The Cut

New Fall 2012 Shows: Jason Wu, Tess Giberson, Libertine

Ally Betker — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 8:37:56 -0500

Jason Wu's collection was a little more subdued this season, with dark patterns, oxblood-colored dresses, and fur. At Tess Giberson, chunky knits and maxi dresses were the order of the day. Libertine brought bedazzled dresses and shoes, plus plenty of all-over patterns. Below, our latest shows.

RUNWAY

• Creatures of the Wind
• Jason Wu
• Libertine
• rag & bone Menswear
• Tess Giberson
• tse

Florals Go to the Dark Side

Diana Tsui — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 8:36:00 -0500

The spring 2012 runways exploded with digital florals, and it appears that designers aren't tired of the print quite yet. For fall, the exuberant patterns took a darker turn, adding dimension to a black backdrop. At Honor, a below-the-knee frock featured graphic deep purple blooms on a chiffon overlay; at Richard Chai LOVE, an oxblood (quite the color this season!) slouchy blazer was printed with digitized blossoms. And at Rachel Comey, individual long stem roses fell delicately over an abstract wood-print blouse. So at least one trend in your closet will last more than one season.

See the Complete Honor Fall 2012 Collection
See the Complete Richard Chai LOVE Fall 2012 Collection
See the Complete Rachel Comey Fall 2012 Collection

Michelle Obama Wore a Turquoise Skirt in Texas

Charlotte Cowles — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 8:33:11 -0500

Michelle Obama wore a turquoise pencil skirt, orange shirt, and tortoise-shell kitten heels to host a healthy cooking competition with Tom Colicchio at the Kleberg-Rylie Recreation Center in Dallas, Texas. See this outfit as well as others she's worn during her "Let's Move" tour in our Michelle Obama Look Book.

Watch the Suno Show Live Right Here at 8 p.m.

Ally Betker — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 7:30:00 -0500

Starting at 8 p.m. (give or take), Suno's fall 2012 show will stream live right here. Enjoy!

Simon Doonan Does Not Go to ‘Mountain Dew’ Towns, Thinks Karl Lagerfeld is a Victim of the Internet

Evan Mulvihill — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 7:27:26 -0500

Last night, Simon Doonan took a break from his whirlwind book tour to present the Diet Pepsi Style Studio Fashion Show at The Box at Lincoln Center. He told us that he’s been worried more conservative types might judge the book by its cover — literally, since the title is Gay Men Don’t Get Fat.

“I’m not stupid,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere homophobic with this book. Are you raving mad? One doesn’t title a book Gay Men Don’t Get Fat and charge off to a place where everyone’s drinking Mountain Dew. No offense to Mountain Dew.”

Doonan also weighed in on Karl Lagerfeld’s comment that Adele is “a little too fat,” saying, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it in any kind of malicious way. God knows with the Internet, these things get picked up and magnified.”

Also in attendance was his dutiful husband Jonathan Adler, a fashion presence in his own right, who weighed in on the Adele situation as well.

“You know what — he’s who I look to for totally bananas comments. He’s Karl Lagerfeld—he should make totally outré comments. That’s what he’s there for.”

When we pushed Adler a little farther, he ‘fessed up.

“I think, honestly, it’s a silly and ridiculous thing to say.” He added, “Here’s the difference—she’s young and happening, and... he’s...”

At this, Adler trailed off. Did he want to say Adele’s a hot young thing and Karl’s old news? Oh snap.

We’re Kidnapping Editors During Fashion Week So You Can Ask Them Questions

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 7:03:50 -0500

We're giving editors from Harper’s Bazaar, Lucky, and Marie Claire rides in the next couple of days, and we thought it our collegial duty to offer them lifts — on one condition: That all of you get to (virtually) ride along and pick their brains about anything from trends (“Peplums—really?") to keeping up appearances (“How are your feet feeling right now?”) to key issues affecting the world (“How bummed are you that Karlie isn’t walking this season?”), and whatever else you want to know about that’s fashion — and Fashion Week — related.

Just follow The Cut on Twitter and tweet us your questions with the hashtag #BackofBenz (that's how we roll). We’ll also be videotaping the rides, so keep an eye out next week for a possible query cameo (extra points for funny handles).

The schedule is below but tweet us whenever you want, starting now.

Saturday, February 11

Lucky Magazine, 12:00 p.m. EST

Harper’s Bazaar, 5:00 p.m. EST

Monday, February 13

Marie Claire, 12:00 p.m. EST

Beyonce and Jay-Z Have Released Pictures of Blue Ivy

Kyle Buchanan — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 7:00:13 -0500

Though we're not normally in the business of showing you famous babies, we'd like to pass along these brand-new pictures of Blue Ivy Carter (TM) for several reasons: 1) So cute! 2) They were officially released by Jay-Z and Beyonce on Jay's website, so these aren't invasive paparazzi snapshots. 3) Look at all that hair! 4) Aww. So serene. 5) She will one day rule us all, so let's get to know her! 6) Now, finally, we can put to rest those unsettling photo-manipulations of what a Jay-Z baby might look like. Mazel tov, Carter family!

