london

Nigerian-born designer Duro Olowu’s business is based in London, but Harlem—where he lives with his wife, Thelma Golden, art-world A-lister and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem—is where his heart is. JCPenney is betting Olowu, a perennial best-seller at Barneys and a regular in Vogue, can go big and has tapped him to kick off its new collaboration series.

Kate Middleton hasn’t been making a lot of public appearances lately, so we haven’t had many chances to check out that baby bump. That all changed today. Sorta(ish). The mum-to-be visited Hope House in London and we see that she pretty much has her bod as we know it, pre-pregs. (Fear not! There is indeed a small bump there.)

No day off for Anna! Loyal Erdem supporter Anna Wintour sat front row at the designer’s show in London today at White Cube Bermondsey. Another show, another photo op. Le sigh…

How did a self-described “flunk-out” from Dorset become the biggest beauty phenom since the chignon? Mousse maestro Guido Palau explains.
BY MARIA DENARDO

Nicholas Kirkwood just garnered another layer of industry cred to add to his glowing rep: The designer took home the Birtish Fashion Council/Vogue Fashion Fund award in London this evening. The designer beat out a talented group of designers including Mary Katrantzou, Peter Pilotto, Emilia Wickstead and Roksanda Ilincic to score the accolade. The award allows for Kirkwood to benefit from a bespoke business program and senior-level mentors that will aid his business over the next 18-months. If the past is any indication of what Kirkwood has in store, Christopher Kane, who was the second recepient to receive the award, was recently acquired by fashion behemoth PPR. Yet another step forward in Kirkwood’s rapidly growing biz and he may have some big shoes to fill in his future, if his predecessors are any indication. Bonne chance!

The new John Varvatos campaign pairs Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin’s legendary guitarist) and emerging music artist Gary Clark Jr. The campaign was shot in London by Danny Clinch at the historic Rivoli Ballroom. “Jimmy Page has been a music and fashion icon of mine since 1970,” Varvatos explains in a statement. “Gary Clark Jr. is the real deal: amazing guitar player, singer, songwriter, and friend.

Flame-haired Austrian designer Rebekka Ruétz, 28, got her start with prints master Peter Pilotto during a stint in London before debuting her eponymous line three years ago. In the six seasons since, she’s gone from black-on-black chic to Hunger Games glam. Next up? A capsule line of coed tees and a foray into menswear.
BY ALEXANDRA ILYASHOV

Design duo Thomas Bentz and Oliver Lühr packed their bags two years ago from the U.K. and headed to Berlin to launch their own label. Today, they’ve got Christiane Arp as a mentor and are part of the Vogue Salon. How’d they make it so quickly? We had to ask! BY EDDIE ROCHE

Following in the footsteps of Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin, Nicholas Kirkwood has ventured into outfitting the soles of men. We first caught wind of the plans for the new menswear line back in October, when Kirkwood broke the news to us about the future launch.