Above H&M’s Margareta van den Bosch and New York designer Alexander Wang.

Alexander Wang (王大仁) is the next designer to collaborate with Hennes & Mauritz, with the announcement made on Saturday at the Coachella Music Festival in Palm Springs, Calif. Online above is video footage from the event, featuring interviews with Wang, Kate Bosworth and Emmy Rossum, along with highlights from the party.
   Wang is the first American to collaborate with H&M in a series that began in 2004, and has seen team-ups with Karl Lagerfeld, Comme Des Garçons, Sonia Rykiel, Roberto Cavalli. Stella McCartney, and Viktor & Rolf. The collaboration will be called Alexander Wang × H&M.
   A beaming Wang says, ‘It’s such an honour. H&M is a brand with so much creativity and they’ve done something so different with these collaborations, and I am so excited to be a part of it with the 10th year anniversary and also be the first American brand that they have collaborated with. It’s really exciting and we have a lot of stuff that’s going to be new for the collaboration that I’m just really excited to reveal in November.’
   In his release, he notes, ‘I am honoured to be a part of H&M’s designer collaborations. The work with their team is an exciting, fun process. They are very open to push boundaries and to set a platform for creativity. This will be a great way for a wider audience to experience elements of the Alexander Wang brand and lifestyle.’
   Bosworth says, ‘I’m so excited for Alex. I’ve known him for such a long time and been an admirer for just as long, and I just live seeing all the success at the moment. H&M is such an accessible label and there is something so inspirational obviously about Alex, and I’m really excited to see what he brings to the brand.’
   Rossum adds, ‘Because I love Alex and I’ve been waiting for so so long for him to ask me to do anything … I was happy that I could do something in advance so I could finally wear something of his. I think it’s awesome [he] is doing something for H&M and making it more accessible.’
   Wang’s label was launched in the 2007 and known for its contrasts. The Alexander Wang × H&M collection will have womenswear and menswear, and the Swedish retailer says he will ‘propose a new take on the lifestyle product offering that goes beyond fashion.’
   Margareta van den Bosch, H&M’s creative adviser, says, ‘Alexander Wang is one of the most important voices in fashion today. He understands exactly what people want to wear and does it with an energy and passion that’s infectious. It feels incredible to be collaborating with him this year.’
   The collection will be available in 250 H&M stores worldwide and online, from November 6.

Above Mick Jagger and L’Wren Scott pictured last November.

Fashion designer L’Wren Scott, 49, has been found dead in her Manhattan apartment, with her death being treated as suicide by New York police.
   Scott was found hanged by her assistant, whom she had texted earlier in the day to go to the apartment, at 10 a.m. EDT.
   No suicide note was found, according to police, whose investigations continue.
   Her company was in millions of pounds of debt. The firm, LS Fashion Ltd., had a loss of £3·5 million, and it had been run at a loss for several years before. Some £4·6 million was owed to creditors, with £1 million due within a year. LS Fashion Ltd. had £1·1 million of assets.
   Scott’s autumn–winter 2014–15 show at London Fashion Week had been cancelled. Late last year, Scott launched a line in collaboration with Banana Republic.
   She was born Luanna Bambrough in Utah. Having reached 6 ft in height by age 12, she learned to make her own clothes as she struggled to find anything that fitted her. She modelled in Paris before heading to Los Angeles to become a stylist and costume designer. Her label started in 2006.
   Her designs were a favourite of this publication, and US First Lady Michelle Obama, and celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Amy Adams, Penélope Cruz and Christina Hendricks were among her fans.
   A spokesman for the British Fashion Council said, ‘We are deeply saddened at the news of L’Wren Scott’s tragic death.
   ‘She was an iconic woman who inspired so many, and a designer whose contributions to the fashion industry were both extraordinary and unique.
   ‘She will leave behind an exceptional legacy, however we are so incredibly proud to have had her in our midst.’
   She was the long-term girlfriend of the Rolling Stones’ Sir Mick Jagger. They had been together for nearly 13 years and Jagger had spoken about her fashion collections in the past.
   Jagger had arrived in Australia for the Rolling Stones’ tour there, which may be cancelled.
   Bianca Jagger, Sir Mick’s ex-wife, led tributes, saying, ‘Heartbroken to learn of the loss of the lovely and talented L’Wren Scott. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. May she rest in peace.’
   Supermodel Naomi Campbell wrote on WhoSay: ‘I am deeply shocked and devastated by the news. L’Wren was someone I knew since I was 17. We travelled the world together many times. L’Wren was someone I always loved. She was the epitome of elegance and femininity yet still had a girlish quality. I will miss her honesty and I will miss her friendship. My heart goes out to Mick and all who loved her and were loved by her. May she Rest in Peace.’
   Actress Nicole Kidman issued a statement, reading, ‘Nicole and L’Wren were close friends for 25 years. She is heartbroken and in shock right now, and unable to say anything.’

