photos: zimbio.com

About Elie Saab
“Born in Beirut on the fourth of July, Saab’s interest is dressmaking started at the young age of 9… In 1982 Elie Saab opened his firt atelier in Lebanon at the age of 18 with ten employees…

Saab’s breakthrough moment came in July of 2003 when he showed his Haute Couture collection in Paris as an officially invited member of the Chambre Syndicale. The response from the press and retailers was overwhelming. Two years later in Ocober of 2005, Saab launched his expanded ready-to-wear collection on the Paris runway and has made his second there.” Quoted from ElieSaab.com

Elie Saab Fall 2010 Couture

Elie Saab Fall 2010 RTW

Let’s take a look at the pair’s current ventures and see how they compare.

Denim Lines
Zoe designs a bell bottom jean for 7 Jeans for All Mankind. Team with the pervasive brand is fairly prestigious and the the jeans are tried and true quality. The style is very true to Zoe’s style and it’s smart of her to start slow with just one style (anyone remember those dreadful clutches she tried to hawk a few years ago?). In a word: mainstream. Buy these jeans and check out Zoe’s handpicked favorites at Piperlime

According to MyTrueFit, Jacobson was on a shoot with the brand when she landed the deal with Kasil Denim. Rumors say this was the real reason she was let go from her whipping post. In her defense, she said repeatedly that product development was wear she wanted to go. Kasil is a pretty obscure brand for the average consumer, but it likely means that Taylor had a great deal more creative wiggle room. Who knows how much of the design she actually did, but the result has a lot more variety. Not sure, though, how well it represents Taylor’s aesthetic.

Celebrity Style Clients

Taylor is a smart cookie. Whether she saw her departure coming or not she’s been savvy in flipping her 15 minutes into some solid business ventures. Zoe may or may not care about Jacobson’s jeans line, but it’s real slap in the face if she was able to take celebrity clients with her. And she did just that. Word is, Taylor has a whole roster of celebs that followed her out of Zoe-land. One of them is Kate Beckinsale. See her in all her glory at this years Cannes Film Festival.

Zoe’s styling record speaks for itself. But not always in a good way. She does have her shining moments, though, when you just can’t deny that she’s excellent at what she does. Case in point: Kate Hudson at the Golden Globes.

photos: zimbio.com

When we heard earlier this year that Madonna had a fashion line in the works, we might have been a bit cynical about the motivation. Mrs. Blond Ambition has certainly shown herself to be a business force to be reckoned with, but it’s been quite a while since she’s been able to claim style icon status.

Still, the Madonna brand is one of the most recognizable in show business and in an environment where musicians can make more money from selling perfume than from producing an album, fast fashion is a no brainer. According to the February 2010 WWD story, Madonna will have womenswear and lingerie among her branded merchandise. To kick off her fashion ventures, however, the pop legend has launched the Material Girl Collection – separates and dresses aimed at the teeny bop crowd. The predictably ’80s line, which is available exclusively at Macy’s, is coming out just in time to be gobbled up by voracious back-to-school shoppers.

What’s more interesting than the clothing, though, is Madonna’s daughter Lourdes’ role in the new venture. Otherwise known as Lola, the 13-year-old is standing at the helm of the line’s blog. In her introductory post a squeally Lola praises My Chemical Romance, pans gladiator sandals, and most of all reminds any late-blooming 30 somethings out there that the loads of lace and faux-leather are meant for jr. high, not jr. execs on the weekends! Trust us, ladies: just because it fits, doesn’t mean you should wear it. The collection is due in stores August 3, 2010.

photos: WWD.com, Material Girl Blog, People.com

Just as the net was starting murmur about burlesque star Dita Von Teese have a clothing line, it seems the Cult icon has implicitly confirmed the fact. Just moments ago Dita tweeted the above pic with the caption, “It’s going to be quite a task to sew all these labels into my clothes!!” So either Ms. champagne glass is going off to summer camp or we will soon be treated to a celeb fashion line worth trying! (I’m betting on the latter)

Earlier this week Von Teese was using the conditional tense when talking about starting her own branded line:

“It would be great to remake those things from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. I would be very interested in having a lot of my favorite vintage pieces copied because it’s kind of sad there’s a lot of great things that are going to be lost, that can’t be worn again, that people will never get to see the beauty of vintage.”

She also told TheFrisky.com that she would be careful not to simply knock-off her favorite designers, as many celebrities do when they launch a clothing line. Can someone say, Amen?

Source: Splash News, newkerala.com, Twitter @DitaVonTeese

It’s spring! And like Bambi, and all other creatures living with their hearts wipe open, I am utterly twitterpated. My new love: The Temper Trap. They are a rock band, but like all of my favorite bands, I’m reluctant to slide them into a simple genre. The BBC called them “Sun-bleached surf-pop from down under” – which I think is wayyy off. Their MySpace page slots them in A’cappella / Other / Melodramatic Popular Song categories – which maybe doesn’t hit the mark either, but better describes the inability to pin these guys down (or else just the band’s sense of humor).

