right around the corner from where I have my store,” Lauren noted.

The designer, who famously started out selling men’s neckwear out of a drawer in the Empire State Building, said he relates strongly to the Beaux-Arts, given that it provides opportunities to students wishing to express their creativity.

“I know what it was like for me starting out. I didn’t have the money, nor the wherewithal to do all the things I wanted to do,” he said. “To help young people going through [school] is a very wonderful thing. To help one of the most culturally important places in France was also very important. And it’s badly in need of help.”