Elyse Glickman

Sue Wong not only has it all, but can certainly share her good fortune with great gusto. She usually opens the Cedars, her 1920s-era Hollywood mansion, to serve as a backdrop for informal fashion shows. However, on this auspicious New Year’s Eve, her home (which itself had many lives, from the home of early film director Marcel Tourneur and wife Norma Talmadge, to a set for the movie Sunset Boulevard, to rock-and-roll haven for Jimi Hendrix, Dennis Hopper and other ’60s figures) was a stage for her to channel Coco Chanel and Auntie Mame (the 1958 version with Rosalind Russell), put out a fine banquet (because life is, after all, a banquet), serve cocktails and put on a show featuring traditional Chinese performances, pop music, opera and folk music.
   Sue Wong was the consummate master of ceremonies, and her guests were a colourful assortment of artists, actors, writers, socialites and musicians. It was a collection of people Mame Dennis herself would be proud of.
   While LA Fashion Week is a few weeks off, and we’re sure fashion and lifestyle empress Sue Wong has another great collection ahead of her for fall–winter 2014–15, a few hours in her stunning, jewel-toned home is one of the best representations of Old and New Hollywood coming together visually.
   Celebrities on hand included Jane Seymour, Miss Hong Kong 2014 Erin Tjoe, Carly Craig, K. D. Aubert, Kimberly Kates, legendary LA publicist Ed Lozzi, Joyce Giraud and Michael Ohoven.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Elyse Glickman

Thibault Grabherr and Anouchka de Williencourt/SND

Top Pierre Niney as Yves Saint Laurent and Guillaume Gallienne as Pierre Bergé in YSL. Above Pierre Niney as Yves Saint Laurent and Charlotte Le Bon as Victoire Doutreleau.

The first of two bio-pics on fashion design legend Yves Saint Laurent opens today in France.
   YSL, directed by Jalil Lespert, stars Pierre Niney, whose make-up is so convincing that Saint Laurent’s last surviving dog reportedly mistook him for his master. Saint Laurent’s former partner and business manager, Pierre Bergé, has also called Niney’s performance convincing.
   Women’s Wear Daily noted that Niney studied footage of Saint Laurent and took sewing and drawing classes to prepare for his role.
   Bergé has endorsed Lespert’s film, which covers the period between 1957 and 1976, and provided the producers with access to the Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent foundation archive.
   Even from the trailer, there is a sense of visual verisimilitude, and the film has already received acclaim from Paris Match and Elle.
   Bergé has said, ‘The film does not take sides, but tells the truth. All men have a dark and a light side. My life with Yves Saint Laurent was not a fairy tale, but I would not change anything.’
   However, critics of Lespert’s film claim that it glosses over Saint Laurent’s genius. Thomas Bidegain, scriptwriter for the rival bio-pic, told The Daily Telegraph that YSL was ‘simply recounted by Bergé, like Mozart recounted by Salieri.’
   One can see the origins of Bidegain’s claim. In a positive review in L’Express, Mathilde Laurelli notes that YSL recounts a ‘pygmalion du couturier,’ and that it could be more objective.
   However, she and other reviewers tended to praise the film for exploring Saint Laurent’s inner demons, and the clothes from the archive.
   The rival film, which also claims “official” status, has the blessing of François Pinault, the owner of the Yves Saint Laurent brand. Saint Laurent, to be released in May, is directed by Bertrand Bonello, and stars Gaspard Ulliel as the designer. Léa Seydoux plays Loulou de la Falaise and Jérémie Renier portrays Bergé.
   Yves Saint Laurent started at Dior in the mid-1950s and succeeded the designer on his death in 1957. He was drafted in 1960 to fight in the Algerian War of Independence. On his return, Bergé, an art dealer who had met Saint Laurent while he was in a military hospital, tried to have Saint Laurent reinstated at Dior, but the house refused. They successfully sued for breach of contract. They went on to start the Yves Saint Laurent label along with some of the Dior staff. Saint Laurent was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 1985. The following year, the company took control of its fragrance business and floated on the stock exchange. In December 2007, President Nicolas Sarkozy appointed Saint Laurent Officier of the Légion d’honneur. Saint Laurent died in 2008.