Brandon Jacobs Apologized for Telling Gisele to Shut Up

Charlotte Cowles — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 6:55:02 -0500

New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs is sorry he said that Gisele needs "to stay cute and shut up." On the Doug Gottlieb show, he said, "Given the fact that it's a colleague of mine's wife, I do apologize for saying that, because I shouldn't have said that ... It's his wife and I should respect that just as much as anyone else." Or he could apologize because, you know, it was a totally inappropriate thing to say about any woman, Gisele included, but that's probably too much to hope for. Jacobs also pointed out that he did call her cute. "No question, [Brady] should take that as a compliment. If he finds something wrong with that, then that's his problem."

First Look: ‘IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA’ at FIT

Ally Betker — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 6:35:59 -0500

To celebrate the CFDA's 50th anniversary, FIT has mounted an exhibition dedicated to the hundreds of designers who have comprised its membership since 1962. Get a preview of the show's contents — including vintage designs by Norma Kamali, Carolina Herrera, and Diane Von Furstenberg — in our slideshow, excerpted from the accompanying book, Impact: 50 Years of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Fug Girls: Cheyenne Jackson talks Xanadu, Tina Fey, and Basks in the Glow of His Own Hotness at rag & bone

The Fug Girls — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 6:00:21 -0500

The rag & bone menswear show took place Friday in a warehouselike pier venue, and as such, it was cavernous and chilly — to the point that we saw people putting on their hats and gloves when they walked inside, just to endure the temperature. We decided to keep warm by sidling up to actor and Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson and basking in the rosy glow of his hotness. He must have sensed our motives, because he reached out, wrapped his Jackson five around our bare hands, and asked, “How are you doing? Are you cold? It’s really cold!” We’re not entirely sure what we said in reply, as we were too busy suppressing the urge to curl up in his lap (we probably chortled ridiculously, as we are fatally uncool in these situations, and also in life in general), but we managed to remain upright and conscious and that’s always a victory.

We’re happy to report, in the credit-where-credit-is-due department, that Jackson is easygoing and friendly, in addition to being a dreamy dreamboat with pretty, pretty eyes. He confirmed that he’s in talks to pop up on 30 Rock again — “I was just Tina Fey’s date at the SAG awards, and I was like, ‘TINA, what’s UP? Come on!’” — and said he’s otherwise working on music for a new record deal and waiting to find out if the USA Network picks up his pilot with Nathan Lane. He also seemed excited to do a little shopping on the runway. “This [line] is like lumberjack meets English schoolboy,” he said. “I’m from Idaho, and I’m kind of an English schoolboy in the body of a lumberjack. It’s perfect.”

In the end, we couldn’t resist bringing up Xanadu – after all, he hit it big in the stage show, and we grew up loving the movie (and belting out the soundtrack in the shower, although we withheld that foxy tidbit), so we are doubtless secret soul mates. Jackson laughed that, yes, he has seen the movie. “Not too much, because it’s a crappy movie. It was something like the worst flop of all time when it came out,” he said. “But Olivia Newton John came [to the show] and she was so in on the joke, which was cool, that was amazing.” But what about the guy from The Warriors who played Jackson’s role in the film? “He never came,” Jackson said. “He’s kind of pulled back from society. Nobody really sees him anymore.” We can’t blame him — if someone recast us with Cheyenne Jackson, we’d never come out of our rooms again either. (For more Fug Girls, go here.)

See the complete fall 2012 rag & bone menswear collection

Party Slideshow: Things Got Sloppy at the Kills Concert Last Night

Stella Bugbee — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 5:30:34 -0500

High above the dapper throngs emerging from other events and shows, an intimate performance in the Standard's Boom Boom Room gives us a million — or thirteen, if you're counting — reasons to smile.

Fashion Week Style Diaries: Visionaire’s Cecilia Dean, Day Two

Jenny Correa — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 5:15:53 -0500

Visionarie's Cecilia Dean will be cozy and comfortable in her many meetings today, as she layered Uniqlo's Heattech turtleneck underneath a thin, white cashmere sweater. She also chose a warmer shoe — a white shearling-lined open-toed Martin Margiela boot — and paired it again with a color-coordinated toe-sock. Cecilia completes her look with a vintage Helmut Lang coat and her go-to purse: Chanel. “Since I'm not lugging things around town today, I could have a nice small elegant purse,” she explains.

