Something new for Jimmy Choo

Tamara Mellon has announced that Joshua Schulman is the new ceo at Jimmy Choo. With a background at Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Gap and Kenneth Cole, Schulman is no stranger to high fashion. "Mr. Schulman's appointment follows the decision by Mr. Bensoussan, ceo since 2001, to focus on building a unique portfolio of luxury brands that can be developed internationally in partnership with Towerbrook Capital," says a spokesperson for the company, which launched in 1996. "Mr. Bensoussan will continue to act as a member of the board and a key shareholder of Jimmy Choo." While Schulman's start date has yet to be announced, his appointment is the latest step in the brand's determined journey to be one of the most successful and fast-growing shoe companies in the fashion industry.

Alberta Ferretti launches kids' line

Italian fashion house Alberta Ferretti is launching childrenswear for girls aged 4 to 12. The collection, which will debut at trade fair Pitti Bimbo in Florence this summer, is being produced by Bologna-based Grant SpA under a five-year licensing contract.
"I'd wanted to do this for a long time," the designer said, adding that the collection will be neither over the top high end nor streetwear. I can't stand little girls dressed as women. I find that vulguar, and I think we should plant the seeds of good taste early on. At the same time, I don't want the line to be boring, either. These clothes will be practical, for daily use, easy to wear, fun and feminine. I feel there is a market for this kind of product."
The first collection will hit stores in spring 2008 and will consist of about 90 items, including T-shirts, trousers and coats in cotton and jersey. The collection will be marketed in the high segment of the market and should be available worldwide at 400 points of sale within the first year.

Heidi Klum goes swimming

German supermodel Heidi Klum ended up all wet last weekend at a photoshoot to promote her new jewellery line when she slipped and fell in a swimming pool. The stunning blonde made a big splash at the Beverly Hills Hotel while modelling gems for her new collection. Fun-loving Klum made the most of the pool mishap by inviting her suited male models to join her and told photographers to keep shooting. After she dried off she said: "I think the boys had a little talk before I got here, because I was running late, and just pushed me in."

Kimberly Stewart makes dad, Rod, angry over lingerie deal

Rod Stewart is set to go ballistic over daughter Kimberly's new lingerie contract. Kimberly, 27, has signed a £100,000 deal with Ultimo, the company which dumped Rod's fiancée Penny Lancaster for his ex-wife Rachel Hunter in 2004.

Rod labeled the firm's boss Michelle Mone a "manipulative cow" after she compared Rachel to world soccer star Ronaldo and Penny to a player from Scottish team Falkirk. Kimberly has already started shooting the firm's advertising campaign for their new Adore Mori range in London. She is planning to celebrate her new deal by pole dancing at London's Wardour club. A friend said: "She's threatening to go wild strip and do a raunchy dance." Rod is set to marry Penny in the romantic Italian island of Capri this June.

The pics are not the ones from the ad, but they will give you a very good picture of how they could look like......

Louis Vuitton's got trunks

Let's step back a few years in time and delve into the history of the Louis Vuitton trunks. LV is presenting the history of luxury travel at the Travels & Travellers exhibition at the Landmark, Hong Kong, next week. The exhibition will feature around 35 antique pieces from the LV archive collection. Viewers will get the chance to see everything from old trunks to suitcases that transform into wardrobes and writing desks. The exhibition will kick off on April 19 and will be open to the public.

Sarah Jessica Parker for new scent

"We wanted to create an image that was arresting, yet whimsical, and we wanted to distance ourselves from other advertising," says Sarah Jessica Parker about her new fragrance, "Covet". The actress shot the perfume's new campaign in the same place where her final episodes of Sex and the City were filmed. "I'm always desperate to go to Paris for any reason, especially when someone else is paying!" said Parker with a giggle.

More glitter for Armani

Giorgio Armani has followed in the prestigious footsteps of Christian Dior to create a Swarovski crystal dress. The "Diamond Leaf" stone, which has a shape reminiscent of a leaf and a special coating to give a metallic, shadowy effect, was showcased on the dazzling finale dress at the Giorgio Armani FW 07/08 show in Milan. "Swarovski crystal brings a touch of magic to a dress, an ethereal quality, a lustre which never fails to captivate the attention," says Armani. "It was therefore a pleasure to be asked to create a new and unique crystal." Swarovski hasn't worked with a designer in this way since the Fifties, when a collaboration with Christian Dior produced "Aurora Borealis", a phenomenally successful stone that is still used extensively in the fashion industry. This year is shaping up to be a busy one for Swarovski - it is about to team up with designers such as Philip Treacy at Milan's Salone Internationale del Mobile exhibition and plans are already underway for October's enormous Fashion Rocks event, being held this year at London's Albert Hall. Also check out Gemma Ward in the latest Swarovski ad campaign below.

Prada goes tank

Prada has teamed up with Rem Koolhaas’ think tank, AMO, for a 27-piece collection of limited-edition tees called—what else?—Obvious Classics #1. Based on “billboards from the future” that Prada first displayed as large-scale projections during its men’s S/S 07 show, the tees take a tongue-in-cheek approach to the fears and desires shaping culture today, suggesting such concepts as style-boosting pills and dream injections. The US$160 white cotton shirts will be available starting this Sunday exclusively at 22 Prada stores worldwide.