Thibault Grabherr and Anouchka de Williencourt/SND

Top Charlotte Le Bon plays Victoire, Dior’s muse, later at Saint Laurent. Above Yves Saint Laurent and Victoire Doutreleau in 1962.

Thibault Grabherr and Anouchka de Williencourt/SND

Above Lots 173 and 174: an original Karl Lagerfeld sketch, and the corresponding Tiziani coral gown with feathered cape.

Fashion sketchbooks and drawings by Karl Lagerfeld will be auctioned on January 11 by Palm Beach Modern Auctions in West Palm Beach, Fla.
   The drawings were done for Tiziani, which was set up by American designer Evan ‘Buddy’ Richards in Roma in 1963, catering to celebrities and royalty. Lagerfeld freelanced for the house and the drawings illustrate how haute couture made the leap to designer ready-to-wear.
   Rico Baca, auctioneer at Palm Beach Modern Auctions, notes that the collection is unique. Even though Lagerfeld was in the habit of throwing out old work, Richards meticulously held on to the sketches produced for him by the young designer. The collection was maintained in full by subsequent estates.
   He also says that the drawings showed the shift from haute couture to prêt-à-porter: ‘Evan Richards and his brilliant designer Karl Lagerfeld were right at the forefront. Richards had grown weary of his couture designs being purchased, taken apart and copied line for line by New York department stores. Eventually he thought, “Why shouldn’t we be the ones selling our designs as ready-to-wear?” That was the beginning of it all.’
   Baca says, ‘It contains Lagerfeld sketchbooks—some showing entire ready-to-wear lines for a season—hundreds of individual sketches by Lagerfeld and other Tiziani designers, hundreds of photos of couture shows, and several signed photos and personal notes from Elizabeth Taylor to Tiziani.’
   Tiziani designed for Princess Marcella Borghese, Doris Duke and Gina Lollobrigida, and was a favourite of Elizabeth Taylor. Tiziani designed for Taylor for several films, and some of the drawings are marked for ‘Elizabeth Taylor Burton’.
   The auction includes a Tiziani coral gown with feathered cape, matched to Lagerfeld’s original pre-production sketch. There are also four other pieces of Tiziani couture—three dresses and a beaded top—plus four Mary McFadden couture garments and a mod-style Kiki Hart pantsuit, according to the auction house.
   The 400-lot archive will be auctioned on January 11 at 12 p.m. EST, at 417 Bunker Road, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33405. Internet bids will be taken via LiveAuctioneers.com. The online catalogue can be viewed at LiveAuctioneers.com. A cocktail party preview benefiting the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens will be held at Palm Beach Modern Auctions on January 9 at 5 p.m.

Above Lots 95 and 3: original sketches by Karl Lagerfeld for Tiziani. The one on the right bears a note that it is for ‘Elizabeth Taylor Burton’.

