Milan Fashion Scoops
(MILAN) PRADA SANS PIVOVAROVA: As models walked out in their final looks at Tuesday's Prada show, many model-savvy insiders noticed that the company's current muse du jour, Sasha Pivovarova, was missing in action. The Russian-born, New York-based supermodel, it turns out, is still recovering from an unspecified illness and has been under the weather for weeks now. According to her agent, she was able to walk only in Anna Sui in New York and planned to fly to Milan where she is usually requested by virtually every top house, but did not recover in time. The intellectual beauty is hoping to make it out to the Paris shows next week. We wish her well.
FERRAGAMO FOLLIES: Roberto Bolle made his debut in the front row at Ferragamo's show Tuesday following last week's announcement that he had been selected to star in an upcoming ad campaign for the Florentine fashion house. The well-chiseled principal dancer at La Scala, who's currently featured in a Gap campaign in the U.S., brushed aside any indication that he was becoming a fashion plate. "For me it's a pleasure to be a part of fashion history," he said, surrounded by paparazzi. "Ferragamo is such an important design house and I admire their style, harmony, and class. It makes sense to work with them as they run much like my dancing." As first reported, Bolle will stage a custom-choreographed dance piece next month as part of Ferragamo's 80th anniversary soirée in Shanghai. "It's going to be a mix of Mozart with Greta Hodgkinson and a more contemporary electronic piece," he told The Daily. The brand, renowned for its shoes, is currently making a special pair for Bolle. "For a ballet dancer's feet, they must be very comfortable," he said, before joking, "We are very demanding."
Meanwhile, slightly less conspicuous but nevertheless bursting with talent, was Chinese actress Tang Wei, who attended her first-ever fashion show in an off-the-shoulder silk blue-and-green watercolor print Ferragamo dress. "The clothes are classic and sexy at the same time and are perfect for women," said Wei, who rose to fame after starring in Ang Lee's erotic thriller Lust, Caution. The 28-year-old actress and former model said being in Milan during Fashion Week reminded her of her days on the catwalk--except this time, she hinted that it might lead to her first fashion ad campaign for Ferragamo. Stay tuned.
VIONNET RUNWAY: After parting ways with designer Marc Audibet after just one season, the iconic house of Vionnet hasn't gone into mourning. Rather, Arnaud de Lummen, the brand's chief executive officer, has given the green light on the brand's first runway show, which will take place on February 29 at the over-the-top Le Crazy Horse adult cabaret club. De Lummen said that he had no plans to hire a replacement for Audibet, instead directing his attention to the current in-house team, headed by Gaetane Maze. Audibet replaced Sophia Kokosalaki, who was brought on board to relaunch the brand in 2006; she left two seasons later after selling her business to Diesel brand parent Staff International. In related news, de Lummen added that an unnamed investor has taken a "small" stake in the company and that he's in talks with "more significant" potential investors that he hopes will help pilot Vionnet's growth. Barneys New York carries the brand exclusively in the U.S., but growth potential remains in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
MILAN COMPLEX: Along with meals at Bice and Le Langhe, no Milan Fashion Week seems complete now without the collapse of a photographer's platform. Witness Tuesday's Sportmax show, which not only tied Salvatore Ferragamo in start delay (nearly an hour), but bore this season's photo pit incident. Show attendees will recall past fracas at Fendi and Dsquared in the last two years. Fortunately, nobody was injured, according to a MaxMara representative, and the show went on, with photographers crowded around the runway.
THE PLUNGE: Alexis Bryan and Thelma Golden share more than an affinity for well-conceived art. They both also boast engagement rings from Tiffany's. Golden, the director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, quietly wed designer Duro Olowu on January 2 in an intimate ceremony in New York. The Nigerian-born Olowu, known for his vibrant empire waist, kimono-like dresses made from a mélange of vintage fabrics, proposed to Golden--and custom-designed her wedding dress, natch--just before Christmas with a Tiffany Etoile pavé-diamond ring. Following the exchanging of vows, witnessed by friends like Paper's Kim Hastreiter and artist Glenn Ligon, the couple hosted a lunch at JoJo. No honeymoon has been set just yet.