Gemma sparkles in Swarovski

Gemma, what's up with the frizzy hair? Sands of Time....or should we call it The Tree Fairy...?! Anyway, Gemma Ward has been snapped up by Swarovski to model in their latest SS07 campaign shot by Craig McDean. I believe the photo speaks for itself...or not.

Gisele in Angels and Demons

Gisele is moving her film career up a notch with a part in The Da Vinci Code sequel, Angels and Demons. The Brazilian supermodel, who played a small part alongside Anne Hathaway in last year's The Devil Wears Prada and also starred in 2004's Taxi with Queen Latifah, is allegedly joining Tom Hanks to play a fairly prominent role in the screen adaptation of the novel by Dan Brown. "Regard it as a solid rumour until Sony Pictures comes out with an official confirmation, but it looks like filming on Angels and Demons should start in July, with Hanks and Gisele Bundchen both on the set," says Cinemablend.

Kylie launches H&M store in Shanghai

It has been quiet around the pop diva, but she's back. Kylie Minogue was looking fab at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum last Wednesday. Miss Minogue was there for the grand opening of theH&M store, where she is debuting a swimwear line.
Even though Madonna also has a line at H&M right now, Kylie might be taking the driver seat as the face of H&M worldwide! Chinese fans crowded the red carpet to catch a glimpse of the Australian sweetheart dressed in a lovely cheongsam.

Scarlett's hot body

Scarlett Johansson's body is the sexiest in the world according to Glamour mag readers. The starlet’s voluptuous curves, which Woody Allen described as “criminally sexy”, came top of the poll, which also featured Jessica Alba, Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Aniston as celebs with fantastic figures.

The New Generation

Lane Crawford is presenting The New Generation. Apparently the new generation is all about the hip and trendy group of up and coming designers such as Haider Ackermann (who graced us with his wonderful presence and inspirations last night), Martin Margiela, Neil Barrett, Sharon Wauchob and Anne Valerie Hash to name a few.

Lane Crawford is so hip that they even created a myspace page for The New Generation. Does it get more cutting edge than this?

Don't miss the press presentation next Wednesday afternoon or the kick ass underground party in the evening. Yep, we definitely need more of this in the city! Eat that Joyce!!

Everybody loves Tom Ford

Tom Ford deliberately avoided the usual flashbulb frenzy at his private dinner and store celebration the other night. But that didn’t stop over 200 of Manhattan’s crème de la crème VIPs from coming out to get a sneak peek at the much ballyhooed-about flagship. In fact, the reassurance of a paparazzi-free affair, not to mention the absence of a red carpet, only seemed to bring out his admiring fans in droves, including the blockbuster foursome of Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, Kate Hudson, and Julianne Moore. "Oh Tom, I'll never forget that red velvet tuxedo," sighed Paltrow, reminiscing back to the 1996 Gucci ensemble she donned for the MTV Video Music Awards. "Never mind past oufits," retorted a now visibly pregnant Watts. "I'm just glad I got to wear something loose and comfortable."

Spread the Red

Emporio Armani is expanding its (Product) Red campaign offerings for the summer, announcing plans to distribute fragrances and jewelry in addition to such products as swimwear, beach towels, tank tops, Bermuda shorts, and baseball caps. In addition, the collaboration with the Ghanaian contemporary artist Owusu-Ankomah, whose drawings are featured on the clothing, accessories, and packaging of the Emporio Armani (Product) Red offerings, has been continued and for the upcoming season will feature five new symboles: Five, Human, Worlds, Future, Uplifted, and Four Corners of the World. Giorgio Armani was a pioneer in his support of (Product) Red, created by Bono and Bobby Shriver for The Global Fund, since its launch at the Davos World Economic Forum in January 2006.

Naomi cleaning up her act

Naomi Campbell says her recent community service, spent cleaning at New York’s Department of Sanitation was a “humbling” experience. She added, “I just got to be with people and learn a lot about people that I would never really get to meet in my job… Everyone was well mannered and very straight up with me and I was straight up with them.” The supermodel received the punishment after throwing a mobile phone at her former housekeeper and managed to make a new friend while she worked; “He’s become a friend of mine. I got to have dinner with him and his wife during that week, which was really nice.”

Puma Power

Puma may not traditionally have much in common with luxury designer brands, but that all changed as PPR, the French conglomerate which owns Gucci and YSL, snapped up the controlling share in the sportswear group. "This is a favorable moment for the convergence of sport and fashion," said Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of PPR. The move may not be as incongrous as it first seems – last year Puma collaborated with PPR stable mate Alexander McQueen on a footwear range and it has always marketed itself as a lifestyle, rather than a sportwear, brand. "Both companies have a European background and ideally complement each other with regard to their global perspective," Puma's chief executive and chairman, Jochen Zeitz, added. PPR is now looking to buy the Puma brand outright and expand it on an international scale.