It was a fantastic show at The Loft – well attended, but not stampede stuffed. I, of course, was up near the front of the stage amongst some really young (it seemed) fans and having a blast. The moment was made all the better by the fact that leader singer Dougy Mandagi has great style (on this night, anyhow). Unfortunately, my super-amateur photography skills were not enough to adequately capture the look very well on camera. The missing details: rolled short sleeve (very 50s), a feather print shirt with chest exposed (very 70s), a small gold crucifix pendant, a braided leather belt. The exposed chest, BTW was very appropriate to Dougy’s vocal style, which reminds me of that Bee Gees falsetto that so characterized the disco era.

Inspired Style: Dougy of TheTemper Trap – LIVE in Atlanta by eighty jane featuring Low Luv by Erin Wasson necklaces

Apparently the Melbourne band was introduced to the States by way of a movie called “500 Days of Summer.” I’ve never seen it, and have barely even heard of it (proud Hollywood hater, here). The break out song was “Sweet Disposition” – played unplugged and mellow in the video below.

It’s a nice song, but not nearly as amazing as some of the other songs on their debut album Conditions. One of my favorites is “Resurrection.”

Buy Conditions on

Performance artist Dita Von Teese attended the opening of the LA Antiques show yesterday, wearing a floor-length full skirt with her trademark cinched waist and a sweetheart neckline. Despite the retro style of the dress, Dita managed to make the look modern. Maybe it’s because we’re so accustomed to seeing the star in vintage styles, or it might be that contemporary designer runways have shown heavy ’50s influences this year.

Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 RTW

While, Dita has the likes Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood gifting her beautiful dresses (both new and old), the rest of us have to rely on other sources for our style fixes. Thanks to the retro craze of the ’00s, we no longer have to go diving into must thrift store bins to find cute vintage clothes. In the last decade specialty stores popped up online and in cities everywhere. And retro style isn’t only for red carpet glamour or high-fashion runway. Even Dita get’s casual from time to time. See her here at the Coachella music festival wearing sailor pants and a bustier top.

There’s no need to be top-to-bottom retro however. Even though Dita pulls it off, it’s not for everyone. Instead, punctuate and otherwise modern wardrobe with a few key vintage items. For most of us, we’ll get the most mileage out of casual vintage dresses and separates. Stay modern and on trend by looking for long “maxi” dresses, tiered ruffles, high-waisted shorts and – if you can find them – snap up a pair of saddle shoes. You’ll and personality and flair to your look, and as a bonus you’ll save a ton of cash!

photos: zimbio.com, style.com

When the note for Kate Couric’s March Harper’s Bazaar spread hit my inbox I yawned, thinking “oh good, another Good Housekeeping photoshoot for me to ignore.” I love it when my cynicism is dead wrong. To my very pleasant surprise Couric is every bit the high fashion diva – looking both age and station-appropriate in sexy fitted blazer and Louboutin pumps. The short hair was an excellent style choice for her. Tres Chic! See some behind-the-scenes action in the video below.

In other news, Kate Moss is on the cover of this issue… YAWN.

Vist Harpersbazaar.com to read the interview with the very first female evening news anchor. Go ‘head Katie!

Rihanna appeared on Oprah this week wearing a Viktor & Rolf dress from the Spring 2010 collection. She performed a heartfelt cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”. Buy this song and support Haitian relief efforts via

Rihanna is among a handful of fashion-forward celebs that have given the cutting edge line a try. See below, then vote:

[poll id=”3″]

Katy Perry hosting MTV Europe Music Awards

Anna Paquin at The Art of Elysium Gala

Lady Gaga in Elle Magazine Spread

Julianne Moore at “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” Screening

Apphia Michael at Wallpaper* design awards

Via: Red Carpet Fashion Awards, Photos: Style.com

Lady Gaga cover’s 944 magazine’s January 2010 Vanguard issue. “There’s no one like me, and their never was,” she says in a state republished by 944. But before you start crying about Madonna or Bowie or Grace Jones, keep listening… “I know my greatness as an individual,” she continues. “I want every woman to be able to say that.”

Snobs like Antonio Berardi could stand to stop and listen to what Gaga has to say. I admit that have yet to fall for her music, but I can see that it’s not “meaningless” as the designer described it (meanwhile Berardi dresses the likes of Megan Fox and Amber Rose – hmmmm). And afterall, if Gaga had tried to hit the scene belting indie rock ballads about existentialism, would we all know her? My guess is no. Like it or lump it pop music is pervasive, and if you want a worldwide audience it’s one of the best vehicles you can choose.

See more: 944.com