Video From Tom Ford's Secret Show

Highly esteemed women’s wear designer-turned-menswear designer-turned film director Tom Ford made a huge splash late last year when he announced that he’d once again be creating beautiful wares for the fairer sex. His return was marked by a secret show at a salon on Madison Avenue with only 100 of his closest friends in attendance. A video from the show was just released today, almost four months later. The event, shrouded by a veil of secrecy, came with a set of rules including:

• No full-look photos to run alongside fashion reviews.
• No complete run-of-show anywhere on the internet.
• No magazine coverage until January issues.
• No celebrities wearing the clothes until December.

The only person allowed to photograph the show was Terry Richardson and every monthly from Vogue to Harper’s Bazaar included coverage of his new designs in their December issues. Vogue Paris even allowed Ford to guest edit the December ‘10/January ‘11 issue, with many attributing this to his close friendship with editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld (who recently announced her departure from the magazine after 10 years). Ford is infamous for being anti-press, disregarding critical reviews of his work and not caring much for high profile fashion shows. The fashion industry could learn a thing or two from the way Tom Ford controls his brand and his image. In an era where tween bloggers sit front row and high fashion designers collaborate with high street retailers, one can’t help but feel concern for the future of fashion and a bit of nostalgia for the past. In the golden days of Dior and Balenciaga, when models sashayed down small runways in even smaller salons , only buyers, editors and select clients were in attendance. No celebrities, no camera crews, no fluff. I wasn’t certain of it until I saw video from Ford’s intimate show, but now I know that this is the way things should be. Watch below:

Here's to You Patrik!

vcuStyle wants to give a HUUUUGGGGGEEEEEEE congratulatory shout out to one of our favorite designers, Patrik Ervell, who was selected 1st runner-up of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Prize at the 6th Annual CVFF awards in New York City earlier this week. The winner of the $200,000 award was French designer Sophie Théallet (last year's winner was American superstar Alexander Wang), but Patrik was still able to take home a cool $50,000. If his recent collections (gold oxidized suits, anyone?) are any indication, I know he'll put the money to good use. See you in the Spring, Patrik!

Patrik with Vogue's Hamish Bowles and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarté

The amazingly cool (and always fly) Mark Ronson rocking the oxidized S/S 2010 Ervell suit

Inspiration or Imitation: W vs. Vogue

"My Grandma Vogue & Grandma W, what similar features you have!"

In the midst of our current recession, the fashion industry is scaling down significantly. Magazines are reducing their budgets and cutting back on editorial expenses (i.e. photo shoots). Well, apparently cutting back means printing an editorial spread that looks eerily similar to a competing magazine's spread from years past (...including the same photographer). For their September issue, Vogue had fashion photog duo Mert & Marcus shoot Natalia Vodianova for a Little Red Riding Hood themed spread called "Into the Woods". Well, call me the Big Bad Wolf because I'M CRYING FOUL!!! Word on the street (and by the street I mean a select few fashion forums, hehe) is that Vogue blatantly copied a similar editorial done by W magazine back in 2007 which ALSO happened to be shot by Mert & Marcus. I'll let you judge for yourself how similar the two spreads are, with shots from the W spread on the left and ones from the Vogue spread on the right:

P-P-P-P-Puckface, P-P-P-Puckface

Sean Avery, the professional NHL player (who played left wing for the New York Rangers when he wassn't being suspended for beating the crap out of someone) who also famously interned at the Vogue offices under the watchful eye of Anna Wintour is getting his own movie. New Line Cinema has picked up the rights to the film and given it the name Puckface (clever). The romantic comedy will chronicle Avery's experiences as an intern. Honestly, I'm not so sure this movie is the best idea...for several reasons. First, most women aren't going to have the smallest clue who Sean Avery is. Second, we all know his internship at Vogue involved nothing more than macking on all the "clackers" in the office, then cruising off to Fashion Week to mack some more from his front row seat at the Marc Jacobs and Narcisso Rodriguez shows. Lastly, making a movie of Avery's experience as an "intern" is extremely misleading to all the Running in Heels watching girls and hockey playing boys everywhere: No girls, interns do NOT sit front row at Fashion Week (they rarely even get to go) and, No young male NHL fanatics, Vogue will NOT hire you as an intern and you will NEVER be taken seriously again by your male friends, even if they do. So, New Line, for the sake of all that is good can we please put Hamish Bowles in Avery's place on the soundstage and call it a day? Thanks.

"That's One Secret I'll Never Tell..."

...you know you love her! Here's Gossip Girl Blake Lively, in all her gorgeousness, for the cover of Vogue's February issue.