On Cecilia: Martin Margiela boots, Uniqlo turtleneck, vintage Helmut Lang coat, Martin Margiela pants, and a Chanel Purse.
About the look: “This is my cozy outfit. I have so many meetings and these shoes are really comfortable. They keep my feet warm even though my toes are exposed, and since they are not super high, I could run around. These are my most comfortable pants, they even have an elastic waist.”

See more: Outfit from day one.

And catch more of Cecilia's fashion week adventures at vmagazine.com.

Fashion Week Style Diaries: Paper Magazine’s Mickey Boardman, Day Two

Jenny Correa — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 5:10:05 -0500

For the second day of Fashion Week, Paper magazine's Mickey Boardman traded in yesterday's businesswear for a sporty, monochromatic look, wearing a Missoni for Target lady's ski jacket over his signature navy Lacoste top. “I would wear a navy-blue Lacoste shirt every day," he proclaimed. "In fact, I often do.” Mickey completed his look with all-blue accessories: a coated canvas Fendi bag, a leopard-print PROVA scarf, and Prada prescription sunglasses with custom-colored lenses. "The person at LensCrafters said it's hard to get the prescription just right with amber lenses," he said, squinting. "But I can't have these glasses and not have orange lenses. So I can see ... I guess just not exactly perfectly."

On Mickey: Lacoste shirt, Joseph Abboud pants, Missoni for Target jacket, Prada Sunglasses, Superga sneakers, PROVA Scarf, and a Fendi Bag.
About the Look: “I love the cult look. I could be in a navy-blue cult. It could be fascists, it could be Republicans, it could be gay-haters. As long as they are in an all-navy-blue look, I'm onboard ... although I'll probably look more like I'm a doorman.”

See more: Outfit from day one.

And catch more of Mickey's fashion week adventures at papermag.com.

Fashematics: TSE

Jonathan Zawada — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 5:05:54 -0500

We're partnering up with Fashematics this week to bring you their irreverent take on runway looks. First up, the pair — who dissect outfits using funny references — tackle the TSE fall 2012 collection. Click through to see their equation.

See the Complete TSE Fall 2012 Collection

Project Runway All Stars Recap: Winter Is Coming; Fall Takes a Fall

Alex Rees — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 5:00:22 -0500

Weighed down by eight tacky-looking weekend bags, Angela explains that this week's challenge is to make activewear for a client who is off doing something (anything), somewhere (anywhere), on the weekend (any weekend or occasion, really). Such vague challenges always produce maddening results because the designers inevitably develop looks with very different goals in mind, and then the judges never keep their critiques consistent.

After each designer picks a bag, they realize they're actually not important at all, but the luggage tags inside are: They reveal that the contestants will be matched up to compete against each other in four "fashion face-offs," with each duo making a look appropriate for a particular season. In other words, the producers need more conflict, and constructs like this usually provoke some good old back-biting and the odd tear here and there. But this season, the all-stars still want to play nice, at least outside the confessional booth.

One person from each pairing (Austin vs. Kara for spring, Kenley vs. Mondo for summer, Mila vs. Rami for fall, and Jerell vs. Michael for winter) will receive a high score, the other, a low score. Kara and Austin briefly try to psych each other out, and Mondo and Kenley joke around in that not-actually-joking way once they realize they've both bought polka-dot prints. But this week all the workroom drama comes from Michael and Jerell. And really, just from Michael — because after his first few design ideas fall flat, he decides to flat-out copy Jerell's chunky cowl-neck coat.

Needless to say, this doesn't go down well, and the tension between the pair soon grows thick enough that Joanna Coles, during her critiques, calls a "group meeting" to discuss the not-so-veiled allegations that plagiarism is at work. She gently questions Michael's conduct, which spurs some interesting discussion among the designers, though most of their perspectives seems drawn along the workroom cliques' lines. Later, over dinner, Michael and Jerell bicker some more — mid-mouthful even. Michael's particularly annoyed he had to defend his ethics to Joanna — though he'll now have to defend the terrible British accent he put on, too. (In other Michael news, did his eyebrows suddenly get extra-sculpted? After taking his model to hair and makeup, they appeared almost triangular. Perhaps he took some of his frustration out with tweezers.)

There's a neat little twist on the runway, with each pair of seasonal looks walking out together before getting their individual turns. The comparative process certainly helps the judges critique the designers' work against each other with abandon — the harshest comments coming from this week's guest judge Cynthia Rowley, who seemed much meaner here than on 24 Hour Catwalk. Jerell wins, as his aesthetic lent itself perfectly to the challenge. And in an auf'ing coming out of the far left field, Rami is eliminated for a sick (in the bad sense of the word, sadly) lime-green blouse that belied the otherwise beautiful draping.