News

Private equity firm TowerBrook Capital is set to acquire True Religion Apparel Inc. for an estimated value of $835 million. The merger agreement states that TowerBrook will buyout the LA-based premium denim brand for $32 per share in cash; this number has already been approved by the True Religion board but awaits the green light from shareholders. To date, TowerBrook Capital has invested in Jimmy Choo, Phase Eight, and Odlo in the fashion realm.

Kate Upton Lands First US Vogue Cover [The Daily Mail]
The 20-year-old graces the June cover and is deemed “the hottest supermodel on earth”

Galliano Gives First Interview To Vanity Fair [The Telegraph]
The designer will give his first major interview to Ingrid Sischy in an upcoming issue

Donatella Versace Replaces JW Anderson [Vogue UK]
The designer has announced a new Versus collab with K-Way

Alex Fury Appointed Fashion Editor At The Independent [Business Of Fashion]
Since Susannah Frankel’s departure to Grazia UK, the newspaper has been seeking a replacement

Gwyneth’s $1,000 Shot Glass And More Things You Can’t Afford [Refinery 29]
Check out the latest ultra-expensive Goop collaboration that costs more than an haute couture gown

Pier 92 and 94 in New York City were packed to the max this season for ENK International’s latest installment of Circuit/Intermezzo with thousands of international retailers like Holt Renfrew, Anthropologie, Gilt Groupe, Intermix, Barneys New York, Beams, Bloomingdale’s, and Selfridges perusing the aisles and shopping more than 900 brands. Haute highlights from the event included Alice & Olivia, Erin Fetherston, Current/Elliott, Alexis Bittar, Erickson Beamon, L.A.M.B., Rebecca Minkoff, Nikki Rich, CP Shades, D-ID, Laundry by Shelli Segal, Yoana Baraschi, Rachel Pally, Vita Fede, Rovi Moss, Versus, Frankie B., Kaj, Iradj Moini, 3×1, Morrissey, Obakki, Vince, Janine Payer, sunglasses from Lanvin and Givenchy, and of course, Hunter Bell, the adorbs winner of Fashion Star there to show her line, Hunter Dixon.

WHAT: Prestat Matcha Green Tea Chocolate Thins…WHY: Let’s take an oh so brief and delicious break from more fashion-crazed matters to share a truly unique, utterly addictive treat from the British chocolatiers at Prestat (even the Queen likes their sweets!). These green tea disks are constructed of chocolate and kissed with Earl Grey tea notes; that flavor combo is a match(a) made in heaven. Truly. Besides being ridiculously pretty, you will not be able to stop after one. Or 10. So, you could get them for Mom for this Sunday’s festivities, and/or you could always double up and fetch two of these snazzy-looking lime boxes for mom and yourself. We advise the latter!…AVAILABLE: $19, ChelseaMarketBasket.com…

Is it already Target collab time again? Oui! Next up: Phillip Lim. The designer’s 3.1 Phillip Lim line was recently nominated for a CFDA award, for its accessories, following three previous nominations by the organization and two wins for the Emerging Talent Award in both menswear and womenswear.

Missoni patriarch Ottavio “Tai” Missoni died this morning, aged 92. The Missoni family issued a statement today that Ottavio “passed away peacefully” surrounded by his family at his home in Sumirago, Italy. The wake will be held on Sunday, May 12th, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the courtyard of the headquarters in Sumirago. The funeral will be held on Monday, May 13th, at 2:30 p.m. at the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta in Gallarate. The saddening news comes just four months after Ottavio’s son, Vittorio Missoni, and daughter-in-law, Maurizia Castiglioni, went missing off the coast of Venezuela while flying home to Italy. The Islander YV2615 carrying the Missoni couple, two additional passengers, a crew member, and the pilot has yet to be found, although two bags on the aircraft belonging to Missoni were found on the island of Bonaire, in the Netherland Antilles, in February.

The quirkily preppy, bow-festooned world of Kate Spade is hitting Madison Avenue, in the form of the brand’s first flagship store. Nearly 8,000 square feet in size, the three-floor townhouse spread is more than triple the size of an average Kate Spade outlet, which measure in at 1,500 to 2,000 square feet apiece. It will be officially unveiled on Friday by chief executive officer Craig Leavitt and creative director Deborah Lloyd via a ribbon-cutting ceremony. As for its exact location? 789 Madison Ave., at the corner of 67th St. The brand, which has been owned by Fifth & Pacific Cos. Inc. since 2006, has predicted revenues in 2013 of $700 to $750 million, projected to hit $2 billion by 2017.

Betsey Johnson Talks About Her Reality Show Fears [Fashionista]
The designer shares her fears about her upcoming show with daughter Lulu Johnson

Watch Keira Knightley’s Coco Chanel Video In Full [Vogue UK]
Chanel aired its Coco Chanel film Once Upon A Time, for the first time last night

Five Of Fashion’s Top Global Talent Spotters And Matchmakers [Business of Fashion]
From head hunters and consultants to editors-at-large, here’s who is discoverying the talent

At Yahoo, Fashion Goes Beyond The Hoodie [WSJ]
Find out what they’re wearing and why Melissa Meyer is a style role model to some employees

Betsey Johnson Talks About Her Reality Show Fears [Fashionista]
The designer shares her fears about her upcoming show with daughter Lulu Johnson

Harper’s Bazaar threw its annual celebration of age’s insignificance, aka “Fabulous At Every Age,” in tandem with Estee Lauder yesterday afternoon. Brooke Shields was on hosting duty for the luncheon, which consisted of a five-lettuce salad, grilled salmon and roasted chicken avec peas, morel mushrooms, cheesecake, and that billion-dollar sweeping view of Central Park from the 44th floor Hearst Tower perch. Also on the agenda?

WHAT: Two Birds & Water Pearls Ring by Simon Sato…WHY: A bird bath has never looked so enticing: this resin and sterling silver ring is oh so whimsical, thanks to a duo of perched chirpers on a crystal ball-esque orb, atop a slew of teensy pearls that jangle around as you gesticulate. Given that it’s from the MoMA, it’s none too surprising that the translucent digit-donner, sourced from Japan, is a tiny work of art in and of itself….AVAILABLE: $270, MomaStore.org…