Former Lucire stylist Illya Knight’s accessory brand, G.O.N.T. (God of Nocturnal Thunder) is something new and exciting to get behind. G.O.N.T. aims to enhance personal style and individuality through their edgy jewellery, menswear, womenswear, footwear and bags. Inspired by nature, power and strength, this new label delves into the concepts of glamour and power. Their eclectic pieces each make an original statement.
   Based in New York, G.O.N.T. is a start-up company which is constantly growing, where new pieces are being added online daily. Knight aims to create garments able to be flaunted in the day-to-day wardrobe where functionality meets quality and style.
   In looking through G.O.N.T.’s promotional imagery, what really stood out for me are the artistic photography and the luxurious-looking leather. The most distinctive piece is the ski-boot-style men’s leather boots. Opening at the sides, I have never seen anything like them. Their originality, incorporating ski-sporty with grungy, is something to be valued as mixing elements is not an easy task. Here at Lucire we also highly rate his rugged denim with its vibrant colours and creased exterior. Last but not least the G.O.N.T. leather mailbox bag is both luxe and grungy, I wouldn’t mind one if this myself! Check out G.O.N.T. for yourself at thegont.tumblr.com.—Anna Deans

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Cartier: le style et l’histoire opens on December 4, showcasing the renowned brand in a retrospective organized by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux–Grand Palais.
   The Cartier Collection has been shown in 25 exhibitions worldwide since 1983, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the British Museum, Lisboa’s Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and Beijing’s Palace Museum.
   The VIP private opening on Monday at le Grand Palais was attended by many of the names that Cartier has touched. Guests included HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and her daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joely Richardson, Monica Bellucci, Tomo Kurata, Lea Weller, Ora Ito and Emilie Marant, Patricia d’Arenberg, John and Laviana Elkan, Hubert de Givenchy, V. V. Brown, Adelaide de Clermont Tonnerre, Guillaume Cerutti and his wife Marjorie, Henri de la Croix de Castries, and Maharaja Tikka de Kapurthala.
   The exhibition runs till February 16 at the Grand Palais, Paris, and features 600 creations, including high jewellery pieces, mystery clocks, watches and precious objects. Some will be shown alongside private loans, displayed for the first time. Archive material and documentation accompany the exhibition.

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Pascal le Segretain

Above President of Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Jean-Paul Cluzel, and president of Cartier, Stanislas de Quercize. Kristin Scott Thomas and Joely Richardson. L’Archiduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg. Monica Bellucci and HSH Prince Albert II. Tomo Kurata and Lea Weller. Ora Ito and Emilie Marant. Patricia d’Arenberg. Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg, Princess Francesca von Habsburg and John and Laviana Elkan. HSH Prince Albert II de Monaco, Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and her daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg. Hubert de Givenchy. V. V. Brown. Adelaide de Clermont Tonnerre. Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Sotheby’s France and his wife Marjorie. Henri de La Croix de Castries, 5th Comte de Castries, and his wife. Maharaja Tikka de Kapurthala and guest.

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Dominic O’Neill

Mini knows it’s on to a good thing, especially when it has 2½ million customers worldwide for the fashion-led 21st-century models released under BMW.
   With the launch of the fourth-generation Mini, BMW has stuck with the fashion image, with Poppy Delevingne, fashion designers Henry Holland and Amy Molyneaux, Peaches Geldof, Ellie Goulding, Pips Taylor, Zara Martin, Laura Bailey, Made in Chelsea’s Kimberley Garner and Diego Bivero-Volpe, Nik Thakkar, Kelly Eastwood and Jaime Winstone, Lianne La Havas, Ella Catliff, and Sugababe Jade Ewen at the after-party, giving it some style cred.
   The earlier unveiling had taken place in Oxford at the BMW plant, where the original 1959 Mini was built when the factory was owned by the British Motor Corporation.
   The Monday night after-party at the Sorting Office in London saw 500 guests at the event, where Goulding even worked the DJ decks before Fenech Soler performed an hour-long set. Little Dragon DJ then took over through to Tuesday midnight.
   The party continues today in Los Angeles at the Kim Sing Theater, with 175 guests invited, and Passion Pit performing live.
   The finalé will take place in Shanghai, with 200 guests on Thursday at the Waterhouse in South Bund. Gossip and Beth Ditto will perform live.
   The global launch of the new F56 Mini will take place in the first quarter of 2014.

Dominic O’Neill